The gaming handheld market is booming, with extra units than ever at present obtainable, and an enthusiastic group eagerly awaiting the subsequent massive developments in moveable gaming. In truth, PC handhelds are so common that a big portion of the narrative I noticed within the lead-up to the discharge of the Change 2 was whether or not individuals should purchase it or a Steam Deck.
Whereas I stand firmly on workforce Steam Deck, I discovered it curious that so many individuals even made this comparability. I even wrote about my emotions on the time, because the fixed comparability between the Steam Deck and Change 2, and which one was in the end one of the best gaming handheld, felt like a moot level when each served completely different audiences. One of many the explanation why it was such a simple comparability for everybody to make, nevertheless, is that they’re pretty equally priced, which bought me occupied with the state of PC handheld pricing generally.
Whereas I do not but assume we’re sitting on a bubble the place one mistaken transfer would see producers pull out of the market and public curiosity massively cool off, it may possibly’t be ignored that there’s a considerably cavernous distinction within the worth of the Steam Deck in comparison with its rivals. That is understandably partially because of the growing older {hardware} contained in the Steam Deck, which by 2025 requirements is kind of restricted, but the Deck has solely simply began to wrestle constantly with triple-A video games. Nonetheless, some builders will exit of their method to make sure their newest video games run on the Deck, as we noticed with the demanding Murderer’s Creed Shadows.
As a substitute, what we’re seeing from the likes of Asus, MSI, Ayaneo, AOKZOE, OneXPlayer, and others is a race to stuff a handheld with probably the most energy attainable and get it to market ASAP. This consists of deciding on highly effective AMD chips just like the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, usually seen in mini gaming PCs, and utilizing them for handhelds as an alternative.
A great way to gauge simply how the pricing has accelerated within the gaming handheld market is to take a look at the unique Asus ROG Ally Z1 Excessive, which had an MSRP of $699 again when it was introduced in June 2023, whereas the common Z1 mannequin was priced at $599.
By this time, the Steam Deck LCD had already been available on the market for nearly 18 months, ranging from $399 for the 64GB mannequin, with the OLED following in November 2023 for $549. This meant that each one the mainstream handhelds available on the market within the 2023 vacation season have been fairly competitively priced.
Fewer than two years later, Asus is making ready to launch an Xbox-themed Xbox Ally X for a rumored worth of $999, MSI is transport the Claw 8 AI+ for $999, you’ll be able to seize the Ayanneo 3 OLED mannequin for round $999, and there may be even a GPD Win 5 on the best way with an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 that is certain to come back with an eye-watering price. In the meantime, the Steam Deck can nonetheless be bought for $399, solely the mannequin at this worth is now the 256GB LCD mannequin, with some OG fashions having been discontinued with the introduction of the OLED model.
This implies the hole between the highest and backside of the mainstream market has widened from $300 to not less than $600, and despite the fact that there’s a case to make for the improved energy of those new handhelds being well worth the soar in {hardware} energy, particularly with a number of the ones I’ve examined to this point, it is nonetheless a tricky tablet to swallow.
By way of energy will increase over the past three years, we have hardly ever seen handhelds use a customized APU just like the Steam Deck, with the AMD Ryzen Z1 vary as an alternative chosen by most mainstream handhelds. This developed into some producers then utilizing the aforementioned AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, whereas we look forward to the approaching arrival of the AMD Ryzen Z2 vary of chips. Now, we have already got affirmation of the primary Strix Halo handheld within the aforementioned GPD Win 5, which makes use of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395.
It feels as if the gaming handheld market has maybe fallen for a similar power-chasing ethos that plagues the smartphone market, the place followers eagerly await the subsequent top-spec Android cellphone, able to drop their money on the shiny new mannequin, even when the upgrades aren’t game-changing. This feels barely inauthentic in comparison with the pretty humble beginnings of PC handhelds only a few years in the past, and with none gross sales information to research, it is also onerous to say simply what number of of those expensive handhelds are promoting, and what the producers contemplate a hit.
Finally, what makes the Steam Deck so common is not its energy; it is a budget worth and simply how simple SteamOS is to make use of. Once you boot a Steam Deck, you’re propelled proper right into a model of SteamOS that may have you ever enjoying your put in video games in a matter of seconds. The identical cannot be mentioned for Home windows handhelds but, though the Xbox Ally fashions need to change this case.
One other big benefit for the Steam Deck is its scores system, which is used to show whether or not or not a recreation works on the Deck. It’s miles from excellent, but it surely’s a system that builders actively boast about once they obtain “Verification” standing, so it clearly carries appreciable weight. In some circumstances, builders even make Steam Deck-specific graphics profiles obtainable, as seen in CD Projekt Purple video games Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3.
Maybe the lesson we be taught from the present handheld panorama is that players do not essentially need probably the most highly effective handheld if it ignores the core fundamentals of what makes a handheld so good. That is particularly pertinent when these handhelds then price as a lot as 2.5x that of the Steam Deck.
Amid all this pricing chaos, we’re additionally but to see or hear something from Valve concerning the Steam Deck 2. Whereas it is affordable to count on it’ll include a substantial improve over the present fashions, it might nonetheless fall in need of being probably the most highly effective handheld available on the market, as a result of it does not want that energy to promote models.
The subsequent 12 months within the gaming handheld market are set to be particularly thrilling, and we will not wait to observe alongside for the experience. If you wish to chat about handhelds and even basic PC {hardware} with some like-minded people, you’ll be able to be part of our Discord server.
