The best gaming handhelds for 2024

Steam Deck OLED – Show: 7.4-inch HDR OLED, 1,280 x 800 decision, 1,000 nits peak HDR brightness, 600 nits SDR brightness, as much as 90Hz | Processor: Customized 6nm AMD APU | RAM: 16GB LPDDR5 6400 MT/s | Storage: 512GB, 1TB SSD | Battery: 50Whr | Dimensions: 11.73 x 4.6 x 1.93 inches | Weight: 1.41 kilos | Wi-fi: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 | OS: SteamOS

Steam Deck LCD – Show: 7-inch IPS, 1,280 x 800 decision, 400 nits brightness, 60Hz | Processor: Customized 7nm AMD APU | RAM: 16GB LPDDR5 5500 MT/s | Storage: 256GB SSD | Battery: 40Whr | Dimensions: 11.73 x 4.6 x 1.93 inches | Weight: 1.48 kilos | Wi-fi: Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0 | OS: SteamOS

Due to a refresh late final yr, Valve’s Steam Deck continues to supply the perfect steadiness of worth, efficiency and usefulness within the gaming handheld market. And the brand new Steam Deck OLED is an intensive improve over the unique. Beginning at $549 for 512GB of storage, this variant encompasses a 7.4-inch OLED show that’s brighter, quicker, barely larger and extra vivid than the 7-inch IPS panel on the now entry-level mannequin. The upper distinction and richer colours of an OLED display screen makes each sport look higher by default, however this show additionally helps HDR, with considerably brighter highlights at its peak. The utmost refresh charge has jumped from 60Hz to 90Hz as properly, which might help many video games look smoother.

As a result of much less power-hungry show, a extra environment friendly AMD APU and a bigger battery, the Steam Deck OLED additionally lasts longer than earlier than. No handheld can play resource-intensive “AAA” video games for too lengthy, however Valve says the brand new mannequin can run for 3 to 12 hours relying on the sport, whereas the LCD mannequin lasts between two and eight. A bigger fan retains issues cooler and quieter, and the chassis feels lighter. Efficiency is roughly the identical, although the OLED mannequin’s elevated reminiscence bandwidth might help it acquire a pair further frames in sure video games.

All that mentioned, $549 is a giant funding. The entry-level Steam Deck, which makes use of a extra fundamental IPS LCD show however now comes with a 256GB SSD as commonplace, continues to be an unmatched worth at $399. Newer AAA video games are definitely pushing their limits, however each Decks can run tons of video games that simply aren’t potential on a Nintendo Swap, from Elden Ring to Last Fantasy VII Remake to the Resident Evil 4 remake. Whereas official sport assist is restricted to a subset of the Steam library, the checklist of formally verified and still-playable titles is very large, various and consistently rising. (There are workarounds to entry different storefronts as properly.)

A near-constant stream of updates has turned Valve’s SteamOS into a versatile but user-friendly platform. You’ll nonetheless have to make tweaks now and again to get a sport to run optimally, however the course of is often simple. That energy, mixed with third-party instruments like EmuDeck, makes the Deck excellent for emulation as properly. Some PS3 and authentic Xbox video games could be difficult, however nearly the whole lot else works fantastically. You may as well cloud stream Xbox video games with slightly setup.

The Steam Deck’s largest difficulty is its dimension: At two inches thick and practically a foot lengthy, it stretches the definition of a “handheld” system, even when the OLED mannequin is lighter by comparability. The LCD Deck can get heat and noisy pretty rapidly, too, and the d-pad on every system is considerably mushy. However the contoured grips on the again assist offset the majority, and each variations really feel sturdy, with responsive face buttons and triggers, easy joysticks and helpful twin touchpads.

Show: 7-inch IPS, 1080p decision, 500 nits brightness, 120Hz, VRR | Processor: AMD Ryzen Z1 Excessive or AMD Ryzen Z1 | RAM: 16GB LPDDR5 6400 MT/s | Storage: 512GB SSD | Battery: 40Whr | Dimensions: 11.02 x 4.37 x 0.83-1.28 inches | Weight: 1.34 kilos | Wi-fi: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 | OS: Home windows 11

In case you’re prepared to spend further for extra energy, you possibly can skip the Steam Deck and purchase a Home windows-based handheld as a substitute. The ASUS ROG Ally is the one that ought to work for most individuals, and it’s an honest various in case you’re prepared to commerce ease of use for a better efficiency ceiling. Consider it like a extra moveable gaming laptop computer.

