I waited for the official Valve dock and I don’t regret it. It’s worth stressing that the reason the price is so high is the fact it comes with another charger. I personally like to use OEM chargers whenever possible, and having one charger for my dock/home charging station in my living room and another with the travel case is very convenient.
Yeah I think that’s what I’ll go with as well. I plan on keeping it under my TV, and I think it’s looks and the extra charger make it the best option for me, even if it’s a little pricey
This is my approach too, I think a lot of reviews are overlooking the inclusion of a second charger so the official dock can be a permanent fixture. Without that you're either having to remove the charger from the dock constantly or buy another 40-45W charger which is going to make the price of any 3rd party dock equal to or higher than the official dock. Though I also think the silver look of a lot of third party docks is really ugly and just wanted a dock to match the deck.
I personally will be going for the official dock from Valve. The support for an additional monitor may be something I end up using in the future (regardless it is nice to have) but the big thing for me is the firmware updates. Not getting those would be a huge bummer in the long run, I think. So I am happy to drop the extra cash for thst feature alone. Plus the design asthetic is easily the most solid of the bunch, and I like my stuff to look nice.
I actually really like the idea of the m.2 dock for a windows handheld, maybe not the steamdeck being linux but for the future of handhelds now and with how its going to be mostly windows from here on out, people replacing their desktop setups will surely use a larger docked storage for all their videos / photos etc. I think this dock is almost ahead of its time
The conclusion I came to after another great video from RGC is that all I need is this Anker hub… all the actual docks seem to add over it is presentation as well as a select few bells and whistles. As least for my purposes the hub is everything I need to make my deck a pc
You missed an important consideration when reviewing these docks. The Jsaux docks partially block the vents on the back of the steam deck. In the case of the Jsaux with the SSD enclosure, the SSD heats up the metal enclosure, which the deck rests against, which is also where the vents on the deck are located. So you not only partially block the vent, but end up pulling hot air off the SSD enclosure. The official Valve dock is slightly raised as you mentioned, but that prevents blocking the vent. The iVoler dock is lower to the desk like the Jsaux, but they designed the back rest to avoid blocking the vent which is important in my opinion.
You just made my decision easy to make, ordering the Valve one now. I think the power adapter makes up for the price of the official Steam Dock but I also think it would have been a better idea to sell them separately because I don't think most people even need or want a second adapter. I will NOT by the JSAUX dock, I've had long term quality issues with their cables so I don't trust their built quality. After watching this video, I have another reason not to trust them or buy their products.
Just found your channel recently because I got my own steam deck and I wanted to say I really appreciate how in-depth your videos are. Whether it be helping us install emulators or reviewing products and giving your honest feedback on them all, it's truthfully helpful quality content. I hope you keep up the amazin work!
I have a DockTeck hub and it works *great* on my LG C1. However I can feel the input lag on any other TV. I was waiting on the official dock to see if that solved the problem, but input lag wasn't raised in this video.
You can get a lot of functionality with the iVoler dock and that Anker USB-C hub. One has ethernet and the other has a card reader. Keep the dock at a dedicated station and take the hub with you. You can use both.
The additional storage when docked can be useful for games that you only plan to play on the TV such as couch coop games. It can also be used to store games that require or play better with specific accessories such as flight sticks, racing wheels, arcade sticks, etc.
Seems like a lot of people are complaining about long wait times for the JSAUX, long enough that new models are released by the time they get theirs. The M.2 dock is pretty expensive, I've got a Belkin hub that does everything I need for $50 but I'm still considering the Valve dock
Great review. I have the one from iVoler and maybe I’m biased, but I really prefer it. I always keep my deck in protective case and iVoler dock fits deck with the case no problem. Same with top USB-C connector that has no problem clearing the case. Tight fit from the Valve dock and fancy plug would leave me with no choice but to remove the case every time I would want to dock my deck. Also, something you didn’t mention, but all the docks aside from the one from iVoler are partially blocking the vents from the steam deck. This may potentially heat up the docks and restrict deck cooling. It may be not a big issue, but something to watch for. I also don’t understand why Valve has decided to provide a 45wt charger with the dock. This may not be enough if you use external drives, accessories, feed the display and also want to charge your deck. I would want them to at least put a 65wt adapter if they already charge us for it. Just looks like a very limited thinking on the Valve’s part.
