Best handheld gaming PC 2025

Regardless of having specs that look considerably weaker than the competitors, the Steam Deck OLED stays one of the best handheld available on the market. That is for a number of causes however the primary one is that it does not use Home windows however as a substitute makes use of Valve’s customized Steam OS. It is simply a lot slicker and simpler to make use of than Home windows, making this handheld PC truly really feel like a real transportable video games console.

In observe, this implies you are able to do issues like put the gadget in standby mid-game, enabling you to renew your recreation the second you flip the hand-held on. As compared, a Home windows handheld wants you to completely exit the sport and restart it once more every time you power-off the gadget.

Valve has additionally made it simple to regulate settings and navigate the hand-held with its controls. In distinction, many Home windows handhelds nonetheless make you want you simply had a mouse and keyboard handy.

These are simply a number of the causes that the Steam Deck reigns supreme however when it comes to why you need to get the Steam Deck OLED over the unique Steam Deck, that is practically all about its display. Valve swapped the unique LCD show of the Steam Deck for an OLED unit that’s tremendous vivid, vivid, and has wonderful distinction. Regardless of having a modest decision of simply 1,280 x 800 pixels, it seems unbelievable.

The brand new handheld additionally consists of enhancements to battery life for longer gaming periods, a weight discount for better consolation, plus quicker Wi-Fi for faster downloads. All of it provides as much as making the Steam Deck OLED nonetheless one of the best gaming handheld you should purchase, although there are some caveats to notice.

The place the Steam Deck OLED merely cannot compete with the trendy competitors is for display decision and uncooked efficiency. Whereas the Steam Deck OLED has a 7-inch 800p display, some opponents have 8-inch or bigger screens with 1080p and even 1440p resolutions. These shows are much better for watching video and customarily getting extra executed – you need to use these handhelds for net searching and electronic mail in a method that the Steam Deck’s low decision show simply cannot replicate.

In the meantime, when it comes to uncooked energy, the Steam Deck OLED makes use of an outdated customized APU that is lower than half as highly effective because the APUs in competing trendy Home windows handhelds. This implies these handhelds can run video games at greater resolutions and body charges. Nonetheless, the Steam Deck OLED remains to be remarkably succesful, which our intensive checklist of one of the best Steam Deck video games demonstrates.

The ultimate predominant downsides to notice are that the Steam Deck can, for essentially the most half, solely run Steam video games, so video games reminiscent of Fortnite that run by way of the Epic Video games retailer cannot run on this gadget. Likewise, fairly a couple of aggressive multi-player video games do not work as a result of they use customized anti-cheat software program that does not run on SteamOS. That also leaves 1000’s of video games on Steam accessible to play, although.

The ultimate essential facet that makes the Steam Deck OLED so compelling is its value. Whereas many Home windows handhelds are pushing near $1,000, the Steam Deck OLED is simply $549. A few of that cheaper price is mirrored in its decrease specs however, finally, it nonetheless provides as much as this being the hand-held to get proper now.

Learn our Steam Deck OLED evaluate.

The Steam Deck wasn’t the primary handheld gaming PC, nevertheless it’s definitely been essentially the most profitable. It offers you seamless integration with Steam and a console-like expertise which means it may be as plug-and-play as you want – with the advantage of having a totally user-tweakable OS underneath the hood.

The lower-end 64GB mannequin is now discontinued however you’ll be able to nonetheless choose it up from retailers like Amazon, develop its storage, and pair it with one of the best Steam Deck equipment to carry it as much as a usable capability.

Nonetheless, titles reminiscent of Starfield, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and Remnant 2 all trigger the Steam Deck to misstep. We’re nonetheless a while away from all main AAA releases being unplayable on the Steam Deck – and there are millions of different video games nonetheless to play, however the clock is ticking and it’s possible you’ll really feel you get extra worth in case you go for a more moderen handheld.

The customized APU dubbed Van Gogh remains to be highly effective sufficient for many video games and in case you primarily wish to play retro video games, 2D video games, sidescrollers, or emulated titles then you may be very happy with the efficiency. That is nonetheless a great-value handheld gaming PC.

