Why are handhelds often seen as inferior or not as important as home consoles?

[Never]

I've spent much of my adult life as a handheld gamer so I certainly don't rate handhelds as inferior.

I think it's just like how I favore gaming on a laptop over a desktop. I don't wont to be glued to a fixed screen. TV's don't have much of a place in my life.

Actually, the only home console to take up much of my time, in recent years, has been my wii u and that's because I can use it as if it's a hand held.
I want to play games on my bed, on my sofa, anywhere I feel,and I want to be lying down.Not forced to tilt my head towards the direction of some far off screen.
Consoles that force me to sit up in a fixed spot quickly start collecting dust. The biggest issues I have with my wii u is the range of the gamepad and the fact some games lack off tv support.