Valve’s Steam Machines are coming in October

The era of console-like PCs is about to begin.

Valve, along with its hardware partners Alienware and Cyberpower, plans to release the first Steam Machines starting Oct. 16. That’s when people who preorder should start receiving the first units. Retailers, however, won’t start stocking Valve’s SteamOS-powered PCs until Nov. 10. The PC gaming boxes start at $450. That is also when the Steam Controller and Steam Link in-house game-streaming device debut. After this first wave, other Valve hardware partners should start releasing their take on the Steam Machine. This is all part of Valve’s attempt to create a viable ecosystem for gaming that stands apart from Microsoft’s Windows while simultaneously giving consumers an easy-to-understand alternative to buying a console or building a PC.