Both boxes are now shipping, both are fighting for the same spot under your TV, and both cost a lot more than anyone expected a year ago. GamesHarbour compares the Steam Machine, Valve’s first living-room PC since 2015, against the PS5 Pro, Sony’s mid-generation refresh, across specs, price, and real-world performance to see which one actually deserves the space.
Steam Machine Price and Specs
Valve’s Steam Machine is a compact SteamOS PC, not a traditional closed console. As a Steam Machine gaming console, it runs Steam games natively on Linux or through Proton, includes a full desktop mode, and supports internal upgrades.
Valve first announced the hardware in 2025, with the Steam Machine release date set for November 2026. Here’s the full spec and pricing breakdown:
| Spec | Steam Machine (512GB) |
|---|---|
| Price | $1,049 |
| CPU | Semi-custom AMD Zen 4, 6-core / 12-thread |
| GPU | Semi-custom AMD RDNA 3, 28 compute units |
| Memory | 16GB DDR5 + 8GB GDDR6 VRAM |
| Storage | 512GB NVMe SSD, microSD expansion |
| OS | SteamOS 3 |
| Target performance | 4K/60fps using FSR upscaling |
The 2TB model with a bundled Steam Controller runs $1,349. Valve has said the Steam Machine price is “like a PC rather than like a console,” meaning it isn’t subsidized by future game sales the way PlayStation and Xbox hardware traditionally is.
PS5 Pro Price and Specs
The PS5 Pro launched in November 2024 as Sony’s mid-generation refresh, the same playbook Sony ran with the PS4 Pro and Microsoft ran with the Xbox One X. It is not a new console generation, but it’s had two price increases since launch.
For Malaysian buyers, the PS5 Pro price Malaysia shoppers see can differ from the US price because of regional pricing, taxes, and retailer markups. Here’s how the current PS5 Pro price compares with the Steam Machine:
| Spec | PS5 Pro |
|---|---|
| Price (US, current) | $899.99 |
| GPU | 60 compute units, ~16.7 TFLOPS |
| Rendering uplift vs base PS5 | Up to 45% faster |
| Memory bandwidth | ~576 GB/s |
| Storage | 2TB SSD |
| Upscaling | PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 |
The PS5 Pro started at $699.99 at launch, rose to $749.99 in August 2025, and increased again to its current $899.99 in April 2026. Sony has attributed the increases to broader industry cost pressures affecting multiple console makers.
Steam Machine vs PS5 Pro: Head-to-Head
Here’s how the two stack up on the numbers that actually matter for gameplay:
| Category | Steam Machine | PS5 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Base price | $1,049 | $899.99 |
| CPU | AMD Zen 4, 6C/12T | Custom Zen 2-based |
| GPU compute units | 28 CUs (RDNA 3) | 60 CUs (RDNA-based) |
| Raw GPU power | Lower on paper | 16.7 TFLOPS, higher raster performance |
| Upscaling tech | AMD FSR | Sony PSSR (machine learning based) |
| Game library | Full Steam catalog, moddable | PS5 exclusives plus PS5 back catalog |
| Storage | 512GB (expandable via microSD) | 2TB SSD |
| Operating system | SteamOS 3 (Linux-based) | Fixed console firmware |
On raw GPU horsepower, the PS5 Pro’s 60-compute-unit GPU is the stronger performer, and it comes in at a lower price than the Steam Machine’s base model. Where the Steam Machine pulls ahead is flexibility: it plays your existing Steam library, supports mods and third-party software, and can be upgraded internally over time in ways a fixed-spec console can’t match.
Which One Should You Actually Buy?
- ◆You already own a large Steam library.
- ◆You want the freedom to mod and tinker.
- ◆You want a PC in console clothing and are willing to pay a premium for that flexibility.
- ◆You want the strongest raw GPU performance for the price.
- ◆You care about PlayStation exclusives.
- ◆You want a simpler fixed-spec box with no setup required.
Neither is an easy recommendation on price alone. Both landed well above what most buyers expected: Valve has openly admitted the Steam Machine’s price is higher than it originally planned, and Sony’s two price increases have made the PS5 Pro one of the more debated console purchases of 2026.
If budget is the deciding factor either way, our budget gaming PC Malaysia guide covers lower-cost paths into PC-quality gaming without either of these price tags.
Is Steam Machine or PS5 Pro Worth It?
If raw performance-per-dollar is your only metric, the PS5 Pro currently wins on paper. But that comparison misses what each device is actually for. The PS5 Pro is a console: closed, simple, and built around Sony’s exclusives. The Steam Machine is a PC wearing console clothing: it plays your existing library, it can be modded, and it will still be receiving software updates long after a fixed console’s hardware ceiling is reached. Which one wins depends less on TFLOPS and more on which ecosystem you’re already invested in.
