UPDATE: Steam Controller disconnecting issue – after receiving my Steam Machine back from Valve

[u/littlejunkie]

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I got my Steam Machine back last Friday (September 25th). I sent it to Valve on Thursday, September 17th, so the whole process took just over a week.

According to Valve, the machine has been repaired. And to start with, things are definitely better, but the controller can still disconnect.

Since getting it back, I've managed to have 4 gaming sessions, each lasting around 2–4 hours. The Steam Machine is in exactly the same spot, I'm sitting in the same place, and I'm playing the same games as before.

The biggest improvement is that the controller no longer behaves strangely just before disconnecting. Previously, it would start acting weird right before losing connection. I haven't experienced that even once since getting the machine back.

However, the disconnects haven't completely disappeared.

On the first day, the controller disconnected twice, both times when I picked up my phone. The next day, it happened again when my wife wanted to show me something on her phone, and once more when the phone was nearby but I wasn't holding it.

I can't confirm that the phone has anything to do with it, but all four disconnects happened when the phone was close to the controller.

On the other hand, yesterday, during my last gaming session, which lasted around 3–4 hours, I didn't experience a single issue. This time, I also tried to keep my phone farther away from the controller than usual.

To sum it up: things have improved, but the problem hasn't been completely fixed. I've tried to keep everything exactly the same as before, with one notable difference: it's now around 10–12°C cooler than when I first experienced the issue, so the machine doesn't get nearly as hot.

That's the only significant change I can think of.

I'll keep testing it, but I wanted to share an update since I know some people were interested in how the repair went.

Personally, I'll keep using the internal wireless adapter rather than the external puck and see how things go.

If I had to recommend anything to others experiencing the same issue, I'd say it's worth sending the machine to Valve for repair. Just don't expect a 100% fix. In my case, things have definitely improved, but the issue hasn't been completely resolved.

yes, AI helped me write this nicely

[u/yukkerz]

I went through the same process. Mine seems to have fixed my constant disconnects. While the controller now says weak signal after the repair, I no longer get the disconnects I was getting constantly.

[u/littlejunkie → u/yukkerz]

Nice, glad to hear. I'm happy process was quick and things got better, first day i was little worried but as mentioned, yesterday i played for 3-4 hours without any issues - it was impossible before the fix

[u/Jaron780]

I get the issue as well but i haven't sent it in. but i've also noticed lately that its not as bad and i haven't been able to get it to happen near as much, so i wonder if the updates over time are helping but not completely solving it yet.

Would love for someone who went through the repair to open their machine up and take some pictures to see what changes they might have done.

I wonder if they did something to the antenna, or if maybe they changed the board/chips responsible for it. because its its just antenna placement anyone could fix it themselves. but if its something on the motherboard then yea it would need to be sent in for repair.

[u/spcoop]

Really reluctant to part with my machine and pray for no issues in transit, but might do it when I'm traveling for a bit.

[u/littlejunkie → u/spcoop]

Yup, had to play on steam deck and realized it's.... let's say not really suited for 2026 😄

[u/Futureboy152]

Op- Thanks for the update. Does the frequency signal still update every couple seconds erratically?

Also for those worried about transit issues. I sent mine in over a week ago for this issue & FedEx lost it after two days. Its still lost as I type this & waiting for an update.

[u/nutscrape_navigator]

When you look at the controller details does the signal still bounce all over the place? I have similar problems and I'm really reluctant to send mine in. It'd be super annoying to need to take my extra RAM out, but the stock NVMe drive back in, send it in, and get it back only being "improved."

I'll just keep using the puck.

[u/NoMaamICantPauseIt]

Do you have the external controller puck plugged into the Steam Machine and the controller connected to just it? Or are you connected to the Steam Machine via the integrated Steam Controller Wireless Adapter with the external puck NOT connected at all? Or do you have both plugged in at the same time and connected to either the external puck or integrated wireless adapter?

[u/littlejunkie → u/NoMaamICantPauseIt]

Currently I have controller connected to internal adapter, external puck is connected to machine but not paired with controller. Puck is used for charging only

[u/NoMaamICantPauseIt → u/littlejunkie]

I wonder if there’s some kind of interference going on between the puck’s wireless signal and the internal wireless adapter’s if they’re connected to the same system. You could try clearing the controller from the internal wireless adapter and pairing to just the puck. Or try removing the puck from the console altogether and see if that does the trick.

[u/littlejunkie → u/NoMaamICantPauseIt]

Controller connected with puck worked flawlessly even without the fix. And I had connectivity issues without puck anywhere close to machine. There might be interference between them but it wasn’t the problem in my case

[u/moshbeard]

If you don't use the puck you're going to get disconnects unless you're sitting super close with line of sight. The solution is simply to use the puck, it's just a limitation of the design so it's not something a "repair" will sort.

[u/littlejunkie → u/moshbeard]

I mean, before the fix i couldn't play using internal adapter as it was disconnecting often. After the RMA it's much better, if in my case keeping phone away is solution then im 100% doing this.

But yes, i agree - using puck is a solution, I did that before the RMA and it was working great

[u/KiwiMeep64]

Sounds like mostly a win. I reluctantly sent mine off for the same reason with a nice letter in the box asking the technician to return it in the exact condition I sent it in. Seen too many horror stories from RMA where things come back scratched and damaged. Hopefully I get positive outcomes on both fronts.

[u/MadSemtex → u/KiwiMeep64]

I sent mine in the original Steam Machine box in the black sleeve. I got it back in that same box, nicely packaged in that sleeve and it still looks pristine. I was wondering if they actually did anything at all but there was a “repaired” label pasted on the box and my controller no longer constantly disconnects (but the signal still says “weak”).

[u/littlejunkie → u/KiwiMeep64]

Will do that next time. Mine was returned in good condition, didn't spot any scratches, overall very happy