this post was submitted on 13 Aug 2025

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cloudless@piefed.social

How do you feel about the size and weight of current gaming handhelds? (media.piefed.social)

submitted 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) by cloudless@piefed.social to c/askgaming@piefed.social

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I recently was deciding between the Steam Deck and a Switch 2, and at the end I chose the Switch 2 because of the lighter weight. I thought the Steam Deck would be too heavy for my weak hands. After spending some time with the Switch 2, I found it also being too heavy for longer gaming sessions.I bought a grip case to make it more ergonomic to hold, but still it gets tiring in less than an hour.

The Switch Lite has the perfect weight, but too many games have tiny text and UI designed for bigger screens.

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[–] Mugmoor@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (2 children)

I have never been more satisfied holding a gaming handheld like I have with the Steam Deck. It fits in my giant meat paws nicely, and I don't find it too heavy at all. I can easily play multiple hours handheld without issue.

I get cramps with pretty much any other handheld, they're just too small. I could barely play my Switch for more than 30-40 minutes at a time.

[–] Deceptichum@quokk.au 5 points 4 days ago (2 children)

What's your opinion on the original xbox controller?

[–] Mugmoor@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 4 days ago

Never had one growing up so I can't say. I've only ever used the updated model that was a bit smaller, but I do like the feel of it.

I've always held my N64 controllers from the two side "horns", never the intended way. My fingers can reach all the buttons fine.

[–] onslaught545@lemmy.zip 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I miss that big bastard. My fingers are long enough I was tested for Marfan Syndrome because of it, and no other controller fits me well.

Microsoft would begrudgingly get my money for the first time in a decade if they released a wireless rechargeable version.

[–] onslaught545@lemmy.zip 1 points 4 days ago

I love it for the same reason, but it's also a con because my wife, who has to buy children's gloves, can't use it.

[–] Damage@slrpnk.net 5 points 4 days ago

I've only used the original switch a few times, but it felt a little small. I like how the Steam Deck feels in my grip, even though some less weight and a smaller size would be useful for travel.

[–] missingno@fedia.io 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

My Switch (2) doesn't leave the dock and my Steam Deck has been gathering dust. They're too bulky to fill the void left behind by the GBC/GBA/DS I grew up on.

A while back I bought a Miyoo Mini Plus on sale and ended up putting far more time into it than I ever did with the Deck. The dream would be to see SteamOS in this form factor someday.

[–] cloudless@piefed.social 2 points 4 days ago

My way of playing Steam games on a small device is to stream games from my PC to a phone via Steam Link, and using the razer kishi controller.

[–] blackris@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 4 days ago

I have an Anbernic RG35XX H and a Nintendo New 3DS. They are tiny and perfect for a small session while commuting or when I don't want to sit at the PC. Everything bigger is not for me.

[–] onslaught545@lemmy.zip 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I love my Deck, but man is it heavy. I have a bag wrist from an old break, and it hurts me after a while. It's also way too big for my wife's hands. I had to get her a Anbernic Win600 (and install SteamOS), but the button layout is really stupid.

Valve really needs to release a Deck lite that's good for low resource games like Stardew and emulators.

[–] cloudless@piefed.social 1 points 4 days ago

Better yet a Deck Lite with the same graphical power but is lighter and with better battery life. Like how the Switch Lite is to the original Switch. If they can make it the same weight as the Switch 2, I might get one.

[–] mintiefresh@piefed.ca 2 points 4 days ago

I love my Steam Deck and it's my most used device. I love its ergonomics which make it easy to hold. But it's a tad heavy.

I usually have it on my lap or a pillow or something and it works out fine.

[–] Feyd@programming.dev 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

3ds xl is peak handheld size, and is not inconvenient to carry on your person.

[–] cloudless@piefed.social 2 points 4 days ago

Yeah the fact that it is a foldable gives it a large screen size in a small device.

[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I have an original Switch, and the console itself is great. What's not great are the joycons, and I switched out those little guys for a bulkier, more contoured set for play on the go.

[–] cloudless@piefed.social 2 points 4 days ago

Yeah I think the size and weight of the original Switch is actually good. Sometimes I wonder if I should have bought the original Switch instead of the Switch 2. But if I bought the Switch 1, I will probably regret when (eventually) a must-have game is only available on the Switch 2.

[–] coyootje@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

For me it's more about the games I can play on the device. In that regard, I think the switch has a very different selling point compared to the Linux/Windows devices. If you like the Nintendo IP's that's more important to me than the form factor. I still have a Switch 1 but I don't play it that often anymore.

I personally bought a Steam deck a while ago and while it's a little bit bulky I like the portability and the ability to hop in and out of games. I've started using my desktop less and spend more time in the living room with my partner.

[–] cloudless@piefed.social 0 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Do you ever use your Steam Deck handheld for long gaming sessions? I don't mind the size but the weight give me cramps.

[–] coyootje@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

I usually play until it needs to be charged again or until I want to do something else. The longest I've played in one sitting is probably 2 hours and for that time it was still fine for me.

[–] mapleseedfall@lemmy.world 0 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Def too heavy. DS & 3DS was the good handheld for me. Nowadays I need to print a belly stand

[–] cloudless@piefed.social 1 points 4 days ago

In terms of size and weight, they are perfect. But the screens on my DS and 2DS are too dim. Now I play DS games via emulation on much better screens.