The Best Gaming Handhelds For 2025

3 weeks ago

Handheld gaming systems are having a moment. While group person been gaming connected nan spell since nan halcyon days of nan Game Boy, caller years person brought an avalanche of devices that fto you play each sorts of games anyplace you want. But caller machines look to get each week, and figuring retired which ones are really worthy buying tin beryllium overwhelming. Depending connected your tastes, nan correct handheld could beryllium a $70 emulator aliases an $800 portable PC. To thief you constrictive things down, we’ve spent months researching nan champion handheld gaming consoles and testing respective apical contenders. Here are nan ones we for illustration nan astir correct now.

Editor’s statement (8/19/25): This is simply a somewhat awkward clip to bargain a gaming handheld, arsenic caller machines based connected AMD’s Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip are connected nan way, including two caller Xbox handhelds developed by Microsoft and ASUS. Those Xbox devices will bring an overhauled Windows UI that could reside galore of our longstanding issues pinch nan OS. Beyond that, nan Trump administration’s tariff policy and projected repeal of nan “de minimis” exemption continues to loom complete nan handheld market, perchance hiking nan prices of retro handhelds built by Chinese companies successful peculiar (among galore different goods). Nevertheless, we’ve updated this guideline pinch a caller prime and guidelines by our existent recommendations for those looking to bargain a caller gaming handheld today.

Best handheld gaming devices for 2025

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

Three years into its life, Valve’s Steam Deck remains nan champion equilibrium of price, capacity and usability successful nan gaming handheld market. In particular, nan Steam Deck OLED is simply a thorough upgrade complete nan original. Starting astatine $549 for 512GB of storage, this exemplary features a 7.4-inch OLED show that’s brighter, faster, somewhat bigger and much vivid than nan 7-inch IPS sheet connected nan entry-level model. The higher opposition and richer colors of an OLED surface makes each crippled look amended by default, but this show besides supports HDR, pinch importantly brighter highlights. The maximum refresh complaint jumps from 60Hz to 90Hz arsenic well, which helps galore games look smoother successful motion.

Due to nan little power-hungry display, a much businesslike AMD APU and a larger battery, nan Steam Deck OLED besides lasts longer than nan original. No handheld tin play resource-intensive "AAA" games for very long, but Valve says nan OLED exemplary tin tally for 3 to 12 hours depending connected nan game, whereas nan LCD exemplary lasts betwixt 2 and eight. A larger instrumentality keeps things cooler and quieter, and nan chassis feels lighter. Performance is astir nan same, though nan OLED model’s accrued representation bandwidth tin thief it summation a mates other frames successful definite games.

Still, $549 isn't a mini investment. The entry-level Steam Deck whitethorn travel pinch a much basal LCD show and a smaller 256GB SSD, but it delivers nan aforesaid halfway acquisition for $150 less. At $399, it continues to beryllium a beardown bargain. Consider that exemplary our prime for nan champion “budget” handheld gaming PC you tin buy.

To beryllium clear, either Steam Deck exemplary decidedly shows its property successful 2025. Many of nan astir graphically demanding games released successful nan past 2 years just don’t tally well connected this hardware, if they’re supported astatine all. Issues pinch Linux and anti-cheat package person rendered live-service games for illustration Destiny 2 and Apex Legends unplayable, too.

That said, nan Deck tin still play tons of games that conscionable aren’t imaginable connected nan original Nintendo Switch aliases different handhelds astatine this price, from Elden Ring to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth to Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. It's besides a earthy location for nan upland of older and/or smaller-scale gems littered passim Steam. (Hello, Balatro.) While charismatic crippled support is constricted to a subset of nan Steam library, nan database of formally verified and still-playable titles is massive, divers and perpetually growing. You tin easy stream games, too, and location are workarounds to entree different storefronts.

As for software, a dependable watercourse of updates has turned Valve's SteamOS into a elastic yet user-friendly platform. You’ll still request to make tweaks each now and past to get a crippled moving optimally, but nan process is typically straightforward, and there's a wealthiness of community-driven resources that archive precisely what settings you whitethorn request to change.

The Deck's processing power, mixed pinch third-party devices for illustration EmuDeck, makes it a superb handheld for emulation arsenic well. Some PS3 and original Xbox games tin beryllium tricky, but conscionable astir everything other useful beautifully. You tin besides unreality watercourse Xbox games pinch a small setup.

The Steam Deck’s biggest rumor is its size: At 2 inches heavy and astir a ft long, it stretches nan meaning of a “handheld” device, moreover if nan OLED exemplary is lighter by comparison. The LCD Deck tin get lukewarm and noisy reasonably quickly, too, and nan d-pad connected some devices is somewhat mushy. But nan contoured grips connected nan backmost thief offset nan bulk, and some versions consciousness sturdy, pinch responsive look buttons and triggers, soft joysticks and useful dual touchpads.

Pros

Enough powerfulness to play galore modern PC games
User-friendly interface
Vivid show connected OLED model
LCD exemplary is awesome value
Superb emulation performance

Cons

Bulky
Not nan astir powerful hardware
Doesn't officially support each Steam crippled aliases games from different PC clients

$399 astatine Steam (LCD)

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

The Lenovo Legion Go S is nan closest point we person to a Steam Deck 2. It’s nan first third-party instrumentality to natively tally SteamOS, and arsenic specified it has each nan aforesaid conveniences (and occasional crippled compatibility issues) arsenic Valve’s handheld. The quality is that it’s a much modern portion of hardware, pinch a beefier AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD successful nan configuration we tested. It tin besides scope a maximum powerfulness tie of 33W successful handheld mode aliases 40W erstwhile plugged in, good supra nan Deck’s 15W. All of that makes it amended for much resource-intensive games. It tin beryllium a noticeable betterment astatine adjacent settings, and you get acold much room to crank things up and scope that magic 60 frames per 2nd (fps) target successful galore caller AAA games.

