No, don't look, Valve's controllers are out of stock in all the countries where they were on sale.
For weeks, rumor followed rumor to announce the launch, if not of the Steam Machine, at least of the Steam Controller, the new controller designed by Valve. The American firm finally confirmed the launch date and price of its gamepad only two weeks ago: 99 euros is expensive for a controller, but given the Steam Controller's features (touchpad, gyroscope, wireless puck for recharging) it's perhaps not such a huge price.
So, Valve didn't give any details as to how many controllers went on sale last Monday at 7 p.m. Paris time. One thing is certain, however: after a few minor payment server problems, the Steam Controller ran out of stock within one or two hours at most. While it's not possible to determine the exact scale of the success, there's no doubt about it: Valve has already succeeded in convincing gamers, which bodes well for the launch of the Steam Machine. Well, the best for Valve, because for gamers who might be tempted by this rather unusual mini-PC, it's quite possible that stocks will run very low. To be verified when the time comes...
The files published by Valve will stimulate the imagination of enthusiasts © Valve
For the moment, Valve has not communicated about the launch of the Steam Controller, and has therefore given no information about a possible restocking. However, the company does have a little surprise for owners of the controller and those who don't despair of one day having one: via its community site(Steam Community), it has just put the CAD files for the Steam Controller online. These files will pave the way for even crazier mods and customized parts...
In fact, the CAD files are a kind of manufacturing blueprint, containing all the diagrams and dimensions of the controller, from the position of the tactile surfaces to that of the buttons, the directional cross, the angle of the handles and the depth of the triggers. You name it. Using this type of file, enthusiasts can design a host of more or less interesting gadgets, and it shouldn't be long before we see the arrival of different-colored buttons, customized mini-sticks, transparent shells and carrying cases, to name but a few possibilities. Distributed under Creative Commons license, the files uploaded by Valve include STL and STP models for both the Steam Controller and Steam Puck.
