Top-of-the-line gaming handhelds for 2025

Steam Deck OLED – Present: 7.4-inch HDR OLED, 1,280 x 800 resolution, 1,000 nits peak HDR brightness, 600 nits SDR brightness, as a lot as 90Hz | Processor: Personalized 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 – Present: 7-inch IPS, 1,280 x 800 resolution, 400 nits brightness, 60Hz | Processor: Personalized 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 provide the simplest steadiness of price, effectivity and worth throughout the gaming handheld market. And the newer Steam Deck OLED is a radical enhance over the distinctive. Starting at $549 for 512GB of storage, this model features a 7.4-inch OLED present that’s brighter, faster, barely larger and further vivid than the 7-inch IPS panel on the now entry-level model. The higher distinction and richer colors of an OLED show makes every recreation look larger by default, nonetheless this present moreover helps HDR, with significantly brighter highlights at its peak. The utmost refresh price jumps from 60Hz to 90Hz as properly, which can assist many video video games look smoother.

Due to the a lot much less power-hungry present, a further setting pleasant AMD APU and an even bigger battery, the Steam Deck OLED moreover lasts longer than sooner than. No handheld can play resource-intensive “AAA” video video games for too prolonged, nonetheless Valve says the OLED model can run for 3 to 12 hours counting on the game, whereas the LCD model lasts between two and eight. A much bigger fan retains points cooler and quieter, and the chassis feels lighter. Effectivity is roughly the similar, though the OLED model’s elevated memory bandwidth might assist it obtain a pair further frames in positive video video games.

Nonetheless, $549 is a gigantic funding. The entry-level Steam Deck, which makes use of a further elementary IPS LCD present nonetheless comes with a 256GB SSD as customary, stays a superb price at $399. The {{hardware}} is starting to current its age in each case: Plenty of the best video video games launched over the earlier 12 months , within the occasion that they’re supported the least bit. Factors with Linux and anti-cheat software program program have rendered live-service video video games like Future 2 and Apex Legends unplayable, too.

However every Decks can run tons of tons of video video games that merely aren’t attainable on a Nintendo Change, from Elden Ring to Baldur’s Gate 3, and they also keep a pure dwelling to the mountain of smaller-scale gems littered all by means of Steam. (Whats up, !) Whereas official recreation assistance is proscribed to a subset of the Steam library, the guidelines of formally verified and still-playable titles may be very giant, quite a few and frequently rising. There are workarounds to entry completely different storefronts as properly.

A near-constant stream of updates has turned Valve’s SteamOS into a flexible however user-friendly platform. You’ll nonetheless should make tweaks occasionally to get a recreation to run optimally, nonetheless the course of is commonly simple. That vitality, blended with third-party devices like EmuDeck, makes the Deck excellent for emulation as properly. Some PS3 and genuine Xbox video video games is perhaps robust, nonetheless practically each factor else works beautifully. You can also cloud stream Xbox video video games with barely setup.

The Steam Deck’s best state of affairs is its measurement: At two inches thick and nearly a foot prolonged, it stretches the definition of a “handheld” system, even when the OLED model is lighter by comparability. The LCD Deck can get warmth and noisy fairly shortly, too, and the d-pad on each system is significantly mushy. Nonetheless the contoured grips on the once more help offset the bulk, and every variations actually really feel sturdy, with responsive face buttons and triggers, simple joysticks and useful twin touchpads.

Present: 7-inch IPS, 1080p resolution, 500 nits brightness, 120Hz, VRR | Processor: AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme | 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: Residence home windows 11

Whenever you’re ready to spend further for further vitality, you can skip the Steam Deck and buy a Residence windows-based handheld as a substitute. The ASUS ROG Ally X is the simplest of those correct now, and it’s an sincere varied to Valve’s system in case you’re ready to commerce some ease of use for the following effectivity ceiling. Take into account it like a further moveable gaming laptop computer pc.

