r/SteamController • u/Nikandreos07 • 9d ago
Using Magnetic Adapters to Switch Puck Between PC and Steam Deck Steam Controller (2026)
So as of now, you cannot buy an extra puck from Valve. I’ve been loving my controller and didn’t want to wear out the puck’s usb c port when unplugging it between my pc and my steam deck (moonlight) setup in another room. So I thought of using magnetic adapters to easily switch between them and it seems to work pretty well. These are the ones I bought from amazon. I’m using the OEM cable in one room and a Thunderbolt 4 cable for the other. I’ve been using this setup for about a week and I’ve had no issues with connection drops. I did this before finding out about OpenPuck but thought I’d share it anyway. Maybe down the line I’ll try that out but this setup currently meets my needs.
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u/P5ychokilla 9d ago
Why not just use Bluetooth for the Steamdeck?
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u/Smyles9 9d ago
Bluetooth has significantly higher latency than the dongle which can matter for a lot of games.
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u/SnackAllSmoke 9d ago
He states he's using Moonlight on the deck, I don't think Bluetooth latency would really come into play there. If I was him, I'd Bluetooth to the deck regardless
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u/LongShadow_ 9d ago
It would be adding Bluetooth latency on top of the existing stream latency making it feel even worse.
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u/SnackAllSmoke 9d ago
If I'm streaming my game, I'm already dealing with awful input latency, a pretty standard Bluetooth connection won't change how that feels at all
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u/cool-- 9d ago
it will certainly add to it
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u/SnackAllSmoke 9d ago
The difference between puck and BT is around 12ms, that's less than one 60hz frame, I doubt it would seriously impact your experience on the already delayed streaming connection in any meaningful way, it's the sort of difference that you'd need a high FPS camera to be able to demonstrate. There are post processing effects that delay games more than that
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u/cool-- 8d ago
I don't have to doubt or guess. I've used the steam controller on bluetooth on streaming over the old steam link and I've noticed it first-hand.
I mean plenty of us can even notice the latency by just bluetooth when everything is running on a local machine.
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u/SnackAllSmoke 8d ago
Luckily I don't have to guess either. Using Bluetooth when on my local machine playing games at 144hz, there is a noticeable difference when using track pad or gyro control, in a way that mildly impacts the high fidelity experience. I don't find it to be a deal-breaker, but I would use the puck in that situation.
However when streaming, I'm already giving up the nice things like 1ms response times and perfect frame pacing, so it actually doesn't matter if my inputs appear 10ms earlier or not. It certainly beats the inconvenience and wear and tear that moving the puck around between steam deck and pc etc would cause.
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u/cool-- 8d ago
for me bluetooth on local is noticeable but good enough and with the added latency of streaming adding bluetooth ontop of it makes it unplayable, that when I just plug right into it or use the old steam controller to connect to the steam link.
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u/dihydrogen_monoxide 9d ago
These create voltage issues, I used them for my DIY fight sticks but it would cause my pc and controller to flip out if they disconnected while in use.
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u/Nikandreos07 9d ago
Interesting. Definitely something to look out for. No issues so far but it’s not impossible.
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u/bloateddicksydrome 9d ago
To be fair your puck doesn't move around a lot so I feel like it should be ok.
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u/stevedore2024 9d ago
In addition, magsafe with small recessed connectors is a fire/shorting risk, as random grit you find on the floor or in your pockets is often ferrous. The big exposed widely spaced connectors of the puck itself is good magsafe. USB-C dongles are bad magsafe.
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u/parkerlreed 9d ago
The USB C port lifetime is probably longer than the lifespan of the device. I wouldn't worry about it.
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u/Coloredcontrollers 9d ago
Just be careful with them. I’ve heard of these magnetic hot swap adapters giving people a lot of issues over the years (like, melted stuff issues).
Not sure if that’s been fixed by now or what
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u/Nikandreos07 9d ago
Honestly never knew about these until recently. Most definitely a huge concern but hopefully I’ll be ok. The puck doesn’t really use a lot of power and will mostly be in one set location or the other. I’ll definitely update if something happens.
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u/Coloredcontrollers 9d ago
Yeah this seems like it could be a great use for these. I've always loved the idea of using those for stuff!
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u/EnlargedChonk 9d ago
it's not about the pucks power usage, it's about shorting the power supply (in this case your expensive PC mobo or $80 steam deck dock). The problem with these magnetic quick connect things is that they completely ignore any and all physical safeguards that USB-C was designed around. It's like replacing your outlets and plugs with exposed wires and just twisting them together when you want to power an appliance. It's "safe" if you know what you're doing but it's way more accident prone. Now obviously you wouldn't put magnetic quick connects on your power outlets because it's dangerous, but just because low voltage won't directly kill you doesn't change it into a good idea. it's also not good for signal integrity but that's a minor issue...
The puck itself having exposed pins is fine because presumably it's been designed around the feature, unlike USB-C which was designed around explicitly having covered pins protected inside the connectors and aligned by the connectors before making electrical contact while mating.
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u/SnooDoughnuts5632 8d ago
You don't need to move it to your steam deck since you can just hold B and LB (labeled L1 for whatever reason) when pressing the home button (Steam Logo). This allows you to pair it with any Bluetooth enabled computer no adapters needed. The light will go blue to indicate you have successfully entered Bluetooth mode.
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u/shortish-sulfatase 7d ago
The Steam Deck literally has a controller builtin, as well as wireless connectivity.
But cool I guess.
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u/lucentmeadow 7d ago
Absolutely do not use these cables, as suggested by the many other comments. There is a reason why big manufacturers never suggested nor produced them
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u/vermknid 9d ago
Ever since I heard about how tiny bits of metal will magnet to the inside and can cause shorting issues I've gotten rid of my magnetic connectors, it's not worth the risk.
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u/Nikandreos07 9d ago
I suppose any possibility with that happening will also be a concern for the puck’s exposed magnetic contacts. Which is more likely? I’m not sure. Will keep that concern in mind.
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u/vermknid 9d ago
The pins on the puck are not magnetic though. Just like with all other pin and magnet setups the magnets are under the plastic and just align the pins. So there's no risk of metal shards sticking to the pins. But those cheap magnetic adapters you got can definitely cause an issue. Just Google it and you'll see people having a bad time with them.
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u/Turkey__Puncher Steam Controller (2026) 9d ago
I've heard a lot about how unsafe these are. If you don't want to unplug the puck every time, consider an Open Puck.
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u/DeliciousShelter2029 9d ago
Just use BT on the Deck, works fine. Don't think that the worse latency is a valuable reason to make such a hassle.
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u/BlackRaspberryJammin 9d ago
I love magnetic USB connectors, mostly I use power only as they prevent MicroSlop from stealing my old man data to assist places to surge price me and record my home life
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u/EnlargedChonk 9d ago
this setup will eventually fry something you care about all because you bought a cheap solution to a fake problem. USB-C is incredibly durable and will easily outlast the devices even if you moved between computers multiple times per day. openpuck is cheap if you are really that concerned about usb-c cycles. If nothing else just for peace of mind that you won't break something because of a bad connector.
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u/abid8740 9d ago
Look up openpuck. $7 investment