If you’re looking to pimp up your Steam Deck, then you’ve come to the right place! Check out the 3 best Steam Deck shells available here!
Yes, there are only 3 worth shouting about right now, but that’s ok; we’ll be updating this list as and when more come out.
So, what is a Steam Deck shell for those that don’t know?
Well, this isn’t a case that slips on and off your Stem Deck like a rubber sleeve; these are screw on face and back plates that replace the existing case on your Steam Deck.
As a result, it can be a pretty fiddly procedure, something that you’ll need to take your time with and not try to rush before heading out to work.
So, let’s check out the best of the small bunch below and get you on your way to making your Steam Deck 100 times cooler!
Note – Installing Steam Deck shells will void your warranty on your console.
1. eXtremeRate Transparent Clear Shell
Our top choice for the best Steam Deck shells has to be the eXtremeRate Transparent Clear Shell.
Having the ability to pimp your Steam Deck won’t make you play any better, but it will make your Steam Deck stand out more in the crowd. eXtremeRate have so many cool colours for their shells with both transparent and solid colour options available.
And, they cover both the front and the back of the console too.
You’ll get front and back plates, new buttons, and all the tools needed to open your Steam Deck up and install your new case.
It feels premium too; the ABS plastic feels nice in your hand, and having the ability to see how your Steam Deck ticks while you play never gets old.
It has optimum space for cooling on the back and the speaker ports on the front don’t muffle or mask any of the sound at all. Yes, if you’re after an extreme new look for your Steam Deck, then eXtremeRate have you covered!
2. JSAUX Transparent Back Plate
In at a close second behind the eXtremeRate shell is the JSAUX Transparent Back Plate, a cover that lets you look at the innards of your Steam Deck as though you were dissecting it in Dr. Jekyll’s lab.
One of the things we love the most about this setup is the fact that you can change the height of the rear buttons thanks to the three different rear button sets that the case comes with.
So, no matter how hard you like to press your buttons and how much resistance you want, JSAUX have got your back.
Once again, there’s plenty of cooling space thanks to the fan holes in the case itself, so you don’t need to worry about overheating.
The cases come in six different colours including a swish blue one that we’ve got our eye on!.
3. DEVASO Transparent Back Plate
Our final entry in our best Steam Deck shells list is the DEVASO Transparent Back Plate. This is a design that you’ll see copied under a few different business names, but we’ve opted to choose the Devaso variant as it’s the one we’ve encountered ourselves.
Let’s look at the pros here. It has a nice kickstand for placing on table if you need to grab a drink or just watch some replays while patting yourself on the back.
It also comes in a variety of colours too, and we’ve seen a nice matt black shell variant too that looks pretty swish.
The main con is that the cooling system is a little convoluted. It has thermal conductive sillicone that absorbs the heat into an aluminium plate, and then this heat is dissipated through thermal conduction.
That means that the case can get pretty hot while you’re playing, and you’ll need to twin it with the DEVASO semiconductor cooling plate module which makes the whole thing feel a little bulky.
Still, as there’s only currently three case designs on the market, we felt like we should include it so that you’ve got some extra choice!
While you’re here, why not take a look at how to play PS2 games on Steam Deck too!
Seb Santabarbara has bought every Nintendo console that has ever been released in his 33 years on Planet Earth. His favourite game franchise is Zelda, and he’s patiently waiting for Banjo-Kazooie to come back to the fold. When he’s not playing games, he’s travelling the world in his self-converted camper van.
