This post was temporarily removed and reposted to correct an error in attribution. Comments attributed to Jack Huynh, SVP of Computing and Graphics, were actually made by David McAfee, Corporate VP and General Manager of Client. We sincerely apologize for the error.

Intel Arc G3 is leaving AMD’s handheld gaming silicon in the dust with 42% better performance than the Ryzen Z2 Extreme, and similar frame rates to the ROG Xbox Ally X20 at half the power.

This has left everyone thinking how AMD will respond? And after announcing FSR 4.1 coming to older RDNA 3 desktop GPUs like the Radeon RX 7900 (the same graphics architecture as what you see on the company’s handheld chip), we all thought this would be the answer.

And then…the internet exploded. HardwareLuxx reported that in a conversation with David McAfee, Corporate VP and General Manager of AMD’s Client Division, he said that FSR 4.1 is “not currently planned” for RDNA 3.5, but “nothing is set in stone yet” — meaning it’s still being considered.

Following that, other publications picked up and reported on the decision “leaning towards “no.”” Then head of AMD’s Client and Graphics Marketing Frank Azor said “no such decision” has been made.

So to get to the bottom of this, we put the question ourselves to David McAfee, Corporate VP and General Manager of Client, and his answer was an interesting one.

‘Quality of service’

David started by sharing the company’s “philosophy around FSR 4 on non-RDNA 4 products” — talking about how the company is focused on making sure it’s right before releasing.

“We want to make sure the experience and the quality is right, and so having a sufficient amount of compute within that product, whether it's a GPU or an APU or whatever, to ensure that you know the performance benefit.” McAfee commented.

To go into the specifics here, AMD-based handhelds are currently locked to FSR 3.1, which is basically an AI-free version of resolution scaling and frame generation — opting to do it purely through math and code. It’s obviously more complicated than that, but for brevity, that’s the barebones explanation.

Now, FSR 4.1 is actual AI-based upscaling and frame generation (similar to the XeSS 3 that unlocks Intel Arc G3’s superpowers), which is now available on every chip from Core 100 all the way up to Core 300. So what gives with AMD?

“I guess you'd call it quality of service, so that you're always delivering frames within an appropriate frame time. All of those boxes have to be checked, so that we're delivering a quality experience that Gamers are going to be happy with and advancing the experience that they get through the use of that product.”

“The team are reading the comments and reviews about what we announced, and there is a lot of interest in taking [FSR 4.1] to other parts of the market. These first steps in our roadmap were very important, as we brought it to other architectures.”

Not a yes…but not a no either

This is probably the more critical part of this question, as we then followed up after this statement with a simple “can I take your answer as “it’s coming” then?”

His answer: “I did not say it’s coming. I said there is a high-quality bar that we care about a great deal. And as we look at other places to apply our FSR technology, the critical factor is ensuring that the quality and gaming experience is uncompromised.”

So it’s not a no, but it’s not a yes as well. It all lines up with the “decision has not been made” comment Azor made, but my personal take is that it’s only a matter of time. Architecturally, the underlying logic to bring FSR 4.1 to the table on this chip is totally possible — that’s been proven by bringing it to RDNA 3 cards.

The challenge is going to come with running a heavy, AI-driven spatial and temporal upscaler on those precious compute units on the chip. But again, given how underpowered Intel’s past two generations have been in comparison to AMD silicon, the fact these run XeSS shows that it’s doable.

AMD needs to respond, fast

But however you view it’s clear that AMD needs to respond quickly to this, as with a regular annual roadmap of upgrading its hardware and software tech for gaming, Intel’s now in a position to drink Team Red’s milkshake in the PC handheld gaming space.

Maybe it’s a quick switch to FSR 4.1, maybe it’s something that’s cooked up from its work with Sony on PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution — don’t forget the PS5 Pro chip is running on a Frankenstein creation of RDNA 2 and 3 cores, and yet that can do AI acceleration.

But whatever it is, the reasons to go AMD over Intel have almost all gone. Team Blue has a clear integrated GPU plan heading into the future (as well as a team-up with Nvidia for its RTX graphics in a couple years time).

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Despite the RAM crisis driving up electronics prices, I’m still excited about the next generation of gaming handhelds. That’s especially true now, as Computex 2026 has seen the announcement of three machines. I’m sure these systems will be expensive, especially as the Steam Deck OLED now costs over $200 more than its original price. Still, I’m pretty stoked about what’s coming.

The headline systems are the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ and the Acer Predator Atlas 8, both powered by the new Intel Arc G3 mobile chip. The ROG Xbox Ally X20 is only a superficial upgrade, but a nice one regardless. While each system offers something different, there’s one that’s piqued my interest more than the others.

And which one is that? It’s the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+. Here’s why.

Smooth performance

The original MSI Claw 7 was the first modern gaming handheld to feature an Intel CPU rather than an AMD chip, so it’s good to see the latest iteration pack the new Intel Arc G3 processor.

This silicon is tailor-made for gaming, with fewer CPU cores but the same Arc B390 integrated GPU with 12 XeS cores. In short, it’s a serious gaming powerhouse.

We tested three games, and the results were impressive, to say the least. The frame boosting XeSS 3 is the key to fluid gameplay, as you can see above.

I’m eager to test demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 to see how they run with XeSS on and off. Based on what we saw at Computex, I don’t expect to be disappointed.

Lovely design

Based on what I’ve seen and what my colleagues have said, the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ seems to nail the basics for handheld design. The main thing that stands out is that the new Claw is more rounded than its boxier predecessors, which should make it easier to hold. The Xbox controller-like texture should also help with sweaty hands from prolonged gaming sessions.

One major update is that the triggers and analog sticks all use Hall effect technology, which should make them more responsive and longer-lasting. There’s even a new 6-axis vibration motor that gives the device the same kind of rumble support you’d find on gaming controllers. As with the PS5 DualSense controller, you’ll feel it when you walk on different surfaces. This is arguably the feature I want to experience most.

There’s no OLED panel, but the 8-inch 1200p IPS touch display with its up to 120Hz refresh rate should be great for just about any game. Eight inches is also a good spot that’s higher than the 7-inch display of a Steam Deck but not as gargantuan as the 8.8-inch panel of a Lenovo Legion Go.

Lastly, the Claw 8 EX AI+ looks absolutely stunning in that Void Purple finish. I don’t typically care for purple, so this is high praise coming from me.

Outlook

How much will the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ cost? The good news is that it won’t be $2,000 as rumors have suggested. The bad news is that MSI says it is targeting $1,500. Sure, that’s not as expensive as two grand, but it would still make it as pricey as a desktop PC. Even if the price is worth it, that’s still a bitter pill to swallow.

Potential sticker shock aside, I like what I’ve seen of the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ and am eager to test it out.

The MSI Claw series had a bumpy start with its first handheld, but each subsequent release has made major improvements, and the Claw 8 EX AI+ appears to be the culmination of the company’s persistence in delivering a truly stellar gaming device. If this handheld lives up to the hype, it should be worth considering, even if it costs a pretty penny.

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We truly are in the dark days of RAMageddon right now, and while we’ve seen what pricey RAM has done to established industries like laptops or video game consoles with price hikes galore, the recent Steam Deck OLED price hike has brought things into sharper focus for handheld gaming PCs, too.

The new MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ might not have the catchiest name, but this impressive piece of hardware certainly has a high sticker price: $1,699.99. That could get you multiple consoles of yesteryear, but it's now the going rate for a new handheld PC.

Best Buy listing reveals MSI’s new handheld

At least we think it is. As spotted by Notebookcheck, the new MSI product leaked on Best Buy’s storefront this week but has since been delisted.

The latest Claw model is packing 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage and the new Intel Arc G3 Extreme GPU. It's the first handheld from MSI built around that new chip, and it will introduce frame generation tech to the Claw lineup.

There’s also a large, 8-inch screen which runs at a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 and has up to 120Hz refresh rate, and an 8Wh battery, which all sounds really impressive — but we can’t quite get over the digits in the price tag.

Was it a placeholder price? It’s hard to say, but it’s clear that a handheld PC is no longer the no-brainer value proposition it once was.

Is it still worth it?

As a longtime Steam Deck evangelist (I have two in my home), I’ve long pointed to the console as a fantastic investment. You get a capable piece of kit that can handle a ton of games that have been released in the last few decades, a smooth console-like interface, and all the advantages of the PC ecosystem, like cheap games and free online play.

Now, though, the Steam Deck OLED has jumped from $549 to $789 for the 512GB version, meaning a system that was already a little pricier than a Switch 2 is now costing 43% more than Nintendo’s latest hardware. In fact, the 1TB model is now $949, a 46% climb.

That’s a tough pill to swallow, given that the Steam Deck has been viewed (pretty fairly) as the more affordable handheld PC option for many people.

Sure, the Claw 8 EX AI+ is expensive, but at least it’s new and marks the debut of Intel’s Panther Lake chipset on MSI hardware. Meanwhile, the Steam Deck OLED—as much as I and many others love it—is approaching three years on the market.

In many ways, there’s no way to jump on board at the “entry” level for PC handhelds, and with Steam Machine pricing yet to be revealed, there’s every chance the category could shrink in the next few years just as much as it’s grown in the last few.

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There's no shortage of gaming handhelds here at Computex 2026. Intel unveiled Arc G3 here in Taiwan, and with it, we've seen some impressive new handhelds arrive, including MSI's Claw 8 EX AI+ and the Acer Predator Atlas 8.

The thing is, I've never really been a fan of gaming handhelds in the first place, mostly because of how big and heavy they've become. Sure, they're powerful enough to run AAA games on the go and even double as mini Windows PCs when connected to an external monitor, but the size trade-off has always felt a bit much for me — I don't really want to carry another bulky gadget in my backpack every time I travel.

That was until I checked out the Ayaneo Pocket Play here at Computex 2026. It genuinely made me rethink gaming handhelds, partly because it looks eerily similar to the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play from back in the day, and partly because it doubles as an Android phone.

Ayaneo Pocket Play is the perfect tribute to the Xperia Play

Ayaneo is no stranger to gaming handhelds. In fact, the company recently announced the NEXT 2 Windows gaming handheld, complete with a massive 9-inch OLED display and AMD's Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor underneath. However, Ayaneo also makes Android-based gaming handhelds, and the new Pocket Play feels like a direct callback to 2011.

At first glance, the Pocket Play looks remarkably similar to the Xperia Play from 2011. It features a sliding display that moves upward to reveal physical gaming controls underneath, including a D-pad, ABXY buttons, two circular touchpads, and several customizable buttons. If you've ever used a phone with a sliding mechanism, the nostalgia hits almost instantly the moment you pick this thing up.

The display itself is a 6.8-inch OLED panel capable of reaching 165Hz, although it does come with fairly noticeable bezels around the sides.

Coming back to the design, the top section houses the L and R shoulder triggers, which naturally become accessible once the display slides upward. The handheld itself feels fairly lightweight, which should help during longer gaming sessions. That said, I did find the build quality a little flimsy.

The unit I tested came in the Origin Gray finish, which looked great but picked up fingerprints and smudges almost immediately. Ayaneo also plans to offer the Pocket Play in Deep Space Black, Stellar Silver White, and Crimson Red.

Powering everything is MediaTek's Dimensity 9300 chipset paired with the Arm Immortalis-G720 GPU. It's not the newest flagship silicon anymore, but it's still more than capable of handling modern Android games.

During my brief hands-on time, the device had no trouble running games at high frame rates, although I did notice it warming up after extended play sessions.

On the software side, the Pocket Play runs Android 15 with Ayaneo's custom software layered on top. One of the customizable buttons can be mapped to launch the company's gaming hub, making it easy to jump between games, while another button gives you access to performance settings.

As for the rest of the specs, you're looking at a 5,000mAh battery with fast charging support. It's also being positioned as a smartphone, which means Ayaneo has included a dual-camera setup on the back consisting of a 50MP primary sensor and a 16MP ultra-wide camera. That said, I'm not exactly holding my breath when it comes to camera performance.

The Ayaneo Pocket Play doesn't seem designed to replace your dedicated Windows gaming handheld. Instead, this feels like a device built specifically for retro gaming enthusiasts and people who miss the days of phones like the Xperia Play.

As for pricing and availability, things are still a bit unclear. The Pocket Play originally launched through Kickstarter earlier this year, but shipments were reportedly paused because of delays. We've reached out to Ayaneo for updated information on both pricing and availability, and we'll update our coverage once we hear back.

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Windows gaming handhelds got a shot in the arm with Intel Arc G3 silicon, and I got to test the Acer Predator Atlas 8 sporting this chip. It’s a solid piece of kit (and I’ll go into it more later), but what surprised me most is what I got to play on it.

As you probably already know, I got to test the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ behind closed doors here at Computex 2026. With a lot of events like this, you get shown demos in controlled environments with specific games to make the handheld look good.

Well, over with Acer, the one game MSI told us not to play was on show: my favorite of the year so far in Forza Horizon 6.

And after playing it, I’m honestly baffled why MSI's handlers didn’t let us get into it, because it’s a real showcase of how much of a breakthrough the Arc G3 really is.

By the numbers

On the face of it, I can see why MSI may not have wanted us to play Horizon 6 — it supports XeSS 2.1 rather than the full-blown third-generation version with multi-frame generation. But even with that, I managed to squeeze a surprising amount of graphical prowess out of this system.

At 1200p resolution with no ray tracing, the game can run at 66 FPS on the charger and 45 FPS when you reduce the wattage from the plug socket. I played for about 20 minutes off the charger and saw the total battery capacity drop by 5% during that time, which shows impressive power efficiency.

Then I decided to go a bit wild with it, turn the graphics settings up to ultra, turn on ray tracing, and XeSS (because I’m not a madman). Even with this, I was getting 42 FPS, and with the 8-inch display squishing this game down, there was no visible ghosting, and in gameplay, I felt no latency.

A (mostly) great handheld

Acer’s always been on the periphery of the handheld space, usually dominated by Asus, MSI, and Lenovo.

But with the Atlas 8, this feels like a real coming-to-power moment for them because it is a sturdy system with decent ergonomics, a nice, bright screen, adjustable triggers that can be either one-press or full analog, and good cooling with that world-first metal fan in a portable like this.

That being said, I do give the edge to the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ for snappier buttons (Acer’s D-pad and face buttons feel a bit mushy) and ergonomics, as the Claw has better-defined handgrips that fit the hand better and have a grippy texture.

All this aside, though, the Predator Atlas 8 will have its audience as another great handheld to get. The adjustable triggers do make this a versatile handheld that can be adjusted to any particular play style.

Throw in the Arc G3, and you’re onto a surefire winner. The question now, of course, is price. Acer (just like MSI) is a little hesitant to talk about cost, given the whole RAMageddon thing happening right now. But I’m hoping that, given Acer has always been the value-for-money brand, they can do something good here.

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We’ve already seen a ton of new handheld gaming PCs here at Computex 2026 but, instead of going that route, Asus has decided to commemorate the 20th anniversary of its Republic of Gamers (ROG) subbrand with a special edition of the ROG Xbox Ally X.

Dubbed the ROG Xbox Ally X20, this new device uses (mostly) the same hardware as last year’s Xbox-themed handheld. You still get the powerful performance of AMD’s Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme chip with 24GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. While not technically an entirely new device, Asus has made some fundamental changes under the hood and has also given the handheld a regal makeover with hints of gold throughout its design.

Asus definitely could have stopped there and called it a day. However, given the recent launch of its new ROG XREAL R1 AR glasses, the company decided to give them the same ROG 20th anniversary treatment too. They’re the same glasses more or less but since they’re intended to be used alongside the ROG Xbox Ally X20, they won’t ship with Asus’ ROG Control Dock.

After going hands-on with the new ROG Xbox Ally X20 and ROG Xreal R1 Edition 20 here in Taipei, I’m quite impressed by how all the little changes Asus made to its handheld make for an even better experience. However, are they enough to justify a bundle that will likely cost a hefty sum once it releases later this year? Find out in my full hands-on review.

Asus ROG Xbox Ally X20 specs

Fit for an anniversary

Just like Microsoft did with its 20th anniversary Xbox Controller, Asus has also given the ROG Xbox Ally X20 a transparent front shell. It looks even better in person and when seeing it side by side with the original Xbox Ally X, this small tweak really makes the upgraded handheld stand out. If that wasn’t enough though, the View, Command Center, Menu and Library buttons now feature gold accents.

In another nod to the Xbox brand, the Xbox button to the left of ROG Xbox Ally X20’s side buttons now lights up green too. Within Asus’ Armory Crate software, you can also tweak its brightness and lighting effects as well. Seeing the Xbox button pulse green was especially cool while trying out the new handheld.

On the top edge of the ROG Xbox Ally X20, you still get two USB-C ports — one USB 4 one and one USB 3.2 one — along with a power button and a 3.5mm headphone jack. If you look closely though, you might notice an extra cooling vent between the main two on the left and right side. Asus reworked the cooling for the ROG Xbox Ally X20 to improve airflow which is why we now have four instead of three vents like on the Xbox Ally X.

Around back is where the ROG 20th Anniversary design changes are the most apparent on the Xbox Ally X20. In addition to a gold badge underneath the right fan, the diagonal line with “Republic of Gamers” written out is now gold too with the letters in a vibrant red. The top half of the back panel is transparent too which lets you see how Asus went to the extra trouble of making the ROG Xbox Ally X20’s fans and heatsink gold too.

Besides these aesthetic changes, the handheld’s grips are now wrapped in a grippy, rubber-like plastic too just like on the Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller. This is another one of those small but very noticeable differences with the Xbox Ally X20. The upgraded handheld felt even better to hold in my hands, speaking of which…..

