The 7 Best Handheld Gaming PCs for Taking Your Steam Library On the Go
A portable console that’s just as powerful as your desktop? Yes, please.
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Thanks to powerful mobile processors and more compact components, a new generation of handheld PC gaming is here. These portable consoles are a worthwhile consideration over spending loads on a gaming laptop or desktop—they’re advanced enough for Full HD gaming, and the most technically impressive can handle whatever your Steam or Microsoft Game Pass libraries can throw at them.
With a small form factor, you can take these machines anywhere and enjoy your games with the same functionality as your desktop, whether you’re on the go or chilling in a lounge. That freedom also means you’re untethered from your desk and you don’t need to lug a heavy laptop around.
Handheld PCs are also incredibly versatile compared to full-sized computers. Many feature the precision of analog controls and the convenience of touchscreen functionality. Some even have detachable controllers and output ports that you can hook up to any TV or monitor to use like any other gaming console. Importantly, these handheld PCs cost significantly less than other PC gaming options.
Arguably, the most popular option is Valve’s Steam Deck, though many competitors in this space are vying for your coin. In this guide, we’ll explain what to look for when shopping for a handheld gaming PC and offer our thoughts on the best available.
The Best Handheld Gaming PCs
- Best Overall: Valve OLED Steam Deck
- Best Budget: Valve Steam Deck
- Best for Performance: OneXPlayer OneXFly
- Best Large Screen: Lenovo Legion Go
- Best Windows: Asus Rog Ally
What to Consider
Because of their power draw, the graphics and central processing capabilities of handheld gaming PCs aren’t make-or-break specs—they all have comparable play experiences. The more powerful a GPU and CPU, the faster a battery drains, so for the sake of brevity, rest assured that these machines can play new titles and indie games. However, there are still noticeable performance differences in screen resolution.
Screen
The display obviously plays a large part in your handheld PC gaming experience. Seven-inch screens typically rule the roost, but larger displays are available, though heavier and more battery-consuming. Screens also vary in resolution, with options like the Steam Deck running 720p and newer models like Asus Rog Ally offering 1080p (Full HD).
The higher the resolution, the lower the frame rate and the bigger the drain on battery life. Since handheld screen sizes are much smaller than their laptop equivalents, 800p resolution is good enough for many gamers—at this resolution, you get that balance of smooth gameplay and sufficient graphical detail. Some handhelds offer 1600p, but sustaining a frame rate that high for more powerful games is nearly impossible.
Some devices feature a dedicated settings button, so you can quickly jump into a menu and turn the graphical fidelity down if you’re not getting the frames per second (FPS)—the rate at which a game can render single frames—you want. The recent advent of GPU docks, like the GPD G1, lets gamers plug in their consoles and drastically enhance their graphical power, though it does somewhat defeat the portability of these gaming machines.
Operating System
Some handheld gaming PCs run specific gaming-focused operating systems, such as SteamOS, which bakes the Steam gaming library into the heart of the machine using a Linux-based system. It’s a convenient and quick way to access games though it can’t run other tasks or programs. That said, some Steam games won’t run well on SteamOS due to hardware or controller limitations. For a full list of SteamOS-compatible games, check the crowdsourced directory ProtonDB.
Other gaming PC handhelds run Windows 11, providing versatility if you need a device to browse the web, compose a document, or get on with some work. Sadly, Windows isn’t well suited to small screens and gaming controllers—it’s often a clunky and unresponsive experience. Therefore, consider if you want to use your handheld for anything other than gaming, though, remember, it may be tough to write and edit documents on such a small device without a dedicated keyboard. On the flip side, Windows-based systems can run any PC game, with some limitations to hardware and controls, so that can take some thunder out of SteamOS.
Comfort
Handheld gaming PCs are designed to be used with, you guessed it, the hands, so comfort is a huge consideration. Bigger screens, more storage, and better batteries equal a heavier machine that affects how comfortable it is in your palms. Ergonomics also play a role—are the buttons and sticks laid out well? Can your hands hold it for multiple hours at a time? Some machines come with a kickstand or detachable controllers to help mitigate hand-cramping issues.
Are you planning to buy one for your kid? Well, these portable PCs are still pretty hefty machines, around 4 to 6 inches wider and 50 percent heavier than a Nintendo Switch. Their size, large grips, weight, and poor battery life make them poorly suited for kids.
If you’re set on buying one for the little one in your life, we’d recommend the Asus ROG Ally, as its dimensions and size are only slightly bigger than a Switch. You can also consider the Lenovo Legion Go, which has detachable controllers—these can really save your wrists from hoisting the machine’s massive screen.
Battery Life
PC gaming is incredibly draining on batteries, particularly for handhelds. Bigger batteries add extra life between charges, though they also add heft, making them less portable and more strenuous on the palms during longer play sessions. Generally, most handheld gaming PCs are expected to last around 1 to 2 hours with intense graphical games and around 4 to 10 hours for more casual titles and lower settings.
Storage
Though handheld gaming PCs can flawlessly handle indies and emulating retro titles, newer games are much more demanding and require extra storage space. Major studio releases usually require 68 GB to 75 GB. Luckily, every handheld on this list is available in several storage sizes, from 16 GB to 4 TB. They can also be expanded with the separate purchase of an SDD.
How We Selected
I’ve been gaming since I could hold a controller and PC gaming for over 20 years. My first handheld gaming involved going squared-eyed on the original Game Boy (the Tetris theme song lives rent-free in my head) and continually slotting in hundreds of AA batteries so I could play Super Smash TV on the Game Gear. Since a teen, I’ve always saved up for new 3D graphics cards and enhanced sound cards, and invested in faster modems for peak PC performance. Though I adore my Nintendo Switch, I mostly play on my Asus Vivobook Pro 15 with Nvidia Geforce RTX 4070 today.
For this guide, I conducted tests with the Steam Deck and Lenovo Legion Go by playing various graphically diverse games on SteamOS and Microsoft Game Pass. These titles included Persona 3, Dead Cells, and Fallout: New Vegas. I also played around with their OS and settings, getting used to how they were to play and how easy it was to fiddle with various settings on the fly. I also stay up to date on the gaming industry and use my expertise and that of other component reviewers to help inform my PC purchases and upgrades, as well as this buying guide.
For the models I couldn’t test personally, I relied on various reviews and dozens of user reports. I rated these machines based on their operating systems (OS), comfort and ergonomics, gaming specs, and displays.
Matt Ng is a writer and editor who specializes in gaming, tech, and movies, so he’s usually writing about the next shiny gadget or triple-A PS5 title. He also has experience as a copy editor within the healthcare sector. When he’s not fawning over the latest MCU release, he can be found on a softball pitch chasing after flyballs.
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