05/05/2026
Valve just had one of the wildest hardware launches in recent memory.
The brand new Steam Controller, their first major peripheral in years - went live yesterday at $99. Within 30 minutes, it was completely sold out. Within an hour, the entire Steam store was crashing under the weight of people trying to check out. Error messages everywhere. Carts emptying mid-purchase. Shipping estimates jumping from 3-5 days to 6-10 days before stock even ran dry.
And then the eBay vultures showed up. Confirmed orders - controllers people don’t even physically have yet, getting flipped for $250, $300, even $400. Four times the original price for a product that’s still sitting in a Valve warehouse somewhere.
Valve has since acknowledged the chaos in an official statement, saying the controller “ran out faster than we anticipated” and that more stock is on the way. No timeline yet. No mention of what they’re doing about scalpers.
Here’s the thing though, this controller is actually built different. Magnetic TMR thumbsticks, dual trackpads, gyro built into the grips, 35+ hours of battery life, and a connectivity puck that lets it pair instantly with your Deck, your PC, or whatever else. It’s not just hype. It’s a legit piece of hardware.
Did you try to grab one yesterday? Drop a comment and let me know how it went 👇