I think the Jsaux dock that I'm using is fine, and plus it was only $39 which is nice. Way cheaper than the steamdeck dock. Although I don't have firmware updates.
I'm getting a Steam Deck for Christmas and was planning on getting a regular usb-c hub that works well with laptops too. Still have to do my research on which one would be good for that, but the Anker one you have there looks nice. Regarding the internal storage on the dock, it's quite useful! I'll hook up an external SSD once I have mine, and install games on it that I only want to play with M+KB like RTSs or MOBAs, and use the dock at my desk. The Deck will completely replace my aging gaming pc from 2015.
I have one from Mokin that I really like and have had no problems with it but I don't really know what all you want out of it so there could definitely be a better one for you
I ordered the official Steam dock. I wish it had more space for cases. I have a tpu grip on my Deck and it sucks that I'm gonna have to take it off to use the dock.
Official steam deck dock for me. What ultimately made me decide to get it for my wifes steam deck was firmware updates from valve themselves for the dock.
Theres a lot more to consider here. Since steamdeck is a travel devices. Most people will have a protector/skin/case on top. Some of these docks like the official one is unusable with a case on. Each dock has a use case scenario. Some people use it for game streming than the official dock is best for them as long as they dont have a case. Some people will want n64 witha big screen or ps1 or 2 or 3 emulation. Than perhaps the ssd one is the best for them. Plus depending on how the usb type a is wired they can use an external ssd
Thanks for this! I dig the Valve one most of the ones you've shown, but for my money, the OwlTree dock is still my personal favorite. It works with just about all my devices, plastic, no logo on front, but also no ethernet (which is fine by me).
Just purchased the official dock. I've tried Ivoler and NewQ docks, and both keep defaulting to 640x480 resolution with my TV and monitor when I connect the Deck and take multiple plugging to fix it. Jsaux docks are known to break CEC.
I have a JSAUX one but will be uograding to a steam one. It just takes way to long to show picture on tv. Sometimes it takes anywhere from 30seconds to 3minutes
How is the Anker one? Does it charge the SD while plugged in? I just need a hub that can connect with the display and external keyboard and mouse. I am not into desktop gaming with the deck I just want the hub for some installation and nodding stuffs.
The second charger is huge imo, I like the metal low profile ones but i printed a base for the valve one that only adds a couple mm in hight but adds some space for doc accessories.
Honestly the JSAUX SSD model seems like a nice feature for me, i have the 64GB model and SD cards are good, but some of these games are giantic and/or eat up battery life like crazy
I don't get why there needs to be a weight and size comparison on a dock that isn't meant to be carried around. Its job is to sit on the desk and hold the deck when you're home and that's it lol people who travel with docks should just get a laptop instead as it defeats the purpose of the deck.
Great video but seems like a hub is staying the way to go for me If I'm recording I like having access to the deck's actual controls while still having that flexibility to make it a console when friends come over that a dock provides
Chuckled at the Pamela Anderson line. I'm still confused though because I just got my steam deck yesterday. Do these things function like the switch dock. Like can I just place it on there and it charges and I can play the games on my TV?
You said, that hdmi supports 1440p up to 120Hz, this is wrong, I can select 1440p 144Hz in Desktop Mode settings and it seems to work perfectly fine. I haven't tested display port though, because it's taken by my PC.
Honestly, the peace of mind of charging my steamdeck in something approved just pays the price difference for me. Don’t want to hope they didn’t add some other verbiage in the website yesterday
I am very concerned about that burn out you mentioned. Makes me think about going with the official one instead. I bet valve regulates that voltage a bit.
