One of the best accessories you can get for a great PC gaming handheld is a docking station. It can open up new possibilities for devices like the Steam Deck or Asus ROG Ally, turning it into a TV console or a desktop PC setup. On paper, Jsaux's 12-in-1 RGB Docking Station might seem like a great option. It can power two external monitors, has a lot of ports, and includes RGB lighting around its base.

All of those things are true, but after using the device, it's clear that none of those things matter. The Jsaux RGB Docking Station costs $90 but has the materials and construction of a $20 product, making this docking station impossible to recommend. There are plenty of other great docks that you'd be better off getting instead.

About this review: This review was written after a week of testing an RGB Docking Station provided by Jsaux, and the company had no input into its contents.

Pricing and availability

Jsaux sells both 12-in-1 and 8-in-1 options of its RGB docking station. I reviewed the 12-in-1 model, which retails for $90 and comes in either white or black. There is also a new version of the 12-in-1 dock that will begin shipping later this month and adds features like ALLM, VRR via HDMI 2.1, and HDR. For now, you can get the 12-in-1 dock that I reviewed (model number HB1201) at Amazon and Jsaux's website.

What I like

The RGB lighting is cooler than I expected

I was surprised by how much I liked the RGB accent lighting along the base of the Jsaux RGB Docking Station. Overall, this docking station couldn't match the appearance of my ROG Ally better. It has the same white aesthetic as Asus' handheld, and the RGB blends in well with the lighting around the joysticks built into the Ally. Personally, I think the RGB would look tacky if the ROG Ally didn't have accent lighting as well.

But since the ROG Ally does have neat RGB lighting around the joysticks, the lights on the Jsaux RGB Docking Station help tie the whole setup together. Plus, you can customize the lighting using OpenRGB software with six built-in lighting modes. You might be stuck figuring out how to turn the RGB lighting off because there isn't a hardware button. Instead, it's a touch-capacitive surface on the top of the docking station that turns it on or off. The lighting and aesthetics are the main reasons why you might be able to look past the glaring issues with this product, but I still wouldn't recommend it.

It has the perfect number of ports and good specs

The available ports are another way that Jsaux has made the RGB Docking Station capable, both by the amount on hand and their specifications. I recently reviewed the Ugreen USB-C Docking Station, and while it's better overall than the RGB Docking Station, the former only had the bare minimum number of ports. There are both HDMI and DisplayPort available on the RGB Docking Station, and you can power two external monitors at the same time. I do find the decision to add one of each port perplexing since it's unlikely a user would have one DisplayPort monitor and another HDMI monitor. It all but guarantees both DisplayPort and HDMI users will need an adapter.

There's also an Ethernet port that brought the full Gigabit Ethernet speeds available in my area to my ROG Ally, but I wouldn't expect speeds much better than that. You can use a USB-C port with 100W power delivery to keep your handheld charged up, and there's another USB-C port that supports the USB 3.2 spec onboard. You'll also find two USB-A ports with USB 3.2 and another with USB 2.0. There's a headphone jack, microSD card slot, and an SD card slot — but only one SD card reader can be used at a time. All told, the ports are excellent; they just need to be inside much better housing.

What I don't like

You have to find the perfect resting angle, or it'll tip over

The first way that the RGB Docking Station went wrong was in the retractable stand for your gaming handheld. In an attempt to make it more versatile, the plastic stand can retract to hold your handheld device like a typical dock. However, it can also remain closed, looking more like a desktop USB hub. But this means that the handheld must be placed at the perfect angle to prevent the dock from tipping over. I used my ROG Ally, the lightest of the "big three" gaming handhelds. I'm not sure if the heavier weight of the Steam Deck and Lenovo Legion Go would fix this problem or make it worse. Either way, Jsaux should have committed to a sturdier stand or not included one at all.

The housing is made of cheap plastic, and you can tell

There's a lot of good inside the Jsaux RGB Docking Station, and you might be wondering whether the cheap build quality I've referenced is really that bad. The best way I can describe the brittle construction of the RGB Docking Station is through a single anecdote: it rattles. I'm not sure if the rattling comes from the retractable stand or something else on the inside, but it's there regardless. Aside from that, the plastic simply feels cheap — in the way you can tell when you first hold it.

It's important to remember that this is a $90 product, or at least that's what Jsaux is asking for it. If this docking station were about $50 cheaper, it would be a lot easier to get past the shortcuts taken in its construction. Unfortunately, at its current price, you won't feel like you're getting good value. Adding to the meager experience are included stickers that you have to put on the dock yourself, which made me think of the RGB Docking Station as a toy rather than a useful piece of tech.

Should you buy the Jsaux RGB Docking Station?

You should buy the Jsaux RGB Docking Station if:

• All you care about is the number of ports available and RGB lighting
• You're willing to sacrifice build quality to get those features

You should NOT buy the Jsaux RGB Docking Station if:

• You're on a budget or are looking for a good value purchase
• You'd prefer a metal or aluminum construction in a docking station
• You don't care about RGB lighting

Jsaux could make the RGB Docking Station one of the best USB accessories on the market by switching from a plastic to an aluminum build. The RGB lighting is cool, and the included ports are the right fit for the hardcore gamer looking to get the most out of their PC handheld. If the build quality was slightly poor, those two positives might outweigh the negatives. But the build quality is so far below what should be expected at a $90 price point, and nobody should buy it.