Scheduled for release early next year, the Steam Machine marks Valve's return to the world of the pure PC, ten years on.
Barely announced, Valve's Steam Machine is already the talk of the town. It's proof that, even if success isn't in the least guaranteed for Valve, the company has hit the nail on the head with its easy-to-use mini-PC designed to take pride of place in the living room: there is a real need among gamers, and the question today is whether or not the Steam Machine has what it takes to meet that need. As you'd expect, it's far too early to say.
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While a number of "specialists" have come up with their own, more or less smoky analyses to estimate the future price of the Steam Machine - the only major unknown since the release date is set for the first quarter of 2026 - we have to admit that this pricing equation is actually impossible to solve: 1/ we don't know what prices Valve has negotiated to design its machine, and 2/ we have no idea what sacrifices Valve is prepared to make to impose its solution. In fact, between 500 and 1,200 euros, we can imagine just about anything.
What is certain, however, is that Valve is not taking this launch lightly. After detailing a number of technical points and raising the question of the software - there are still some points to be clarified here - Valve returned to the front of its Steam Machine. The front of the Steam Machine could not be more sober, but Valve intends to make it customizable. What's more, the American firm explained that all the files needed to create highly personal front panels will be made available.
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On the other hand, there is no question - at least for the time being - of marketing custom facades like the various examples presented to the press during Steam Machine demos: whether it's the wooden facade, the facade with Team Fortress 2's Heavy or - clearly the most talked-about - the one with an e-ink display and an HWInfo link to broadcast the machine's hardware monitoring, you can't count on Valve to provide the service.
