The most popular handheld gaming PC on the market right now, theSteam Deck, has now received its first custom transparent outer shell, allowing users to replace the original with something that has a little more visual flair. While transparent electronics may have been all the rage back in the late 1990s and the early aughts, they seem to be making a resurgence as of late.
Being one of themost popular pieces of gaming hardware of 2022, it was practically a given that the Steam Deck would receive its own set of transparent goodies. Up until now, however, there wasn’t anything of the like on the market, short of vinyl skins that showed off the gadget’s interior to a somewhat accurate extent.
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MostSteam Deckusers won’t be surprised to hear that it was JSAUX who managed to push out the very first transparent outer shell for the device. Having previously been a little-known niche electronics brand, JSAUX has now specialized in producing a wide variety of Deck accessories. The company’s latest release is the PC0106 Transparent Back Plate with three different sets of back buttons that users can swap out according to their preference, possibly making it easier to press all four of these controls while gaming.
JSAUX made a name for itself by being one of the first companies to provide anunofficial docking station for the Steam Deck, way before Valve itself managed to launch its own first-party alternative. The rest of the JSAUX repertoire consists of custom carrying cases, screen protectors, various kinds of hubs, and other Deck-related gadgetry. A potentially major downside to these offerings, however, is that shipping sometimes takes a long while, since the company is based in China.
Steam Deck users running Game Boy cartridgescan now make their handheld gaming PC look like the retro gaming powerhouse that it is, but it’s worth pointing out that there are some downsides to this custom shell replacement. Namely, JSAUX isn’t providing a full shell replacement, but just the backplate at this time. This means that only the rear half of the customized Deck will be showing off its internals. Further, the company logo is embossed onto the case rather prominently, which won’t be to everyone’s taste.
As ever, more customization is great news for the community, and JSAUX is known for iterating on its products as time goes on. Those who’d enjoy using a half-transparent Steam Deck but don’t even own the device in the first place don’t need to wait, thankfully. It is now possible topurchase the Steam Deck without a reservation, meaning that getting one should be easy and quick by now.
