Valve’s Steam Deck is a powerful PC handheld, and you can unlock its full potential with some accessories. We’ve found the best microSD cards, screen protectors, stands, monitor mounts, hard cases, docks, and more.
Valve’s Steam Deck is a powerful handheld PC that can run many games from the vast catalog of Steam games, but you probably knew that already. Maybe you didn’t know that within a few months of its release in early 2022, the accessory scene around the Steam Deck was already full of great options, and it has only gotten better.
It’s true, you don’t need many add-ons at all to have a wonderful experience with the Deck; it comes with a solid zip-up case and a fast power adapter. At minimum, a high-capacity microSD card to expand its internal storage is all I’d universally recommend to most people.
But if you’re curious what else is out there, I’ve included my favorite Steam Deck accessories, as well as what the rest of the Polygon staff is loving. This post may be updated due to availability, or when new accessories hit the market. The Steam Deck accessory starter kit
Like all tech, the Steam Deck houses many fragile components. But the one that’s most prone to accidental damage is its 7-inch glass-covered display. I highly recommend that every Deck owner buys a set of tempered glass screen protectors (I’ve had nothing but good experiences from amFilm, although there are many players in this space). It may not save your Deck from catastrophic damage, but its job is to absorb scrapes and jabs instead of the actual glass covering your display (screen replacements aren’t exactly cheap). When the cover eventually gets scratches, or cracks, simply remove it and apply a new one.
The Steam Deck comes with up to 512 GB of SSD storage if you buy the $649 model. Although, for being Valve’s high-end model, that’s not a wealth of storage, given that PC games routinely come in 30-60 GB install sizes. For those who buy the $399.99 model, there’s even less onboard storage to work with: just 64 GB. Whichever model you have, buying a microSD card for extra game space is nigh essential. We have a guide to the best microSD cards for Steam Deck that expands on a couple specifics regarding speed, but if you just want to be shown what’ll work well in your Deck, here are a couple of suggestions.
Many people jibe with the feel of Valve’s thumbsticks on the Steam Deck. But if you dislike how slippery they can be, simply pop some of these affordable grips from Skull & Co on top of your Deck’s sticks. For $10.99, you’ll get three sets of thumb pads in the color of your choice that lengthen the height of your sticks, not to mention add grip. Keep in mind, however, that they may prevent the Deck’s capacitive thumbstick feature from working as intended.
If you want faster download speeds and a smoother online gameplay experience than Wi-Fi can provide, route an extra Ethernet cable from your modem to your Steam Deck, then connect it with one of these USB to Ethernet adapters. Unless you have one laying around, you’ll also need a USB-A to USB-C adapter to plug it into your Deck. Note: If you have a dock or a USB-C hub for the Deck to connect it to a TV or monitor, that may already have an Ethernet port.
The Steam Deck is heavier than the Nintendo Switch, so no one blames you if you want to prop it up on a stand while you play, keeping it in view as you use a wireless controller. Thankfully, there are a vast number of stands at stores like Amazon, starting as low as $6.99. You can just follow your taste and budget here, and you should end up with a decent stand.
If you’re willing to open up your Steam Deck to add even faster storage (at your own risk), Corsair’s MP600 Mini 1 TB M.2 SSD is a relatively inexpensive way to get fast storage. It costs under $100, and you’ll likely need some tools, like this iFixit Essentials tool kit for $30, to open up your Steam Deck.
