Things have sure been heating up for the Steam Machine over the last couple weeks. On top of shipment data suggesting Valve’s mini gaming PC is coming soon, code found in the latest Steam update hints at the different versions of the console that’ll be available.
Spotted by Wccftech, it seems like there will be four different versions of the Steam Machine, along with two versions of the Steam Frame, available at launch. However, while this does suggest there will be plenty of choices for the upcoming hardware, nothing yet indicates just how much the Steam Machine will cost.
Luckily, even though we still don’t know how much the Steam Machine will cost, it does seem like Valve will be employing the same reservation queue that it just implemented for the Steam Controller, after it sold out almost immediately. Hopefully that means we won’t have to pay inflated scalpers’ prices on top of what’s almost certainly going to be a high price for the Steam Machine itself.
As for which versions of the Steam Machine will be available, Valve told me all the way back in November that there will be a 512GB entry-level model, alongside a 2TB version. Nobody except Valve knows what the other two options will be – or if those options even exist – but it’s highly likely that at least one of them is going to be a bundle with the Steam Frame and Controller.
With the high price of SSDs right now, it would also probably be a good thing if Valve included a 1TB option, as well, because 2TB SSDs are quite expensive these days. Still, at least it seems like it’s pretty easy to crack the Steam Machine open and just install your own SSD, which means the smart buy might just be to get the 512GB version when it launches and upgrade with more storage when prices stabilize a bit more (if they ever stabilize).
Either way, at the rate these Steam Machine leaks and rumors are coming right now, it does seem like the launch is coming soon. The big question that is still in limbo is the price, but I imagine we’ll know more about that once Valve is actually ready to make an announcement.
Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra
