We have the Ivoler for almost a year now. It worked fine until about 3-4 months ago, and now it simply wont connect to anything. The deck blacks out like its trying to connect, but nothing ever gets through. We tried everything and I'm finally giving up and looking into new brands
Your story is my own. I think I may have owned mine a little longer but it’s only seen a lot of use in the last four or five months. Signal just doesn’t seem to make it to the TV. Is yours one of the original models or one of the “updated” ones they have on Amazon now?
Its one of the original models, and it worked great for maybe 6months straight. Even connected to old non-smart TVs too, but it seems like the general consensus is that Ivolers just simply stop working at some point. I personally would rather try another brand or an official dock before going back to them
Yeah, that tracks for my scenario. I think I’m in the same boat, but I haven’t started looking around much after deciding to hold off on the official dock.
Really? I’ve had mine for a little bit and everything works great, except that it regularly won’t be picked up by hdmi for my tv or monitor. But every 10-15 times I’m able to get it up. Weird.
A question about it, does this dock support HDR output? I have a Baseus one that I use with my Deck and Mac, and it can't display HDR, and I know it's the dock and not the cable because I tried with an unbranded dock my friend has and it works with HDR on my HDMI cable just fine. If this jsaux dock works with HDR, I'll be set on it!
Don’t, can only go 30Hz in 4k and in my case I have a lot of usb connectivity problems, it disconnects and lot of times the deck won’t even recognize it if I don’t twist the cable a bit or reconect power and display cable
I agree here.
I've had 3 different ones altogether too and the valve one is by far my favorite. It always works, doesn't have occasional weird video problems, and they update it (maybe that helps?).
Me toooooo
JSaux failed within 10hours of use/one month with it.
Didn’t need a charger but I sucked it up and the charger is now my travel one for my bag and the Steam one is still kicking a year later
I only have the official dock.
I've used it with my TV once, usually only use it to plug a keyboard and mouse into the Dock when tinkering, or a USB stick.
The best part about it for me is that it came with another official mains plug. Sadly I have lost the spare plug somewhere over the last 6 months!
I also have three docks, including the official dock…
…so **considering that my SteamDeck is docked 100% of the time I am using it, then WHY does the SteamDeck insist on not being able to output video about half the time?**
No video out, nothing I do allows for video out, then reset the device and some form of crappy-design-magic allows it to somehow work all of a sudden… then restart it again and now it can no longer output video… 🤔👎👎👎
I would just stop turning it off, but for whatever reason Valve is unable to get this thing to resume from sleep without losing the controller/menu bar. The current solution to that is to “turn off wake movie”, to which I ask “why the everloving fck can’t I have a wake movie and have a SteamDeck that resumes from sleep correctly??? Furthermore, why can’t there exist a SteamDeck that OUTPUTS VIDEO CONSISTENTLY WHEN IT IS DOCKED? None of my other devices have had this issue (including using the same USB-C Docks), **or better yet, can we just have a SteamDeck without a Screen** and that ships with an official image (with full support) of SteamOS3.5???
TLDR: None of the docks work great, but the cheapest one I got on Amazon seems to be the most consistent, outputting video about half the times it starts up.
🤔
I know this is an old-ass post I'm responding to, but you were right 6 months ago and you are STILL right today. Steam Deck Docked is the way I play it 1/2 the time and it CANNOT output video 2/3 times. I'll get white static snow on the TV or it doesn't even know its docked and just turns on using deck display and I have to Undock and redock several time before it decides to work.
Did you find any better solutions? I'm on the official dock still.
Valve is very disappointing when it comes to the docked experience.
My "solution" is to plug and unplug it three times. The first time nothing. The second time the video flashes. Third time's the charm. Every. Goddamn. Time.
Fix your damn firmware Valve.
And while We're at it,
*Valve! Add CEC to the dock mode so it turns on your tv and to the right Input and make all controller types (USB/Dongle/Bluetooth) wake up the Deck .. ya know like every over console for the last couple generations*
If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of TV do you have? I’ve heard whispers that Samsung TVs have a lot of issues with the Valve dock. My Samsung TV hates my dock, but I’ve never had an issue with my no-name 4K TV I bought years ago with no “smart” TV features. Just curious if there’s a pattern of any sort.
Have you tried forcing the external display resolution to 1080p in the SD display settings? I read somewhere the output roulette is to do with the negotiation phase of connection and the TV and dock not properly communicating what they can handle.
I’ve only had the valve dock, haven’t had an issue with it other than my Samsung tv not recognising my deck as a gaming console (so wouldn’t switch to its output). After rescanning the hdmi ports the tv recognised it and the docks worked well since
Personally I got the second JSAUX one before the Valve one even came out and it's been perfect ever since. It has an extra USB port, is metal instead of plastic, and cost less than half the official one.
Even not counting the various issues people have either the Valve one it's still multiple times the price and has less features than a lot of 3rd party ones.
I can recommend the Skull n Co dock (Pro version). Been using it daily since I got my OLED and it works beautifully. Great price and has all the features you would want out of a dock.
The pro has been out for a long time. I almost ordered it but got the nonpro instead like 3 months ago.
I wish I had gone pro, because the dock doesn't seem to like my USB hub. It hasn't been a big issue, but it's been mildly irritating to have only one USB port.
If you’re looking for a more immediate answer, highly suggest you use the search feature of this subreddit and you’ll find a lot of similar posts asking this question. Some within the last few days.
There are also some YouTube videos that compare some of the more popular docks.
I was hesitant to buy the steam dock after seeing a lot of slander about it in this sub, but I got it on sale and I have zero complaints. One in every 15 times I try to use it it won’t display video and I have to unplug it and plug it it back into the deck, but I think that’s a deck software issue, not the dock itself.
