Anyone in the UK reading this is likely familiar with CeX, a high street second-hand store that carries a wide range of video games and electronics. Well, now we’re starting to see Valve’s new Steam Machine featured in shop windows – and it isn’t cheap. Customers have spotted the top 2TB model costing £1,600 in stores, equating to 39.25% more expensive than the Steam store.

Steam Machine launched with a higher price tag than Valve first envisioned due to AI data center-fueled memory and storage shortages, and the same is likely for the upcoming Steam Frame. Valve’s new Steam Controller was spared from the same problem, but the matching gamepad also sees a hefty premium added to the cost at places like CeX as a result of its scarcity.

Steam Machine costs up to £1,600 at CeX in the UK

The “crazy markup” for the Steam Machine at CeX has been shared online a couple of times, and there’s no sign of it dropping. However, interestingly, we can see via its online store that the retailer is offering £1,152 cash for a ‘Mint’ condition 2TB model, or £1,264 store credit – both are more than the £1,149 price on the Steam store, so you can flip a small profit if you really want to.

You can’t order the SteamOS-powered cube and expect it on your doorstep any time soon. There’s a whole reservation queue to get through, and Valve currently only allows customers to join a waitlist – a secondary list for customers hoping to join the actual order queue. Valve expects current reservations to be resolved by the end of the year, and there’s no “leapfrogging” in front.

The second-gen Steam Controller is also priced at £170 at CeX (in Mint condition), which is double the £85 price tag on the official Steam store. You can knock down the cost by opting for ‘Good’ or ‘Working’ condition models, and the same can be said for the Steam Machine, but you’re overpaying in any case. Steam Controller customers can directly join the reservation queue, but Valve has admitted that new orders won’t be fulfilled until 2027.

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.