Valve would change one thing about the Steam Machine: make it cheaper

The Steam Machine broke cover last Monday, and its cheapest model still costs $1,049—a price the company ties to the ongoing RAM crisis. That figure prompted pushback from potential day-one buyers, and Valve’s own engineers admit they aren’t thrilled with it either.

PCG interviewed Valve engineers Yazan Aldehayyat and Pierre-Loup Griffais ahead of the reveal. Asked what they would change if they could snap their fingers, their answer was immediate: "Make it cheaper," laughed Aldehayyat. "Yeah, I mean, that's an easy one," agreed Griffais, noting that components that once felt like commodities now require tough negotiation just to secure a few thousand units.

The engineers say they’re happy with the hardware’s design. "It's kind of perfect for what I need because we've shaped it like that, right?" Griffais said, while Aldehayyat added, "We're open for feedback. I think we're pretty biassed, obviously." Griffais also joked about ports: "We always want more ports...

valve, steam machine, ram crisis, $1,049, engineers, yazan aldehayyat, pierre-loup griffais, hardware design, components, ports