So you want to buy a gaming handheld PC

Gaming handhelds are amazing. They make it so much easier to fit all kinds of games into my day. Sadly, they’re less affordable than they’ve ever been — due to an unprecedented, AI-fueled shortage of memory chips, an unforced oil crisis, rampant inflation, fallout from tariffs, and more.

But that’s not going to stop you. You’ve decided now’s the time to buy one, before the next shoe drops.

I won’t talk you out of it! I genuinely don’t know when or if prices might come back down. So instead of telling you to hold off, I’ll try to help you navigate this “new normal” I keep hearing so much about.

We’ll do this four ways:

But before I go down the list, let’s talk Windows and Linux.

While I’ve dinged many of the handhelds I’ve reviewed for noti.group for Windows woes, that’s not as big a deal today — because you can install Bazzite or even SteamOS on many of them for a better pick-up-and-play experience. The same exact handheld is often more stable and performant with Linux, and you often get instant sleep and resume that’s hit-or-miss on the operating system they shipped with.

It’s still true many competitive online multiplayer games don’t work on Linux because of anti-cheat fears, though others do. It’s also true that Windows has gotten better at sleep and resume with certain handhelds like the Xbox Ally X. But it’s a misconception that Linux can’t play as many games as Windows. The reality is that Linux can play more — decades of Windows games work better on Linux thanks to Proton patches and community profiles that translate old mouse and keyboard controls to your gamepad.

Ready? Let’s go down each list, from least to most expensive.

Open box and refurb bargains

Refurbished Valve Steam Deck LCD (typically $279-$359)

If you ever see it in stock, do not hesitate: buy a refurbished Steam Deck LCD. Valve discontinued the original in December 2025, but Valve refurbs are now the best deal in town. The Steam Deck OLED meaningfully improved on the LCD model in many ways, but it is absolutely not worth $400 more than a certified refurbished LCD model.

Reddit is flooded with examples of Valve’s excellent customer support, so I wouldn’t be worried about getting a lemon, and the Steam Deck LCD is one of the easier handhelds to pick up and play thanks to preloaded SteamOS and well-placed controls. It has enough performance for games as intensive as Elden Ring, but expect to play higher-end titles at low settings, with lots of upscaling, for less than two hours on battery. Light fare can last longer.

Open-box Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme (typically $500-$550)

At $500, if you’re willing to install Bazzite, and if you don’t play far from a cord, I can genuinely recommend the ROG Ally Z1E in today’s economy. It’s one of the weaker devices to carry that chip, with one of the smallest batteries at 40 watt-hours, but it’s also got the same kind of smooth (if not colorful) 7-inch 120Hz VRR screen you’ll find in the Xbox Ally X. When plugged into the wall, or in short sessions on battery, its turbo mode gives you Steam Deck-beating performance.

Open-box Lenovo Legion Go (sometimes $600 open box, normally $850)

The original Legion Go is an acquired taste I’m never going to acquire: big, bulky, with extra buttons weirdly squishing under my hands when I grip. The battery’s only a little bigger than in the original ROG Ally, it doesn’t have a variable refresh rate screen, and the 2560×1600 resolution is far more than the chip can power in modern games. (Lightweight stuff can look good.)

But Bazzite works great, you get a big 8.8-inch screen for those who need it, detachable controllers with a mouse mode; a built-in kickstand; you can use it as a tablet in a pinch. I’d pick a Steam Deck over it any day, but the Z1 Extreme’s turbo mode makes it far faster for short sessions or plugged into the wall. Twin USB4 ports too. And you can add the Legion Go 2’s more ergonomic controllers for roughly $100. (Don’t forget you need left and right ones.)

As a $600 open-box deal, it’s worth it. But I wouldn’t pay much more.

Closeout Lenovo Legion Go S Z2 Go with Windows ($550 closeout, normally $1600)

Almost the polar opposite of the original Legion Go, with no detachable controls, a smooth variable refresh rate screen at a more sensible 1920×1200 resolution, comfortable grips — and a much slower AMD Z2 Go chip that couldn’t meaningfully compete with the Steam Deck in my Windows tests.

At $550 closeout like we saw the other day, sure, put Bazzite on it. It should slightly beat the Steam Deck in performance using its turbo modes after that. Please don’t pay much more. Also please don’t expect its tiny trackpad to be useful.

Refurbished Valve Steam Deck OLED 512GB ($629)

I hate to admit it, but if you ever see a refurbished Steam Deck OLED for $629, you might want to spend the money. Yes, Valve is charging $190 more for the refurb model than it did before RAMageddon, but it’s still a discount of $160 compared to what a Deck OLED costs brand-new today and “only” $80 more than what a new one cost before the price hikes. As I’ll explain a few paragraphs below, the Deck OLED is still one of the best handhelds you can buy.