The ROG Ally X is an upgraded mannequin of the distinctive ROG Ally, our earlier Residence home windows resolve. The newer model runs on the similar chip (AMD’s Ryzen Z1 Extreme) and has the similar present nonetheless comes with further RAM, double the storage, a battery that’s twice as large, improved ergonomics and an additional USB-C port. It costs $150 further, so it’s costly, however it certainly’s a superior piece of {{hardware}} in nearly every method.

There are three foremost causes to ponder the ROG Ally X over the Steam Deck. The first is vitality: The first ROG Ally was already a bit further fixed at collaborating in graphically intense video video games at elevated physique costs, thanks largely to a “Turbo mode” that enhances the system’s vitality draw to 25W, or 30W when plugged in. (The Steam Deck formally tops out at 15W.) In our ROG Ally X analysis, we found the extra RAM and improved memory bandwidth proper right here helped further this profit by 5 to 10 % counting on the title. It’s nonetheless not a night-and-day enhance in positive video video games when all settings are equal, however it certainly’s usually larger, and it has moderately extra overhead every for now and the long term. Whenever you primarily must play demanding “AAA” video video games, the Ally X is further susceptible to run them properly, and the opening has solely develop to be further noticeable over the few months.

On that discover, the Ally X’s second major selling degree is its variable refresh price. The 7-inch LCD present proper right here is clearly not as vibrant or color-rich as that of the Steam Deck OLED, however it certainly’s every sharper (1080p) and faster (120Hz), and VRR assist does wonders to keep up video video games wanting simple even when their physique price fluctuates. It’s an unlimited deal.

The third key profit is the reality that Residence home windows lets you play video video games from any PC shopper, not solely a selection of Steam video video games. Whenever you’ve constructed up libraries on outlets like Epic, GOG or the Xbox app, you can entry them proper right here as you’d on another Residence home windows PC, no workarounds required. For Xbox Sport Go video video games, Epic Video video games Retailer exclusives or finicky always-online titles like Future 2 that require anti-cheat software program program, it’s good.

Alas, for all its flexibility, Residence home windows will also be the most important detriment to any Residence home windows handheld. ASUS has made precise, actual strides in turning its Armoury Crate app right into a splendidly usable recreation launcher and settings hub, one which feels snappy and means that you can assign custom-made administration profiles and GPU modes on a per-game basis. Nonetheless it’s nonetheless slapping a bandage onto an OS that isn’t designed for this sort situation (a sentiment Microsoft itself has acknowledged).

Navigating Residence home windows collectively together with your fingers and a controller continues to be frustratingly inconsistent. (Steam’s Giant Picture mode sometimes works good; Epic’s and significantly Xbox’s apps, a lot much less so.) Sleep mode doesn’t on a regular basis preserve asleep. Whether or not or not a recreation works simply from the soar isn’t fastened; sometimes the UI couldn’t scale accurately, completely different situations you’ll have to spend minutes playing with graphics settings and key bindings. These are factors with any gaming PC, nonetheless they’re further annoying to deal with on a small show with no mouse useful.

Then there’s the bloat: You don’t need printer drivers, Copilot or Office 365 adverts in your gaming handheld. No particular person will confuse a Steam Deck with a Change, nonetheless SteamOS is way easier to solely resolve up and use — even whether or not it’s further closed-off in consequence.

The Ally X’s battery life doesn’t on a regular basis match the Steam Deck each, however it certainly’s lots nearer than the first Ally ever was. You could rely on someplace spherical 2-2.5 hours with heavier fare, nonetheless properly previous that with a lot much less demanding stuff. The big 80Wh battery does make the chassis barely heavier than its predecessor, nonetheless its further pronounced grips, tighter joysticks, meatier triggers and barely taller face buttons make it merely that further bit comfier than sooner than. It’ll nonetheless match best in larger arms, however it certainly’s a couple of half-inch thinner than Valve’s machine. The overheating factors that plagued the prior model’s microSD card reader must be fixed, too, and the company has on the very least pledged to boost its RMA course of after a raft of complaints.

