Valve says it isn't subsidizing the Steam Machine's $1050 price because of its 'religious' refusal to 'build a more closed system'

A Steam machine sitting in front of a TV.

The day is here: Wider humanity has gotten its hands on the Steam Machine. Our own Steam Machine review is live, and with it, we've finally got confirmation of the Steam Machine's pricing scheme. The SteamOS-powered gaming box starts at a hefty $1,049.

In its slate of Steam Machine launch announcements, Valve has acknowledged that the price is higher than originally hoped due to the ongoing AI-driven supply crisis in computing components. But it's also provided an explanation for why it isn't subsidizing the Steam Machine's sale price, as videogame console manufacturers traditionally do: It would be a betrayal of Valve's reverence for a free market ecosystem—or at least its idea of one.