Why You Can Trust CNET Steam Deck Docking Stations: Valve vs. Jsaux
At first, there were no docks for the Steam Deck gaming handheld. Now you've got lots of options.
- Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
The Steam Deck handheld gaming PC was one of my biggest surprises of the year. My expectations for the ambitious portable gaming device were modest, but it turned out to be a fun, forward-looking gadget that redefined PC gaming for me.
One of the biggest problems with the Steam Deck was that it had a months-long waiting list to buy one. But now that the Steam Deck is readily available, we can focus on its other big issues -- the lack of ports and connections, and the lack of a kickstand or some other way to keep it upright. The Nintendo Switch greatly benefits from having both a built-in kickstand and an included dock, and the Steam Deck would, too.
Read more: Steam Deck Review: This Handheld Gaming PC Surprised Me, in Ways Both Good and Bad
Many months after the release of the Steam Deck, Valve's official docking station is finally available. For $89, it holds the Steam Deck and adds connections for HDMI, DisplayPort, USB and Ethernet. But while we were waiting for it, gaming accessory-makers put out their own versions, sometimes with more features. I even 3D-printed a few stand options of my own.
I recently tested both the official Valve Steam Deck Docking Station and one of the main alternative docking stations from Jsaux.
Steam Deck docks, compared
| Valve Docking Station | Jsaux Docking Station | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $89 | $130 |
| USB ports | 3x USB 3.1 | 2x USB 3.1 |
| HDMI | HDMI 2.0 | HDMI 2.0 |
| DisplayPort | DisplayPort 1.4 | None |
| Output resolution, refresh rate | Up to 4K/60Hz, or 1440p/120Hz | Up to 4K 60Hz, or 1440p/120Hz |
| Ethernet | Gigabit Ethernet | Gigabit Ethernet |
| Power | USB-C passthrough, PSU included | USB-C passthrough |
| Weight | 4.6 ounces | 10.6 ounces |
| Expandability | None | M.2 enclosure, up to 2TB |
What's the same?
Both docks were able to output to a TV just fine. Both allow for passthrough charging, which is important, as the Steam Deck itself has only one USB-C port for both power and video output. Both allow for output at 4K/60Hz, or 120Hz at 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution. Hypothetically, that is. The Steam Deck hardware isn't really built to play games at 4K resolution.
I played the recent PC version of Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves on a 65-inch TV using both docks and an Xbox controller. I'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference. Both displayed fine, but the Steam Deck-Bluetooth controller-dock-TV signal chain meant I felt a little lag in both cases.
Both rear panels, compared.
The differences
The Jsaux here adds an internal M.2 drive slot (the same type of M.2 drives you'd use to expand storage in a PS5), which adds to its cost. At $130, it's about $40 more than the official Valve version.
But it's not as simple as just popping a drive in. It requires some fiddling with the Linux OS running under the Steam interface, creating a new partition, mounting the drive and installing a script so the process doesn't reset every time you dock or undock the Steam Deck. It's certainly much easier to just invest in a huge 1TB microSD card for the Steam Deck itself. Jsaux has detailed step-by-step instructions for that process here if you want to try it.
Valve's official Steam Deck dock.
The advantage of having extra storage isn't obvious if that storage is only available when the Steam Deck is docked. One very important use case that I can see is giving you a place to offload and store large games to make more room on the Steam Deck itself. Swapping games from the dock to onboard storage is more efficient than deleting and redownloading repeatedly, especially with some games hitting 50 to 100GB.
The Jsaux is also bigger and heavier, and made of metal rather than mostly plastic. That makes it harder to carry around, but also makes it more stable on a table. You lose the separate DisplayPort output found on the Valve version, but Jasux also makes a version with DisplayPort and without the M.2 slot for around $60.
The Jsaux dock has an internal slot for an M.2 drive.
The caveats
Like most things about the Steam Deck, there are some workarounds, bugs and quirks to using a dock. The official Valve forums are full of people reporting compatibility issues with certain brands of TVs or receivers, and some expected features, like multimonitor support or AMD FreeSync support, are still works in progress.
My advice, as of right now, is that a docking station like this is most useful if you plan on using your Steam Deck with external controls and hooked up to a TV or monitor. If you just need a stand, a simple kickstand add-on will do.
The big Jsaux version definitely feels more secure, as it has more surface area contact with the Steam Deck, but unless you're specifically interested in the M.2 storage, the Valve version is my default go-to. It costs more than some similar USB-C docks, but is perfectly sized for the Steam Deck, packs in a lot of connectivity and includes an extra PSU brick.
