Valve Sells Out Steam Controller in Minutes, Opens Reservation Queue

Valve's new Steam Controller sold out quickly after it went on sale on Monday at a price of $99. Many potential buyers experienced difficulties checking out before the device went out of stock. Some sellers on eBay then posted listings for the controllers that were considerably more expensive than Valve’s asking price.

Valve will open a reservations queue on Friday at 1PM ET for those who missed the initial run. “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,” the company said. It is making changes to improve the purchase experience and to limit reseller activity.

Once the queue opens, buyers who reserve will have their place in line saved. “When we go back in stock, order emails will be sent in the same order that reservations were made,” Valve said. Buyers will then have 72 hours to complete the purchase after receiving an order email.

Each reservation will allow the purchase of only one controller. To make a reservation, a Steam account must be in good standing and must have bought something on Steam before April 27th. If a buyer has already bought a Steam Controller, that person cannot reserve another for now.

Valve will begin fulfilling reservations next week in the US and Canada. It will begin fulfilling reservations in the following weeks in the UK, the EU, and Australia. The Verge reported that the company had previously taken reservations for the original Steam Deck, though it took several months after release for Valve to clear that queue.

The new hardware arrives as part of Valve’s renewed focus on physical gaming devices. The company shared CAD files for the external shells of the Steam Controller and its puck earlier this month. It also imported 50 tons of game consoles in two days last week, according to reporting by The Verge.