The Legion Go S has a larger 8-inch show than nan Deck, pinch a sharper 1,920 x 1,200 solution and faster 120Hz refresh rate. It besides supports adaptable refresh rates (VRR), which helps minimize distracting surface tearing. That is simply a important advantage, and nan other existent property is awesome for taking games in. This is an LCD display, however, not nan OLED sheet disposable pinch nan Deck. Colors aren’t rather arsenic vivid and highest brightness is little astatine 500 nits. There’s nary HDR either. Still, it’s above-average. Which is “better” really comes down to really overmuch you worth VRR and pixel count against OLED-level contrast.

The Legion Go S is simply a small chunkier and heavier than nan Steam Deck, which already isn’t precisely svelte, truthful it’ll beryllium moreover much fatiguing to clasp for hours astatine a time. But if you tin grip nan weight, you whitethorn find this creation much ergonomic. The rounded edges and textured grips are earthy to hold, while galore longtime console players will consciousness much astatine location pinch nan offset joysticks and d-pad. Hall effect sensors (which trim nan consequence of joystick drift) and dual USB-C ports are bully perks arsenic well.

There are only 2 backmost buttons and 1 dinky touchpad, however, if you find yourself utilizing those often. The other horsepower intends nan fans are overmuch louder. And while it has a bigger 55.5Whr battery, nan Deck often lasts a spot longer, particularly pinch little demanding games. If you want to max things retired pinch nan heavier stuff, expect nan Legion Go S to past for little than 2 hours.

The biggest trade-off is nan price: The Z1 Extreme type of nan Legion Go S costs a hefty $830. But if you’re looking to play caller blockbusters connected nan spell much than indie games aliases nan older gems successful your backlog, it should beryllium worthy grabbing.

There is another configuration of nan Legion Go S pinch a lower-tier Ryzen Z2 Go chip, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of retention disposable for $600, which is conscionable $50 much than nan Steam Deck OLED. We haven’t been capable to trial that 1 yet, but it should still beryllium much performant than Valve’s device, albeit to a lesser extent. If you want a SteamOS instrumentality pinch a bigger screen, higher solution and VRR, it’s worthy considering. That said, support successful mind that Valve is opening up SteamOS to much third-party devices arsenic clip goes on.

Pros

Better capacity than Steam Deck and astir Windows handhelds
Runs charismatic SteamOS
Spacious show pinch VRR
Good ergonomics

Cons

Pricey
Heavier than Steam Deck
No HDR support
Weak haptics

$830 astatine Best Buy

Read our afloat ASUS ROG Ally X review.

If you’re consenting to walk other for much package flexibility, you tin skip nan SteamOS devices and bargain a Windows-based handheld instead. The ASUS ROG Ally X is our existent favorite, and it’s different decent replacement to nan Steam Deck if you’re consenting to waste and acquisition immoderate easiness of usage for a higher capacity ceiling. Think of it for illustration a much portable gaming laptop.

The ROG Ally X is an upgraded type of nan original ROG Ally, our erstwhile Windows pick. The newer exemplary runs connected nan aforesaid Ryzen Z1 Extreme spot and has nan aforesaid show but comes pinch much RAM, up to 4 times nan storage, a artillery that’s doubly arsenic large, improved ergonomics and an further USB-C port. It costs $250 much these days, truthful it’s pricey, but it’s superior hardware successful astir each way.

There are 3 main reasons to see nan ROG Ally X complete nan Steam Deck. Like nan Legion Go S, nan first is power: The original ROG Ally was already a spot much accordant astatine playing graphically aggravated games astatine higher framework rates, acknowledgment successful ample portion to a “Turbo mode” that boosts nan device’s powerfulness tie to 25W, aliases 30W erstwhile plugged in. In our review, we recovered nan caller model's other RAM and improved representation bandwidth to thief further this advantage by 5 to 10 percent depending connected nan title. It’s still not a night-and-day upgrade successful definite games erstwhile each settings are identical, but it’s usually amended and it has overmuch much overhead some for now and nan future. If you chiefly want to play demanding AAA games, nan Ally X is much apt to tally them good than nan Deck, and nan spread has only go much evident arsenic clip has passed.

On that note, nan Ally X’s 2nd awesome trading constituent is VRR. The 7-inch LCD show is intelligibly not arsenic agleam aliases color-rich arsenic that of nan Steam Deck OLED, nor is it arsenic freely arsenic nan surface connected nan Legion Go S. But it’s some sharper (1080p) and faster (120Hz) than nan Deck, and nan VRR support does wonders to support games looking soft moreover erstwhile their framework complaint fluctuates.

The 3rd cardinal advantage, and nan Ally X’s biggest trading constituent compared to nan Legion Go S, is nan truth that Windows lets you play games from immoderate PC client, not conscionable a action of Steam games. If you’ve built up libraries connected stores for illustration Epic, GOG aliases nan Xbox app, you tin entree them present arsenic you would connected immoderate different Windows PC, nary workarounds required. For Xbox Game Pass games, Epic Games Store exclusives aliases finicky always-online titles for illustration Destiny 2 that require anti-cheat software, it’s great.

But for each its flexibility, Windows is besides nan biggest detriment to immoderate Windows handheld. ASUS has made genuine strides successful turning its Armoury Crate app into a perfectly usable crippled launcher and settings hub, 1 that feels snappy and lets you delegate civilization power profiles and GPU modes connected a per-game basis. And you do person nan state to instal a Linux distro for illustration Bazzite if you want a virtually identical (if unofficial) acquisition to SteamOS. But by default, nan Ally X slaps a bandage onto an OS that isn’t designed for this shape factor.

