As my colleagues know all too well, the worst kept secret on the computing team here at Tom’s Guide is how much I adore Steam Deck OLED. We’re talking such a badly kept secret, it’s up there with Darth Vader lopping Luke’s hand off then immediately proclaiming that he is our hero's Sith papa.
It’s an incredible handheld. With its sensational HDR OLED panel and palm-friendly design that feels consistently comfortable during even the most weekend-devouring of Elden Ring sessions, I strongly believe Steam Deck OLED has a claim to being the best piece of PC hardware to come out in the last decade.
As awesome as Valve’s updated portable PC is out of the box, though, I’ve made it even better with one essential, wallet-friendly accessory.
Right now the Baseus 6-in-1 Steam Deck Docking Station is on sale for $33 at Amazon. Now, granted, that’s only a $6 discount compared to its normal $39 list price. But hey, a sale is a sale and for less than 35 bucks I can’t think of another accessory that has improved my day-to-day experience with a console, gaming PC or handheld quite like this aggressively priced Steam Deck accessory. The Baseus Steam Deck Docking Station is available for £49 on Amazon UK too, though sadly there’s no discount at time of writing.
My colleague Anthony Spadafora recently (and rightly) sung the praises of taking the plunge on a Steam Deck dock, and Baseus’ accessory is a shining example of how to do this sort of device properly. This little beauty is a Swiss Army Knife of a gadget… mercifully minus the pointy parts.
Though I’ve exclusively used it with Steam Deck OLED, the Basesus 6-in-1 dock also supports other impressive handheld gaming PCs, like the ROG Ally and the Lenovo Legion Go. You don’t have to be a Gabe Newell disciple to enjoy this awesome, feature-rich dock.
Speaking of which, Baseus’ baby is seriously packing in the ports department. A trio of USB-A slots are joined by an Ethernet port and a type-C PD connector to ensure speedy charging. This is also a gizmo that feels surprisingly premium considering its budget price tag. With a classy yet understated brushed metal look and padded adjustable stand that allows you to play your Steam Deck at a variety of angles, you get a whole lot of Baseus bang for your buck with this fantastic product.
Dock it to me
The best thing about the Baseus docking station? It’s really broadened the ways I interact with my Steam Deck OLED. One of the few glaring omissions I can throw shade at the machine over (aside from its lack of VRR support), is that unlike Nintendo Switch OLED, it doesn’t come with a kickstand. Like I said up top, Valve’s handheld is comfortable to hold for long periods of time, no doubt. Yet for those instances when I’m feeling especially sloth-like, I prefer to place my Steam Deck in this dock that’s pretty much always glued to my coffee table.
I then connect either a Nintendo Switch Pro controller of Sony DualSense Edge through one of its USB-A ports (I still don’t fully trust pairing gamepads wirelessly over the Deck’s Bluetooth), then I lie as flat as a pancake on my sofa to enjoy a marathon motoring session of Forza Horizon 5.
I regularly take advantage of the Baseus' docking station’s HDMI port so that I can connect my Steam Deck to an external OLED monitor"
I also regularly take advantage of the Baseus' docking station’s HDMI port so that I can connect my Steam Deck OLED to my 13-inch Asus ZenScreen OLED portable monitor. Not only is this an exceptional HDR screen in its own right, it allows me to enjoy less demanding Steam games in 1080p at 60 frames per second; like the incredible Alien: Isolation or Rockstar’s underrated Max Payne 3. That’s a substantial pixel boost over Steam Deck OLED’s 1200 x 800 native screen resolution.
If you own either the original Steam Deck or the updated OLED model, I can’t recommend this docking station enough. It’s probably the best $40 I’ve spent on any tech accessory over the past couple of years.
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