Lastly, whether or not or not the ROG Ally X is greatest for you comes all the way in which all the way down to your tolerance for software program program jank. Whenever you’re ready to brave some UX sloppiness with a view to play high-end video video games from any shopper, wherever you want, it must be positively well worth the price premium.

Present: 5.5-inch OLED, 1080p resolution, 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 must emulate older consoles. It’s an Android-based system that’s far a lot much less extremely efficient than moveable PCs like Steam Deck or ROG Ally X, so it could solely run PC, PS5 and Xbox video video games by the use of streaming. Nonetheless to ensure that you one factor further compact and are ready to endure the quite a few, many rigors of getting emulators to actually work, it’s a beautiful price at $219.

The Pocket 5 runs on a Snapdragon 865 chip (the similar one utilized by flagship telephones from 2020) and 8GB of RAM, plus it has a built-in fan you can set to a couple fully completely different modes to realize barely further effectivity. This provides it adequate vitality to play most video video games from the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube, two in model retro consoles which may be highly effective for cell handhelds to emulate. With some setup, now we have been able to play comparatively demanding PS2 fare like Gran Turismo 4, ESPN NFL 2K5, Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal and Midnight Membership 3 at full tempo and 1.5x to 2.5x their native resolution. GameCube video video games like Large Mario Sunshine, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and F-Zero GX, within the meantime, have been rock steady at a 2x or 3x upscale. All of that is implausible for the money.

Practically each factor we examined from consoles underneath the PS2 and GameCube on the effectivity totem pole — PSP, Dreamcast, PS1, N64, and plenty of others. — ran flawlessly at a 3-5x upscale (which maxes out the present’s resolution). Most Wii and 3DS video video games we examined have been simple at 720p to 1080p as properly, though 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’re going to get some Change video video games to work, too, nonetheless we discourage that when the Change continues to be readily within the shops at the moment. As for up to date video video games, Xbox cloud streaming ran about along with it does on another system, whereas native Android apps like Diablo Immortal, Title of Obligation Cell and Asphalt Legends Unite gave us zero factors at max settings.

Let’s be clear: Whenever you’re new to emulation, that you need to go right into a instrument like this anticipating to tinker. Even after the laborious strategy of securing ROM info, downloading the simplest variations of positive emulators, mapping fully completely different administration schemes for each console and navigating the menu hell that is RetroArch, some video video games merely obtained’t work correct. 

The Pocket 5 isn’t immune to this. We wanted to arrange a third-party GPU driver to steer clear of seen glitches in video video games like New Large Mario Bros. Wii and Mario Well-known particular person Baseball. Gran Turismo 4 required us to tweak the present crop to cowl overscan-related artifacts. Probably the most well-liked Sega Saturn emulator for Android is a big quantity, so we wanted to degree video video games for that system to a specific RetroArch core (at which degree all of them ran good). You will must fiddle with resolution, rendering and vigorous cooling settings to get many video video games going at their best — and even then, some robust ones like Star Wars Rogue Squadron II will endure from debilitating slowdowns. It’s all terribly tedious. Nonetheless you’d do it because you truly love outdated video video games and don’t ideas putting in work to take pleasure in them comfortably, at an sincere price.

We wouldn’t title the Pocket 5’s plastic physique “premium,” however it certainly’s clearly sturdier and further substantial than most emulation handhelds from little-known Chinese language language companies. The 1080p OLED present is the highlight: It makes each factor look further vibrant, from the deep blue ocean of The Wind Waker to the inexperienced vegetation in Stardew Valley, and it’s sufficiently sharp and vibrant. There are textured, modestly-sized grips throughout the once more that give your heart fingers a pure place to leisure. The face buttons are simple to press, with a comfy stage of journey. The d-pad is company and precise adequate for us to play Tetris DX with out whining. The analog triggers are conveniently huge and flared, whereas the clicky bumpers are easy to inform aside. The audio system, whereas not extraordinarily full-sounding, can get surprisingly loud.