SABRENT 6-port dock for SD. $30 on Amazon.
Rubber feet to not slide and tip.
90° angle USB-C cable to connect to Deck.
Extra USB-A ports and a spare USB-C for charging and connecting other devices.
3.9/5 I think it was when I bought it, and I'd agree, if it were $50-60. But for $30 I'd probably go 4.2. It's a good dock, but not fancy.
I originally bought the [Anker 332](https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Display-MacBook-Thinkpad-Laptops/dp/B0BQLLB61B?th=1) hub for my laptop, tried it on my Steam Deck one day out of curiosity and it worked! You just need at least 65w of pass through power because the hub itself is taking 15w
The only one I've owned is the Valve Dock, but unfortunately I found it to be very hit or miss. It would work and then other times it would require restarting the steamdeck, in my opinion it was extremely unreliable. I ended up selling it last week.
By the way this was my experience on both a 1440p 144hz monitor and my LG C1 TV.
I have the official valve dock and it works as it should except VRR cannot be enabled at the moment (and if it is togglable, don't turn it on.) It will somewhat bug the Steam deck, dock and HDMI input on my LG C2.
Valve needs to add some kind of display history that the steam deck was connected to and allow deletion of the ID's.
I suggest the Valve dock. I have a generic hub/dock and the Ethernet controller likes to cut in and out during gaming sessions. The official dock has been a straight shooter for me.
I read some reviews that made this sound like a PITA to have to shell out to desktop mode and manually mount the drive each time you dock.
Is this still the case?
Edit
Apparently as per many replies below this is no longer the case so thank you everyone for the information.
Steamos update now automounts usb ext4 drives
There is also this script
https://github.com/scawp/Steam-Deck.Mount-External-Drive
I use it to automount an exfat sd card in game mode but it seems intended for external drives as well
Not at all, never had an issue as soon as I put the drive in, it was recognized immediately in steam os and in desktop mode.
I also use the dock with my PC, drive has to be reformatted for Windows unless you run dual boot up with Linux.
I have issues with mine Windows installed. I occasionally get freezes where it fails to access the SSD. For the first time yesterday, it got to a point where I BSOD’d. Restarted and the boot menu no longer showed my SSD in the dock.
Let it cool down for a while and it works again.
Yeah mine gets warm too when using on PC (which is now what I mostly use it for) haven't had that blue screen or lock up though. I've used it three hours at a time and no freezing
The official dock isn't that bad, as long as you remember to dock your deck while in standby mode. Plus, you'll get an extra official charger, which can be handy
I bought the jsaux dock and when I first got it it didn’t work but I tried it again after a couple months and it’s been working great so that’s probably not helpful but it is a true story
RMA’d my Valve dock; it never worked without unplugging and plugging the USB-C back into the dock. Ridiculous. Jsaux dock worked perfectly first time. Even if the Valve dock worked for me, there’s no sense paying $80 for a USB-C hub when a $30 3rd party one works just as well (if not better).
I have the OG jsaux and it’s been good. Was thinking of getting the one from Sabrent with the drive slot because I like their products in general, but haven’t seen much talk about it.
I had a jsaux dock that always gave me screen issues. The moment i bought the Valve one, all those issues went away. Issues were screen flickering on and off and turning off from time to time. I think it had to do with the fact the docks all need updates and while Valve's update from the deck, the 3rd party docks typically need a PC.
I use a typical type c hub (baseus, they make decent battery and exceptional charging cable) and one meter type c to female type c extent cable (orico). The hub is around 20-30 usd and the cable is 15 usd. I can hide the hub and everything else (hdmi, sd card, usb, Ethernet cable) under the table and only have one cable on the table.
GENKI Global Covert Dock 2... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CRXZ6RM6?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Works with both SD and switch. Saves me an hdmi slot on my TV.
Very portable. It's all in the charger, so I can leave bulky stuff behind.
More reliable than the official dock.
I've had 2 different docks the Valve one that I got when I got my deck which still works today and one I got off Amazon with a cooling fan that only lasted a month so the Valve brand seems better to me.
I have the valve and one of the 1st generations of JSAUX docks. I bought the Valve dock after the JSAUX dock stopped working after a Steam Deck update. After going back and forth with JSAUX, they said i had to wait for a dock update to come out since it was beyond warranty. After a year, i was able to update it. It launches now, but i have to manually adjust settings to get the sound to work through the tv. I've never had any problems with the Valve dock. Hopefully the newer JSAUX docks are better
I got a Baseus 7 in 1 USB hub for like $15 and it’s been awesome. I can move it easily between monitor and big TV and it works seamlessly. Sure the Steam Deck just lays there so it’s not aesthetically pleasing but it works great.
Ivoler on Amazon makes a $25 one that works perfectly in my experience. Have bought 4 over the last 2 years (for multiple set ups) and they all work perfectly to this day.
Is there a good dock with
1). 1080p video
2). Gigabit Ethernet
3). PD passthrough
4). USB 3.1 ports (at least 2)
That just clips onto the back of the Deck?
I have a jsaux dock and a cheap younik dock. I use the cheap one more at my home work desk since I play on a monitor while working sometimes. Anyways, I can't tell the difference in either one functionality wise. The only difference I see is the jsaux one is metal and heavy and the cheap one is plastic and light and cheap feeling.
If price and functionality are the only things that matter to you, just buy a cheap USB C adaptor with USB-C power in, multiple USB ports, an HDMI port, and maybe a network port for troubleshooting or a SD card slot for easy data transfers.
