Great Steam Deck accessories to complete your kit
4 min read
You just got your shiny new (or refurbished!) Steam Deck and tore it out of the box. While eagerly setting it up, it hits you – how will you protect it from the dangers of the outside world? I mean, of course you’d do what you did with your phone – slap a case on the back and a screen protector on the front. But this is not a phone. What brands make good protection? Thankfully, the answer is some of the same that are well-known in the smartphone space. But there are others that may pique your interest.
This Product Guide article is not a review of the products presented, but a showcase of products from recommended brands. The brands mentioned have earned their place on this list due to past positive experiences had by us at Handheld PC when using other, similar products they offer. Even though we currently do not have the capability to review every product we recommend, we always strive to offer honest evaluations with an objective eye. With that said, let’s get into our picks! Also, please see our transparency footnote regarding Amazon Affiliate links in this article.1
Spigen’s kit
Spigen is a very well-known brand in the mobile phone accessory market. We at Handheld PC have bounced between case and screen protector brands over the years, but one thing has remained constant – Spigen has always delivered a solid experience, both in value and overall quality. Where other brands like Whitestone fell short with screen protectors, Spigen remained strong. Though they aren’t always the flashiest, their cases have always been highly protective and refined in design. This trend appears to continue with their Steam Deck accessory ecosystem.
When we say ecosystem, we mean it, albeit slightly loosely. Spigen offers a travel hardcase, several console cases, and a screen protector that all work together. The console cases don’t interfere with the screen protector, and your Deck will still fit in the travel hardcase. While that last point isn’t advertised, many reviews for the hardcase mention the dbrand Killswitch fitting inside no problem – and that’s not exactly a thin case.
More on the travel case – it’s a hard shell that’s molded to comfortably fit your Deck as well as accessories, including your charger and apparently Valve’s docking station? Needless to say, this case is going to keep your whole travel kit safe wherever you go. Except maybe Atlantis or Antarctica.
The console cases are roughly what you’d expect – one rugged and one slim. The rugged case of course offers the best protection, but if you’re willing to sacrifice a bit of safety for slimness, you’ll also get the added benefit of an integrated kickstand.
While a moderately steep $17 at the time of writing, the screen protector comes bundled with an entire installation kit with alignment frame to ensure it’s installed straight and without dust. Touch responsiveness is advertised as like the bare glass, but reviews seem to indicate similar behavior to other screen protectors we’ve seen for the Steam Deck – hard to register a touch in some areas. That being said, this is more a Valve problem than a Spigen problem, as the Deck opts for a lower-cost touchscreen to save on manufacturing due to the infrequent expected use of the feature. Still, it’s definitely something to keep in mind.
Buy Spigen Steam Deck accessories:
– Travel carry case
– Rugged console case
– Slim console case
– Screen protector
JSAUX’s kit
JSAUX is one of those brands that sat in the background until recently. It seems their big break into the spotlight revolved around making pretty great accessories for the Steam Deck, including the usual travel carry cases, console cases, and screen protectors, but also more inventive solutions such as a “ModCase” with an assortment of attachments, their own docking station, an adapter for Valve’s dock to let it work with case-clad consoles, replacement shells in a variety of covers… The list goes on. Featured here is just a small handful of JSAUX’s products to accessorize and protect your Deck.
Similar to what Spigen offers, the travel case will still fit a Steam Deck with ModCase installed, though you’d likely have to remove any attachments prior to putting the console in the case. Interestingly, JSAUX offers several options for screen protectors – including one with an anti-glare coating similar to Valve’s top-spec 512 GB Deck SKU. How similar the coatings are is not verified, but any reduction in glare while protecting the screen is always welcome.
The most wild product they offer is probably the replacement rear shell with RGB lighting. It’s one thing to swap the shell to a fun color like “atomic” purple, but it’s an entirely different thing to add in a basic RGB controller, several sets of LEDs, and apparently a separate battery to power the lights. But there’s no harm in adding a little extra flair, so long as you’re willing to part with the $40 the privilege will cost.
Buy JSAUX Steam Deck accessories:
– Travel carrying case
– ModCase console case
– Standard screen protector
– Anti-glare screen protector
– Replacement front shell
– Replacement rear shell
– Replacement rear shell with RGB lighting
– Valve dock adapter
– HDMI dock
– HDMI + DP dock
- This article contains links to products on Amazon, directed through our Amazon Affiliate account. If you choose to purchase any product mentioned in this article, please consider doing so through the links we’ve provided. This gives us a small referral kickback at no cost to you, and helps support Handheld PC. As always, any support is greatly appreciated! ↩︎
