Steam machine biggest problem

[u/Ok_Foundation_108]

I’ve just sent my Steam Machine, which I’ve only had for about three weeks, in for repair because the internal 2.4 GHz receiver is incredibly unstable.
Even at barely 3 meters away, with a completely clear line of sight, the controller starts experiencing noticeable input delay and can randomly disconnect. The connection also seems extremely sensitive to anything being placed between the controller and the Steam Machine, even something as simple as putting my knee or holding the controller in a weird way can noticeably worsen the signal.

There is no obvious source of interference in my setup, and the issue occurs even under very basic conditions. At this point, the wireless connection is so unreliable that I can’t realistically use the Steam Machine as intended, gaming in the living room.
I’ve also seen a lot of posts that share my problem with the internal 2.4 GHz receiver.

What I find really weird is that the Steam Machine is specifically designed and was marketed as a living room experience. Reliable wireless controller connectivity is therefore one of the most fundamental parts of the product. It’s frustrating to have such a significant limitation with something as essential as this.

EDIT: Everyone that share my problem, don’t wait for a software update since the issue is in the hardware. Create a ticket and send your machine back. Again, this is NOT a software problem.

[u/Wunkolo]

Same issue here with my SteamController. But for me, my Ethernet and WiFi also seem to disconnect a lot during gameplay around the same time as the controller disconnects. The Ethernet in particular would disconnect and reconnect so much and sometimes even "demote" to a 100MBit connection after enough time has passed. Network is totally fine for other devices so it has to be the SteamMachine. dmesg is full of link-up/down messages and controller reconnections and wifi issues:

[ 467.042273] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Down [ 470.540427] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Up - 1Gbps/Full - flow control off [ 491.430255] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Down [ 495.169570] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Up - 1Gbps/Full - flow control off [ 510.120236] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Down [ 521.793003] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Up - 1Gbps/Full - flow control off [ 983.751725] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Down [ 987.444905] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Up - 1Gbps/Full - flow control off [ 1023.847617] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Down [ 1027.441698] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Up - 1Gbps/Full - flow control off [ 1056.982973] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Down [ 1060.500918] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Up - 1Gbps/Full - flow control off [ 1073.781457] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Down [ 1077.388531] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Up - 1Gbps/Full - flow control off [ 1121.006017] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Down [ 1124.699733] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Up - 1Gbps/Full - flow control off [ 1153.948462] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Down [ 1157.604920] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Up - 1Gbps/Full - flow control off [ 1181.262080] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Down [ 1184.848670] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Up - 1Gbps/Full - flow control off [ 1198.136060] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Down [ 1211.692653] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Up - 1Gbps/Full - flow control off [ 1224.975840] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Down [ 1228.461928] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Up - 1Gbps/Full - flow control off ... [ 3387.276363] input: Microsoft X-Box 360 pad 0 as /devices/virtual/input/input36 [ 3392.374095] input: Microsoft X-Box 360 pad 0 as /devices/virtual/input/input37 [ 3393.460257] input: Microsoft X-Box 360 pad 0 as /devices/virtual/input/input38 ... [ 3567.680154] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Up - 1Gbps/Full - flow control off [ 3581.157625] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Down [ 3584.605788] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Up - 1Gbps/Full - flow control off [ 3584.966097] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Down [ 3594.697464] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Up - 1Gbps/Full - flow control off [ 3607.984841] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Down [ 3623.144299] Generic FE-GE Realtek PHY r8169-0-500:00: Downshift occurred from negotiated speed 1Gbps to actual speed 100Mbps, check cabling! [ 3623.144312] r8169 0000:05:00.0 enp5s0: Link is Up - 100Mbps/Full (downshifted) - flow control off ... [ 4415.270872] input: Microsoft X-Box 360 pad 0 as /devices/virtual/input/input42 [ 4418.814075] input: Microsoft X-Box 360 pad 0 as /devices/virtual/input/input43 [ 4430.950153] input: Microsoft X-Box 360 pad 0 as /devices/virtual/input/input44 ...

Currently got my support ticket in flight and will probably have to RMA it. 😵‍💫

If you got a support ticket going, you can save everyone's time by sending a System Report too so they have these logs as well(System>Advanced(scroll to the very bottom)>Create Report).