The success of Steam Deck, which came after the success of the Nintendo Switch, has led a lot of companies to make and sell their own portable platforms. In the past year, there has been a rise in the number of models and companies trying to make them. Asus, with its ROG Ally, is one of the big companies that has joined the trend. Since there are so many options right now, it could be hard to choose the best handheld game for your needs. So, here are the 10 best handheld game systems you can buy right now.
1. Steam Deck
| Specifications | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | 16:10 7-inch 1200x800p IPS display @ 60Hz |
| Storage and RAM | 64GB eMMC, 256GB, 512GB NVMe M.2 2230; 16GB LPDDR5 RAM |
| GPU | AMD Aerith Custom APU (4-15W) |
| Operating System | Steam OS by default; Windows installable |
| Hall Triggers / Hall Joysticks (Yes/No) | No/No |
| Battery | 40Wh |
| I/O | 1 x Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 2, microSD card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Price | $399, $549, $649 |
Valve made the Steam Deck official just when we thought the handheld game console market was almost dead and that the Nintendo Switch was taking over. In the case of Steam Deck, some people were interested in how it worked, but most were more interested in how cheap it was.
The base model only cost $399. The price-to-performance ratio is too good to be true. Valve has even said that they sold the system at a loss and made up for it by getting a commission on games sold through the Steam Store. It’s a good idea.
For those who don’t know, Valve worked with AMD to make the APU in the Steam Deck. It hits a great balance between performance and efficiency, which handhelds made by companies that came after Valve couldn’t do. Valve sold 3 million copies, and they are still making improvements to the Deck.
2. Asus ROG Ally
| Specifications | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | 16:9 7-inch 1080p IPS display @ 120Hz |
| Storage and RAM | 512GB, 1TB NVMe; 16GB LPDDR5 RAM |
| GPU | AMD Z1/Extreme APU |
| Operating System | Windows |
| Hall Triggers / Hall Joysticks | Yes / No |
| Battery | NA |
| I/O | Type-C USB 4 with ASUS’s proprietary eGPU connector, microSD card slot, headphone jack |
| Price | $599, $699 (Rumored) |
A lot of companies have said that their handheld consoles are better than the Steam Deck, but the ROG Ally is the only one that gets close.
We would say that Ally is even better than Deck in some situations, but it has a big problem, which is that it doesn’t last very long on a charge. The base version of the ROG Ally has a 7-inch 1080p IPS touchscreen with a frame rate of 120Hz, AMD Ryzen Z1 and Z1 Extreme processors with RDNA 3 graphics, 16GB RAM, and 512GB storage. It also runs Windows 11 and has the ROG game style from ASUS on top.
It is a portable computer with handles, a lot like the Steam Deck. Since AMD’s Z1 Extreme is a handheld APU and not a tablet chip, we can expect it to perform much better than Steam Deck’s Aerith APU at both low and high TDPs. It will launch with a lot more games than Steam Deck because it runs Windows 11. Now that we know that the ROG Ally 2 will cost $700 when it comes out, Steam Deck seems like a better deal for the money.
3. Ayaneo 2
| Specifications | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | 16:9 7-inch 1200p IPS display @ 60Hz |
| Storage and RAM | PCIe 4.0 512GB, 1TB, 2TB NVMe; 16/32GB LPDDR5 RAM |
| GPU | AMD Radeon 680M |
| Operating System | Windows/Ayaneo OS |
| Hall Triggers / Hall Joysticks | Yes/Yes |
| Battery | 50.25Wh |
| I/O | 2 x Type-C USB 4, microSD card slot, headphone jack |
| Price | $1099, $1299, and $1499 |
Ayaneo was one of the first companies to offer options to Steam Deck. The first Ayaneo was released in 2021. Since then, the company has released many portable game systems, including the Ayaneo Air, the Air Pro, the Next, and more. The Ayaneo 2 is the company’s newest mobile, and for the most part, it does a lot of things well. First of all, the system is known to have an excellent and high-end build.
The system is powered by AMD Ryzen 7 6800U, which comes with Radeon 680M graphics. With low to medium settings, the 680M can play games at 1080P. It’s a little bit faster than the Aerith APU on the Steam Deck because the clock speed of the compute units is faster (2.2GHz vs. 1.6GHz). So, it has a bigger TDP, which is up to 25W, and a 50Whr battery to power it.
4. Ayaneo Geek
| Specifications | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | 16:9 7-inch 800/1200p IPS display @ 60Hz |
| Storage and RAM | PCIe 3.0 512GB, 1TB, 2TB NVMe; 16/32GB LPDDR5 RAM |
| GPU | AMD Radeon 680M |
| Operating System | Windows/Ayaneo OS |
| Hall Triggers / Hall Joysticks | Yes/Yes |
| Battery | 50.25Wh |
| I/O | 2 x Type-C USB 4, microSD card slot, headphone jack |
| Price | $949, $1169, $1269, and $1369 |
The Ayaneo Geek has the same processor as the Ayaneo 2, but there are a few small changes. The Ayaneo Geek comes in 1200p and 800p versions, doesn’t have a two-axis haptic motor, and supports the PCIe 3.0 standard instead of the PCIe 4.0 standard of the Ayaneo 2. The Geek is the bigger of the two, and its height is also longer.
Ayaneo calls it a cheap option because the base model costs $949 and has an 800p screen, 16GB RAM, and 512GB storage, which is not bad at all. You do miss out on PCIe 4.0 and a Full-HD screen if you spend $100 less, so we think it’s better to spend $100 more and get the Ayaneo 2 handheld game console. But if your budget is set at less than $1,000 and you don’t need a Steam Deck, you should check out the Ayaneo Geek.
5. OneXPlayer 2 – AMD
| Specifications | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | 16:9 8.4-inch 2.5k IPS display @ 60Hz |
| Storage and RAM | PCIe 3.0 512GB, 1TB, 2TB NVMe; 16/32GB LPDDR5 RAM |
| GPU | AMD Radeon 680M |
| Operating System | Windows |
| Hall Triggers / Hall Joysticks | Yes/Yes |
| Battery | 65.5Wh |
| I/O | 1 x Type-C USB 4, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 1 x USB-A 3.0, microSD card slot, headphone jack |
| Price | $1099, $1199, $1299, and $1499 |
OneXPlayer’s second-generation handheld game system with Ryzen 7 6800U costs $1099 for the base model. Like the Nintendo Switch, you can take the joysticks off and use it as a laptop by attaching a computer. You can also use the official dock to turn it into a full-fledged machine or use it as a tablet.
It also has a bigger, more powerful 65.5Wh battery to power its 2.5k 8.4-inch touchscreen. The OneXPlayer 2 is definitely better than the Ayaneo Geek or Ayaneo 2 for the price.
The company also sells the OneXPlayer Mini Pro AMD, which is another console driven by the Ryzen 7 6800u and Radeon 680M. The device has a 7-inch, 1200p display, 16GB DDR5 RAM at 6400MHz, a PCIe 3.0 M.2 2280 SSD slot, Hall joysticks and triggers, a 48Whr battery, and USB 4.0.
Conclusion
The success of the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch has led to a rise in portable game consoles, with Asus’ ROG Ally being one of the big companies in this trend.
The ROG Ally, a 7-inch 1080p IPS display with a 120Hz frame rate, AMD Ryzen Z1 and Z1 Extreme processors, 16GB RAM, and 512GB storage runs Windows 11 and has the ROG game style from ASUS. It has a better price-to-performance ratio than the Steam Deck, but it doesn’t last very long on a charge.
