Valve told customers this week that new Steam Controller orders placed today won't arrive until 2027, according to Engadget and The Verge. Valve says this is because more people want the controller than it has in stock — not because the product is being canceled. The company says it will keep making the controller.

The long wait comes just as Valve is launching two other pieces of gaming hardware this year: the Steam Machine (a small PC designed for your living room) and the Steam Frame (a box that sits under your TV and runs Valve's gaming software). The controller delay puts pressure on Valve's message that all these products work together as a system.

This deadline only applies to orders placed right now. People who already reserved a controller should get theirs sooner, but Valve hasn't said exactly when.

The issue is simple: Valve did not make enough controllers to meet how many people wanted to buy one. The original Steam Controller stopped being made in 2019, and demand for the new version turned out to be stronger than Valve expected. It is not unusual in gaming equipment for there to be a long wait between when a product stops being made and when a new version arrives, but having a public order list that stretches into next year gets people talking.

Something else happened that bothered people in the gaming community: Valve quietly changed the wording of its announcement about the Steam Machine without saying it had made a change. Instead of saying "we rewrote this" or "we made a correction," they just changed the words. That kind of thing makes enthusiasts and dedicated followers nervous. Whether Valve was being unclear on purpose or just didn't know what would happen, the result is the same — people are now a bit more skeptical about what Valve promises.

The Steam Frame is a different product from the controller, so its own supply is separate. But they are both part of how Valve is trying to convince people that its gaming platform for the living room is solid and reliable. When one product gets delayed, it makes people worry about the other one too — especially people who remember the original Steam Machine, which had a rough start.

Why does keeping the Steam Controller around matter? Because it has a touchpad instead of traditional gaming buttons, and no other controller on the market works quite the same way. People who use it have set it up just right for their favorite games. If Valve stopped making it, those people would be stuck with no replacement. By keeping it in production — even if shipment takes a year — Valve makes sure people can still buy and use what they have already gotten used to.

If you want a Steam Controller soon, your best bet is to look for one on the used market instead of placing a new order.