The perfect gaming handhelds for 2025

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

Valve’s Steam Deck continues to supply the very best steadiness of value, efficiency and usefulness within the gaming handheld market. And the newer Steam Deck OLED is an intensive improve over the unique. Beginning at $549 for 512GB of storage, this mannequin contains 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 fee jumps from 60Hz to 90Hz as nicely, which might help many video games look smoother.

Because of the 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 OLED 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 achieve a pair additional frames in sure video games.

Nonetheless, $549 is a giant funding. The entry-level Steam Deck, which makes use of a extra primary IPS LCD show however comes with a 256GB SSD as commonplace, stays an outstanding worth at $399. The {hardware} is beginning to present its age in both case: Most of the largest video games launched over the previous 12 months , in the event that they’re supported in any respect. Points with Linux and anti-cheat software program have rendered live-service video games like Future 2 and Apex Legends unplayable, too.

But each Decks can run tons of tons of video games that simply aren’t attainable on a Nintendo Swap, from Elden Ring to Baldur’s Gate 3, and so they stay a pure house to the mountain of smaller-scale gems littered all through Steam. (Hey, !) Whereas official recreation help is proscribed to a subset of the Steam library, the record of officially verified and still-playable titles is very large, numerous and consistently 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 have to make tweaks every so often to get a recreation to run optimally, however the course of is normally easy. That energy, mixed with third-party instruments like EmuDeck, makes the Deck very good for emulation as nicely. Some PS3 and unique Xbox video games could be difficult, however nearly the whole lot else works superbly. You can even cloud stream Xbox video games with a little setup.

The Steam Deck’s largest situation is its dimension: At two inches thick and almost a foot lengthy, it stretches the definition of a “handheld” machine, 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 machine 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 | 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

When you’re keen to spend additional for extra energy, you’ll be able to skip the Steam Deck and purchase a Home windows-based handheld as a substitute. The ASUS ROG Ally X is the very best of these proper now, and it’s a good various to Valve’s machine in case you’re keen to commerce some ease of use for a better efficiency ceiling. Consider it like a extra moveable gaming laptop computer.

The ROG Ally X is an upgraded model of the unique ROG Ally, our earlier Home windows decide. The 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 an extra USB-C port. It prices $150 extra, so it’s expensive, but it surely’s a superior piece of {hardware} in almost each approach.

There are three most important causes to contemplate the ROG Ally X over the Steam Deck. The primary is energy: The primary ROG Ally was already a bit extra constant at enjoying graphically intense video games at increased body charges, thanks largely to a “Turbo mode” that reinforces the machine’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 p.c relying on the title. It’s nonetheless not a night-and-day improve in sure video games when all settings are equal, but it surely’s normally higher, and it has far more overhead each for now and the longer term. When you primarily need to play demanding “AAA” video games, the Ally X is extra more likely to run them nicely, and the hole has solely change into extra noticeable over the few months.

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

The third key benefit is the truth that Home windows permits you to play video games from any PC shopper, not only a collection of Steam video games. When you’ve constructed up libraries on shops like Epic, GOG or the Xbox app, you’ll be able to entry them right here as you’ll on every other Home windows PC, no workarounds required. For Xbox Sport Cross 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 be the most important detriment to any Home windows handheld. ASUS has made actual, real strides in turning its Armoury Crate app into a wonderfully usable recreation launcher and settings hub, one which feels snappy and allows you to assign customized management profiles and GPU modes on a per-game foundation. However it’s nonetheless slapping a bandage onto an OS that isn’t designed for this type issue (a sentiment Microsoft itself has acknowledged).

Navigating Home windows together with your fingers and a controller continues to be frustratingly inconsistent. (Steam’s Big Picture mode usually works nice; Epic’s and particularly Xbox’s apps, much less so.) Sleep mode doesn’t at all times keep asleep. Whether or not a recreation works easily from the leap isn’t fixed; generally the UI could not scale correctly, different occasions you’ll have to spend minutes twiddling with graphics settings and key bindings. These are points with any gaming PC, however they’re extra annoying to take care of on a small display with no mouse helpful.

Then there’s the bloat: You don’t want printer drivers, Copilot or Workplace 365 adverts in your gaming handheld. No person will confuse a Steam Deck with a Swap, however SteamOS is way simpler to only decide up and use — even whether it is extra closed-off in consequence.

The Ally X’s battery life doesn’t at all times match the Steam Deck both, but it surely’s a lot nearer than the primary Ally ever was. You may count on someplace round 2-2.5 hours with heavier fare, however nicely past that with much less demanding stuff. The enormous 80Wh battery does make the chassis barely heavier than its predecessor, however its extra pronounced grips, tighter joysticks, meatier triggers and barely taller face buttons make it simply that additional bit comfier than earlier than. It’ll nonetheless match greatest in larger arms, but it surely’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.