Upgrades you can feel

As I’ve mentioned, small but noticeable improvements with a touch of gold throughout seems to be the big theme of the ROG Xbox Ally X20. This is also the case with the handheld’s bumpers and triggers.

Asus actually moved the position of the bumper buttons on the device’s motherboard to make them easier and more comfortable to press. While they used to sit on the top edge, they’re now positioned diagonally on the left and right side of the motherboard. This is a small change I know, but having tested the bumpers on both the Xbox Ally X and the ROG Xbox Ally X20 side by side, this tweak is noticeable.

The shape and feel of the ROG Xbox Ally X20’s ABXY buttons are different too and they now feature a slightly more rounded profile. As you might have guessed, this is another nod back to the Xbox controller. One area where Asus is pushing ahead of Xbox though is with the joysticks on this handheld.

Although a lot of people kept asking about Hall Effect joysticks coming to its handhelds, Asus wasn’t quite happy with the tradeoffs that would come with adopting them. So instead, the company went with TMR joysticks on the ROG Xbox Ally X20. In my testing, they were incredibly smooth and responsive which makes me hope this will become the norm with PC gaming handhelds going forward.

Now you might have realized I skipped over the microSD card slot before when discussing the ports on the back of the ROG Xbox Ally X20. Well, that was intentional. You see, this is actually a microSD Express card slot like the one found on the Nintendo Switch 2. While you can upgrade the handheld’s internal storage, if you don’t want to open it up, you can always pop in a microSD Express card to get some more storage space and thanks to its faster speeds, you shouldn’t have any trouble playing even more demanding games off of it.

Transforming with a twist

Now this next upgrade is one that both fighting game and Xbox 360 fans will instantly appreciate. While a 4-way d-pad is perfect for platformers and retro games, it isn’t ideal for 2D fighting titles like Street Fighter. With the ROG Xbox Ally X20, Asus said why not both. So just like on the wireless controller that was released quite late in the Xbox 360 era, this handheld also has a transforming d-pad.

To switch between the two modes, you just pinch both sides of the d-pad, pull up and give it a quick turn. This lets you go from a 4-way to an 8-way d-pad that feels almost identical to the one on the Xbox Series controller in the best way possible.

In case you pull up but don’t quite turn the d-pad all the way, you won’t be able to press it down at all which lets you know you did something wrong. Likewise, the d-pad spins all the way around, so you aren’t stuck going in one direction or the other.

The OLED we’ve been waiting for

Back when my colleague Jason England wrote his ROG Xbox Ally X review, one of his biggest gripes was that it didn’t have an OLED display. Well, Asus must have been listening as the ROG Xbox Ally X20 does and it’s a full-featured one at that. The handheld’s OLED features HDR 1000, comes equipped with VRR thanks to AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and can reach a max peak brightness of 1,400 Nits.

While we’ll have to get one into our testing lab to see for sure, in person, I noticed a stark difference between the brightness of the Xbox Ally X and the ROG Xbox Ally X20 with the two handhelds next to each other. When playing Control and Chronos: The New Dawn, the blacks were quite deep and the colors really popped. However, it wasn’t until I saw the driving game Assetto Corsa running on two devices side by side — one with HDR on and one with it off — that it really hit me.

Speaking of small but noticeable improvements once again, Asus actually managed to fit a larger 7.4-inch OLED screen here without increasing the overall size of the handheld. On the original Xbox Ally X, the bottom and top bezels were the same size. That isn’t the case with the ROG Xbox Ally X20 as Asus shrunk the top bezel to make room for the bigger display, making it smaller than the bezels on either side.

Personally, this was a huge improvement and quite noticeable during my hands on time with the device. For the most part when playing games on a handheld like this, you’re looking up at the top of the device and not the bottom, so the screen feels a lot larger even though the panel is still technically the same size.

Even better together

Now I know most people haven’t tried gaming while wearing a pair of the best smart glasses but if you haven’t yet, it’s an awesome experience. Instead of a 7-inch display — or 7.4-inch one here — by plugging in a single USB-C cable, you instantly get a massive, movie theater-like screen right in front of you.

Asus and I must be on the same page which is why the company plans on releasing the ROG Xbox Ally X20 in a bundle with a special edition pair of its ROG Xreal R1 smart glasses. They’re mostly the same minus the dock and like the handheld, they have some gold accents on the sides.

For those unfamiliar, using these — or any other AR glasses — with the ROG Xbox Ally X20 is about as plug and play of an experience as you can get. You just plug in the glasses on one of the top USB-C ports, put them on and you’re good to go. One cool use case a few of Asus’ staff and I discussed is wearing them while lying back in one of the best gaming chairs so you don’t run the risk of dropping a handheld on your face. I’ve played this way at home and trust me, it’s as comfortable as it is plain cool.

One neat difference here is that when you pair the ROG Xreal R1 X20 glasses with the ROG Xbox Ally X20 is that you don’t have to press the buttons on their sides to tweak picture settings. You absolutely can if you want to though. However, settings like screen size, transparency and even enabling real-time 3D conversion on the glasses are available right within Asus’ Armory Crate software.

I have to admit I stuck to making most of my adjustments on the glasses themselves as I’m quite familiar with Xreal’s AR glasses after I paired them with a portable mini PC for a truly unique setup. However, if this is your first time using them, it will probably be easier making adjustments right on the handheld itself.

This bundle won’t come cheap

Asus gave myself and the rest of the Tom’s Guide computing team a sneak peak at the ROG Xbox Ally X20 at its HQ here in Taipei, with more details likely to come at Gamescom this summer. While we don’t know the official price yet, the ROG Xbox Ally X20 and ROG Xreal R1 X20 will likely be available ahead of the holidays later this year.

The other big news we got out of Asus is that the two will come as a bundle. Given the original ROG Xbox Ally X costs $999 on its own and the ROG Xreal R1 glasses are available now for $849, I doubt this special edition bundle will cost less than $2,000. However, since you aren’t getting the ROG Control Dock with the glasses, that could bring down the price slightly.

We’ll have the full pricing and release details soon enough but after spending an afternoon with the ROG Xbox Ally X20 and the ROG Xreal R1 X20, Asus went above and beyond here for sure. Just changing the color of the handheld’s shell and some of its buttons definitely would have been enough. However, Asus’ engineers went back to the drawing board and made seemingly small but very noticeable changes to the Xbox Ally X.

Now I wouldn’t recommend rushing out to get this bundle if you already have an Xbox Ally X unless you’re a really big ROG fan. Personally though, these improvements and tweaks have me really excited for what Asus will eventually do with its followup to the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X.

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Intel Arc G3 handhelds are the talk of the town here at Computex 2026, and I just got an early hands-on with the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+. In short, believe the hype — this is the next generation of gaming on-the-go unlike anything you’ve seen before.

Of course, a lot of this comes from that new silicon, which copies a lot of Panther Lake’s homework including that monster integrated GPU with XeSS 3 support to deliver some blistering frame rates (more on those later) while being much more power efficient than any AMD-filled handheld I’ve tested.

But the secret sauce here is MSI’s DNA — learning from previous Claws and dramatically upgrading the design, vastly improving airflow to keep it cool, bringing a gorgeous new display, tweaking the ergonomics and tactility of the vibration, and making it even easier to upgrade.

What’s the price? I asked MSI and the answer was “stop asking about it,” which does make me nervous in the current state of RAMageddon, but I can’t deny this is utter brilliance.

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ specs

Raiders of the lost Arc

The key ingredient is that shiny new Panther Lake chip: Intel Arc G3 Extreme. This is tailored more to a gaming-centric workload with a reduced amount of CPU cores while maintaining that same Arc B390 integrated GPU with the 12 Xe3 cores.

This GPU ticks off a lot of the boxes of what I wanted to see come to the handheld space: a wide versatility of power settings from the 17W endurance mode all the way up to 45W, native ray tracing support and all the XeSS 3 AI trickery goodness.

And the results are…well if you’ve been used to seeing AMD handhelds getting good frame rates, you ain’t seen nothing yet. I can’t give you specifics with benchmarks, but here’s what I got from the 3 games I was allowed to test.

And this is kept cool by MSI’s new Cooler Boost HyperFlow tech — based on two fans and two pipes to deliver five watts higher cooling and 25% higher pressure for the fans. That keeps those temperatures nice and well maintained in the various scenarios, including two that are often overlooked but significant.

First, I’m talking about the Switch’s bread and butter in docked mode. You already saw a bit of this with Panther Lake laptops being able to offer a fantastic experience on a massive screen. XeSS 3 is the key to that fluid big screen gameplay with minimal ghosting, and you’re getting the exact same thing here. F1 25 at 4K with XeSS 3 set to performance mode (so upscaled from 1080p) ran at a silky smooth 90 FPS in my time testing.

Throw in the better cooling too, and you can pump a massive 45 watts of power through this tiny shell, which gets you some speedy, smooth gameplay on the big screen when plugged in.

And the second scenario is one of the main reasons why I love my gaming PC: being able to play but also get stuff done. With the dual Thunderbolt 4, you’re able to have your own mini PC setup that can multitask effectively between pretty intense apps like Photoshop and many Chrome tabs.

