handhelds

Handheld gaming systems are having a moment. While people have been gaming on the go since the halcyon days of the Game Boy, recent years have brought an avalanche of devices that let you play all sorts of games anywhere you want. But new machines seem to arrive every week, and figuring out which ones are actually worth buying can be overwhelming. Depending on your tastes, the right handheld could be a $70 emulator or an $800 portable PC. To help you narrow things down, we’ve spent months researching the best handheld gaming consoles and testing several top contenders. Here are the ones we like the most right now.

Editor’s note (8/19/25): This is a somewhat awkward time to buy a gaming handheld, as new machines based on AMD’s Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip are on the way, including two new Xbox handhelds developed by Microsoft and ASUS. Those Xbox devices will bring an overhauled Windows UI that could address many of our longstanding issues with the OS. Beyond that, the Trump administration’s tariff policy and proposed repeal of the “de minimis” exemption continues to loom over the handheld market, potentially hiking the prices of retro handhelds built by Chinese companies in particular (among many other goods). Nevertheless, we’ve updated this guide with a new pick and stand by our current recommendations for those looking to buy a new gaming handheld today.

Table of contents

Best handheld gaming devices for 2025

Photo by Jessica Conditt / Engadget

Steam Deck OLED – Display: 7.4-inch HDR OLED, 1,280 x 800 resolution, 1,000 nits peak HDR brightness, 600 nits SDR brightness, up to 90Hz | Processor: Custom 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 pounds | Wireless: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 | OS: SteamOS

Steam Deck LCD – Display: 7-inch IPS, 1,280 x 800 resolution, 400 nits brightness, 60Hz | Processor: Custom 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 pounds | Wireless: Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0 | OS: SteamOS

Read our full Steam Deck review and Steam Deck OLED review.

Three years into its life, Valve’s Steam Deck remains the best balance of price, performance and usability in the gaming handheld market. In particular, the Steam Deck OLED is a thorough upgrade over the original. Starting at $549 for 512GB of storage, this model features a 7.4-inch OLED display that’s brighter, faster, slightly bigger and more vivid than the 7-inch IPS panel on the entry-level model. The higher contrast and richer colors of an OLED screen makes every game look better by default, but this display also supports HDR, with significantly brighter highlights. The maximum refresh rate jumps from 60Hz to 90Hz as well, which helps many games look smoother in motion.

Due to the less power-hungry display, a more efficient AMD APU and a larger battery, the Steam Deck OLED also lasts longer than the original. No handheld can play resource-intensive “AAA” games for very long, but Valve says the OLED model can run for three to 12 hours depending on the game, whereas the LCD model lasts between two and eight. A larger fan keeps things cooler and quieter, and the chassis feels lighter. Performance is roughly the same, though the OLED model’s increased memory bandwidth can help it gain a couple extra frames in certain games.

Still, $549 isn’t a small investment. The entry-level Steam Deck may come with a more basic LCD display and a smaller 256GB SSD, but it delivers the same core experience for $150 less. At $399, it continues to be a strong bargain. Consider that model our pick for the best “budget” handheld gaming PC you can buy.

To be clear, either Steam Deck model definitely shows its age in 2025. Many of the most graphically demanding games released in the past two years just don’t run well on this hardware, if they’re supported at all. Issues with Linux and anti-cheat software have rendered live-service games like Destiny 2 and Apex Legends unplayable, too.

That said, the Deck can still play tons of games that just aren’t possible on the original Nintendo Switch or other handhelds at this price, from Elden Ring to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth to Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. It’s also a natural home for the mountain of older and/or smaller-scale gems littered throughout Steam. (Hello, Balatro.) While official game support is limited to a subset of the Steam library, the list of formally verified and still-playable titles is massive, diverse and constantly growing. You can easily stream games, too, and there are workarounds to access other storefronts.

As for software, a steady stream of updates has turned Valve’s SteamOS into a flexible yet user-friendly platform. You’ll still need to make tweaks every now and then to get a game running optimally, but the process is typically straightforward, and there’s a wealth of community-driven resources that document exactly what settings you may need to change. 

The Deck’s processing power, combined with third-party tools like EmuDeck, makes it a superb handheld for emulation as well. Some PS3 and original Xbox games can be tricky, but just about everything else works beautifully. You can also cloud stream Xbox games with a little setup.

The Steam Deck’s biggest issue is its size: At two inches thick and nearly a foot long, it stretches the definition of a “handheld” device, even if the OLED model is lighter by comparison. The LCD Deck can get warm and noisy fairly quickly, too, and the d-pad on both devices is somewhat mushy. But the contoured grips on the back help offset the bulk, and both versions feel sturdy, with responsive face buttons and triggers, smooth joysticks and useful dual touchpads.

Pros

• Enough power to play many modern PC games
• User-friendly interface
• Vivid display on OLED model
• LCD model is fantastic value
• Superb emulation performance

Cons

• Bulky
• Not the most powerful hardware
• Doesn’t officially support every Steam game or games from other PC clients

$399 at Steam (LCD)

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Display: 8-inch IPS, 1,290 x 1,200p resolution, 500 nits brightness, 120Hz, VRR | Processor: AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme | RAM: 32GB LPDDR5 7500 MT/s | Storage: 1TB SSD | Battery: 55.5Whr | Dimensions: 11.77 x 5.02 x 0.89 inches | Weight: 1.61 pounds | Wireless: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 | OS: SteamOS

Read our full Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS) review.

