Gaming handhelds are the new netbooks — will they suffer the same tragic fate?

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In simple terms, the portable gaming device market is at a crossroads right now. On one path, there are cost-effective devices striving to mimic the vision that Valve had when they introduced the Steam Deck, priced at $399, in 2022.

From another angle, you’ll notice top-tier equipment increasingly resembling the capabilities of gaming laptops, with their costs rising correspondingly due to enhanced performance and added amenities.

The intersection could stay open indefinitely, allowing for the sale of high-end and budget handheld devices simultaneously to a broader market. Yet, it’s hard not to draw comparisons with netbooks that enjoyed considerable popularity for approximately six years until they were eventually discontinued entirely.

Netbooks had a good run, but there’s a reason you can’t buy them anymore

In 2008 is when I first caught wind of netbooks, but it was the ASUS Eee PC from 2007 that truly ignited the trend. This device could run both Windows and Linux, boasted a compact touchpad and keyboard, and measured only 9.1 x 6.7 inches with a weight of roughly 2 pounds.

In contrast to the typical laptop from 2007, this device was remarkably small-sized. Additionally, it was significantly more budget-friendly. Notably swift was the recognition by companies such as Acer, Lenovo, Dell, Samsung, Toshiba, and HP of its increasing appeal, leading to a rapid surge in netbook market offerings, making the market abundant with options.

At a certain stage, netbooks gained substantial popularity, even starting to take a considerable chunk out of the traditional laptop market. However, this trend proved to be short-lived.

I see the allure of netbooks to some extent. On my backpacking adventure, I opted to carry a budget-friendly netbook as an alternative to my desktop computer for about two months. However, after a few weeks, I grew tired of the limited keyboard space and poor performance, which led me to abandon it at a hostel, hoping another traveler might find it useful.

To stay competitive in the netbook market, manufacturers started enhancing their devices by incorporating additional features and upgrading hardware for better performance. Consequently, this led to an increase in netbook sizes and prices as a result.

2009 marked the start of decline for netbooks with the launch of Windows 7, as the operating system’s significant hardware demands made it challenging for netbooks to run smoothly. This placed netbooks using Windows 7 in a market segment that was almost indistinguishable from standard laptops, thereby eroding their unique appeal and purpose.

The growing preference for smartphones and tablets marked the end of netbooks’ dominance. By 2011 and 2012, netbook sales plummeted significantly, leading to their eventual decline in relevance.

In the subsequent years, several efforts were made to rejuvenate the netbook, as computer manufacturers noticed the surge in popularity of Chromebooks. However, none of these attempts gained significant traction.

Modern gaming handhelds draw a lot of parallels to netbooks

Handheld gaming devices gained significant popularity in mainstream culture approximately three years ago, primarily thanks to the introduction of Valve’s Steam Deck. Debuting at an affordable price point of $399 (with a more expensive $649 model as well), it offered competitive performance compared to gaming laptops without making substantial compromises.

What truly convinced me about the Steam Deck is its portability feature. Even with a powerful desktop computer at hand, the appeal of the Steam Deck became evident to me the moment I laid eyes on it, knowing that it would offer me plenty of immediate usage.

This device is ideal for travel, particularly during hot summer months when you prefer not to operate a high-performance PC. It’s also great for gaming, except perhaps in an office setting. Moreover, its price is reasonable, especially for the base model, and it can run most of the PC games in your Steam library.

Noticing the allure of the Steam Deck, other computer manufacturers like Acer, ASUS, Lenovo, and MSI promptly unveiled their own versions of portable gaming devices.

To clarify what I stated earlier, the handheld market resembles a crossroads much like what netbooks encountered in the early 2010s. At present, no other company has managed to match the Steam Deck’s value, leading me to believe that competing products are more focused on outperforming each other instead of introducing affordable alternatives.

Here are the prices of various gaming devices: The ASUS ROG Ally is priced at approximately $649.99, the ROG Ally X carries a starting price of $899.99, and the MSI Claw 8 AI+ retails for $999.99. The Lenovo Legion Go can be purchased for $749.99. Among these, the Acer Nitro Blaze 11 is quite large, almost comically so, with its 11-inch screen and overall dimensions of 14.3 x 6.7 inches.

Indeed, premium gaming handhelds undeniably have their uses, offering enhanced performance, superior displays, and more ergonomic designs compared to the Steam Deck. However, when you can purchase a laptop with an RTX 4060 graphics card for equal or lower cost than these high-end handhelds, it raises the question: at what stage do people opt for laptops instead?

In her article about AYANEO’s upcoming KONKR budget gaming handhelds, Rebecca Spear expressed her hope that companies like ASUS, Lenovo, Acer, MSI, and others will take notice of AYANEO’s new budget line and create more affordable portable gaming devices themselves. It would be great to see an increase in affordable portable gaming machines on the market.

In simpler terms, what appears to be lacking in the netbook scenario could be the introduction of a groundbreaking technology similar to the Surface Pro and iPad, such as cloud gaming, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), or any innovative technology yet unseen.

For now, I’ll continue enjoying my Steam Deck.

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2025-08-15 00:43