The Best Handheld Game Consoles Make the Perfect Distraction When You Need It

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Handheld gaming consoles have been around for almost half a century, offering players the opportunity to enjoy solid gameplay in a time and place of their choosing. But the past few years have been monumental for this vibrant product category, thanks to massive leaps forward in hardware specs and design. Powered by cutting-edge processors and graphics, the latest handhelds can deliver the latest blockbuster games in high resolution, effectively replacing a standard gaming console or computer in the process.

Today’s best handheld gaming consoles range from a trio of Nintendo Switch iterations to a pair of Valve Steam Deck variants, all the way to Windows 11 PCs like the ASUS ROG Ally and the Lenovo Legion Go. I spent weeks testing these products, getting first-hand gameplay in order to determine the best handheld game consoles for every gamer.

The Best Handheld Game Consoles

• Best Overall: ASUS ROG Ally

• Best Value: Nintendo Switch OLED

• Best Handheld for Steam Gaming: Steam Deck OLED

• Most Versatile and Feature-Packed PC Handheld: Lenovo Legion Go

What to Consider

Platform

The leading handheld game consoles on the market run Windows 11, Steam OS, or Nintendo’s proprietary software. Selecting a platform will impact not only the games you access on your console but also how you interact with them beyond gameplay.

Windows 11 is the most versatile platform you can pick for a handheld. Microsoft’s platform will give you access to popular apps, web browsers, and streaming services, ensuring you can use your console for many additional tasks, just like you would a gaming PC. The OS is also essential for easily accessing PC games you purchased at the Microsoft Store or downloading them via an Xbox Game Pass subscription.

One of my favorite things about Windows 11 handhelds is that they can transform into desktop computers by connecting to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. All you need for this is an original or high-quality third-party dock with additional ports. Of course, keyboards and mice can also link via Bluetooth.

On the other hand, the Steam Deck and its Linux-based platform bring easy access to the latest blockbuster PC games. You can buy them, save your progress in the cloud, and connect with other gamers online. I’ve been using Steam on multiple gaming PCs for years and can vouch for its ease of use and reliability. I especially like being able to pick up where I left a game off on another device weeks after my last session. The Steam Deck also has a desktop mode for browsing the web and accessing productivity apps. If you are familiar with Linux, this is also worth considering.

Even though it has a dock for gaming on a TV screen, the Nintendo Switch doesn’t offer access to many content streaming services (both video and music). Nintendo’s consoles are all about fun and immersive gameplay with iconic characters, and that’s more than enough to consider them.

Hardware

The most important thing you need to know about hardware specs is that having the best doesn’t necessarily guarantee the most captivating gameplay. This is particularly relevant for display resolution in PC handhelds.

Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) is all you need for a phenomenal gaming experience in a PC handheld. Higher resolutions are suitable for streaming video and web browsing. With standard HD panels on board, the Nintendo Switch OLED and the Steam Deck OLED are proof that great gaming on the go doesn’t require a high-resolution display.

When it comes to screen refresh rates, the best PC handhelds and the Steam Deck OLED can provide more than the 60-frames-per-second standard panels do. Plus, lowering the resolution of the games on a handheld PC will inevitably result in smoother visuals.

The latest PC games can reach 100 gigabytes in size, so purchasing a Windows 11 console or a Steam Deck with sufficient memory is paramount. Having said that, I recommend investing in a console with nothing less than 512 GB of memory. The Nintendo Switch games are available in card format, so storage capacity isn’t a major factor to consider.

Battery Life

Just like in gaming laptops, battery life shouldn’t be a major factor in choosing a handheld console. Every entry on this list will deliver a few hours of fun — all with no wires or charging. Having their bundled charger or a high-capacity battery pack handy is always recommended if you own a handheld PC because cranking up their performance has a massive impact on their energy consumption, just like in any laptop. Lighting up the millions of screen pixels and running the fans to keep the hardware cool and the performance consistent is crucial for these devices.

How We Tested

I spent tens of hours gaming on every console listed here to put its gaming hardware and ergonomics to the test. I played a mixture of games — from Doom Eternal and WRC to Sega Classics — on PC consoles and the Steam Deck, keeping an eye on resolution, frame rates, and overall quality of gameplay.

I also kept a close eye on every console’s ergonomics during hours-long gaming sessions. The quality of every device’s controls (buttons, thumbsticks, triggers, etc.) and the available customization options were also on my radar. So were additional features like audio quality and the availability of RGB lighting

Our thoroughly researched handheld gaming consoles will allow you to enjoy today's latest titles — along with timeless classics — anywhere you take them. Find the best for yourself, or treat a gamer in your life to a gift they'll instantly fall for among the products below.

ROG Ally Handheld Gaming Console

The ROG Ally by ASUS is the handheld console to get if you're a gamer looking for a more portable rig than even the sleekest gaming laptop. The impressively elegant and portable device is capable of delivering stellar gameplay with a high refresh rate, courtesy of powerful AMD hardware and a Full HD touchscreen with 120 Hz maximum refresh rate.

Powered by Windows 11, the Ally will allow you to play today’s hottest games, as well as browse the web, stream content, and even download apps, which allowed me to even use the device to crank out some work. The Microsoft platform allows the Ally to transform into a full-blown PC by connecting to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

Throughout my testing, I liked being able to reply to emails and Slack messages between gaming sessions directly on the console. Streaming music and watching the occasional YouTube video was just as effortless. The built-in fingerprint sensor for seamless logging in via Windows Hello was also incredibly convenient.

