Common Steam Deck customers (and people who take pleasure in gaming on the number of mini-PCs on the market) are doubtless aware of a sure bodily sensation: wrist ache, tingling, and numbness. It’s not enjoyable, and usually cuts your gaming brief lengthy earlier than the battery provides out. These units are simply heavier and bulkier than the handhelds of yore, and even outweigh the Change by a big margin. However there’s a option to take pleasure in hours of gaming on them with out that further weight taking a toll in your wrists. If you happen to don’t have already got a kickstand, both by the use of one thing like a Deck Mate or a case with a built-in stand, take into account it one of the crucial important investments you may make in your mini-PC gaming high quality of life.
It actually doesn’t matter how sturdy you might be. Muscling by way of indicators of pressure is an effective option to give your self ache and, even when you’re prepared to grit your tooth and endure it, take into account that powering by way of the ache is a good way to extend the probability that you just’re going to unintentionally drop your very costly gaming gadget. As I’ve discovered in Olympic weight coaching currently, doing pointless reps or spending an excessive amount of time below stress decreases your potential to maintain carrying one thing. Which will appear apparent once we’re speaking about carrying over 100 kilos, however it’s not one thing that clicked so simply for me when it got here to the Steam Deck.
Nevertheless, replaying Steel Gear Strong 3: Snake Eater on Steam Deck not too long ago made this obviously apparent. As I sat there watching the sport’s notoriously prolonged cutscenes, that acquainted tingly sensation I usually get in my wrists from extended Steam Deck classes began kicking in, and I noticed that given the size of the sport, this is able to be an issue. That feeling is a prelude to ache and tens of minutes spent flexing out my wrists as an alternative of gaming. It turned apparent to me that, throughout these cutscenes, there was no good purpose for me to be holding this gadget. I flipped out the stand on the JSAUX case that at present homes my Steam Deck (I’ve one other one for the Ally X as properly) and simply put it down on the closest desk whereas I watched the rest of the cutscene.
It’s develop into widespread follow now after I’m enjoying on both the Steam Deck or Ally X. If I don’t should be urgent buttons, the machine is resting on its stand–offered there’s a desk someplace close by. I solely hardly ever expertise wrist ache because of this and have a far larger expertise with the units, particularly for the reason that stands hold the display screen going through me, versus simply laying them flat. This small follow has additionally dramatically elevated how a lot time I spend on Steam Deck.
So nevertheless you get one on the again of your gadget, please save your wrists and put your machine on its stand everytime you don’t need to be really holding the factor. You’ll thank me later, after many hours of blissful moveable gaming.
