Steam Machine signals a pricier future for game consoles
▼ Summary
– Video game costs are rising across the board, including console price hikes, expensive PC components, and the end of affordable handhelds, largely due to a global RAM shortage.
– The RAM shortage has also impacted portable PC gaming devices like the Steam Deck.
– Valve’s Steam Machine, its latest living room PC gaming console, faced trepidation due to these rising costs.
– The Steam Machine’s launch was delayed in February specifically because of the memory crisis.
– The article discusses the Steam Machine’s price and its implications for the future of game consoles.
The gaming industry’s upward pricing trend has become impossible to ignore. From game consoles seeing repeated price increases to PC components surging in cost, and even the once-affordable handheld market now demanding a premium, the culprit is largely the same: the ongoing global RAM shortage. This crisis has driven up expenses across the board, impacting everything from desktop gaming rigs to portable devices like the Steam Deck.
Given this climate, skepticism naturally surrounded Valve’s latest venture: the Steam Machine. This device aims to deliver the flexibility and vast library of PC gaming in a living-room-friendly console form factor. However, the project hit a snag when it was delayed in February, a direct consequence of the very memory crisis that has reshaped the entire market. This setback only deepened concerns about how affordable this new console would ultimately be when it finally arrived.
(Source: The Verge)
