Game On: The race for gaming handhelds heats up

Looking at the many devices vying to be the next Nintendo Switch

It’s the last week of March and as I wrap up my last session on Communication Research Methods (yes, in my other life I teach). One of the students in the class opens her bag and delicately brings out a wide dark grey case.

As she stands up and more of the case comes into view, my mind estimates that within the case could be an extraordinarily wide gaming controller. She pops the case open and out comes a Nintendo Switch-like device, except that it is a lot wider and heavier.

---

She shows me the device and through her excitement, I observe the device supports a full version of Windows 11 and plays Red Dead Redemption II from the go. As the conversation in the room quickly turns to the device in question, I observe my student’s enthusiasm as she details the number of part-time shifts she had to pick up to afford the ONEXPLAYER, and how the device has quickly become her go-to for work and play.

Amidst the discussion, I can’t help but think about the remarkably rapid developments in the handheld gaming space since the launch of the Steam Deck in 2022. It’s worth noting that the ONEXPLAYER is not the only device of its kind; Asus has recently begun trialling its own handheld, the ROG Ally, and Microsoft is reportedly considering the development of a handheld version of Windows 11.

Handhelds suddenly seem to be the form factor of choice, as most industry watchers expect Sony to return with a successor to the PSP and PS Vita as well. These developments, while encouraging, mark a radical departure from 2017 when Nintendo launched the Switch, and many people wondered what the hybrid console could offer with its ageing Nvidia Tegra X1 chip.

However, six years on, with games like Breath of the Wild and Animal Crossing: New Horizons in its quiver, Nintendo’s supremacy in the handheld gaming market is now being challenged.

These developments are a great sign for the everyday gamer as they now have a new form to consider when they make their gaming decisions. Especially when you consider that these devices are not just novel experiments but remarkable pieces of engineering that pack significant computing power that is cooled by innovative mechanisms that match their small chassis. If you could play The Witcher III on a device like the Nintendo Switch uncompromised, wouldn’t you?

This sudden spurt of activity in the handheld space isn’t an unexpected one but rather an outcome of the remarkable progress made with mobile gaming. In a world where the ROG 7 Ultimate exists, the Ally is a logical extension.

However, the question remains: will game developers embrace these new devices in the long run? Ideally, the ability to play a flagship game both in a docked mode and on-the-go should be the next step for game developers to consider if we wish to make games more environmentally sustainable and accessible.

If as a consequence, these devices also function as Windows PCs, it would be a welcome bonus, especially since most of us have always used our PCs for gaming. Approaching the dynamic in reverse could be quite interesting.