Valve launched the Steam Controller last month, and its success was immediate. The device sold out within 30 minutes, leading the company to introduce a reservation queue system. If you haven’t reserved one yet, you’ll be waiting a while. Valve says new reservations are currently expected to ship in 2027 because demand is higher than the number of units it can produce.
To provide more transparency, Valve has updated its hardware page to show when customers can expect their orders. People who reserved early are expected to receive their controllers by September, while another group is expected to get theirs by December. Anyone placing a new reservation now is currently being given a delivery estimate of 2027. “Though the current estimation for orders placed today forward indicates a 2027 date for shipping, we will update that estimate as we get closer,” Valve explained.
Players who want to check their position in the queue can log into the Steam Store and visit the Steam Controller product page. The system will automatically display which of the three delivery categories their order currently falls into.
It’s also worth noting that players can still reserve a Steam Controller without paying anything upfront. To do so, they simply need to join the queue through the Steam hardware page. Once their turn comes up, Valve will send an email with a purchase link. Buyers then have 72 hours to complete the $99 payment. If they miss that deadline, their spot in the queue will go to the next person waiting.
In other news, Valve is offering some Steam Controller buyers a free game of their choice after a shipping mix-up caused delivery problems for some orders. In addition, fans have discovered a hidden Easter egg in the Steam Controller that plays the famous Wilhelm scream sound effect when the device is dropped.
