Don’t let your Pixel Watch get close to the Steam Controller Puck

Valve recently released the Steam Controller, one part of the company’s recent hardware push that also includes the upcoming Steam Machine and Steam Frame. As we all get more hands-on time with the gamepad, people are learning new things about the device, like its Wilhelm scream Easter egg. Something else one Redditor learned the hard way is to keep metallic objects far away from its charging puck.

In a recently shared post, the Redditor explains how they almost started a fire with the Steam Controller Puck. According to the user, they were charging their Pixel Watch 4 next to the Puck when the watch’s metallic band “hit the Puck at the exact wrong angle.” As the metallic band touched the Puck’s exposed pins, the metal “started sizzling due to a short circuit.”

Fortunately, the user noticed the issue immediately and separated the band from the Puck. Although no fire was started, there was some visual damage to both the Puck and the band. The user also takes the blame, claiming the incident was entirely their fault.

Valve does issue a warning in the Steam Controller’s user manual to keep metallic objects away from the Puck:

Magnetic parts may attract metallic items. To reduce the potential risk of sparks and resulting property damage or possible injury, make sure that the wireless adapter and charging puck and Controller are free of metallic objects before connecting.

However, how many users have actually read through the manual? At the same time, guests and other people in your household likely haven’t read the manual either. There’s a possibility that anyone could make a similar mistake. As some commenters point out, Valve probably could’ve designed the Puck in a way that requires a handshake before sending power over to make it safer.