This week’s most popular game is not a robovoiced extraction shooter or a buggy martial arts RPG, but Guess The Steam Machine Price: a well-meaning (if largely speculative) timepasser wherein whoever most accurately converts Valve’s teasing into a final street price for the resurrected SteamOS mini-PC wins. In 2026, when it launches.
I feel excluded, so I will take a shot at it myself below, although there is a significant obstacle in determining the Steam Machine’s price by building an equivalent DIY PC. Unfortunately, RAM prices have skyrocketed, reminiscent of the Great Graphics Card Dumpster Fire of 2020.
Similar to then, but now, the cause is a widespread shortage, this time triggered by artificial intelligence. AI data centers are rapidly expanding, consuming memory output and leaving limited RAM supplies for consumer PC building. The remaining stock has been subject to significant markups, making components much more expensive than before.
Hardware manufacturers with stockpiled parts may maintain production for several months during the shortage, but those without reserves will feel the impact. Microsoft is reportedly considering raising prices for their Xbox Series X/S consoles to cover the increased memory costs.
The uncertain future of RAM prices poses a challenge for the Steam Machine. Valve may need to adjust the price to account for the high cost of DDR5 modules, potentially affecting the affordability of the product. Whether Valve has enough memory from before the crisis to launch at a lower price remains to be seen.
As of now, the actual situation in early 2026, including pricing for the Steam Machine, Steam Controller, and Steam Frame, remains unknown. Fluctuating parts prices could be a factor in Valve’s decision not to announce pricing initially. Therefore, estimating the Steam Machine price based on a home-built PC may not be accurate.
Here is my estimate for the Steam Machine price, based on components that closely match its performance rather than its specifications on paper:
- Case: Lian Li A3 mATX Wood Edition (£60)
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X (£162)
- GPU: Zotac GeForce RTX 5050 Twin Edge (£219)
- RAM: Crucial DDR5 1x16GB (£103)
- SSD: WD Blue SN500 500GB (£60)
- Motherboard: ASRock B650I Lightning WiFi ITX (£140)
- Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black (£30)
- PSU: Corsair RM850e (£95)
- Total: £869
I hope this estimation provides some insight, although the actual outcome may differ. Stay tuned for more updates on the Steam Machine and its pricing.