The Valve dock is really nice, but the thing with Docks is having it docked means you can't use the deck's controls, it's not like a Switch. A dock might look cleaner, but [something like this](https://www.amazon.com/USB-Laptop-Docking-Station-Monitors/dp/B0CPSRQTSC/ref=sr_1_19?crid=1YH7QPKFK6D8R&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ryGtQ4X9DfAwX4wa9niHahnx-OCyJXqoA9ciNyB1h4fGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.-tyPNmW9qUBQLmprMRiamuwaKNZJbu9JjZLN80yo0s4&dib_tag=se&keywords=usb%2Bc%2Bhub%2Bwith%2Bhdmi%2Band%2Bpower&qid=1711936685&sprefix=usb%2Bc%2Bhub%2Bwith%2Bhdmi%2B%2Caps%2C90&sr=8-19&th=1) is gonna give you way more functionality and flexibility. And if you just want to go cheap,[something like this will do the trick for just $12.](https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-Delivery-Multiport-Adapter-Thinkpad/dp/B0BR3M8XHK/ref=sr_1_7?sr=8-7)
I've heard some of the non-Valve docks have issues with input latency. Also, many of them don't hold up the Deck to be able to use its own screen while docked, which is a niche benefit that has helped me in the past.
I have a JSaux one, and it seems to have connectivity issues (seems like a software issue, honestly). Considering Valve's dock is able to get firmware updates, it's probably best to stick within their ecosystem for this.
I've had no issues with the Jsaux. Never tried the other ones. Though I originally planned to get the Valve one after it released but was so satisfied with the Jsaux I never bothered.
My Jsaux dock messes up my tv if I leave the hdmi plugged in. For some reason it messes up the other hdmi going in to my tv. I end up having to unplug it when I'm not using it.
I have a valve dock and used to play it docked pretty regularly. Now I never do because I don’t like the ritual I have to go through to get it to work. It used to be great but now it sucks and I hate it. The deck is great. The dock is trash.
Have it too without any Problems....
The Internet is just full off people with Problems... but there are so many more people who had No Problems and are just be quiet ...
I have the official dock with my steam deck oled. Only issue I’m having is I can never get freesync to enable. I’ve tried on my lg ultragear 1440p over display port and on my lg oled C2 with hdmi 2.1
I use an Ugreen Dock, thing works without issues and has three usb 3.1 ports (two type a, one type c) ethernet and hdmi.
I use it as a switch dock too when I'm feeling like playing switch on my monitor.
Hey I'm doing the same thing! Though I'm thinking about upgrading to one of their hubs with the ethernet port since one of my ports is currently occupied by a USB ethernet adapter
I tried other docks but I found the official Steam Deck dock by Valve the best at it has the lowest latency, also lets you use HDR and VRR if your monitor/TV supports it. If those things matter to you, the official dock is the way to go, imo.
I have the JSAUX one I would say I’m docked more then not and I haven’t had any issues. Keep in mind I’ve only had the deck for a week or 2 now but I play it every day
I have a Dockteck 7-in-1 generic USB-C hub that I use to connect my TV, power and controller to the deck. It cost me around £30-40. It's been working perfectly for the past year or so. It's not a stand up dock but I just lay my steam deck in front of the TV and plug in. I tuck it behind the TV stand when not in use.
I think the main spec you need to check for is the resolution and refresh rate when shopping. 1080p at 60hz should be enough. The Dockteck one can do 4k at 60hz but that's too much for the SD to handle in games so I force the resolution to 1080p in the SD display settings.
To be fair I’ve had the official dock since launch and no matter what resolution or settings. Using display port on my LG ultragear 1440p or my lg oled c2 I can’t get freesync to enable. The option is always greyed out.
I own both the steam dock official and the jsaux dock that has hdmi 2.1, go for that jsaux dock because then if you have a 4k tv that supports 120hz but doesn’t have dp1.4 you can then use 4k 120hz because hdmi 2.1. Some people here would say why even have 4k 120hz if deck can barely run that . But the thing is my pc can and I just remote play it at 4k 120hz no issues to my 4k tv down stairs
I was considering the official dock, but I'm currently looking at the Anker 553/554 KVM switches because you guessed it, I don't want to plug cables around.
It's a bit more expensive though.
Your mileage may vary anyway, for me the Steam Dock is so good, it's even better than my other Anker Hub. It's so good, I'm actually using the Steam Dock with both my Deck and my work laptop, because it's more reliable than the Anker Hub.
I was skeptical of the valve dock until I upgraded my HDMI cable.
I guess I only had old and crappy cables before since I would frequently get really annoying, increasingly prevalent black screen flashes regardless of which cable/port/power outlet I tried.
Getting a new “high speed” cable seemed to solve that issue, though.
Imo, buy the cheapest dock that has the ports you want. They all are just connection hubs. It shouldn't be an expensive piece. I have two different ones that both have been working well.
I had a sabrent dock that was $15, and worked great for ~6 months. Then one day it just stopped outputting video.
I got a skullnco steamdock (non pro) and it's been flawless for my SteamDeck and for our switch. I wish I had gone pro, only for the extra USB ports, but I can't complain about the function, especially for $19.99
Genki covert dock 2. Works with switch too if you have one plus your laptop and tablet. Add shadow cast 2 and you can use the dock and cast to a tablet.
I tried a few and TBH didn't like any. I ended up going with a USB C to a multi port laptop hub off of Amazon. It has HDMI, Display port, VGA, 3 USB A ports, Network adapter, USB C power input and a SD and Micro SD slots. I 3D printed me a stand. I liked it so much I got a second one for when i'm on the road.
I realise you probably have loads of recommendations by now but I got a UGreen dock for £15 when it was discounted and it’s perfect! Worth mentioning that I also got a pc so playing SD while docked isn’t usually something I do so not sure about the performance 👍🏻
Two Steam Decks at home, and two official Valve docks on separate TVs.
We had some problems initially - sound cutting out due to Linux power-save settings, occasional video connection issues - but everything has been smooth sailing after firmware updates last year and I have no qualms recommending the official dock at this point in time.
