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Aug 04, 2023

10 Best Steam Deck Accessories, Ranked

Valve's Steam Deck is an exciting new avenue for PC gaming, and these accessories are a great way to make the most of the experience. With Valve's Steam Deck, an exciting new avenue for PC gaming has

Valve's Steam Deck is an exciting new avenue for PC gaming, and these accessories are a great way to make the most of the experience.

With Valve's Steam Deck, an exciting new avenue for PC gaming has been made more mainstream in the industry, and there are several accessories to expand upon the handheld's capabilities. With the portable gaming PC having over a year under its belt since its initial release, a variety of devices and tools have helped complement the Deck across first- and third-party manufacturers.

The Steam Deck is a marvel on its own merits right out of the box, but things like external controllers and extra storage greatly enhance the base experience. MicroSD cards are practically a must depending on which version of the Deck is used, and there are a variety of ways to dock the handheld to make the most of its features.

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For those with the high-tier 512GB Steam Deck that comes with an anti-glare etched glass screen, a screen protector might not be ideal for keeping the image crisp. However, for the 64GB or 256GB variants, this could be a worthwhile investment to keep its LCD panel safe.

The Benazcap Tempered Glass Screen Protector is a reliable and budget-friendly choice for scratch protection as well as for keeping the Steam Deck's image quality intact. Users will have to apply the tempered glass protector themselves, but the instructions are fairly straightforward and comes with a backup protector. For good measure, it also comes with a cleaning kit.

Regardless of which version of the Steam Deck users get, Valve's handheld gaming PC technically already comes with an accessory. Out of the box, the device comes inside a carrying case that's respectable in quality.

There are certainly other third-party Steam Deck carrying cases players can look toward with more bells and whistles, but for those that aren't concerned with getting anything more complex, then the default case will more than suffice. There's admittedly nothing special about it, but Valve's Steam Deck carrying case has a solid, robust build quality that should be enough to keep the device safe and secured.

The PC gaming platform has been crucial to the development of the industry, and one of the most appealing aspects of the Steam Deck has been its ability to work as a console-like device and a conventional computer. Players can switch between Game Mode and Desktop Mode quite easily but, admittedly, navigating through the latter with the Deck's digital keyboard and trackpads can be a slog.

Thankfully, smaller form-factor keyboards are widely available, and the Logitech K400 Plus Keyboard is a great low-cost option for the value at hand. It's a simple keyboard, but its lightweight design and built-in trackpad are great for web browsing or file management on the desktop side.

There's a great variety of controllers across first- and third-party companies for every major gaming platform. 8Bitdo is, perhaps, one of the best manufacturers of the latter and can hold its own even against the licensed gamepads from Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox. One of their latest, the 8Bitdo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller, is a terrific option for those that enjoy playing their Steam Deck docked.

The 8bitdo's 2.4g wireless, Bluetooth, and wired USB connection options make it incredibly versatile. It also has an ergonomic design, remappable buttons, and more features that make it a seamless choice for playing most games. It also comes in multiple variations and price points depending on what features players are willing to compromise.

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Aside from storage, the Steam Deck's biggest area of concern is its battery life. It was always going to be something of a compromise given how demanding games can be in the modern era, coupled with the handheld form factor's limitations.

However, for players that find themselves playing on the go often, a power bank is a worthwhile investment. Anker, one of the most reliable names in external PC accessories, should satisfy players with the 733 Power Bank. It's on the pricier side, but the 65W hybrid device gives players the versatility of charging the Steam Deck portably or directly through a wall charger.

The Nintendo Switch is among the most lucrative game consoles, partly thanks to popularizing the docking feature. And while it's not the first to do so, Valve's Steam Deck is doing the same for the PC gaming space, where players have several options to go about doing it.

There are more dedicated devices available, but for users just interested in affordability and the bare essentials, Anker's 7-in-1 USB-C Hub is one of the best values. It lives up to Anker's standards for external PC devices, and while it lacks an Ethernet port, it covers the important bases with HDMI, USB-C charging, USB-C data transferring, USB-A ports, and an SD card reader.

Anker's USB-C hub is a perfectly viable low-cost docking solution. But players willing to spend a bit more for a more uniform and conventional dock for the Deck should consider JSAUX's Steam Deck Docking Station.

The company created a slew of variations that came quickly one after the other, which made things slightly confusing, but even the low- and mid-tier versions are plenty for the Steam Deck peripherals. The 7-in-1 is a great option that has nearly the exact features of Valve's first-party dock, including HDMI, USB-C charging, USB-A ports, gigabit Ethernet connection, and a 1.2 DisplayPort. The JSAUX dock is one of the best on the market when it comes to third-party docking stations.

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With how massive modern triple-A games can get in file size, managing the Steam Deck's storage is one of the most important things for players to keep in mind. For users that buy Valve's 64GB version of the handheld, one of the most effective ways to expand the Deck's storage is by manually installing an SSD.

Users will need the necessary tools for installation and be aware of the risks, but the Corsair MP600 Mini 1TB SSD is a superb and cost-effective way to extend the Deck's capabilities. This mini SSD drive comes with excellent read and write speeds to get players into their games quickly—and without breaking the bank.

While taking the DIY approach by installing internal SSDs to boost the Steam Deck's storage is an appealing prospect, some prefer avoiding the risk of damaging it. And given how affordable, easy to use, and accessible MicroSD cards are, these devices are arguably the most important for most players when it comes to game storage.

It practically becomes a mandatory accessory for those with the 64GB Deck, with the SanDisk and Samsung line of MicroSD cards being the safest picks. These cards are more than capable alternatives to using the Deck's onboard storage, but most players would do well to buy 128GB and up.

For more ways to play some of the best Steam Deck-friendly games docked, Valve expectedly has its own first-party peripheral. Purchasable through the Steam storefront, the Valve Steam Deck Docking Station has a variety of ports to suit any PC player's needs. It includes an HDMI port, DisplayPort, USB-C charging, a gigabit Ethernet connection, and USB-A ports.

With Valve supporting its first-party device, users can buy with confidence for its build quality, troubleshooting support, and any future firmware updates, but the obvious caveat is its unusually high price tag. It's a good purchase, but if players aren't keen on the price point, third-party alternatives might be best.

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Guillermo Kurten is a journalism major at the University of Houston. Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, he now resides in Houston. He is a fan of pretty much anything involving nerd culture. Video games, comics, movies, TV, anime, manga, you name it. He also has experience writing about soccer, specifically, the German team Bayern Munich.