Steam Controller Skyrockets In Value, Prompts Steam Machine Price Hike Fears

The newly released Steam Controller has skyrocketed in value thanks to greedy scalpers, sparking fears that the Steam Machine may follow the same fate.

Scalpers are the bane of anything remotely collectable. Whether it’s related to the infamous PlayStation 5 console shortage, fancy video game collector's editions, or the latest Pokémon cards.

As soon as sought-after items are released for sale, they can quickly go out of stock. Not because genuine fans have acquired an item they’ve been looking forward to, but rather scalpers who gobble up all the stock and sell those items for egregious prices on third-party auction websites.

I often scream from the proverbial rooftops that if we stop feeding greedy scalpers with our money, they’ll have no reason to exist. I know it’s so tempting to throw money their way, but if they continue to have an incentive, they’ll continue taking all the stock and ripping people off.

Steam Controller Is the Latest Scalper Victim

Earlier this week, the latest Steam Controller went on sale for £84.99/$99.99 and yes, you’ve guessed it, the highly sought-after item pretty much became out of stock instantly.

Now the Steam Controller is being sold on platforms such as eBay for roughly double the price, and unfortunately, people are paying that.

Steam Controller, Valve

“I can afford the 100 bucks, and would consider myself the target demographic for this product, but I just feel no hurry to buy it or anything else I’d label as a non-essential purchase,” explained 133DK. “Especially not when it’s also being scalped.”

“I have a magic solution: wait for it, it's a controller, there are 999 similar good products, and probably you already have one,” suggested Accomplished-Moose50.

“I didn't even want it for $100. People are seriously buying it for $250?” asked JumpinJembly.

“Easy solution. Don't buy from scalpers. Make them sit on their inventory,” said Slickeddie, speaking the gospel.

Why Is The Steam Controller So Sought-After?

The most obvious suggestion is that people love Steam and want its latest shiny toy, especially with the launch of the Steam Machine on the horizon. On top of that, it looks to be a fantastic controller in its own right.

It has magnetic TMR thumbsticks that are super responsive and drastically reduce the chances of the dreaded stick drift, even more so than Hall Effect. It also has low-latency wireless with a plug-and-play dongle. A battery that can apparently last up to 35 hours, as well as four haptic motor rumbles and inputs to easily access your Steam library.

We hope that Steam restocks this item aplenty, which should help drive down the inflated scraper prices. As for the Steam Machine, Valve, please issue plenty of stock, so that history doesn't repeat itself.

READ MORE: Steam Machine Leaked Price Is Good News For Xbox's Project Helix