Valve’s newly released Steam Controller sold out in about 30 minutes globally, and the demand in Japan has been just as high, causing temporary outages on the official sales site for the region.
The Steam Controller launched today, with distribution in Japan officially handled by KOMODO. Units sold out by the same morning, and a surge of traffic from Japanese users to KOMODO’s official store, KOMODO STATION, made the site difficult to access from around 2 AM (JST) on launch day. According to an apology issued by KOMODO, the disruption was caused by the sheer volume of users attempting to purchase the controller.
While the issue has since been resolved, some customers reported needing hours to complete their orders, while others encountered errors at the payment stage, causing concern. The chaos brings back memories to the launch of the Steam Deck in Japan.
The Steam Controller, priced at $99 USD, is a gamepad that supports both wired and wireless connections and is compatible with PCs running Steam, Steam Deck, and the mobile Steam Link app. The included Steam Controller Puck doubles as a wireless transmitter and charging station.
Among its key features are two haptic touchpads on the lower front, allowing users to play games that lack official gamepad support (similar to the Steam Deck). It also includes four customizable grip buttons on the back, motion-activated gyro controls, and a quick-access menu button for notifications and the friends list.
Originally announced last November, the controller launched globally on May 4. As of now, there is no announced timeline for restocking, but some users report lucking out by refreshing official channels and finding the product momentarily back in stock.
