(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
The Steam Machine promised to bring the PC experience to the living room at an affordable cost. While it has certainly lived up to the former, it has absolutely not lived up to the latter. Sure, it can play the best Steam games, but it’s going to cost you at least $1,049 to buy Valve’s system — or it will cost that much when you’re next up on the waitlist.In fairness to the Steam Machine, the price of all gaming hardware has increased dramatically thanks to the RAM crisis. Case in point: the PS5 Pro, which was already pricey at its original $699 price, now costs $899! No matter what, gamers are paying a premium. Given that, you want to make the best choice before plunking down your hard-earned cash on your next system.To that end, I want to compare the Steam Machine to the PS5 Pro. I’ll take a look at what each offers in terms of performance, price, and gaming libraries to see which system is the best one for you. Should you get the Steam Machine or the PS5 Pro? Let’s find out!Pricing & value
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)To be clear, the Steam Machine and PS5 Pro are not inexpensive systems. This is especially true because of the dreaded RAMageddon, which is driving up prices for components like RAM and SSDs. With that established, here’s how much you’re paying for each system.The PS5 Pro now costs $899, up from its original $699 starting price two years ago. It offers strong raw graphics performance and ample storage for the price. You get the system and a single controller in the box.Then there’s the Steam Machine, which starts at $1,049 for the 512GB model and jumps to $1,349 for the 2TB model. Neither of these comes with a controller, so you’ll have to pay $1,128 and $1,428 (respectively) for models bundled with the Steam Controller.Again, neither of these systems is cheap, but if you want to make less of a dent on your wallet, then the PS5 Pro is the way to go.Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.Performance & specs