Word that we’re particularly recommending the mannequin with an AMD Ryzen Z1 Excessive APU, which prices $649. ASUS sells one other model with a weaker Ryzen Z1 chip for $150 much less, however the energy drop-off there may be too nice. With the Z1 Excessive, the ROG Ally can play extra demanding video games at greater body charges and resolutions than the Steam Deck. In our assessment, we noticed fps good points of 15 to 25 % in AAA fare like Cyberpunk 2077 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Whereas the Steam Deck formally tops out at a TDP of 15W, the ROG Ally’s Turbo mode boosts its energy draw to 25W (or 30W when plugged in), letting it eke out extra frames. The latest addition of AMD’s Fluid Movement Frames body technology tech might help some video games look smoother, too, although setting that function up and correctly optimizing it’s removed from intuitive. Basically, the ROG Ally is not absolutely the quickest handheld, and the Steam Deck can really outperform it occasionally on the identical TDP, decision and graphics settings. But it surely has extra overhead going ahead, which is necessary in case you largely play graphically demanding video games.

The ROG Ally’s 7-inch LCD show isn’t as vibrant or color-rich because the Steam Deck OLED, however it has a sharper 1080p decision and a quicker 120Hz refresh charge. Most significantly, it helps variable refresh charges (VRR), which helps maintain the picture easy at the same time as a sport’s body charge fluctuates. Regardless of having a similar-size display screen, the ROG Ally can also be shorter, lighter and thinner than the Steam Deck OLED. That mentioned, it doesn’t include a case. And although the {hardware} isn’t as a lot of a brick because the Steam Deck, Valve’s handheld has extra pronounced grips round its again, which may nonetheless make it simpler to carry for these with massive arms.

The ROG Ally’s upgraded efficiency and sharper show come on the expense of battery life, nonetheless. That often sits within the two- to four-hour vary, however it may be even much less with sure video games and better efficiency modes, considerably defeating the purpose of a “moveable” system.

As a result of it runs on Home windows 11, the ROG Ally can play video games from any gaming consumer, not only a choice of Steam video games. In case you’ve constructed up libraries on shops like Epic, GOG, Itch.io or the Xbox app, you possibly can entry them right here as you’d on every other Home windows PC, no particular workarounds required. For individuals who wish to play Epic exclusives like Alan Wake 2 or Xbox Sport Cross titles, it is a actual benefit.

However the largest difficulty with all Home windows handhelds is Home windows itself. ASUS has made extra strides than most by turning its Armoury Crate software program right into a centralized settings hub and sport library, however it’s nonetheless slapping a bandage on an OS that merely isn’t designed for this system class (for now).

Whether or not a sport works easily straight away can really feel like a crapshoot on a Home windows handheld. Generally the UI gained’t scale correctly, generally you’ll need to spend a number of minutes twiddling with graphics settings and key bindings, oftentimes you’ll need to alternate between navigating the OS with buttons and together with your fingers. I as soon as needed to hard-reset the ROG Ally after a driver difficulty stored the display screen from turning on.

ASUS exhibits a useful seven-minute tutorial on tips on how to replace and use the ROG Ally upon first launching Armoury Crate, however the truth that it wants a seven-minute intro video within the first place is telling. No person will confuse the Steam Deck with a Swap, however it’s a lot less complicated to only decide up and use than any Home windows various.

The ROG Ally has additionally had some troubles with high quality management. Most notably, a number of customers have reported issues with the system ejecting or outright killing their microSD playing cards, a problem ASUS has since confirmed. The system’s SSD is replaceable with slightly legwork, nonetheless, so we suggest taking that route in case you want greater than 512GB of storage. Quite a few ASUS system house owners have famous significantly horrible experiences with the corporate’s guarantee and return service as properly, although the agency just lately pledged to overtake its buyer assist processes.

Since our final replace, ASUS has unveiled a upgraded variant of the Ally known as the ROG Ally X, which is up for pre-order now and can be launched on July 22. This mannequin has the identical show and chipset however makes use of a much bigger 80Whr battery, 1TB of storage, 24GB of quicker RAM, an additional USB-C port and a number of other design tweaks, together with extra pronounced grips and a revised d-pad. The trade-offs are that it’s barely thicker and heavier, plus it prices extra at $800. Engadget’s Sam Rutherford was extremely impressed with the upgrades in his hands-on preview, however we’ll replace this information once more as soon as we will absolutely assessment the brand new mannequin.

