Steam Deck Owners Already Critical of New Accessory

Steam Deck users who are growing impatient during their wait for an official Steam Deck dock may have grown even more irritated this week after some images of the accessory surfaced online. It's apparently present during the Tokyo Game Show ongoings for people to see, but its design has attracted some criticisms from those who've since wondered why it only boasts one USB-C port, and that port seems to be reserved for the device's power supply.

More than one image of the Steam Deck dock has been seen online by now, but most have been looking at the one posted by Reddit user ElderberryLarge9104 when discussing the device. That dock, seen below, features a couple of different inputs ranging from a DisplayPort to an HDMI and an Ethernet port. It appears that there are three USB-A slots, but only one USB-C slot is spotted. The fact that it's in use and that it has a plug symbol above it indicates that the sole USB-C connection is required to power the device.

clear look at the back of the official Steam Deck Dock from Tokyo Game Show. every unit they had on display was on a dock. from SteamDeck

It's that exact design decision (assuming this is indeed the finalized design) that's not gone over well so far with people who've been critical of the lack of additional USB-C ports. Given that the whole point of the Steam Deck is on-the-go gaming, some have said they'd rather have more USB-C ports for using different display connections as opposed to carrying around the bulkier HDMI and DisplayPort cords. Others are already considering alternatives if this is the final design, but it's worth noting that the current dock competitor offered by JSAUX doesn't have any additional USB-C ports beyond one for charging either.

Much like other pieces of hardware and accessories, Valve's Steam Deck dock has been delayed due to parts shortages which has led to a surge in third-party solutions like the JSAUX one. An image shared on the Steam Deck site showed this dock already back when Valve first started sharing details about it, but the more recent sighting out at Tokyo Game Show has more or less confirmed suspicions about the USB-C options.