In terms of gaming performance, the ASUS ROG Ally belies its form factor — I had no trouble playing Doom Eternal at a commendable 60 frames-per-second in Full HD resolution with in-game detail settings set at medium. Lowering the resolution to standard HD — a perfectly adequate setting for a small screen — allowed me to enjoy smoother gameplay with a higher refresh rate and more detail. The Ally’s haptic feedback, surprisingly capable speakers, and customizable RGB lighting brought a sense of occasion to any gaming session.

You can order the ASUS ROG Ally with a choice of an AMD Ryzen Z1 or Z1 Extreme processor and Radeon graphics. The Z1 Extreme version is worth every penny of its $100-higher price because it’s more powerful across the board. Both iterations come with ample 16GB of RAM and 512GB of expandable storage.

Switch — OLED Model

Nintendo’s legendary Switch OLED is the best handheld gaming console for consumers who don’t want to splurge to get an upgrade. The product offers an amalgam of a versatile design, a lightweight build, a beautiful display, stellar performance, a superb selection of games and accessories, and legendary brand credentials, all at a very agreeable price. To top things off, the Switch can also connect to an external display for big-screen gameplay without the need for additional accessories.

In addition to its attractive price, the hardware versatility mentioned above is one of the many reasons why the Switch OLED should be on your radar. The console’s ability to change from a handheld to a tabletop console by detaching its controllers or to a standard big-screen gaming rig by linking it to its bundled dock is nothing short of amazing.

When it comes to gaming content, the Nintendo Switch OLED has plenty to offer, ranging from iconic (and exclusive) Super Mario and Zelda games to multi-platform blockbuster titles like Doom Eternal. However, the pricier Switch rivals will let you experience high-profile games from big-name studios in higher resolution and at a faster refresh rate.

That said, the Nintendo Switch is the only console that will allow you to play with characters like Mario or Zelda, to name a couple. Being able to revisit games from my childhood with the last-mentioned characters or experience new adventures with them rightfully made the handheld a favorite of mine and millions of consumers.

Consider the cheaper Nintendo Switch Lite if you're looking to spend less, and handheld gameplay is your only priority. The colorful and compact Lite can play the same titles as its larger sibling. Still, the superior display, built-in viewing stand, and detachable Joy-Con controllers of the Switch OLED are totally worth the extra coin.

Steam Deck OLED

Valve Corporation’s Steam has been a leading platform for accessing AAA gaming titles from a PC for well over a decade. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the Steam Deck OLED — a Linux-based handheld gaming console developed by the same maker — is hands down the best for playing games on the platform.

The OLED display and the unique control layout with a trackpad on each side are the two main reasons that made me pick the latest Steam Deck over its PC rivals. The 7.4-inch panel’s individually backlit pixels, best-in-class brightness, and infinite contrast made the onscreen visuals more captivating than a standard IPS panel. The screen will shine the most (literally and figuratively) while playing fantasy games like Cyberpunk 2077.

Familiar game sequences I’ve played through multiple times looked more vivid on the Steam Deck OLED. The visuals that its display offers more than compensate for its lower resolution and frame rate than its handheld PC rivals from ASUS and Lenovo. The overall gaming performance of the console is excellent — AAA titles, including Doom Eternal, ran flawlessly on the device at full display resolution, with high levels of in-game detail and HDR.

By providing a fusion of compact design, superb ergonomics, stellar hardware with a stunning display panel, excellent performance, and solid battery life, the Deck OLED is a great buy that will treat you (or a giftee) to years of amazing on-the-go gameplay. If Steam gaming is all you need a handheld console for, trading in fewer pixels and a slightly slower chip for higher brightness and superior contrast is totally fine.

You can order the console with 512 GB or 1 TB of storage, with the latter costing only $100 more. I highly recommend the higher-capacity version because its screen has an anti-glare glass cover that makes it perfect for brightly lit spaces. Every Steam Deck comes with a bundled storage case.

Legion Go Handheld Gaming Console

The Lenovo Legion Go is the most versatile, most feature-rich offering on this list. Rocking a bigger screen than any competitor, the product can instantly transform from a handheld console to a tabletop platform with detachable Nintendo Switch-like controllers all the way to a desktop PC gaming rig by linking to an external monitor and accessories.

Compared to the identically priced ASUS ROG Ally with the same AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip, the Legion Go offers a much bigger and sharper display with a higher refresh rate, a built-in viewing stand, an extra USB-C port, a more elaborate set of controls with customizable buttons and integrated trackpad, as well as a bundled storage case.

However, weighing almost two pounds with the attached controllers, the Legion Go is noticeably heavier — about 50%, to be precise — than its ASUS rival. The extra weight made the console a tad tiresome during longer gaming sessions despite its ergonomic shape and button layout. Thankfully, I could continue in tabletop mode without interrupting my progress.

The detachable Legion Go controllers have a dedicated FPS mode for mouse-like gameplay. It transforms the right controller into a legit gaming mouse that slots into a bundled dock, bringing another dimension to the onscreen interactions. This feature is super fun, so long as you don’t mind the slight learning curve.

The gaming performance of the Legion Go is excellent and on par with the product category’s best. Doom Eternal looked great on the big screen of the console at a smooth frame rate in Full HD resolution. Playing AAA titles on the device at a maximum screen resolution is a tall task. Still, the extra pixels are handy for Windows 11 interactions and streaming video, to name a couple of tasks.

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