Why I Prefer Playing PC Games on a Handheld Over a Desktop

30.03.2024 - 18:51 / howtogeek.com

I've spent a year with the Steam Deck, and in that time I've slowly been spending less time playing games on my desktop PC. After discovering the delights of local game streaming and acquiring a second handheld PC, an ASUS ROG Ally, my desktop PC doesn't stand a chance. Here’s why.

I Can Game Wherever I Want, In Any Position

I mostly use my ROG Ally and Steam Deck in my apartment, and the freedom to start gaming on the couch and then move to bed or sit on the balcony once the sun sets is one of the main reasons why I love handheld gaming so much.

Gaming on a PC usually implies being stationary, locked to a single location. You have to sit at your desk or recline in a desk chair if you choose to play with a controller, and that’s about it. In my case, I can move to the couch and continue gaming on my TV since it’s connected to my PC, but that also includes being locked to one place, one position —I can’t game on the TV while lying sideways, for instance.

I’m not a fan of being stuck in a single position when gaming. I like to have the freedom of switching positions when playing games on my handheld gaming PCs. I start the game in a sort-of half-lying position, and then I move around, rotate, hug the pillow (an awesome, super-comfy way to game as long as you don’t play a game that includes lots of aiming). I can place another pillow on my stomach to prop-up my handheld and rest my arms, and so on.

For me this is one of the major benefits of a handheld gaming experience. Thanks to handheld gaming PCs, I can combine the flexibility of handheld gaming with any PC game instead of being limited to games available on my Switch Lite, for example.

This freedom also includes going out and playing games in a nearby park or—and I do this quite often when the weather allows—going to the waterfront in the evening and chilling on a bench while enjoying whatever I'm preoccupied with this week. As long as the game in question is a 2D title, I can use the Ally, but if we’re talking about a more demanding title, I prefer the Deck since it has a battery that can last more than an hour in more demanding games.

Being able to continue playing the same games while traveling is another huge boon. I remember continuing my post-patch 2.0 Cyberpunk 2077 playthrough when taking a trip to visit family last year. The realization that I could enjoy a demanding AAA title on the go struck me on the first evening; that was the first time I fully grasped just how cool of a device the ROG Ally is.

There I was, lying on my old bed in my old room, playing Cyberpunk with an almost locked 40fps at 900p and mostly medium settings on a device not much larger than the Switch. The future is now.

I Can Spend Time With My Partner While Gaming

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