Take a look at the many devices vying to be the next Nintendo Switch
Posted Date – Mon, 4/17/23 at 12:45pm
Handheld devices appear to be the preferred form factor, as industry watchers expect Sony to return with the PSP’s successor, the PS Vita.
It’s the last week of March and I’m wrapping up my last class on communication research methods (yes, in my other life I’ve taught). A student in the class opened her schoolbag and carefully pulled out a large dark gray box.
As she stood up, more of the case came into view, and my thoughts figured that the case might be a very wide game controller. She opened the box, and inside was a device similar to the Nintendo Switch, only wider and heavier.
She showed me the device, and through her excitement, I observed that it supported a full version of Windows 11 and could play Red Dead Redemption II on the go. As the conversation in the room quickly turned to the device in question, I observed my student’s enthusiasm as she detailed the number of part-time shifts she had to take to afford the ONEXPLAYER, and how the device quickly became her First choice for work and play.
During the discussion, I couldn’t help but think about how quickly the handheld gaming space has grown since the launch of the Steam Deck in 2022. It’s worth noting that the ONEXPLAYER isn’t the only device of its kind; Asus recently began trialling its own handheld, the ROG Ally, and Microsoft is reportedly considering a handheld version of Windows 11.
Handhelds seem to suddenly be the form factor of choice, as most industry watchers expect Sony to return with successors to the PSP and PS Vita as well. While encouraging, these developments mark a stark departure from when Nintendo launched the Switch in 2017, and many wondered what the hybrid gaming machine could offer with its aging Nvidia Tegra X1 chip.
Six years on, however, and Nintendo’s dominance of the handheld gaming market is being challenged with titles like Breath of the Wild and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
These developments are a great sign for everyday gamers, as they now have a new format to consider when making gaming decisions. Especially when you consider that these devices are not just novel experiments, but remarkable works of engineering, packed with massive computing power and cooled by innovative mechanisms to match their small chassis. If you could play The Witcher III on something like the Nintendo Switch without compromise, would you?
This sudden explosion in the handheld world is no accident, but the result of significant advances in mobile gaming. Ally is a logical extension in the world where the ROG 7 Ultimate exists.
However, the question remains: Will game developers embrace these new devices in the long run? Ideally, the ability to play flagship titles in both docked and mobile modes should be a next step that game developers consider if we want to make games more environmentally sustainable and accessible.
It would be a welcome bonus if, therefore, these devices could also be used as Windows PCs, especially since most of us use our PCs to play games all the time. Approaching the dynamic in the opposite way can be very interesting.
