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My guess is inertia.

The movement of the ship was not stop/start or spinleft/spinright.

A stick (left/right) or spinner (Tempest!) you expect instant results. The inertia of Asteroids would not have worked that way. The game needed more judgement, built on experience, of when to press and when to release.

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The inertia of the ship is based on its thrust, not the direction buttons. The game works the same in arcade and home versions (with digital d pads/sticks). The left/right buttons and a 2 way joystick are identical in function from a technical perspective (sticks are digital, taps and holds are the same on sticks and buttons). They're also in my expectations (and seemingly the author's).

Yes, a spinner would be functionally different (spinning is different from holding), but the question is really about the design choice from the beginning.

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