Another JSAUX accessory? Really? You’re god damn right. It’s no secret, I like their gear. I’ve had my Steam Deck in the JSAUX ModCase basically since day one, I partnered it with JSAUX’s Carrying Case and I’ve had their older 5-in-1 Docking Station basically glued to my desk for the better part of a year. I actually leaned on JSAUX’s 5-in-1 Docking Station fairly heavily for my Nintendo Wii Month, Wii’re Going Back. When JSAUX reached out and offered to send out a newer 6-in-1 Docking Station for a potential review, I really couldn’t pass that up. Full disclosure: JSAUX provided me with this review unit, no money has changed hands and they won’t see this review ahead of time. As always, if something stinks I won’t hold back. This 6-in-1 Docking Station is a newer build of an existing design with some updated input and peripheral options to mess with. Now, if you’ve been around Dad with a Deck for a while, you know I’m not big on dazzling anyone with fancy spreadsheets or exhausting benchmark numbers. I’ll touch on the specs so you know what you’re in for, but I’ll be keeping this straightforward and practical like usual.
My Personal Requirements
I’ll be honest, I don’t have a huge need for a dock. I’m mostly a handheld guy, but there’s definitely times when kicking back on the couch in my study with a controller is an unreal time. Having a reliable dock ready to roll is a good thing to have for those days when the desk gets tiresome.
When it comes to what I actually want a dock to do, I’m pretty basic. My needs haven’t changed much from my 5-in-1 Dock review and I’m still just after somewhere stable and reliable to park my Steam Deck to keep it charged, connect up some peripherals and hook into a bigger screen. On paper, JSAUX’s 6-in-1 Docking Station again ticks all those boxes. USB-A ports for my older tech, USB-C and Power Delivery. The HDMI port having the option of 4K is a nice to have since I have a couple 4K TVs around the house, but I probably wouldn’t recommend actually running games on the Steam Deck at 4K. Unless you’re really into PowerPoint Presentations.
Let’s Recap: dock shaped, essential USB ports, passthrough USB-C charging and HDMI-out up to 4K.
JSAUX 6-in-1 Docking Station Tech Specs
Just like with the older Dock, you’ll need to bring your own power supply. I’m still running a 100W UGreen charger to power the dock and a few other devices. The dock features a built-in braided USB-C cable with subtle JSAUX branding that plugs directly into your handheld with support for up to 100W power delivery. The 6-in-1 model steps it up when it comes to speed with JSAUX swapping out the slower connections for modern, standard ports across the board.
JSAUX 6-in-1 Docking Station ports:
-1x Built-in braided USB-C Cable (for connecting to your handheld)
-1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (up to 5Gbps)
-2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (up to 5Gbps)
-1x Gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbps)
-1x HDMI (up to 4K@120Hz or 1080p@240Hz)
-1x USB-C Power Delivery Input (up to 100W)
The speed bump is welcome, even for blokes like me who still have peripherals lying around from the late ’00s. JSAUX moves on from much older 480Mbps USB 2.0 ports to the modern standard of 5Gbps while the Ethernet port also gets a bump from 100Mbps to Gigabit speeds. The extra USB-C data port is a nice touch, opening up support for modern USB drives or accessories. I canfinally plug in my external SSD.
A couple notes to keep in mind before looking at buying this one:
Compatibility:
This dock will play nice with virtually every PC handheld out there, but it is NOT compatible with the Nintendo Switch or Switch 2.
Power & Turbo Modes:
Any handheld attached to the dock will still cap out at its maximum charging speed. 45W for the Steam Deck, 65W for the ROG Ally and Legion Go and so on. Using a 100W PD charger is recommended so that the dock has enough headroom to run all its ports and be able to trigger 30W Turbo Mode for the ROG Ally for example, without slow charging.
Display Output:
The HDMI port can handle up to 4K at 120Hz or 1080p at 240Hz. This particular model (HB0609) doesn’t have VRR or ALLM support. If that’s a dealbreaker, you’ll need to look at their beefier, fan-equipped HB0705 model instead.
Real-World Testing
Visually, the dock has a pretty clean look on the desk and you can even change that up. A pretty neat design choice is that the main dock with all the I/O can actually pop out of the base station. This means you could easily use it as a standalone travel dongle without bringing the base station along. But if you’re planning on doing exactly that, you’re going to need a bigger carry case. It’s not gigantic, but this isn’t fitting into my original JSAUX carry case with a charger. For keeping your handheld secure in the dock, JSAUX includes a removable rubber lip to attach to the front of the base station. If you’re already using a grip case of some description, it’ll sit in there pretty comfortably as-is. I think the lip is meant for those types who keep their Steam Deck and other handhelds completely naked. Savages. Although, I did have to remove my Mechanism ModCase Adapter to get it sitting flush.
Moving into the I/O, the HDMI output was solid as a rock. Getting the Steam Deck to display in 4K is easy enough, you’ll just need to uncheck ‘Automatically Set Resolution’ in your Steam Deck’s display settings. Otherwise it’ll default to 1080p, which probably isn’t a bad choice. Audio routed perfectly through my TV speakers without any weird handshake glitches, strange pops or static. HDMI-CEC worked perfectly without diving into any additional settings. I’ve had docks from other brands which drop the HDMI connection or swing and miss on CEC but this held strong. Maybe using a Steam Controller for the most part helped? Probably not. Under load, the dock handled a full gamut of peripherals without batting an eye. I tossed in my external SSD, wired mouse and keyboard while using a Bluetooth controller and HDMI without any noticeable slowdowns, input lag and it didn’t feel like anything was fighting for power. Modern USB ports generally shouldn’t struggle with this kind of thing, but it’s still comforting to know anything I throw at it will run smoothly. The dock itself seemed to stay cool throughout, with the only noticeable warmth likely coming from some redirected heat from the Steam Deck’s fan. Lastly, I’m typically a Wi-Fi guy at home, because I’m sure as hell not crawling around in my roof installing Ethernet cables, but I did lug everything out to my router and plug it directly in. I’m happy to report that it hit that gigabit speed as advertised.
Final Verdict
The JSAUX 6-in-1 Docking Station is a genuinely solid, no-nonsense upgrade over its predecessors. It takes everything I enjoyed about the older 5-in-1 Dock, but addresses the speed limitations with much faster 5Gbps ports, gigabit Ethernet and an added USB-C port. The option to take the main I/O hub out of the base station is a nice touch if you want options, although I daresay most will keep it parked at a desk. It handled every peripheral I threw at it without any hiccups, it kept my Steam Deck charged without dropping connection and it delivered a seamless couch gaming experience. Missing VRR and ALLM support might be a bummer for some, but for standard TVs and monitors this will conduct its business without any fuss. If you own the older 5-in-1 Docking Station and it’s doing everything you need, you probably don’t need to rush to replace it unless you’re an uncultured swine like me with older gear that’s slowly dying. Those faster speeds are worth a look. If you’re looking for a proper dock for your Steam Deck or other handheld, or maybe upgrading from a cheaper, sketchy USB hub, JSAUX’s 6-in-1 Docking Station is a pretty easy recommendation to make. It’s not crazy expensive and it delivers exactly what it says it does, giving you a reliable place to hook up your handheld when you want to sit back with a controller or attach a mouse and keyboard. Straightforward, boring reliability is sometimes the highest compliment you can give a piece of tech and JSAUX hit that mark yet again.
Ready to dock your handheld? You can find the JSAUX 6-in-1 Docking Station on Amazon.
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