Most energy weapons projects look like... advertisement of childish water pistols offered in hypermarkets - they have neat, compact design and streamlined shapes. Based on the appearance, it's hard to guess that they are not the product of several technicians working in a hurry over something they have never done before... Energy weapons in the game usually looks like something that is produced and improved over the years, after thousands of hours of combat experience or... model for collectors What's more - in principle they do not include an active and efficient cooling system, although they produce 1000 times more energy per shot than firearms.
But - in my opinion - early laser hand weapon should looks rather like rough & simple hair dryer in 20's of twentieth century. For example: