UMVA has learned that Valve is set to launch two highly anticipated gaming devices, the second-generation Steam Machine and the Steam Frame VR headset, with a verification program for games, similar to the one on the Steam Deck.
The big question on everyone's mind is when these gadgets will arrive, and Valve has provided an update: both devices are expected to hit the market this summer, putting the official launch timeframe sometime before the end of September.
However, Valve had initially hoped to get them out much sooner, with plans to nail down a specific launch date and price before February of this year. Unfortunately, the same memory and storage crunch that caused the Steam Deck handheld to shoot up in price got in the way.
The price remains the biggest unknown for both the console-style PC and the virtual reality headset. With 16GB of RAM and an 8GB AMD discrete graphics card, the Steam Machine will be far more expensive to make today than it would've been a year ago, making its price a crucial factor in its success.
Sources have confirmed to UMVA that a theoretical desktop built to the published minimum specs of the Steam Machine, using PCPartPicker, would cost around $1,065. Assuming Valve can use economies of scale to build the Steam Machine for 25 percent cheaper than that, an $800 price tag is possible, but it's a challenging target.
Valve needs to build in some wiggle room in its components, as RAM prices are still going up, albeit at a slower pace than earlier in the year. Launching at a price under $1,000 and then needing to bump it up immediately to remain in the black would be a pretty terrible look for the company.
The Steam Frame VR headset, with its advanced hardware, including a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Arm chip with 16GB of onboard RAM, similar to Samsung's Galaxy XR headset, is likely to come with a hefty price tag. The Galaxy XR headset costs $1,800, and it's unlikely that Valve will be able to significantly chop off the price of its own device.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that Valve is working hard to make these devices a reality, but the company faces significant challenges in terms of pricing and availability. With the gaming market becoming increasingly competitive, Valve needs to get its pricing right to make a splash with these new devices.