Of course, these technically are possible on AMD handhelds, but nowhere near at the levels of performance and power efficiency you’re seeing on-board here.

Feeling great in your hands

I could go on about the chip inside, but there’s a whole handheld built around it, and it’s looking gorgeous in this Void Purple finish. And as you can tell, there are some significant changes being made here to the

One of the most noticeable upgrades you’ll feel is in the ergonomics. Whereas previous claws had a slightly flatter, more blocky appearance, the grips have much more definition and curvature to them to fit nicely into your hands.

MSI set on a mission to achieve the same level of ergonomics as the Xbox controller, and it shows with that dot texture eliminating any slip, the flared design of the grips and huge button upgrades.

Triggers and analog sticks are hall effect now, and now the D-Pad + ABXY buttons feel a lot snappier without any spongeyness like previous Claws thanks to being based on a metal dome.

But the biggest change you’ll feel is in the haptics. There’s a new 6-axis IMU vibration motor running on a new software algorithm to deliver what is called HD Haptics — allowing them to simulate much finer details like different textures of surfaces you walk on.

It’s hard to explain, but MSI’s basically done for gaming handhelds what PS5 DualSense did for controllers. It feels truly phenomenal.

Not forgetting the fundamentals

But of course, a PC handheld like this has more to nail than just performance and design. MSI's ticking off these boxes nicely here with a vivid, bright, smooth screen, surprisingly beefy speakers and quiet operation.

That 8-inch 1200p touchscreen may be IPS (so no OLED color waterfalls here), but it's still decently colorful. And with a variable refresh rate from 48 all the way up to 120Hz, gameplay feels more reactive here.

Dual speakers on here have a surprising amount of bass and don't distort at all at max volume, and alongside this, the cooling system doesn't get loud at all!

A pricey upgrade?

I can’t deny that this is a fantastic handheld — one of the best I’ve ever tried. Intel Arc G3 is the key to unlocking some stellar performance, with XeSS 3 being almost like a cheat code to frame rates unlike anything you’ve seen in a portable device like this.

Throw in a gorgeous screen and a real attention to the ergonomics, then you’re onto a winner here. But just like a lot of companies here at Computex, price is the terrifying question, as the entire market is fluid based on RAM prices.

Speaking to MSI, they are targeting $1,500 for this machine (less than the $2,000 rumor that panicked us all). But Intel and MSI's confidence is well-placed here, as this is an incredible piece of hardware.

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In all my time testing Panther Lake, it’s been clear that Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chips are huge for gaming — packing a beasty internal GPU with all that XeSS 3 AI trickery to boost frame rates to unseen levels in anything outside of a dedicated Nvidia RTX 50-series gaming laptop.

Team Blue knew they were onto something, and confirmed a different version of this chip with that same GPU will be coming to gaming handhelds. And now at Computex 2026, it’s finally happening. Meet the Intel Arc G3 and Arc G3 Extreme processors — you can expect full testing and a deep dive from me soon, but for now, here’s everything you need to know.

Intel Arc G3: Specs comparison

The deep dive

A lot more details (and hands-on time) will be shared at Computex, and you'll see these handhelds start to roll out in June, with broader availability "throughout the year."

Translation: expect to see Arc G3 and Arc G3 Extreme handhelds launch sometime in August.

These chips take that breakthrough integrated GPU from the Core Ultra X series chips — the 10-core Arc B370 for the G3, and the 12-core Arc B390 for the G3 Extreme — and stuff them into a handheld with a lower wattage.

The result? I predict shockingly good gameplay on the go with power efficiency at its heart (thanks to that improved power management and the new efficiency cores being able to take on more of the load).

But the advantages over AMD keep coming. Intel is able to precompile in-game shaders using cloud servers (no more waiting ages for your cloud shaders).

Oh, and XeSS 3 is the big thing here, with AI-based resolution scaling, multi-frame generation up to 4X, and low-latency tech to ensure those AI frames don't bog down your gameplay responsiveness.

What handhelds will pack Arc G3?

At the moment, we know of three.

Acer Predator Atlas 8

As the name suggests, it’s an 8-inch handheld that sports this new silicon to support ray tracing alongside all that XeSS 3 AI-powered goodness. To keep it cool, there’s the Predator AeroBlace thermal management with the first metal fan in a handheld for up to 10% better airflow.

“Handheld gamers want PC-class performance without being tied to a desktop or charger,” Jim Johnson, SVP and General Manager of Client Computing at Intel, commented.

“With Intel Arc G-Series processors and Acer’s Predator Atlas 8, we deliver smooth, high-fidelity gameplay with exceptional battery life in a form factor you can take anywhere.”

Speaking of not being tied to a charger, the Atlas 8 sports an 80Wh battery (for the G3 Extreme — the G3 gets a 60Wh cell), and games are sure to look pretty on that 1920 x 1200 panel with 120Hz refresh rate and a variable refresh rate.

As for the ergonomics, you've got full-size analog sticks, and (what looks like) well-placed buttons directly alongside them, as well as Hall Effect triggers for all your pressure variations in racing games (plus a micro-switch mode to make them instant clicks for shooters).

The others

However, when Intel made the announcement on stage at CES 2026, other brands were connected to it, and Team Blue has confirmed the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ and OneXPlayer will be launching too.

So all eyes are on Computex as more are inevitably revealed in Taipei! I’ll update this piece when we know more.

Intel Arc G3 vs AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme

On paper, if you were to look at the specs table, the numbers on that GPU are bigger on AMD’s silicon. But as I found out testing Panther Lake, it’s not about what you have, it’s about how you use it.

XeSS 3 has already blown my mind in a laptop, to the point that I begged Intel way back in October to bring this tech to the handheld space. The secret sauce is that resolution scaling and 4x multi-frame generation that extracts so much more performance-per-watt out of these machines. I tested it (in a laptop) against Nvidia’s DLSS 4, and my mind was blown.

At 1080p, there’s definitely a gap in frame rates, but nowhere near the kind of gap you’d expect in integrated vs dedicated graphics. To get something akin to this on something as small as a handheld is going to be a truly generational shift.

Throw in the fact that you’re only getting 44ms of latency on Intel vs Nvidia in-game, and you start to see just how earth-shaking this could be.

Now, what about AMD? Well, the Ryzen Z2 Extreme was a minor uplift over the Ryzen Z1 Extreme — it uses an RDNA 3.5 architecture, and at the moment, its own FSR resolution scaling and frame generation doesn’t hold a candle to XeSS.

That being said, Team Red did recently say that its latest AI-fueled FSR upscaling 4.1 will be coming to RDNA 3 GPUs. In July, this will be limited to just the desktop-class RX 9700 card, but given the cores are the same, this is AMD’s big chance to keep up.

Bottom line

You can expect more hands-on testing from me in the very near future as I head to Computex. But for now, it's fair to say that if you’ve been waiting for an actual next-generation handheld (maybe you’ve been holding onto that Steam Deck for a few years now), it’s happening now.

Intel Arc G3 and G3 Extreme are really bringing the heat in terms of a monstrous integrated GPU and XeSS 3 to deliver what will be one of the best handheld gaming experiences you can get.

One thing we don’t know is price, and given the massive price increase of Steam Deck recently, that makes me nervous. But time will tell on this around whether the price-to-performance is still there.

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Price hikes come for us all and Valve just announced a significant price increase for the Steam Deck, which is finally back in stock.

The 512GB Steam Deck OLED now costs $789, up $240 from $549, while the 1TB variant now costs $949, up $300 from $649. As of this writing, both models are available for purchase from Steam.

The LCD models are completely missing from the product page as they were officially discontinued late last year. Additionally, while refurbished OLED models are on offer for the original prices, the LCD versions are still listed as out of stock.

According to a blog post the new prices "reflect the current state of component costs and other global logistical challenges across the industry." Valve specifically blamed rising memory and storage costs in the announcement.

Valve is just the latest victim in the ongoing AI-greed festival that is RAMaggedon.

More expensive than a PS5 Pro

Amazingly, this price hike makes the Steam Deck one of the most expensive consoles on the market now. In fact, it's more expensive than Sony's PS5 Pro, which currently starts at $899 after its own price hikes earlier this year.

Even among the best handheld gaming consoles, the Steam Deck may not be the quality value pick anymore.

Here's how the new Steam Deck price compares to other consoles like the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X and the Nintendo Switch 2.

We looked at similarly specced handheld consoles here. The Asus ROG Xbox Ally comes in different storage sizes, including a 4TB one. For this comparison, we looked at the 1TB variant.

Honestly, at these prices, it might be better to pick up the Xbox Ally X. It's newer than the four-year-old Steam Deck and the Xbox streamlined Windows OS is a breath of fresh air, plus you can still use Steam.

Not confident about the Steam Machine

Valve has yet to announce a release date or pricing for the Steam Machine, it's living room PC-console hybrid. One of the worries surrounding the console has been about pricing especially since the memory shortage has made life difficult for manufacturers.

