Valve has started sending reservation emails to people on the Steam Controller waitlist, giving eligible buyers a chance to complete their purchase. Those in the first wave have until May 18 to confirm their orders; if they don’t, the reservation is canceled and the spot is offered to the next person in line.
The first batch of controllers began arriving this week. Valve launched the reservation system on May 8, after the controller sold out in less than 30 minutes at its May 4 debut.
How to Claim Your Steam Controller Reservation
Everyone with a reservation should check their email and spam folder. Reports from the r/SteamController subreddit indicate that Valve is not sending reminder messages. Missing the purchase window means losing the reservation entirely.
The purchase window is currently 72 hours from the time the email is received. Once confirmed and paid, fulfillment is expected to begin in the United States and Canada first, followed by the United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia over the coming weeks.
Why Steam Controller Email Rollout Feels Random
The reservation system operates in a generally chronological manner but isn’t strictly ordered. For example, one Reddit user reserved at 9:59 AM PST on May 8 and received an email, while another user who reserved at the same time has yet to get one.
A third user reportedly reserved 40 seconds before the official window opened and is still waiting. Valve has not publicly explained how the emails are being sent. The Steam Deck reservation rollout in 2022 experienced similar inconsistencies, which were attributed to server batching, regional processing, and the way email queues are managed.
What the Reservation System Means for Late Buyers
Reservations don’t expire if a user is not in the current wave. Anyone still waiting remains in line for future batches. Valve has not announced when subsequent batches will be sent out or how long it will take to clear the full reservation queue.
Resale prices on eBay remain high, with Steam Controller listings well above the retail price of $99. The anti-scalper requirements introduced alongside the reservation system, such as needing a Steam account in good standing with a purchase before April 27, 2026, are limiting secondary market activity but not preventing it.
The Steam Controller was launched on May 4 at a retail price of $99. It features TMR magnetic thumbsticks, dual trackpads, gyro support, four rear grip buttons, and a Puck accessory that functions as both a charger and a 2.4GHz wireless receiver.
Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Steam Controller Reservation Emails Begin Going Out With 72-Hour Purchase Windows appeared first on gHacks.
0 Commentaires