Our foremost grievance is with the joystick construction, which situates the left stick beneath the d-pad. That’s efficient on a PS5 controller, nonetheless proper right here it could make collaborating in further trendy video video games a (literal) ache, as a result of it invites you to depart your left hand dangling partway off the system. That talked about, the sticks themselves are neither too free nor too tight, and they should steer clear of drifting factors over time due to their magnetic Hall affect sensors.

Battery life can differ from three-ish hours with demanding Android video video games to larger than 10 hours when emulating older 8- and 16-bit consoles. That’s steady. The vigorous cooling system retains the system from ever feeling too scorching, though its highest setting is pretty noisy; you wouldn’t want to make use of it spherical a sleeping confederate. It’s moreover worth noting that the design obtained’t actually slot in most pockets, as its title implies, however it certainly truly obtained’t hog home in a bag or purse.

Present: 6-inch IPS, 1080p resolution, 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 most likely have extra money to burn on an emulation-focused machine, the AYN Odin 2 is the very best retro gaming handheld you can purchase correct now. This Android system can play each factor the Retroid Pocket 5 can, merely smoother and further reliably. That’s primarily due to its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which has similarities chip utilized by flagship telephones from 2023.

The Odin 2 begins at $299 for 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which is costly when the entry-level Steam Deck can run PC video video games natively for merely $100 further. Nonetheless, amongst further compact cell handhelds, there may be not lots else that runs this properly at this price. It carried out all PS2 and GameCube video video games we examined at two to a couple situations their native resolution, whereas strategies identical to the PS1, N64 and Dreamcast had no points at a 3-5x upscale. Most 3DS and Wii video video games had little to no slowdowns at 2-3x, each. It’s larger than most with the Sega Saturn, and it could play a wider range of Change video video games than the Pocket 5 (though you need to merely buy a Change if that could be a severe concern). Harder strategies will nonetheless require some settings tweaks, nonetheless the superior chip means you obtained’t should tinker on a game-by-game basis as extensively as you’d with lower-cost models.

It’s not merely raw effectivity, though: The Odin 2 will also be a refined piece of {{hardware}}. It’s greater than the Pocket 5, however it certainly’s nonetheless lots a lot much less chunky than a conveyable PC and the curved grips on its once more are inviting to hold. The d-pad, face buttons, analog triggers and Hall affect joysticks all actually really feel good; the latter are moreover offset, which makes your complete factor comfier than the Pocket 5 for streaming present console and PC video video games. Completely different touches like a fingerprint scanner, a faithful return button, a micro-HDMI out port, two customizable once more buttons and clear front-facing audio system are all good perks.

The 6-inch 1080p touchscreen isn’t as color-rich as a result of the Pocket 5’s OLED panel, however it certainly’s nonetheless vibrant and well-sized for up to date video video games. Battery life is nice: We obtained larger than eight hours of juice emulating strategies identical to the PS2, nonetheless that jumped over 20 hours with lighter duties. The system helps 65W fast charging as properly. Cloud streaming and native Android video video games work as they should, and for the reason that whole factor runs on a evenly modded mannequin of Android, its stock interface ought to essentially really feel acquainted to most.

AYN has launched only a few fully completely different variants of the Odin 2 since our last change, along with the PS Vita-esque Odin 2 Mini and the larger, OLED-sporting Odin 2 Portal. These run on the similar chipset, in order that they should be merely as extremely efficient. We’d rely on every to be further space of curiosity, nonetheless: The Retroid Pocket 5 will get you most of the resolution to the Mini for $120 a lot much less, whereas the Odin 2 Portal isn’t faraway from the Steam Deck’s measurement nonetheless method a lot much less versatile on your complete. The underside Odin 2 must strong the widest web between the three.

