Dbrand’s Steam Deck case is fixed — and there’s a ROG Ally version now

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The Asus ROG Ally handheld PC in a Dbrand Killswitch case. | Images: Dbrand

Your Asus ROG Ally gaming handheld is brilliantly white, and that will not stand: you’ve decided your gadgets must be black. Or... maybe you just want a rugged case that’ll survive a drop or three? Either way, Dbrand thinks it’s got what you need — a $60 Killswitch case like the one it makes for the Steam Deck that’ll ship early next year.

“But wait,” I will pretend to hear some of you thinking, “Didn’t Dbrand royally screw that up? Didn’t The Verge trigger a million-dollar recall when you folks discovered it interfered with a Steam Deck fan?”

Yes — but Dbrand did rapidly recall them, admitted its mistake, then shipped a replacement Killswitch 2.0 that I’ve been testing for months with no issue. It’s still an impressively rugged, form-fitting shell with loads of grippy texture, even if I personally prefer the bare Steam Deck without the extra material.

For the Steam Deck version, Dbrand replaced its original magnetic accessory mount this spring with a twist-to-lock bayonet version instead. Not only does it nicely secure the included kickstand but Dbrand also sells and lets you 3D print your own universal mounts so you can attach the Steam Deck to other objects or strap on a big external battery:

The new Asus ROG Ally version doesn’t have that accessory mount, though — instead, it’s got a fixed kickstand above a huge mesh grille to let the Ally vent properly.

Image: Dbrand

This is the ROG Ally version.

“After last year’s magnet debacle, we wanted to avoid any mishaps with the ROG Ally. As such, we’ve been working directly with the Asus ROG engineering team to ensure compatibility with their hardware,” CEO Adam Ijaz tells me.

Asus told Dbrand which vents are purely decorative and which are needed for airflow, according to Ijaz — and paid Dbrand to design the Ally version, for that matter. He also says it’s got plenty of clearance for “all charging cables” and Asus’ XG Mobile external GPU connector. (Dbrand’s Steam Deck case, by comparison, requires a short USB-C extension to accommodate the official Steam Deck Dock’s low-profile cable.)

Images: Dbrand

Also ROG Ally.

The Killswitch doesn’t make your ROG Ally turn black all by itself, BTW — there’s also an included two-piece matte black skin that covers the parts that aren’t covered by the case. You should be able to swap it out for a Verge skin at launch, if you’d rather, or any other skin the company sells — including an unreleased “teardown” skin that lets you “see through” at least part of the handheld.

Image: Dbrand

The kickstand is a bulge you can’t remove on the Ally version, but it does fold flat between the grips.

Like the Steam Deck version, the Ally kickstand has built-in slots to store your extra microSD cards in its foot. And like the Steam Deck version, you can add a rigid snap-on “Travel Cover” for an extra $15 so you can throw the whole thing in a bag without much concern for its screen or sticks. You can also buy the case, travel cover, and a pair of grippy thumbstick covers as a set for $75.

Dbrand’s taking $3 refundable deposits for the ROG Ally Killswitch case today — the plan is to begin shipping in Q1 2024.