Valve is committing to shipping the Steam Machine, its console-like PC, and the Steam Frame VR headset this summer. The company confirmed this release window via a new post that also shared new details on how Valve is updating its Verified program for these new devices.
“Today, we are expanding the Verified program to include Steam Machine and Steam Frame, both of which are shipping this summer,” said Valve in a blog post on the official Steam website. The company behind games like Half-Life and Portal didn’t provide any other details on specifically when the devices will ship or, more importantly, how much they will cost at launch.
Price is going to be a very important factor in the success of the Steam Machine (and the Steam Frame.) After Valve recently increased the price of its popular handheld PC, the Steam Deck, by over $200, a lot of people are nervous about just how much a Steam Machine will cost. Valve says the Steam Machine is six times as powerful as a Steam Deck, which sounds great as it will mean more games can be played on it, but it also sounds like it is going to be vastly more expensive than the Steam Deck, which now costs nearly $800 for the base OLED model.
The rest of the blog post is dedicated to Valve sharing details on how its Verified program, which shows people if a game is playable on the Steam Deck via a green check mark, will work on Steam Machine and Steam Frame. No surprises here, as the program will work basically the same way. Games will be tested by Valve, and if they pass, they’ll get a green check mark. Valve says that if a developer’s game wasn’t running well on Steam Deck, it will be checked again to see if it runs better on Steam Machine. If so, it will get a Steam Machine Verified badge. The same process will play out for Steam Frame.
That’s all well and good, but the real question is how much will this damn thing cost? Some are estimating that the Steam Machine could cost $1,200 or more. That number sounds hard to believe, but when you factor in the ongoing RAM shortages as well as other factors, the idea of a $1,200 Steam Machine sounds not only plausible, but perhaps the best case scenario. It’s possible the price is higher than that. Place your bets now, folks. And good luck out there.