If Valve is pushing Steam Deck prices this high, I have concerns that the Machine might be similarly priced or more expensive. Which would defeat the purpose of the device in the first place.

At that point, it would be better to buy a pre-built or source your own parts for a gaming PC. The Steam Machine would be dead in the water.

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The Steam Controller is here, but the Steam Machine and Steam Frame have been delayed due to the ongoing RAM price crisis. However, Valve Programmer Pierre-Loup Griffais spoke to IGN and confirmed that while there isn’t an exact launch timeline, “things are going well” and we can expect news “soon.”

But his comments looked further into the future too, as he confirmed that the company is “hard at work” on Steam Deck 2 — echoing a lot of what Griffais told me in terms of wanting to see a “worthwhile performance upgrade to make sense.”

RAM is the pain point

It’s the most obvious answer, right? And Valve confirmed as much in its blog post about having to “revisit” when it will ship and how much it will cost. And Valve hardware engineer Steve Cardinali said as much in his time talking to Polygon — the hardware’s not the problem, but the RAM inside it is.

“This doesn't have RAM in it, and it's not as complicated to start getting out the door for us,” Cardinali said. “We're ready for it. We wanted to build up quantity so that we could try to address everybody who wants one at launch, but it's possible that the demand for it far exceeds our expectations.”

It’s another of the many memory-related struggles the consumer tech industry has faced ever since the massive AI data center buildout spiked the cost, including the PS5 price hike recently.

However, there are some reasons to be optimistic about the near future (tariff refunds, Chinese RAM foundries picking up the consumer slack, etc), and all eyes are on Microsoft, Google and Amazon’s investors’ calls tomorrow to see whether there are any signs of a bubble pop.

We’ve just got to wait and see.

Predicting the launches

So while Valve has (understandably) not confirmed a timeline given everything that’s happening, it's time for me to put on my tin foil hat and lay out some predictions of my own. And it made me think about MediaTek’s comments about having “cautious optimism” about a “slowdown” in RAM price rises.

In case you missed it, MediaTek’s Head of Global Sales Eric Fischer talked about how the huge initial demand for memory-heavy products early this year is probably an illusion of people panic buying before it gets worse. He said that we’re on our way to a moment where “the consumer’s ability to spend” breaks, and the industry will adjust in the second half of the year.

With that in mind, allow me to paint a timeline for you:

• Steam Machine and Steam Frame: It’s clear Valve is working hard behind the scenes to figure out RAM supply and the pricing strategy for this. I know the company said to expect news “soon,” but as for a launch, I’d look more to maybe Summer/early Fall 2026. The company’s waiting this spike out, just like we are.
• Steam Deck 2: For the worthwhile gains Valve is looking for in silicon performance and power efficiency, we need to look at this as more of a console generational leap more than the iterative curve of annual computing chip versions. I’m expecting an early 2028 launch.

But what do you think? I’ll throw up a poll to get your thoughts on when you think these devices will land!

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Intel’s Arc G3 and Arc G3 Extreme handheld chips are expected for a Computex reveal, and I couldn’t be more excited. AMD has dominated this space, with its processors powering the best handheld consoles like the Steam Deck OLED, Asus ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go 2, and more. While handhelds like the MSI Claw 8 AI+ have used Intel chips, they’re still behind their AMD-powered counterparts. But with Panther Lake-driven handhelds, we could finally see the balance of power shift.

I’ve tested many Panther Lake laptops, including the Dell XPS 14, Samsung Galaxy Book 6 Pro, and MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+, and I’ve never failed to be impressed by their gaming performance—especially since these aren’t gaming machines. That experience has led me to wonder what Panther Lake could do for handhelds. If the leap between Intel Core Ultra Series 1 and Series 2 in handhelds is any indication, Series 3 should deliver significant performance and efficiency gains.

Nothing is official yet, but since Intel already announced custom chips for handhelds are coming, it’s not unreasonable to expect we’ll hear something soon, especially with Computex just around the corner. While the prospect of Panther Lake handhelds is exciting, there is one thing that concerns me.

Panther Lake power

To be fair, there will be performance differences between a laptop and a gaming handheld. While both prioritize energy efficiency, handhelds have to nail it so folks can play games for more than a few minutes. I wanted to make that clear before moving on, as I’m not expecting a 1:1 experience from a Panther Lake handheld. That said, my experience with laptops running Intel’s latest chipsets sets expectations for what we could see.

The three laptops I mentioned in the intro all have the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H CPU, an upper-mid-range chip in the Panther Lake lineup. In our gaming performance test, which uses the built-in benchmark tool with the game’s graphics settings set to high and the resolution set to 1080p, we recorded impressive results across the games we tested.

The key here is that we enabled Intel XeSS 3.0, which is the company’s version of the upscaling tech Nvidia and AMD use to boost performance. For example, Cyberpunk 2077’s performance went from an abysmal 19 frames per second to a comparatively ultra-smooth 80 fps on the Galaxy Book 6 Pro. XeSS, like Nvidia DLSS and AMD FSR, is a literal game-changer and is vital for smoother performance.

Rumors suggest that the Panther Lake handheld chips are stripped-down versions of the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H, with fewer P-cores to improve power management. This makes sense for the reason I stated at the start of this section — you don’t want a chip that’s so powerful it drains the battery too quickly.

If the rumored Arc G3 and Arc G3 Extreme chips can match the performance we’ve seen in Panther Lake laptops, handhelds are about to get a whole lot more interesting.

Intel Arc G3 chips

Speaking of the Arc G3 chips, here’s what we’ve heard so far. According to VideoCardz, Intel could debut two handheld chips at Computex 2026. The Arc G3 and Arc G3 Extreme are reportedly tied to a Q2 2026 window and are expected to have a lifecycle through Q2 2027.

On X, a leaker named @9550Pro posted what is reportedly a CPU-Z screenshot of the Intel Core G3 Extreme (via Notebookcheck). However, another insider, Jaykihn, claims the listing is false and that the Core G3 Extreme will be renamed the Intel Arc G3 Extreme. Regardless, the chip appears to be a stripped-down version of the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H, as I mentioned earlier.

According to VideoCardz, the chips have reportedly undergone internal testing, and MSI and OneXPlayer are expected to be the first to use Intel’s handheld processor. MSI is a logical choice, as the company has used Intel chips in its MSI Claw handhelds. There’s no evidence that Asus or Lenovo will update their handhelds with Intel’s chip, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

The big catch

While I’m certainly looking forward to handhelds powered by Intel’s Panther Lake chip, that enthusiasm is tempered by the issue that’s plagued consumer tech since late last year. Thanks to RAMageddon, handheld gaming prices are out of control.

The most extreme example of handheld price hikes is the Legion Go 2 with 2TB of storage, which now costs $2,849 (up from $1,479). The original asking price was already steep, but paying nearly $3,000 for a gaming handheld is wild, given that most of these devices used to hover around $600-$900. Those days are very much over.

Given these conditions, I’m scared to even think about how much any handheld with an Intel Panther Lake chip will cost. I doubt a Legion Go 2 variant with these chips would have radically different pricing. Maybe it costs less, maybe a little more, but either way, we have a good (or bad) idea of what to expect in terms of cost.

Outlook

With no official word on Panther Lake handhelds, we’ll have to wait for Intel to finally reveal what it has cooking. As I said, with Computex starting on June 2, it might not be long before we get to see something.

We should also keep in mind that the AMD Ryzen Z2 and Z2 Extreme are out there to ensure Intel doesn’t have an easy time of it. And this is perhaps wishful thinking on my part, but it would also be interesting if Qualcomm decided to put its Snapdragon X2 chips in handhelds.

Regardless, the handheld market should experience a significant shake-up sooner rather than later. Can Intel gain a firm foothold in this space? We’ll just have to wait and see.

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Intel could debut two handheld chips at Computex 2026. That’s according to VideoCardz, which obtained information about a possible announcement at this year’s big Taipei-based tech conference.

It appears the chips in question will be called Arc G3 and Arc G3 Extreme—with the former presumably being the base model and the latter being the more powerful version. VideoCardz says the chips are tied to a Q2 2026 window and are expected to have a lifecycle through Q2 2027. If that’s accurate, then a Computex 2026 reveal makes sense.

An X leaker named @9550Pro posted what is reportedly a CPU-Z screenshot of what could be the Intel Core G3 Extreme (via Notebookcheck). Earlier leaks claim this chip has 14 CPU cores total, including two P-cores, eight E-cores, and four LPE-cores. That said, another notable insider, Jaykihn, claims the listing is fake and that the Core G3 Extreme will be called the Intel Arc G3 Extreme. Regardless, the chip appears to be a stripped-down version of the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H chip we recently tested in the Kojima Edition of the Asus ROG Flow Z13.