Present: 3.5-inch LCD, 1,600 x 1,440 resolution, VRR 30Hz-62Hz | Chipset: Altera Cyclone V FPGA, Altera Cyclone 10 FPGA | RAM: 3.4MB BRAM, 2x 16MB 16-bit cell 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 final phrase Sport Boy. Its vertical design is constructed like a modernized, premium mannequin of Nintendo’s conventional handheld, and it could even work with tools identical to the Sport Boy Digicam. Compared with the distinctive, though, the Pocket supplies two further face buttons, a pair of rear triggers, a microSD slot, a USB-C port and a rechargeable battery rated for six to 10 hours of playtime. Most significantly, it has a shocking 3.5-inch present that’s every backlit and very sharp (615 ppi) nonetheless is perhaps set to look like an outdated Sport Boy panel with fully completely different filter modes. The system might output to a TV with an non-compulsory dock.

Not just like the retro handhelds talked about above, the Pocket is designed to play exact cartridges, not merely ROM info. It actually works with Sport Boy, Sport Boy Shade and Sport Boy Advance video video games by its cartridge slot, whereas video video games from the Sega Sport Gear, TurboGrafx-16, Neo Geo Pocket and Atari Lynx are playable by non-compulsory adapters.

Like earlier Analogue models, the Pocket makes use of field-programmable gate array (FPGA) motherboards to mimic its aim strategies on a {{hardware}} stage. In apply, this suggests the Pocket’s “emulation” of older titles is near-perfect, with a stage of responsiveness and visual faithfulness that software-based emulation can’t match. Pop in a Sport Boy or GBA cartridge and you will primarily play it as supposed. That talked about, due to an unlimited post-launch change and an vigorous shopper neighborhood, the Pocket might run ROMs off a microSD card and thus play strategies identical to the SNES and Sega Genesis.

The Pocket isn’t low-cost at $220, and its shoulder buttons aren’t as crisp to press because the fantastic d-pad or face buttons. Nonetheless, whenever you’ve obtained a bunch of Sport Boy, Sport Gear or GBA video video games, the Pocket is actually essentially the most elegant resolution to play them, and it’s solely develop to be further versatile over time. Its best flaw is that it could be vulnerable to .

The Playdate, from app developer and Untitled Goose Sport author Panic, is a tiny yellow area with a 2.7-inch monochrome present, two face buttons, a d-pad and a bodily crank constructed into its facet. We referred to as it a “cross between a Sport Boy and a enterprise card” in our analysis, and it is definitely extraordinarily small at roughly three inches tall and 0.18 kilos. It has a faithful recreation library that largely consists of oddball indies, most of which give consideration to at least one or two core ideas as a substitute of making an attempt to stuff in as many mechanics as attainable. A pair dozen of those video video games are bundled with the system, whereas others could be discovered by the use of a built-in retailer or sideloading from retailers like Itch.io. The {{hardware}} is usually well-built, and its battery life is first fee at six to eight hours per price.

At $199, it’s arduous to call the Playdate a really perfect price when it’s solely designed to play a selection of space of curiosity video video games. Its present isn’t backlit, each. Nonetheless in a sea of models that try and be each factor for everyone, the Playdate is admirably centered and low-key. Whenever you’re into smaller-scale fare and have some money to play with, it’ll be a pleasing toy.

The Miyoo Mini Plus is a extraordinarily fairly priced handheld with a well-built, Sport Boy-style form situation that matches correctly with older video video games. Its 3.5-inch present truly pops for one factor throughout the $60 to $80 range, its battery lasts as long as it should and it could emulate consoles as a lot because the distinctive PlayStation with out lots state of affairs. It runs Linux, so its software program program is extensively customizable, though it could require some tinkering to get it working optimally. As a result of it’s from a smaller Chinese language language company and isn’t accessible at major retailers, nonetheless, it could be robust to actually buy.