The highly anticipated Steam Machine finally has a release date, and those interested in Valve’s home console can sign up for a chance to purchase one before it begins shipping on June 29. While the new hardware is a great way to play games from your Steam library without needing a powerful and expensive gaming PC, its price is considerably higher than expected due to the current memory chip shortage caused by AI data centers.
The Steam Machine starts at over $1,000, making it even more expensive than the PlayStation 5 Pro, Sony’s mid-console generation releasing in late 2024. At $899, the PS5 Pro costs $150 less than the cheapest Steam Machine while offering 2TB of storage and a controller like Valve’s pricey package. A 512GB Steam Machine without the Steam controller will cost you $1,049, and a set of controllers costs $1,128. If you want 2TB, you’re looking at $1,349 to $1,428.
Still, it wouldn’t be entirely fair to compare these gaming systems based on price alone, given that they are intended to serve different purposes. In fact, Valve considers the Steam Machine to be “an extension to PC gaming” that provides another way to access your Steam library rather than a console. With that in mind, compare the latest hardware from Valve and Sony so you can make an informed decision if you should choose one over the other.
Which hardware is the most powerful?
Early reviews indicate that the steam engine works well. Digital Foundry called the gaming experience on Valve’s hardware “near perfect,” but also noted that it “delivers largely equivalent experiences” to the base PS5. In a video comparing hardware performance, games like “Black Myth: Wukong” and “Alan Wake 2” ran just as well and sometimes even better on PS5 – not even the PS5 Pro – putting the Steam Machine in line with a basic gaming PC that can run most games well, but not exceptionally well.
That’s not to say the Steam Machine isn’t impressive; it’s truly an achievement for such a small box to harness so much power. At around 6 inches on all sides, Valve’s hardware is around 9 inches shorter than the notoriously tall PS5. It also features an elegant and neat format, unlike the strange and bulky design of the PS5 which has been divisive since the console’s unveiling in 2020.
Viewing the Steam Machine as an alternative to a gaming PC rather than another home console also puts the price into perspective. While you can build a budget gaming PC for less than $1,000, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to acquire powerful, reasonably priced components due to the same storage crisis that drove up the price of the Steam Machine. All things considered, while the Steam Machine and PlayStation 5 are both great places to play games, even Sony’s base console has a power advantage, so if performance is your top priority, go with the PS5 Pro.
PS5 Pro is the best choice
While each has its pros and cons, you’re probably better off buying a PlayStation 5 Pro over the Steam Machine. That said, it’s also worth noting that the base PS5 is more than enough for most consumers. Even after the 2026 price increase, the PS5 Digital Edition costs $599.99, almost half the price of the 512GB Steam Machine alone. Unless you care enough about A/V performance to build a $900 PS5 Pro, you probably won’t notice the difference, and if you do, you won’t be happy with the Steam Machine’s release anyway.
The Steam Machine could appeal to PS5 users who want to play PC games. Even though Valve doesn’t consider it a home console, that’s essentially what the Steam Machine is, so it will offer a more familiar overall experience to those used to PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo. It’s far from the only way to play PC games, however, while the PS5 is the only place to play Sony’s first-party exclusives. Although many beloved and critically acclaimed titles like “Marvel’s Spider-Man” and “The Last of Us” are available on Steam, reports indicate that single-player titles like 2025’s “Ghost of Yōtei” and upcoming ones like “Marvel’s Wolverine” and “God of War Laufey” will not get Steam ports.
Ultimately, it’s hard to recommend the Steam Machine at its introductory price when you can get a gaming PC or laptop for a few hundred more, especially if you take advantage of deals like Amazon Prime Day. Valve’s new hardware may be a great way to play for all accounts, but it’s not great value compared to the cheaper and more powerful PlayStation 5 Pro.
