Don't buy the official Steam Deck docking station on Cyber Monday

JSAUX 6-in-1 dock turns the Steam Deck and other USB-C compatible handhelds into truly portable PCs. (Image credit: Windows Central)

Valve's Steam Deck is still a dominant force in the expanding gaming handhelds category and ranks alongside the ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go as the absolute best you can buy. However, connecting it to a monitor or TV for a true desktop experience or couch gaming setup requires some in-between hardware before you can connect an HDMI cable. The official Steam Deck dock launched at $89 and offers just that, but it's egregiously overpriced.

• See all Cyber Monday deals on Steam Deck accessories at Amazon

As JSAUX's 6-in-1 dock is still down to $29.99 at Amazon after Black Friday and keeps the discount going to Cyber Monday, it's a complete steal for the functionality on offer. Mine stays firmly on my desk with a spare cable hooked up to a monitor for whenever I feel like playing on a larger screen or need to do some in-depth tinkering in the SteamOS desktop mode. There really isn't any need to pay for Valve's first-party dock, not when JSAUX offers the same functionality for under $30.

🔥The hottest Cyber Monday deals🔥

🎮Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (3-months) | $27.99 at CD Keys
📺UPspec Gaming xScreen for Xbox Series S | $159.99 at Amazon
🎮ASUS ROG Ally Z1 512GB + free travel case | $349.99 at Best Buy
🕹️Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flightdeck | $299.99 at Best Buy
🖥️Beelink EQR6 mini PC | $249 at Amazon (with listed coupon)
🎮Lenovo Legion Go 512GB | $472.97 at Amazon

Same functionality, lower cost

I still agree with the same praise we gave Valve's Steam Deck in its initial review, but it has some downsides compared to a Windows-based alternative like ASUS' $349.99 ROG Ally.

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Cyber Monday at Windows Central — (Image credit: Windows Central)

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Transferring files and screenshots from my Steam Deck is far easier with JSAUX's docking station because I get access to several full-size USB-A ports that connect to my pile of flash drives and save me from setting up any sort of cloud solution like OneDrive.

Moving backups of mods and older saves that don't sync to Steam's cloud is part of why I'm still gaming so regularly: it's helping me clear decade-old backlogs.

Connecting one of my Xbox controllers to the Steam Deck, either via Bluetooth or USB to the JSAUX dock alongside a 4K TV hookup doesn't guarantee any modern games will run smoothly at that resolution (they won't so stick to retro stuff), but it gives me a fully-fledged desktop environment when I need it.

It's not Windows, but I have my ROG Ally for that, and there really is a fully functional desktop PC inside Valve's handheld, it just comes with a small Linux OS learning curve. Nevertheless, without a docking station, you'd be trapped on its 7-inch screen, which isn't too much fun in desktop mode.

If you have a Steam Deck and don't own a docking station already, pick up JSAUX's $29.99 third-party offering and save your cash — Valve's official option does nothing particularly special.

When does Black Friday end?

Black Friday technically ended at 11:59 PM on November 29, 2024. Never restricted to a single-day affair, deals marketed under the theme appeared earlier in the week and remained online at some retailers afterward. While some storefronts list the discounts until stock expires, others will often adjust their reductions to fit a Cyber Monday theme.

When does Cyber Monday start?

Officially, Cyber Monday starts on December 2, 2024, but follows a similar pattern as Black Friday in that deals appear early over the weekend before it. If you see discounts in Cyber Monday sales events on your favorite retailers, there generally is no need to wait for the actual day of the event since prices shouldn't change any further. In essence, Cyber Monday already started.