I frequently mention my love of handheld gaming, which I was excited to experience with PC games through the Steam Deck a few years back. In my teenage years I was very much a PC gamer, but as I moved into full time work and spent most my days sat in front of a computer it meant I wasn't as keen to do so after hours.

Perhaps this is one of the attractions with portable devices, as it means I could simply kick back on the sofa or sit outside and enjoy a game without being tethered to a desk.

Now the Steam Deck definitely is portable, but unlike a GameBoy it's size and weight means you really need to lean it onto a surface during a playing session. So when using the device at home I really liked the idea of having a dock so I could lean back and only need to worry about holding a lightweight controller.

Unfortunately the aspiration of being able to pair any bluetooth controller with my Steam Deck didn't quite come to be.

I started off using my trusty 8BitDo SN30 controller which I always loved due to it's SNES styling. At first everything looked positive as it was quickly registered as a bluetooth controller and seemed to work as expected.

Unfortunately when I sat on the sofa to use it the controller would frequently seem to drop out, meaning playing games became very frustrating. If I perched right at the end of my sofa it helped, but it could still have issues and it certainly wasn't very comfortable to sit like that.

So I tried a PS4 controller, but found the same issue. Perhaps it was interference from my wifi router, so I moved the Steam Deck further away but the problem persisted.

Finally I decided to splash out on the official Steam Deck dock after originally buying a cheaper 3rd party alternative. That must be the issue right? Wrong, after shelling out for another piece of black plastic I was none the better for it.

I'd pretty much given up hope, until recently I stumbled on the 8BitDo Ultimate Controller. 

What caught my eye was that it could use the 2.4GHz range which I thought may sidestep the bluetooth issues I seemed to be suffering from.

It also had hall effect joysticks, which after several Switch joycon repairs I hoped would give it a better useful lifespan.

A dock was also included, which means I could always ensure it was charged up and ready to go. 

Something in my gut told me this was the answer, so without too much further thought I ordered it

Once it came I plugged in the dock and within seconds I was using the controller with the Steam Deck, no further configuration required.

I sat down on the sofa and felt a wave of relief wash over me as the controller worked flawlessly. After all the disappointment and time spent troubleshooting I finally had a way to experience my Steam Deck library on the big screen comfortably.

Thank you 8BitDo!