Handheld gamers which is the best right now out of all of them currently?

Still rocking with my LCD steam deck. Though i feel its getting outdated imo its still has the best value out there. Newly released more powerful handhelds can be pricey to the point its almost as expensive as a standard PC.

I am definitely not a handheld gamer, but the ROG Ally X is the least shit of the bunch from what I have seen.

Without a budget and games preference, it's hard to make a recommendation.

If it was me, right now, I'd get the 512GB OLED Steam deck. Nice screen. Plays indies well. I have no interest in playing AAA games on a handheld. Good battery life. Solid piece of kit overall. Basically ticks all my boxes.

I wouldn't recommend the Deck for someone who wants to play more modern AAA titles on the go though.

I voted for the Lenovo Legion Go. I think getting one right now with the holiday season deep discounts is worth it. Right now you can get a 1TB model for the same price as a 512GB Steam Deck OLED and thats just brand new.

The 8.8" screen makes it hard to want to downgrade to a smaller screen. The screens colors have been proven to rival the Steam Deck OLED in everything but the blacks. Some people ask me if it is OLED because it looks that good.The upside is since it isn't OLED I don't have to worry about burn in.

I love the detachable controllers. I use that functionality for things outside of gaming. Sometimes when I am at the gym and I am doing cardio for a long time. I place my Legion Go on the slot that holds phones and tablets and just stream shows and youtube videos while working out on the machine. I end up being on the machines longer because it helps time fly by fast. It is also useful for work cause I use it on cramp spaces that a laptop wouldn't fit and I don't need my keyboard to be lined up with it. The detachable controllers also makes it easier to do local multiplayer games since I don't have to bring more than one extra controller for 2 player games and the kickstand makes it simple to place and angle it for us to both see it.

Of course being more powerful than the Steam Deck is also a big plus. We are at the some point where some games aren't playable on the Steam Deck but they are playable on my Legion Go and other handhelds with similar chipsets. I like that I can turn up game settings a tier or two higher over than what is possible on the Steam Deck. I also like all the tools I can use to squeeze some more FPS out of my handheld like Lossless Scaling for games that don't have FSR or XeSS and frame generation.

I root for all of them!! That said, Steam Deck is king... For now.

IMO Steam Deck because of the price, performance, build quality, reparability, flexibility, official support, community support, and ease of use.

Analogue Pocket is good too for retro gaming options.

XPod. lol :P

basically word-for-word what I'd say about it too

Handheld gaming is stupid, screen too small, sound crappy, David Lynch "fucking phone" video. Prefer a book for the commute or whatever. Reading Lone Wolf and Cub manga on the bus. Seal it in a ziplock bag that one of my bicycle clothes came in.

Have only had experience with the Switch but very much enjoyed that system. Am most likely all in for a Switch 2 day one. No interest in the PlayStation Portal but if Sony put out a handheld that can play games natively then will be interested in that. Would also be very interested in Microsoft making an Xbox handheld as well. As for the other PC handhelds I’m still sitting on the sidelines right now. Things are going pretty hot and heavy still so taking a wait and see approach.

For me, it's the Switch. The library can't be beat, imo.

TIL the Steam Deck and Steam Machine are two different systems... Yeah, I haven't been following the handheld market in years.

Steam deck for sure.

I have a Switch and an Ally, so where as it may sound bias my vote goes to those two. However, I did a LOT of hands on research and further deep diving of the internet before deciding on the Ally and it had everything I was looking for while others didn't.

I guess the Deck for ease of use, price, power and library. Switch for Nintendo games.

ROG Ally for me.

I like the Steam Deck, but I just needed more power and customization.

I bought 2 used ones for $300 each, both with defective card readers but we don't use that anyway.

Has been an awesome replacement for their aging switch consoles, which they often complained was slow and stuttering.

Only have experience with the switch which has a great library would like to get into steamdeck at some point.

If I was hard pressed to answer I would say the Switch because you can play it on a TV.

But they all suck really.

Switch is good if you like over priced games and bad performance.

How important is it to be able to play games from non Steam launchers? I've been able to play Ubisoft and EA games on my Deck w/o installing anything extra - but they do require you to sign in. Have not tried others like GoG,Epic. if that's not important then I'd say Deck. (I would just consider waiting til the spring sale and see what kinda discounts there are)

I missed when handhelds can fit in your pocket. The 3DS Xl was quite big but still fits on my back pocket. Nowadays you need a carrying case to carry these new handhelds.

