>The original price should have been in $700-800 range, pre-RAM and storage pricing escalation

Also on a 2025 launch, but that 2023 mid-level hardware feels already pretty weak in 2026, especially for a console you're supposed to run 6-7 years into the future. Sure, it's as powerful as a base PS5 but that console is already 6 years old by now. So the valve box is a pain to justify jumping in unless you're a big valve fan and don't want to DIY a PC.

What's most surprising is the benchmarks dont look too hot vs the PS5... which doesn't cost nearly as much.