Steam Machine update from Valve will please those in the reservation queue
You should be able to get one by the end of this year
👏 Valve has provided a promising update for those waiting for a Steam Machine
🔜 It says it’s fulfilling orders daily and expects everyone in the reservation queue to be able to purchase a device by the end of the year
👍 In some regions and for some devices, it’s even moved to invite those on the waitlist, as it’s exhausted the reservation queue
🙌 Valve’s post also says that FSR 4.1 is now available for games that support it with Proton Experimental, and it has released CAD files for the Steam Machine’s external geometry
Valve has provided a promising update for any folks in the reservation queue waiting for the opportunity to purchase a Steam Machine.
As posted on the Steam Community page, Valve says that it’s fulfilling orders “daily” for the device, sending out emails to reservation holders, and expects everyone in the queue to have the option to purchase the Steam Machine “by the end of the year”.
Valve also says that the reservation queue and corresponding waitlists can move at different paces depending on region, given that they’ve been individually compiled by product and region.
This means that for some products in some regions, the reservation queue is already at an end, and Valve has begun inviting people on the waitlist. It had skipped a step by automatically sending some on the waitlist the option-to-order email, but has now said that you’ll first receive a message saying you’ve been added to the reservation queue and that you can expect an option-to-purchase email “sometime after that”.
With this in mind, Valve is quick to stress that no one on the waitlist is going ahead of those in the reservation queue. It’s only going to the waitlist once the reservation queue is at an end for that product and region.
Valve had implemented a reservation queue for the Steam Machine after the Steam Controller restock, and the chaos that followed when the controller first went on sale.
A previous update from Valve explaining the queue noted that it thought a randomized system was fairer, as the older system tended to reward “bots, people with fast internet connections, talented gaming fingers for quick F5/refresh reactions, and those who can schedule their life around that moment.” By implementing a random system, Valve is aiming to take away some of the “friction”.
At the end of that post, it also provided an interesting tidbit about recommendations if you don’t get a Steam Machine right away, stating that with the latest SteamOS 3.8 update, users can “run the same code and operating system as Steam Machine on your own living-room PC using whatever PC parts you want”.
The only caveat is that it has to be with an AMD GPU, but Valve says it’s “working on expanding support for the future”.
With this in mind, the latest update has seen Valve add support for FSR 4.1 on Proton Experimental for titles supporting the latest version of AMD’s upscaler, while the CAD file for the Steam Machine’s external geometry is now available for download.
Valve releasing the CAD file for the Steam Machine opens up the opportunity for a multitude of third-party accessories, including custom faceplates and more.
We’ve already seen dbrand launch an array of new Steam Machine skins, and Valve previously released the CAD files for its unique e-ink display faceplate option to open up even more personalization options, so it’ll be exciting to see what happens next.
Up next: Best Steam Machine settings for Monster Hunter World
Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.