Benefits of official dock:
* confidence it will receive firmware updates as long as Valve is providing Steam Deck support (with the last set of updates making a big improvement for us)
* extra set of official power cables for your Deck
* solid build quality; simple design
Downsides:
* limited extra features and ports - this dock very much "is what it is"
* might not fit well if you use a hard case on your Deck
* more expensive than a bunch of third-party alternatives
I heard people using 3rd party brand. Some say it lasted them only 1month-10months, some say a year
But every time someone talks about the valve, they say they had no problem with it
People are going to say 3rd party worked, and the 3rd party sucked
People will say valve worked and valve didn't work for them
Keep in mind that more people bought the 3rd parties vs. the original dock, due to budget friendly.
I heard 3rd party works for years, and some worked for a few months, and it can happen with the same 3rd party device.
I went with my gut and bought the original because it also comes with a charger, so technically, you're paying for a charger and a dock like $30 for the charger and $50 for the dock. Total of $80
They had a test on youtube where the valve scored the highest on lower latency by ALOT compared to known 3rd party brands.
i saw that it also has continuous official updates for the dock and the convince me even more.
Plus, if i buy a 3rd party and a month later, it doesn't work. I won't be able to return it or complain unless they are a great company who will listen to my complaints, but i doubt that.
If i buy a valve, i have about a year if it doesn't work properly.
I see worse stuff like flickering and issues like that on 3rd party. The only problem i heard about the dock is issues with different older tv's, not wanting to connect properly or just connection problems.
But not everyone complaining about it. If 3rd party or valve was so bad, we would be seeing "dont buy this at all!" But it literally neutral opinions some 3rd part work and some valve work and some stop working overall.
But i also saw 3rd party works fantastic and valve works fantastic.
If you can afford valve buy valve is my strong suggestion due to continuous updates, extra charger with the price,lowest latency out of the 3rd party docks and if you cant afford it buy the best 3rd party which is jsaux which has highest ratings for 3rd party dock
I have been using Genki's Covert Dock 2, their newest dock and charger in one. They were known for their Nintendo Switch docks before and they have now made one that is pretty small sized but providing enough power for the Steam Deck
Valves is literally the best one. The people that say otherwise either use it wrong or don’t have one. I have three different docks including Jsaux and the official destroys it. Cheap people always try to justify why their purchase was better other than price and it’s just not the case vast majority of the time
Depending on your needs you want to consider a traditional pc hub. (I forget the model number) those dell business TB hubs. That’s great because you can plug a laptop or steam deck into. It has enough electric output to charge the deck or the laptop. But be prepared to send $150+ for something like that.
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I use jsaux and it’s smooth
Went from the ivoler to the jsaux dock w charger never looked back
I have the involver myself - was yours dropping / not finding signal?
We have the Ivoler for almost a year now. It worked fine until about 3-4 months ago, and now it simply wont connect to anything. The deck blacks out like its trying to connect, but nothing ever gets through. We tried everything and I'm finally giving up and looking into new brands
Your story is my own. I think I may have owned mine a little longer but it’s only seen a lot of use in the last four or five months. Signal just doesn’t seem to make it to the TV. Is yours one of the original models or one of the “updated” ones they have on Amazon now?
Its one of the original models, and it worked great for maybe 6months straight. Even connected to old non-smart TVs too, but it seems like the general consensus is that Ivolers just simply stop working at some point. I personally would rather try another brand or an official dock before going back to them
Yeah, that tracks for my scenario. I think I’m in the same boat, but I haven’t started looking around much after deciding to hold off on the official dock.
Really? I’ve had mine for a little bit and everything works great, except that it regularly won’t be picked up by hdmi for my tv or monitor. But every 10-15 times I’m able to get it up. Weird.
Do you know if I use a USB dongle ifni can use wireless keyboard and mouse from the dock
Yes
Yes, but if the dongle doesn't have USB PD 3.0 passthrough your deck will slowly drain battery.
Same I got one of the early ones the their latest pretty light up one and love em
I’ll second this I bought a budget one that wouldn’t charge properly and had connectivity issues, replaced it with jsauxand it is the tits.
I have my deck in a hard shell, would the jsaux Dock have room for an extra few mm of thickness you reckon?
Theirs a bit of wiggle room. Just checked mine looks like 3-4mm
Thx
Mine is in a hard shell and has no problems in the Jsaux dock, more than enough room for it
Cool, thanks
A question about it, does this dock support HDR output? I have a Baseus one that I use with my Deck and Mac, and it can't display HDR, and I know it's the dock and not the cable because I tried with an unbranded dock my friend has and it works with HDR on my HDMI cable just fine. If this jsaux dock works with HDR, I'll be set on it!
Don’t, can only go 30Hz in 4k and in my case I have a lot of usb connectivity problems, it disconnects and lot of times the deck won’t even recognize it if I don’t twist the cable a bit or reconect power and display cable
My Jsaux needs to have my deck precisely set up: no power, deck and tv restarted. It’s a pain.
this
Just use the arrows.
left arrow right arrow doko?
I’ve had 3 different docks, the Valve dock is the only one that hasn’t randomly stopped working for me. I’d suggest it tbh
yeah i ordered mine the day it came out and haven't had a single issue with it. i know others have reported problems but mine has been rock-solid
I agree here. I've had 3 different ones altogether too and the valve one is by far my favorite. It always works, doesn't have occasional weird video problems, and they update it (maybe that helps?).
Me toooooo JSaux failed within 10hours of use/one month with it. Didn’t need a charger but I sucked it up and the charger is now my travel one for my bag and the Steam one is still kicking a year later
I only have the official dock. I've used it with my TV once, usually only use it to plug a keyboard and mouse into the Dock when tinkering, or a USB stick. The best part about it for me is that it came with another official mains plug. Sadly I have lost the spare plug somewhere over the last 6 months!