Learn our Steam Deck evaluate.

If you happen to’re in search of the final word Home windows gaming handheld proper now, the AOKZOE A1X is it. Due to the inclusion of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, this handheld is among the many strongest on the market whereas its Home windows interface outclasses all earlier than it.

On the floor, the A1X is not a very exceptional Home windows gaming handheld. Nonetheless, together with the choice to purchase it with AMD’s newest 300-series APU for peak handheld efficiency, it does a number of delicate issues effectively.

For a begin, its display being eight inches fairly than seven inches offers you just a bit extra display house to play video games, watch video, and profit from the flexibility of the Home windows OS and all of the apps you’ll be able to run on it. It is also an incredible high quality display, even when it could possibly’t fairly examine to the OLED panels on some handhelds.

Subsequent is the inclusion of a kickstand that lets you sit again and use the hand-held both to look at video or to play video games with a controller. It might appear odd to make use of a handheld on this method (the clue’s within the title) however it may be surprisingly helpful.

Battery life is one other massive plus with the A1X. This handheld can final so long as ten hours whereas gaming in its lowest energy mode. Its efficiency is restricted however the likes of Hades are nonetheless playable.

All this and AOKZOE’s app for managing all of the options of this handheld beats any we have used earlier than. The general expertise nonetheless is not fairly as slick as on Steam Decks nevertheless it makes switching energy modes and customarily utilizing the gadget higher than ever.

The one actual draw back, apart from barely small precise controls is the excessive value of this handheld. With the decrease spec – however nonetheless the identical efficiency as most different handhelds – it at the moment prices $899 however that is with a 15% low cost, because it’s usually over $1,000. In the meantime, with the extra highly effective processor it is usually $1,459 however is at the moment $1,239.

If these discounted costs show to be the long run value of this handheld, it begins to look much more aggressive, however at its greater costs, you are undoubtedly paying a premium for its efficiency.

Learn our full AOKZOE A1X evaluate to search out out extra.

The Asus ROG Ally X had for a good time been our total prime choose for Home windows handhelds. Nonetheless, the sheer energy and glorious software program of the AOKZOE A1X has seen is snatch that title. Nonetheless, that gadget is much more costly than the ROG Ally X, making Asus’ newest handheld nonetheless the only option for these aware of price range.

Bringing a bunch of welcome updates to the unique ROG Ally, the Ally X  transforms one of many earliest and most profitable Home windows handhelds into a fair slicker, extra succesful, and fine-tuned gadget.

With 8GB additional reminiscence, and quicker reminiscence at that, the ROG Ally X stays aggressive for efficiency with many different handhelds nonetheless. Asus’ Armoury Crate software program overlay can also be a lot improved, and whereas not good, its interface is less complicated to grasp and navigate than earlier variations.

The place the ROG Ally X struggles proper now could be that it is onerous to search out at its $799 MSRP. At that value, it’s miles cheaper than the AOKZOE A1X and the higher purchase for many avid gamers due to it. Nonetheless, actual world costs have pushed past $1,000 when it could possibly even be discovered. That is nonetheless a little bit cheaper nevertheless it dents the worth of this handheld – you should definitely maintain out and solely get it at or near its MSRP.

Learn our Asus ROG Ally X evaluate.

The Lenovo Legion Go 2 may be proper across the nook however, for now, the unique Lenovo Legion Go remains to be essentially the most broadly succesful handhled available on the market.

That versatility is right down to its detachable controllers that slide off the perimeters of the gadget and allow you to play video games at a distance, even permitting for two-player multiplayer experiences. The inbuilt kickstand additionally makes for a handy method to sit again and calm down whereas gaming or watching video on this handheld.

Serving to to profit from this broad vary of makes use of, this handheld’s large 8.8-inch decision show actually brings an additional degree of immersion to video games and makes for a a lot better video-watching expertise. It additionally additional enhances that sit again and recreation from a distance expertise.

For extra intense gaming periods the show’s 144Hz most refresh price and pin-sharp 2,560 x 1,600 decision guarantee you do not miss a factor. It is solely an IPS LCD panel, fairly than OLED, nevertheless it nonetheless gives nice picture high quality.

