Deckmate

Me, a handheld gamer? Well the Steam Deck definitely made me into one in 2022 and I improved its on-the-go experience further yet with one of the best Deck accessory sets currently available: the Deckmate. The Deckmate starts a “grip” that locks onto the back of your Deck, to which you can affix your choice of useful and eclectic attachments. I got the Deckmate very early on and it’s been hard to imagine Steam Deck life without it. The Deckmate has a bunch of features, but I use its kickstand attachment the most. When I need to plug in more hardware, the Deckmate “puck” I have adhered to the Deck’s rears holds a handy USB-C hub rife with ports and connections.

The kickstand provides a welcome chance to lounge alongside the screen for more passive consumption, as the Deck has enough bulk and weight to get tiring to hold after a long session. And propping it up on a table and syncing a wireless controller means that “tabletop mode” isn’t just exclusive to that Nintendo thing.

The only times I’ve removed the Deckmate has been to test out a few docks (unfortunately the Deckmate and Valve’s official Steam Deck Dock don’t totally get along). But honestly, as cool as the various docks are, if I’m home, I’m probably going to game on my more powerful desktop PC, anyway.

My Steam Deck is meant for handheld, portable experiences. And the Deckmate makes those even better.

Claire Jackson, Staff Writer