To prevent scalping issues from recurring at the launch of the Steam Machine, Valve is reportedly introducing a new system.
The highly anticipated release of the Steam Controller turned out to be a disappointment for many fans. The gamepad sold out in seconds and was subsequently offered at exorbitant prices. Valve doesn’t want that to happen again with the Steam Machine.
Valve is reportedly preparing a reservation system
On May 4, 2026, Valve released the new Steam Controller. Interest in the PC gamepad was massive. The servers were hopelessly overloaded at launch, and stock sold out in minutes. What followed was a scenario all too familiar from so many hardware releases in recent years.
In the hours following the release, numerous listings appeared on platforms like classifieds sites and eBay, offering the Steam Controller at prices significantly above the MSRP of just under 100 euros. Scalpers had struck again and bought as many controllers as they could.
A few days later, ValveIt has been announced that a reservation system for the Steam Controller will be introduced starting May 8, 2026. Only one controller may be purchased per Steam account. Additionally, the account must not have any negative history and must have made a purchase on Steam before April 27, 2026. New accounts therefore have no chance.
For the Steam Machine, which is set to launch later this year, such a system could be in place right from the start. As reported by, among others,NotebookCheck reports that, as a result of the latestSteam Updatesnew references to future packages inSystem codehas surfaced.
These are believed to represent various Steam Machine bundles. There are likely to be models with different storage capacities and sets that include a controller and/or Steam Frame.
The packages were added alongside the controller pre-order, which could indicate that Valve will also use this system for the Steam Machine launch. Many fans would likely welcome this, as it makes it much harder to buy up entire stock.
However, the question arises as to why Valve didn’t implement such a system from the start. The releases of the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, as well as the Nintendo Switch 2 and pretty much every new generation of graphics cards in recent years, should have served as a warning. As a result, individual scammers were once again able to profit off other gaming fans.