So those are the closeouts. Here’s what I’d suggest if you’re buying brand-new:

The most affordable handheld you can actually find: Asus Xbox Ally

($600 MSRP, sometimes $500 on sale)

When the Steam Deck OLED could be had for $549, there was no way I’d have ever recommended a vanilla white Xbox Ally instead. Now that the Deck starts at $789, I have to reconsider. The Xbox Ally has very comfortable prong-shaped grips and effectively the same chip as the Steam Deck, only you can crank it up to 20 watts instead of 15 watts for more power, you get a smoother 120Hz VRR screen, and a slightly larger battery.

I’ve never been able to get the Windows version to sleep reliably — I retested this month — and the screen feels cramped and dull by comparison. But Bazzite fixes sleep and performance, making it more than a match for the Deck. The build feels a little cheap (I broke the top off an analog stick and had to superglue it back on) and it’s nowhere near as powerful as any handheld with a Z1 Extreme or better. The Xbox Ally X and MSI Claw 8 have larger batteries, too, and you don’t get the Steam Deck’s twin touchpads, four back buttons, and community controller profiles.

But I’d buy it if I didn’t want to spend more than $600.

The easiest to pick up and play: Steam Deck OLED

($789 for 512GB, $949 for 1TB, $629 or $759 refurbished)

When it comes to portable PC gaming, nothing “just works” like a Steam Deck OLED. You power it on, you scan a QR code to connect your Steam account, you download, you play, you get a solid two to eight hours of battery life on a fantastic screen without having to think about what performance mode to put your handheld in. The controls are infinitely customizable in ways the competition hasn’t even tried to match, and you can just browse community controller profiles instead of needing to roll your own.

At $789, it’s a way harder sell than at $549, because if your budget stretches to $1,000, the Xbox Ally X’s performance and battery life are much better — and you can put Bazzite or SteamOS on that one, too. But I’d still buy a refurb Steam Deck OLED at $629, and I could see some paying $789 for its ease of use and unprecedented support: no company ships updates like Valve ships updates, regularly making the Deck better.

The handheld I’d buy for myself: Xbox Ally X

Like the Steam Deck, the Xbox Ally X originally shipped half-baked. Now, it’s suddenly the best deal in handheld gaming. While the 7-inch IPS screen feels a lil claustrophobic and muted compared to 8-inch rivals, it’s now the most powerful handheld under $1,000 with its Z2 Extreme chip, one of the longest-lived with an 80 watt-hour battery, and (IMO) the most comfortable to hold with its huge prong grips.

It’s also the best-supported outside of Valve’s Steam Deck; Asus and Microsoft keep shipping a flurry of updates. I can finally trust the Xbox Ally X to sleep and wake reliably, picking up my game right where I left off, and I can control the virtual keyboard by joystick instead of smudging a touchscreen. I can now tap the triggers to scroll the long clickwrap agreements that pop up before some games, too.

Just know it’s not much more powerful than a Z1 Extreme or Z2 handheld, and the controls leave a few things to be desired. There’s no touchpad (and the joystick mouse mode is still finicky to enable), the ABXY buttons are very clacky, my triggers developed a noisy squeak, and I hate accidentally pressing the Library button thinking it’s Start and getting yanked out of a game. A future Ally fixes lots of these things, but it’ll be pricey.

The longest battery life: MSI Claw 8 AI Plus*

($1,300, often $1,120 on sale)

Frankly, I’m astonished how good the MSI Claw 8 can be. It’s got a bigger, better screen than the Xbox Ally X, and I find its Intel chip faster in the games I want to play — it gives me a smoother experience in 007: First Light and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. And, it lasts very slightly longer on the same capacity (80 watt-hour) battery, the longest I’ve tested so far.

There are only four reasons it’s not the one I’d buy for myself. The scalloped grips aren’t as comfortable, the controls aren’t as customizable (and gyro doesn’t work as well), MSI just isn’t offering the same level of support (I’ve had to manually download drivers several times, for example), and it now costs a good bit more. I’d pick it if it were $900.

*The newer EX version of the Claw 8 will come out this month with even better life, performance, and comfort, it seems — but it could cost much more. Read my preview.

The Best Screen: Legion Go 2 Z2

If your eyes are the priority, the Legion Go 2 has the best handheld screen money can buy today — not only is it the rare handheld with an OLED panel, with the inky blacks and gorgeous colors that can afford, it’s an HDR panel with 500-nit brightness and 1,000 nit peaks, plus variable refresh rate that goes all the way down to 30Hz and up to 144Hz for smoother gameplay. It’s a joy in person.

The grips are far more comfortable than the original Legion Go, you still get the unique kickstand and detachable gamepads with optical mouse mode, the controls are competent, it has top and bottom USB-C ports, and the 74 watt-hour battery’s only a little smaller than other flagships.

The things holding back Legion Go 2 at launch were a high price and Windows. And while the price has gone up, the Z2 variant’s price hike isn’t quite as ridiculous as that of the Z2 Extreme. And the Z2 Legion Go 2 is pretty close to the Z2 Extreme version in performance — you should watch ETA Prime’s whole comparison video to see just how close. As for Windows, Bazzite seems to work well on my review unit of the Z2 Extreme model, though the gyro and some of Lenovo’s unique buttons can be a chore to configure there.