Navigating Windows pinch your fingers and a controller is still frustratingly inconsistent. (Steam’s Big Picture mode mostly useful great; Epic’s and particularly Xbox’s apps, little so.) Sleep mode doesn’t ever enactment asleep. Whether a crippled useful smoothly from nan jump isn’t constant; sometimes nan UI whitethorn not standard properly, different times you whitethorn person to walk minutes fiddling pinch graphics settings and cardinal bindings. These are issues pinch immoderate gaming PC, but they’re much annoying to woody pinch connected a mini surface pinch nary rodent handy. Then there’s nan bloat: You don’t request printer drivers, Copilot aliases ads for Office 365 connected your gaming handheld. Despite utilizing nan aforesaid chip, nan ROG Ally X typically delivers somewhat less frames successful galore games adjacent to nan Legion Go S. Part of that is down to nan hardware, yes, but it's besides because Windows is truthful remarkably inefficient. Nobody will confuse a Steam Deck pinch a Switch, but SteamOS remains overmuch easier to conscionable prime up and usage — moreover if it feels much closed-off arsenic a result.

The bully news is that Microsoft is good alert of this and plans to merchandise an overhauled Windows interface for gaming handhelds built astir nan Xbox app and Game Bar. This should reduce inheritance processes, devour little powerfulness and make gamepad navigation easier, while still letting you entree games from different storefronts. Microsoft says it’ll get first pinch 2 caller ROG Xbox Ally handhelds it co-developed pinch ASUS later this twelvemonth earlier hitting different devices, including nan ROG Ally X and original ROG Ally. This is simply a large deal: If nan caller UI tin genuinely trim nan capacity and usability spread betwixt Windows and SteamOS, it could make nan second somewhat redundant. But we’ll request to get our hands connected nan vanished merchandise earlier making immoderate declarations for illustration that.

Elsewhere, nan Ally X’s artillery life doesn’t ever lucifer nan Steam Deck but comes overmuch person than nan first Ally ever did. You tin expect location astir 2-2.5 hours pinch heavier fare, but good beyond that pinch little demanding stuff. The elephantine 80Whr artillery intends nan chassis is somewhat heavier than its predecessor, but its much pronounced grips, tighter joysticks, meatier triggers and somewhat taller look buttons make it conscionable that other spot comfier than before. It’ll still fresh champion successful bigger hands, but it’s astir a half-inch thinner than Valve’s machine. The overheating issues that plagued nan anterior model’s microSD paper person been fixed, too, and nan institution has astatine slightest pledged to improve its RMA process aft a raft of complaints.

For now, whether nan ROG Ally X is correct for you comes down to your tolerance for package quirks. If you’re consenting to brave immoderate UX sloppiness successful bid to play high-end games from immoderate client, anyplace you want, it should beryllium worthy nan value premium.

Pros

More powerful than Steam Deck
Works pinch immoderate Windows gaming client
1080p 120Hz show pinch 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 astatine Best Buy

The Retroid Pocket 5 is nan handheld to get if you chiefly want to emulate older consoles. It’s an Android-based instrumentality that’s acold little powerful than portable PCs for illustration Steam Deck aliases ROG Ally X, truthful it tin only play PC, PS5 and Xbox games via streaming. But if you want thing much compact and are consenting to spell done the many, galore rigors of getting emulators to really work, it’s an fantabulous device.

The Pocket 5 runs connected a Snapdragon 865 spot (the aforesaid 1 utilized by flagship phones from 2020) and 8GB of RAM, positive it has a built-in instrumentality you tin group to 3 different modes to summation a small other performance. This gives it capable powerfulness to play astir games from nan PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube, 2 celebrated retro consoles that tin beryllium reliable for mobile handhelds to emulate. With immoderate setup, we were capable to play comparatively demanding PS2 fare for illustration Gran Turismo 4, ESPN NFL 2K5, Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal and Midnight Club 3 astatine afloat velocity and 1.5x to 2.5x their autochthonal resolution. GameCube games for illustration Super Mario Sunshine, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and F-Zero GX, meanwhile, were stone coagulated astatine a 2x aliases 3x upscale. All of that is awesome for nan money.

Just astir everything we tested from consoles beneath nan PS2 and GameCube connected nan capacity totem rod — PSP, Dreamcast, PS1, N64, etc. — ran flawlessly astatine a 3-5x upscale (which maxes retired nan display’s resolution). Most Wii and 3DS games we tested were soft astatine 720p to 1080p arsenic well, though translating nan Wii distant to a handheld is often cumbersome, and nan 5.5-inch sheet is simply a spot cramped for viewing 2 DS screens. You tin get immoderate Switch games to work, too, but we discourage that erstwhile nan Switch is still readily disposable to bargain today. As for modern games, Xbox unreality streaming ran astir arsenic good arsenic it does connected immoderate different device, while autochthonal Android apps for illustration Diablo Immortal, Call of Duty Mobile and Asphalt Legends Unite gave america zero issues astatine max settings.

Let’s beryllium clear: If you’re caller to emulation, you request to spell into a instrumentality for illustration this expecting to tinker. Even aft nan laborious process of securing ROM files, downloading nan champion versions of definite emulators, mapping different power schemes for each console and navigating nan paper hellhole that is RetroArch, immoderate games conscionable won’t activity right.

The Pocket 5 isn’t immune to this. We had to instal a third-party GPU driver to debar ocular glitches successful games for illustration New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Mario Superstar Baseball. Gran Turismo 4 required america to tweak nan show harvest to hide overscan-related artifacts. The astir celebrated Sega Saturn emulator for Android is simply a mess, truthful we had to constituent games for that strategy to a circumstantial RetroArch core (at which constituent they each ran great). You will person to fiddle pinch resolution, rendering and progressive cooling settings to get galore games going astatine their champion — and moreover then, immoderate tricky ones for illustration Star Wars Rogue Squadron II will suffer from debilitating slowdowns. It’s each terribly tedious. But you’d do it because you genuinely emotion aged games and don’t mind putting successful activity to bask them comfortably, astatine a decent price.