In the end, whether or not the ROG Ally X is best for you comes all the way down to your tolerance for software program jank. When you’re keen to courageous some UX sloppiness as a way to play high-end video games from any shopper, anyplace you need, it ought to be definitely worth the value premium.

Show: 5.5-inch OLED, 1080p decision, 500 nits brightness, 60Hz | Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 | RAM: 8GB LPDDR4x | Storage: 128GB UFS 3.1 | Battery: 5,000mAh | Dimensions: 7.84 x 3.09 x 0.61 inches | Weight: 0.62 kilos | Wi-fi: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 | OS: Android 13

The Retroid Pocket 5 is the hand-held to get in case you primarily need to emulate older consoles. It’s an Android-based machine that’s far much less highly effective than moveable PCs like Steam Deck or ROG Ally X, so it may possibly solely run PC, PS5 and Xbox video games through streaming. However in order for you one thing extra compact and are keen to undergo the many, many rigors of getting emulators to truly work, it’s a superb worth at $219.

The Pocket 5 runs on a Snapdragon 865 chip (the identical one utilized by flagship phones from 2020) and 8GB of RAM, plus it has a built-in fan you’ll be able to set to a few totally different modes to realize just a little additional efficiency. This offers it sufficient energy to play most video games from the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube, two well-liked retro consoles that may be robust for cellular handhelds to emulate. With some setup, we have been capable of play comparatively demanding PS2 fare like Gran Turismo 4, ESPN NFL 2K5, Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal and Midnight Club 3 at full pace and 1.5x to 2.5x their native decision. GameCube video games like Super Mario Sunshine, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and F-Zero GX, in the meantime, have been rock stable at a 2x or 3x upscale. All of that’s incredible for the cash.

Nearly the whole lot we examined from consoles beneath the PS2 and GameCube on the efficiency totem pole — PSP, Dreamcast, PS1, N64, and so forth. — ran flawlessly at a 3-5x upscale (which maxes out the show’s decision). Most Wii and 3DS video games we examined have been easy at 720p to 1080p as nicely, although translating the Wii distant to a handheld is usually cumbersome, and the 5.5-inch panel is a bit cramped for viewing two DS screens. You may get some Swap video games to work, too, however we discourage that when the Swap continues to be readily in the stores immediately. As for contemporary video games, Xbox cloud streaming ran about in addition to it does on every other machine, whereas native Android apps like Diablo Immortal, Name of Responsibility Cell and Asphalt Legends Unite gave us zero points at max settings.

Let’s be clear: When you’re new to emulation, you have to go into a tool like this anticipating to tinker. Even after the laborious strategy of securing ROM information, downloading the very best variations of sure emulators, mapping totally different management schemes for every console and navigating the menu hell that’s RetroArch, some video games simply received’t work proper. 

The Pocket 5 isn’t resistant to this. We needed to set up a third-party GPU driver to keep away from visible glitches in video games like New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Mario Superstar Baseball. Gran Turismo 4 required us to tweak the show crop to cover overscan-related artifacts. The most well-liked Sega Saturn emulator for Android is a large number, so we needed to level video games for that system to a particular RetroArch core (at which level all of them ran nice). You will must fiddle with decision, rendering and energetic cooling settings to get many video games going at their greatest — and even then, some difficult ones like Star Wars Rogue Squadron II will endure from debilitating slowdowns. It’s all terribly tedious. However you’d do it since you actually love previous video games and don’t thoughts placing in work to get pleasure from them comfortably, at a good value.

We wouldn’t name the Pocket 5’s plastic body “premium,” but it surely’s clearly sturdier and extra substantial than most emulation handhelds from little-known Chinese language firms. The 1080p OLED show is the spotlight: It makes the whole lot look extra vibrant, from the deep blue ocean of The Wind Waker to the inexperienced vegetation in Stardew Valley, and it’s sufficiently sharp and brilliant. There are textured, modestly-sized grips across the again that give your center fingers a pure place to relaxation. The face buttons are easy to press, with a cushty stage of journey. The d-pad is agency and exact sufficient for us to play Tetris DX with out whining. The analog triggers are conveniently huge and flared, whereas the clicky bumpers are straightforward to tell apart. The audio system, whereas not extremely full-sounding, can get surprisingly loud.

Our most important criticism is with the joystick format, which situates the left stick beneath the d-pad. That is tremendous on a PS5 controller, however right here it may possibly make enjoying extra trendy video games a (literal) ache, because it invitations you to go away your left hand dangling partway off the machine. That mentioned, the sticks themselves are neither too free nor too tight, and they need to keep away from drifting points over time due to their magnetic Hall effect sensors.

Battery life can differ from three-ish hours with demanding Android video games to greater than 10 hours when emulating older 8- and 16-bit consoles. That’s stable. The energetic cooling system retains the machine from ever feeling too scorching, although its highest setting is fairly noisy; you wouldn’t need to use it round a sleeping companion. It’s additionally value noting that the design received’t truly slot in most pockets, as its title implies, but it surely definitely received’t hog area in a bag or purse.