To be fair I think the comment was not on the Steam Deck's usecase and more for other devices. The dock is rated to work fine with the steam deck but because the nature of the device is to be inclusive, he does have to mention if you are in that camp, this is the issue that dock had. BUT if that is something you care about, your reasoning is perfectly solid
The official support from valve and the community made accessories for the official dock is why I'm paying a premium. There's already a 3d printable addon for steam decks with cases that would be fun to play with!
@@ramonandrajo6348 It's an extra $20 if you were going to buy an extra ac adapter anyway. It's not horrible, and seems to work flawlessly. The only issue with it is that it won't accommodate heavy skins or cases well if at all. I'll probably end up going with a valve dock but I wouldn't mind the ivoler one if I had a case. I just don't feel the need for a case for the deck with the great purchase the grips offer.
I bought the new iVoler Dock (with Ethernet) before seeing this review and don’t regret it for a moment. It’s terrific out of box. Good weight, HDMI worked fast for me without needing to fiddle with sleep on and off (as far as I could tell). The rest at the back works well. I have my Steam Deck in a thicker protective case and that actually gives me two choices, seated right in (but screen more vertical), or only partly in the dock at the front and angled back more (still relatively secure). I think the docks could likely use just a smidge more space to accommodate skins and cases. Ethernet also flawless. I use magnetic USB-C (24 pin) adapters and they all work together fine. Although I wouldn’t use the M.2 drive, I would use a micro-SD slot, but then can just use a USB A Micro-SD adapter instead. Speaking about “hub” and portable efficiency, I use a Hagibis Switch Dock Charger for Nintendo Switch GaN 65W Fast Charger USB C Wall Charger PD 3.0. They have a nice black and white one. Fast charges the Steam Deck, has an HDMI port , USB-C port for data/charge, and a data USB A port as well. Brilliant (remember to get a data capable 100w USB-C cable) as I plug it in near my tv, run an HDMI cable up to the tv, and a long USB-C to the Steam Deck and I have best of all worlds, can project on big monitor but use the Steam Deck as a controller, OR simply use my Steam Controller. This comes in handy for travelling since I’d rather not pack the dock if I don’t have to.
That is a good idea, I travel for work all the time and the steam deck has been great. But if I can use the steam deck as the controller while hooked to the tv in whatever hotel I'm in sounds perfect. Might just go with Hagibis Switch Dock Charger instead of getting the iVoler dock. Because I'm lazy and would just prefer to not switch bluetooth controller from my laptop to the steamdeck lol.
The nvme slot would be ideal for people who want a dual boot into windows when it's docked to do desktop related work, I'd definitely consider one at a later date
I think having an SSD in the dock could be useful for people with smaller internal storage models of the Deck - Steam makes it pretty easy to move installs between storage volumes, so you could keep things on the SSD in the dock and swap them in and out to save having to re-download them. The same could be achieved with a normal external SSD plugged into any of the other docks, though, which is basically what I do!
I see where some would find that useful. There are some like myself that would prefer dependence on a rig that would properly support the load of the heavier games and just stream. Steam Link is perfect with having QoS and proper configuration. A router that is LAN only connected to that rig, I can have very fast connectivity using steam link/moonlight I've done several sessions of skyrim, borderlands 3 and a couple others at buttery smooth frames, and further extends battery of the deck. Jsaux Additional storage but being confined to a desk doesn't quite make sense for my use case. As russ basically said, the principle goal is bringing your games with you. I would argue in support not against, is that at least having the option is important, Jsaux is filling the use-case for simply more people; smart if they are wanting to get more out there. I'm not sure I am ready to trust plugging 3rd party on in my network and not knowing if a provider along the supply chain has risked placing anything on it, I'll pay more for tighter controls and firmware support.
This was a useful and informative review, thanks! I think you undervalued the $25 Steam power supply, which exaggerates the price bump from the cheaper docks. I haven't chosen a dock yet, but I like having a dedicated power supply for a dock I'd set up and leave on my desk. The general-use Anker dock is very interesting. I don't see myself using the Steam Deck's display on my desk, so an upright dock like these is probably overkill for me.
