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The Steam Machine was announced just over a week ago now, and while we don\u2019t know how much the Steam Machine will cost, we also don\u2019t know when it\u2019s actually going to come out. Right now, the only official<\/em> release date information points to a vague \u201cComing In 2026\u201d message in the Steam store page. <\/p>\nWhen I was at Valve trying out the Steam Machine, the company narrowed things down a bit when it told me that the console-PC-hybrid would be launching in Q1 2026, but wouldn\u2019t commit to a specific date. The good news is that either way, we won\u2019t have to wait too long \u2013 after all Q1 2026 ends on March 31, so it\u2019s going to be here sometime in the next few months. But can we narrow it down further? <\/p>\n
<\/p>\nThe CES Equation<\/h2>\n CES, or the Consumer Electronics Show, is happening from January 6-9, 2026. It\u2019s a show where we generally see all the tech and hardware that\u2019s going to be coming out in the first half of the year. And it\u2019s very possible that the Steam Machine is going to be a major topic there \u2013 even if it\u2019s indirect. <\/p>\n
You see, I just re-checked the exhibitor list for the tech event and Valve is not going to show up. That\u2019s not surprising, it\u2019s not like Valve has a habit of attending the event in an official capacity. However, Valve representatives were there last year showing off the Lenovo Legion Go S running SteamOS. I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s going to happen again this year, but I do expect Valve could still make some noise at the show. <\/p>\n
The Steam Machine is probably the biggest thing in gaming hardware right now, and Valve could capture a lot of attention by announcing the price or the release date during CES. This seems especially likely when you consider that this is a Q1 2026 product that doesn\u2019t have a release date heading into Q1 2026<\/em>. But, looking at how Valve handled the Steam Deck, it seems more likely that the company will let things cool down for a few weeks before making its announcement. <\/p>\nPlaying Preorders Safe<\/h2>\n Back when Valve first showed us the Steam Deck<\/u> in July 2021, it gave us both pricing and a release window, claiming that the handheld would be out for the Holiday season of that same year. However, the release date slipped. The first units didn\u2019t launch until February 2022, and most preorders didn\u2019t make it out the door until that Spring<\/u> or even later. I know my Steam Deck didn\u2019t show up until the Summer, and I preordered it as soon as I was able. <\/p>\n
But Valve is already handling this launch much differently than it did the Steam Deck. Valve opened up reservations for the Steam Deck extremely early \u2013 just a day after the initial reveal<\/u> \u2013 asking potential buyers to put down $5 to put their name on a list, along with estimated shipment timing that wasn\u2019t entirely accurate. By being more conservative with its preorder timing, it looks like Valve is trying to avoid some of the confusion that plagued the Steam Deck launch. <\/p>\n
What Valve should have done with the Steam Deck is wait until it has a release date before taking preorders. Because while the Steam Deck was up for reservation nearly a year before most people were able to actually get their hands on it, Valve didn\u2019t actually announce its actual February 28, 2022 release date until the end of January 2022.<\/u> The way I see it, Valve is probably going to do the same thing this time around. <\/p>\n
The big difference between the Steam Deck and the Steam Machine launch, then, is probably that Valve\u2019s living room console will go up for preorder about a month before launch \u2013 if it goes up for preorder at all. Unless Valve delays the Steam Machine like it did with the Steam Deck, it is starting to look like the Steam Machine release date will get announced at the end of January or the beginning of February, with the actual launch happening a few weeks or a month later. Just don\u2019t expect that actually buying<\/em> the Steam Machine is going to be a walk in the park. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n
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Steam Machine Preview \u2013 Photos<\/h3>\n<\/output><\/p>\n
The NAND Of It All<\/h2>\n What sucks about a big PC release in the next quarter is that the PC market is currently going through a massive NAND memory shortage. Essentially, these are the chips that make up RAM, and are causing massive price increases and shortages, according to a post from Bontech Labs<\/u>. So, one of two things will likely happen. Either Valve has already manufactured a bunch of Steam Machines in the months leading up to the announcement, which would result in a relatively smooth launch. Or, Valve has entered mass production recently, and will have to contend with the massive NAND price hikes that have led to PCs in general getting more expensive to produce. If the latter is true, it\u2019s possible there won\u2019t be many units available for early adopters.<\/p>\n
This is one of the major reasons why the Steam Machine probably isn\u2019t going to be a $500 <\/u>competitor to the PS5, but because costs are so high right now, I could see Valve going for another staggered release. Anyone that\u2019s gone through the pain of trying to get a graphics card shortly after launch knows what to expect here. There will likely be an initial launch of limited inventory, with aftermarket sellers ramping up the Steam Machine price significantly until Valve can catch up with the demand. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s likely that even if Valve hits a March 2026 release date, most people won\u2019t be able to get their hands on the Steam Machine until at least June or July. I\u2019d love to be wrong, though. After all, it\u2019s possible that Valve has already made a huge amount of Steam Machines that are ready to go out the door the second the release date hits. Let\u2019s all collectively hope that\u2019s what happens.<\/p>\n
Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her <\/em>@Jackiecobra<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n