So what does Deck Dock offer that other docks can’t deliver to Steam Deck? Basically… somewhere to stand while it’s plugged in. That’s all, However, I’m quite happy with it, as long as the price is right, because during testing I used it as a work PC, displaying it in the office and connecting it to a keyboard and mouse for tapping and clicks. And all this via the existing Dell D6000 docking stations that are scattered around the PC Gamer offices.
But I’m using a dual-screen, even with the wobbly 7″ Steam Deck screen, and I’ve been digging around having my emails and Slack on the deck while I’ve been working on the main screen. The downside of plugging it into a third-party dock is that I need to find something workable to lean my deck against so I can actually see it.
Having a dedicated device for Valve’s handheld to snuggle up to – while it’s charging, outputting and doing all those alternative use cases I love about a device – would make the Deck Dock a pretty useful peripheral indeed.
In addition to a handy stand, you also get a USB Type-A Gen3.1 port, two Type-A Gen2.0 ports, an Ethernet port, one DisplayPort 1.4 and one HDMI 2.0 output. The only drawback for me is the lack of an additional Type-C port. The only one on deck is busy transmitting power, leaving no other port of call.
I’ve played around with several third-party deck docks so far and it’s worth noting that HDMI audio can be an issue for some – due to Linux’s lack of built-in DisplayLink support – and I haven’t been able to get anything from the DisplayPort connection.
However, the saddest mistake for me was the fact that so far my Steam Deck has not worked very well with the Eve Spectrum ES07D03 with a built-in Type-C dock. Being able to connect all your peripherals to the back of the monitor and connect only one USB cable to the deck is sure to make for a super-sleek minimalist setup.
However, the Steam Deck has been constantly updated almost daily, since I first got my hands on the device, so I have no doubt that this will be fixed at some point.