Steam Controller: Valve declares war on scalpers

With a waiting list, Valve wants to distribute future batches of the Steam Controller more fairly. The PC gamepad was so coveted immediately upon release that Valve's servers crashed under the demand. Since then, the Steam Controller has been sold out.

Some devices did not end up directly in the hands of honest interested parties, but with scalpers, offers at significantly increased prices quickly appeared on classified ad sites and other platforms. A new reservation system is intended to help counteract this: Only those with a clean Steam account that has “not been flagged negatively” can register for the waiting list. In addition, orders are limited to one device per account. Those who have already acquired a Steam Controller before the introduction of the reservation system will not have the opportunity to order another one for now.

Scalpers as an omnipresent problem

Scalpers buy coveted items at the market price solely intending to resell them profitably. They often use bots to secure goods. Due to storage crises, chip shortages, supply chain problems, and generally high demand, they have become an omnipresent phenomenon at many hardware releases in recent years. But scalpers also drive up prices beyond graphics cards and consoles – for example, for event tickets.

Immediately after the market launch of the Steam Controller, several users were seen on Kleinanzeigen.de in Germany offering pre-ordered Steam Controllers. The prices asked ranged from 150 to 380 euros, although the devices only cost 100 euros from Valve. Many of the users stated that they had bought multiple controllers at once. This is no longer possible with Valve's new system.

Account must be older

To prevent scalpers from simply creating a new Steam account and buying through it, Valve is implementing another security mechanism: Only users who have purchased something on Steam before April 27, 2026, can get on the waiting list. Newly created accounts therefore have no chance.

Interested buyers who can register on Valve's waiting list will be informed by email about a purchase opportunity; it is unclear how long this will take. Valve states that it is continuously working to replenish stock. If you receive an email notification, you must act within 72 hours before the purchase opportunity expires. The reservations are scheduled to be activated on May 8th at 7 PM.

In our own interest

Notify when available: The heise offer Bestell.bar informs you by email and push notification as soon as the Steam Controller is available again online at a fair price. For better chances of purchase, retailers are monitored in near real-time.

(dahe)