Aside from the strange tribal pattern Jsaux has applied to the HB0604 M.2 docking station, which may be meant to distinguish it from the previous, more affordable model (the Jsaux Steam Deck Dock (open in new tab)), the JSAUX M.2 Steam Deck Dock is an absolute marvel; JSAUX is not the only company to offer an M.2 slot in its Steam Deck dock, but JSAUX is the first to do so. For $130/~£90 from a reputable manufacturer, it's a no-brainer to buy one, as it offers the same and improved specs as the official dock's features. However, if you are expecting phenomenal transfer speeds, you will need to moderate your expectations.

No SSD, but several package options are available. On the other hand, the one I got comes with a 2TB SSD, the largest capacity available. The higher capacity SSD is $270 / ~£225.

What a super tasty SSD you get for an extra $140 on top of the Dock's base price: .......

It's actually the Lexar NM610 Pro NVMe SSD. No, I had never even heard of it; it's a PCIe 3.0 drive, the fastest one this dock supports.

This SSD has a sequential read speed of 3300 MB/s and a sequential write speed of 2600 MB/s. This is roughly equivalent to the speed of a PCIe 3.0 Sabrent Rocket of the same capacity, which sells for around $200, and represents a significant savings when installed in a dock.

Downloading the KDisk Mark, we found the SSD to have a read speed of 2050 MB/s and a write speed of only 490 MB/s. The Steam Deck's USB Type-C connection only goes up to 10 Gbps, so this checks out.

Basically, no matter what SSD you plug in, you will be limited by the Steam Deck itself. Don't spend a fortune on a super-fast SSD that you won't be able to use.

As long as you don't care about the maximum speed of the SSD, the dock itself is a smart blend of storage and a practical, rugged docking station. The tribal markings at the top give it a bit of an edge, but it's not the most attractive piece of kit. Still, the machined aluminum construction puts it in the durable category; the Deck tilts a bit in the dock, and there is a small amount of anxiety when pressing the USB connection. You would think there would be room for a case and docking, but there is no room for a case from the same company on the Deck.

As for specs, I actually prefer Valve's own dock (opens in new tab).

The official Steam Deck dock offers three USB Type-A 3.1 Gen1 ports, DisplayPort 1.4, and HDMI 2.0. The Jsaux Dock, on the other hand, has no DisplayPort and only two USB ports, but it has the same specifications as the official dock. Besides, the Jsaux M.2 dock has an HDMI 2.1 port, supporting 4K at 60Hz and 1440p at 120Hz, which may be a bit excessive for the Deck, but still appreciated.

Along with the dock, a skin for the Deck and a small portable stand are included. In addition, the Jsaux development team has created a script that automatically mounts the SSD to the Deck. However, the process of actually mounting and automounting is not that difficult; there is a small problem when running a game directly from an M.2 drive: you cannot unmount and move the Deck during the game. You are essentially tied to the Dock until you exit the game and unmount it, and the Dock is meant to be placed on the TV stand and kept there the whole time.

The main limitation here is due to the Deck itself, and aside from other minor complaints, the Jsaux M.2 dock is a great piece of kit with few complaints. It improves on the official dock's HDMI specs and adds M.2 compatibility, making it easy to overlook the odd tribal pattern at the top.

I would suggest going with the $130 / ~£90 base dock. And while the base dock may seem a bit high for the $90 price of the official dock, Jsaux has essentially set the standard for Steam Deck docks with storage, so the extra $40 will feel well spent.

Of course, since the Steam Deck's release, several companies, such as Sabrent, have released higher-capacity SSDs in smaller form factors that could, in theory, replace it. And getting a cheap but good dock like the Sabrent 6-Port Docking Station (opens in new tab) could save you a lot of money. But for those who dock frequently and value convenience over ruining their deck's warranty, the JSAUX M.2 dock is the way to go.