If tech gets "smaller" over time (today's phones still being pocketable with 10x more power than before) why have handheld game systems got bigger?

[AndrewJordon99]

In 2004 during the PS2 era Sony made the PSP which could fit in your pocket and had near console graphics. Now with the Switch and these handheld PC devices, they are tablet sized and none of them can handle current graphics at reasonable battery life vs what the PSP did. Why is this the case now?

[Syntosi]

Screens mostly, and our lack of breakthroughs in battery technology. If your phone now is 10x more powerful, it also consumes much more power which means the same old batteries we have been using is consumed much faster. You either need larger batteries, or you cut down on how long it will last.

As for the screens, its sort of what happened with mobile phones. They shrunk and shrunk as the technology got miniaturized, then once the screens became cheap and possible to make larger it started the birth of the "smart phone" and the phones quickly grew in size once again.

assets-us-01. kc-usercontent. com/.../... e_Phone. gif

[Syntosi]

Ah, not allowed to post image links.

[Chazmatazz269]

You may be too young to remember that phones were actually smaller. Then they got bigger again. Also, battery life has been an issue mobile phone users have bemoaned ever since they moved away from the “brick”. Modern smartphones have battery optimization programs and most people aren’t on their phones nonstop for hours.
By comparison, gamers do stay plugged into their games borderline indefinitely. The entire battery is probably on demand for the entire system too. Maybe they should invest more development into battery optimization in mobile gaming devices. But who would buy the full console if the mobile version could do everything just as well? Ell oh ell!
Everything is always about the money.

[HelpfulWoman]

its a trend. phones have been getting bigger again actually.