Valve expects all Steam Machine reservations to be fulfilled "by the end of the year"

Lauren spends most of her time dead in League of Legends, or equally as dead in Valorant. Don't ask her about Vampire: The Masquerade.

While the Steam Machine launched to somewhat middling reviews - largely criticizing its price point and patchy 4k graphics - it's still sold out on Valve's storefront, no matter what storage size you're going for, or whether or not it includes a controller. Those who have signed up to buy one have been placed on a randomized reservation list, which Valve is slowly working through. We've been waiting for an update on where exactly it is in that queue for a while, but the developer and hardware tycoon has now confirmed that those on the reservation list should be able to purchase a Machine by the end of the year.

"We're fulfilling orders on a daily basis, sending out emails to reservation holders with the option to purchase in the order in which they landed on the list post-randomization," it writes. "We expect everyone in the reservation queue will have the option to purchase by the end of this year."

It clarifies that, in some regions, it's already reached the end of the reservation list, and has started inviting new buyers - don't panic, you've not missed anything if you're friend in another country can buy a Steam Machine, but you can't. "Anyone who comes off the waitlist will first receive a message from us confirming you've been added to the reservation queue and can expect an option-to-purchase email sometime after that.

"Importantly, no one on the waitlist is leapfrogging over anyone currently holding a reservation; we're only dipping into waitlists if and when we reach the end of the reservation queue for that product and region."

So what happens next, then? "If you have a reservation, you can expect an email offering you the chance to purchase by the end of the year," Valve says. If you have a spot on one of the waitlists, there is a chance you could be moved into reservations depending on which product you're on the list for; in those instances we will email you about your new reservation status first, with a purchase email to follow once your spot in that queue comes up." Valve also highlights that you'll have to complete your purchase within 72 hours of receiving the email, otherwise it'll "move to the next person in line."

Ed game the Valve's Gabe Cube a middling 6/10 in our Steam Machine review, saying that it "delivers on ease of use, but its price is a non-starter, and it only really suits certain games." Generally, the consensus is that, even with the ongoing RAM crisis and the struggle to find affordable gaming PC parts, the Steam Machine's ugly $1,049 / £879 price point (that's the price of the base unit without a controller, by the way) is simply far too high. The company also raised the cost of its handheld Steam Deck by $300, although that remains out of stock despite the price hike.

Perhaps if the RAM situation evens out, we'll see that cost reduce. I'm not exactly convinced, however, and expect this to be the baseline cost for both Valve's consoles, and future PlayStation and Xbox iterations, too. Either way, if you've got cash to splash and you're on the reservation list, you'll hopefully have your Machine by the end of 2026. What a perfect way to celebrate the holidays.