Steam Deck: Third-Party Docking Stations Fill Valve’s Hole

The Stream Deck is very popular. So big that Valve’s handheld console is still out of stock almost half a year after its launch, although production has recently doubled. However, the official docking station is not being produced at all: it has been postponed indefinitely.

Third-party providers see delays as an opportunity

Valve announced this in early June after the dock was supposed to be released in February along with the Steam Deck. The manufacturer is now working hard on the docking station, but has not yet announced a new date. Third-party providers see this as an opportunity and want to fill the gap. These include JSAUX, a Chinese supplier of charging cables, Qi chargers and USB docks.

Two docking stations based on the Valve concept

In June, the company launched its first docking station for the Steam Deck; a first batch sold out quickly. The product, simply called “docking station for steam decks”, adopts the docking concept proposed by Valve itself more or less unchanged: the handheld console is placed upright in a stand and connected to the station via USB-C.

The latter then charges the Steam Deck via USB Power Delivery with the maximum possible 45 watts; theoretically, even 100 watts would be available. In addition, the docking station offers an HDMI 2.0 connection (up to 3840 × 2160 pixels at 60 Hertz), two USB-A connections according to generation 2.0 and an RJ-45 connection for the LAN connection.

JSAUX now introduces an improved variant, the Upgraded Docking Station for Steam Deck. On the one hand, the new model now has three USB-A ports, which according to USB 3.0 enable significantly higher data transfer rates and are therefore not only suitable for input devices, but also for external hard drives, for example. Gigabit Ethernet is also new. The price rises from 40 to 50 dollars, although the first variant is now available again.

Available in Europe, shipping in 2 weeks

JSAUX promises “free worldwide shipping” from a purchase value of 25 US dollars, but shipping to Europe takes up to two weeks. However, buyers should be aware that the provider does not take care of related taxes and duties and further assumes no liability for shipping.