Valve's Steam Controller Instantly Sells Out

1 hour ago 2

Published May 4, 2026, 4:26 PM EDT

Scott Baird is a Staff Writer at DualShockers with over a decade of experience writing about video games, board games, and tabletop RPGs. He has been writing professionally since 2013 and covering games since 2018, with work spanning news, reviews, lists, guides, interviews, and event coverage.

Before joining DualShockers, Scott contributed to publications including The Escapist, Dexerto, TheGamer, CBR, and Gamepur. He has also worked as a full-time Pokémon writer at Dexerto and a features writer at TheGamer. Scott holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Film & TV Production.

The Steam Controller might be too expensive for what it offers, but that hasn't stopped the Valve diehards from instantly buying up all the stock as soon as it became available, causing it to sell out within an hour.

The Steam Controller was one of several pieces of hardware that Valve advertised in 2025, and unlike the Steam Machine or the Steam Frame, it shouldn't be affected by the memory-cost crisis affecting the industry. Despite this, Valve advertised the controller at $99, even though similar high-end tech, like the DualSense, was cheaper.

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The inflated price of the Steam Controller hasn't stopped Valve fans from breaking their fingers on the Refresh button. The official store page for the controller on Steam listed it as Out of Stock within an hour of going live, meaning anyone who missed out is going to have to wait.

The Steam Controller Sells Out Within An Hour

Valve had a spotty history with hardware back in the day, but the Steam Deck helped establish the company as being more than just a digital storefront and the people who will never release Half-Life 3.

While the Steam Controller's features don't match its price tag, it shouldn't come as a surprise that people bought it instantly, given the love Valve has earned in recent years. There are also the scalpers who have already listed Steam Controllers on eBay at inflated prices.

While the Steam Controller's features don't match its price tag, it shouldn't come as a surprise that people bought it instantly, given the love Valve has earned in recent years

There's concern that rising memory costs will push the Steam Machine out of the price range of most casual fans, despite it being designed as a mid-range PC accessible to everyone. The fact that it lacks the Steam Deck's main gimmick means it could be fated to date on the marketplace.

However, if fans are so eager to buy the Steam Controller when there are countless other options on the market, the Steam Machine might do well regardless of the price. Maybe Gabe will get to add another wing to his yacht in the process.