If you’ve been keeping an eye on the Steam Machine, here’s a reason to pay closer attention. New details have emerged suggesting that Valve is preparing a reservation queue system for the device ahead of launch.
This could be a direct response to the chaos that followed the Steam Controller’s release, which sold out almost immediately and landed largely in the hands of scalpers.
According to Wccftech, users digging through a recent Steam update uncovered code pointing to four distinct Steam Machine packages and two Steam Frame packages, alongside existing entries for the Steam Controller and Steam Deck. The four-package breakdown strongly implies multiple models will be available at launch.
Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Vote for your favorite creator today!
Mashable Light Speed
Two are already known — a 512GB and a 2TB storage configuration — but the nature of the remaining two is still unconfirmed. The reservation queue itself mirrors the system Valve introduced for the Steam Controller, designed to give actual buyers a fair shot before scalpers can clean out launch inventory.
As for when any of this actually happens — that’s still the big question. Earlier this year, Valve acknowledged in a blog post that soaring memory and storage costs had forced the company to reassess its pricing and shipping timeline, particularly for the Steam Machine and Steam Frame.
The company has since struck a more confident tone, updating its Steam Year in Review to confirm that all three products — the Steam Machine, Steam Frame VR headset, and Steam Controller — will ship this year.
No price or launch date has been confirmed. But four packages and a scalper-prevention system quietly appearing in a Steam update suggest the pieces are falling into place faster than Valve is letting on.