This $35 accent turned my ROG Ally X into my most important gaming machine

The trendy handheld gaming period is undeniably stellar and one thing I did not suppose would ever exist once I was youthful.

Enjoying a big-budget sport on the go on the Steam Deck or the ROG Ally X, after which plugging that handheld into your tv to have that very same expertise on a much bigger show, is a childhood dream come true. It has me gaming far more than I’ve previously and makes taking part in titles briefly bursts a lot simpler (I have been taking part in plenty of Dying Stranding these days). Nonetheless, looking down the precise dock might be complicated as a result of, not like with the Swap (and shortly the Switch 2), the place there’s simply Nintendo’s official dock and Genki’s third-party offerings, there are numerous docks on the market for handhelds just like the ROG Ally X, particularly on Amazon. Nonetheless, they’re typically both too expensive or do not provide HDMI 2.1 4K 120Hz assist.

After hours of analysis, I lastly landed on Jsaux’s 6-in-1 Multifunctional Docking Station, a comparatively small USB-C dock that works with the Steam Deck, ROG Ally X, and MSI Claw. It has every part I want in a dock and gives a couple of options that future-proof it to be used with future handhelds.

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HDMI 2.1 4K 120Hz assist is uncommon on the subject of handheld docks

I will not reap the benefits of this characteristic typically, however it’s good it is there

One of many benefits the ROG Ally X and Steam Deck OLED provide is their means to hit as much as 120Hz and 90Hz refresh charges, respectively. That mentioned, I do not play plenty of video games at refresh charges above 60Hz/60fps, with Tunic being the one exception.

Nonetheless, I actually needed a dock that permit me output at 4K 120Hz on the off probability that I would need to reap the benefits of the upper bandwidth in some unspecified time in the future, so HDMI 2.1 was a should when researching docks. Fortunately, Jsaux’s 6-in-1 Multifunctional Docking Station gives HDMI 2.1, unlocking 4K/120fps and 1080p/240fps.

Sadly, Jsaux’s 6-in-1 Multifunctional Docking Station would not embody an influence brick. On the plus facet, it helps as much as 100W energy enter, which suggests it really works with quick chargers just like the ROG 140W USB-C GaN charger I’ve used for the previous few months. The charger plugs into the facet of the 6-in-1, after which the dock itself plugs into your handheld’s USB-C port (on this case, my ROG Ally X)

This implies I nonetheless have one other USB-C port out there for added equipment alongside the Jsaux’s 6-in-1 Multifunctional Docking Station’s USB-C 3.2 (5Gbps), USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps), Gigabit Ethernet (1,000Mbps), HDMI 2.1 (4K/120Hz), and USB-C (PD 100W enter) ports. The 100W energy enter ensures that it is nonetheless charging the hand held, no matter how arduous I push my ROG Ally X or Steam Deck OLED. Up to now, I’ve encountered points with some docks being unable to deal with 100W, resulting in my handheld’s battery slowly depleting whereas I am taking part in it.

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You needn’t use its stand

It fortunately pops off simply

As quickly as I received my palms on the ROG Ally X, I picked up dbrand’s Kill Switch case for the hand held. It provides extra grip to the system, which I admire. Sadly, it additionally means it will probably’t match on most docks due to the added thickness, together with Jsaux’s 6-in-1 Multifunctional Docking Station. Fortunately, I can simply pop the dock out of the stand, and I am good to go. Actually, I take advantage of the Kill Swap case’s kickstand to carry the ROG Ally X beside the dock once I’m utilizing the Jsaux dock on my TV stand.

Most docks I checked out previous to touchdown on the 6-in-1 Multifunctional Docking Station featured a built-in stand of some type, which labored nice for my Steam Deck OLED, however not my ROG Ally X, sadly (and I needed a dock that labored equally nice for each handhelds). As a bonus, the stand would not take up that a lot area (I tuck it behind my ROG Ally X).

Plenty of the docks I checked out do not characteristic a built-in cable to attach the hand held to the precise dock itself. Fortunately, that is not the case with Jsaux’s 6-in-1 Multifunctional Docking Station. The cable is a bit of brief, however the truth that it is all the time connected to the dock makes it tremendous handy and straightforward to plug the hand held in.

I’d have appreciated it if the cable was a bit longer, particularly since I do not use the precise dock portion of the hand held, however I am glad it is there.

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I wasn’t expecting the ROG Ally X to outshine the Steam Deck quite this much

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The additional USB-A and USB-C ports provide a PC-like expertise when docked

That is nice for once I need to plug my mouse and keyboard into the ROG Ally X or Steam Deck

Considered one of my favourite issues in regards to the ROG Ally X is that it seems like a normal Home windows 11 PC whenever you hook a mouse and keyboard as much as it and plug it right into a TV or monitor. Fortunately, Jsaux’s 6-in-1 dock options two 5Gbps USB-A 3.2 ports and a USB-C 3.2 port, giving me ample area to plug within the USB dongles required to simply swap my Logitech mouse and keyboard simply between gadgets.

Whereas I do not reap the benefits of these ports typically, I am glad they’re there once I use my ROG Ally X in my workplace hooked as much as my monitor to play technique video games like Age of Empires IV. Additionally they make utilizing my Steam Deck OLED in desktop mode an absolute breeze when I’ve my keyboard and mouse connected.

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