Valve Reinstated Reservations To Get Steam Controllers: Demolishing Scalpers Cashgrab Techniques
On May 7, 2026, the company upped the ante by announcing reservations would open for people to sign up to buy the controller. This would be similar to what they did with the Steam Deck in 2021. For those who were following along, May 4, 2026, saw an official announcement from Valve that the Steam Controller was finally available for order.
While users rushed to the Steam Store to get the new hardware, scalpers were quicker and managed to break the system as people tried desperately to check out with a controller in their cart. Within 30 minutes, the stock of Steam Controllers was completely gone, leaving prospective buyers looking at an unpleasant out-of-stock button and failure-to-purchase pages.
A Blast From The Past: Valve Reservations
The Steam Deck was announced in July 2021, with reservations opening as early as July 16, 2021. It was anticipated to ship before the end of 2021, but the announcement that the devices were shipping arrived on Feb. 28, 2022. XDA wrote about the process, but said it wasn’t the same as pre-ordering from retailers. It was only available through Steam’s product order page, where users selected the model they wanted with a $5 reservation fee. Once the model of the user’s choice had been made and the fee paid, the order was placed in a queue organized in the order it was received.
Valve planned that once the Steam Decks were ready to ship, Steam would convert them into orders. At that time, the remaining balance for the chosen device would be due, with the $5 fee counting towards the price. Intending to convert all reservations into orders, Valve admitted the lofty goal might not be possible. These slots were locked down to keep scalpers at bay, limited to only one Steam Deck per account.
The user’s Steam account had to be in good standing with at least one purchase before June 2021, another effort to keep scalpers from hoarding by making mock accounts. Reservations could be cancelled at any time. If done within 30 days, it would be refunded to the payment method used; after that timeframe, it would go into the user’s Steam wallet. Valve used this system before the Steam Deck was even ready to ship, so why didn’t they utilize the same method with the Steam Controller?
Looking Now To The Future: Steam Controller Reservations
Looking at the chaos with the Steam Controller on May 4, 2026, versus how they handled the Steam Deck, it begs the question of why Valve didn’t foresee issues like scalpers buying them up before users got the chance. While the company realized the error of not setting up restrictions that led to scalpers, they made some modifications to the Steam Controller system versus the Steam Deck method. Instead of a fee, users click the reservation button and receive an email to confirm that the reservation has been added to the queue. With many users disappointed by the scalping situation of the Steam Controller, using this system now, while the stock is completely gone, feels a little empty.
The pricing difference between the Deck and the Controller might be part of why the reservation system is different this time around, but many feel that Valve should have set the reservation mechanics as a company standard for their hardware. As of right now, reservations are open to Steam users. There have been no updates on when the Steam Controller will be back in stock, but order emails will go out in the order in which reservations were made. If the Steam account is in good standing and has purchases made before April 27, 2026, users should be good to go, unless they already have a Steam Controller purchased.
The incoming shipment of controllers is expected next week for residents of the United States and Canada who have yet to secure one. If a reservation has been made, keep an eye out for the follow-up email to complete the purchase and get the Steam Controller. Users will have 72 hours to complete their purchase before it will be shipped.