The most powerful: GPD Win 5 or OneXPlayer Apex

I can’t afford a $2,500 handheld, but for those who want the ultimate in performance, AMD’s Strix Halo is the most powerful chip that fits between two hands. When I tested the GPD Win 5, it felt like a portable PS5, comfortably playing intensive games at 1080p resolution with ultra levels of detail.

But beyond price, you should consider just how “portable” the Win 5 and the rival OneXPlayer Apex truly are: to cram in that power, they rely on either bulky external battery backpacks that won’t last an hour at full power, or a big power cord plugged into the wall.

I also haven’t been offered full review units yet, so I don’t know whether GPD or OneXPlayer have nailed other fundamentals or are offering proper support. Proceed with caution.

What if you’re not finding any of those handhelds? Be careful before you buy these alternatives instead:

The handhelds you probably shouldn’t pay for

Open-box Asus ROG Ally Z1 (typically $380-$450)

Don’t be fooled: the Asus ROG Ally with a weaker AMD Z1 chip may look identical to the one with the Z1 Extreme, but this one’s less capable than a Steam Deck and less efficient last I checked. With one of the smallest batteries in a handheld (40 watt-hour, tied with the Steam Deck LCD) it’ll die quick, and it’s not as potent plugged in as the Z1E version. Unless you can find it for under $250 like ETA Prime did, leave it be.

MSI Claw 7 ($650 to $750)

Somehow, Target still has stock of the original MSI Claw for $100 less than its original asking price, while Best Buy still has it at MSRP. Here is what I wrote in 2024:

I hear Bazzite doesn’t fix this one, either. Just skip it.

Lenovo Legion Go S Z2 Go with SteamOS ($990)

Another case of “don’t get fooled.” The Legion Go S with AMD’s Z2 Go is far weaker than the version with the older Z1 Extreme processor — or any other Z1 Extreme handheld. It can have a slight performance and battery advantage over the Steam Deck in more intensive games, but fall behind on battery in less demanding ones.

Nice large smooth variable refresh rate screen, comfy grips, comes with SteamOS, but it wasn’t a good pick even when it cost $50 more than a Steam Deck OLED — now that it costs $200 more, forget about it.

I have never been able to recommend an Ayaneo handheld PC, because the company tends to ship them before they’re ready and quickly move on to the next thing. As exciting as it sounded, the Ayaneo 3 seems no different; I never got its awesome-sounding swappable controls to stay connected reliably, and the company didn’t have a solution for me. $900 for an fancy OLED handheld sounded enticing in 2025, but I wouldn’t recommend my experience at $400 let alone the $1,183 asking price now.

MSI Claw A8 ($1,300, often $1,200 on sale)

I haven’t used this one myself, but it costs substantially more than an Xbox Ally X for basically same internals. Even used ones will cost you nearly $1K. Bigger grips and screen, though.

GPD Win Mini 2025 ($1317)

Haven’t used this one either, and I’m intrigued by the idea of a tiny handheld cyberdeck after my good experiences with the GPD Win Max 2 below. It’s got a 1080p VRR screen that should be better for gaming than the Win Max 2. But it also shot up in price from roughly $900 to over $1,300, and its Ryzen 7 8840U laptop chip will chew right through the small 44Wh battery in more than light-lift games.

The Win Max 2 is not a comfortable gaming experience with weird grip and a fixed 60Hz 1600p screen, and the nearly $1,500 pricetag hurts for something that cost $1,000 last year. But do you want maybe the tiniest laptop to ever have a keyboard this excellent, one that can double as an awkward gaming handheld in a pinch? I wouldn’t pay for it, but I will continue to hope a future version adds the bigger battery, VRR, vibration dampening, better mousing and better webcam it needs.

Lenovo Legion Go S Z1 Extreme with SteamOS ($1580) or Windows ($1680)

$1,600 for a handheld with less performance and smaller battery than the Xbox Ally X and MSI Claw 8? Get outta here. It’s a legitimately good handheld, but even back when it cost $830 I’d have picked a Steam Deck instead. Now it costs nearly double – even more than the Legion Go 2 with a far better screen.

This giant honking 11-inch rebranded Tencent handheld theoretically has the same Intel guts as the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus, but it certainly doesn’t feel that way. The autostereoscopic 3D screen is terrible for gaming in my tests. It’s not very smooth even at its fixed 60Hz refresh rate, and gets ridiculously choppy in 3D mode without even providing a convincing 3D effect, even in 3D native games like Trine 2. I saw all kinds of crosstalk that better 3D screens cracked ages ago. I’d rather play Nintendo 3DS.

Lenovo Legion Go 2 Z2 Extreme ($2,000 to $2,350)

Pretty much identical to the Legion Go Z2, save you’re paying $425 more for twice the RAM (32GB instead of 16GB) and slightly better battery life due to the more efficient chip. I wouldn’t.