Code Leak Suggests Four Different Ways To Buy A Steam Machine

"Following May 4's Steam Controller launch, Valve announced it was going to handle things very differently when the device was restocked, requiring a registration queue to access orders, purchase limits of one, and a Steam account that's in "good standing" and has made purchases before April 27, 2026. This is all in an effort to limit the abilities of scalpers looking to flip the highly sought-after controller."

"The code for the store page making this possible has been scoured by users who have discovered it also makes reference to the forthcoming Steam Machine, Valve's much vaunted teeny PC boxes designed to sit under your TV and allow PC-like gaming from the couch, and reveals that there will be four different ways to buy it."

"Valve had already made it known that it would launch what I insist on thinking of as a spiritual successor to the Nintendo GameCube at two different specs, the 512GB model and the 2TB. That would explain two of the possible ways to buy, but the other two are unknown. It seems pretty likely that these would be bundles that also include the new Steam Controller, given the two are clearly designed to be paired (and you can only assume they were originally intended to launch simultaneously)."

Valve responded to scalpers buying Steam Controller units within 30 minutes by changing how restocks are handled. Restocks require a registration queue, enforce a one-unit purchase limit, and restrict access to Steam accounts in “good standing” that have made purchases before April 27, 2026. Store-page code tied to these protections was found to reference an unreleased Steam Machine. The SteamOS mini-PC is expected to launch in four different SKUs, with two known storage options: 512GB and 2TB. The remaining two purchase options are not specified, but they may be bundles that include the Steam Controller, which is designed to pair with the Steam Machine.

Read at Kotaku