As we get closer to the release of the Steam Machine (and the Steam Frame), potential customers are still wondering just how much this new hardware will cost. As for the Steam Machine, Valve’s upcoming cubed mini PC, current expectations are for a four-figure price tag, especially after Valve was forced to ramp up the price of its Steam Deck handheld recently.

While Valve’s new Steam Machine has faced considerable delays – it was supposed to hit shelves in early 2026 – it is now at least confirmed for a summer release window. Memory shortages aren’t being resolved any time soon, and we think one of the best ways Valve can sidestep some of the problem is by releasing a ‘bare bones’ Steam Machine with no RAM inside.

Steam Machine could ship with a RAM-less and/or SSD-less variant

The idea of a bare bones mini PC is nothing new to the market. It’s a common practice for popular brands such as Minisforum, which has a barebones section on its store. These typically remove upgradeable components such as the memory (RAM) and storage (SSD), slashing the overall cost of the machine.

In a market where both of these components suffer from inflated prices, this can lead to some pretty drastic price changes. Valve has already made it known that the Steam Machine offers user-upgradeable RAM and SSD. It uses laptop-style DDR5 SO-DIMM memory and an internal M.2 NVMe SSD (2230 and 2280 accepted), which are easy to install and replace.

If you happen to already have these components spare or can source them for cheaper, then it would make sense to pick up a version of the Steam Machine without these components pre-installed. This doesn’t mean Valve can’t sell complete models ready to plug in and play. The one memory-related component that cannot be helped by users is the 8GB GDDR6 VRAM of the semi-custom RDNA 3 GPU.

Leakers have previously suggested a bare-bones model is coming

Valve may have been discussing a bare-bones model ever since its original announcement back in November 2025. In early December, a leaker suggested that such a model was likely given the current market situation – and these industry-wide shortages certainly haven’t improved since then. AMD suspects DDR5 RAM prices will stay inflated for the next two years.

Whether the Steam Machine will be available without RAM, without SSD storage, or both, we cannot say. The good news is that we should soon find out, as we quickly stroll into summer. If you’re wondering, the summer solstice begins on June 21.

We previously suspected that Valve might release the Steam Controller early, ahead of the other two hardware launches, and that’s exactly what happened. It was typically expected that all three would release at the same time, though a Steam engineer later confirmed this “wasn’t really ever the plan”. Either way, maybe we can go two for two on our predictions.

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.