Thanks to the rise of AI and its insatiable hunger for every piece of spare silicon that the tech industry can throw at it, the price of just about every electronic device and accessory on the market has skyrocketed — both to make and to buy, in the era of the RAM and storage crisis.
Many companies are struggling to secure the components needed for their products as a result, and one that's had a particularly difficult time doing so is Valve. The Steam maker is in the midst of preparing to attempt to launch the console-like Steam Machine gaming PC this summer while also doing its best to keep the Steam Deck and its new $99 Steam Controller in stock.
It's a task that's stretched Valve's supply quite thin, leading to a controversial Steam Deck price hike and the implementation of a reservation queue for Steam Controller orders. And now, in a new update, the manufacturer has announced some Steam Controller reservations may not be fulfilled until 2027.
Specifically, Valve is now organizing Steam Controller reservations into three estimated order windows "to keep it simple" — all of which have been listed below:
- By September 2026
- By December 2026
- In 2027 (with additional information on specific timing to come)
Valve notes that you'll see which order window your reservation is in when visiting the Steam Controller page. If you had a reservation placed before today, your order may come in September or December later this year. Those who make reservations after this update will have their order fulfilled in 2027, according to current estimates.
It also says once your place in the queue comes up, you'll be emailed the option to purchase a Steam Controller and will have 72 hours to do so. If you don't finish your order before three days pass, you'll lose your chance.
"We have no plans to stop making Steam Controller," the company wrote. "But as we look at the current demand compared to how many we know we can make by the end of the year, we want to manage expectations as much as we can with regards to when folks can expect to receive their order."
It's unfortunate that the Steam Controller is proving so difficult to get your hands on, but the good news is that it's reviewing well, which means it will be worth the time, effort, and money for many.
We gave it a 4.5/5 score in our review, writing that "It's a feature-rich joypad that justifies its price point, with the charging puck being both a genuine convenience and a unique quirk." Its other highlights include gyro aiming, haptic touchpads, and TMR sticks, with the only major downside being incompatibility with Xbox on PC without third-party workarounds.
How are you feeling about Valve's new Steam Controller? Do you plan on engaging with the reservation system to try and get one despite the long wait into 2027? I'm curious, so please let me know in the comments and in the poll below.
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