Valve’s Steam Machine launched at the end of last month, starting at $1,049 for the 512GB model without a Steam Controller to match. Needless to say, the price was one of the biggest talking points – especially since it had been ramped up way above initial expectations due to industry-wide memory and storage shortages. As such, we floated the idea of a cheaper ‘barebones’ edition.

In the world of mini PCs, a barebones kit refers to an incomplete/partially assembled model. In the case of the Steam Machine, we’re referring to a variant without RAM and/or an SSD installed, both of which have become high-ticket components that drive up the system’s price. These are the only two parts that can easily be swapped out (aside from the faceplate).

We put it to our readers in a poll last month to decide whether they’d actually buy a barebones model, concluding that most people would rather have a complete system. However, we decided to keep the poll running after the price was announced and actually saw an upward trend of people voting the other way. Right now, a third (33%) of people say they’d buy a barebones version with neither RAM nor SSD installed, while a smaller percentage (8%) would opt for one just without the SSD.

Valve previously thought about releasing a barebones variant

In an interview with Digital Foundry, published a couple of days before Steam Machine pre-orders went live, Valve engineers Pierre-Loup Griffais and Yazan Aldehayyat (who also spoke to a few other technical talking points, such as single-channel RAM) discussed the concept of a barebones model.

“We spent a lot of time thinking about [offering a barebones model]… To sell a barebones kit, we would have to change how it’s assembled and tested… You basically have to build the whole thing to be able to test it, and then you have to take it apart, and then we have to figure out a way to ship it in this disassembled form so that it doesn’t get damaged in shipping – or if you put it back together, then the customer has to take it apart again.”

Yazan Aldehayyat, Hardware Engineer at Valve, via Digital Foundry

So, on top of the extra manufacturing and packaging work, Aldehayyat went on to say that the concept of replacing parts is a little fiddly for mainstream consumers. In its current state, the SSD’s M.2 slot is easier to access, but the SODIMM slots for memory are much more tucked in there due to the compact form factor. Aldehayyat says the disassembly is “definitely more difficult” than putting together a full-sized desktop PC.

Pierre-Loup Griffais added that the idea for a barebones model “came a little too late in the development process for it to work out, because we had ruled it out super early – it was only the memory situation that made us think about it”. “Maybe in the future we can come up with a solution that makes sense, or partner with somebody to kind of sell parts and stuff like that,” said Aldehayyat, but he ultimately concluded: “Right now, we just don’t have a solution, and we don’t expect to have a solution”.

It’s worth mentioning that Digital Foundry also ran a similar poll – with nearly three-quarters (74%) saying they’d be interested in buying a cheaper barebones Steam Machine. So, the interest is definitely there, and the concept only became more tempting after people found out how much the complete system costs, but as Valve said, don’t expect it to actually happen anytime soon.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.