Valve has officially confirmed when the new controller is coming, and while it will be a bit more expensive than originally hoped, RAM scarcity is not the main culprit here…

The first of the three new hardware products that Valve announced in November will arrive on May 4, and it would have been a much bigger surprise if a review of the product had not already leaked days ago. The Steam Controller will cost $99, and €99 as well, which puts it at roughly 40,000 forints, and Valve has now officially confirmed the previously leaked information. We also got fresh comments on the Steam Machine and the Steam Frame, basically saying Valve does not have major new developments to share just yet, although programmer Pierre-Loup Griffais believes things are progressing well in general.

Last month, we heard that Valve was still targeting 2026 for the release of all three products, so it is a good sign that the first one is now officially on the way. But the memory crisis is not over yet, and it has already delayed these products once before. It would hardly be shocking if there were more delays ahead. On that subject, Griffais said the following: “We’re trying to keep our options open and work with as many different manufacturers as possible. In general, I think that is something we do throughout the full hardware design and production phase, where we are always aware that if a given component only has one supplier, that can put us in a disadvantaged position because of potential shortages and similar issues, which then affects continuity of supply and pricing for end users.”

So Valve is clearly taking steps to avoid more postponements and to keep pricing from drifting into territory players would consider unreasonable for a Steam Machine or Steam Frame, but for now all anyone can really do is hope things settle in a sensible way. Valve has partnered with iFixIt to develop replacement parts for the controller, which means players will not only be able to repair the device themselves, but will also have access to a practical and well-assembled guide explaining what they need to know. Valve may also add further features allowing users to see the Steam Controller’s battery life directly in the Steam dashboard, and while the company is not entirely sure it can fully satisfy demand for the controller, it has produced a substantial amount for launch and can manufacture more if needed.

The Verge confirmed that the Steam Controller’s $99 price is actually higher than Valve originally intended, and although the RAM crisis surely plays some role in that, global shipping costs are also part of the equation. Whether something is shipped by sea or by air, fuel is more expensive than it was last year. Hopefully it will not take too long before we hear more about the Steam Machine and the Steam Frame, as Valve has promised, but for the moment at least, the Steam Controller is the one in sight.

Source: WCCFTech, Valve, IGN, The Verge