Valve appears to be preparing to release its forthcoming Steam Machine and Frame devices with a reservation queue, which should make it easier to purchase a system, albeit with a slightly longer wait time. Changes to Steam’s code, uncovered by eagle-eyed data miners, suggest this will be the company’s strategy, but also reveal four unique package (product) IDs for the system.
Github page SteamTracking, an automatic tracker and logger of code changes across the storefront, captured updates pertinent to the Steam Machine on May 7, the date of the latest Steam patch. This deployment ushered in the Steam Deck Controller reservation queue, but package IDs for Valve’s upcoming system and Steam Frame appear in the system alongside the new pad.
Reference to the Steam Machine in the reservation system update according to Steam Tracking
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The IDs in question are 1629447, 1629446, 1629458, and 1629460. Two of these numbers undoubtedly reflect the two storage capacities Valve has already announced, namely 512GB and 2TB. While there’s no confirmation about what the other numbers reflect, we think it’s likely the company will offer units with and without a Steam Controller at different prices.
If that’s the case, then it seems Valve won’t realise my hopes of releasing a barebones Steam Machine, but signs that the launch will come with a reservation queue from the start are worth celebrating. While it may take longer to receive a system, you won’t have to contend with frustrating server timeouts to complete your purchase. All the same, here’s hoping the company’s servers can handle the initial influx of reservations.
These changes aren’t necessarily indicative of an impending launch, but Valve shipping logs from last month point to a lot of Steam Machine stock arriving in the US. In any case, we should expect the system to arrive at some point this year, in spite of the ongoing DRAM crisis.
In the meantime, we can play with Steam Controller CAD files, with the Steam Machine and Frame VR device likely to follow. When the systems do launch, expect to see a wealth of accessories arrive in their wake.
