Gaming handhelds are fun devices on their own, giving users the ability to play the latest PC games in a mobile form factor. But the experience of using the best gaming handhelds becomes a lot better when you pair them with neat accessories, and these can be as simple as a power bank or as advanced as smart glasses. Depending on how you travel, it might be tricky to bring all those accessories with you on-the-go.

Jsaux's Carrying Case aims to solve this problem, as it's much more than just a gaming handheld case. This hard shell case holds your handheld and has a few clever ways of storing both big and small accessories. However, all that space comes at the expense of portability, so there are a few key trade-offs that are worth considering. As a result, this case will be most appreciated by people who want to make no sacrifices while gaming on-the-go with their PC handheld.

About this review: This review was written after a week of testing a Carrying Case provided by Jsaux. The company had no input in this review, and did not see its contents before publishing.

Pricing and availability

Jsaux's Carrying Case will hold the Steam Deck and the Asus ROG Ally inside, but the case does not fit the Lenovo Legion Go. There are two versions of the carrying case sold on Amazon, with one offering less storage space in the bottom compartment than the other. I reviewed the larger version, which can be identified via the BG0106A model number. It retails for $26 on Amazon, but can be found for a few dollars cheaper on Jsaux's website. There is only one colorway available, and it's a dark heather gray.

What I like

The case has a strong outer shell and soft fabric on the inside

At its core, the Jsaux Carrying Case is a hard shell case that will provide a lot of protection when you aren't using your handheld. This is ideal for traveling or general storage, but it will make your handheld more difficult to access than something like Jsaux's ModCase. The outside of the Carrying Case is strong and sturdy, and the case holds its shape regardless of whether it's full or empty. This can be a good thing, since the hard shell will protect against drops, but it also means the case is always large and can't collapse for portability.

Overall, the Jsaux Carrying Case looks to be well-designed in terms of both protection and functionality. While the outside is hard, the inside is lined with a soft fabric that won't scratch your gaming handheld. There are double zippers that open and close the case, and doing so feels smooth. If I had to pick one area where the Carrying Case looks the weakest, it would be the spots where the handle joins with the body of the case. But if size is not a concern, it'll be hard to find a more sturdy and durable case for a gaming handheld.

There's a lot of room for accessories in the bottom compartment

The thing that separates the Jsaux Carrying Case from the competition is the large bottom compartment that can be used to hold accessories. When I travel with my ROG Ally, two essential accessories I take with me are UGreen's 145W Power Bank and a high power delivery wall charger. Depending on how you use your handheld devices, a few other products might be worth bringing along. Next up on my list would be a great ROG Ally dock and other peripherals. With the Jsaux Carrying Case, all of these accessories can fit inside the lower compartment without issue.

There is plenty of room inside Jsaux's Carrying Case, which can be used as the starting point for a complete mobile gaming kit. I usually spend a few minutes fumbling around my tech bag when I want to play the ROG Ally on-the-go, because I store my power bank, cables, headphones, and the handheld in separate compartments. With this carrying case, everything could be stored in one location, making it simple to grab all you need for mobile gaming at once. But this only works for accessories you only use for gaming. It'll be brutal to have to pull out your entire case just to charge your phone with your power bank.

I like that, more often than not, Jsaux gives you empty areas compared to pre-sized slots. In my experience, compartments can do more harm than good, because you might be out of luck if your accessories don't fit. The entire bottom compartment is open space that can be used for anything shorter than 53mm in height. The one exception is the SD card slots, which can hold either full-size or micro-SD cards.

What I don't like

It's really, really thick — and that might be a serious consideration

Thickness is a consequence of how big that bottom compartment is, and it might rule out this case for some people. In the image above, I propped up my Google Pixel Fold against the side of the Jsaux Carrying Case for comparison, and it's staggering. The case is more than double the thickness of the Steam Deck, and about triple the thickness of the ROG Ally. On my most recent trip, I wasn't able to take advantage of the travel benefits I mentioned above, because the case wouldn't fit in my bag. I would caution against buying this case if you plan to put it inside another bag most of the time.

However, you might be able to get past the thickness if you plan to use the Jsaux Carrying Case as a standalone solution. If that's the case, this option will be notably lighter and slimmer than traveling with a full-size backpack or messenger.

A gaming handheld might move around if you don't fill up the bottom area

If you're buying this case, you need to use the bottom compartment, and there are two reasons for that. First, this is a hard shell case, so the space is already going to be taken up whether you use it or not. More importantly, filling the bottom area up provides much-needed support for your handheld. If there's nothing in there, your handheld will sink into the bottom compartment, creating enough space on the top for it to rattle around.

Should you buy the Jsaux Carrying Case?

You should buy the Jsaux Carrying Case if:

• You want to travel with a lot of accessories
• You have an ROG Ally or Steam Deck
• You aren't concerned with the thickness of your case

You should NOT buy the Jsaux Carrying Case if:

• You would rather travel light with your gaming handheld
• You have a Lenovo Legion Go
• You prioritize thickness in a case

Although there are a few compromises that come with the Jsaux Carrying Case, it offers a no-compromises gaming experience. A typical case might let you fit a few SD cards or a charger inside, but not much more. Things like a power bank or USB hub — that can elevate the gaming experience — must be left behind. With this carrying case, you can bring all of those accessories with your gaming handheld on-the-go. If that's more appealing to you than a slim form factor, you'll enjoy the Jsaux Carrying Case. Personally, I'd prefer to keep my mobile gaming setup as slim as possible, so this case isn't for me.