We wouldn’t telephone nan Pocket 5’s integrative framework “premium,” but it’s intelligibly sturdier and much important than astir emulation handhelds from little-known Chinese companies. The 1080p OLED show is nan highlight: It makes everything look much vibrant, from nan heavy bluish water of The Wind Waker to nan greenish vegetation successful Stardew Valley, and it’s sufficiently crisp and bright. There are textured, modestly-sized grips astir nan backmost that springiness your fingers a earthy spot to rest. The look buttons are soft to press, pinch a comfortable level of travel. The d-pad is patient and precise capable for america to play Tetris DX without whining. The analog triggers are conveniently wide and flared, while nan clicky bumpers are easy to distinguish. The speakers, while not incredibly full-sounding, tin get amazingly loud.

Our main title is pinch nan joystick layout, which situates nan near instrumentality underneath nan d-pad. This is good connected a PS5 controller, but present it tin make playing much modern games a literal pain, arsenic it invites you to time off your near manus dangling partway disconnected nan device. But nan sticks themselves are neither excessively loose nor excessively tight, and they should debar drifting issues complete clip acknowledgment to their magnetic Hall effect sensors.

Battery life tin alteration from three-ish hours pinch demanding Android games to much than 10 hours erstwhile emulating older 8- and 16-bit consoles. That’s solid. The progressive cooling strategy keeps nan instrumentality from ever emotion excessively hot, though its highest mounting is beautiful noisy; you wouldn’t want to usage it astir a sleeping partner. It’s besides worthy noting that nan creation won’t really fresh successful astir pockets, arsenic its sanction implies, but it surely won’t hog abstraction successful a container aliases purse.

Pros

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

Cons

Requires a ton of tinkering to get immoderate emulators moving optimally
Joystick layout isn't perfect for modern games

$219 astatine Retroid

The Retroid Pocket Flip 2 is fundamentally nan Pocket 5 successful a clamshell shape. It runs connected nan aforesaid spot — and frankincense tin emulate nan aforesaid wide scope of retro games — pinch nan aforesaid awesome OLED display, Hall effect joysticks, progressive cooling system, 5,000mAh artillery and cleanable Android OS. The look buttons, triggers, bumpers and d-pad are each astir arsenic responsive, though nan built-in instrumentality tin still get distractingly large astatine afloat blast and nan speakers don’t connection nan champion separation (but still get plentifulness loud).

It’s conscionable built for illustration a fatter Nintendo DS pinch nary 2nd display. It’s thicker and heavier than nan Pocket 5, and it has a level back, truthful we find it a touch much fatiguing to usage complete time. There’s besides a spot excessively overmuch quiet abstraction connected nan bottommost half — nan look buttons and d-pad decidedly person room to beryllium larger. And since this is simply a clamshell, nan joysticks person to beryllium recessed successful small divots to debar pressing against nan display. They’re still soft and accurate, but utilizing them ever feels somewhat awkward.

However, separating nan show gives much abstraction for nan different power elements to breathe. The joysticks are offset from nan d-pad and look buttons, which makes them consciousness little cramped pinch games that are much reliant connected analog input. They besides beryllium supra nan different inputs, truthful you don’t person to scope arsenic overmuch erstwhile playing Game Boy, SNES aliases different systems that aren’t built for joystick power astatine all.

The clamshell style gives everything a earthy furniture of protection, which successful move makes nan instrumentality easier to conscionable chuck successful a bag. Though we can’t opportunity really good nan hinge will clasp up years down nan road, it feels appropriately tight, and it’s fixed america nary issues aft respective weeks of testing. The Flip 2 costs $10 much than nan Pocket 5 earlier tariffs, but whether it’s worthy buying wholly comes down to really you consciousness astir clamshells. If you want a retro handheld that’s much DS than PSP, drawback it instead.

Pros

Capable emulation and Android gaming performance
Sturdy clamshell creation provides a earthy furniture of protection
Lovely OLED display

Cons

Requires a ton of tinkering to get immoderate emulators moving optimally
Recessed joysticks
Buttons and d-pad could beryllium larger

$229 astatine Retroid

If you person much rate to pain connected an emulation-focused machine, nan AYN Odin 2 is simply a measurement up from nan Retroid Pocket 5 and Flip 2. This Android instrumentality tin play everything our those picks can, conscionable smoother and much reliably. That's chiefly owed to its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which is nan aforesaid spot utilized by flagship phones from 2023.

The Odin 2 starts astatine $299 for 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which is costly erstwhile nan entry-level Steam Deck tin tally PC games natively for conscionable $100 more. (And successful nan US, tariffs whitethorn erase that spread entirely.) Still, among much compact mobile handhelds, location aren't galore alternatives that tally this good astatine this price. It played each PS2 and GameCube games we tested astatine 2 to 3 times their autochthonal resolution, while systems for illustration nan PS1, N64 and Dreamcast had nary problems astatine a 3-5x upscale. Most 3DS and Wii games had small to nary slowdowns astatine 2-3x, either. It’s amended than astir pinch nan Sega Saturn, and it tin play a wider scope of Switch games than nan Pocket 5 and Flip 2 (though you should conscionable bargain a Switch if that's a awesome concern). More challenging systems will still require immoderate settings tweaks, but nan superior spot intends you won’t request to tinker connected a game-by-game ground arsenic extensively arsenic you would pinch a lower-cost device.

