When I think of Razer, I think of two things: RGB lighting, and expensive. But surprisingly only one of those applies to the Handheld Dock Chroma, a USB-C dock designed for the Steam Deck and similar PC-based handheld gaming gadgets. The 6-in-1 dock-slash-stand should work with any of them, and do so for $79.99 USD.
That’s not cheap, certainly — it’s more expensive than any number of third-party Steam Deck dock/stand accessories on Amazon. But it’s the same price as Valve’s official Steam Deck Docking Station. Razer’s take on the form factor also has a fold-down top that turns it into a sleek little black box when not in use. That makes it a bit more portable, and it’s a nice aesthetic addition.
Razer
The Handheld Dock Chroma, naturally, features Razer’s Chroma RGB lighting, in just one strip on the front. Razer’s press release says that this lighting is “customizable,” but exactly how much you can do with it wasn’t described. I’ll also point out that this dock uses HDMI video output, but lacks DisplayPort as found on Valve’s dock. That seems okay, since I think the number of people using a handheld with a multi-monitor setup is probably pretty limited.
I wonder if the relatively aggressive pricing of the dock comes from the fact that devices like the Steam Deck functions as a relatively inexpensive entry point for PC gaming. It’s up for pre-order now, and should hit retailers at the end of January.
What if you’re not interested in the Steam Deck or its many imitators, and you’d prefer some extra functional bling for your desktop? Then check out Razer’s latest (and I believe first?) monitor stand. That’s “stand” in the sense that you stick a monitor on top of it, not a VESA arm. It’s a fairly typical shelf-style riser at 19.7 inches long and 8.27 inches deep (that’s 500mm and 235mm, if you use a civilized measuring system).
Razer
The aluminum riser features a built-in USB-C hub with two USB-A ports and an extra USB-C (3.2) port on the side and HDMI 2.0 on the rear, making it a pretty good pair for a laptop that doesn’t need an external GPU. And of course it has RGB lights, sleekly glowing just under the front of the riser. Unlike the handheld dock, the Monitor Stand Chroma is a pretty pricey proposition at $200. It’s up for pre-order today, no word on when it’ll start shipping.
