Valve officially launched the Steam Machine last week, with pre-orders (or presales) going live ahead of shipping on June 30. Much like the Steam Controller, the new cubed mini PC has a reservation program, allowing those with Steam accounts “in good standing” to have the chance to pre-order the Steam Machine. This time, Valve even added a random factor.

The randomized reservations (as opposed to first-come, first-served) were put in place to try and stop scalpers and bots from getting their hands on the Steam Machine en masse. While that may have worked to a certain degree, we’ve already seen plenty of listings on the likes of eBay with massively inflated prices – and people are actually buying them.

Gamers are happy to pay even more for the Steam Machine

Despite backlash against the Steam Machine price, it’s still a desired piece of kit. You could build a DIY Steam Machine if you really want to save some pennies, or a more generic SteamOS gaming PC for even cheaper, but the Steam Machine offers a plug-in-and-play option that’s ideal for those getting into PC gaming for the first time. Or just want a PC experience in the living room.

512GB and 2TB models are available. For reference, below is the official USD pricing direct from the Steam store:

• 512GB: $1,049
• 512GB & Steam Controller: $1,128
• 2TB: $1,349
• 2TB & Steam Controller: $1,428

As you can see above, presale listings are being sold for a healthy profit online, and we don’t expect to see this stop any time soon. Valve has been working overtime to make sure there’s enough Steam Machine stock to go around, even shipping some with single-channel RAM. Widespread memory shortages have forced the company to think on its feet.

Valve recently revealed that some people will be waiting until 2027 to get their Steam Controller, and assuming demand for the Steam Machine is just as high, customers may be stuck in the reservation queue for some time.

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.