Seems like Valve prioritized dock portability over "stays at your desk 24/7 and never moves," while also minimizing functionality compromises (it is kinda the most functional). It's a valid approach and one that makes a lot of sense. As someone who travels frequently, I find a lot of value in that. That said, there will also be those who just want their dock to stay in one place. Something like the iVoler (larger, more stalwart) seems a little more tailored to such people.
I have the SteamDeck dock, it's great for my use at home - but also have that Anker one for on the go, it's great as it fits in that hole under the case and can use it for any TV when your in a hotel/B&B or such, super convenient and a superb tool, use it for a lot of devices.
I think the reason Valve made their dock taller is for ventilation purposes. When docked, the Steam Deck vent on the back is not blocked or obstructed at all. With the lower profile 3rd party docks, there seems to be obstruction on the vent depending on how you position the Deck.
My iVoler dock doesn't block the vents. I'm happy with the $48.14 with sales tax dock. I don't need another power supply. My DisplayPort monitor is borked so I have to use a HDMI adapter for my old DVI powered monitor and don't have or have a use for that port. I don't use a skin but there's room in the dock if you use one.
Obviously the issue is that stupid leather skin... skins for the Steam Deck when valve released the AutoCad for new shells is just stupid... even if no one is making one yet (shakes fist at ColorWare not jumping on that) skins are stupid. You are aware the v-sync issue with Elgato is tied to a handshake issue, right? It's also only an issue with the external Elgato units. The handshake issue occurs if the Deck's state is already active. All my friends experiencing this issue state they needed to connect everything before booting up/waking the unit. (A lot of them also say they stopped using Sleep Mode.)
The beginning of EVERY SENTENCE in these reviews are audio ramped. Really odd choice of style here, but maybe that helps the focus of topic change for viewers.🤔
I have the JSAUX without the SSD and plugged a USB 5TB drive to that back of it. This is for downloading steam games to (I only have the 64gb model) and it primarily stays docked with also a 5 port usb hub plugged into it and 4 controllers plugged into that. I mainly use it docked like a home console and only have a few games on the internal storage that I travel with. Like I said, that most I do is gaming at home and in the dock with the option of taking it on the go (with a few games to keep me busy). I really don't mind the side ethernet port at all. you can't see it when docked anyway and Ubiquiti has bendable cables. Another great video though...Thanks.
So basically, the official dock is the safest option with the best support and biggest list of features. And it comes with an extra charger. I know which dock I'd get.
That hub at the end actually fits into this 3D printed docking station here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NiJblvQ1gmM.html highly recommend it!
Valve said they were making their advancements in software and other data related to docking the Steam Deck available to the public so it can benefits whatever dock you use. You don't need a Valve manufactured dock to get that support,
My issue with all these docks is I would prefer one with a removeable usb c. I hate connected cables because they are always one bend away from making the device unusable.
My JSAUX has started having issues within 6 months. What’s frustrating is I don’t use it often in the first place do I was expecting better longevity. I like JSAUX because of their customer support but this product didn’t last for me.
Did you even bother testing the HDMI for specs and USB ports for transfer speeds? Most docs, hubs, and dongles are lying about specs and I’m blown away that you didn’t’ test or show us any test results….. Pretty disappointed.
I got the ivoler... Unfortunately wasn't the upgraded version with the aluminium finish and ethernet port 😅 It does work well with the thicc TPE case I have on it though (lots of buffer room) and the USB C right angle cable has no problems with access to the port In thinking it a second dock for upstairs in the man cave 🤔 Pity the Valve one is so tight fitting and won't work with Cases
I think the m.2 dock is especially useful for those that don't actually have another PC, and thus would kind of be using the deck as their main PC while at home. So that gives some extra storage for when they're actually home, sit down and plug it in to game. But then that's being screwed with them taking away one USB port compared to their previous gen dock, which means less possible peripherals, which is counterintuitive to the idea of utilizing that specific dock for main PC conversion of the deck.
