Replacing my Steam Deck with a laptop was a great idea, until I left my desk

A little over three months ago, Acer sent me a Predator Helios Neo 14 AI (yes, that's the full name) gaming laptop. I'd requested a review sample because I'd been kicking around this idea that, with the rising costs of memory and storage, buying a gaming handheld such as a MSI Claw A8 or ROG Xbox Ally X, didn't make any sense. 

You could spend the same amount on a gaming laptop like the Neo 14 for around $1,500 (even less when it's on sale) and get a portable device that excels at gaming and doubles as a reliable PC for personal and work needs. 

And after spending an extended amount of time with the Neo 14, my initial theory held up — mostly. But putting it into practice forced me to admit that the reality is a lot less clear-cut than it looks on paper.

I've had this on-again off-again obsession with portable gaming devices. I currently have a Nintendo Switch 2 and a Steam Deck LCD that are either collecting dust or powering through my latest obsession. More recently it was Donkey Kong Bananza on the Switch 2, or running near-constant raids in Arc Raiders. 

There's something about holding a big, bright display in my hands while roaming around the house as I survive raids, or pull it out of my backpack on a plane and grind out a few levels, that draws me to the entire category.

On a device like the Switch 2, performance is (mostly) consistently between games. But on the Steam Deck, or even the Legion Go I used to own, you're giving up overall graphics quality and performance to play your favorite games anywhere you want. 

For example, playing Arc Raiders on the Steam Deck means you're playing with graphics set to medium or low to achieve maybe — maybe — 40 frames per second. That's when you're standing still and there's no clankers or other raiders nearby, you easily drop below 30 fps. And at those settings, nothing looks great. 

Playing Fortnite on the Switch 2 is a much better experience than any of the Switch models before it, but you're still going to see random rendering issues that you just don't see when dropping in on a console or gaming PC. 

But that's the trade-off you accept when using a gaming handheld. 

With a gaming laptop, none of those same trade-offs exist, and you retain the core portability of a handheld. Again, not an earth-shattering revelation. 

The exact Predator Helios Neo 14 build I've been using is stacked with the latest tech. It has an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor, a GeForce RTX 5060 video card, a 1TB SSD, 16GB of memory, and a 14.5-inch OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate. 

Instead of running through a series of benchmarks and tests like I used to when reviewing gaming laptops for IGN, I simply used the Neo 14. I gamed — a lot — and performance was never an issue. I was constantly running Arc Raiders over 100 fps at the highest graphics settings. 

Going into this, I had convinced myself that moving around the house with a gaming laptop wouldn't be that different from a handheld. Sure, it's bigger, but it still lends itself to moving between rooms, right?

I was wrong.

Moving a gaming laptop isn't a lot of work, by any means, but it is more work than a handheld that houses everything you'd need in one footprint. When moving around with the laptop, I'd need to be sure to include the power supply (big, bulky) as well as a mouse and a mouse pad. Making a gaming laptop truly portable takes more work and more planning than a handheld. 

Around the house, I think it's fair to say a handheld is a better fit — especially if you like to roam. But if you're someone who frequently travels and wants to game during downtime at the hotel, or even on a plane (assuming the tray is big enough), a gaming laptop like the Neo 14 not only gives you an excellent gaming experience, but it doubles as a device you can get real work done on. Better yet, it's not one more gadget you have to pack, let alone worry about charging like you would a dedicated gaming handheld. 

Just make sure you pack a mouse if that's the route you choose.