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Handheld gaming consoles have always held their place in the market and there are lots of powerful new options available, like the Steam Deck, along with old favorites like the Switch or PSP. However, for all their benefits, I have noticed several drawbacks.
1 Finding the Right Time
Most significantly, and maybe this is an age thing, the biggest issue I have with handhelds is finding the right time to play them. Sure, as a much younger man, there was always an opportunity—the daily commute to school or university, a quick stint before dinner, or an hour or two in bed before lights out. But, nowadays? Those golden opportunities to play video games are, more often than not, golden opportunities to do other things, important adult things.
On the rare occasion that I do have time for gaming, I’m more likely to switch on my TV and enjoy playing on the big screen rather than reach for a handheld. Even though I own a Nintendo Switch, I rarely play it as a handheld. I use it in its docking station on a fairly regular basis.
2 The Compact Size Affects Comfort
Another equally important drawback is the size, and I’m not just talking about the screen—the compact controllers are also an issue for me. Whether permanently connected or removable, the miniature buttons and joysticks are uncomfortable to use and can cause serious hand fatigue after playing for a while.
Not only do the handhelds cause hand fatigue, but they can also cause whole-body fatigue! The small screen size and compact nature of a handheld seem to require users to adopt a somewhat hunched posture, with their head down and arms tucked in at the elbows.
Sitting like this for an extended length of time is uncomfortable and can cause neck, shoulder, and back issues. Again, it’s difficult to see why this is appealing when you could be sitting comfortably on your sofa, using a full-sized controller, and gaming on your living room TV.
3 Limited Capabilities
The thing about most of the best handheld gaming consoles is that they’re dedicated to one function: gaming. They often fall short of accomplishing other tasks. For instance, many include an internet browser, media players, and app or email support. However, the interface for these features is often clunky and slow. It’s much easier to whip out your smartphone to complete any online tasks rather than deal with the slow menu screens and awkward keyboards offered on a handheld.
Moreover, if you did, for example, decide to listen to YouTube or play media on your handheld, you would probably notice that the sound quality can be substandard. Since these devices are designed to be as portable as possible, this usually leaves little room for high-quality speakers. Rather, music tends to sound tinny, lacks clarity, and has insufficient volume.
You can also install Windows on a Steam Deck, but it likely won’t measure up to a laptop or PC experience.
4 Battery Life
Finally, we come to battery life. In an effort to keep handhelds lightweight and as small as possible, the expected use time between charges can be something of an issue. For example, the Nintendo Switch might only last for 2.5 hours when doing intensive tasks, and even the latest Steam Deck runs out of juice after about 3 hours of heavy gaming.
Once the battery is depleted, then it’s time for a round of charging or continue using the device while it’s plugged in, which again begs the question, why not use a regular console?
To say that handhelds are unnecessary, though, is a stretch, and they do fulfill a particular need in the market, albeit for a younger generation. If, like me, you are more interested in comfortable experiences, then it might be time to forget the handhelds and stick to full-sized controllers and large-screen TVs.
