I love my Steam Deck. Though the likes of the Lenovo Legion Go 2 are far more powerful, the ease of access SteamOS provides makes Valve’s breakout device the most popular handheld PC on the market. And thanks to its ultra-flexible Linux OS, you can even turn the Steam Deck into a portable PC with this one app.
Yet up until last year, I really wasn’t getting the most out of Valve’s gaming device. Though it’s obviously been designed as a handheld, I’ve actually started to enjoy my Steam Deck more since pairing it with a $40 accessory that essentially turns it into a teeny Linux desktop.
That accessory is an affordable, ultra-useful dock for my Deck, and I truly wish I’d bought it the day I picked up the OLED model of Valve’s awesome machine.
This Nvidia app completely transformed the way I use my Steam Deck
Cloud gaming on Valve’s handheld is incredible with this one app.
The upsides of owning a Steam Deck dock
Pairing Valve’s handheld with a charging station has so many benefits
There’s really only one major downside to pairing a Steam Deck with a docking station. And that’s the fact that you inherently make Valve’s handheld far less portable by connecting it to an accessory that always needs to be plugged in. That doesn’t bother me in the slightest, though.
My Deck rarely leaves my apartment, and I never play it on the go. Instead, docking my Steam Deck has turned it into a fantastic little Linux machine, while also letting me enjoy this portable PC in a fashion that’s akin to the Nintendo Switch 2.
There are a multitude of benefits that come from docking your Deck (and I know that wordplay sounds borderline filthy, so apologies). The first, most basic function? You never have to worry about battery life. And considering demanding AAA games like Cyberpunk 2077 can drain the Steam Deck in under three hours, that’s a big deal.
Another super-useful function of using a docking station? On a core level, it acts as a very handy stand.
The next super-useful function of using a docking station? At its core, it serves as a very handy stand. Seeing as the Steam Deck doesn’t have a kickstand, placing Valve’s handheld in a dock instantly opens up the practical benefits of being able to pair it with peripherals that wouldn’t be practical if the tiny Linux machine were sitting in your lap.
On that note, thanks to its USB connections, my Baseus dock easily allows me to pair my favorite keyboard and mouse via 2.4GHz dongles. Sure, I could pair them via SteamOS’ Bluetooth settings, but I’ve always found the connectivity a little hit-and-miss.
And that’s before mentioning that my Steam Deck dock allows me to pair Valve’s handheld with my favorite PC controller in headache-free fashion; the excellent 8Bitdo Ultimate 2 wireless gamepad. One of the main reasons I love this controller so much? It’s drift-proof Hall Effect thumbsticks.
A docked Deck opens up display options
My charging station allows me to pair the Deck with a monitor
Another reason I’ve become obsessed with docking my Deck? That would be because of my charging station’s HDMI port, which allows me to connect the handheld to a tidy portable OLED monitor I picked up in an Amazon sale last year.
This 15.6-inch, 2.8K, 90Hz, HDR-compatible display is gorgeous. For those times when I want to expand my horizons beyond the Steam Deck OLED’s 7.4-inch, 800p screen, my Baseus docking station allows me to connect to this monitor. I love playing titles like Elden Ring and Forza Horizon 4 on a quality panel that can rival the screens of the best OLED gaming laptops.
Granted, I mainly use this OLED display for my Nintendo Switch 2, but it also comes in handy when paired with my Steam Deck. One of the main factors I appreciate about using this monitor with Valve’s portable device is when it comes to using the Deck’s Desktop Mode.
It’s here that using an external monitor with the Deck truly makes it feel like a microscopic PC that could happily replace my Windows 11 PC in certain circumstances. Oh, and on a related note, here’s how to dual-boot your Steam Deck to Windows and SteamOS.
Dock your Deck for Desktop Mode
Valve’s handheld can blossom in its Windows-aping mode
Though it doesn’t get talked about nearly as much as Gaming Mode, the Steam Deck’s Desktop Mode is a feature I massively appreciate. This Linux OS allows you to use the handheld as a proper PC, yet navigating it with the Deck’s trackpads can be an ungainly hassle.
That’s not the case if your Steam Deck is docked. With my keyboard and mouse connected to my Baseus charging station via their dongles, I can use Valve’s handheld like a 7.4-inch desktop. And believe me, there are plenty of occasions where Desktop Mode has helped me out majorly.
Without Desktop Mode being made super-accessible with a docking station, I might never have discovered Decky Loader. This ultra-useful piece of software allows you to install a heap of useful features on your handheld, like custom library backgrounds for your favorite games or boosted audio levels. Even though this homebrew launcher requires a minuscule amount of storage space, you should still school yourself on the best Steam Deck microSDs.
And without Desktop Mode being a joy to interact with on a docked Steam Deck thanks to my keyboard and mouse, I may well not have been able to turn the handheld into a palm-friendly PlayStation 5 thanks to the oh-so wonderful Chiaki-ng app.
Own a Steam Deck? You need a docking station
Worried about your Deck’s battery life? You should get a docking station. Need a handy kickstand replacement? A dock has you covered. And for those times you want to connect super-useful peripherals via USB dongles? You better believe you need a Deck dock in your life. I owned my Steam Deck OLED for over a year before I picked up my Baseus station, and that was most definitely a calendar 365 too late in retrospect.