VideoCardz says that the chips have already undergone internal testing and that MSI and OneXPlayer are expected to be the first to use Intel’s handheld chip. MSI certainly makes sense, as the company used Intel chips for its MSI Claw handhelds. Right now, there is no evidence that Asus or Lenovo is joining the Arc G3 party. However, the likes of Acer and Microsoft might, as their respective logos appeared during Intel’s “handhelds unleashed” reveal at this year’s CES.

As always, take this news with a grain of salt as these chips haven’t officially been announced. That said, given how Intel had a dedicated talk about handhelds during CES, it’s a safe bet we’ll hear more soon—whether at Computex or elsewhere.

We’ll keep an eye on this story and hope that any potential handhelds featuring these chips aren’t insanely expensive. Stay tuned!

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Thanks to RAMageddon, pricing for the best handheld gaming consoles has skyrocketed. One of the more extreme examples is the Legion Go 2 with 2TB of storage, which now costs an eye-watering $2,849 (up from $1,479). No, that’s not a typo. At this price, it can feel like you need to mortgage your house just to game on the go.

However, not all hope is lost. Right now, you can still buy new or near-new gaming handhelds in the $400 to $650 range, or roughly the launch price of the original Steam Deck. Whether you’re into indies, older AAA titles, or Nintendo exclusives, there are still affordable devices that won’t put you in serious debt.

I’ve reviewed or tested all the big-name gaming handhelds released over the past four years, so I know which machines are best suited to specific users. To that end, I’ve put together this guide to help you buy your perfect handheld. I’ll cover what to look for, where the real value lies, crucial warnings if you’re buying used or certified pre-owned, and spotlight three systems worth your hard-earned cash.

Figure out what you actually need

Given the ongoing RAM crisis, the first decision is how much you’re willing to spend. Devices in the $300–$500 range offer solid entry-level performance, while $500–$700 handhelds strike a great balance of power and features. Naturally, these prices have ballooned, but keep them as your north star so you don’t get hosed.

Which games matter most to you? If you’re into blockbuster PC titles and Xbox Game Pass, a Windows 11 handheld like the original Asus ROG Ally is still a fantastic option. Conversely, if you’re into Nintendo exclusives or more family-friendly titles, the Nintendo Switch 2 is your best bet. The Legion Go S with SteamOS is also great for indie games, emulation, and some older AAA titles.

Battery life is another key factor. You’ll typically get around 2-3 hours on demanding titles, though less intensive games can last much longer depending on settings. Don’t expect any of these machines to last all day without charging.

Display-wise, I say don’t focus too heavily on OLED machines right now, as they’re either sold out (Steam Deck OLED) or far too expensive (Lenovo Legion Go 2). That said, if you truly want an OLED handheld at an affordable price, you can generally find the original Switch OLED for under $300. Just a reminder: this handheld is nearly five years old.

Lastly, consider which operating system you’ll use regularly. SteamOS is one of the most intuitive, since it delivers a console-like experience right out of the box. On the flip side, Windows 11 might be painful to use on a handheld form factor, but it offers greater flexibility, as it’s compatible with virtually all x86 games and applications. On that last point, buying a handheld with a microSD card slot and a dock (usually sold separately) can add more value.

How to save money on a handheld in 2026

There are several ways to save money when buying a gaming handheld right now.

First, you don’t necessarily need the latest and greatest handheld — especially at current prices. Prioritize older machines over bleeding-edge flagships. This has been a good rule in the past, and it’s even truer now. You can still have a lot of fun with an older model.

Speaking of older models, shopping through official refurbished programs and big retailers’ open-box or certified pre-owned stock can save you 15–30%. These handhelds have undergone full testing and come with return policies, which should give you some peace of mind. I wouldn’t have recommended used machines before, but they’re a worthwhile option in 2026.

Other ways to save include bundle deals and flash sales on Steam, Best Buy, Amazon, and Nintendo’s site. I suggest skipping random eBay “deals” unless you’re willing to take the risk; certified options from reputable retailers are much safer. Speaking of gray areas, retro emulation handhelds can cost $40–$100, but don’t ask me how these companies obtain these games.

Three handhelds to buy right now

Here are three standout options that deliver great value without draining your wallet. Prices fluctuate, so check the links and stock today.

Tips when buying used or certified pre-owned

For the most part, certified pre-owned and open-box items from Amazon and Best Buy are safe bets. These handhelds have been inspected, usually come with a 30–90-day return policy, and may include a warranty. However, here are some things to keep in mind.

• Test immediately: To ensure you didn’t buy a faulty machine, check the joysticks for drift, buttons for responsiveness, the screen for dead pixels or backlight bleed, and battery health. Run a few games for 20–30 minutes to check for overheating or Wi-Fi issues.
• Battery life: Handhelds are power-hungry, so older units can have degraded cells. Refurbs directly from manufacturers like Valve or big retailers tend to be safer options since they do thorough testing.
• Warranty: I keep hammering this point, but please stick to official or big-retailer CPO for coverage. Avoid random user listings.
• Red flags: Watch out for prices that seem too good to be true, vague seller descriptions, no actual photos of the unit, or “for parts only” listings. Always verify the exact model and specs so you don’t get fleeced.
• General rule: Double-check any listing under $300 that claims to be “like new” for modern PC gaming. It could be a retro-emulation device, which is great for classics but not for modern titles.

Game smart, not expensive

Buying a gaming handheld is more challenging these days, but with the tips I provided in this article, you should be able to find something that makes you happy.

The RAM crisis is likely to last for the rest of the year, but if you play it cool, you can still find an excellent machine that won't drain your bank account. Happy hunting!

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Lenovo has been prolific with its handheld efforts in recent years, releasing devices like the Legion Go 2 and Legion Go S. Not to be outdone, the company has now unveiled a truly unique concept that’s bound to turn heads: the Lenovo Legion Go Fold Concept.

Unveiled at MWC 2026, the Legion Go Fold Concept is a foldable handheld featuring a POLED panel that expands from 7.7 inches when folded to a full 11.6 inches when unfolded. Pair that with its detachable controllers, and the device supports up to four distinct usage modes, something no other handheld currently offers.

Here are my impressions after brief hands-on time with the Legion Go Fold Concept at a pre-MWC event. Could this be the future of handheld design, or is it too niche? Let’s dive in.

Lenovo Legion Go Fold Concept: Design

Design-wise, the Legion Go Fold Concept builds on the original Legion Go’s tablet-like form with attachable controllers, but the big differentiator is the folding display. That single change unlocks four versatile modes for gaming and beyond.

In the handheld configuration, the device feels relatively light. It can get a bit wobbly when fully unfolded to 11.6 inches, but it’s not a deal-breaker. This is something Lenovo would almost certainly refine before any potential release. Being able to fold the screen and detach the controllers also makes it fairly travel-friendly.

As the images hopefully show, none of the best portable gaming handhelds look like this one. However, it still delivers all the core features gamers expect. There’s room for refinement, especially around sturdiness in hand. Overall, it already looks very promising.

Lenovo Legion Go Fold Concept: Controllers

The controllers feel and look very similar to the TrueStrike controllers on the Legion Go (and its successors). They feature a familiar button layout, so you’ll feel right at home, plus shoulder triggers with stops, which are a carryover from the Legion Go family.

The right controller also supports FPS Mode by functioning as a vertical mouse. It includes a small built-in touchscreen that doubles as a touchpad, displays performance metrics and settings, and can be assigned as a customizable hotkey. Having that little screen right next to the face buttons and analog stick feels unusual at first, but it’s genuinely cool.

Attaching and reattaching the controllers along the side rails is straightforward: just press and hold the release button, and they slide off. It’s not quite as seamless as the magnetic system on the Nintendo Switch 2, but it works for a concept and clearly something Lenovo could polish further.

Lenovo Legion Go Fold Concept: Modes and features

As mentioned, the expandable display enables four distinct modes:

Standard Handheld Mode: The traditional experience with the screen folded (7.7 inches). This is probably the most comfortable for extended play sessions when you don’t need (or have space for) the larger screen.

Vertical Split-Screen Mode: Unfold the device and hold it in portrait orientation, like using a large phone or tablet upright. Perfect for gaming in one window while streaming, following a guide, or multitasking on another. Old-school shmup fans will also love it for vertical shooters like Ikaruga.

Horizon Full-Screen Mode: The full 11.6-inch unfolded display with controllers attached for maximum immersion in landscape. It feels the least rigid of the handheld modes, but the device is light enough that it never feels cumbersome. This is the one I’d use the most.

Expanded Desktop Mode: Use the built-in (and surprisingly sturdy) kickstand to prop the unit on a desk without the controllers. It becomes a mini Windows PC by pairing it with the included wireless keyboard and touchpad, or use the right controller as a mouse for productivity.

Lenovo Legion Go Fold Concept: Specs

Since this is a concept device, final specifications aren’t locked in, but Lenovo shared enough details to paint a clear picture of its potential.

The Legion Go Fold Concept is powered by an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (Lunar Lake) processor, the same chip found in the MSI Claw 8 AI+. Combined with 32GB of RAM and a 48Wh battery, it should deliver solid gaming and productivity performance, especially at the efficient TDPs this platform supports.

