Handheld gaming PCs aren't exactly new, but it's very fair to say that the success of the Nintendo Switch kickstarted a wave of devices that tried to capitalize on the popularity of this form factor. That truly became obvious when Valve joined the party with the excellent Steam Deck, which prompted even more competition from Windows OEMs, including Asus and Lenovo making their debut in this market.

But even with all this growth, the Nintendo Switch is not only the most successful of the bunch, but I'd argue it's also the best. And it will probably remain that way for a while — here's why.

The Switch has fantastic exclusive games

The games are what drive Nintendo's hardware sales

The first and most relevant point here is obviously got to do with games. While the form factor of the Nintendo Switch definitely contributes to its popularity, the real reason people like me gravitate toward Nintendo hardware is the software that Nintendo produces. The Switch has been one of the absolute best platforms ever for fans of Nintendo franchises, with some of the best entries in some of the most renowned series.

Games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are the best the series has ever been. Super Mario Odyssey was a journey unlike any other we've seen the popular plumber take, and the recent Super Mario Wonder was the most creative 2D game in the series in almost 20 years. Pokémon games have gone fully open world (with some major caveats, but still), Kirby made an excellent transition to 3D with Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and even less prominent franchises like Metroid and Fire Emblem have had some of their best entries on the Switch. Those are all fantastic games you can't play (legally) on any other device.

Meanwhile, a PC gaming handheld is just that, a PC. Sure, they have a lot of exclusive games compared to a Switch, but they're not really exclusive to any one device. That means that you're never going to look at one of these devices thinking "I need to buy this to play that game". It will only ever be a way to play your games on the go or in a more comfortable position that isn't in front of a desk. That can definitely be compelling, but it misses what truly makes a Nintendo platform successful, so I suspect even the cumulative sales of all these gaming handhelds can't touch the sales of the Switch.

PC gaming handhelds still have mediocre battery life

x86 processors just aren't ideal for handheld devices

Another issue with a lot of PC gaming handhelds is battery life. The recent Steam Deck OLED has one of the best batteries around, and it's pretty much the gold standard aside from the Switch itself. Valve promises between 3 and 12 hours of battery life, while Nintendo promises between 4.5 and 9 hours for the OLED model of the Switch. The Steam Deck OLED is pretty much the only option that can run for this long, though, and you'd be hard-pressed to get those 12 hours in normal usage conditions.

You won't get anywhere near that battery life with any Windows-based handheld. Back when I tested the OneXplayer Mini Pro, the most I got was under three hours when playing a relatively simple 2D game like Dead Cells or Moonlighter. That only gets worse if you try to take advantage of the full capabilities of many of these handhelds, enabling higher refresh rates, resolutions, or power settings. You can use these devices portable, but if you're on a long trip, the Switch is still more reliable.

Most of them are big and heavy

The Nintendo Switch remains fairly portable

Another problem with a lot of the gaming handhelds that try to compete with the Nintendo Switch is just how big they get. The Switch gets a lot of flak for its overly thin design, especially for the Joy-Con controllers, but this allows it to be a device that's still reasonable to take with you anywhere. It's not pocketable like previous Nintendo handhelds, but it's still easy to carry as it weighs under a pound (0.93 pounds) and it's just 14mm thick (or 30mm from the tip of the shoulder buttons to the tip of the analog sticks).

Almost every other competing handheld is big by comparison. The Steam Deck OLED is humongous thanks to the touchpads and everything included, weighing 1.41 pounds and measuring 49mm in thickness. Plus, it's 295mm wide, compared to the 250mm of the Switch OLED. The Asus ROG Ally is a bit more reasonable, but it's still up to 32.4mm thick and 280mm wide, and it weighs 1.34 pounds. That's not even getting into much larger devices like the Lenovo Legion Go.

For devices focused on portability, PC gaming handhelds tend to overlook that factor a bit. The Switch is still the most friendly for portable play, and if you don't care about removable controllers, then the Switch Lite is even more so.

PC gaming can be clunky

Windows in particular is a mess

PC gaming handhelds may be competing with the Switch in form factor, but at the end of the day, they're still computers, and computers are often problematic. As demonstrated by our Lenovo Legion Go review, software issues can happen a lot, and performance in games might not be what you expect for the specs, you might be missing the right drivers, or some games may just not work at all.

If you're an enthusiast, you can figure things out, but what makes console gaming appealing is how easy and straight to the point it is. PC gaming is not for everyone, and a lot of people buying a handheld device like this don't want to deal with the hassle that comes with trying to run games on a PC, especially a relatively underpowered one. There's a reason console gaming remains popular, even for multi-platform titles.

They're expensive

The Steam Deck is the only reasonable competitor

Finally, let's touch on price. The Nintendo Switch launched for $300, and it has never received an official price cut, even after seven years. But even with that in mind, it's the most affordable option if you want to play games portably. The Steam Deck is essentially the only one that can compete and that's because, much like the Switch, Valve can make some money back by selling games on the platform. Since no other OEM has that privilege, prices just can't be in the same ballpark. Even then, the Steam Deck starts at $400. And if we're comparing the OLED variants, the Switch costs $350, while the Steam Deck OLED goes for roughly $550.

The Asus ROG Ally starts at $600, the Lenovo Legion Go at $700, and many of the smaller brands charge upwards of $1,000 for their handheld PCs. It's a whole other level of spending to consider, regardless of how much better the specs are. You might argue that you can get games for cheaper on Steam and save money over time, but that's not a huge consideration at the time of purchase for most people.

That's not to say they aren't successful

All of this isn't to say that PC gaming handhelds have no place on the market. There's definitely a purpose to them, and even if you're not planning to travel, just being able to play your games while lying in bed or on your couch is certainly appealing, and there's a good reason why people do love these handhelds. But the Nintendo Switch excels in a way that will be nearly impossible for PC gaming handhelds to match, at least in the near future. But as technology evolves, it'll be interesting to see how these devices progress.