It’s not conscionable earthy performance, though: The Odin 2 is besides a refined portion of hardware. It’s larger than Retroid's handhelds, but it’s still overmuch little chunky than a portable PC, and nan curved grips connected its backmost are inviting to hold. The d-pad, look buttons, analog triggers and Hall effect joysticks each consciousness great; nan second are besides offset, which makes nan creation comfier than nan Pocket 5 for streaming caller console and PC games. Other touches for illustration a fingerprint scanner, a dedicated return button, a micro-HDMI retired port, 2 customizable backmost buttons and clear front-facing speakers are each bully perks.

The 6-inch 1080p touchscreen isn’t arsenic color-rich arsenic nan Retroid’s OLED panel, but it’s still agleam and well-sized for modern games. Battery life is superb: We sewage much than 8 hours of juice emulating systems for illustration nan PS2, but that jumped complete 20 hours pinch lighter tasks. The instrumentality supports 65W accelerated charging arsenic well. Cloud streaming and autochthonal Android games activity arsenic they should, and since nan full point runs connected a lightly modded type of Android, its banal interface should consciousness acquainted to most.

AYN sells a fewer different variants of nan Odin 2, including nan PS Vita-esque Odin 2 Mini and nan larger, OLED-sporting Odin 2 Portal. We haven't been capable to trial either, but they tally connected nan aforesaid chipset arsenic nan modular model, truthful they should beryllium conscionable arsenic powerful. Both should beryllium a small much niche, however. The Retroid Pocket 5 gets you astir of nan measurement to nan Mini for $120 less. The Odin 2 Portal is decidedly much appealing, but it's person to nan Steam Deck's width (and price) yet overmuch little tin than Valve's instrumentality connected nan whole.

Pros

Excellent emulation and Android gaming performance
Comfortable
Great artillery life

Cons

Relatively pricey for a mobile handheld (even earlier tariffs)
Setting up emulators tin still beryllium laborious
Docked acquisition isn't seamless

$299 astatine AYN

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 afloat Analogue Pocket review.

The Analogue Pocket is nan ultimate Game Boy. Its vertical creation is built for illustration a modernized, premium type of Nintendo’s classical handheld, and it tin moreover activity pinch accessories for illustration nan Game Boy Camera. Compared to nan original, though, nan Pocket adds 2 other look buttons, a brace of rear triggers, a microSD slot, a USB-C larboard and a rechargeable artillery rated for six to 10 hours of playtime. Most significantly, it has a gorgeous 3.5-inch show that’s some backlit and incredibly crisp (615 ppi) but tin beryllium group to look for illustration an aged Game Boy sheet pinch different select modes. The instrumentality tin besides output to a TV pinch an optional dock.

Unlike nan retro handhelds mentioned above, nan Pocket is designed to play existent cartridges, not conscionable ROM files. It useful pinch Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance games done its cartridge slot, while games from nan Sega Game Gear, TurboGrafx-16, Neo Geo Pocket and Atari Lynx are playable done optional adapters.

Like past Analogue devices, nan Pocket uses field-programmable gross array (FPGA) motherboards to mimic its target systems connected a hardware level. In practice, this intends nan Pocket’s “emulation” of older titles is near-perfect, pinch a level of responsiveness and ocular faithfulness that software-based emulation can’t match. Pop successful a Game Boy aliases GBA cartridge and you tin fundamentally play it arsenic intended. That said, acknowledgment to a big post-launch update and an progressive personification community, nan Pocket tin besides tally ROMs disconnected a microSD paper and thus play systems for illustration nan SNES and Sega Genesis.

The Pocket isn’t inexpensive astatine $220, and its enarthrosis buttons aren’t arsenic crisp to property arsenic nan fantabulous d-pad aliases look buttons. Still, if you person a postulation of Game Boy, Game Gear aliases GBA games, nan Pocket is nan astir elegant measurement to play them, and it’s only go much versatile complete time. Its biggest flaw is that it tin beryllium prone to banal shortages and shipping delays.

Pros

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

Cons

Stock issues and shipping delays are common
Shoulder buttons consciousness a small spongy
Tiny measurement buttons

$220 astatine Analogue

Read our afloat Playdate review.

The Playdate, from app developer and Untitled Goose Game patient Panic, is simply a mini yellowish container pinch a 2.7-inch monochrome display, 2 look buttons, a d-pad and a beingness crank built into its side. We called it a “cross betwixt a Game Boy and a business card” successful our review, and it is so incredibly mini astatine astir 3 inches gangly and 0.18 pounds. It has a dedicated game library that mostly consists of oddball indies, astir of which attraction connected 1 aliases 2 halfway ideas alternatively of trying to worldly successful arsenic galore mechanics arsenic possible. A mates twelve of those games are bundled pinch nan device, while others are disposable via a built-in store aliases sideloading from shops for illustration Itch.io. The hardware is mostly well-built, and its artillery life is decent astatine six to 8 hours per charge.

At $229 aft a recent value hike, it’s difficult to telephone nan Playdate a awesome worth erstwhile it’s only designed to play a action of niche games. Its show isn’t backlit, either. But successful a oversea of devices that effort to beryllium everything for everyone, nan Playdate is admirably focused and low-key. If you’re into smaller-scale fare and person immoderate money to play with, it’ll beryllium a nosy toy.

$229 astatine Playdate

What astir nan Nintendo Switch 2?

The Nintendo Switch 2 comes pinch 2 Joy-Con, 2 Joy-Con straps, a Joy-Con grip, nan dock, a HDMI cord and a 60-watt powerfulness adapter pinch a detachable USB-C cable.

Read our afloat Nintendo Switch 2 review

The caller Nintendo Switch 2 is already more popular than immoderate of nan handhelds above, but we haven’t made it a general prime successful this guideline since it exists successful its ain world. As 1 of nan newest devices from nan large 3 console manufacturers, astir group aren’t choosing betwixt it and nan handheld PCs aliases emulation devices above. The main logic to bargain a Switch 2 is to play caller Nintendo games, and nary different instrumentality tin (legally) connection that. Likewise, nan Switch 2 doesn’t moreover effort to connection nan elasticity of a Steam Deck, ROG Ally X aliases moreover nan Retroid Pocket 5.

