Credit: steampowered.com
When Valve finally launched its compact gaming computer, the Steam Machine, at the end of June, many doubted its success due to its high price. However, sales have actually been quite good. According to Boiling Steam, the vendor is selling between 12,000 and 15,000 Steam Machines per week.
Since the company doesn’t publish official statistics on its hardware, analysts studied changes in SteamOS user base since the new system’s release. Based on this data, they estimate that the new system is currently selling approximately 10,000 to 15,000 units per week. This is only an estimate, not a confirmed figure, but there are no other publicly available sales sources.
If these estimates are accurate, monthly shipments could reach 50,000 to 60,000 units. While these figures may seem modest for mainstream gaming consoles, the Steam Machine is designed for a different audience. It’s aimed at users who want a compact gaming PC running SteamOS and the ability to play games from their Steam library.
The study’s authors also note that current sales rates are comparable to the early performance of the Steam Deck. Estimates based on the same data suggest that Valve’s portable console achieved similar sales volumes in the first few months after its release, although the company has yet to release official statistics.
It’s important to note that these figures may be primarily due to increased demand at the launch of a device. It’s not uncommon to see sales drop by 20-30% within a few weeks of the initial excitement surrounding the market launch of a device.