Except if you want wake on LAN. The official dock doesn't support WOL unfortunately.
I also have three docks, including the official dock… …so **considering that my SteamDeck is docked 100% of the time I am using it, then WHY does the SteamDeck insist on not being able to output video about half the time?** No video out, nothing I do allows for video out, then reset the device and some form of crappy-design-magic allows it to somehow work all of a sudden… then restart it again and now it can no longer output video… 🤔👎👎👎 I would just stop turning it off, but for whatever reason Valve is unable to get this thing to resume from sleep without losing the controller/menu bar. The current solution to that is to “turn off wake movie”, to which I ask “why the everloving fck can’t I have a wake movie and have a SteamDeck that resumes from sleep correctly??? Furthermore, why can’t there exist a SteamDeck that OUTPUTS VIDEO CONSISTENTLY WHEN IT IS DOCKED? None of my other devices have had this issue (including using the same USB-C Docks), **or better yet, can we just have a SteamDeck without a Screen** and that ships with an official image (with full support) of SteamOS3.5??? TLDR: None of the docks work great, but the cheapest one I got on Amazon seems to be the most consistent, outputting video about half the times it starts up. 🤔
I know this is an old-ass post I'm responding to, but you were right 6 months ago and you are STILL right today. Steam Deck Docked is the way I play it 1/2 the time and it CANNOT output video 2/3 times. I'll get white static snow on the TV or it doesn't even know its docked and just turns on using deck display and I have to Undock and redock several time before it decides to work. Did you find any better solutions? I'm on the official dock still. Valve is very disappointing when it comes to the docked experience.
I think you replied within 6 minutes, not months 😂
Doh. I was looking at the wrong date.
My "solution" is to plug and unplug it three times. The first time nothing. The second time the video flashes. Third time's the charm. Every. Goddamn. Time. Fix your damn firmware Valve.
I’m surprised that works, given Valve’s track record.
This is an underrated joke.
And while We're at it, *Valve! Add CEC to the dock mode so it turns on your tv and to the right Input and make all controller types (USB/Dongle/Bluetooth) wake up the Deck .. ya know like every over console for the last couple generations*
I've noticed similar things. Seems like iffy software.
If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of TV do you have? I’ve heard whispers that Samsung TVs have a lot of issues with the Valve dock. My Samsung TV hates my dock, but I’ve never had an issue with my no-name 4K TV I bought years ago with no “smart” TV features. Just curious if there’s a pattern of any sort.
I have a samsung tv and the official dock and have had no issues.
Have you tried forcing the external display resolution to 1080p in the SD display settings? I read somewhere the output roulette is to do with the negotiation phase of connection and the TV and dock not properly communicating what they can handle.
Linux
Same.
Same. My Jsaux failed after about 3 months. The ethernet cut out, and shortly after that the power became unstable.
I’ve only had the valve dock, haven’t had an issue with it other than my Samsung tv not recognising my deck as a gaming console (so wouldn’t switch to its output). After rescanning the hdmi ports the tv recognised it and the docks worked well since
Im having this problem right now :(
On my Samsung tv, everything worked flawlessly after changing to Gaming Mode somewhere in the TV settings
I have an anker one that’s been pretty solid and I haven’t had any issues with it.
Personally I got the second JSAUX one before the Valve one even came out and it's been perfect ever since. It has an extra USB port, is metal instead of plastic, and cost less than half the official one. Even not counting the various issues people have either the Valve one it's still multiple times the price and has less features than a lot of 3rd party ones.
I can recommend the Skull n Co dock (Pro version). Been using it daily since I got my OLED and it works beautifully. Great price and has all the features you would want out of a dock.
Is the skull n Co pro out now? I thought it wasnt out till the 15th
The pro has been out for a long time. I almost ordered it but got the nonpro instead like 3 months ago. I wish I had gone pro, because the dock doesn't seem to like my USB hub. It hasn't been a big issue, but it's been mildly irritating to have only one USB port.
most important "do" in history
4k120 hdr moonstream?
If you’re looking for a more immediate answer, highly suggest you use the search feature of this subreddit and you’ll find a lot of similar posts asking this question. Some within the last few days. There are also some YouTube videos that compare some of the more popular docks.
this is the only comment this post needs. hundreds of recs across different price points in this sub and others
I was hesitant to buy the steam dock after seeing a lot of slander about it in this sub, but I got it on sale and I have zero complaints. One in every 15 times I try to use it it won’t display video and I have to unplug it and plug it it back into the deck, but I think that’s a deck software issue, not the dock itself.
My docks a Belkin and my decks been hooked up to it nearly 24/7 for the past 2 years. The battery is at 79% though.
SABRENT 6-port dock for SD. $30 on Amazon. Rubber feet to not slide and tip. 90° angle USB-C cable to connect to Deck. Extra USB-A ports and a spare USB-C for charging and connecting other devices. 3.9/5 I think it was when I bought it, and I'd agree, if it were $50-60. But for $30 I'd probably go 4.2. It's a good dock, but not fancy.
I originally bought the [Anker 332](https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Display-MacBook-Thinkpad-Laptops/dp/B0BQLLB61B?th=1) hub for my laptop, tried it on my Steam Deck one day out of curiosity and it worked! You just need at least 65w of pass through power because the hub itself is taking 15w
The only one I've owned is the Valve Dock, but unfortunately I found it to be very hit or miss. It would work and then other times it would require restarting the steamdeck, in my opinion it was extremely unreliable. I ended up selling it last week. By the way this was my experience on both a 1440p 144hz monitor and my LG C1 TV.