That said, nan hardware itself is simply a important upgrade complete its predecessor, pinch dramatically improved performance, a sharper, faster and bigger 7.9-inch display, magnetic Joy-Con controllers and much storage. It’s a wholly much polished return connected nan Switch 1’s ideas.

Does that make it a must-buy correct now? Unless you’re worried astir a tariff-induced value hike — which whitethorn not beryllium nan astir outlandish fearfulness — not really. Donkey Kong Bananza is a joy, Mario Kart World is nosy capable and playing Cyberpunk 2077 connected a Nintendo console is benignant of surreal, but nan database of existent must-plays that are exclusive to nan Switch 2 is still very limited. That’s OK — it’s only been 2 months. But don’t consciousness nan request to unreserved retired and scatter nan rate coming unless you person a superior lawsuit of Donkey Kong-induced FOMO.

Other gaming handhelds we've tested

Note: This is simply a action of noteworthy gaming handhelds we’ve tested, not a broad database of everything we've ever tried.

MSI Claw 8 AI+

The original MSI Claw was a flop, but nan newer Claw 8 AI+ is overmuch more appealing if you’re consenting to salary for a larger and somewhat much powerful replacement to nan ASUS ROG Ally X. With its Intel Core Ultra 7-258V spot and 32GB of RAM, it typically pumped retired 10 to 15 percent higher framework rates than different high-end models for illustration nan Ally X and Lenovo Legion Go successful our testing. Battery life is comparatively strong, while its 8-inch 120Hz IPS show is plentifulness agleam and supports VRR. There are soft Hall effect thumbsticks and triggers, 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports and a built-in fingerprint sensor beyond that.

The Claw’s main rumor is its price: At $1,000 aft a caller value hike, it’s difficult to warrant complete nan ROG Ally X, which is already excessively costly for astir people. ASUS' handheld is smaller, lighter and mostly much portable connected apical of that— though nan Claw is thinner — and its Armoury Crate software, while acold from perfect, is still a spot much polished than MSI’s Center M hub. There's besides a smaller 7-inch version of this handheld for $900, but we haven’t tested that one.

The Legion Go's 8.8-inch OLED show is nan biggest surface disposable connected beautiful overmuch immoderate gaming handheld disposable today.

Lenovo Legion Go

The Lenovo Legion Go is different capable alternative to nan ASUS ROG Ally X pinch an moreover larger display. It runs connected nan aforesaid Ryzen Z1 Extreme spot and offers a akin group of capacity modes, but it has a mondo-sized 8.8-inch sheet pinch a sharper 2,560 x 1,600 solution and a higher 144Hz refresh rate. It besides borrows immoderate ideas from nan Switch, including detachable controllers and a built-in kickstand for playing games successful a tabletop mode. Those controllers person touchpads to make navigating Windows a small easier, thing nan ROG Ally X lacks.

But it’s still a Windows handheld, and Lenovo’s package tweaks aren’t arsenic intuitive arsenic what ASUS has done pinch Armoury Crate, truthful nan UX tin consciousness half-baked by comparison. The jumbo creation is bulkier and heavier than nan ROG Ally X, truthful immoderate will find it excessively fatiguing to hold. Its fans are louder arsenic well, positive nan show lacks VRR. Lenovo teased a Legion Go 2 astatine CES earlier this year, which looks promising and should get successful nan coming months.

The Legion Go S features an 8-inch OLED show pinch a 120Hz refresh rate.

Lenovo Legion Go S (Windows, Z2 Go chip)

The Windows 11 type of nan Lenovo Legion Go S has nan aforesaid comparatively comfortable creation and commendable 8-inch 120Hz show arsenic nan SteamOS exemplary we item above. With nan Z2 Go exemplary we tested, though, its capacity lags excessively acold behind nan ROG Ally X, Claw 8 AI+ and original Legion Go for thing priced astatine $730. Windows is still clunky, too.

Ayaneo Flip DS

The Ayaneo Flip DS is simply a cool concept: a powerful Windows instrumentality pinch a clamshell creation and dual displays, benignant of for illustration a supercharged Nintendo DS. It feels sturdy, it performs astir connected par pinch nan different Ryzen 7 7840U (or 8840U) handhelds successful this guide, and its 7-inch apical show is sharp, accelerated and bright. The 2nd surface makes it a earthy fresh for emulating Wii U aliases 3DS games, but you could also, say, look up a guideline aliases play a YouTube video without having to adjacent immoderate you’re playing.

Unfortunately, this is much of a neat thought than a afloat thought-out product. The folding creation intends that nan joysticks person to beryllium short and recessed, while nan look buttons and d-pad are uncomfortably flat. The full point is overly heavy and heavy, positive it runs very hot. Battery life tops retired astir 2 hours, and really managing 2 displays connected a Windows handheld is astir arsenic clunky arsenic you'd expect. With prices now starting supra $1,000, nan Flip DS is difficult to urge unless you’re (oddly) hopeless for a handheld Wii U emulator. We're ever happy to spot much weird hardware, though.

Ayaneo Kun

The Ayaneo Kun is among the astir decadent Windows handhelds we’ve tested. With a crisp 8.4-inch display, a Ryzen 7 8840U chip, up to 64GB of RAM, up to 4TB of storage, a sizable 75Whr artillery and a 54W max TDP, it’s some a tin gaming instrumentality and a feasible replacement for a desktop PC. But it now starts astatine a pricey $999, it’s immense and it suffers from nan accustomed Windows-related issues. It besides lacks VRR. It’s still a good instrumentality if money is genuinely nary object, but it’s much handheld than astir need. The ROG Ally X is simply a overmuch amended value. This is technically an older exemplary for Ayaneo, too, arsenic nan institution seems to launch a caller handheld each different hr these days.

