Steam Machine’s Preorder Process Is A Response To Longstanding Disasters
Valve has finally revealed the Steam Machine’s price, specifications, and release date, all while opening up reservations for preorders. This time around, the company is handling its preorder queue in a slightly different way, a move it claims is directly inspired by lessons learned from the Steam Controller preorder process. Users can now join the waitlist for any of the four available options on Steam.
Under the reservation section, Valve has included a note stating that the list will close at 10 AM PT on June 25. Once the list is full, it will be randomized, and then users will be notified via email about their results. This means that simply being the first to click the preorder button won’t guarantee a spot in the purchase queue.
The decision to randomize the preorder list comes from Valve’s FAQ, where the company explains that it wants to make the process more fair and less frustrating. It also directly references the difficulties it faced during the Steam Controller launch.
"A launch that starts at a specific day and time tends 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," the FAQ states. "By accepting reservation signups over the course of a few days, without any incentive to be first, we're hoping to take away some of that friction. The longer timeframe also allows us to do some extra validation on the signups to make sure they're real accounts, with only one per household."
If this approach works, it could potentially resolve the longstanding issues many users face when trying to preorder highly sought-after gaming hardware or other products. Many have shared stories of spending hours refreshing store pages, only to be left empty-handed.
The Steam Machine is set to officially launch on June 30. However, not everyone who signs up will be able to purchase a unit immediately. Joining the waitlist grants a spot, but users may be informed of a later time frame when their preorder will become available, similar to the recent updated availability windows for the Steam Controller.
The Steam Machine starts at $1,049 for a 512GB model without a controller, and goes up to $1,428 for a 2TB model that includes the Steam Controller and swappable face plates. Early impressions of the device suggest it is a decently powered gaming PC that is very user-friendly, though it is generally considered less powerful than a custom build at the same price point.
