Valve’s $100 Steam Controller Quickly Sells Out, Scalpers Listing Them for Up to $300

Two scalping incidents in a single day—what a wild time for gamers! First, it was the Pokémon Pop-Tarts, and now we’re seeing the same frenzy around Valve’s latest Steam Controller. This long-awaited peripheral sold out in under an hour, with resellers already listing them for as much as $400 on eBay.

That’s up to three times the original price, which was set at $100, already making the Steam Controller pricier than the PS5 DualSense or Xbox Series X/S controllers. Yet, the demand among Steam users is no surprise, given its impressive features and trackpad haptics that enhance PC gaming without the need for a mouse and keyboard.

Interestingly, the Steam Controller has no RAM, which means it’s not affected by the current AI-driven component shortages. Still, it vanished from shelves in about 30 minutes on launch day. The surge in demand even caused some users to encounter errors due to a “high volume of purchase requests.”

Valve hasn’t announced when more units will be available, but it’s likely that some of the initial stock is being reserved for the upcoming Steam Machine home console, which was initially slated for a simultaneous release.

For those eager to snag a Steam Controller now, the options are limited to waiting or risking the inflated prices on eBay. Listings start around $220 and can climb to $300 for sealed units, with at least one seller daring to ask for a staggering $400.

While the Steam Controller may not boast the premium feel of some other controllers, it’s a paradise for tinkerers, packed with quirky features like a phone ring to help you find it if it goes missing. Here’s hoping everyone who wants one can eventually get it without shelling out outrageous amounts.

Just be cautious not to accidentally purchase one of the older Steam controllers released back in 2015. If you spot a new Steam Controller priced under $100, that’s likely the reason!