Key Takeaways
- Innovation in gaming handheld design is crucial for the industry’s growth.
- Consumers may not always embrace new releases, but diversity is key.
- Companies like Ayaneo and One XPlayer X1 are pushing boundaries, offering new gaming experiences.
I want gaming handhelds to get weird. We’re already reaching a homogenized design of gaming handhelds: glass slab in the middle, controls on either side, a USB-C port (two if you’re feeling fancy), maybe a kickstand, and that’s about it. Safe and easy to use, that’s all companies are going for, but greatness isn’t necessarily defined by what’s easy to use or iterating on already existing designs. A prime example of that is the Nintendo Switch; who thought that was going to do well when it first launched?
To be fair to the PC gaming handheld industry, there are a ton of players in the space that are starting to get weird with it. To me, the best example is Ayaneo, with fantastic devices like the Ayaneo Slide and Flip DS coming to mind. If there’s any company trying something different in this space, then that company is by far the best today. The frequent release cycle is something that puts consumers off, understandably, but you can’t say the company isn’t innovating.
To that end, the One XPlayer X1 is another gaming handheld trying something new and exciting. Its performance isn’t great and it’s arguably too big for a gaming handheld, but it’s something different that offers variety. With a 3-in-1 concept that turns it into a tablet or a laptop too, it has versatility, even if it’s not necessarily a good handheld.
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To innovate, products don’t have to initially be great
Future iterations can bring improvements
PC gaming handhelds have only gained popularity in the last year or two. During this period, numerous players have entered the space, each offering their unique interpretation of what a gaming handheld should be. The Lenovo Legion Go serves as an excellent example. Although marred by performance issues and software bugs, its design is fundamentally sound. Featuring robust build quality, a strong kickstand, detachable controllers, and a large screen, it harbors the potential for greatness.
That said, even though Lenovo may not have nailed it on its first attempt, there’s always room for improvement in subsequent iterations. It’s rare for products to reach perfection in their inaugural generation—as exemplified by the immediate success of the Steam Deck in a new product category. Lenovo is on the right track, and I’m excited to see how the Legion Go 2, confirmed to be in development, addresses these initial concerns.
Innovation often leads to unique, sometimes “weird” products. Companies frequently experiment with concept designs, which is precisely what many of these devices are. For instance, Ayaneo is mass-producing these devices to some extent, but products like the Slide and the Flip DS may not be widely available for purchase after a year. These limited runs are crucial for determining what works and what doesn’t, and the lessons learned by the companies trying new things can benefit the entire industry. For anything that’s wildly successful, it pushes competitors to do better, too.
As for the consumers, reviews play a vital role in highlighting when a product delivers a subpar experience. Enthusiasts might pre-order these devices, knowing fully well what to expect. Generally, consumers are advised to wait, and non-enthusiasts seeking a gaming handheld will likely lean towards more established options like the Steam Deck or possibly the Asus ROG Ally.
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Gaming handhelds don’t seem to be slowing down
Great for innovation, expensive for consumers
With Asus announcing that the ROG Ally X is just around the corner, somewhere between a Pro model and a successor to the original ROG Ally, it leaves consumers in a weird spot. Valve has essentially console-ified the Steam Deck, but other handheld makers in the space seem to be set on more frequent releases. The ROG Ally X coming out less than two years after the original ROG Ally means that consumers may feel left behind, but then again, the PC gaming space has always been a bit different to consoles in that regard, anyway.
To both Valve and Lenovo’s credit in that regard, both companies have confirmed that successors won’t be coming for a while. They’re expensive devices, and you’re less likely to get someone upgrading from the Steam Deck OLED to a Steam Deck 2, and the same goes for people who have an Asus ROG Ally as well. The ROG Ally X won’t attract anyone who has the original, but it may be enough to pull someone over the line who has been eyeing up one for a while.
All of this is to say that I want gaming handhelds to get weird, to be different, and I think that companies should be comfortable iterating and building concepts that may not necessarily take off, but will lay the groundwork for future innovations that will work. While companies like Valve and Nintendo do that prototyping internally, some companies proudly show off concepts. Lenovo did just that with a transparent screen a few months ago, and I’m sure they’ve built other gaming handhelds internally, too.
Do something different and keep it fresh and fun. Gaming is meant to be fun, after all.