I just found out the PSP Go was a thing and I really like the idea of having the screen slide up to reveal the controls. I think this would be a great way to make a more compact version of the Steamdeck. I don’t know about the low profile joysticks though. I’ve never used anything like those before and I’m not sure how they’d feel to use. Maybe it would just be something I’d have to get used to. Regardless, I’d love to hear what other people think about this idea. Edit: I think I should clarify. I’m mostly referring to the style with the sliding screen. I don’t think something as small as the psp would be a good idea either

  • Björn Tantau
    link
    fedilink
    2011 months ago

    I think the main factors for the size of the Steam Deck and other similar handheld PCs are the size of the APU and heat dissipation. You’d get some serious performance degradation if you went much smaller. Even the Nintendo Switch is a similar size.

    • @Darorad
      link
      711 months ago

      The switch is quite a bit thinner, but it’s running decade old arm silicon, so less heat to get rid of.

      And you’d lose that slimness if you had to put the controls on another layer behind all the components.

      • Björn Tantau
        link
        fedilink
        311 months ago

        That’s my point. The Switch still is relatively big compared to a PSP or DS despite being relatively low powered (compared to the Deck). For now you have to sacrifice a lot of computing power to hit the form factor of a PSP.

    • candyman337
      link
      fedilink
      4
      edit-2
      11 months ago

      https://youtu.be/WdHF1x-jK4I?si=yZhogz0lVxeY3Nqw

      This thing is larger in size but is a similar form factor. For PC gaming I don’t see anything getting much smaller than this for another few years at least. This thing is really cool though, this to me looks like the most viable handheld for on the go PC gaming I’ve seen. Really short battery life tho.

      I think once arm starts to become more common, and/or other RISC based platforms gain mainstream traction, more games will work on ARM based processors, and in turn we’ll start to see smaller and longer lasting PC gaming handhelds with arm based chips. Or at the least, handhelds with PC graphic quality.

      But it will happen eventually, you’d blow someone from the 90’s mind if you showed them a 3Ds, it all just takes time.

      • @[email protected]OP
        link
        fedilink
        211 months ago

        I agree. I didn’t think it would end up anywhere near the size of a PSP but I thought the sliding form factor would help a bit with compactness. It would help with portability too as you wouldn’t need a custom case or those sticky things to protect the joysticks.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          311 months ago

          As someone who has a Steam Controller, you’d still need to protect the joysticks and touch pads. They both wear out over time due to abrasion and the oils on your fingers.

          I’d much rather have some kind of mechanism built into the shell that improves ergonomics but can go compact for storing in the case.

          • conciselyverbose
            link
            fedilink
            111 months ago

            Those keyboards are designed to be used with your thumbs while holding it from the side. They don’t really function any other way. You can’t reach the keyboard from the side because of the width of the controller. There’s no possibility whatsoever that the device will balance if you hold it from the bottom where your thumbs could theoretically reach, ignoring that your thumbs also don’t bend that way.

            It’s quite possibly the least ergonomic device ever made.