Valve have confirmed the Steam Machine's price will be comparable to a custom-built PC with similar performance, rather than subsidised like a console.
I don’t see how Valve can be expected to match that price range.
They don’t have to. Even if the sticker price is $50 more and the console equivalent, for a lot of people that’s a better value because you don’t have to pay >$100 per year for online services.
And if it’s priced the same as a similarly spec’d PC, there’s still wiggle room there. Are they comparing to a custom-built PC? Or are they comparing to a prebuilt?
They don’t have to. Even if the sticker price is $50 more and the console equivalent, for a lot of people that’s a better value because you don’t have to pay >$100 per year for online services.
And if it’s priced the same as a similarly spec’d PC, there’s still wiggle room there. Are they comparing to a custom-built PC? Or are they comparing to a prebuilt?