A Czech retailer appears to have leaked product prices. steam machine If you register on a website and hide the price in the source code, you may not be satisfied. There's just as much hype surrounding Valve's upcoming Steam PC/console hybrid as there is uncertainty and concern about its potential price tag. Here's why:
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Linus, a popular YouTuber and tech expert behind Linus Tech Tips, said about the price of the Steam Machine that it will likely sell for at least $699 based on the $600 components.
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Because the hardware is a hybrid of PC and console, it includes some expensive components that can be quite expensive to purchase from third-party sellers, especially if Steam supplies run out.
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The RAM used to build PCs, phones, and consoles continues to be in short supply, potentially impacting the final prices of Steam Machine and Switch 2.
The situation is quite confusing at the moment, as Valve has yet to announce a release date or expected price tag for the Steam Machine. Except that Czech retailer Smarty, who is also an authorized seller of Valve products in the Czech Republic, may have leaked the expected price of the new console.
Meet the Steam Machine's $1,000 price tag
If the retailer has the correct information about the console, the console will be available in two versions – a 512GB Steam Machine and one offering 2TB of storage. Both are listed on their website with price estimates hidden in the source code. For the 512GB version, the estimated price is 19,826 CZK, essentially $950 ($949.76 at current exchange rates). The 2TB version costs 22,305 CZK, which translates to $1,068.51. These Steam Machine prices are pre-tax and Smarty typically charges a 17% margin. That means the actual price is:
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Approximately $800 for a 512GB Steam Machine
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Approximately $900 for a 2TB Steam Machine
The exact values are $810.90 for the former and $913.25 for the latter. This is calculated by dividing the original number by 1,17 to give Smarty’s 17% margin.
If this is correct, between potential price fluctuations due to the RAM shortage crisis, potential fluctuations in exchange rates, and last-minute internal changes from Valve, it's likely that the 2TB version of the Steam Machine will cost more than $1,000, if not a tactical $999 to make it look less expensive. Whether or not it's worth the price of Valve's new hardware is entirely up to you, but there are various posts online that say the specs make the console probably not a good buy for $800+.
Is it worth buying a steam machine for $1,000?
The argument against pre-ordering a Steam Machine is that you might get a gaming PC at that point, but between the rising prices of expensive GPUs and RAM units for good performance, it could end up costing you a lot more. At the same time, if Steam Deck is any indication, many of the Steam Machine's accessories will likely not be included in the base price.
It's worth noting that despite Smarty's own disclosure of a partnership with Valve, the prices are likely inflated compared to the actual MSRP on the Steam store page.
But even if the leaked prices are true, Valve's console could still be one of the best options for those who don't have a fully-featured gaming PC or just love playing Steam games on their console. That's because the prices of gaming PCs and other consoles moving forward are set, making the Steam Machine a nice, perfectly average option between Xbox/PlayStation/Nintendo and high-end computers.
Source: smarty.cz