The Lenovo Legion Go S is the closest thing we have to a Steam Deck 2. It’s the first third-party device to natively run SteamOS, and as such it has all the same conveniences (and occasional game compatibility issues) as Valve’s handheld. The difference is that it’s a more modern piece of hardware, with a beefier AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD in the configuration we tested. It can also reach a maximum power draw of 33W in handheld mode or 40W when plugged in, well above the Deck’s 15W. All of that makes it better for more resource-intensive games. It can be a noticeable improvement at equal settings, and you get far more room to crank things up and reach that magic 60 frames per second (fps) target in many recent AAA games.

The Legion Go S has a larger 8-inch display than the Deck, with a sharper 1,920 x 1,200 resolution and faster 120Hz refresh rate. It also supports variable refresh rates (VRR), which helps minimize distracting screen tearing. That is a crucial advantage, and the extra real estate is great for taking games in. This is an LCD display, however, not the OLED panel available with the Deck. Colors aren’t quite as vivid and peak brightness is lower at 500 nits. There’s no HDR either. Still, it’s above-average. Which is “better” really comes down to how much you value VRR and pixel count against OLED-level contrast.

The Legion Go S is a little chunkier and heavier than the Steam Deck, which already isn’t exactly svelte, so it’ll be even more fatiguing to hold for hours at a time. But if you can handle the weight, you may find this design more ergonomic. The rounded edges and textured grips are natural to hold, while many longtime console players will feel more at home with the offset joysticks and d-pad. Hall effect sensors (which reduce the risk of joystick drift) and dual USB-C ports are nice perks as well.

There are only two back buttons and one dinky touchpad, however, if you find yourself using those often. The extra horsepower means the fans are much louder. And while it has a bigger 55.5Whr battery, the Deck often lasts a bit longer, especially with less demanding games. If you want to max things out with the heavier stuff, expect the Legion Go S to survive for less than two hours.

The biggest trade-off is the price: The Z1 Extreme version of the Legion Go S costs a hefty $830. But if you’re looking to play recent blockbusters on the go more than indie games or the older gems in your backlog, it should be worth grabbing.

There is another configuration of the Legion Go S with a lower-tier Ryzen Z2 Go chip, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage available for $600, which is just $50 more than the Steam Deck OLED. We haven’t been able to test that one yet, but it should still be more performant than Valve’s device, albeit to a lesser extent. If you want a SteamOS device with a bigger screen, higher resolution and VRR, it’s worth considering. That said, keep in mind that Valve is opening up SteamOS to more third-party devices as time goes on.

Pros

• Better performance than Steam Deck and most Windows handhelds
• Runs official SteamOS
• Spacious display with VRR
• Good ergonomics

Cons

• Pricey
• Heavier than Steam Deck
• No HDR support
• Weak haptics

$830 at Best Buy

Photo by Sam Rutherford / Engadget

Display: 7-inch IPS, 1080p resolution, 500 nits brightness, 120Hz, VRR | Processor: AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme | RAM: 24GB LPDDR5 7500 MT/s | Storage: 1TB, 2TB SSD | Battery: 80Whr | Dimensions: 11.02 x 4.37 x 0.97-1.45 inches | Weight: 1.49 pounds | Wireless: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 | OS: Windows 11

Read our full ASUS ROG Ally X review.

If you’re willing to spend extra for more software flexibility, you can skip the SteamOS devices and buy a Windows-based handheld instead. The ASUS ROG Ally X is our current favorite, and it’s another decent alternative to the Steam Deck if you’re willing to trade some ease of use for a higher performance ceiling. Think of it like a more portable gaming laptop.

The ROG Ally X is an upgraded version of the original ROG Ally, our previous Windows pick. The newer model runs on the same Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip and has the same display but comes with more RAM, up to four times the storage, a battery that’s twice as large, improved ergonomics and an additional USB-C port. It costs $250 more these days, so it’s pricey, but it’s superior hardware in nearly every way.

There are three main reasons to consider the ROG Ally X over the Steam Deck. Like the Legion Go S, the first is power: The original ROG Ally was already a bit more consistent at playing graphically intense games at higher frame rates, thanks in large part to a “Turbo mode” that boosts the device’s power draw to 25W, or 30W when plugged in. In our review, we found the new model’s extra RAM and improved memory bandwidth to help further this advantage by five to ten percent depending on the title. It’s still not a night-and-day upgrade in certain games when all settings are identical, but it’s usually better and it has much more overhead both for now and the future. If you mainly want to play demanding AAA games, the Ally X is more likely to run them well than the Deck, and the gap has only become more apparent as time has passed.

On that note, the Ally X’s second major selling point is VRR. The 7-inch LCD display is clearly not as bright or color-rich as that of the Steam Deck OLED, nor is it as spacious as the screen on the Legion Go S. But it’s both sharper (1080p) and faster (120Hz) than the Deck, and the VRR support does wonders to keep games looking smooth even when their frame rate fluctuates.

The third key advantage, and the Ally X’s biggest selling point compared to the Legion Go S, is the fact that Windows lets you play games from any PC client, not just a selection of Steam games. If you’ve built up libraries on stores like Epic, GOG or the Xbox app, you can access them here as you would on any other Windows PC, no workarounds required. For Xbox Game Pass games, Epic Games Store exclusives or finicky always-online titles like Destiny 2 that require anti-cheat software, it’s great.

