- The Steam Controller’s charger can start a fire if a metallic surface touches the Puck’s exposed power pins.
- Users are upset at Valve’s huge oversight, demanding a software update or an inventory recall.
- The company is investigating the issues and has privately reached out to the affected Redditor.
Valve’s new Steam Controller proved to be a staggering success for the company, with the entire first batch of stock selling out within 30 minutes. The demand was so high that the company launched a reservation system to protect its new stock from scalpers.
However, the new device has a massive design flaw that can be life-threatening under the worst circumstances. The charger’s exposed pins can short-circuit and start fires if a metallic surface touches them while power is flowing.
Why it matters: The Steam Controller has been dubbed a great product for its quality and performance, but such a massive design flaw could prove to be disastrous for its consumers.
As reported on r/SteamController, user u/Toikka’s charging Puck nearly caught their house on fire when a metallic smartwatch strap came in contact with its exposed pins.
Thankfully, the OP was near the place of the accident and stopped the short circuit after hearing a sizzling sound.
So my smartwatch’s metallic strap accidentally touched the Puck’s exposed contacts and started sizzling due to a short circuit. […] the strap of it hit the Puck at the exact wrong angle. Almost started a fire.
There’s no protection circuitry to cut off or isolate the current, and Valve did not implement any handshake protocol. It is basically a communication process between the charger and the device; they exchange signals to agree on voltage/current before power flows.
Therefore, the charger has no way of differentiating between the Steam Controller and other metallic surfaces.
Valve’s hardware team has taken notice of the oversight and is currently investigating the issue on its end. It’s unclear if the company will solve this via a software update or be forced to do an inventory recall.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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