It also depends on what kind of games you like to play.

My boys play Fortnite and Minecraft mostly, but will occasionally play a looter shooter or crafting game with me.

Most of those games cant be played on the Deck due to Proton not being compatible with anti-cheat or certain DRMs

Steam Deck for me. I am a fan Blaze's Super Pocket. Definitely fits in pockets.

I'm pretty sure those handheld PC's can mirror onto any smart TV wired or wireless.

@me2002: Still doesn't make them any less 💩 though.

Analogue Pocket

Steam Deck has nothing that cannot be played on my laptop and Switch has exclusives so That.

In my opinion the Steak Deck is a highly redundant product at best. (and this is coming from someone who has a ton of steam games and is a PC primary gamer.)

@mojito1988: How is a laptop not redundant if a Steam Deck is? The Deck is basically a laptop more tailored for gaming.

I get it's redundant for you, since you're content with your laptop. I don't get how it's redundant for someone who wants a PC handheld.

Lord Gaben has delivered a masterpiece of gaming hardware.... Don't fight it.... Accept it into your life because it'll allow you to reach a state of gaming nirvana.... Especially if you're a retro gamer... My goodness you'd never need anything else for the rest of time....

Bless you.... Bless you all....

You're only commenting on your own personal situation... You have a laptop that you take portable I'm assuming... Great. For the rest of us, Steamdeck replaces the need for a clunky laptop and instead puts the laptop in your hands like a gaming device. It is redundant to you, it is a godsend for us.

Or Miyou Mini +

Only system that supports physical games on poll is switch. So that wins.

Steamdeck because of steamOS is unbeatable as a software package compared to the windows handhelds.

He's actually not though, over 130 million mau on Steam and 3 million Decks sold in what 3yrs, so he's talking for the vast majority of Steam users. So you're the one who's basically talking about your own situation.

When will you see that you're in the VAST minority here?

@last_lap: steam deck is currently winning our forums favorite hardware of 2024 in that nifty poll I put out.... Minority?

A whopping 37 votes, ok folks time to pack it up here we're done 🤭

@last_lap: you said I'm in the minority here.... 🤷

You are. 37 votes on SW doesn't negate 3 million sales out of a pool of 132 million users. Facts beat 37 SW users 🤣

@last_lap: but what u said...

When I said here, I wasn't talking about here in SW, I was talking about in the grand scheme of things, but I thought you would have figured that, but you didn't, my bad I will better explain it to you next time.

But if you want to enjoy your win with some 14 odd votes then who am I to stop you 🤣

Ergonomics wise, the ASUS ROG Ally was the most comfortable I held in my hands. I own a Switch Lite, and even though I apreciate its reduced size and weight, ergonomicaly is terrible. My hands start to get cramps after less than 1h of playtime. The normal Switch was better but not much better tbh.

Outside of Nintendo exclusives I see no reason to own a Switch when there are better alternates for handheld gaming on the market. Even the Vita was more confortable than my Switch lite. Ergonomics is my n°1 factor for handheld gaming

Bless you friend... You've realized the error in your ways and have been forgiven.

@TheEroica said:

@last_lap said:

@TheEroica said:

@last_lap: but what u said...

When I said here, I wasn't talking about here in SW, I was talking about in the grand scheme of things, but I thought you would have figured that, but you didn't, my bad I will better explain it to you next time.

But if you want to enjoy your win with some 14 odd votes then who am I to stop you 🤣

Bless you friend... You've realized the error in your ways and have been forgiven.

No error in my ways mate, just an error in your way of thinking is all, like playing on a handheld that doesn't play all the games in your library 🤦‍♂️

Depends on the games you want to play. If PC games, then go with steam deck or lenovo legion go. If older games, then my favorite is the 3ds, or even Gameboy sp. Fantastic form factor, easy to hold and great games.

The Switch is a console. But out of all those, Asus Rog Ally X.

I like my New 3DS LL that I just got in Japan and fully hacked along with my Vita the most. Vita has the best ergonomics and dpad and just general design aesthetics that blows the bulky switch or steam deck out of the water. The 3d on the new 3ds is great and playing the entire DS/3DS library on it is really great and more than enough for all of my portable needs

I would also recommend one of those Ambernac emulation handhelds that I see very often on tiktok , if retro gaming is one of your interests.