But for all its flexibility, Windows is also the biggest detriment to any Windows handheld. ASUS has made genuine strides in turning its Armoury Crate app into a perfectly usable game launcher and settings hub, one that feels snappy and lets you assign custom control profiles and GPU modes on a per-game basis. And you do have the freedom to install a Linux distro like Bazzite if you want a virtually identical (if unofficial) experience to SteamOS. But by default, the Ally X slaps a bandage onto an OS that isn’t designed for this form factor.

Navigating Windows with your fingers and a controller is still frustratingly inconsistent. (Steam’s Big Picture mode generally works great; Epic’s and especially Xbox’s apps, less so.) Sleep mode doesn’t always stay asleep. Whether a game works smoothly from the jump isn’t constant; sometimes the UI may not scale properly, other times you may have to spend minutes fiddling with graphics settings and key bindings. These are issues with any gaming PC, but they’re more annoying to deal with on a small screen with no mouse handy. Then there’s the bloat: You don’t need printer drivers, Copilot or ads for Office 365 on your gaming handheld. Despite using the same chip, the ROG Ally X typically delivers slightly fewer frames in many games next to the Legion Go S. Part of that is down to the hardware, yes, but it’s also because Windows is so remarkably inefficient. Nobody will confuse a Steam Deck with a Switch, but SteamOS remains much easier to just pick up and use — even if it feels more closed-off as a result.

The good news is that Microsoft is well aware of this and plans to release an overhauled Windows interface for gaming handhelds built around the Xbox app and Game Bar. This should reduce background processes, consume less power and make gamepad navigation easier, while still letting you access games from other storefronts. Microsoft says it’ll arrive first with two new ROG Xbox Ally handhelds it co-developed with ASUS later this year before hitting other devices, including the ROG Ally X and original ROG Ally. This is a big deal: If the new UI can truly reduce the performance and usability gap between Windows and SteamOS, it could make the latter somewhat redundant. But we’ll need to get our hands on the finished product before making any declarations like that.

Elsewhere, the Ally X’s battery life doesn’t always match the Steam Deck but comes much closer than the first Ally ever did. You can expect somewhere around 2-2.5 hours with heavier fare, but well beyond that with less demanding stuff. The giant 80Whr battery means the chassis is slightly heavier than its predecessor, but its more pronounced grips, tighter joysticks, meatier triggers and slightly taller face buttons make it just that extra bit comfier than before. It’ll still fit best in bigger hands, but it’s about a half-inch thinner than Valve’s machine. The overheating issues that plagued the prior model’s microSD card have been fixed, too, and the company has at least pledged to improve its RMA process after a raft of complaints.

For now, whether the ROG Ally X is right for you comes down to your tolerance for software quirks. If you’re willing to brave some UX sloppiness in order to play high-end games from any client, anywhere you want, it should be worth the price premium.

Pros

• More powerful than Steam Deck
• Works with any Windows gaming client
• 1080p 120Hz display with VRR
• Well-built

Cons

• Windows 11 isn’t optimized for handhelds (for now)
• Pricier than Steam Deck
• No included case
• No Hall effect joysticks

$800 at Best Buy

Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

Display: 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 pounds | Wireless: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 | OS: Android 13

The Retroid Pocket 5 is the handheld to get if you mainly want to emulate older consoles. It’s an Android-based device that’s far less powerful than portable PCs like Steam Deck or ROG Ally X, so it can only play PC, PS5 and Xbox games via streaming. But if you want something more compact and are willing to go through the many, many rigors of getting emulators to actually work, it’s an excellent device.

The Pocket 5 runs on a Snapdragon 865 chip (the same one used by flagship phones from 2020) and 8GB of RAM, plus it has a built-in fan you can set to three different modes to gain a little extra performance. This gives it enough power to play most games from the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube, two popular retro consoles that can be tough for mobile handhelds to emulate. With some setup, we were able to play relatively demanding PS2 fare like Gran Turismo 4, ESPN NFL 2K5, Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal and Midnight Club 3 at full speed and 1.5x to 2.5x their native resolution. GameCube games like Super Mario Sunshine, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and F-Zero GX, meanwhile, were rock solid at a 2x or 3x upscale. All of that is fantastic for the money.

Just about everything we tested from consoles below the PS2 and GameCube on the performance totem pole — PSP, Dreamcast, PS1, N64, etc. — ran flawlessly at a 3-5x upscale (which maxes out the display’s resolution). Most Wii and 3DS games we tested were smooth at 720p to 1080p as well, though translating the Wii remote to a handheld is often cumbersome, and the 5.5-inch panel is a bit cramped for viewing two DS screens. You can get some Switch games to work, too, but we discourage that when the Switch is still readily available to buy today. As for modern games, Xbox cloud streaming ran about as well as it does on any other device, while native Android apps like Diablo Immortal, Call of Duty Mobile and Asphalt Legends Unite gave us zero issues at max settings.

Let’s be clear: If you’re new to emulation, you need to go into a device like this expecting to tinker. Even after the laborious process of securing ROM files, downloading the best versions of certain emulators, mapping different control schemes for each console and navigating the menu hell that is RetroArch, some games just won’t work right. 