Show: 4.7-inch IPS, 750 x 1,334 decision, 500 nits brightness, 60Hz | Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 1100 | RAM: 8GB LPDDR4x | Storage: 128GB UFS 3.1 | Battery: 5,000mAh | Dimensions: 7.27 x 3.25 x 0.62 inches | Weight: 0.58 kilos | Wi-fi: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 | OS: Android 11

The $199 Retroid Pocket 4 Professional is a superb worth for individuals who primarily desire a gaming handheld to emulate older consoles. It’s an Android-based system with far much less energy than the Steam Deck or ROG Ally, so it could possibly solely run PC, PS5 and Xbox video games by way of streaming. However in order for you one thing extra compact and are prepared to undergo the trials of getting emulators to work, it’s essentially the most succesful handheld we’ve examined for lower than $200.

The Pocket 4 Professional runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 1100 chip and 8GB of RAM, and it has a built-in fan with three completely different modes you possibly can activate to realize slightly further efficiency. This gives sufficient energy to play most video games from the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube, two well-liked retro consoles which are typically powerful for cellular handhelds to emulate. Not each sport labored — significantly demanding titles like Star Wars Rogue Squadron II and ESPN NFL 2K5 have been too uneven — and getting many others to run optimally required tinkering with decision, rendering and energetic cooling settings. With some setup, although, it could possibly play a major chunk of PS2 and GameCube video games at full pace and double their native decision. The very fact it could possibly stably play extra intensive titles like Gran Turismo 4 in any respect, even at decrease settings, is unbelievable for the cash.

Nearly the whole lot we examined from methods under the PS2 and GameCube on the efficiency totem pole — PSP, Dreamcast, PS1, N64, and so on. — ran flawlessly at a 2-4x upscale. The one exceptions have been a number of video games for the notoriously thorny Sega Saturn. Choose video games from later consoles just like the 3DS and Wii have been additionally playable, although the expertise was extra touch-and-go. For contemporary video games, Xbox cloud streaming labored simply tremendous, as did native Android video games with gamepad assist like Diablo Immortal.

The Pocket 4 Professional is constructed like a shorter Nintendo Swap Lite. It’s a flat slab that lacks ergonomic grips however continues to be snug to carry because of its low weight and small profile. (Retroid sells a comfortable for an additional $15 in case you want it, although.) It doesn’t really feel low-cost or creaky regardless of its plastic body, and its textured coating is pleasant to the contact. All of its buttons really feel proper: The face buttons are easy and have a snug quantity of journey; the analog triggers are conveniently extensive and flared; the bumpers are clicky and straightforward to differentiate; and the d-pad is agency and exact. The joysticks are on the stubby facet and positioned slightly too low on the system to be actually snug with trendy video games, however they’ve a snug stage of stress. And since they use magnetic Corridor impact sensors, they need to keep away from drifting points over time. Beneath these are useful begin, choose, residence and again buttons. There’s additionally a micro-HDMI port for connecting to a TV or monitor. The down-firing audio system are completely respectable, although they’re straightforward to cowl together with your fingers accidentally.

The 4.7-inch IPS show isn’t essentially the most correct we’ve examined even after updates, however it’s sufficiently vibrant, sharp and vivid, and any coloration temperature points are onerous to note except you’re white background. It’s cramped for streaming trendy video games, nonetheless, and its 16:9 side ratio means you’ll get hefty black borders with some older consoles by default. Battery life is ok given the system’s size-to-performance ratio: We received three to 4 hours with PS2 and GameCube video games, and round eight or 9 hours mixing in older consoles. The energetic cooling system prevents the Pocket 4 Professional from ever feeling too sizzling, although it could possibly get noticeably loud at its highest efficiency setting.

Retroid additionally sells a non-Professional model of the Pocket 4 with a slower Dimensity 900 chip and 4GB of RAM for $149. We haven’t been in a position to take a look at it, however in case you like this design and don’t care as a lot about emulating video games from the PS2, GameCube and up, it might be a greater worth. It will nonetheless have the ability to play many video games from these two methods, and the whole lot under that needs to be rock stable. However the Pocket 4 Professional casts a wider security web performance-wise, so it needs to be price the additional $50 for individuals who wish to emulate higher-power consoles extra reliably.

Show: 6-inch IPS, 1080p decision | Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | RAM: 8GB, 12GB or 16GB LPDDR5x | Storage: 128GB, 256GB or 512GB UFS 4.0 | Battery: 8,000mAh | Dimensions: 8.86 x 3.86 x 0.67 inches | Weight: 0.93 kilos | Wi-fi: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3 | OS: Android 13

In case you have additional cash to burn on an emulation-focused machine, the AYN Odin 2 is the very best retro gaming handheld you should buy proper now. This Android system can play the whole lot the Retroid Pocket 4 Professional can plus slightly further, with smoother and extra dependable efficiency. That is primarily on account of its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which is identical chip utilized by a lot of final yr’s flagship telephones.