Inside is a few highly effective {hardware} too. The AMD Ryzen Z1 Excessive places the Lenovo Legion Go effectively forward of the Steam Deck for uncooked energy and on par with most different high-end Home windows handhelds. A kind of removable controllers additionally lets have interaction ‘FPS Mode’ the place the controller converts to a mouse, identical to the brand new Nintendo Swap 2.

The Legion Go does have a couple of flaws. It is a lot heavier than its opponents, weighing in at 854g, which may make utilizing it for lengthy intervals a bit tiring. It is also not as ergonomic and you will must tinker with settings and backbone pretty ceaselessly, because the display’s native 1600p decision is much too demanding for the Ryzen Z1 Excessive APU, and the software program will be fiddly.

Learn our Lenovo Legion Go evaluate for the complete image.

On the time of the Asus ROG Ally X launch, the additional $100 for the newer mannequin was a no brainer and the OG ROG Ally’s days appeared numbered. Nonetheless, the gaming handheld market has gone a bit loopy in current months and now availability it low and costs are excessive.

On account of this, the Ally X is now very scarce and much costlier than its MSRP in most shops whereas the unique ROG Ally is available and will be had for an incredible value. What’s extra, that is nonetheless an incredible handheld total.

The core options right here of an AMD Ryzen Z1 Excessive processor, an incredible high quality 7-inch, 1080p, LCD display, and customarily good design make for a handheld that is decently simple to make use of and provides stable efficiency. The Ally X did enhance its ergonomics and barely bumped its efficiency however the Ally remains to be very succesful.

One key issue to look out for is the design of the cooler on the unique Ally tends to overheat the microSD slot, which may corrupt your microSD card. As such, you do must be a bit cautious with how you employ the gadget, significantly in hotter areas, however there are methods spherical this.

In the end, in a world the place nearly each different Home windows handheld is pushing in the direction of $1,000 the Asus ROG Ally is a good choice for $649.

Learn our authentic Asus ROG Ally evaluate for a full image of what this handheld can do.

The stand out function of the Ayaneo 3 is its 7-inch, 1080p, OLED display. If the Steam Deck OLED proved something, it is {that a} top-quality OLED panel actually is an enormous improve for a gaming handheld over an LCD, because it gives a lot greater distinction, and the Ayaneo’s provides comparable high quality whereas having a a lot greater decision.

Fortunately, there’s extra to this handheld than simply its display, although. Ayaneo has labored onerous to create a deep degree of energy customization that lets you actually dial within the stability of velocity for a easy body price in your video games and low energy consumption to maximise battery life.  This handheld’s audio system are surprisingly loud and clear too, whereas its total ergonomics are nice as effectively.

The pièce de résistance, although, is the Ayaneo 3’s modular controllers. You may swap out the little thumbstick/buttons sections and alter between an Xbox-style format or symmetrical controls or change a thumbstick for all buttons. It feels like a gimmick nevertheless it’s truly actually helpful.

The one bother is, all these excessive specs and additional options add value, leading to a complete value for this handheld that’s simply staggering when set towards the sub-$500 value of some Steam Deck fashions. The highest-spec fashions value over $2,000, which might be a tough to swallow sum even when this handheld was good, however sadly it does have one additional issue that holds it again: Home windows.

Like different Home windows handhelds, the general ease of use of this handheld shouldn’t be a patch on the Steam Decks, and Ayaneo’s software program is not fairly as slickly built-in as that on the Aokzoe A1X. It is nonetheless an incredible handheld, although, in case you can reside with its Home windows interface foibles and afford its excessive value.

Learn our Ayaneo 3 evaluate.

The Ayaneo Air stands out as among the many smallest handheld gaming PCs round. With only a 5.5-inch OLED display, it is a noticeable step down from the Steam Deck OLED and Asus ROG Ally X, not to mention the a lot massive Lenovo Legion Go.

This compactness makes it an incredible choice for these searching for a handheld appropriate for touring gentle or utilizing considered one of these gadgets on a daily commute the place you are cramped for house and should have to face. That is very true because it’s a lot lighter than others too, weighing in at simply 398g in comparison with 640g for the Steam Deck OLED.

