Did you find the OG Xbox "Duke" controller comfortable? I did. The Deck doesn't have the best layout IMO, but I don't have trouble reaching the buttons.
> readable text on the tiny screen
Definitely an issue, especially those over 40 - which, really, is sort of a major part of the expected market.
What I find to require contortion is maintaining a grip on the Deck while operating the front controls without simultaneously squeezing the paddles on the back or having such a loose grip that I risk dropping the thing. The paddles on the back are one of my biggest problems with the grip ergonomics in general.
Well, that alone could explain it. Lots more buttons and you have to find a comfortable grip that doesn’t hit them.
I always have trouble with controllers that have push-to-click-and-it’s-a-different-input joysticks. Too easy to do accidentally. But with the Deck you can reassign pretty much anything, so set them to do nothing.