The Pocket 5 isn’t immune to this. We had to install a third-party GPU driver to avoid visual glitches in games like New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Mario Superstar Baseball. Gran Turismo 4 required us to tweak the display crop to hide overscan-related artifacts. The most popular Sega Saturn emulator for Android is a mess, so we had to point games for that system to a specific RetroArch core (at which point they all ran great). You will have to fiddle with resolution, rendering and active cooling settings to get many games going at their best — and even then, some tricky ones like Star Wars Rogue Squadron II will suffer from debilitating slowdowns. It’s all terribly tedious. But you’d do it because you truly love old games and don’t mind putting in work to enjoy them comfortably, at a decent price.

We wouldn’t call the Pocket 5’s plastic frame “premium,” but it’s clearly sturdier and more substantial than most emulation handhelds from little-known Chinese companies. The 1080p OLED display is the highlight: It makes everything look more vibrant, from the deep blue ocean of The Wind Waker to the green vegetation in Stardew Valley, and it’s sufficiently sharp and bright. There are textured, modestly-sized grips around the back that give your fingers a natural place to rest. The face buttons are smooth to press, with a comfortable level of travel. The d-pad is firm and precise enough for us to play Tetris DX without whining. The analog triggers are conveniently wide and flared, while the clicky bumpers are easy to distinguish. The speakers, while not incredibly full-sounding, can get surprisingly loud.

Our main complaint is with the joystick layout, which situates the left stick underneath the d-pad. This is fine on a PS5 controller, but here it can make playing more modern games a literal pain, as it invites you to leave your left hand dangling partway off the device. But the sticks themselves are neither too loose nor too tight, and they should avoid drifting issues over time thanks to their magnetic Hall effect sensors.

Battery life can vary from three-ish hours with demanding Android games to more than 10 hours when emulating older 8- and 16-bit consoles. That’s solid. The active cooling system keeps the device from ever feeling too hot, though its highest setting is pretty noisy; you wouldn’t want to use it around a sleeping partner. It’s also worth noting that the design won’t actually fit in most pockets, as its name implies, but it certainly won’t hog space in a bag or purse.

Pros

• Capable emulation and Android gaming performance
• Lovely OLED display
• Sticks and buttons feel great
• Sturdy, portable design

Cons

• Requires a ton of tinkering to get some emulators working optimally
• Joystick layout isn’t ideal for modern games

$219 at Retroid

Jeff Dunn for Engadget

Display: 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: 5.53 x 3.52 x 0.96 inches | Weight: 0.79 pounds | Wireless: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 | OS: Android 13

The Retroid Pocket Flip 2 is essentially the Pocket 5 in a clamshell shape. It runs on the same chip — and thus can emulate the same wide range of retro games — with the same great OLED display, Hall effect joysticks, active cooling system, 5,000mAh battery and clean Android OS. The face buttons, triggers, bumpers and d-pad are all roughly as responsive, though the built-in fan can still get distractingly loud at full blast and the speakers don’t offer the best separation (but still get plenty loud).

It’s just built like a fatter Nintendo DS with no second display. It’s thicker and heavier than the Pocket 5, and it has a flat back, so we find it a touch more fatiguing to use over time. There’s also a bit too much empty space on the bottom half — the face buttons and d-pad definitely have room to be larger. And since this is a clamshell, the joysticks have to be recessed in little divots to avoid pressing against the display. They’re still smooth and accurate, but using them always feels somewhat awkward.

However, separating the display gives more space for the different control elements to breathe. The joysticks are offset from the d-pad and face buttons, which makes them feel less cramped with games that are more reliant on analog input. They also sit above the other inputs, so you don’t have to reach as much when playing Game Boy, SNES or other systems that aren’t built for joystick control at all.

The clamshell shape gives everything a natural layer of protection, which in turn makes the device easier to just chuck in a bag. Though we can’t say how well the hinge will hold up years down the road, it feels appropriately tight, and it’s given us no issues after several weeks of testing. The Flip 2 costs $10 more than the Pocket 5 before tariffs, but whether it’s worth buying entirely comes down to how you feel about clamshells. If you want a retro handheld that’s more DS than PSP, grab it instead.

Pros

• Capable emulation and Android gaming performance
• Sturdy clamshell design provides a natural layer of protection
• Lovely OLED display

Cons

• Requires a ton of tinkering to get some emulators working optimally
• Recessed joysticks
• Buttons and d-pad could be larger

$229 at Retroid

Photo by James Trew / Engadget

Display: 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 pounds | Wireless: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3 | OS: Android 13

If you have more cash to burn on an emulation-focused machine, the AYN Odin 2 is a step up from the Retroid Pocket 5 and Flip 2. This Android device can play everything our those picks can, just smoother and more reliably. That’s mainly due to its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which is the same chip used by flagship phones from 2023.

The Odin 2 starts at $299 for 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which is expensive when the entry-level Steam Deck can run PC games natively for just $100 more. (And in the US, tariffs may erase that gap entirely.) Still, among more compact mobile handhelds, there aren’t many alternatives that run this well at this price. It played all PS2 and GameCube games we tested at two to three times their native resolution, while systems like the PS1, N64 and Dreamcast had no problems at a 3-5x upscale. Most 3DS and Wii games had little to no slowdowns at 2-3x, either. It’s better than most with the Sega Saturn, and it can play a wider range of Switch games than the Pocket 5 and Flip 2 (though you should just buy a Switch if that’s a major concern). More challenging systems will still require some settings tweaks, but the superior chip means you won’t need to tinker on a game-by-game basis as extensively as you would with a lower-cost device.

