Valve has revealed that 20 percent of Steam Deck users are using the official Dock. That wording matters. Official Dock — not the cheap USB-C hubs, not the random Amazon specials, not the third-party docks everyone buys. Just the first-party one. This came out during Valve’s interview with IGN, and it says a lot more than it seems on the surface.
When you remember that Valve has already shipped millions of Steam Decks, that 20 percent becomes a pretty big number. One out of every five Deck owners has plugged it into a TV using the official dock alone. And again, that doesn’t include the people using cheaper hubs and adapters, which is probably most of the userbase.
So the real number of players trying the Deck in docked mode is definitely much higher.
Dock mode is more popular than people think
From Valve’s point of view, this confirms something they’ve been quietly shaping SteamOS around for a while: a lot of people aren’t just using the Deck handheld. They’re sticking it under a TV and playing it like a living-room system.
I’m definitely in that group. Over the last year, I’ve probably spent more time playing in docked mode than handheld. Older AAA games run surprisingly well when you’re on a couch with a proper controller, and plenty of them can be pushed up to 1440p or even 4K. It’s been great going back through older titles that really shine on a big screen.
And it’s not just old games. New indie titles like Ball x Pit run nicely in docked mode too, and it feels natural playing them on a TV.
But docked mode has its limits
Some games simply don’t hold up on a bigger display. Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a good example. It’s fine handheld, but the moment you throw it onto a 1080p or 4K TV, it struggles. The Deck was built first for handheld play, and once you blow things up to living-room sizes, its weaknesses show.
Plenty of other games have similar issues. That’s just the nature of the hardware.
Valve has clearly been paying attention
These numbers explain a lot of the updates Valve has been rolling out — better external display handling, UI improvements that feel nicer on TV, smoother controller navigation, and quality-of-life tweaks that make the Deck less awkward when you’re sitting across the room.
Dock mode isn’t just an afterthought anymore. Valve knows a huge chunk of Deck players are using it this way, and SteamOS has slowly been getting more and more friendly toward TV setups.
Looking ahead
What this all shows is simple: docked play has shaped Valve’s thinking. When one-fifth of your audience uses a first-party accessory — before counting the unofficial stuff — it’s obvious people want the option of using SteamOS beyond a handheld screen.
And with the Steam Machine on the way, it’s hard not to see the connection. But that’s a conversation for another article.