You might wonder why it isn’t using Intel’s newer Core Ultra Series 3 (“Panther Lake”) chips. My educated guess: the Lunar Lake silicon has already proven itself in gaming handhelds, and for a concept that may or may not reach production, Lenovo likely didn’t want to commit newer, unproven silicon.

I wasn’t able to play games during my hands-on, but based on the hardware, I expect the Legion Go Fold Concept (if it materializes) to perform at least on par with the MSI Claw 8 AI+. Real-world lab and battery tests would be needed to see exactly how it stacks up.

Lenovo Legion Go Fold Concept: Outlook

Most gaming handhelds deliver very similar experiences, so it’s refreshing to see Lenovo think outside the box with the Legion Go Fold Concept. With four modes and strong specs, it could expand what a handheld can be.

Of course, it’s impossible to say whether this concept will ever make it to market. I hope it does, even if only to inspire other manufacturers to get more inventive. Either way, the possibilities are exciting.

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The stultifying RAM crisis has already made Steam Deck consoles intermittently available; now it might cause prices to increase. Prices for Valve's handheld are going up for buyers in Asia.

Komodo, the official distributor for the Steam Deck in Japan and other Asian countries, recently announced a roughly $100 price increase. Specifically, those in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan can expect the bump starting March 6.

The increase hits both the 512GB and 1TB versions. So in Japan, the increase is ¥15,000; the 512GB Steam Deck OLED moves to ¥99,800 (up from ¥84,800), while the 1TB OLED climbs to ¥114,800 (up from ¥99,800).

Komodo doesn't specifically blame AI, which has caused prices to go up for TVs, smartphones and laptops. "Due to increased logistics costs and shifting exchange rate conditions that have persisted," the distributor said.

That all may be true with President Trump's tariffs that were recently struck down by the Supreme Court. Though he has instituted a 15% global tariff instead.

Rising prices

As mentioned, the Steam Deck is currently intermittently available in the US, explicitly due to the memory shortage. It's possible this price increase could remain only in Asia, but it would not surprise us if the U.S. versions also see a bump.

Valve isn't alone here. The Nintendo Switch 2 is likely to see a price increase in the coming year, and it's possible the memory shortage has caused Sony to delay the next-generation PlayStation 6.

It's unclear how Xbox will shift under the leadership of new CEO Asha Sharma, but before her ascension, it was rumored that the company was working on a hybrid console/PC that could have versions made by OEMs. That device for sure will be impacted by the RAM crisis as every PC manufacturers have been forced to raise prices or alter production tables.

The RAM crisis isn't expected to begin to abate until 2027 at the earliest, so expect more price increases or device shortages over the next year.

Meanwhile, here are three Steam Deck alternatives that are currently available and for similar prices.

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The Steam Deck has been one of the best handheld gaming consoles since it launched, but right now, getting your hands on one is a dicey proposition.

As we recently reported, Steam Deck OLED stock is drying up, and Valve has confirmed that the ongoing global RAM crisis is putting a serious squeeze on production. It’s a frustrating situation for anyone who wanted a Steam Deck — or for those of us who often recommend Valve’s handheld.

I’ve been keeping an eye on this situation since it began. While the Deck is MIA, that doesn’t mean you can’t still find a great gaming handheld. If you don’t want to wait for Valve to resolve its supply chain issues, I’m here to help you out.

I’ve found three alternatives that fall within a similar price range and offer comparable, or, in some cases, superior performance. Note that, because of the RAM crunch affecting new hardware prices, I’m recommending some used and refurbished options to keep them within the same price range as Valve's handheld.

Here are three Steam Deck alternatives worth checking out. These prices could change, so act fast before they go up, or the stock runs out!

Quick links

• Asus ROG Xbox Ally (Ryzen Z2 A): was $599 now $489 @ Amazon
• Lenovo Legion Go (Ryzen Z1 Extreme): was $749 now $454 @ Best Buy
• Asus ROG Ally (Ryzen Z1 Extreme): was $699 now $549 @ Walmart

Asus ROG Xbox Ally (Ryzen Z2 A)

If you’re looking for the newest alternative that doesn’t break the bank, the Asus ROG Xbox Ally with the Ryzen Z2 A chip is the one to watch. Released late last year as a collaboration between Asus and Microsoft, this is a refreshed version of the original Ally that feels like a portable Xbox.

The Z2 A chip is built for efficiency rather than raw power. Because of that, don’t expect performance comparable to the beefier ROG Xbox Ally X with a Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip. This entry-level model features a Zen 2-based processor and RDNA 2 graphics, similar to the Steam Deck’s architecture, but with modern optimizations. The real win here is the 60Wh battery, which is a massive 50% jump over the original Ally.

Combined with the Xbox Full Screen Experience that boots you straight into a console-like UI, it feels much more polished than previous Windows handhelds. You get a 7-inch, 120Hz 1080p display with VRR, which helps keep things smooth even if your frame rate dips. This is a great starter handheld for sure.

Lenovo Legion Go

The Lenovo Legion Go is the big boy of the handheld world, and it offers a very different experience than the Steam Deck. With its massive 8.8-inch QHD+ display, this is the handheld for people who find the Steam Deck’s screen a bit too cramped.

What makes the Legion Go unique is its detachable "TrueStrike” controllers, which function similarly to Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons. One of the controllers even has an “FPS mode” that turns it into a vertical mouse for strategy games.

While it’s heavier and bulkier than the Steam Deck, its built-in kickstand and raw Ryzen Z1 Extreme power make it a formidable alternative. It might not exactly be portable in a traditional sense, but it’s a more versatile media machine for watching movies or playing at a desk.

Asus ROG Ally (Ryzen Z1 Extreme)

If you want the best performance-to-price ratio currently available while the Steam Deck is out of stock, the original Asus ROG Ally with the Z1 Extreme chip is a fantastic alternative. Just like the Steam Deck, this machine might be getting long in the tooth, but it still packs a punch.

The original Ally is much more compact than the Steam Deck, which some players (myself included) might find more comfortable for long sessions. You also get a variable refresh rate (VRR) screen, which helps smooth out gameplay when frame rates dip, something the standard Steam Deck LCD lacks.

The main trade-off is battery life, as the 40Wh cell in this model is its weakest link. However, if you usually play near a power outlet or carry a battery bank, the Z1 Extreme Ally offers a great experience that the Steam Deck can’t quite match in raw specs.

Bottom line

It’s a shame that the RAM crisis has made the Steam Deck so hard to find, but we’re lucky to live in a time where there's a viable Plan B.

Whether you want the console-like simplicity of the ROG Xbox Ally, the massive screen of the Lenovo Legion Go, or the sheer value of a refurbished Z1 Extreme ROG Ally, you can still get a top-tier handheld experience without waiting for a Valve restock.

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Given the impressive performance we’ve seen from laptops running on the new Intel Core Ultra Series 3 “Panther Lake” CPU, I’ve been wondering how this chip would benefit the best handheld gaming consoles. We heard rumors of an Intel Core G3 Panther Lake chip for handhelds at CES, but nothing was official. Well, it seems the chip may have hit a snag.

A new report from Videocardz, citing the well-known leaker Golden Pig Upgrade on Weibo, claims that this handheld version of the Panther Lake chip has been delayed until the second quarter of 2026. If true, it means AMD’s dominance over the handheld landscape — led by the Ryzen Z series — will remain uncontested for a while longer.

A disappointing delay

Videocardz was the site that first broke the story about the Intel Core G3 chip. According to their reports, the Core G3 series is specifically designed for low-power, ultra-portable form factors — like gaming handhelds. A shift to Q2 means we likely won’t see hardware hitting shelves until the summer or perhaps even the 2026 holiday season.

This reported delay is particularly painful because Panther Lake represents a massive architectural leap for Intel. Built on the 18A process, these chips promised to deliver the kind of efficiency that could finally rival AMD-driven handhelds like the ROG Xbox Ally X, Lenovo Legion Go 2, and the Steam Deck OLED.

Again, based on the impressive performance and battery life we’ve seen from Panther Lake in laptops like the Samsung Galaxy Book 6 Pro and the Asus Zenbook Duo (2026), I’m naturally excited about what a handheld iteration could offer. This is especially true given the generational improvements we've already seen, moving from Meteor Lake chips in the original MSI Claw to Lunar Lake in the more recent Claw 8 AI+.

Why the delay matters

With AMD’s Ryzen Z2 series already gaining momentum, this reported delay could set back Intel’s handheld ambitions even further. Golden Pig Upgrade suggests that while the laptop-class chips are rolling out fine, the specific binning and power tuning required for the G3 handheld variants are taking longer than anticipated.

To be clear, we haven’t heard official word of any handhelds that would have used this G3 chip. However, if companies like MSI—which so far has been the only major manufacturer to go all-in on Intel handhelds—were planning a Panther Lake device, it stands to reason that device is now pushed back as well. Of course, that’s just speculation on my part, given how none of this is official.

