The Steam Controller rush was not anticipated by anyone, least of all Valve, which is now taking action.
Launched on May 4 after weeks of rumors and other vague rumors, the Steam Controller is the first piece of hardware distributed by Valve in 2026. The first, but not the last, since the company based in Bellevue, not far from Seattle, has already announced that it has two other products in the pipeline: a virtual reality headset called Steam Frame and, above all, a mini-PC designed to make PC gaming easier and more accessible from the couch, the Steam Machine.
Steam Deck, Steam Machine, Steam Controller and Steam Frame: the little family is back together © PC Gamer
Marketed at 99 euros, the Steam Controller was tested by a select group of media just before it went on sale. These tests praised the qualities of a product with many original functions, but whose cost seemed a little high... Clearly, this was not the opinion of the main stakeholders, Valve's customers. We've already told you about it: it took between a few minutes and a few hours - depending on the region - for stocks to be looted. Since then, the Steam Controller has been marked "sold out" on Valve's online store, and it's absolutely impossible to place an order.
The problem is that, now that stocks have run out and interested gamers can no longer discover the famous controller, there are ads on eBay with disreputable individuals trying to resell the Steam Controller(s) they've just bought for sums of between 150 and 250 euros, or even 300 or 400 euros for the most outrageous. Of course, we can't advise you too strongly against indulging in this temptation. Be patient, the Steam Controller will eventually come back into stock.
Valve has introduced a reservation system © Valve
Valve intends to be more careful. If it says nothing, the firm probably didn't anticipate such success. To avoid a repeat, it has set up a reservation system: you place an order for a Steam Controller, Valve records your order and creates a waiting list. You'll then be notified when the product is back in stock and it's your turn. You will then have three days to validate your order.
To ensure that your reservation is legitimate, Valve imposes several rules/checks. You must have a valid Steam account on which a purchase was made before April 27, 2026. What's more, it will only be possible to reserve one Steam Controller per account for the time being, and if you're one of the lucky ones already served, you won't be able to reserve for the time being. Presumably, the system will be deactivated as soon as demand eases and stocks increase. More importantly, we can assume that Valve will implement this system when the Steam Machine and Steam Frame are released, to avoid what happened on May 4.
