Whereas the Steam Deck, Valve’s souped-up mini PC, presents a wealth of gaming experiences in a transportable format, the dearth of a kickstand has been a sore spot. Enter the Deckmate: A easy, plastic bracket that allows you to connect not only a very useful kickstand, but additionally a number of different specialised mounting options to the again of the Deck.
The Deckmate is the brainchild of product design engineer Siri Ramos. Ramos has described how the Steam Deck group’s enthusiasm and help has helped them develop what was as soon as a enjoyable private venture into a totally featured product. To make sure, the group’s love for small maker-style tasks is obvious simply from scrolling via r/SteamDeck. The Deckmate developed from a collection of prototypes and early 3D-printed elements to a professional-feeling closing product. Now having used it for a number of weeks, it seems like a really pure extension of my Deck, one with a number of surprises of its personal.
On the middle of the Deckmate “system,” because the creator calls it, is the “grip,” a easy plastic claw that, properly, grips the again of the mini-PC like a headcrab on a poor zombie. And like that headcrab, it is a fairly seamless attachment, one which doesn’t intervene with the system’s inventory protecting case. The grip also can maintain two spare SD playing cards, and like a headcrab, is more likely to wish to keep the place you place it. I’ve transferred it to a different Steam Deck simply as soon as, and bending the plastic again to get it off seems like one thing I solely wish to do a handful of occasions at most.
The clips are seen on the highest and backside of the gadget when taking a look at it from the entrance, however the shade and texture of the plastic blends in properly with the Deck. I hardly discover it anymore, and don’t really feel it with my palms when enjoying.
The grip bracket itself doesn’t do a lot. As a substitute, it permits for a wide range of “mounts” to fit into the again of the gadget. These lock into place with a pair of springs. Out there mounts embody that remarkably useful kickstand, “pucks” with adhesives to lock a battery or USB-C hub, wall mounts, and even a 75mm VESA mount such as you see on the backs of PC displays.
Whereas I used certainly one of my pucks for a useful USB-C hub that allowed me to plug in a wide range of USB gadgets together with an ethernet cable to hurry up downloads, the kickstand felt most important to me.
You may not assume a lot of a kickstand; it’s a really primary gadget and idea. However given the scale and weight of the Steam Deck, having the ability to connect one to the again has been type of like rising a 3rd arm, particularly when enjoying on a sofa or mattress.
This dawned on me once I determined to fireplace up Spider-Man: Remastered one night time. Laying in mattress, with the kickstand in place, I may simply relaxation the gadget in entrance of me to observe the opening cutscene, then choose it up once I was prepared to start out swinging round Manhattan island. That will not appear so revelatory in the event you haven’t put in too many hours on a Deck, so let me give some context.
The Steam Deck is about as heavy because it seems. It’s an enormous gadget! And enjoying for prolonged intervals of time, a minimum of for me, kinda makes my palms get prickly after which, numb. Having the ability to set it down with the display nonetheless going through me and provides my palms a break throughout non-interactive cutscenes has allowed me to spend extra time gaming. The kickstand additionally has a pleasant quantity of adjustment. It may well transfer a full 120 levels, and it by no means seems like that notoriously flimsy piece of junk hooked up to the Nintendo Swap, which at all times appeared to threaten to snap proper off. The Deckmate kickstand can be perfect for setting the unit down on a desk and connecting a keyboard.
Learn Extra: Sure, You Can Use The Steam Deck As A Laptop (Right here’s How)
One sudden profit includes the Deck’s excessive warmth output. Having the ability to prop it up with the exhaust fan pointing in a extra vertical course seems like a greater option to set the gadget down whereas it’s downloading one thing or enjoying a graphically intensive cutscene. If Reddit’s to be believed, there may be aromatherapeutic advantages to get pleasure from.
One other stunning use of the kickstand was that, whereas laying in mattress or on a sofa, I may type of use it like a monopole, letting it help extra of the load of the gadget. Because of this, my palms weren’t doing the work of each enjoying the gadget and holding it. General, the Deckmate with the kickstand accent has simply made the Deck a extra cozy machine for me.
Although I discovered the kickstand to be the star of the present, others would possibly discover extra utility in mounting further equipment onto the adhesive pucks. Because the Deckmate’s website warns, the adhesive used on these pucks is just about everlasting. So if you wish to adhere an enormous battery pack or USB hub or no matter, remember that you simply’re creating a fairly everlasting bond between the puck attachment and the accent. They’re going to be buddies for all times.
A couple of different caveats exist. If in case you have some sort of smartphone-style case wrapped round your Deck, thereby growing its thickness, the bottom grip bracket in all probability received’t match round it. Fortuitously, a Deckmate adapter that sports activities the identical 3M adhesive because the pucks presents an alternate means by which to lock the grip to the again of a third-party case. It could be unattainable to resolve conflicts with sure docks, although. Whereas the Deckmate’s FAQ appears very optimistic about it becoming into one thing like a JSAUX dock, I discovered the grip bracket was only a bit too massive and made it unstable when sitting in my dock.
You can even solely use one mount at a time, so if you wish to each use the kickstand and cost the gadget with an exterior battery, you’ll have to decide on which is getting hooked up to the gadget. Granted, in the event you’re utilizing the kickstand, you in all probability have a flat floor to relaxation that battery down anyway.
Critically, in the event you’re utilizing a USB-C hub, you must pay cautious consideration to cable size, particularly when making the ultimate determination to stick a puck to the hub. In my case, I believe I adhered the puck slightly too low on my hub, and in consequence, the USB-C cable has a bit an excessive amount of pressure when reaching all the way in which as much as my Deck’s single USB-C port. I’m doubtless going to try to reposition this, however on condition that the adhesive is a one-time use factor, I’m in all probability going to need to get inventive. Ethical of the story: Measure your cable lengths and make use of right-angle adapters the place it is smart.
As soon as indifferent, the kickstand and any puck-equipped gadgets will simply match within the storage case the Deck comes with. You’ll be able to simply tuck it into that compartment on the underside that many a Steam Deck person has discovered inventive makes use of for. That stated, in case your accent wants prolong to a gamepad, keyboard, and but different different peripherals, you’ll want a bigger bag. For these occasions you wish to journey mild, you may simply detach the Deckmate mounts and go away the barely noticeable “grip” bracket.
For those who simply wish to get the kickstand, you’ll want the grip bracket, which runs for $20, after which the kickstand mount itself for an additional $15. Particular person pucks are $7 every. You can even choose to purchase the “Total System,” which incorporates the grip, two pucks, the VESA mount, a wall mount, and the case-agnostic adapter for $49. Whilst you can actually discover cheaper kickstand choices on Amazon and elsewhere, the Deckmate system feels sturdy and dependable. Sitting the Deck down with the Deckmate kickstand, it by no means feels prefer it’s going to topple over (so long as the angle is about proper). Its measurement and construct high quality really feel like a great match for the Deck itself.
You can even go the DIY route by downloading the Deckmate’s digital information and print them your self. I think about it’s going to take some trial and error, however the information are free and distributed, as all issues ought to be, beneath a Inventive Commons license.
General, the Deckmate, significantly with its kickstand, is a superb Steam Deck accent that expands the place (and the way) I can play video games on it. It’s top quality, seems good, and meshes properly with the DIY spirit of the gadget. With a bit of luck we’ll see extra distinctive, high quality tasks of this kind because the Deck settles into the broader panorama of gaming {hardware}.