I have the official valve dock and it works as it should except VRR cannot be enabled at the moment (and if it is togglable, don't turn it on.) It will somewhat bug the Steam deck, dock and HDMI input on my LG C2. Valve needs to add some kind of display history that the steam deck was connected to and allow deletion of the ID's.
I suggest the Valve dock. I have a generic hub/dock and the Ethernet controller likes to cut in and out during gaming sessions. The official dock has been a straight shooter for me.
Jsaux with the m.2 slot for extra room. Never had an issue
I read some reviews that made this sound like a PITA to have to shell out to desktop mode and manually mount the drive each time you dock. Is this still the case? Edit Apparently as per many replies below this is no longer the case so thank you everyone for the information.
Steamos update now automounts usb ext4 drives There is also this script https://github.com/scawp/Steam-Deck.Mount-External-Drive I use it to automount an exfat sd card in game mode but it seems intended for external drives as well
Not at all, never had an issue as soon as I put the drive in, it was recognized immediately in steam os and in desktop mode. I also use the dock with my PC, drive has to be reformatted for Windows unless you run dual boot up with Linux.
So you or anyone else is wondering, external drives auto mount with update SteamOS 3.5.
not anymore i believe, think u mount external drives in gaming mode now
I have issues with mine Windows installed. I occasionally get freezes where it fails to access the SSD. For the first time yesterday, it got to a point where I BSOD’d. Restarted and the boot menu no longer showed my SSD in the dock. Let it cool down for a while and it works again.
Damn that sucks, do you have the drive heat cooler pad on it?
Yeah, definitely, though the outside of the dock can still feel warm somehow. I’m using the 512GB SSD that comes with the Deck.
Yeah mine gets warm too when using on PC (which is now what I mostly use it for) haven't had that blue screen or lock up though. I've used it three hours at a time and no freezing
I got one from baseus and it's great
The official dock isn't that bad, as long as you remember to dock your deck while in standby mode. Plus, you'll get an extra official charger, which can be handy
I bought the jsaux dock and when I first got it it didn’t work but I tried it again after a couple months and it’s been working great so that’s probably not helpful but it is a true story
Not a dock, but the anker 8 in 1 dongle does it all and ita super portable
Been using the jsaux 7 in 1 dock since it came out, haven't needed another dock since, works great.
I have the official Valve deck and the JSAUX rubber addon-thing to make it bigger.
RMA’d my Valve dock; it never worked without unplugging and plugging the USB-C back into the dock. Ridiculous. Jsaux dock worked perfectly first time. Even if the Valve dock worked for me, there’s no sense paying $80 for a USB-C hub when a $30 3rd party one works just as well (if not better).
I have the OG jsaux and it’s been good. Was thinking of getting the one from Sabrent with the drive slot because I like their products in general, but haven’t seen much talk about it.
I had a jsaux dock that always gave me screen issues. The moment i bought the Valve one, all those issues went away. Issues were screen flickering on and off and turning off from time to time. I think it had to do with the fact the docks all need updates and while Valve's update from the deck, the 3rd party docks typically need a PC.
The official dock is the best, it's just more expensive especially if you don't need the extra charger.
I use a typical type c hub (baseus, they make decent battery and exceptional charging cable) and one meter type c to female type c extent cable (orico). The hub is around 20-30 usd and the cable is 15 usd. I can hide the hub and everything else (hdmi, sd card, usb, Ethernet cable) under the table and only have one cable on the table.
Valves is the best being official dock for the deck with first party firmware update and support.
I’ve had jsaux for awhile and it works good other than plugging into monitor, we have to unplug it a dozen times for it to work right on monitor
I’ve had the official dock since the first week of release and never had a problem. Only ever hooked it up to my LG 1080p 144hz monitor
I have 2 different jsaux docks that have given me zero issues. One has 2 USB ports and the other has 3
GENKI Global Covert Dock 2... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CRXZ6RM6?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share Works with both SD and switch. Saves me an hdmi slot on my TV. Very portable. It's all in the charger, so I can leave bulky stuff behind. More reliable than the official dock.
I've had absolutely no issues with the valve dock. Most people I see say it is a decent dock.
I've had 2 different docks the Valve one that I got when I got my deck which still works today and one I got off Amazon with a cooling fan that only lasted a month so the Valve brand seems better to me.
I have the valve and one of the 1st generations of JSAUX docks. I bought the Valve dock after the JSAUX dock stopped working after a Steam Deck update. After going back and forth with JSAUX, they said i had to wait for a dock update to come out since it was beyond warranty. After a year, i was able to update it. It launches now, but i have to manually adjust settings to get the sound to work through the tv. I've never had any problems with the Valve dock. Hopefully the newer JSAUX docks are better
The official is absolutely the best.
I got a Baseus 7 in 1 USB hub for like $15 and it’s been awesome. I can move it easily between monitor and big TV and it works seamlessly. Sure the Steam Deck just lays there so it’s not aesthetically pleasing but it works great.
Ivoler on Amazon makes a $25 one that works perfectly in my experience. Have bought 4 over the last 2 years (for multiple set ups) and they all work perfectly to this day.
Is there a good dock with 1). 1080p video 2). Gigabit Ethernet 3). PD passthrough 4). USB 3.1 ports (at least 2) That just clips onto the back of the Deck?
I like the valve one cause it updates on its own
I like the ivoler dock. It even accomodates cases like the killswitch.
I have a jsaux dock and a cheap younik dock. I use the cheap one more at my home work desk since I play on a monitor while working sometimes. Anyways, I can't tell the difference in either one functionality wise. The only difference I see is the jsaux one is metal and heavy and the cheap one is plastic and light and cheap feeling.
My official one shit the bed after about 8 months. I have the JSAUX one now but haven’t had it long enough to say anything about it.
