An article about a reddit post blaming scalpers…
Demand was high, so it sold out. There are definitely scalpers but the percentage of real buyers is probably way higher.
You know what can’t be scalped? Open source: https://inputlabs.io/
Scalpers are absolute scum.
I keep repeating this every time scalping comes up: The best way to turn a scalper into a bag holder is to not buy what they’re peddling.
You are asking gamers, the least scrupulous set of consumers on the face of the earth, to demonstrate patience.
The problem is that there are way too many people to whom $300 is pocket change and perpetuating exploitation does not bother them.
Simple. eat the rich
Scalpers put the items multiple times to ebay, with the intention to make the general price high, and also giving a “cheaper” option that looks like a deal. Even if its still higher than the original price. Getting the controller for 220 sounds like you got a good deal if most other sell it for 400. And there will always be people with more money in their pocket than the rest, who do not care what effects it has when purchasing it from the scalpers.
Second best would be manufacturers auctioning off their early delivery themselves and selling units for the regular price to confirmed loyal customers.
Steam in particular has some interesting options. They could make it so that, during the first couple of weeks, you need an active Steam account that’s at least a year old to buy a controller, and you get a maximum of two per Steam account.
There’s lots they could do to make sure they are sold to as many legitimate customers as possible.
The question is, how do you manage it without pissing some people off? I dont think the scalpers are that big of a deal, there’s never thousands of them, I bet the percentage of sold controllers going to scalpers is pretty low.
(That would encourage scalpers doing it more often. I don’t think a company should pay scalpers “ransom” like that and reward them. The better option would be try to avoid them.)Edit: Never mind, I misunderstood you.How does it encourage scalpers? Buyers will outbid scalpers because scalpers need to make a profit.
Oh wait, I totally misunderstood you. Actually that’s not a bad idea to auction it themselves too. I guess the ebay middleman would complicate things further for Valve and even more costly. Maybe for the first 2 weeks or so until enough stock is there.
And gamers, the group of consumers known for their patience, will wait for the stock to be refilled in a month or so rather than making the scalpers worth their efforts.
Four times. I’ve seen a listing marked as sold with a price of $400
You can sock puppet your own eBay listening to create “social proof”
I’m hoping nobody is actually paying $400 for an open box controller with no warranty…
I wouldn’t think it would need to be open box. I’m sure the second they get the item they snap pictures and post it for sale. Are they opening these up to take pictures?
For all intents and purposes it’s an open box.
It could be replaced with a fake, with rocks, whatever. But if you have any issues your bit getting any warranty protection or coverage.
News about scalpers is the same as rage bait local news articles. I just don’t care. If it’s a problem write a real piece about it with potential solutions. The companies don’t seem to see a problem so I assume everything is going as planned.
In my region, I managed to get it about 90 min after the launch. I had to click continue 100 times, then put the baby to sleep, and click for anther 200 times, but managed.
This success is a good news for gaming.
I didn’t see that coming actually. I love my steamdeck but I felt that the price for this controller was a bit to high. But it’s great to see valve succeeding here, they make great stuff.
In the Year of Our Lord J-Town 2026, a hundred dollars doesn’t seem bad at all for a premium controller. Xbox Elite is $150-$200 depending on “sale” price, DualSense Edge is $200. Hell, a pair of regular-ass JoyCons for the Switch 2 is $100.