It’s not just raw performance, though: The Odin 2 is also a refined piece of hardware. It’s larger than Retroid’s handhelds, but it’s still much less chunky than a portable PC, and the curved grips on its back are inviting to hold. The d-pad, face buttons, analog triggers and Hall effect joysticks all feel great; the latter are also offset, which makes the design comfier than the Pocket 5 for streaming recent console and PC games. Other touches like a fingerprint scanner, a dedicated return button, a micro-HDMI out port, two customizable back buttons and clear front-facing speakers are all nice perks.

The 6-inch 1080p touchscreen isn’t as color-rich as the Retroid’s OLED panel, but it’s still bright and well-sized for modern games. Battery life is superb: We got more than eight hours of juice emulating systems like the PS2, but that jumped over 20 hours with lighter tasks. The device supports 65W fast charging as well. Cloud streaming and native Android games work as they should, and since the whole thing runs on a lightly modded version of Android, its stock interface should feel familiar to most.

AYN sells a few different variants of the Odin 2, including the PS Vita-esque Odin 2 Mini and the larger, OLED-sporting Odin 2 Portal. We haven’t been able to test either, but they run on the same chipset as the standard model, so they should be just as powerful. Both should be a little more niche, however. The Retroid Pocket 5 gets you most of the way to the Mini for $120 less. The Odin 2 Portal is definitely more appealing, but it’s closer to the Steam Deck’s width (and price) yet much less capable than Valve’s machine on the whole.

Pros

• Excellent emulation and Android gaming performance
• Comfortable
• Great battery life

Cons

• Relatively pricey for a mobile handheld (even before tariffs)
• Setting up emulators can still be laborious
• Docked experience isn’t seamless

$299 at AYN

Photo by James Trew / Engadget

Display: 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 cellular 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 pounds | OS: Analogue OS

Read our full Analogue Pocket review.

The Analogue Pocket is the ultimate Game Boy. Its vertical design is built like a modernized, premium version of Nintendo’s classic handheld, and it can even work with accessories like the Game Boy Camera. Compared to the original, though, the Pocket adds two extra 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 gorgeous 3.5-inch display that’s both backlit and incredibly sharp (615 ppi) but can be set to look like an old Game Boy panel with different filter modes. The device can also output to a TV with an optional dock.

Unlike the retro handhelds mentioned above, the Pocket is designed to play actual cartridges, not just ROM files. It works with Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance games through its cartridge slot, while games from the Sega Game Gear, TurboGrafx-16, Neo Geo Pocket and Atari Lynx are playable through optional adapters.

Like past Analogue devices, the Pocket uses field-programmable gate array (FPGA) motherboards to mimic its target systems on a hardware level. In practice, this means the Pocket’s “emulation” of older titles is near-perfect, with a level of responsiveness and visual faithfulness that software-based emulation can’t match. Pop in a Game Boy or GBA cartridge and you can essentially play it as intended. That said, thanks to a big post-launch update and an active user community, the Pocket can also run ROMs off a microSD card and thus play systems like the SNES and Sega Genesis.

The Pocket isn’t cheap at $220, and its shoulder buttons aren’t as crisp to press as the excellent d-pad or face buttons. Still, if you have a collection of Game Boy, Game Gear or GBA games, the Pocket is the most elegant way to play them, and it’s only become more versatile over time. Its biggest flaw is that it can be prone to stock shortages and shipping delays.

Pros

• Plays Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and GBA cartridges with near-perfect emulation
• Gorgeous display
• Impressive build quality
• Expandable via adapters
• Supports software emulation

Cons

• Stock issues and shipping delays are common
• Shoulder buttons feel a little spongy
• Tiny volume buttons

$220 at Analogue

Engadget

Display: 2.7-inch Memory LCD, 400 x 240 resolution, 1-bit | Chipset: ARM Cortex-M7F @ 168MHz | RAM: 16MB, 8KB L1 cache | Storage: 4GB eMMC | Battery: 740mAh | Dimensions: 2.99 x 2.91 x 0.35 inches | Weight: 0.19 pounds | OS: Playdate OS

Read our full Playdate review.

The Playdate, from app developer and Untitled Goose Game publisher Panic, is a tiny yellow box with a 2.7-inch monochrome display, two face buttons, a d-pad and a physical crank built into its side. We called it a “cross between a Game Boy and a business card” in our review, and it is indeed incredibly small at roughly three inches tall and 0.18 pounds. It has a dedicated game library that largely consists of oddball indies, most of which focus on one or two core ideas instead of trying to stuff in as many mechanics as possible. A couple dozen of those games are bundled with the device, while others are available via a built-in store or sideloading from shops like Itch.io. The hardware is generally well-built, and its battery life is decent at six to eight hours per charge.

At $229 after a recent price hike, it’s hard to call the Playdate a great value when it’s only designed to play a selection of niche games. Its display isn’t backlit, either. But in a sea of devices that try to be everything for everyone, the Playdate is admirably focused and low-key. If you’re into smaller-scale fare and have some money to play with, it’ll be a fun toy.

