Valve's launch of its new Steam Controller (2026) went great for the company, in the sense that Valve sold a lot of controllers. The entire run of stock that Valve had set aside for launch completely sold out within half an hour, and while many players were able to grab a controller, plenty more were unable to, unless they paid double the price for one on eBay, as scalpers quickly threw listings online with massively marked-up prices. Thankfully, Valve is looking to combat that outcome with some changes to its process.
Beginning tomorrow on May 8, 2026, at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BT, Valve has announced that it will open up a Reservation Queue for Steam Controller purchases (which will likely be in place for the Steam Machine as well). All users will only be able to reserve one controller, and once you've made your reservation, you'll be sent an email by Valve when a controller is in stock and available for you to purchase.
You'll have three days to respond to that email and purchase a Steam Controller if you still want one and don't already have one. Valve also clarified that, at least for now, "customers who have already purchased a Steam Controller are not yet eligible to reserve another Steam Controller."
The company also clarified that to make a reservation, you'll have to meet two requirements:
- Your account must be in good standing on Steam
- You must have made a purchase on Steam prior to April 27, 2026
Requirements that won't be an issue for any regular user simply wanting to buy the controller, but should be a problem for scalpers looking to scoop up as many reservations as possible in order to resell the controllers for double their actual price.
The Steam Controller officially launched earlier this week on May 4, and after it sold out in minutes, Valve took to X (formerly Twitter) the next day to provide a small update, saying, "we hate that not everyone who wanted one was able to get it."
Today's statement acknowledges more of the failures of launch day as Valve writes, "while we were happy to see such a high level of interest, the experience for a lot of you trying to buy it was incredibly frustrating. We plan to continue replenishing stock as we get more in, but in the meantime wanted to share changes we're making to improve the purchase experience and to limit reseller activity."
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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