Valve might have kicked off the whole portable PC craze with the Steam Deck, but these days it's far from the only game in town. Handheld rigs are popping up everywhere, and the competition is getting spicy. Once upon a time the Asus ROG Ally X stole the crown with its zippy performance, speedy memory, and a battery that actually lasted a decent stretch.
Now though, a new contender is flexing its muscles: the Lenovo Legion Go S (Z1 Extreme, SteamOS). And with the Xbox Ally X moving into the scene, the road ahead is looking packed with choices. So whether you're eyeing off the Deck or sniffing around for a worthy alternative, we've rounded up some cracking handheld PCs that can smash through the latest PC titles - just don't expect them to tackle Doom: The Dark Ages without a fight.
TL;DR – These Are the Best Handheld Gaming PCs:
Instead of lugging around a chunky gaming laptop, handheld PCs keep things nice and compact, letting you fire up a game pretty much anywhere. Sure, they're smaller than a tower or even a laptop, but that doesn't mean they're pushovers. Plenty of these little beasts have the grunt to run heavy hitters like Cyberpunk 2077 without breaking a sweat. And if the small screen wears thin, you can always drop one into a Steam Deck dock and beam the action straight to your big telly.
We're right on the edge of a handheld gaming shake-up, and we've had the pleasure of testing a fair few of these pocket powerhouses. Here are the four we reckon deserve a spot on your radar.
This guide contains contributions by Jacqueline Thomas
The Best Handheld Gaming PC
The Best Windows Handheld Gaming PC
The Best Budget Handheld Gaming PC
The Best High Performance Handheld Gaming PC
Should I buy a handheld gaming PC or a gaming laptop?
Whether you go for a handheld PC or a gaming laptop really comes down to how - and what - you want to play. Handhelds have the edge when it comes to battery life, portability, cooling, and overall efficiency, making them great travel companions. The trade-off is they're built to handle games only up to a certain level of intensity.
Laptops, on the other hand, stuff in the latest GPUs, CPUs, and plenty of RAM, so they can chew through even the most demanding titles. The catch? You usually pay for it with extra heat, shorter battery life, and a much higher price tag. That said, gaming laptops pull double duty - they're not just for games, but also solid workhorses for editing, productivity, and whatever else you throw at them.
What’s the best Steam Deck alternative?
The Asus ROG Ally X stands tall as one of the sharpest Steam Deck alternatives out there. It's got a slick design, runs like a dream, and keeps things simple on the user side. Best of all, since it's running Windows 11, you get access to your full PC gaming library without any hoops to jump through.
How does the Switch 2 compare to the Steam Deck?
The Switch 2 is delivers better performance than the Steam Deck, according to our tests. Check out our in-depth comparison to find out more.
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