The best Steam Deck accessories

It’s safe to say that the Steam Deck opened the floodgates for handheld gaming machines, and one of the nice things about the form factor is that it comes with everything you need to start playing — you may not need any accessories at all. But the experience can certainly be made better with add-ons, especially if you want to transform your Deck from a mere handheld into a full-fledged TV console.

The best Steam Deck accessories

As mentioned, the Steam Deck ships with just about everything you need out of the box, including a charger and a carrying case. For that reason we’re going to omit those accessory types from this list, but there may be other power and case accessories worth considering.

• Valve Docking Station
• 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller
• SanDisk Ultra microSD card
• dbrand Project Killswitch case
• dbrand Tempered Glass Screen Protector

If you need a spare charger, check out our guide to the best wall chargers. Bear in mind that a Deck needs at least 45W to recharge at full speed.

Valve Docking Station

There are other, more affordable Steam Deck docks that will still get the job done, but if you want the absolute best, that’s Valve’s official product. It’s equipped with a gigabit Ethernet jack, three USB-A 3.1 inputs, and separate HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4 connections. That enables 4K 60Hz video output, or 1440p 120Hz if you’re willing to sacrifice resolution for smoothness. It even supports AMD FreeSync. You can have two displays connected simultaneously, although that currently requires using both the HDMI and DisplayPort connections. Valve is promising that a future update will change this.

The Docking Station is ideal for connecting to a TV, and almost mandatory if you want to use a Deck as a desktop replacement. We do wish Valve would swap out USB-A for USB-C and upgrade to standards like HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.1, but that would increase the dock’s cost, and the company is already ahead of its competitors.

If price is an issue, we recommend JSAUX’s dock as a fallback. It drops DisplayPort, and its USB is limited to 3.0 speeds, but that might be enough if all you want to do is hook up a TV.

8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller

8BitDo is a major player in the Bluetooth controller space, at least among gamers in the know. It’s no surprise then that if you want to play with your Steam Deck connected to a TV or monitor, the Ultimate Bluetooth Controller is a solid choice. It has most or all of the sticks and buttons you could want, as well as motion control and haptic feedback (vibration) in a reasonably priced package.

You can get the controller in multiple colors depending on where you shop, and this particular version comes with its own charging dock. If you don’t want to pair using Bluetooth, you can use USB or a 2.4GHz adapter.

SanDisk Ultra microSD card

While extra storage can potentially be redundant if you own a Steam Deck OLED — which has a 512GB or 1TB SSD by default — it’s still welcome. On a 64 or 256GB Deck, it’s practically required, given that individual games these days can easily occupy 20GB or more. In fact you shouldn’t expect to do much of anything on a 64GB Deck without a microSD card or a full replacement SSD.

SanDisk is one of the most reputable brands in the microSD space, and its Ultra line supports the UHS-I speeds the Deck’s slot maxes out at. Since there’s no point spending on anything faster, we recommend getting a card with at least 256GB of storage. You can go up to 1TB if you like.

dbrand Project Killswitch case

A form-fitting hard case is typically unnecessary with a Steam Deck, since it already comes with a carrying case, and it’s not like you’re going to be playing Blasphemous between sets at the gym — or even when you’re walking around your home, most of the time. The Killswitch has some added benefits that make it worth it though, most notably a kickstand, which helps prop it up when your hands get tired or you want to use a wireless gamepad. The case also improves your grip, and comes with your choice of skin.

We’ve linked the basic Killswitch package here, but an upgrade kit includes a Travel Cover for those times when you want to ditch Valve’s default protection. You also get Stick Grips that improve thumbstick control.

dbrand Tempered Glass Screen Protector

We don’t have any special preference for dbrand when it comes to screen protectors, so feel free to shop around. Having some sort of film is useful for guarding against scratches, however, and dbrand’s product checks all the right boxes. It has an oleophobic coating to reduce fingerprints, and promises high clarity and touch sensitivity. We’d trust this over cheaper options on Amazon.

Just be sure to follow dbrand’s installation instructions carefully. When applying a screen protector to any device, it’s essential to remove all debris and air bubbles. Anything you miss will be visible every time you pick up your Deck.

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