Valve Admits Steam Sales Are Not Great
The more eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed in the last week or so that Steam Machines are no longer advertised on the store front page. There is, however, a very good reason for that. They’re simply not selling.
While Valve has not bitten the bullet with their system, they have admitted in a report via Eurogamer, that sales are well below expectations.
Why are sales so poor?
I think it’s fair to say that when it comes to hardware, Valve has had difficulties building a good reputation. The Steam Link is useful, albeit a little clunky and their controller is outright awful. Steam Machines are equally selling well below expectations largely due, I feel, to a lack of confidence in the brand.
In a statement, Steam has said: “We’ve noticed that what started out as a routine cleanup of the Steam Store navigation turned into a story about the delisting of Steam Machines. That section of the Steam Store is still available. But was removed from the main navigation bar based on user traffic. Given that this change has sparked a lot of interest. We thought it’d make sense to address some of the points we’ve seen people take away from it.”
In the statement, Steam adds: “While it’s true Steam Machines aren’t exactly flying off the shelves, our reasons for striving towards a competitive and open gaming platform haven’t significantly changed. We’re still working hard on making Linux operating systems a great place for gaming and applications. We think it will ultimately result in a better experience for developers and customers alike, including those not on Steam.”
The future of the Steam Machine
Ultimately, I think the Steam Machine will, sooner or later, quietly vanish. While it may have a market, it is clearly far too limited. At least, too limited to really make the product a go for a wide audience.
With a retail price of around £450 as well, I think many consider that the money is simply better invested in a PC, Nvidia Shield or console.
What do you think? Did you buy a Steam Machine? If not, what is stopping you? – Let us know in the comments!