The Odin 2 begins at $299 for 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which is pricey when the entry-level Steam Deck enables you to play PC video games for simply $100 extra. Nonetheless, amongst extra compact cellular handhelds, there is not a lot else that runs this properly on this worth vary. It performed all PS2 and GameCube video games we examined at two to a few occasions their native decision, whereas methods just like the PS1, N64 and Dreamcast have been usually playable at a 3-4x upscale. Most 3DS and Wii video games could have little to no slowdowns at 2-3x, both. It’s higher than most with the Sega Saturn, and it could possibly play a wider vary of Swap video games than the Pocket 4 Professional (although you need to simply purchase a Swap if that is a significant concern). More difficult methods will nonetheless require some settings tweaks, however you gained’t need to tinker on a game-by-game foundation as a lot as you’ll with lower-cost gadgets.

It’s not simply uncooked efficiency, although: The Odin 2 can also be a refined piece of {hardware}. It’s not as compact because the Pocket 4 Professional, however it’s a lot much less chunky than a conveyable PC and the curved grips on its again make it straightforward to carry, significantly with newer video games. Its d-pad, face buttons, analog triggers and Corridor impact joysticks all really feel nice. Different touches like a fingerprint scanner, a devoted return button, a micro-HDMI out port and two customizable again buttons are all good perks, and the front-facing audio system are a transparent improve over the Pocket 4 Professional.

The 6-inch, 1080p touchscreen is stable and well-sized, although it could possibly keep a bit too vibrant in darker settings. Battery life is great: We received greater than eight hours of juice emulating methods just like the PS2, however that jumped over 20 hours with lighter duties. The system helps 65W quick charging as properly. Cloud streaming and native Android video games work as they need to, and since the entire thing runs on a evenly modded model of Google’s OS, its inventory interface ought to really feel acquainted to most.

The bottom Odin 2 has been out and in of inventory, and the Pocket 4 Professional is a genuinely compelling various for $100 much less. However the Odin 2 continues to be a step up in efficiency and total consolation for individuals who can afford it. If you wish to play the classics or stream trendy video games and not using a hitch, it’s the Android handheld to get.

Show: 3.5-inch LCD, 1,600 x 1,440 decision, VRR 30Hz-62Hz | Chipset: Altera Cyclone V FPGA, Altera Cyclone 10 FPGA | RAM: 3.4MB BRAM, 2x 16MB 16-bit mobile RAM, 64MB 16-bit SDRAM, 256KB 16-bit asynchronous SRAM | Battery: 4,300mAh | Dimensions: 5.86 x 3.46 x 0.86 inches | Weight: 0.61 kilos | OS: Analogue OS

The Analogue Pocket is the last word Sport Boy. Its vertical design is constructed like a modernized, premium model of Nintendo’s basic handheld, and it could possibly even work with equipment just like the Sport Boy Digital camera. In comparison with the unique, although, the Pocket provides two further face buttons, a pair of rear triggers, a microSD slot, a USB-C port and a chargeable battery rated for six to 10 hours of playtime. Most importantly, it has a stunning 3.5-inch show that’s each backlit and extremely sharp (615 ppi) however could be set to appear to be an previous Sport Boy panel with completely different filter modes. The system may output to a TV with an non-compulsory dock.

Not like the retro handhelds talked about above, the Pocket is designed to play precise cartridges, not simply ROM recordsdata. It really works with Sport Boy, Sport Boy Coloration and Sport Boy Advance video games by means of its cartridge slot, whereas video games from the Sega Sport Gear, TurboGrafx-16, Neo Geo Pocket and Atari Lynx are playable by means of non-compulsory adapters.

Like previous Analogue gadgets, the Pocket makes use of field-programmable gate array (FPGA) motherboards to imitate its goal methods on a {hardware} stage. In observe, this implies the Pocket’s “emulation” of older titles is near-perfect, with a stage of responsiveness and visible faithfulness that software-based emulation can’t match. Pop in a Sport Boy or GBA cartridge and you’ll primarily play it as meant. That mentioned, because of a giant post-launch replace and an energetic person group, the Pocket may run ROMs off a microSD card and thus play methods just like the SNES and Sega Genesis.

The Pocket isn’t low-cost at $220, and its shoulder buttons aren’t as crisp to press as the superb d-pad or face buttons. Nonetheless, in case you have a group of Sport Boy, Sport Gear or GBA video games, the Pocket is essentially the most elegant solution to play them, and it’s solely turn into extra versatile over time. Its largest flaw is that it may be onerous to purchase — anticipate to attend a number of weeks for brand new orders to ship, if not longer.