Show: 6-inch IPS, 1080p decision, 60Hz | 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

You probably have extra cash to burn on an emulation-focused machine, the AYN Odin 2 is the very best retro gaming handheld you should purchase proper now. This Android machine can play the whole lot the Retroid Pocket 5 can, simply smoother and extra reliably. That is primarily as a consequence of its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which is identical chip utilized by flagship phones from 2023.

The Odin 2 begins at $299 for 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which is dear when the entry-level Steam Deck can run PC video games natively for simply $100 extra. Nonetheless, amongst extra compact cellular handhelds, there is not a lot else that runs this nicely at this value. 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 had no issues at a 3-5x upscale. Most 3DS and Wii video games had little to no slowdowns at 2-3x, both. It’s higher than most with the Sega Saturn, and it may possibly play a wider vary of Swap video games than the Pocket 5 (although you need to simply purchase a Swap if that is a significant concern). More difficult methods will nonetheless require some settings tweaks, however the superior chip means you received’t have to tinker on a game-by-game foundation as extensively as you’ll with lower-cost units.

It’s not simply uncooked efficiency, although: The Odin 2 can be a refined piece of {hardware}. It’s bigger than the Pocket 5, but it surely’s nonetheless a lot much less chunky than a conveyable PC and the curved grips on its again are inviting to carry. The d-pad, face buttons, analog triggers and Corridor impact joysticks all really feel nice; the latter are additionally offset, which makes the entire thing comfier than the Pocket 5 for streaming latest console and PC video games. Different touches like a fingerprint scanner, a devoted return button, a micro-HDMI out port, two customizable again buttons and clear front-facing audio system are all good perks.

The 6-inch 1080p touchscreen isn’t as color-rich because the Pocket 5’s OLED panel, but it surely’s nonetheless brilliant and well-sized for contemporary video games. Battery life is great: We bought greater than eight hours of juice emulating methods just like the PS2, however that jumped over 20 hours with lighter duties. The machine 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 Android, its inventory interface ought to really feel acquainted to most.

AYN has launched a number of totally different variants of the Odin 2 since our final replace, together with the PS Vita-esque Odin 2 Mini and the bigger, OLED-sporting Odin 2 Portal. These run on the identical chipset, so they need to be simply as highly effective. We’d count on each to be extra area of interest, nevertheless: The Retroid Pocket 5 will get you many of the option to the Mini for $120 much less, whereas the Odin 2 Portal isn’t removed from the Steam Deck’s dimension however approach much less versatile on the entire. The bottom Odin 2 ought to forged the widest internet between the three.

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 possibly even work with equipment just like the Sport Boy Digicam. In comparison with the unique, although, the Pocket provides two additional 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 like an previous Sport Boy panel with totally different filter modes. The machine may also output to a TV with an elective dock.

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

Like previous Analogue units, the Pocket makes use of field-programmable gate array (FPGA) motherboards to imitate its goal methods on a {hardware} stage. In apply, 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 may primarily play it as meant. That mentioned, due to a big post-launch update and an energetic person group, the Pocket may also 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 wonderful d-pad or face buttons. Nonetheless, when you’ve got a set of Sport Boy, Sport Gear or GBA video games, the Pocket is probably the most elegant option to play them, and it’s solely change into extra versatile over time. Its largest flaw is that it may be liable to .

The Playdate, from app developer and Untitled Goose Game writer Panic, is a tiny yellow field with a 2.7-inch monochrome show, two face buttons, a d-pad and a bodily crank constructed into its facet. We known as it a “cross between a Sport Boy and a enterprise card” in our review, and it’s certainly extremely small at roughly three inches tall and 0.18 kilos. It has a devoted game library that largely consists of oddball indies, most of which concentrate on one or two core concepts as a substitute of making an attempt to stuff in as many mechanics as attainable. A pair dozen of these video games are bundled with the machine, whereas others can be found through a built-in store or sideloading from outlets like Itch.io. The {hardware} is usually well-built, and its battery life is respectable at six to eight hours per cost.

At $199, it’s laborious to name the Playdate a terrific worth when it’s solely designed to play a collection of area of interest video games. Its show isn’t backlit, both. However in a sea of units that attempt to be the whole lot for everybody, the Playdate is admirably centered and low-key. When you’re into smaller-scale fare and have some cash to play with, it’ll be a enjoyable toy.

The Miyoo Mini Plus is a extremely reasonably priced handheld with a well-built, Sport Boy-style kind issue that matches properly with older video games. Its 3.5-inch show actually pops for one thing within the $60 to $80 vary, its battery lasts so long as it must and it may possibly emulate consoles as much as the unique PlayStation with out a lot situation. It runs Linux, so its software program is extensively customizable, although it may possibly require some tinkering to get it working optimally. Because it’s from a smaller Chinese language agency and isn’t out there at main retailers, nevertheless, it may be tough to truly purchase.