Whereas the Steam Deck, Valve’s souped-up mini PC, gives 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 helpful 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 neighborhood’s enthusiasm and assist has helped them develop what was as soon as a enjoyable private challenge into a completely featured product. To make sure, the neighborhood’s love for small maker-style tasks is obvious simply from scrolling by way of r/SteamDeck. The Deckmate developed from a sequence of prototypes and early 3D-printed components to a professional-feeling ultimate product. Now having used it for just a few weeks, it seems like a really pure extension of my Deck, one with just a few surprises of its personal.
On the heart of the Deckmate “system,” because the creator calls it, is the “grip,” a easy plastic claw that, effectively, grips the again of the mini-PC like a headcrab on a poor zombie. And like that headcrab, this can be a fairly seamless attachment, one which doesn’t intervene with the system’s inventory protecting case. The grip may maintain two spare SD playing cards, and like a headcrab, is prone to need 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 need to do a handful of instances at most.
The clips are seen on the highest and backside of the system when taking a look at it from the entrance, however the coloration and texture of the plastic blends in effectively with the Deck. I hardly discover it anymore, and don’t really feel it with my fingers when taking part in.
The grip bracket itself doesn’t do a lot. As an alternative, it permits for quite a lot of “mounts” to fit into the again of the system. These lock into place with a pair of springs. Accessible mounts embody that remarkably helpful 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 screens.
Whereas I used certainly one of my pucks for a helpful USB-C hub that allowed me to plug in quite a lot of USB units together with an ethernet cable to hurry up downloads, the kickstand felt most important to me.
You won’t assume a lot of a kickstand; it’s a really primary system and idea. However given the scale and weight of the Steam Deck, with the ability to connect one to the again has been kind of like rising a 3rd arm, particularly when taking part in on a sofa or mattress.
This dawned on me after I determined to fireplace up Spider-Man: Remastered one evening. Laying in mattress, with the kickstand in place, I may simply relaxation the system in entrance of me to observe the opening cutscene, then choose it up after I was prepared to start out swinging round Manhattan island. That won’t appear so revelatory in case 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 a giant system! And taking part in for prolonged durations of time, a minimum of for me, kinda makes my fingers get prickly after which, numb. Having the ability to set it down with the display nonetheless dealing with me and provides my fingers 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 possibly transfer a full 120 levels, and it by no means seems like that notoriously flimsy piece of junk connected to the Nintendo Change, which all the time appeared to threaten to snap proper off. The Deckmate kickstand can be excellent for setting the unit down on a desk and connecting a keyboard.
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One surprising profit entails 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 method to set the system down whereas it’s downloading one thing or taking part in a graphically intensive cutscene. If Reddit’s to be believed, there may be aromatherapeutic advantages to take pleasure in.
One other shocking use of the kickstand was that, whereas laying in mattress or on a sofa, I may kind of use it like a monopole, letting it assist extra of the burden of the system. In consequence, my fingers weren’t doing the work of each taking part in the system and holding it. Total, 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 may discover extra utility in mounting additional 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 a giant battery pack or USB hub or no matter, bear in mind that you just’re creating a fairly everlasting bond between the puck attachment and the accent. They’re going to be pals for all times.
A number of different caveats exist. You probably have some form of smartphone-style case wrapped round your Deck, thereby growing its thickness, the bottom grip bracket in all probability received’t match round it. Thankfully, a Deckmate adapter that sports activities the identical 3M adhesive because the pucks gives an alternate means by which to lock the grip to the again of a third-party case. It might be inconceivable 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 too solely use one mount at a time, so if you wish to each use the kickstand and cost the system with an exterior battery, you’ll have to decide on which is getting connected to the system. Granted, in case you’re utilizing the kickstand, you in all probability have a flat floor to relaxation that battery down anyway.
Critically, in case you’re utilizing a USB-C hub, it’s best to pay cautious consideration to cable size, particularly when making the ultimate resolution to stick a puck to the hub. In my case, I believe I adhered the puck a bit too low on my hub, and consequently, the USB-C cable has a bit an excessive amount of rigidity when reaching all the way in which as much as my Deck’s single USB-C port. I’m doubtless going to attempt to reposition this, however on condition that the adhesive is a one-time use factor, I’m in all probability going to should 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 units will simply match within the storage case the Deck comes with. You may simply tuck it into that compartment on the underside that many a Steam Deck consumer 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 instances you need to journey mild, you’ll be able to simply detach the Deckmate mounts and depart the barely noticeable “grip” bracket.
For those who simply need 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 too choose to purchase the “Complete System,” which incorporates the grip, two pucks, the VESA mount, a wall mount, and the case-agnostic adapter for $49. Whilst you can definitely 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 dimension and construct high quality really feel like a great match for the Deck itself.
You can too go the DIY route by downloading the Deckmate’s digital information and print them your self. I think about it should take some trial and error, however the information are free and distributed, as all issues needs to be, beneath a Artistic Commons license.
Total, 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 prime quality, seems good, and meshes properly with the DIY spirit of the system. Hopefully we’ll see extra distinctive, high quality tasks of this type because the Deck settles into the broader panorama of gaming {hardware}.
