Time to curl into a ball and hug my Steam Deck (I initially wrote Machine in a Freudian daze).
So, the time has finally come, Valve has now announced the price of the Steam Machine, and as feared, it is expensive. Even at the low end with the 512GB version without a controller it is £879!! (also over $1,000 in the US) Then at the other end, for the 2TB version with a controller it goes up to £1,208!! Oh, but it does come with two additional face plates.
Now, is this extreme price point Valve's fault? Technically no. It is the AI bros fault. Sam Altman wants digital God and humans removed because we use too much water that could instead power his stupid (and I mean that literally) machines. Although, before you think I'm a Valve shill, Valve is a private company and is not beholden to moronic shareholders who must see line go up. Gabe has enough mega yachts, he could take the hit.
After the recent Steam Deck price increases, where the 1TB is now approaching £800 (or £1,000 in the US) we all knew the Steam Machine wasn't going to be cheap. But even then I still wasn't quite prepared for the final price. This is where I would say "I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed". But, actually, at the moment, I'm both.
I cannot justify paying for a Steam Machine. The 512GB is just an excuse to have a lower starting price (most tech companies do this). If it started at 1TB I might be saying something different, but 512GB for this is going to fill up fast! Yes, you can use a micro SD card, but that is not a good idea for running something like Cyberpunk 2077 which features heavily in a lot of its promotion.
That leaves us with the 2TB spec which is either £1,149 without the controller or the aforementioned £1,208 with the controller. Yes, that means you get the controller at a slight discount (plus the controller seems out of stock until next year if you want it on its own) but for a system that is about as powerful as a base PS5, but notably less than a PS5 Pro, this does not make sound sense to get one.
I am fortunate to have picked up a PS5 Pro during Black Friday last year. I managed to get it for around half the price for the Steam Machine with a controller. That is just mad!
I really did want to get more into PC gaming, to diversify a bit. Before the Steam Machine was announced I had started to look at PCs with the idea of getting some form of Linux gaming PC. The Steam Machine was the answer I was looking for. So I got a Steam Deck partly in readiness. It's something I use most evenings now due to the versatility of games. Now it looks like it's going to do more heavy lifting. I might start playing it "docked" more now.
Well, that's me for the evening. Enjoy my 500 or so word rant.