Valve has started emailing people about being in the "queue" or on the "waitlist" for the Steam Machine, and some who got confirmed reservations are already listing them on eBay at steep markups. GameSpot found multiple postings for confirmed reservations priced far above the system's $1,050–$1,430 retail range.
The Steam Machine isn’t even released yet, but with preorders about to begin Valve’s confusing emails about being in the “queue” versus the “waitlist” haven’t stopped people from trying to cash in. A search on eBay (and jokingly “GameBay,” referencing GameStop) turns up several listings for Valve’s upcoming living-room PC. GameSpot’s viewed listings are for “confirmed reservations,” meaning the seller received an email securing their spot in the queue rather than the waitlist. Sellers say they’ll ship the device to buyers as soon as it ships to them—possibly sometime in early July—and they’re asking roughly double retail. The Steam Machine’s models run between $1,050 and $1,430, but listings GameSpot saw ranged from a now-sold $1,363.70 up to $3,200. This resale behavior is common with high-demand hardware, and one seller even called the Steam Machine “a piece of gaming history.”
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