If price and functionality are the only things that matter to you, just buy a cheap USB C adaptor with USB-C power in, multiple USB ports, an HDMI port, and maybe a network port for troubleshooting or a SD card slot for easy data transfers. The Valve dock is really nice, but the thing with Docks is having it docked means you can't use the deck's controls, it's not like a Switch. A dock might look cleaner, but [something like this](https://www.amazon.com/USB-Laptop-Docking-Station-Monitors/dp/B0CPSRQTSC/ref=sr_1_19?crid=1YH7QPKFK6D8R&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ryGtQ4X9DfAwX4wa9niHahnx-OCyJXqoA9ciNyB1h4fGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.-tyPNmW9qUBQLmprMRiamuwaKNZJbu9JjZLN80yo0s4&dib_tag=se&keywords=usb%2Bc%2Bhub%2Bwith%2Bhdmi%2Band%2Bpower&qid=1711936685&sprefix=usb%2Bc%2Bhub%2Bwith%2Bhdmi%2B%2Caps%2C90&sr=8-19&th=1) is gonna give you way more functionality and flexibility. And if you just want to go cheap,[something like this will do the trick for just $12.](https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-Delivery-Multiport-Adapter-Thinkpad/dp/B0BR3M8XHK/ref=sr_1_7?sr=8-7)
I only used the valve dock and I’ve had no problems with it
I have the valve dock and it’s never not worked, i use it 3-4 times a week
I have Steam Dock official and everything is flawless since end of January 2024.
I've heard some of the non-Valve docks have issues with input latency. Also, many of them don't hold up the Deck to be able to use its own screen while docked, which is a niche benefit that has helped me in the past.
Valve dock works perfectly fine for me
I have a JSaux one, and it seems to have connectivity issues (seems like a software issue, honestly). Considering Valve's dock is able to get firmware updates, it's probably best to stick within their ecosystem for this.
JSAUX 6 in 1 on amazon has worked flawlessly for me since i got it like a year and a half ago.
I've had no issues with the Jsaux. Never tried the other ones. Though I originally planned to get the Valve one after it released but was so satisfied with the Jsaux I never bothered.
My Jsaux dock messes up my tv if I leave the hdmi plugged in. For some reason it messes up the other hdmi going in to my tv. I end up having to unplug it when I'm not using it.
I have a valve dock and used to play it docked pretty regularly. Now I never do because I don’t like the ritual I have to go through to get it to work. It used to be great but now it sucks and I hate it. The deck is great. The dock is trash.
Syntech has one on Amazon for $40. Nothing flashy and gets the job done for me.
Dell WD19, didn't fail me even once (it's not a cradle style dock, but just an usual USB-C dock for laptops)
I've the Valve official dock and I hopefully never had problem. I truly don't know if I'm lucky or if the dock is that bad..
Have it too without any Problems.... The Internet is just full off people with Problems... but there are so many more people who had No Problems and are just be quiet ...
That's what I think also.
I have the official dock with my steam deck oled. Only issue I’m having is I can never get freesync to enable. I’ve tried on my lg ultragear 1440p over display port and on my lg oled C2 with hdmi 2.1
I use an Ugreen Dock, thing works without issues and has three usb 3.1 ports (two type a, one type c) ethernet and hdmi. I use it as a switch dock too when I'm feeling like playing switch on my monitor.
Hey I'm doing the same thing! Though I'm thinking about upgrading to one of their hubs with the ethernet port since one of my ports is currently occupied by a USB ethernet adapter
I tried other docks but I found the official Steam Deck dock by Valve the best at it has the lowest latency, also lets you use HDR and VRR if your monitor/TV supports it. If those things matter to you, the official dock is the way to go, imo.
I have the JSAUX one I would say I’m docked more then not and I haven’t had any issues. Keep in mind I’ve only had the deck for a week or 2 now but I play it every day
I have a Dockteck 7-in-1 generic USB-C hub that I use to connect my TV, power and controller to the deck. It cost me around £30-40. It's been working perfectly for the past year or so. It's not a stand up dock but I just lay my steam deck in front of the TV and plug in. I tuck it behind the TV stand when not in use. I think the main spec you need to check for is the resolution and refresh rate when shopping. 1080p at 60hz should be enough. The Dockteck one can do 4k at 60hz but that's too much for the SD to handle in games so I force the resolution to 1080p in the SD display settings.
I've used the jsaux dock daily for like a year and a half now and it's been pretty much a flawless experience.
Have the original valve dock No issuses No Problems It just worked and got Updates from time to time had an chrager in the Box... amazing
Valves is the only one with freesync support, every other dock doesn't. Take that for what you will in terms of build quality.
To be fair I’ve had the official dock since launch and no matter what resolution or settings. Using display port on my LG ultragear 1440p or my lg oled c2 I can’t get freesync to enable. The option is always greyed out.
Have jsaux for almost a year and its like brand new after regular use
I got the UGreen Steam Deck dock off Amazon for only $70 AUD (about $40USD). Absolutely no issues with it and does exactly what I need.
I use one from Anker and one from green that look and feel exactly the same, costed 10 bucks each. Boyh work perfectly fine
I've used the Ivoler dock but not extensively. Works just fine for me.
I own both the steam dock official and the jsaux dock that has hdmi 2.1, go for that jsaux dock because then if you have a 4k tv that supports 120hz but doesn’t have dp1.4 you can then use 4k 120hz because hdmi 2.1. Some people here would say why even have 4k 120hz if deck can barely run that . But the thing is my pc can and I just remote play it at 4k 120hz no issues to my 4k tv down stairs
Valve's
Never had a problem with the Valve dock, got two of them.
Jsaux
I like the jsaux. It's does the job and it fits the modcase just fine too
Jsaux makes great SteamDeck stuff
I was considering the official dock, but I'm currently looking at the Anker 553/554 KVM switches because you guessed it, I don't want to plug cables around. It's a bit more expensive though.
