Valve sells out of early Steam Machine preorders

Valve normally deals in bits and bytes, but it’s now in the physical business of computer hardware. And it’s already having to deal with something its Steam digital-distribution channel never has: limited supply.

The publisher and game distributor has sold out of the “get it early” Steam Machines offer that would put the game-optimized PCs into your hands a month early. Now, even if you preorder, you’ll have to wait until Nov. 10 before you’ll get your system. Up until this morning, Valve’s deal would send the preordered Steam Machines, which run Valve’s Linux variant SteamOS, to customers Oct. 16. But the company has sold out of that allotment in less than a month — showing that Valve may indeed have a chance at cracking into the $55 billion console industry.