I’ve been going down a gaming handheld rabbit hole for the last few years, spurred on by the Steam Deck back in 2022. While these PC handhelds definitely existed before that – usually with laptop chips not really designed for this kind of device – they really didn’t capture my attention until this modern crop of streamlined versions. Even after reviewing basically every major handheld that’s launched in the last couple of years, I still find myself bundling up in blankets and playing games on the ROG Ally X or Legion Go S.
There is a downside to these machines. Because of the amount of cooling and power required to run a chip like the Z1 Extreme, most gaming handhelds are inherently bulkier than something like the Nintendo Switch 2. And while that might make the obvious answer “just play the Switch,” I’m just not going to do that. I mean, I already own hundreds of games on Steam, and Nintendo games have largely never appealed to me.
Because I spend so much time reading, writing, and talking about PC gaming handhelds, the algorithms have caught on to my little obsession. I started getting ads for the Mechanism Gaming Pillow – a silly little accessory that’ll hold your handheld up for extended gaming sessions. Then, of course, I reached out and got a sample just to see if it was a) real and b) actually as cozy as it looked. The answer to both was yes.
What Is the Gaming Pillow?
The Mechanism Gaming Pillow is more of a bean bag/monitor arm hybrid than what I would typically call a pillow, but the “pillow” portion is soft and holds its shape. More importantly, it’s flexible and will conform to basically anywhere you put it. That’s tucked into a plastic base, which is then latched down to keep it secure. The top of this plastic base has a nice, soft fake-leather fabric attached to it, so it doesn’t feel hard or uncomfortable – softness is the name of the game here.
A little plastic pillar rises from the base with a connector at the end of it, which doesn’t connect directly to anything but is compatible with Mechanism’s vast array of accessories. The company sells attachments for pretty much every handheld under the sun, which are essentially 3D-printed braces that fit snugly on the device. The brace has a slot that you can lock into the stand to keep it secure.
It took me some trial and error to get it right though. Attaching the brace to the ROG Ally X in a way that it didn’t snap off when I put any pressure on it took a few tries. The brace has two little forks at the top that go into the edge of the vents on the top of the Ally, as well as a piece on the bottom that snaps into place across the bottom of the device. The only problem was that it’s an extremely tight fit, and you have to pretty firmly slide that bottom lock into place on the device.
Once that was done, I didn’t experience many issues with the actual mounting solution, but getting the device at an angle that was comfortable playing with was, well, another adventure. The stand has three points of articulation: one at the bottom, one at the top, and one little knob where the device is mounted. The last of those is easy enough to manipulate – you just adjust a small latch that screws onto it, and you can rotate your device in almost any direction. However, the other two control the tilt of the device and the height of the stand. Both of these require an Allen key to adjust.
That means trying to find the perfect angle and then locking it into place is something that you have to do a minor ritual to complete. However, it does make the stand feel extremely secure, which is probably what Mechanism was going for. I just tend to move around a lot when I’m relaxing, which is the only reason this is an issue.
But once I dialed in my perfect position for the ROG Ally X, I spent several hours over multiple days cuddling up to this silly gaming pillow playing Final Fantasy X. It made a device that’s best in short bursts into one of the most comfortable gaming experiences I’ve had in years. It was so comfy that it made grinding out Wakka’s Celestial Weapon into a pleasant and relaxing experience – if you know, you know.
Modularity Is Key for Gaming Accessories
Perhaps the most interesting thing about this Pillow is how flexible it is. Mechanism has dozens of different attachments for sale, which’ll mount anything from a Steam Deck to an iPad. It means that even if you swap to a different device, you don’t have to buy an all-new gaming pillow – though you’d have to fork over an extra $20 for a new grip.
But those grips are also compatible with Mechanism’s other mounts. I haven’t tested any of those, so I can’t speak to their quality, but the company seems to be building an entire ecosystem of different mounts for your hardware.
I do like the wide compatibility inherent to this kind of system. It reduces waste and stops you from having to waste money buying a different mount whenever you make an upgrade. However, it does kind of lock you into Mechanism’s products, and these grips don’t exactly play nice with third-party cases. I generally don’t put cases on anything – a mistake given how clumsy I am – but I know a lot of folks do, and incorporating this kind of system on top of a case might end up being more of a hassle than it’s worth.
OK, But Why Is This Actually Necessary?
Let’s talk about dimensions. You see, even the relatively small Steam Deck measures nearly a foot long and is 2 inches thick. That’s a lot of plastic to hold, and while its weight of 1.41 lbs doesn’t sound like a lot, it can definitely start to weigh you down over long gaming sessions. For comparison, the new Switch 2 – which is significantly larger than the original – weighs just 1.18 lbs with the Joy-Cons attached.
The Steam Deck is on the lighter side of all the PC handhelds out there. Some are much bulkier than the Steam Deck, like the Lenovo Legion Go at 1.88lbs with its controllers attached. And while I love the larger screen offered by that handheld, I’ve settled into the Ally X, which actually has a smaller footprint than the Steam Deck, but is a bit heavier at 1.48lbs. (I don’t know how Asus did it, but I frequently find that the Ally X lasts far longer than any other handheld, which makes it a mainstay in my little arsenal of gadgets.) But it does start to weigh me down after a little bit.
In the past I solved this by basically propping the Ally up against a pillow when I’m laying in bed playing games. This largely solves the issue, except for when I inevitably doze off and drop the handheld on the ground, or worse, on my forehead. The Mechanism Gaming Pillow largely solves that – even if it has a few issues.
At the end of the day, the Mechanism Gaming Pillow probably isn’t for everyone, especially if you don’t spend a lot of time playing your Steam Deck – or other handheld – at home. But, the combination of gaming handheld and gaming pillow is quickly becoming one of my favorite ways to play games. Now, I just need more companies to come out with their takes on this idea, because while it seemed silly at first, it’s probably one of my favorite Steam Deck accessories now.
Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra
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