Key Takeaways
- Larger screens on gaming handhelds provide immersive gaming experiences and better readability in games with small text.
- However, the trend towards bigger screens may compromise portability and battery life, making it difficult to travel with these devices.
- The shift towards Arm technology in PC gaming handhelds may lead to thinner, lighter devices in the future, potentially changing the landscape of portable gaming.
PC gaming handhelds have been around for years, but it’s fair to say that most people didn’t really take them seriously until the Steam Deck came around. Inspired by the success of the Nintendo Switch and the Steam Deck itself, there are now dozens of gaming handhelds coming from all kinds of companies.
But one thing that’s become apparent with each one that comes out is that they seem to be getting bigger and bigger, something that culminated for me recently when I reviewed the One Xplayer X1. That’s a gaming handheld with a massive 11-inch display, and it just makes me wonder where we’re going with this. I think it’s time to slow down with these increasingly large screens and consider what we’re actually using these things for.
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The benefits of larger screens
Immersion is very important for gaming
Before we get into the complaining, I want to say that I get why screens are getting bigger. There are benefits, and I’m not oblivious to them.
First and foremost, a larger screen means whatever you’re playing is going to feel that much more immersive, as well as make things more readable in games with small text. It’s a pretty big advantage considering gaming is all about immersion. When I played games on the One Xplayer X1, I definitely felt like the game world took over most of my field of view and I could enjoy it a lot more as a result.
There are other benefits, too. A larger handheld means there might be space for a bigger battery and better cooling, so you can get better battery life and performance out of it, at least in theory. But that’s where the problems begin, because with most PC gaming handhelds aside from the Steam Deck, battery life is still not amazing. The One Xplayer X1 lasted me a little over two hours playing Forza Horizon 5so that’s not a huge benefit.
But what happens to portability?
You can’t take these things wherever you want
Here’s the thing, though. The reason handhelds exist and are successful is that people want something they can easily pick up and play during downtime and when they’re out and about. I do think that a lot of the downtime people have still happens at home, but if you want to travel with your gaming handheld, devices like the Lenovo Legion Go, One Xplayer X1, or even the Steam Deck just get a bit cumbersome. In the case of the Steam Deck, that’s mainly because of the huge trackpads on the sides, but still.
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Many people already felt this way about the Nintendo Switch, coming from pocketable handhelds like the Nintendo 3DS and the DS before it. But the Switch is still decently manageable. I actually have a jacket with pockets big enough to fit a whole Switch OLED, and I’ve made use of that many times in the past. Plus, it’s a light enough device that even if I carry it in my hand, it’s not really tiring.
But when you look at these bigger handhelds, they can get much heavier. The Nintendo Switch OLED weighs a little over 420 grams, including the Joy-Con. The Lenovo Legion Go without controllers weighs 640 grams, and goes up to 845 grams with the controllers. A One Xplayer X1 without the controllers weighs 789 grams. And in terms of size, stuffing an 11-inch tablet with controllers into a bag is going to be far harder than the Switch with its 7-inch display. And of course, you can forget about having pockets big enough for one of these. You just can’t travel with these things the way you can with the Switch.
On top of that, the weight makes it tiring to play for long periods, at least on the One Xplayer X1. You can’t hold these handhelds in your hands for too long without starting to cramp. Though you might say the same for the Switch because of its flat design, to be fair.
The trend is catching on
But mass market success is hard without portability
If it was only One Xplayer making a large handheld like this, I wouldn’t be too concerned. It’s a relatively small company with minimal impact on the overall landscape. But the Lenovo Legion Go is a very popular device from a major company, and it looks like it might become a trend. Other brands also have really large handhelds, like the Ayaneo Kun.
More concerning to me is that it seems even Nintendo may be going down this path. Rumors have indicated for a while that the Switch 2 (or whatever it ends up being called) will feature an 8-inch display, and this makes me worry for the future of portable gaming devices. If we are getting larger screens, I hope Nintendo can still buck the trend and try to keep its next console as portable as possible, or at least have a Lite variant similar to what we have with the current Switch.
In fact, I’d say that’s essential for its success. These super large devices aren’t going to sell well with younger audiences because they’re simply too big for children. A Switch is already on the larger side, but it’s still manageable for almost anyone, especially with the Switch Lite model. The smaller screen and thin flat design make it possible for the handheld to fit in anyone’s hands, which you can’t really say about the Lenovo Legion Go. And younger users are a big part of Nintendo’s market.
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Can Arm change things?
Less heat, less cooling, less weight
The thing about PC gaming handhelds when compared to the Switch is that what powers them is very different. The Nintendo Switch can be as thin and light as it is in part because it has an Arm processor, which runs very efficiently and with relatively low power. That gives it great battery life and makes it possible to keep the system cool with a relatively simple cooling solution.
Most of the PC gaming handhelds out there need thick cooling solutions because they run x86 processors that get very hot and use a lot more power. This is part of the reason they’re much thicker and heavier, but also louder, on top of generally having worse battery life. Companies may be making these large handhelds because they know that portability can’t be their strong suit.
But with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X series coming to PCs later this year, I could see things starting to take a turn. If the benefits of Arm technology come to PC gaming handhelds, they can also be thinner and lighter, and at that point, smaller devices may make a lot more sense.
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I’d say this is more a matter of “when” than “if”, so we just have to wait and see what PC manufacturers come up with. However, it may be some time until PC gaming handhelds with Arm can take off, since game compatibility is likely to be a problem.
It’s still early days
We’re still within the first year of the life of most Steam Deck competitors, so whether big screens will be a trend or not should become clearer in the coming year or so. As we see potential successors to the Asus ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, or even the Steam Deck itself, the trends for the industry will start to materialize soon enough. For now, I’ll keep my hopes up that truly portable gaming handhelds aren’t dead yet.