During an interview with Alienware’s Joe Olmsted, the development and planning manager not only confirmed that Australians would be getting their hands on Steam’s fabled controller soon, but he also announced a window when that would happen.
Olmsted’s been down in Australia for several weeks. In an interview with me, he jokingly said he’d spent a large part of that trying to understand why Australia was such a valuable market for Alienware, a market that Alienware is now trying to tap with their Steam Machines and Alpha computers.
That’s what he was here to discuss and the Alienware Alpha is already available now. The Steam machines are being made available to the United States in November, but we aren’t getting those because Valve was working on the regulatory wireless process and Australia “is after the United States”, according to Olmsted.
“The Alienware Steam Machine when it ships in Australia will include the Valve controller,” he added, clarifying that the Valve controller was identical to the one that Valve won’t let Australians pre-order right now.
Those Steam machines are shipping in the first quarter of next year, although Olmsted wouldn’t pin down precisely when that was happening.
There’s a fairly big difference between launching in January compared to March, but at least someone, somewhere has put a timeline on what is happening with the Steam Controller and when it’ll be made available in Australia. And if Alienware are able to push out machines to retail with the Steam Controller, it’s not too hard to imagine that Valve might start shipping them to gamers directly.
Comments
15 responses to “The First Steam Controllers In Australia Will Arrive Early Next Year”
I assume this will be the same for the steam link then.
Every Steam hardware article I’ve asked the author to find out more about the Steam Link. Next article: Nothing. Every time.
FOUND OUT ABOUT STEAM LINK PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASSE =[
Based on the reviews so far, you might want to curb your enthusiasm 🙁 The performance of the streaming is not nearly as good as it needs to be.
Working off the information I can get mate, sorry -_- When I have some, I promise I’ll keep you posted.
So will EB Games be handling this, like they did in Canada & Gamestop in the US? Cause I hope so honestly. I would rather be able to pick it up at my local EB Games than have to pay postage on it. I also hope this means we will finally see light about the Steam Link, the device I truly care about.
You’ll get a little more clarity on that tomorrow, although not precisely re. what EB is planning.
Awesome, thanks man!
I used it at PAX. It was ok. Top shoulder buttons felt awful and the put the handles on backwards. It feels a lot better in my hand when it’s upside down. Which is how I used it in the end.
My ergonomic issue didn’t come up with @freeze but he holds controllers differently.
Yep, this will be one of the super rare cases i want to buy a product from a retail store, there just hasnt been enough information f
to warrant me purchasing one without holding the damn thing first.
Also super annoying they dont release it worldwide at the same time, it just creates a time gap for people to ebay them at double the price
So, are we to assume that the only way we’ll be able to get our hands on the Steam controller is if we purchase a Steam Machine. The way the article reads it sounds like they’re not going to be available separately.
Alienware aren’t selling them separately. There’s no confirmation on whether they’ll be made available separately at retailers yet.
Really hope they get released separately. I’ll happily buy a controller, but if you have to buy a Steam Machine to get one then Valve (and Alienware) can forget about it, an Xbone controller works with Steam games just fine.
there’s no chance of it being bundled only forever, but it might be for a couple of months
nothing can or will replace mouse and keyboard.
maybe for potato owners…
Preorder from amazon will ship to Australia November 10 😉
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016KBVBCS/
Steam link too
http://www.amazon.com/Steam-Link-Pc/dp/B016XBGWAQ/
The controller’s price converted to aud + shipping comes to $100 which is ridiculous for a controller.
Microsoft’s New Xbox wireless elite controller is $199 at EB games.
I recently purchased one from Amazon for $80 AUD shipped. I think that is a fair price with conversion when all other controllers are that price retail. I am tempted to buy the steam link as well.
Quarter 1 2016 has come and gone. Are we getting it any day now? Is there a revised date?
Where is the steam controller???? Australia might be termed, “Down Under”, but these producers are the arses for denying a wanting market.