The gaming handheld market currently stands at an intersection. In one direction, I see affordable hardware that attempts to emulate the original goal set forth by Valve when it launched the $399 Steam Deck in 2022.
This week: I'm loading up my Steam Deck with games and emulators for heavy use on my flights to IFA in Berlin, while also enjoying the Battlefield 6 Open Beta on my desktop PC.
In the other direction, I see high-end hardware that continues to creep closer to what a gaming laptop can offer, with prices inflating to match the improved performance and features.
Sure, the intersection could remain open in both directions forever, with high-end and budget handhelds both being offered to cater to a wider range of customers. However, I can't help but notice some parallels to netbooks, which had their big moment for about six years before being phased out completely.
Netbooks had a good run, but there's a reason you can't buy them anymore
I remember first hearing about netbooks in 2008, but it was the 2007 ASUS Eee PC that really kicked things off. It ran Windows and Linux, it had a tiny touchpad and keyboard, and it measured just 9.1 x 6.7 inches and weighed about 2 pounds.
Compared to the average laptop of 2007, this thing was tiny. It was also a lot more affordable. It didn't take long for other companies, including Acer, Lenovo, Dell, Samsung, Toshiba, and HP, to see the growing popularity of the netbook, and the market was soon flooded with options.
Netbooks became so popular at one point that they began stealing significant market share from standard laptops, but that didn't last long.
I understand the appeal of netbooks ... sort of. I decided to take a cheap netbook with me on a backpacking trip so I could write while away from my desktop PC for a couple of months. A few weeks into my trip, I became so frustrated with the netbook's cramped keyboard and awful performance that I left it behind at a hostel, hoping someone else could make use of it.
In an effort to compete in the netbook market, companies began adding features and improved performance hardware, which caused netbooks to grow in size and price.
It was really Windows 7's launch in 2009 that saw the beginning of the end for netbooks. Windows 7 arrived with some hefty system requirements, and netbooks running the new OS were pushed into a portion of the market that was dangerously close to standard laptops.
The rising popularity of smartphones and tablets was ultimately the final death blow to netbooks. Sales fell dramatically in 2011 and 2012, and netbooks were quickly forgotten.
There were a few attempts in the following years to revive the netbook when PC makers saw the popularity of Chromebooks, but nothing really caught on.
Modern gaming handhelds draw a lot of parallels to netbooks
Gaming handhelds exploded into mainstream appeal roughly three years ago, largely due to the release of Valve's Steam Deck. It launched at a modest $399 (with a $649 model also available), undercutting gaming laptops without sacrificing too much performance.
The portability factor is what really sold the Steam Deck, at least for me. Despite having a beefy desktop PC, the Steam Deck was something I knew I'd get a lot of use out of as soon as I saw it.
It was perfect for travel, for hot summer months when I don't want to run a full PC, and for gaming anywhere but an office chair. Besides, it wasn't that expensive, at least for the base model, and it would run the vast majority of my favorite PC games in my Steam library.
Recognizing the appeal of the Steam Deck, other PC makers, including Acer, ASUS, Lenovo, and MSI, were quick to introduce their own gaming handheld models.
As I mentioned above, the handheld market is at an intersection, similar to what netbooks experienced in the early 2010s. No other company has been able to topple the Steam Deck's value, and it seems like most competing products are more concerned with outdoing each other rather than offering another budget-friendly option.
The ASUS ROG Ally sells for about $649.99, the ROG Ally X starts at $899.99, and the MSI Claw 8 AI+ comes in at $999.99. Even the Lenovo Legion Go retails for $749.99. Then there's the massive Acer Nitro Blaze 11 that looks almost hilariously huge with its 11-inch display and overall 14.3 x 6.7-inch footprint.
Yes, these pricier gaming handhelds certainly serve a purpose, adding stronger performance, better displays, and more comfortable designs compared to the Steam Deck. But considering you can often buy an RTX 4060 gaming laptop for as much or less than the high-end handhelds, at what point do people turn back to laptops?
As my colleague Rebecca Spear remarked in her coverage of AYANEO's upcoming KONKR line of budget gaming handhelds, "I really hope ASUS, Lenovo, Acer, MSI, and more learn from AYANEO's new budget line of handheld gaming devices. We need more affordable portable gaming machines on the market."
All that I can see missing from another netbook scenario is the launch of some new piece of tech that transforms the market like the Surface Pro and iPad. Whether that's cloud gaming, some form of VR or AR, or something entirely different, I don't know.
For now, I'll continue enjoying my Steam Deck.
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