All that compactness comes with some apparent compromises, although. The AMD Ryzen 5 5560 chip on this handheld is significantly much less highly effective than most different handhelds. It could possibly nonetheless play most video games at low settings and 720p resolutions or decrease however Steam Deck-level energy was already proper on the restrict of what is useable for many video games so the Ayaneo Air feels much more restricted.

Battery life is restricted too and the smaller display means this feels much less like a tool you would possibly wish to use for different duties reminiscent of watching video or searching the net. Nonetheless, with a low asking value, it is probably an incredible choice for a lot of patrons, if you may get maintain of 1, as inventory appears to have principally dried up since its launch in 2023.

We expect Sony’s PSP is without doubt one of the best-designed items of tech ever conceived and it is clear GPD has had comparable ideas, as its GPD Win 4 gaming handheld is successfully a Home windows-powered equal. With a slide-up display that reveals a full keyboard, it brings an entire new degree of practicality to the gaming handheld house.

This novel development actually units the GPD Win 4 other than the remainder, as regardless of touchscreen keyboards having taken over within the cell phone and pill house, bodily keyboards simply carry a lot utility to gadgets of this measurement. Whether or not it is shortcuts for key Home windows capabilities or simply speedy typing on a tool that is in any other case unwieldy for such use, it is perfect. That is to not say it is a keyboard on par with a laptop computer nevertheless it’s higher than none in any respect.

Powering the GPD Win 4 is the AMD Ryzen 7 8840U, which has similarities to the Ryzen Z1 Excessive chips of different handhelds with its Radeon 780M GPU. So, this is not a meaningfully quicker unit than most of its opponents.

The sheer quantity of utility led to by the design of the GPD Win 4 is what units it aside, although, even when it solely has a 6-inch 1080p display. The actual kicker for this handheld, although, is its value. At round $1,500 / £1,000 it is a very dear handheld.

Whereas not a PC gaming handheld within the conventional sense, the Razer Edge offers you entry to your PC library by way of cloud streaming. You may hyperlink your Recreation Move, GeForce Now, and Steam accounts to stream video games from anyplace and the Edge does all of it with a shocking show and loads of energy to again it up.

Cell video games are additionally a breeze because of the Andriod OS, supplying you with the choice to run video games natively with its 128GB storage. Once we reviewed the Razer Edge, we discovered the cloud streaming setup to have one notable flaw with its decision output, however past that, it was a unbelievable gadget with loads of room to develop sooner or later.

Nexus is the trick that the Edge has up its sleeve, because it lets you fully remap the button inputs to the included Razer Kishi V2 controller. You may then make these overlays disappear, leaving your gaming expertise uninterrupted. This software program is just for cellular titles although, as PC cloudy streaming helps the Razer Kishi V2 as if it was a typical Xbox controller.

Learn our Razer Edge evaluate.

The Asus ROG Move Z13 is not a traditional handheld gaming PC. Nonetheless, its pill kind issue means you’ll be able to technically maintain it in an identical method to a gaming handheld. Level and click on adventures, metropolis constructing sims, or some other video games that solely require single-digit touchscreen enter can all be performed on this method. Plus, the Move Z13 may also be used like a traditional laptop computer, because of its keyboard/trackpad cowl.

To get essentially the most from it whereas gaming, you do want a mouse or controller. Plus, its battery life whereas gaming solely stretches to a few hours, a minimum of when gaming at respectable element settings on its massive 13-inch display. For non-gaming, although, its battery lasts over ten hours, so in case you’re joyful to principally watch video and browse the net on lengthy journeys and solely often recreation, it is an attention-grabbing choice.

Essential to the attraction of this pill is its AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 CPU that homes a really highly effective built-in GPU. It is, much more highly effective than different gaming handhelds, enabling 1080p+ gaming at easy body charges and excessive element settings. Successfully it is only a gaming laptop computer with an odd form however in case you like the thought of typically simply utilizing a pill for handheld gaming, it delivers the products, for a excessive value.

Learn our Asus ROG Move Z13 evaluate.