After over a decade since Valve revealed the initial prototypes for the Steam Machine, we’ve finally gotten a first look at the pre-order dates and pricing for the various editions of the upcoming system. While Valve had warned us that the price wasn’t going to come cheap for their prebuilt PCs, fans have been up in arms over the price point not being worth the value of the systems themselves.
Thankfully, while there’s been no shortage of players pointing out that you can get a prebuilt PC or build your own for potentially far cheaper than a brand-new device, Valve is in full support of the idea that you can make your own Steam Machine without having to pay a dime to take advantage of its new software.
As noted in an interview with The Verge, Pierre-Loup Griffais from Valve has confirmed that the Steam Machine will use the same SteamOS 3.8 build that just recieved a major update before the announcement, allowing you to “put together your own Steam Machine using whatever PC parts you want,” which is especially helpful, considering that even if you wanted to buy Valve’s Steam Machine, you’ll have to get lucky with its lottery style pre-order system.
Although SteamOS has already been available for use on your own PC for some time now, as mentioned in the interview, the updated compatibility updates will allow the operating system to run on a drastically wider array of systems, and is no longer “mostly limited to AMD systems.“
Considering PC players on Nvidia and Intel systems were mostly out of luck until now, the new update will make the SteamOS more accessible than ever before, whether you’re buying a new system to transform it into a console-like PC or simply want to adapt an old system into a DIY Steam Machine of your own that can easily plug and play into a TV.
Although Valve’s Steam Machine pricing isn’t too far off what you can expect to pay for similar products, due to the current state of the PC parts market, taking advantage of deals or buying used components can net you a significant discount when it comes to making your own Steam Machine, which Valve’s Griffais has stated that the current SteamOS build will offer a ‘good experience’ on console-like PC setups.”
Of course, the new Steam Machine and a docked Steam Deck, which had its own massive price increase in recent months, still have a few advantages over DIY systems in terms of easy “HDMI-CEC support,” but there is still excellent potential for PC players with the know-how to build their own system to take advantage of the console-like device without paying the premium price point that Valve needs to sell Steam Machine‘s for without a loss.
- Brand
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Valve
- Original Release Date
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September 12, 2003