A new craze for the gaming industry is on the rise and it’s quickly becoming a tough competition with the advent of promising contenders and newcomers. Now, the handheld gaming console market is on fire and it’s only about to get hotter.
If curious about jumping in on the handheld gaming console craze, we have some recommendations that will let you enjoy your first foray into this fresh gaming platform.
These are the current best handheld gaming console models to try out.
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Asus ROG Ally
PROS
- Powerful gaming performance, the best for its price
- Distinct white chassis
- Full Windows 11 functionality
- Effective and quite cooling system
- Reasonably-priced
- 1080p resolution
- High refresh rate
- RGB lighting
CONS
- Poor battery life at maximum performance
- Windows 11 is still somewhat buggy
- Not easy to set up
Specs:
- Screen Size: 7″
- Resolution: 1080p (1920 x 1080)
- Refresh Rate: 120Hz
- Chipset: AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor, 16GB RAM
- Storage: 512GB
As one of the latest in the competitive lineup for handheld gaming consoles, the Asus ROG Ally shook up the battlefield quite a lot. It’s only slightly more expensive than the Steam Deck (the reigning king) but the performance improvement is sometimes double.
There’s also the fact that the Asus ROG Ally uses a near-fully-functional Windows 11 installation. It’s an impressive console for its asking price and almost a complete package that will surely invite more innovation from the competitors.
Asus ROG Ally
Steam Deck
PROS
- Awesome budget options at the cost of storage
- Impressive low-power option
- Trackpads are handy
- Sleek and minimalsit design
- Easy to set up
CONS
- Hard to find stocks
- Low refresh rate
- Low resolution
Specs:
- Screen Size: 7″
- Resolution: 1280 x 800px
- Refresh Rate: 60Hz
- Chipset: AMD Zen 2 4c/8t, 16GB RAM
- Storage: 512GB
The Steam Deck has been dethroned in pure performance, but for power saving and battery life, it remains the winner. Because once you compared its low-power mode compared to the competition, the Steam Deck stood out the tallest. It offers amazing performance in its 9-watt mode.
That’s impressive engineering on the Steam Deck’s part, making it the ideal handheld gaming console for PC games if you’re concerned about device endurance. Only, you will need to settle for a lower resolution, lower refresh rate, and lower visual fidelity.
Steam Deck
Nintendo Switch OLED
PROS
- Beautiful OLED screen
- Good stand and dock design
- Detachable controllers
- Access to Nintendo exclusives
- Affordable
CONS
- Low storage
- Hardware is starting to become outdated
- Joy-con controllers feel flimsy and fragile
Specs:
- Screen Size: 7″
- Resolution: 1280 x 720px (720p)
- Refresh Rate: 60Hz
- Chipset: NVIDIA Custom Tegra processor
- Storage: 64GB
Of course, let’s not ignore Nintendo’s handheld console dominator, the Nintendo Switch now in an OLED version. This updated version, however, still offers the same low storage space so you’ll have to be wise with your games.
As far as handheld gaming console specs go, the Switch doesn’t really have anything groundbreaking, apart from the OLED screen. In fact, it’s starting to become outdated. However, you can beat the multiplayer games and the exclusives on this one. Besides, it’s a lot more affordable than either the Steam Deck or the Asus ROG Ally.
Nintendo Switch OLED
Logitech - G CLOUD Gaming Handheld Console
PROS
- Afforable
- Good battery life
- Minimalist design
- Easy to set up
- 1080p
CONS
- Additional fee via cloud streaming service subscription
- Requires constant internet connection
- Low refresh rate
Specs:
- Screen Size: 7″
- Resolution: 1080p
- Refresh Rate: 60Hz
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G (SD720G)
- Storage: Cloud
The Logitech G CLOUD Gaming Console is essentially a smartphone that allows you to connect to cloud services seamlessly in order to play your games of choice via cloud streaming. To provide you with the games you need, you will need to be registered to a cloud gaming service such as Xbox Game Pass, GeForce NOW, or Shadow PC.
So that’s an additional subscription on top of the handheld console fee, but think of it as buying games. Battery life is also phenomenal seeing as you’re just playing via cloud streaming. You can even make it last more than 12 hours of non-stop gameplay.
Logitech - G CLOUD Gaming Handheld Console
Razer Kishi V2 Mobile Gaming Controller
PROS
- Quality controllers
- Universal fit
- Cheap if you already have a good phone
- Gaming capabilities depend on your phone
CONS
- Covers the speakers in some phones
- Gaming capabilities depend on your phone
Features:
- Screen Size: Depends on your smartphone
- Resolution: Depends on your smartphone
- Refresh Rate: Depends on your smartphone
- Chipset: Depends on your smartphone
- Storage: Depends on your smartphone
Turns out you don’t really need to go far or spend too much– you already have a gaming device in your pocket! All it needs is a high-quality controller, namely the Razer Kishi V2. With game developers finally recognizing the power and profitability of the Android and iOS gaming market, the platform is bound to get more quality games in the future.
If not, you already have some awesome ones such as Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail. If you already have a good smartphone that can max out those two aforementioned games, then you’re good for another three to five years before the specs become outdated.
Razer Kishi V2 Mobile Gaming Controller
Frequently Asked Questions
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Are handheld gaming console devices worthy investments?
Yes. Two of them, in particular, such as the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally, are relatively new and still have a long lifespan ahead of them. -
Can handheld gaming console devices replace standard gaming consoles and computers?
Not likely. They don't have the same power and thus offer lower visual quality for games. They're great for people on the move or those who prefer to game while lying down.