The average consumer may still be unclear on exactly what Valve is up to with its SteamOS, and broad strategy for not one, but an entire lineup of Steam Machines, but the cat is officially out of the bag. After releasing their first-party prototype machines to early beta testers, Valve unveiled their range of 13 Steam Machines set to arrive throughout 2014.

With manufacturers ranging from Origin to Alienware and everything in between, the variety represents a range from affordable to elite, and details on the technical specs should give any potential buyers plenty to pour over.

The first Steam Machine prototype designed by iBuyPower got tongues wagging, and while the dozen new entries may not all be as visually impressive, they give a sign of just how much variety can be expected. Read on for more details on each.

Claimed by Valve boss Gabe Newell at CES 2014 to embody “the full potential of what a Steam Machine should be,” it is no surprise that Alienware’s offering is one of the most visually striking, not to mention one of the most compact gaming rigs available from the company. Dell’s gaming division is also planning to release a Steam Machine version of its X51 Desktop PC later this year.

It may be early days for the partnership between Valve and Alienware, but Newell is already spouting serious praise:

Further details on specs and price have yet to be revealed, since the box won’t be sold until “late” 2014. Alienware doesn’t seem the type to come in at a lower price tag, and Valve’s top billing implies that hardcore gamers may want to start saving.

“We have been working with Alienware since we began defining our vision of the Steam Machine…Alienware’s historic commitment to gaming, their design and engineering capabilities and their global reach made them an ideal partner for us on our Steam Machine project.”

Swapping out the white and yellow color scheme witnessed prior to its reveal, the iBuyPower Steam Machine appears to be built to take on home consoles more than any other entry on this early list. Fitting squarely between the PS4 and Xbox One in terms of size, and priced at $500, iBuyPower’s box may be the closest gamers will get to the PC-home-console that many first assumed the Steam Box to be.

Specs:

  • Price: $500 Quad Core AMD or Intel CPU Radeon GCN graphics card 8GB RAM 500GB HDD

The company has revealed that they had hoped to also reveal a second Steam Machine shipping with Oculus Rift integration. The VR peripheral isn’t quite ready, but from price point to appearance, iBuyPower is clearly not in this race to be trailing the pack.

The Steam Machine most likely to take a run at the “high-end yet affordable” title, the Bolt II from Digital Storm comes with a price tag over $2,000. The higher asking price means the PC comes with both SteamOS and Windows to maximize offerings, and is clearly built with the future in mind - specifically, 4K gaming.

A point made clear by Rajeev Kuruppu, Digital Storm’s Director of Product Development in the Bolt II’s press release:

“We are not looking to compete with console pricing… We’re taking aim at the high end of the market, targeting consumers that demand the best possible gaming experience and who are looking for a PC capable of playing any title on their new 4K display.”

  • Price: $1,900 + Intel Core i7 4770K GTX 780Ti 16GB RAM 1TB HDD + 120GB SSD

The Origin PC Steam Machine revealed today is just one of two that the manufacturer plans to release as part of its Chronos line, with pricing and a release date still unannounced. The machines have been designed with customization in mind, but are off to a strong start given this particular box’s specs.

  • Price: n/a Intel Core i7 4770K 3.9+ GHz MSI GeForce GTX 760 OC 8GB RAM 8GB + 1TB SSHD

Both systems will ship with the ability to run both SteamOS and Windows 7 or 8.

Details or release information for much of the surrounding range has not yet been released, but we’ll update as more information becomes available.

Maingear Spark Steam Machine.

  • Price: n/a 3.1GHz AMD A8-5575M Radeon R9 M275X “up to” 16GB of DDR3L RAM Support for 256GB SSD

CyberPowerPC Steam Machine.

  • Price: $499+ AMD/Intel Core i5 CPU AMD Radeon R9 270/Nvidia GTX 760 8GB RAM 500GB

The Falcon Northwest Tiki.

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  • Price: $1799+ Nvidia GTX Titan 8+GB RAM “up to” 6TB

Webhallen Steam Machine.

  • Price: $1499 Intel Core i7 4771 Nvidia GTX 780 16GB RAM 1TB SSHD

Next Spa Steam Machine.

  • Price: n/a Intel Core i5 Nvidia GT 760 8GB RAM 1TB

Materiel.net Steam Machine.

  • Price: $1098 Intel Core i5 4440 MSi GeForce GTX 760OC 8GB RAM 8GB+1TB SSHD

Alternate Steam Machine.

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  • Price: $1339 Intel Core i5 4570 Gigabyte GTX 760 16GB RAM 1TB SSHD

Scan NC10 Steam Machine.

  • Price: $1090 Intel Core 93 4000M Nvidia GeForce GTX 765M 8GB RAM 500GB

Gigabyte + Brix Pro Steam Machine.

  • Price: n/a Intel Core i7-477OR Intel Iris Pro 5200 8GB RAM 1TB SATA

Zotac Steam Machine.

  • Price: $599 Intel Core Nvidia GeForce GTX

Newell also explained that contrary to what many had speculated, Valve also has plans to develop and release its own Steam Machines over the coming years, meaning the most devoted Steam fans are likely to hold off investing until the company’s own manufacturing plans become clear.

What do you think of the early lineup? Is this the kind of selection and competition you had hoped for? Sound off in the comments.

Valve’s line of Steam Machines will be available from multiple retailers and manufacturers soon and throughout 2014.

Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrew_dyce.

Source: Shacknews, Joystiq (1, 2), Engadget