My handheld PC gets more gaming time than any other console or PC in my house right now, but when I actually leave my house it’s my Nintendo Switch that’s thrown into my bag, and there are more than a few reasons I reach for my OLED Switch first when my bag is packed.
I Love My Handheld PC
My first experience of PC handhelds was the brilliant but flawed ROG Ally, which I had to return because of SD card malfunction issues. A few months later, I bought a Lenovo Legion Go and could not be happier.
The ROG Ally next to an OLED Nintendo Switch. Both devices offer impressive screens in their own right.
I mainly use my Legion Go to play games on the couch while my wife watches TV or plays on her PlayStation 5. Likewise, I like to play on it in various spots in my home, but plugged in to a nearby outlet, such as next to my bed.
ASUS ROG Ally X (2024)
The ASUS ROG Ally X (2024) is a handheld gaming PC designed to take your favorite titles on-the-go. With the AMD Z1 Extreme processor and 24GB of RAM, you’ll find that the ROG Ally X packs a punch in the power department. It’s capable of playing games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at over 100 FPS using recommended settings. USB4 and USB-C allow the ROG Ally X to be converted to a desktop through a USB dock, making it even more versatile.
But Battery Life Sucks
The thing is, I’ve only tried playing my Legion Go using its internal battery a few times, and at the sorts of performance levels that I would prefer to play using this hardware, I only get about 90 minutes of play time. That’s hardly anything, which is why I had to invest in a high-wattage power bank to extend my playtime using my Legion Go away from a power outlet.
My OLED Switch, on the other hand, offers between 4.5 and 9 hours of battery life. I have never run out of battery while playing a game on either my original or current OLED Switch. The amount of battery anxiety on my handheld PC is pretty bad. Bad enough that I want to play with the battery meter overlaid in the top left corner of my screen, so I can be sure to save my game in time.
I Need a Special Charger
I can charge and play with my Nintendo Switch from basically any USB charger. I rarely use my dock with its original Nintendo charger to charge my Switch, but just plug in the nearest phone charger or any old power bank.
My Legion Go, can certainly charge while sleeping or turned off from most sources, but if I actually want to play while plugged in, I have to use a 65W charger, or the lone 65W power bank I own. That means packing extra baggage when I travel or want to leave my house for more than the 90 minutes of playtime my Legion Go offers.
Too Many PC Games Have Silly Online Requirements
My Nintendo Switch does not care whether I have an internet connection or not. My games work as long as they’re not online games, of course. My handheld PC, on the other hand, doesn’t know that it’s a handheld. While platforms like Steam have decent offline modes, there are still some games (like Red Dead Redemption 2) that simply will not play without first validating themselves online.
Even some games or platforms that don’t usually give me grief about not having an internet connection seem to randomly need an internet connection when I least want them to. Which means I need to tether my phone to my handheld PC in some cases if I want to play the games I paid for.
Suspending Games Is Hit or Miss
The Valve Steam Deck, with its customized operating system, does a bang-up job of letting you suspend a game and just pick up where you left off. Of course, this is something the Switch does with even more aplomb. The ability to put your handheld to sleep is a crucial feature for on-the-go gaming, and with my Windows handheld I just can’t do that.
Steam Deck OLED
Elevate your gaming experience with the Steam Deck OLED. Immerse yourself in stunning visuals on the vibrant OLED display, while enjoying powerful performance and portability.
Now, I do have the option to dual-boot the Steam-deck-alike Bazzite operating system, but when it gets down to brass tacks, that’s just too much hassle when I can just grab my Switch and spend five minutes playing a game when I find the time.
It’s Just Too Darn Big
I can almost fit my entire Switch on top of my Legion Go. It’s truly a humongous beast, which is both one of my favorite and least favorite things about it. Even my old ROG Ally was significantly larger than my Switch. This added size means better comfort and a nicer screen, but it also significantly impacts portability. Even within its case, my Switch can fit into any old bag. I practically need a laptop backpack to transport my Legion when in its case.
It’s funny to think that I thought the Switch was a little too big coming from my New 3DS XL, but now these big handheld systems make the Switch look svelte in comparison. I really do love gaming on both of these devices, but I suspect that my next handheld gaming system is more likely to have a Nintendo badge on it than a big laptop brand.
