One of 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 last year, Valve’s Steam Deck continues to supply the very best stability of value, efficiency and value 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 incorporates 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 makes each recreation 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 nicely, which may 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 may help it achieve a pair further frames in sure video games.

All that stated, $549 is a giant funding. The entry-level Steam Deck, which makes use of a extra primary IPS LCD show however now comes with a 256GB SSD as customary, remains to be an unmatched worth at $399. Newer AAA video games are actually pushing their limits, however each Decks can run tons of video games that simply aren’t attainable on a Nintendo Swap, from Elden Ring to Final Fantasy VII Remake to the Resident Evil 4 remake. Whereas official recreation help is restricted to a subset of the Steam library, the record of officially verified and still-playable titles is very large, numerous and continually rising. (There are workarounds to entry different storefronts as nicely.)

A near-constant stream of updates has turned Valve’s SteamOS into a versatile but user-friendly platform. You’ll nonetheless must make tweaks once in a while to get a recreation to run optimally, however the course of is normally simple. That energy, mixed with third-party instruments like EmuDeck, makes the Deck very good for emulation as nicely. Some PS3 and authentic Xbox video games might be tough, however nearly all the pieces else works superbly. You too can cloud stream Xbox video games with a little setup.

The Steam Deck’s largest difficulty is its dimension: At two inches thick and almost 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 shortly, 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, clean joysticks and helpful twin touchpads.

Show: 7-inch IPS, 1080p decision, 500 nits brightness, 120Hz, VRR | Processor: AMD Ryzen Z1 Excessive | RAM: 24GB LPDDR5 7500 MT/s | Storage: 1TB SSD | Battery: 80Whr | Dimensions: 11.02 x 4.37 x 0.97-1.45 inches | Weight: 1.49 kilos | Wi-fi: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 | OS: Home windows 11

If you happen to’re keen to spend further for extra energy, you possibly can skip the Steam Deck and purchase a Home windows-based handheld as an alternative. The ASUS ROG Ally X is the very best of these proper now, and it’s a good different to Valve’s system if you happen to’re keen to commerce some ease of use for a better efficiency ceiling. Consider it like a extra transportable gaming laptop computer.

The ROG Ally X is an upgraded model of final 12 months’s ROG Ally, our earlier advice on this spot. This newer mannequin runs on the identical chip (AMD’s Ryzen Z1 Excessive) and has the identical show however comes with extra RAM, double the storage, a battery that’s twice as massive, improved ergonomics and a further USB-C port. It prices $150 extra, so it’s dear, however it’s a superior piece of {hardware} in almost each method.

There are three principal causes to contemplate the ROG Ally X over the Steam Deck. The primary is energy: The unique ROG Ally was already a bit extra constant at taking part in graphically intense video games at increased body charges, thanks largely to a “Turbo mode” that reinforces the system’s energy draw to 25W, or 30W when plugged in. (The Steam Deck formally tops out at 15W.) In our ROG Ally X review, we discovered the additional RAM and improved reminiscence bandwidth right here helped additional this benefit by 5 to 10 % relying on the title. It’s nonetheless not a night-and-day improve in sure video games when all settings are equal, however it’s normally higher, and it has far more overhead each for now and the longer term. If you happen to primarily wish to play demanding “AAA” video games, the Ally X is extra prone to run them nicely.

On that be aware, the Ally X’s second main promoting level is its variable refresh charge. The 7-inch LCD show right here is clearly not as shiny or color-rich as that of the Steam Deck OLED, however it’s each sharper (1080p) and quicker (120Hz), and VRR help does wonders to maintain video games trying clean even when their body charge fluctuates. It’s a giant deal.

The third key benefit is the truth that Home windows allows you to play video games from any PC consumer, not only a number of Steam video games. If you happen to’ve constructed up libraries on shops like Epic, GOG or the Xbox app, you possibly can entry them right here as you’d on some other Home windows PC, no workarounds required. For Xbox Recreation Go video games, Epic Video games Retailer exclusives or finicky always-online titles like Future 2 that require anti-cheat software program, it’s nice.

Alas, for all its flexibility, Home windows can also be the largest detriment to any Home windows handheld. ASUS has made real strides over the previous 12 months by turning its Armoury Crate app into a wonderfully usable recreation launcher and settings hub, however it’s nonetheless slapping a bandage onto an OS that isn’t designed for this kind issue (a sentiment Microsoft itself has acknowledged).

Navigating Home windows together with your fingers and a controller remains to be frustratingly inconsistent. Sleep mode doesn’t all the time keep asleep. Whether or not a recreation works easily from the bounce is usually a crapshoot; typically the UI gained’t scale correctly, different instances you will have to spend minutes fidgeting with graphics settings and key bindings. These points pop up with any gaming PC, after all, however they’re extra annoying to take care of on a small display with no mouse useful. Then there’s the bloat: You don’t want printer drivers, Copilot or advertisements for Workplace 365 in your gaming handheld. No one will confuse a Steam Deck with a Swap, however SteamOS is way simpler to simply choose up and use — even whether it is extra closed-off because of this.

The Ally X’s battery life can’t match the Steam Deck both, although the drop-off is way much less obtrusive than it was with the primary Ally. You may anticipate someplace round 2-2.5 hours with heavier fare, however nicely past that with much less demanding stuff. The larger battery does make the chassis barely heavier, however its extra pronounced grips, tighter joysticks, meatier triggers and barely taller face buttons make it simply that further bit comfier than earlier than. It’ll nonetheless match finest in larger fingers, however it’s a few half-inch thinner than Valve’s machine. The overheating issues that plagued the prior mannequin’s microSD card reader ought to be fastened, too, and the corporate has a minimum of pledged to improve its RMA course of after a raft of complaints.

