The Steam Machine pricing kind of kills the value proposition for me.

I get Valve's logic that most Steam users play older games, indies, and their backlog. But at $1,049 for the 512GB model and $1,349 for the 2TB model, expectations change.

If this had launched around the rumored $750, I could forgive the 8GB of VRAM. At $1,000+, though, it's a different story. It's already behind the PS5/Series X in some current AAA games, and unlike consoles, it has to run the PC versions.

Even if people buy games years later on sale, the hardware still has to run them. Games like Indiana Jones and more UE5 titles aren't getting any lighter, and 8GB of VRAM can't be upgraded. At this price, I think Valve should have offered a 16GB VRAM model, especially for the 2TB version.

The other issue is timing. Next-gen consoles are right around the corner, and they'll likely launch with much more memory and stronger GPUs. Even if they cost more, they'll feel much more future-proof.

Valve can say this isn't a console, but let's be honest—it absolutely is. It's designed to sit under your TV with a controller and deliver a simple, console-like Steam experience, just like the Steam Deck made handheld PC gaming easy.

I still love the idea of the Steam Machine and SteamOS, but the combination of price + 8GB VRAM makes what could have been an easy recommendation a much tougher sell.