Valve just launched its brand new, totally revamped Steam Controller, and to no one's surprise, it sold out immediately as Steam was crushed by the traffic from potential customers.
I say "potential" because I'm not doubting that far more PC gamers were left dismayed at the controller selling out so quickly than were actually able to buy one.
Following the trend of most hardware launches in semi-recent memory, Valve's new Steam Controllers immediately began filling up slots at eBay, where the most expensive second-hand option is listed at $399.
It's all getting so tiresome.
If you missed the first wave of Steam Controllers available directly from Valve for $99, there's really no reason to spend anything more on a scalped item. Valve is no doubt already working on restocking the controller at its regular price, and after all, it's just a controller.
A lively thread on the r/pcmasterrace subreddit has been discussing the scalped Steam Controllers, and it's an interesting analysis of the psychology behind consumerism and the "grindset" that seems to have taken over.
Scalper Scum is the reason why we can't have anything nice these days. from r/pcmasterrace
As the top comment points out, "With this one, anyone [who] buys the Steam Controller from a scalper gets a ton of blame. [...] They are creating the market along with the scalpers."
Another comment with hundreds of upvotes basically echoes the sentiment, saying, "If you buy one from a scalper you are just as guilty as the scalper. Deny your consumerism. Self-control is within your power."
👉 Valve’s $99 Steam Controller has a big problem — and it's not the price
User MetallicGray says what we've all been thinking lately, that "it feels like the problem has grown 100-fold in the past couple years." They suggest that "you are literally paying some loser to take an item off a shelf in front of you, turn around, and sell it to you for 2x."
Others posit that the blame doesn't just fall on scalpers, and instead, the root cause is consumerism itself. Hard to disagree there.
As u/DeanBranbeno remarks, the craze over new products has reached a point where it's almost impossible to avoid scalping: "Stop buying things on release and chill for a bit and maybe scalping will die down." They tap into human nature by suggesting that "people will never have that much self control."
When will Valve restock its supply of Steam Controllers?
Unfortunately, part of the scalping craze that's appeared around the Steam Controller has to do with Valve's restocking schedule — or lack thereof.
It's unclear as to when more Steam Controllers will officially arrive, although some members of the r/SteamController subreddit have pointed out that units are sporadically available this morning.
Whether these are actual restocks or returns is unclear. Valve has had issues keeping its Steam Deck in stock lately, but that has more to do with RAM and storage prices than extreme demand.
Considering the Steam Controller is, well, just a controller, I don't expect Valve to have as hard a time keeping up with demand once the initial craze dies down.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
