Valve Says Steam Controller Sold Out ‘Faster Than We Anticipated’ as Scalpers Cash In

Valve has said its recently released Steam Controller sold out faster than expected, as scalpers continue to cash in.

Steam Controller went on sale on May 4 priced $99, and it didn’t take long for Valve’s website to show the dreaded “out of stock” message — and for scalpers to sell the controller at inflated prices. Some listings sold for in excess of $200.

Now, Valve has issued an update, saying it’s working on getting more stock in, but didn’t say when.

“Steam Controller ran out faster than we anticipated, and we hate that not everyone who wanted one was able to get it,” Valve said. “We’re working on getting more in stock and will have an update on expected timeline soon.”

IGN’s Steam Controller review returned a 9/10. We said: “The Steam Controller is excellent for both casual PC gamers and custom control enthusiasts, offering both high-end and unique features at a price closer to the base console controllers than its high-end competitors. It’s the PC controller to beat.”

While Steam Controller is out the door, Valve is yet to date or price the Steam Machine or Steam Frame, which were both announced alongside Steam Controller last year. In an interview with IGN ahead of the Steam Controller release date announcement, Valve programmer Pierre-Loup Griffais promised more Steam Machine news soon.

“We don’t have exact details about the timeline to share today,” Griffais said. “And we’re hard at work on trying to get them out the door. I think we are definitely expecting to roll out some news soon about that, but in general, I think things are going well.”

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.