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Valve changes Steam Machine page to roll back one big tech promise

Full Steam behind.

A Steam Machine sitting on a TV stand next to a Chell action figure.

Published: Friday, 26 June 2026 at 12:01 pm

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It's been a mixed week for Valve. The Steam Machine is here at last, but it's set to launch at a price far higher than they or prospective buyers were hoping for.

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Along with the Steam Deck, the Steam Machine price had to be increased by a few hundred dollars owing to the skyrocketing price of components like RAM.

But while price has dominated the headlines regarding the Steam Machine, Valve has quietly axed one of its major selling points from the console's marketing.

Previously, the Steam Machine's store page promised that the system was capable of "4K gaming at 60fps with FSR," though this has recently been scrubbed.

Now, the listing instead promises "Up to 4K gaming with FSR 4.1," removing both the guarantee of every game being able to run at 4K, but also any mention of games running at 60fps at all.

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While the console remains popular thanks to its small form factor, low power usage, Steam OS and more, it has drawn plenty of criticism for its rather lacklustre performance.

Many were quick to point out that, despite soaring component prices, if one were willing to sacrifice the size of the Steam Machine, one could easily build a more powerful PC for the same price.

Perhaps even more cutting is that many prebuilt PCs, which were once regarded as overly expensive, now offer much higher performance for the same price as the Steam Machine.

Considering the dedicated following Valve has cultivated over the years, and the many benefits the Steam Machine does offer despite its price point, it will undoubtedly sell well, and Valve has already instituted plans for its rollout to mitigate the high demand.

But in a world where graphical fidelity appears to be the be-all and end-all of many AAA titles, for many players, the Steam Machine may just be not enough bang for too much buck.

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of Alex Raisbeck, smiling against a lime green background.

Alex RaisbeckGaming writer

Alex Raisbeck is a Gaming Writer at Radio Times, covering everything from AAA giants to indie gems. Alex has written for VideoGamer, GamesRadar+, PC Gamer, PCGamesN and more.

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