The new version of the Steam controller launched by Valve has been an amazing success, with the first batch of products sold out in just 30 minutes. Because the market demand is so hot, Valve had to launch a reservation system to prevent scalpers from hoarding goods.
However, the new device has a serious design flaw that could even be life-threatening in extreme cases. The charger pins of the controller are exposed, and once they come into contact with a metal surface while powered on, a short circuit may occur and cause a fire.
According to a post by Reddit user u/Toikka: His charging base almost caused a fire in his home. At that time, the metal strap of his smart watch accidentally touched the exposed contacts of the charger, resulting in an instant short circuit and sparks. Fortunately, the owner of the building was nearby when the incident occurred. After hearing the "sizzling" sound of electricity, he immediately cut off the short circuit, thus preventing a serious disaster.
"The metal strap of my smart watch accidentally touched the exposed contact of the charging base, and then it started to make a sizzling sound due to a short circuit... The angle at which the strap touched was very tricky and almost caused a fire."
At present, this charger does not include any protection circuit and cannot automatically cut off or isolate the current in the event of a short circuit. At the same time, Valve has not implemented the so-called "handshake protocol."
The so-called handshake protocol is essentially a communication process between the charger and the device. The two parties will first exchange signals and confirm the voltage and current parameters before officially starting power supply. Because of this, this charger can't tell whether it's connected to a Steam controller or another metal object.
Currently, Valve's hardware team has noticed this serious oversight and is launching an internal investigation. As for whether the official will patch it through software updates in the future, or whether it will have to conduct a large-scale hardware recall, it is still unknown.
