Valve has taken to social media to address the situation, confirming that the Steam Controller sold out far faster than it expected. That is usually a good problem to have, but it also highlights something Valve clearly underestimated: scalpers.
The company says it is already working to get more controllers back in stock so those who missed out will have another chance. That is great news, but there is still no word on when that restock will happen.
You can check out Valve’s full statement here:
Steam Controller ran out faster than we anticipated, and we hate that not everyone who wanted one was able to get it. We’re working on getting more in stock and will have an update on expected timeline soon.
Of course, simply making more available does not mean the next round will go any better. Unless Valve puts some safeguards in place, like limiting how many controllers someone can purchase or requiring a Steam account with some history behind it, the next batch could run into the exact same problem. And I’m not the only one who is frustrated with that, multiple people have chimed in about their concern about scalpers.
Also, please anyone report the Scalper Listings on eBay. They have committed to take down any reported Scalper Item and have blocked many of the users.
— NickyKerosene (@nickykerosene.de) 2026-05-05T16:08:04.011Z
They should have it tied to Steam accounts that have existed more than a month
— g̷̼̈́l̵i̴t̵ςђ e̷r̴i̸s̶ 🌌 (@glitcheris.xyz) 2026-05-05T17:09:33.332Z
Hey @valvesoftware.com, would love to see hardware launches use Steam account standing (playtime, library, account age) to invite longtime users first before going wide. Would go a long way toward keeping stock out of scalper hands and in the hands of actual players.
— Snax 🪸🦈 Pokemon VTuber (@reefsnax.pikaparty.social) 2026-05-05T16:13:16.932Z
That is what makes this frustrating. The demand is clearly there, and people want this controller, but without the right protections, these risks becoming another win for resellers instead of the players who actually want to use the hardware.
Here’s hoping Valve tightens things up before the next batch goes live. Otherwise, we may be right back here again. For more on what happened during the initial rollout, check out our prior article.