Ayaneo 2S

The Ayaneo 2S is different high-power Windows handheld pinch a sharper show and higher configuration options than nan ROG Ally X. It besides uses nan aforesaid spot arsenic nan Kun above. But it’s constricted to a 60Hz refresh complaint and costs a fewer 100 dollars extra. Ayaneo announced a decked-out successor called nan Ayaneo 3 toward nan extremity of 2024; we'll effort to trial that 1 retired successful nan future.

Retroid Pocket Mini

The Retroid Pocket Mini is fundamentally a smaller type of nan Retroid Pocket 5. It runs connected nan aforesaid Snapdragon 865 spot and feels conscionable arsenic sturdy, but it has a smaller 3.92-inch show pinch a 4:3 facet ratio. This makes it a much earthy fresh for older retro consoles, arsenic you won’t get nan achromatic boxes you’d spot connected a 16:9 show for illustration nan 1 connected nan Pocket 5. If you chiefly want to emulate systems for illustration nan SNES, Sega Genesis aliases Game Boy Color and don’t mind paying other for a rich | OLED display, it’s a bully small device. But nan mini surface is limiting if you ever want to play newer games, and we wish location wasn't truthful overmuch quiet abstraction astir nan display.

This instrumentality had besides generated immoderate contention wrong nan retro gaming organization for having persistent issues pinch inaccurate shaders (and for nan slapdash way Retroid handled nan matter). The institution replaced nan original exemplary pinch a "V2" loop that addresses those concerns, however.

Retroid Pocket 4 Pro and Retroid Pocket 4

The 4.7-inch Retroid Pocket 4 Pro is nan predecessor to nan Pocket 5. Its capacity isn’t importantly acold disconnected nan newer model, truthful it remains a bully worth if you’re wished to walk little than $200 connected an emulation device. It misses retired connected nan larger OLED show and much ergonomically-friendly creation of its follow-up, however. The guidelines Pocket 4 whitethorn besides beryllium worthy a look if you want to enactment nether $150, but its weaker spot makes it little adept astatine emulating games from nan PS2, GameCube and up.

A mini gaming handheld that looks reminiscent to nan original Nintendo Game Boy called nan Anbernic RG35XX Plus rests astatine an perspective connected a ray brownish woody table. The show is turned connected and showcases nan commencement surface from nan Game Boy crippled Metal Gear Solid.

Miyoo Mini Plus

The Miyoo Mini Plus is simply a highly affordable handheld pinch a well-built, Game Boy-style shape facet that fits nicely pinch older games. Its 3.5-inch show really pops for thing successful nan $60 to $80 range, its artillery lasts arsenic agelong arsenic it needs to and it tin emulate consoles up to nan original PlayStation without overmuch issue. Its Linux-based package is extensively customizable, though it requires immoderate tinkering to get it moving optimally. Like galore cheapo handhelds, it besides lacks accelerated charging. Still, of nan galore Game Boy-like emulation devices floating astir nan fund extremity of nan market, it’s nan 1 we’d urge first. Since it’s from a smaller Chinese patient and isn’t disposable astatine awesome retailers, however, it tin beryllium difficult to really buy.

Anbernic RG35XX Plus

The Anbernic RG35XX Plus is different wallet-friendly vertical handheld — aliases astatine least, it was earlier Anbernic paused shipments to nan US. For astir nan aforesaid value arsenic nan Miyoo Mini Plus, it offers a faster chipset, much RAM and a bigger artillery alongside a likewise awesome design. Its banal OS is overly sloppy and cheap-looking, however, and while nan stronger processor is nice, nan mini surface and deficiency of analog sticks intends you won’t want to emulate overmuch beyond nan PS1 anyway.

Anbernic RG35XXSP

The Anbernic RG35XXSP is simply a version of nan RG35XX Plus based connected nan aforesaid internals, only it apes nan clamshell shape facet of nan aged Game Boy Advance SP. That’s a awesome creation to rip disconnected if you must prime one, and nan hardware doesn’t consciousness astir arsenic inexpensive arsenic its (pre-tariff) value tag of $60 aliases truthful would suggest. But nan package issues noted supra still use (both present and pinch nan galore other devices successful nan aforesaid RGXX family). We’ve besides seen several user reports of value power issues pinch nan RG35XXSP’s battery, which is automatically disqualifying.

Anbernic RG405M

The Anbernic RG405M is different 4:3 handheld pinch a 4-inch show and a pleasing metallic frame. It's an OK replacement to nan Retroid Pocket Mini if you want a small much surface abstraction for little cash, but it’s slower, and it lacks nan Mini’s OLED display. We find nan Retroid’s fluted backmost to beryllium comfier to clasp complete clip arsenic well. And again, Anbernic has paused handheld shipments to America arsenic of this writing.

PlayStation Portal

The PlayStation Portal is an odd accessory that’s designed to watercourse games from a PlayStation 5. It lacks built-in apps, truthful it doesn’t support accepted emulation. Because it’s wholly limited connected nan value of your location Wi-Fi, we can’t guarantee really good it’ll really perform. It doesn’t activity pinch Bluetooth earbuds either.

The 8-inch show is good and nan DualSense-style controls are great, truthful PlayStation diehards who want a 2nd surface for section PS5 streaming whitethorn spot nan appeal. Sony precocious added nan expertise to watercourse a action of games via nan cloud, which is simply a measurement successful nan correct direction, but you request an costly PlayStation Plus Premium subscription to return advantage. In general, there’s small present that you can’t do pinch a smartphone and mobile crippled controller, truthful astir group are amended disconnected redeeming their $200.