Thanks for this video! Exactly what I was asking myself. Question for dual monitors; would you be willing to test out the valve dock with dual monitors so that you could hook a keyboard up and use the setup as a personal computer? If it worked, it might be an excuse to start using Linux as my primary OS. Thanks again!
Great review but what would have made it an even better review is showing us how each of the docks can handle various Steam Deck TPU covers. For example, I have the Jsaux 2.0 6 in 1 and the official and while I prefer the official the Jsaux fits the TPU i purchased...the official does not.
I waited for the Steam Deck Dock since my first deck got bricked by a third party dock the first night I had my original deck... Valve customer service sent a replacement but had to wait an extra 2 weeks when I had waited for over a year lol. Anyways, just go with Valve :)
I didn't hear it covered in the video but how do any of these docks work with CEC? I know the JSAUX broke CEC for many people, is this the same case for the official dock?
I went with the official one just to be safe. But the extra charger plug was a bonus and I recommend that route. I was to load up mine with lots of games, and the internal storage + micro card isn't enough. So I started looking at the one with the built in ability to connect an M.2. However 2 USBs in the back....vs the official one with 3 and a cheaper external drive for holding data....once again pushes me towards Valve.
Never cheap out on something that delivers power to your device. Always use trusted brands, like Anker, or go official, in this case Valve's dock. I don't trust no-name 3rd party brands not to fry my electronics with substandard PD products. I rather pay the extra to get good quality stuff for peace of mind.
At this time I believe that the Valve one is the only dock that has this feature, at least planned in a future firmware update according to their website.
Buying third party USB C products has scared me since the standard first started getting used. Google shipped a charger with the Nexus 5X/6P that ended up melting if the conditions weren't correct and it was used for a different device asking for a different amount of power. For a good long while I would consult a spreadsheet with products verified by a Google engineer in his spare time to make sure what I'm buying is safe. It's a complicated spec and even though the industry has matured since then, I'm still hesitant. I let my guard down a little to get the JSAUX dock since it seemed safe, thinking that maybe the industry has finally gotten better about spec compliance, but hearing that it is frying other devices due to poor implementation of the USB PD spec made me immediately box it back up and order the Valve one. The other docks are cheaper, sure -- but if your Steam Deck burns up, who's footing the bill for a new one? I'd rather spend double for peace of mind.
I also end up using a generic USB C hub; which also has an extra USB C port (that no dock has) which makes for more flexibility in external connections (1 C, 2 A, HDMI and ethernet). It's also very compact (it's the one in the "stick" form factor, with ethernet on one end) and light, you can really fit it everywhere you can fit your deck
Disagree with your opinion on the position of the Ethernet port. The other ports makes sense on the back since your tv/monitor will normally be behind the dock. Your router is probably off to one side. So this is one of those features I didn't know I wanted until I wanted it. Hearing about jsaux frying stuff is the most concerning tho.
The extra charger is really undersold in this video IMO. If you already have a spare lying around then obviously the value is dubious, but if you don’t then the cost of a trustworthy USB-C charger and cable pretty much perfectly offsets any savings you’re getting from the other options. Glad to see the mention of the Anker hub though. That’s what I’ve been using since I already had one around the house and it’s fantastic. The extra USB-C data line is such an awesome feature that I’m surprised the others don’t offer.
I wonder if you could get the Steam Deck to boot off that M.2. Having Windows on the dock could be nice. SteamOS on the go, dock it and boot into Windows for a more familiar desktop environment while at a mouse/keyboard/monitor?
I bought the "simple" Jsaux one for 35 bucks in Germany and it has been on sale several times for that price. That makes the other options so uninteresting. And it has worked amazingly so far. No problems and the slightly longer wake time isn't an issue for me. I have never noticed anything negative with this thing.
The official one "fits just" in the back of the carry case under that bungy (I'd love a touch more room for the cable) but you could take it on the road with you if you must just grab your deck charger unhook the dock and slip it in and away you go to take over someone's TV
