7 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Buy a Steam Deck Dock

Getting a Steam Deck Dock might sound like a good idea, but there are a fair few reasons against committing to a purchase. Let's find out more.

You might be tempted to buy a Steam Deck Dock, believing it to be the must-have accessory for Valve's popular handheld device. A docking station's primary appeal is to transform the Steam Deck into a big-screen desktop console—with the dock providing a molded rubber seat that both charges your handheld device and prevents the screen from getting scratched.

A closer look into Steam Deck dock options, however, reveals that the primary appeal behind this accessory can easily be substituted with cheaper (and sometimes free) alternatives.

Here are some good reasons why you don't need to buy a Steam Deck Dock.

If there's one reason why you shouldn't buy a Steam Deck Dock, it's down to the price. The official Steam Deck Docking Station available on the Steam Store is available for a hefty $89!

When you look at what features the official Steam Deck Docking Station offers, it's questionable whether it's worth the price tag it's given. Of course, there are always cheaper third-party alternatives to the official kit, but these often vary in quality, reliability, and safety when it comes to looking after your beloved Steam Deck.

Rather than splashing out on an expensive docking station—or risking the longevity of your Steam Deck with a third-party alternative—you can use a USB-C to HDMI adapter (more on this later), which is much cheaper and safer.

If you buy the official Steam Deck Docking Station, it's yet another piece of equipment that's compatible with one sole device. Few households (or even individuals) own just one piece of tech these days—so having an accessory that's not compatible with other devices feels like a waste of space and money.

We take a similar issue with the Nintendo Switch Dock, which we believe is long overdue for an upgrade. For two of the most popular handheld devices, both the Steam Dock and the Nintendo Switch docking stations fail to offer cross-compatibility with other devices, nor value for their prices when you know how to work around having to rely on a dock.

One of the main argued reasons why you should buy a Steam Deck dock includes the ability to turn your handheld device into a PC games console. Simply connecting the Steam Deck Docking Station to a TV or monitor provides you with big-screen PC gaming—and you can even use the Steam Deck as a desktop replacement.

The catch here is that you don't need to buy a Steam Deck Docking Station to transform your Steam Deck into desktop mode. In a similar way to how you can connect the Nintendo Switch to a TV without a dock, all you need is a standard USB-C to HDMI adapter that has a USB port or two. Some monitors and TVs support USB-C cables directly, making the connection to your Steam Deck even easier.

By using an adapter, you can have big-screen gaming for a fraction of the cost of the official Steam Deck Docking Station.

Connecting your Steam Deck to a TV is a great way to improve your gaming experience. Without the limitations of a docking station, you can upgrade the Steam Deck in other ways.

A pair of Xreal (formerly Nreal) Air Glasses are arguably the best accessory for your Steam Deck. Pair your Steam Deck with Xreal Air glasses, and you’ll gain an impressive full HD 3840x1080 pixels OLED screen (1920x1080 pixels per-eye resolution), compared to the Steam Deck's 1280x800 pixels LCD screen.

Another portable option for improving your Steam Deck is to connect it to a lapdock. Similar in appearance to a laptop, a lapdock offers a screen, keyboard, and battery without heavy-duty computing components (such as memory, a processor, or storage). Instead, a device like your Steam Deck provides a lapdock with these missing components, and in return your handheld device is transformed into a laptop.

Take a look at our beginner's guide to lapdocks to learn more about transforming your handheld devices (including some smartphones) into a laptop.

When traveling, the last thing you want is to carry lots of unnecessary accessories—no matter their size. When it comes to the Steam Deck, you don't want to be lugging around a docking station that will take up real estate in your luggage. A Steam Deck dock can also become a burden; just another item to potentially lose (or need to insure due to its price) when traveling.

Forget a Steam Deck dock when traveling and stick to your USB-C cables.

Another argument for why your Steam Deck needs a docking station is that the official Steam Deck Docking Station offers a Gigabit Ethernet. Technically, this would mean that you can gain more consistently fast speeds and downloads by using the dock.

In reality, however, this improved download speed only really benefits you if you already have super fast internet (which many of us don't). If you have the lower-end Steam Deck model which offers less storage space, you’re unlikely to need consistent fast speeds anyway as your limited space means you’re unlikely to be downloading large files regularly.

Steam offers many strategy games that are far better played with a mouse and keyboard than in handheld mode. While Valve harps on about adding "extensibility to your already extensible Steam Deck", you again don't need to rely on an expensive docking station to turn your handheld device into a desktop setup.

Because the Steam Deck is equipped with Bluetooth, you can connect a wireless mouse and keyboard directly to the device. Wireless mice and keyboards are widely available for affordable prices if you don't already own a set.

While there are a few benefits to buying a Steam Deck dock, such as providing a stand for the device and improving internet speed, these don't outweigh the price tag.

There are cheaper alternatives to buying a docking station for your Steam Deck. For the most part, buying a universal USB-C to HDMI adapter can replace the need to buy an expensive docking station.

Charlotte is a freelance features writer, specializing in wellness, travel, and lifestyle. She has been writing professionally since 2014, with experience in journalism, PR, proofreading, editing, content writing, and copywriting.