Finally, whether or not the ROG Ally X is best for you comes right down to your tolerance for software program jank. If you happen to’re keen to courageous some UX sloppiness with a view to play high-end video games from any consumer, wherever you need, it ought to be definitely worth the value premium.

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 Pro 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 X, so it may solely run PC, PS5 and Xbox video games by way of streaming. However if you’d like one thing extra compact and are keen to go through the rigors of getting emulators to work, it’s probably 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 totally different modes you possibly can activate to achieve just a little further efficiency. This supplies sufficient energy to play most video games from the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube, two fashionable retro consoles which are typically robust for cellular handhelds to emulate. Not each recreation labored — significantly demanding titles like Star Wars Rogue Squadron II and ESPN NFL 2K5 had been too uneven — and getting many others to run optimally required tinkering with decision, rendering and energetic cooling settings. With some setup, although, it may play a big chunk of PS2 and GameCube video games at full velocity and double their native decision. The actual fact it may stably play extra intensive titles like Gran Turismo 4 in any respect, even at decrease settings, is incredible for the cash.

Nearly all the pieces we examined from techniques 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 had been just a few video games for the notoriously thorny Sega Saturn. Choose video games from later consoles just like the 3DS and Wii had been additionally playable, although the expertise was extra touch-and-go. For contemporary video games, Xbox cloud streaming labored simply wonderful, as did native Android video games with gamepad help 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 remains to be snug to carry because of its low weight and small profile. (Retroid sells a comfy grip add-on for one more $15 if you happen to want it, although.) It doesn’t really feel low cost or creaky regardless of its plastic body, and its textured coating is agreeable to the contact. All of its buttons really feel proper: The face buttons are clean and have a snug quantity of journey; the analog triggers are conveniently broad and flared; the bumpers are clicky and straightforward to tell apart; and the d-pad is agency and exact. The joysticks are on the stubby facet and positioned just a little too low on the system to be actually snug with fashionable video games, however they’ve a snug degree of rigidity. And since they use magnetic Hall effect sensors, they need to keep away from drifting points over time. Beneath these are useful begin, choose, dwelling 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 by chance.

The 4.7-inch IPS show isn’t probably the most correct we’ve examined even after updates, however it’s sufficiently shiny, sharp and vivid, and any colour temperature points are onerous to note except you’re taking a look at white background. It’s cramped for streaming fashionable video games, nevertheless, 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 scorching, although it may 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 capable of take a look at it, however if you happen to like this design and don’t care as a lot about emulating video games from the PS2, GameCube and up, it could be a greater worth. It’s going to nonetheless be capable of play many video games from these two techniques, and all the pieces under that ought to be rock stable. However the Pocket 4 Professional casts a wider security web performance-wise, so it ought 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 extra cash to burn on an emulation-focused machine, the AYN Odin 2 is the best possible retro gaming handheld you should purchase proper now. This Android system can play all the pieces the Retroid Pocket 4 Professional can plus just a little further, with smoother and extra dependable efficiency. That is primarily as a consequence of its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which is identical chip utilized by a lot of final 12 months’s flagship phones.

The Odin 2 begins at $299 for 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which is pricey when the entry-level Steam Deck allows 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 nicely on this value vary. It performed all PS2 and GameCube video games we examined at two to 3 instances their native decision, whereas techniques just like the PS1, N64 and Dreamcast had been sometimes playable at a 3-4x upscale. Most 3DS and Wii video games may have little to no slowdowns at 2-3x, both. It’s higher than most with the Sega Saturn, and it may 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 techniques 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 units.

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 may keep a bit too shiny in darker settings. Battery life is excellent: We received greater than eight hours of juice emulating techniques just like the PS2, however that jumped over 20 hours with lighter duties. The system helps 65W quick charging as nicely. Cloud streaming and native Android video games work as they need to, and since the entire thing runs on a calmly 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 different for $100 much less. However the Odin 2 remains to be a step up in efficiency and general consolation for individuals who can afford it. If you wish to play the classics or stream fashionable video games with no 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 ultimate Game Boy. Its vertical design is constructed like a modernized, premium model of Nintendo’s basic handheld, and it may even work with equipment just like the Recreation 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 might be set to appear to be an previous Recreation Boy panel with totally different filter modes. The system also can 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 Recreation Boy, Recreation Boy Colour and Recreation Boy Advance video games by its cartridge slot, whereas video games from the Sega Recreation Gear, TurboGrafx-16, Neo Geo Pocket and Atari Lynx are playable by non-compulsory adapters.

Like previous Analogue units, the Pocket makes use of field-programmable gate array (FPGA) motherboards to imitate its goal techniques on a {hardware} degree. In follow, this implies the Pocket’s “emulation” of older titles is near-perfect, with a degree of responsiveness and visible faithfulness that software-based emulation can’t match. Pop in a Recreation Boy or GBA cartridge and you’ll primarily play it as meant. That stated, because of a big post-launch update and an energetic person group, the Pocket also can run ROMs off a microSD card and thus play techniques 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 wonderful d-pad or face buttons. Nonetheless, when you have a set of Recreation Boy, Recreation Gear or GBA video games, the Pocket is probably the most elegant strategy to play them, and it’s solely develop into extra versatile over time. Its largest flaw is that it can be hard to purchase — anticipate to attend just a few weeks for brand spanking new orders to ship, if not longer.