My Steam Deck primarily lives in my backpack, and the Acefast GaN Smart PD Charger Hub has swiftly become its travel companion. I'm not saying this Steam Deck dock would be the first accessory I'd reach for when hanging out at home, but its compact, straight-talking design and 65W charging capabilities make it the perfect stowaway for my tech bag.
Priced at $49.99, the Acefast GaN Smart PD Charger Hub is now the best Steam Deck dock for travel in my book. While other handheld gaming PC docking stations admittedly take up little space, this hub serves as both a charger and a way to hook up to a gaming TV or monitor. That feat naturally comes with trade-offs, as you won’t be able to hook up multiple PC controllers or peripherals without some accessory intervention. Nevertheless, it’s going to provide the same core functionality as other handheld add-ons out there, and it'll save you karting around various different chargers.
Unfortunately, Acefast’s dock isn’t available in the UK, so this one is exclusively for all you American readers out there. I’m Scottish, so the fact it won’t fit in any of my native outlets is a bit of a bummer, but it didn’t actually stop me labelling it as a Steam Deck for my pocket. That’s right, I’m now the type of person who carries around a hub with their wallet and keys, just in case someone wants to hook Valve’s handheld or a Nintendo Switch up to a big screen. I mean, Mario Kart has the potential to improve any party, so I don’t think I’m that much of a loser for keeping it close by.
Specs
The Acefast GaN Smart PD Charger Hub is pretty minimalist, but what it lacks in physical ports, it makes up for with charging abilities. The unassuming cuboid features a single HDMI port, one USB A 3.0 port, and 65W Power Delivery via USB C. As its product name implies, it’s a GaN charger, meaning it uses gallium nitrate rather than silicon to reduce its size footprint and provide fast charging.
Speaking of size, Acefast’s charger hub is actually almost the same size as Valve’s official USB-C adapter, which is remarkable considering it has docking station guts inside. Its two Type A wall outlet prongs also tuck flip up and down for storage, a feat that’ll allow you to pop it in your pocket without being jabbed in the thigh. Okay, look, maybe I’m the only person in existence that wants to keep this thing on my person at all times, but it still hammers home how portable it is.
Smart PD Charger Hub comes with a ridged fabric USB C cable, and it should take a bit of a beating. Unlike other Steam Deck docks, the connectors aren’t angled, but that shouldn’t matter much if you lie the Deck on a surface. I’d avoid using the cable in conjunction with a separate cradle, though, as the cable’s sturdiness could yeet your handheld if you’re not careful.
Design
We’re starting to see flashy Steam Deck docks enter the fold, clad with RGB and other gaming aesthetic gubbins, but the Acefast GaN Smart PD Charger Hub embodies the complete opposite. At a glance, it looks just like a regular phone charger, and that’s largely because it sort of is one. Is the fact it features no cradle going to stop me calling it a Steam Deck dock? Nope, as docking stations come in all shapes and sizes, and its design means it can be almost anything it wants to be.
Of course, that rule means it’s also technically a Nintendo Switch dock, and it’ll happily hook up to the Asus ROG Ally and Ayaneo 2S too. Likely the best approach to take to make your accessory as versatile as possible, although if you’ve already read my Baseus 6-in-1 Docking Station review, you’ll know there are inventive ways to expand handheld compatibility and still include a cradle.
I don’t want to dwell on the fact the Acefast GaN Smart PD Charger Hub isn’t designed for UK use, but I am curious to see what a Type G Plug version would look like. The chonkier three prong setup isn’t anywhere near as easy to conceal, so it’d potentially lose points for not being as discrete. However, Ugreen has a GaN charger without HDMI output that features removable adapters, so I’m not sure why Acefast didn’t opt for a similar approach.
Performance
When testing Steam Deck dock performance, I normally plug all my gaming desk peripherals in and explore my Steam backlog. This time around, I’m going to be sticking with my TV setup, as I feel like this docking station is more of a discrete living room accessory than a desktop solution. Actually, it’s probably something I’ll use a lot more either in a hotel room or at a friend's abode, but I sadly don’t have any trips planned for any spicy situational testing.
Circling back to a design aspect, this dock's low profile formfactor means it won’t stick out much more than your other adapters and plugs, and it’s a bit shorter than the Nintendo Switch power supply. If you’re aiming to squeeze an extension socket down the back of your TV unit, it’s not going to hamper your efforts more than most other chargers, but I’d avoid placing it in a tight space anyway so you can actually connect things to it.
While using the Acefast GaN Smart PD Charger Hub with my Samsung TV, I didn’t experience any connection issues, wakeup delays, or any other visual red flags. What did pose a threat to my usual Steam Deck TV approach is the fact it lacks Ethernet, which throws any networking performance tests out the window. Still, I gave Steam Link a whirl using the accessory and it worked fairly well, but I did experience a few more connection glitches compared to my usual wired setup.
To see if the Charger Hub can survive a play session, I decided to kick back and play some indie games on the couch. My selection this time around includes the Zelda-like Tunic and Dredge, an eerie, but admittedly relaxing, fishing adventure. Rather than using a wireless gamepad, I decided to also use my Thrustmaster eSwap Pro controller, as I wanted to put the dock’s singular USB port to work.
After sailing the sinister waters of the archipelago, and chipping away at the challenging fox game, I’m satisfied that the Acefast GaN Smart PD Charger Hub holds up as an ultra portable Steam Deck dock. I initially thought only having one USB port would make me grumpy, but honestly, I don’t think there’s much of a need for an expansive IO in this scenario. Plus, if you really want to have your cake and eat it, you could just pair this compact accessory with a USB hub, so long as you’re mindful that it provides 65W Power Delivery rather than the typical 100W, as that’ll matter with gutsy peripherals.
Should you buy the Acefast GaN Smart PD Charger Hub?
The Acefast GaN Smart PD Charger Hub is an extremely compact Steam Deck dock and a valuable space saver. You should absolutely consider this accessory over a cradle-style dock if you’re not looking to pack an additional charger when travelling, and it’ll keep both your smartphone and other devices charged too.
While there are plenty of alternatives on the market for less than $49.99 with more ports and somewhere to sit your Deck, most of them don’t include an additional charger. Therefore, the Acefast GaN Smart PD Charger Hub is practically two accessories in one, even if it only has one USB port. Sadly, I can only recommend this dock to US players at the moment, and a UK version may end up receiving less praise on the design front. However, I’m hopeful that the hub’s existence will influence other manufacturers to fill the gap, and I’ll be watching out for an equivalent that covers more regions.
How I tested the Acefast GaN Smart PD Charger Hub
I used the Acefast GaN Smart PD Charger Hub as my go to Steam Deck dock for a week. To test connectivity, I played Tunic and Dredge using a Samsung TV and Thrustmaster eSwap Pro wired controller, which enabled me to test HDMI output and USB input. If you’d like to learn more about the way we test Steam Deck accessories and other PC gaming peripherals, check out our GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy for more information.
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