If you aren't sure about a dock, you should at least look at getting an inexpensive usb hub. I found that and a 3d-printed stand was good enough for propping it up to use with kb/m on occasion.
Other than that, for me at least, installing Anydesk made things much easier to set things up in desktop mode and transfer files from my desktop pc.
This is the first I've heard of Anydesk. Does that basically mean I can operate the steam deck in desktop mode from my actual computer? If so, that would be amazingly handy! (I'm particularly glad they have a version for Mac.)
Hey I've just installed AnyDesk on the Steam Deck and my Mac. It's consistently disconnecting after exactly 1m. Is that normal behavior for a free tier user?