Purists insist that it’s too bulky, it interferes with streamlining, etc, etc. Me, I really don’t care how much drag a console generates - I don’t go fast enough for it to be a big issue.
However, what do people put on a console?
Their SPG, a depth gauge, maybe a compass.
I have always carried my compass on my wrist. It makes it easier to use - I don’t want to have to keep grabbing my console every time I check my direction.
Same goes for my depth gauge, really. Once I had a computer, I never looked at my console-mounted depth gauge except a glance when I was checking my air.
That just leaves the ‘redundancy’ issue - the people who say that you should still have a depth gauge, in case your computer breaks on a dive. A valid point, but if you’re really into minimalism, you’ll regard your buddy’s instruments as your redundancy.
I prefer to carry my own redundancy, so as well as the computer on my left wrist, I carry a Dive Timer on my right. This tells me my current depth and dive time, and also calculates my ascent rate. I have no need of a third depth gauge, so a console would be of no use to me.
Lastly, I mark my reel lines at 3, 6 and 9 meters - so I can still carry out a reliable safety or deco stop, even with no gauges at all.
With this setup, all the information I need during a dive is available by glancing at my wrists. The only exception is how much air is in my cylinders. And this is something that doesn’t need constant monitoring - the occasional glance is perfectly sufficient.
A console is, therefore, of no use to me whatsoever. In fact, I gave mine away.