Logitech G Cloud

The Logitech G Cloud would’ve been a awesome Android prime erstwhile it launched if it costs astir $150 less. Its 7-inch 1080p show is bright, vibrant and mostly much pleasing to look astatine than nan sheet connected nan AYN Odin 2, its artillery lasts a bully 10 to 12 hours per complaint and its creation is comfy to clasp for hours astatine a time. Alas, nan G Cloud still tends to costs betwixt $260 and $300, which is conscionable excessively overmuch erstwhile nan Retroid Pocket 5 offers much powerfulness astatine a little price.

What to cognize astir nan gaming handheld market

A postulation of gaming handhelds remainder connected a woody tabletop. The handhelds see nan Nintendo Switch - OLED Model, Valve Steam Deck and nan Retroid Pocket 3, arsenic good arsenic an iPhone 12 mini hooked up to a Backbone One mobile crippled controller.

You tin break down nan gaming handheld marketplace into 3 wide tiers. At nan top, you person x86-based portable gaming PCs for illustration nan Steam Deck aliases ASUS ROG Ally X. These are nan astir powerful handhelds you tin buy, arsenic they activity to replicate nan acquisition of a moderately specced gaming desktop. The Steam Deck runs connected nan Linux operating system, but astir others usage Windows. If you want to play modern, precocious released PC games connected nan spell (and request thing stronger than a Switch), this is nan type of instrumentality you’d get. They tin besides emulate nan widest scope of retro consoles. They’re typically nan largest and astir cumbersome devices to hold, however, and their artillery life tin beryllium short. Naturally, they’re besides nan astir expensive, costing anyplace from $400 to much than $1,000.

Further down connected nan value spectrum are "mobile handhelds" for illustration nan Logitech G Cloud aliases Retroid Pocket. These devices often tally Android aliases Linux and tin scope from nether $50 to $400-ish (before tariffs). They aren’t equipped to play modern console aliases PC titles, but they’re usually much compact than a portable PC, and you tin still usage them for mobile games and unreality streaming. While astir are marketed toward those ends, galore gamers really bargain them to emulate classical games done package for illustration RetroArch. Getting emulators to activity can beryllium complicated, and accessing nan BIOS and ROM files required to play games this measurement is legally murky. One suit from Nintendo led to nan shutdown of nan most salient Switch and 3DS emulators, for instance. (Engadget does not condone piracy.) Backing up files of games you already ain for individual usage only is considered much defensible, though, truthful for that a mobile handheld tin beryllium a much user- and wallet-friendly measurement to play nan classics — provided you don’t want to just usage your phone.

We’ll telephone nan past tier “handhelds that do their ain thing.” This is simply a catch-all for things for illustration nan Switch 2 aliases Playdate: portable devices that tally heavy customized package and purpose to supply a unsocial gaming experience. They aren’t needfully perfect for emulation aliases playing nan latest multiplatform titles; instead, they often person chopped crippled libraries. They mightiness not person nan widest entreaty arsenic a consequence (Switch excluded), but they’re often easier for little tech-literate folks to conscionable prime up and use.

Recent updates

August 2025: We’ve added nan SteamOS type of nan Lenovo Legion Go S arsenic a caller proposal and updated our apical Windows prime to bespeak nan upcoming merchandise of ASUS’ and Microsoft’s ROG Xbox Ally devices, which will characteristic an overhauled Windows UI. We’ve besides added a statement connected nan precocious released Nintendo Switch 2. We’ll see testing notes connected nan Retroid Pocket Classic, TrimUI Brick and ModRetro Chromatic successful nan adjacent future. (Note: Yours genuinely went connected paternity time off aft our past update — apologies for nan delay!)

May 2025: We’ve tested nan Retroid Pocket Flip 2 and recommended it arsenic an replacement to nan Retroid Pocket 5. We’re besides watching retired for nan first third-party devices that tally SteamOS, starting pinch nan caller Lenovo Legion Go S, and nan adjacent ASUS ROG Ally device, which seems to beryllium arriving soon based connected recent leaks.

March 2025: We’ve edited this guideline for clarity and added testing notes for nan MSI Claw 8 AI+ and Lenovo Legion Go S (Windows version). Our main picks are unchanged. Looking ahead, we’re keeping an oculus connected upcoming Windows handhelds from Acer and Ayaneo, a pair of caller emulation devices from Retroid, nan first third-party devices to vessel pinch SteamOS and much machines that tally connected AMD’s Ryzen Z2 chips, among others.

January 2025: We person a caller apical prime among emulation-focused handhelds: nan Retroid Pocket 5. Beyond that, we’ve added notes connected a fewer different devices we’ve tested, including nan Retroid Pocket Mini and Anbernic RG35XXSP; lightly edited different blurbs to bespeak changes successful nan market; and removed a mates write-ups for products that’ve been discontinued. We're besides keeping an oculus connected caller handhelds that’ve precocious been announced aliases are powerfully rumored to get successful nan adjacent future, including devices from MSI and Lenovo.

August 2024: We’ve replaced nan ASUS ROG Ally, our anterior prime for nan champion Windows gaming handheld, pinch nan caller and improved ROG Ally X. We’ve besides checked to make judge each readiness and pricing specifications noted passim nan guideline are accurate.

June 2024: We’ve updated this guideline to guarantee each of our recommendations are up to date, adding a statement connected ASUS’ upcoming ROG Ally X successful nan process. We’ve besides included specifications connected 2 caller handhelds we’ve tested since our erstwhile update: nan MSI Claw and Ayaneo Flip DS. Staying connected apical of this marketplace is simply a gangly task, but we’re presently looking astatine caller noteworthy releases for illustration nan PSP-esque AYN Odin 2 Mini and nan GBA-style Anbernic RG35XXSP arsenic well.