Another JSAUX product? Really? You bet your ass. I recently picked up the JSAUX 5-in-1 Dock for my Steam Deck OLED and honestly it’s been great. I was going to review the UGreen dock I’ve had for the last eight or so months, but the built-in USB-C power delivery cable failed and stopped charging my Steam Deck or any other device. That dock had way more than I needed and felt really solid too, UGreen were actually great sports about it. They refunded me and let me keep it, sitting on my desk as a monument to that time I attempted to diversify brands. The dock itself still powers up, so I’m using one of the low power USB-A ports to charge my RG CubeXX so it’s not all bad.
My Personal Dock Requirements
After the UGreen situation, I re-assessed why I wanted a dock and what I actually needed it to do. Turns out: not much. I’m at my desk a bit more frequently now, usually during nap time or after bedtime. It’s also not overly far from my router with a relatively fast WiFi speed, so really no need for fast ethernet. Most of my peripherals are either Bluetooth or older USB-A, so high-speed ports weren’t a priority either. Really, I just wanted somewhere to park my Steam Deck, keep it charged and have the option to connect a monitor or TV via HDMI. Given these are pretty modest needs, I wasn’t looking to spend any more than $50 AUD.
To recap: dock shaped, HDMI port, passthrough charging and reasonably priced.
JSAUX 5-in-1 Docking Station
Technically it’s called the JSAUX USB-C 5-in-1 Multifunction Adapter, but that doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. It’s basic, but it fits my needs perfectly.
You’ll need to supply your own USB-C charger to power the dock, I’m currently using a 100W UGreen charger to power mine along with a few other devices on my desk. The dock has a built-in USB-C power delivery cable that connects into the Steam Deck, or other handheld, with support for up to 100W charging.
Port-wise, it’s pretty light on:
– 2x USB-A 2.0 ports (up to 480Mbps)
– 1x RJ45 100MBit ethernet port
– 1x HDMI 2.1 with support for up to 4K at 120Hz
Nothing flashy here, but its not missing anything either.
It’s a pretty compact little thing and looks the part on a desk. This is JSAUX’s second go at this dock with a few upgrades over the original. It has some non-slip silicon pads to keep your device in place and a wider base to accommodate other handhelds such as the Legion Go and the ROG Ally. The JSAUX branding is subtle, the finish matches the Steam Deck well enough and it doesn’t feel cheap in hand. The built-in USB-C power delivery cable is a nice touch, you won’t have to go fumbling around for a separate cable when you want to dock your handheld, just plonk it in and you’re good to roll. Let’s just hope it stands up to a bit of use. It’s probably not winning any fancy-shmancy design awards, but it really doesn’t need to. The big question is does it actually do the job?
The JSAUX 5-in-1 Dock works as advertised and does exactly what I need it to do. The Steam Deck sits in snugly, charges reliably and the HDMI output to both my monitor and TV has been rock solid. I honestly haven’t bothered to touch the ethernet port, I’m about five feet away from my router and the USB-A ports have handled all my peripherals without a hitch. Nothing has run hot, nothing has dropped out and nothing I’ve tried with it has done anything weird. Perfect plug and play thus far. For a dock, this is genuinely all I’m after. If your needs look anything like mine which is simply somewhere stable to park your Steam Deck, passthrough charging and a HDMI port, then this is an easy recommendation. It won’t impress anyone with a sprawling peripheral setup or a need for high-speed transfers, but it was never going to.
At under $50 AUD ($42 at time of writing), and regularly on sale through the JSAUX website and Amazon, the JSAUX 5-in-1 Docking Station does exactly what it says on the box. More than I can say for the dock currently moonlighting as a retro handheld charger on my desk.
Sometimes boring is exactly what you need.
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