$229 at Playdate

What about the Nintendo Switch 2?

The Nintendo Switch 2 comes with two Joy-Con, two Joy-Con straps, a Joy-Con grip, the dock, a HDMI cord and a 60-watt power adapter with a detachable USB-C cable.

(Sam Rutherford for Engadget)

Read our full Nintendo Switch 2 review

The new Nintendo Switch 2 is already more popular than any of the handhelds above, but we haven’t made it a formal pick in this guide since it exists in its own world. As one of the newest devices from the big three console manufacturers, most people aren’t choosing between it and the handheld PCs or emulation devices above. The main reason to buy a Switch 2 is to play new Nintendo games, and no other device can (legally) offer that. Likewise, the Switch 2 doesn’t even try to offer the flexibility of a Steam Deck, ROG Ally X or even the Retroid Pocket 5.

That said, the hardware itself is a significant upgrade over its predecessor, with dramatically improved performance, a sharper, faster and bigger 7.9-inch display, magnetic Joy-Con controllers and more storage. It’s a wholly more polished take on the Switch 1’s ideas.

Does that make it a must-buy right now? Unless you’re worried about a tariff-induced price hike — which may not be the most outlandish fear — not really. Donkey Kong Bananza is a joy, Mario Kart World is fun enough and playing Cyberpunk 2077 on a Nintendo console is kind of surreal, but the list of true must-plays that are exclusive to the Switch 2 is still very limited. That’s OK — it’s only been two months. But don’t feel the need to rush out and splash the cash today unless you have a serious case of Donkey Kong-induced FOMO.

Other gaming handhelds we’ve tested

The MSI Claw 8 AI+.

(Sam Rutherford for Engadget)

Note: This is a selection of noteworthy gaming handhelds we’ve tested, not a comprehensive list of everything we’ve ever tried.

MSI Claw 8 AI+

The original MSI Claw was a flop, but the newer Claw 8 AI+ is much more appealing if you’re willing to pay for a larger and slightly more powerful alternative to the ASUS ROG Ally X. With its Intel Core Ultra 7-258V chip and 32GB of RAM, it typically pumped out 10 to 15 percent higher frame rates than other high-end models like the Ally X and Lenovo Legion Go in our testing. Battery life is relatively strong, while its 8-inch 120Hz IPS display is plenty bright and supports VRR. There are smooth Hall effect thumbsticks and triggers, two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a built-in fingerprint sensor beyond that.

The Claw’s main issue is its price: At $1,000 after a recent price hike, it’s hard to justify over the ROG Ally X, which is already too expensive for most people. ASUS’ handheld is smaller, lighter and generally more portable on top of that— though the Claw is thinner — and its Armoury Crate software, while far from perfect, is still a bit more polished than MSI’s Center M hub. There’s also a smaller 7-inch version of this handheld for $900, but we haven’t tested that one.

The Lenovo Legion Go.

(Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget)

Lenovo Legion Go

The Lenovo Legion Go is another capable alternative to the ASUS ROG Ally X with an even larger display. It runs on the same Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip and offers a similar set of performance modes, but it has a mondo-sized 8.8-inch panel with a sharper 2,560 x 1,600 resolution and a higher 144Hz refresh rate. It also borrows some ideas from the Switch, including detachable controllers and a built-in kickstand for playing games in a tabletop mode. Those controllers have touchpads to make navigating Windows a little easier, something the ROG Ally X lacks.

But it’s still a Windows handheld, and Lenovo’s software tweaks aren’t as intuitive as what ASUS has done with Armoury Crate, so the UX can feel half-baked by comparison. The jumbo design is bulkier and heavier than the ROG Ally X, so some will find it too fatiguing to hold. Its fans are louder as well, plus the display lacks VRR. Lenovo teased a Legion Go 2 at CES earlier this year, which looks promising and should arrive in the coming months.

The Lenovo Legion Go S.

(Sam Rutherford for Engadget)

Lenovo Legion Go S (Windows, Z2 Go chip)

The Windows 11 version of the Lenovo Legion Go S has the same relatively comfortable design and commendable 8-inch 120Hz display as the SteamOS model we highlight above. With the Z2 Go model we tested, though, its performance lags too far behind the ROG Ally X, Claw 8 AI+ and original Legion Go for something priced at $730. Windows is still clunky, too.

The Ayaneo Flip DS.

(Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget)

Ayaneo Flip DS

The Ayaneo Flip DS is a cool concept: a powerful Windows machine with a clamshell design and dual displays, sort of like a supercharged Nintendo DS. It feels sturdy, it performs roughly on par with the other Ryzen 7 7840U (or 8840U) handhelds in this guide, and its 7-inch top display is sharp, fast and bright. The second screen makes it a natural fit for emulating Wii U or 3DS games, but you could also, say, look up a guide or play a YouTube video without having to close whatever you’re playing.

Unfortunately, this is more of a neat idea than a fully thought-out product. The folding design means that the joysticks have to be short and recessed, while the face buttons and d-pad are uncomfortably flat. The whole thing is overly thick and heavy, plus it runs very hot. Battery life tops out around two hours, and actually managing two displays on a Windows handheld is about as clunky as you’d expect. With prices now starting above $1,000, the Flip DS is hard to recommend unless you’re (oddly) desperate for a handheld Wii U emulator. We’re always happy to see more weird hardware, though.