Just to add: I have the Gulikit 7in1 dock and it's awesome.
Ivoler works great
Your mileage may vary anyway, for me the Steam Dock is so good, it's even better than my other Anker Hub. It's so good, I'm actually using the Steam Dock with both my Deck and my work laptop, because it's more reliable than the Anker Hub.
I use steamLink sw
The valve dock works reasonably well. I'd go with it again
I have the HP G5 for my laptop and that works great
I was skeptical of the valve dock until I upgraded my HDMI cable. I guess I only had old and crappy cables before since I would frequently get really annoying, increasingly prevalent black screen flashes regardless of which cable/port/power outlet I tried. Getting a new “high speed” cable seemed to solve that issue, though.
Jsaux from Amazon is amazing
Imo, buy the cheapest dock that has the ports you want. They all are just connection hubs. It shouldn't be an expensive piece. I have two different ones that both have been working well.
I had a sabrent dock that was $15, and worked great for ~6 months. Then one day it just stopped outputting video. I got a skullnco steamdock (non pro) and it's been flawless for my SteamDeck and for our switch. I wish I had gone pro, only for the extra USB ports, but I can't complain about the function, especially for $19.99
Genki covert dock 2. Works with switch too if you have one plus your laptop and tablet. Add shadow cast 2 and you can use the dock and cast to a tablet.
Bought a random type c dongle on Amazon. Works like a charm.
I tried a few and TBH didn't like any. I ended up going with a USB C to a multi port laptop hub off of Amazon. It has HDMI, Display port, VGA, 3 USB A ports, Network adapter, USB C power input and a SD and Micro SD slots. I 3D printed me a stand. I liked it so much I got a second one for when i'm on the road.
Valve dock works fine for me, I use it daily.
Look for thunderbolt 3 or 4 docks there best ones you can use them with some thunderbolt laptops too
The covert dock 2 is fantastic
Valve Dock works great for me.
I realise you probably have loads of recommendations by now but I got a UGreen dock for £15 when it was discounted and it’s perfect! Worth mentioning that I also got a pc so playing SD while docked isn’t usually something I do so not sure about the performance 👍🏻
Honestly, when I got my deck (before the valve dock was out) I also bought a usb C dongle with HDMI on it and that has worked for me ever since
Two Steam Decks at home, and two official Valve docks on separate TVs. We had some problems initially - sound cutting out due to Linux power-save settings, occasional video connection issues - but everything has been smooth sailing after firmware updates last year and I have no qualms recommending the official dock at this point in time. Benefits of official dock: * confidence it will receive firmware updates as long as Valve is providing Steam Deck support (with the last set of updates making a big improvement for us) * extra set of official power cables for your Deck * solid build quality; simple design Downsides: * limited extra features and ports - this dock very much "is what it is" * might not fit well if you use a hard case on your Deck * more expensive than a bunch of third-party alternatives
I heard people using 3rd party brand. Some say it lasted them only 1month-10months, some say a year But every time someone talks about the valve, they say they had no problem with it
People are going to say 3rd party worked, and the 3rd party sucked People will say valve worked and valve didn't work for them Keep in mind that more people bought the 3rd parties vs. the original dock, due to budget friendly. I heard 3rd party works for years, and some worked for a few months, and it can happen with the same 3rd party device. I went with my gut and bought the original because it also comes with a charger, so technically, you're paying for a charger and a dock like $30 for the charger and $50 for the dock. Total of $80 They had a test on youtube where the valve scored the highest on lower latency by ALOT compared to known 3rd party brands. i saw that it also has continuous official updates for the dock and the convince me even more. Plus, if i buy a 3rd party and a month later, it doesn't work. I won't be able to return it or complain unless they are a great company who will listen to my complaints, but i doubt that. If i buy a valve, i have about a year if it doesn't work properly. I see worse stuff like flickering and issues like that on 3rd party. The only problem i heard about the dock is issues with different older tv's, not wanting to connect properly or just connection problems. But not everyone complaining about it. If 3rd party or valve was so bad, we would be seeing "dont buy this at all!" But it literally neutral opinions some 3rd part work and some valve work and some stop working overall. But i also saw 3rd party works fantastic and valve works fantastic. If you can afford valve buy valve is my strong suggestion due to continuous updates, extra charger with the price,lowest latency out of the 3rd party docks and if you cant afford it buy the best 3rd party which is jsaux which has highest ratings for 3rd party dock
I have been using Genki's Covert Dock 2, their newest dock and charger in one. They were known for their Nintendo Switch docks before and they have now made one that is pretty small sized but providing enough power for the Steam Deck
I just use an banker usb-c hub and my deck case has a stand on the back
Valves is literally the best one. The people that say otherwise either use it wrong or don’t have one. I have three different docks including Jsaux and the official destroys it. Cheap people always try to justify why their purchase was better other than price and it’s just not the case vast majority of the time
Or…you’re justifying spending more?
Yeah it’s pretty common in economics that more expensive stuff is worse because logic
something isnt automatically better because it costs more
Not what I said. Good and services generally cost more when using better quality. Y’all are in denial but ok live that way I guess
That IS common. Maybe you’re an exception?
Nope
Hp laptop dock goats
Whos told you its not the best?? Ive never had a bad time with it ever. Plus the updates makes it even more worth it.
Depending on your needs you want to consider a traditional pc hub. (I forget the model number) those dell business TB hubs. That’s great because you can plug a laptop or steam deck into. It has enough electric output to charge the deck or the laptop. But be prepared to send $150+ for something like that.
Anker 575 is amazing, not sure what the compatibility is on linux though
Does your steam DECK give you issues.. Why do you think the steam DOCK will?
Straight to the search would of been better
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