21 hours ago
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😤 Valve’s new Steam Controller has already sold out on the Steam page
⏰ It went on sale yesterday (May 4) and sold out within 30 minutes
📉 It led to Downdetector reporting a spike in error reports around the time the controller went on sale on Steam
💰Scalpers have been quick to list presale listings for the controller, with some selling for in excess of $200
Valve’s shiny new Steam Controller is out now, although it sold out in just half an hour due to, you know what, scalpers.
The controller was announced as going on sale on May 4 (Monday) last week with a $99.99 price tag, and it seems that the controller’s strong review ratings and the hype behind it in part helped to contribute to it selling out so quickly.
It took just 30 minutes for the controller to sell out, and in the process, it almost broke the Steam webpage. Downdetector showed a large spike in error reports around 10AM PT/ 1PM ET as the controller went on sale, presumably as the website was overrun with traffic with folks attempting to purchase the peripheral.
The splash page for the controller initially showed a 3-5 business day wait for the controller, although soon it was extended to 6-10 days.
This flurry of activity has led to scalpers attempting to flip the controller on eBay for a mega profit, with several listings showing prices from $200-$350, representing a doubling of its $99.99 retail price at the very least.
What’s more, there are confirmed sales on eBay’s ‘Advanced Search’ for them, suggesting people are buying up scalped pre-orders, despite the inflated price tag.
There were similar stock shortages for the Steam Deck on its initial launch in 2022, and it may be a case of simply waiting it out for more stock of the controller to emerge.
The speed at which the Steam Controller sold out has worried some gamers about the availability of the Steam Machine and Steam Frame once they eventually release. If Valve has struggled to keep up with demand for its controller, how will it fare in regard to the Steam Machine? Time will tell, but hopefully a Steam Controller restock happens soon.
Up next: Steam Deck 2 release date isn’t close, though Valve says it’s ‘hard at work’ on the next handheld
Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.
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