While Steam floor, Valve’s revamped mini PC that delivers a wide range of gaming experiences in mobile format, the lack of a kickstand has been a sore point. Import Deckmate: A simple, plastic stand that allows you to attach not only a very handy stand, but also several other specialized mounting solutions to the back of your Deck.
Deckmate is the brainchild of product design engineer Siri Ramos. Ramos described how Steam Deck’s Community enthusiasm and support has helped them grow what was once a fun personal project into a full-featured product. To be sure, the community’s love for small maker-style projects is evident just by scrolling through r / SteamDeck. Deckmate evolved from a series prototypes and original 3D printed parts to a final product that feels professional. Now after using it for a few weeks, it feels like a very natural extension of my Deck, a deck that has a few surprises of its own.
The heart of the Deckmate “system”, as its creators call it, is the “handle”, a simple plastic claw that can grip the back of the mini-PC like a crab on a zombie zombie. Karma. And like that crab, it’s a pretty seamless attachment, one that doesn’t interfere with the system’s stock protection box. The grip can also hold two spare SD cards, and like a crab, likely wants to stay where you put it. I’ve moved it to another Steam Deck just once, and bending the plastic back to remove it feels like something I’ve only wanted to do a few times.
Clips are visible at the top and bottom of the device when looking at it from the front, but the color and texture of the plastic blends in nicely with the Deck. I barely notice it anymore, and don’t feel it with my hands while playing.
The stand itself doesn’t do much. Instead, it allows a variety of “mounts” to plug into the back of the device. These locks are locked into place by a pair of springs. Available mounts include extremely handy stands, “pucks” with adhesive to secure batteries or USB-C hubs, wall mounts, and even a 75mm VESA mount like you see on the back of the monitor PC picture.
Although I used one of my coins for a handy USB-C hub that allows me to plug in various USB devices along with an ethernet cable for download acceleration, the stand feels most necessary for me. with me.
You may not think much about the stand; it is a very basic device and concept. But given the size and weight of the Steam Deck, being able to attach one to the back is like growing a third arm, especially when playing on the couch or bed.
This came to my mind when I decided to shoot Spider-Man: Remastered one night. Lying in bed, with the kickstand already in place, I can place the device in front of me to watch the opening cutscene, then pick it up when I’m ready to start shooting around Manhattan Island. That doesn’t seem too exciting if you don’t put too many hours on a Deck, so let me give some context.
The Steam Deck is as heavy as it looks. It’s a great device! And playing for a long time, at least for me, slightly made my hands itch and then, numb. Being able to put it down with the screen still facing me and let my hands rest during non-interactive cutscenes has allowed me to spend more time gaming. The stand also has some fine adjustments. It can move a full 120 degrees, and it never feels like the famously flimsy piece of junk attached to the Nintendo Switch, which always looks threatening to break right away. The Deckmate stand is also ideal for placing the device on a desk and connecting a keyboard.
Read more: Yes, you can use the Steam Deck as a computer (Here’s how)
One unexpected benefit involves the deck’s high heat output. The device can be raised with the exhaust fan in a more vertical orientation as a better way to set it down while something is loading or playing a graphic-intensive cutscene. If one believes Reddit, then there might as well be aromatherapy benefit arrive interesting.
Another surprising use of the stand is that, when lying in bed or on the couch, I can use it as a single stand, so that it supports more than the weight of the device. As a result, my hands don’t do the job of holding the device while playing. Overall, the Deckmate with its stand accessory has made the Deck a more cozy machine for me.
While I find the stand to be the star of the show, others may find it more convenient to attach additional accessories to the patch. As the Deckmate website warns, the adhesive used on these patches is virtually permanent. So if you want to attach a large battery pack or USB hub or whatever, be aware that you’re creating a pretty permanent link between the puck attachment and the accessory. They will be friends for life.
Several other caveats exist. If you have some sort of smartphone-style case that wraps around your Deck, thus increasing its thickness, the basecurly braces probably won’t match it. Fortunately, one Declare the adapter sports the same 3M adhesive as pucks that provide an alternative means of fasteningRip off the back of a third-party case. However, it may not be possible to resolve conflicts with certain docks. Although the Deckmate FAQ seems very optimistic about it being suitable for something like JSAUX soleI found the stand a bit too big and made it unstable when sitting on my base.
You can also only use one stand at a time, so if you want to use the stand and charge your device with an external battery at the same time, you’ll have to choose the one that’s being attached to the device. Okay, if you’re using a kickstand, you probably have a flat surface to put the battery down on.
It is important that, if you are using a USB-C hub, you should pay careful attention to the cable length, especially when making the final decision to attach a puck to the hub. In my case, I suspect I placed the latch a bit too low on my hub, and as a result the USB-C cable got a bit of a strain when it reached the end of my Deck’s only USB-C port. . I’ll likely try and reposition this, but since the adhesive is a single use thing, I’ll probably have to get creative. Moral of the story: Measure your cable length and use right angle adapters where appropriate.
Once disassembled, the stand and any puck equipped equipment will easily fit in the storage box the Deck comes with. You can just stuff it in there compartment on the bottom that many Steam Deck users have Find creation use for. That said, if your accessories need to extend to gamepads, keyboards, and other peripherals, you’ll need a larger bag. For those times when you want to travel light, you can simply remove the Deckmate stands and leave the “handle” stand unnoticeable.
If you just want a stand, you’ll need a stand that costs $20 and then a self-mount stand mount for $15. Each individual pucks is $7. You can also choose to purchase the “Whole System,” which includes the grip, two pucks, a VESA mount, a wall mount, and a case-agnostic adapter for $49. . While you can certainly find cheaper stand options on Amazon and elsewhere, the Deckmate system feels solid and reliable. Sit down with the Deckmate on the Deckmate, and you’ll never feel like it’s about to tip over (as long as it’s angled right). Its size and build quality feels like a good fit with the Deck itself.
You can also go the DIY route by Download Deckmate digital files and print them yourself. I imagine it will take some trial and error, but the files are free and distributed, like all things, under a Creative Commons license.
Overall, the Deckmate, especially with the kickstand, is a great Steam Deck accessory that expands where (and how) I can play games on it. It has high quality, beautiful appearance and unique combination with the DIY spirit of the device. With any luck, we’ll see more original, quality projects of its kind as the Deck blends into the broader landscape of gaming hardware.