The Ayaneo Kun.

(Photo by James Trew / Engadget)

Ayaneo Kun

The Ayaneo Kun is among the most decadent Windows handhelds we’ve tested. With a sharp 8.4-inch display, a Ryzen 7 8840U chip, up to 64GB of RAM, up to 4TB of storage, a sizable 75Whr battery and a 54W max TDP, it’s both a capable gaming device and a feasible replacement for a desktop PC. But it now starts at a pricey $999, it’s huge and it suffers from the usual Windows-related issues. It also lacks VRR. It’s still a fine device if money is truly no object, but it’s more handheld than most need. The ROG Ally X is a much better value. This is technically an older model for Ayaneo, too, as the company seems to launch a new handheld every other hour these days.

Ayaneo 2S

The Ayaneo 2S is another high-power Windows handheld with a sharper display and higher configuration options than the ROG Ally X. It also uses the same chip as the Kun above. But it’s limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and costs a few hundred dollars extra. Ayaneo announced a decked-out successor called the Ayaneo 3 toward the end of 2024; we’ll try to test that one out in the future.

The Retroid Pocket Mini (bottom) and Retroid Pocket 5.

(Jeff Dunn for Engadget)

Retroid Pocket Mini

The Retroid Pocket Mini is essentially a smaller version of the Retroid Pocket 5. It runs on the same Snapdragon 865 chip and feels just as sturdy, but it has a smaller 3.92-inch display with a 4:3 aspect ratio. This makes it a more natural fit for older retro consoles, as you won’t get the black boxes you’d see on a 16:9 display like the one on the Pocket 5. If you mainly want to emulate systems like the SNES, Sega Genesis or Game Boy Color and don’t mind paying extra for a rich OLED display, it’s a good little device. But the tiny screen is limiting if you ever want to play newer games, and we wish there wasn’t so much empty space around the display.

This device had also generated some controversy within the retro gaming community for having persistent issues with inaccurate shaders (and for the slapdash way Retroid handled the matter). The company replaced the original model with a “V2” iteration that addresses those concerns, however.

Retroid Pocket 4 Pro and Retroid Pocket 4

The 4.7-inch Retroid Pocket 4 Pro is the predecessor to the Pocket 5. Its performance isn’t significantly far off the newer model, so it remains a nice value if you’re determined to spend less than $200 on an emulation device. It misses out on the larger OLED display and more ergonomically-friendly design of its follow-up, however. The base Pocket 4 may also be worth a look if you want to stay under $150, but its weaker chip makes it less adept at emulating games from the PS2, GameCube and up.

The Anbernic RG35XX Plus.

(Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget)

Miyoo Mini Plus

The Miyoo Mini Plus is a highly affordable handheld with a well-built, Game Boy-style form factor that fits nicely with older games. Its 3.5-inch display really pops for something in the $60 to $80 range, its battery lasts as long as it needs to and it can emulate consoles up to the original PlayStation without much issue. Its Linux-based software is extensively customizable, though it requires some tinkering to get it working optimally. Like many cheapo handhelds, it also lacks fast charging. Still, of the many Game Boy-like emulation devices floating around the budget end of the market, it’s the one we’d recommend first. Since it’s from a smaller Chinese firm and isn’t available at major retailers, however, it can be difficult to actually buy.

Anbernic RG35XX Plus

The Anbernic RG35XX Plus is another wallet-friendly vertical handheld — or at least, it was before Anbernic paused shipments to the US. For about the same price as the Miyoo Mini Plus, it offers a faster chipset, more RAM and a bigger battery alongside a similarly impressive design. Its stock OS is overly sloppy and cheap-looking, however, and while the stronger processor is nice, the small screen and lack of analog sticks means you won’t want to emulate much beyond the PS1 anyway.

The Anbernic RG35XXSP.

(Jeff Dunn for Engadget)

Anbernic RG35XXSP

The Anbernic RG35XXSP is a variant of the RG35XX Plus based on the same internals, only it apes the clamshell form factor of the old Game Boy Advance SP. That’s a great design to rip off if you must pick one, and the hardware doesn’t feel nearly as cheap as its (pre-tariff) price tag of $60 or so would suggest. But the software issues noted above still apply (both here and with the many other devices in the same RGXX family). We’ve also seen several user reports of quality control issues with the RG35XXSP’s battery, which is automatically disqualifying.

Anbernic RG405M

The Anbernic RG405M is another 4:3 handheld with a 4-inch display and a pleasing metal frame. It’s an OK alternative to the Retroid Pocket Mini if you want a little more screen space for less cash, but it’s slower, and it lacks the Mini’s OLED display. We find the Retroid’s grooved back to be comfier to hold over time as well. And again, Anbernic has paused handheld shipments to America as of this writing.

The PlayStation Portal.

(Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget)

PlayStation Portal

The PlayStation Portal is an odd accessory that’s designed to stream games from a PlayStation 5. It lacks built-in apps, so it doesn’t support traditional emulation. Because it’s entirely dependent on the quality of your home Wi-Fi, we can’t guarantee how well it’ll actually perform. It doesn’t work with Bluetooth earbuds either.

The 8-inch display is fine and the DualSense-style controls are great, so PlayStation diehards who want a second screen for local PS5 streaming may see the appeal. Sony recently added the ability to stream a selection of games via the cloud, which is a step in the right direction, but you need an expensive PlayStation Plus Premium subscription to take advantage. In general, there’s little here that you can’t do with a smartphone and mobile game controller, so most people are better off saving their $200.

Logitech G Cloud

The Logitech G Cloud would’ve been a great Android pick when it launched if it cost about $150 less. Its 7-inch 1080p display is bright, vibrant and generally more pleasing to look at than the panel on the AYN Odin 2, its battery lasts a good 10 to 12 hours per charge and its design is comfy to hold for hours at a time. Alas, the G Cloud still tends to cost between $260 and $300, which is just too much when the Retroid Pocket 5 offers more power at a lower price.

What to know about the gaming handheld market

A collection of gaming handhelds rest on a wooden tabletop. The handhelds include the Nintendo Switch – OLED Model, Valve Steam Deck and the Retroid Pocket 3, as well as an iPhone 12 mini hooked up to a Backbone One mobile game controller.

(Jeff Dunn / Engadget)

You can break down the gaming handheld market into three broad tiers. At the top, you have x86-based portable gaming PCs like the Steam Deck or ASUS ROG Ally X. These are the most powerful handhelds you can buy, as they seek to replicate the experience of a moderately specced gaming desktop. The Steam Deck runs on the Linux operating system, but most others use Windows. If you want to play modern, recently released PC games on the go (and need something stronger than a Switch), this is the type of device you’d get. They can also emulate the widest range of retro consoles. They’re typically the largest and most cumbersome devices to hold, however, and their battery life can be short. Naturally, they’re also the most expensive, costing anywhere from $400 to more than $1,000.

Further down on the price spectrum are “mobile handhelds” like the Logitech G Cloud or Retroid Pocket. These devices often run Android or Linux and can range from under $50 to $400-ish (before tariffs). They aren’t equipped to play modern console or PC titles, but they’re usually more compact than a portable PC, and you can still use them for mobile games and cloud streaming. While most are marketed toward those ends, many gamers actually buy them to emulate classic games through software like RetroArch. Getting emulators to work can be complicated, and accessing the BIOS and ROM files required to play games this way is legally murky. One lawsuit from Nintendo led to the shutdown of the most prominent Switch and 3DS emulators, for instance. (Engadget does not condone piracy.) Backing up files of games you already own for personal use only is considered more defensible, though, so for that a mobile handheld can be a more user- and wallet-friendly way to play the classics — provided you don’t want to just use your phone.

We’ll call the last tier “handhelds that do their own thing.” This is a catch-all for things like the Switch 2 or Playdate: portable devices that run heavily customized software and aim to provide a unique gaming experience. They aren’t necessarily ideal for emulation or playing the latest multiplatform titles; instead, they often have distinct game libraries. They might not have the widest appeal as a result (Switch excluded), but they’re often easier for less tech-literate folks to just pick up and use.

Recent updates

August 2025: We’ve added the SteamOS version of the Lenovo Legion Go S as a new recommendation and updated our top Windows pick to reflect the upcoming release of ASUS’ and Microsoft’s ROG Xbox Ally devices, which will feature an overhauled Windows UI. We’ve also added a note on the recently released Nintendo Switch 2. We’ll include testing notes on the Retroid Pocket Classic, TrimUI Brick and ModRetro Chromatic in the near future. (Note: Yours truly went on paternity leave after our last update — apologies for the delay!)

May 2025: We’ve tested the Retroid Pocket Flip 2 and recommended it as an alternative to the Retroid Pocket 5. We’re also watching out for the first third-party devices that run SteamOS, starting with the new Lenovo Legion Go S, and the next ASUS ROG Ally device, which seems to be arriving soon based on recent leaks.

March 2025: We’ve edited this guide for clarity and added testing notes for the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and Lenovo Legion Go S (Windows version). Our main picks are unchanged. Looking ahead, we’re keeping an eye on upcoming Windows handhelds from Acer and Ayaneo, a pair of new emulation devices from Retroid, the first third-party devices to ship with SteamOS and more machines that run on AMD’s Ryzen Z2 chips, among others.

January 2025: We have a new top pick among emulation-focused handhelds: the Retroid Pocket 5. Beyond that, we’ve added notes on a few other devices we’ve tested, including the Retroid Pocket Mini and Anbernic RG35XXSP; lightly edited other blurbs to reflect changes in the market; and removed a couple write-ups for products that’ve been discontinued. We’re also keeping an eye on new handhelds that’ve recently been announced or are strongly rumored to arrive in the near future, including devices from MSI and Lenovo.

August 2024: We’ve replaced the ASUS ROG Ally, our prior pick for the best Windows gaming handheld, with the new and improved ROG Ally X. We’ve also checked to make sure all availability and pricing details noted throughout the guide are accurate.

June 2024: We’ve updated this guide to ensure all of our recommendations are up to date, adding a note on ASUS’ upcoming ROG Ally X in the process. We’ve also included details on two new handhelds we’ve tested since our previous update: the MSI Claw and Ayaneo Flip DS. Staying on top of this market is a tall task, but we’re currently looking at recent noteworthy releases like the PSP-esque AYN Odin 2 Mini and the GBA-style Anbernic RG35XXSP as well.

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