Outlook

Healthy competition is always a good thing. While I find handhelds with AMD chips to be the best options currently on the market, I’m eager to see how Intel could shake things up with a chip that’s a true powerhouse for gaming handhelds. Panther Lake chips for laptops have impressed me so far, so it makes me wonder just how much a dedicated handheld processor could change the game.

As always with these types of reports, take everything with a healthy dose of skepticism. Stay tuned for more as we hear it!

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The future of handheld gaming is shifting, with the new Intel Panther Lake and its impressive Core Ultra X9 388H CPU leading the charge. For gaming handhelds, this is looking to be a game-changer, and it's already beating AMD where it matters most.

With its next-gen XeSS 3 (Xe Super Sampling) and multi-frame generation tech, Intel has made significant gains for its Arc B390 iGPU — pushing integrated graphics to new highs on laptops. And, after benchmarking the Asus Zenbook Duo with Intel Core Ultra X9, the results are clear.

While seeing Cyberpunk 2077 running at 217 frames per second (FPS) at 1080p with Ultra settings impresses, the TDP (Thermal Design Power) it uses to reach these results will be massively beneficial for the future of gaming handhelds. In fact, it's seeing better performance than AMD's Strix Halo (Ryzen Max AI+) when it comes to low power consumption.

Not only does it outclass the AMD Ryzen Max AI+ in a Framework Desktop in single-core (see the table below), but recent benchmarks from YouTuber The Phawx have shown the Intel Core ultra X9 388H delivers stronger performance at lower TDP.

According to the results, the X9 CPU with its integrated Arc B390 graphics was able to hit 46.6 FPS at just a TDP of 15W in Black Myth: Wukong with 720p resolution at low settings. Compared to the AMD Strix Halo (featuring integrated Radeon 8060S graphics), this reached 39 FPS with the same configuration.

Not only this, but Team Blue's Core Ultra X9 388H even managed to reach 30 FPS at just 10W. Considering the ROG Xbox Ally X with its AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme offers up 16.6 FPS at 35W TDP in Cyberpunk 2077 at 720p and Ultra settings, at 11.9 FPS at 17W, this shows the gains Intel has made with its CPU for handheld gaming.

This supports the benchmarks we've seen in Intel's Core Ultra 3 X9 chip in the Asus Zenbook Duo, with it using 45W as opposed to an Acer Predator Triton 14 AI with RTX 5070 using 140W. Of course, with its discrete GPU, Nvidia's graphics card offers better performance, but with lower TDP, Team Blue's chip still impresses.

That's a promising outlook for upcoming gaming handhelds, and Intel has previously confirmed it will be launching a suite of handheld gaming consoles boasting Intel Core Ultra Series 3 at CES 2026.

"They are the testament of our strategy to bring what the market requires," an Intel spokesperson told Tom's Guide. "A powerful CPU, a powerful GPU, packed with great efficiency within the same solution. With our 12Xe configuration, we deliver performance that approaches discrete GPU levels in thinner, lighter, and more portable devices. This meets the needs of customers and reflects our strategic commitment to rapidly advancing the capabilities of integrated GPUs."

Multi-frame generation is a big win

Aside from improved power efficiency, Intel's XeSS 3 is already knocking it out of the park with its frame generation and resolution scaling.

This would be a major perk for upcoming gaming handhelds, and while Intel confirmed to Tom's Guide that it's coming to the desktop GPU Intel Arc B580 next month (making it the only GPU we'd recommend given the RAM price crisis happening), we asked them about multi-frame generation coming to gaming handhelds.

"Gaming handhelds are an exciting and growing segment where we have more planned, featuring Intel Arc graphics. We’ll share more later this year."

Not much to go on, but considering these chips for gaming handhelds will "feature Intel Arc graphics," in other words, the latest XeSS technology we've seen in the Arc B390, it's looking likely we'll see huge gains in frame generation in gaming handhelds, too.

Combine this with the Core Ultra X9 388H's significant performance and power efficiency gains we've seen, and the future of the best gaming handhelds is looking bright. While AMD claimed its Ryzen AI CPUs beat Intel Panther Lake for gaming and AI, we'll see what Team Red has to offer when it comes to handheld gaming.

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Last month, I took both the Nintendo Switch 2 and the Steam Deck OLED on a trip for science to determine which was the best gaming handheld for travel. I was fairly pleased with the resulting conclusion, but not everybody was so impressed with my testing methodology.

The online ire came in how I tested battery life between the two devices. One reader called it “incredibly flawed and, frankly, embarrassing.” Them’s fighting words! While some tech writers’ first instinct might be to dismiss such strongly-worded feedback. I actually reflected on my methods and came to the same conclusion: the way I had tested battery life was flawed.

See, the fundamental, and I’ll admit, careless mistake I had made when testing the battery life on Switch 2 and Steam Deck OLED was that I had played different software on each. On Switch 2, I played Star Wars Outlaws, and on Steam Deck OLED, I played Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. Different games have different hardware demands, adding too many variables.

I thank multiple readers for pointing out this inconsistency in my approach. I determined my only solution was to conduct a new test, and this time, attempt to be as accurate as possible. And the results? Well, they certainly weren’t what I expected after my first (flawed) test.

Here’s how I (re)tested battery life on Switch 2 and Steam Deck OLED

My goal in this second battery test was to reduce as many variables as possible. That meant putting each console into the same state. Both had Wi-Fi switched on, no audio devices connected, and I ensured that neither was downloading additional software or updates in the background.

I also put both consoles at maximum brightness. The Steam Deck OLED does offer higher brightness compared to Switch 2 (1,000 nits w/ HDR vs 450 nits), but my testing was always to find the best gaming handheld for most people. The average owner will opt to use the built-in slider to determine the brightness levels, so I feel this discrepancy is acceptable.

The crucial component was running the same software on each handheld in this test. I opted for the excellent Hitman: World of Assassination, one of only two games I own on both systems. However, I still had concerns about the accuracy of my results. What if, for example, I played a more demanding level on Switch 2 compared to on the Steam Deck OLED?

The solution? Don’t play the game at all. In the hopes of obtaining the most iron-clad results possible, I instead booted up the game on both consoles, selected the Paris-set first level, and then left my Agent 47 avatar to stand completely still, not moving a single muscle. This would ensure, at least as much as possible, that neither console was given an advantage.

With my testing method solidified — and in my opinion, greatly improved — I started the timer and kept an eagle eye on my Switch 2 and Steam Deck OLED waiting to see which one would blink first…

Nintendo Switch 2 vs Steam Deck battery test — the results

The above results were definitely not what I expected. During my initial testing, the Nintendo Switch 2 warned that its battery was running low after 90 minutes, but this time, it took more than two hours before that same message appeared.

More impressively, when the hybrid console hit 1% battery remaining, it managed to squeeze out an extra 10 minutes before the screen went dark and Agent 47’s (very much unsuccessful) mission was drawn to a close.

Meanwhile, the Steam Deck OLED performed significantly worse. In my first test, I got almost three hours of play in Lara Croft’s excellent 2013 adventure, but this time, the Deck was running on near empty before I’d even reached two. I was also shocked to see just how quickly the final few percent drained away. It went from 5% to flat within just four minutes.

My next step may be a third test (best out of 3?), this time actually playing the same game rather than leaving the game state idle, to see which comes out the ultimate winner. But for now, I’m pretty pleased with these results.

Of course, one test doesn't definitively prove a winner, but considering I’ve been bashing the Switch 2’s battery life since its launch (it was a major criticism in my largely highly complimentary review), maybe I was too hard on Nintendo’s current flagship console.

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Well, it was only a matter of time. Lenovo has pulled back the curtains at CES 2026 on its next handheld gaming PC, and it's the Lenovo Legion Go 2 with a very much welcome upgrade: SteamOS.

It's a tale we've heard before. An all-new gaming handheld arrives on the scene with specs that outshine the Steam Deck, only for it to be hindered by the power-consuming and performance-draining Windows 11. Microsoft's operating system is just ill-suited to handhelds. The Xboxified Windows 11 (the Xbox Full Screen Experience) does alleviate the issue, but only somewhat.

Lenovo understood the woes of Windows 11; its Lenovo Legion Go S was the first official gaming handheld to receive SteamOS outside of the Steam Deck, and we sang its rightful praises.

In fact, when the Windows version of the Legion Go S arrived in our hands, our own Tony Polanco simply said, "I'd wait for the SteamOS version." Well, it appears history is repeating itself now that Lenovo finally revealed a SteamOS-certified Legion Go 2.

As announced, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 powered by SteamOS (a dedicated Steam button included) will be available in June 2026, with prices starting at $1,199. Now, we know the latest gaming handheld is one pricey machine, even compared to the $999 ROG Xbox Ally X, so will it be worth it now that SteamOS is onboard?

Same-same, but different

When the SteamOS-powered Lenovo Legion Go 2 arrives, it will come with the exact same specs that we've seen on the model that's now available. That means an extremely powerful AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip, up to 32GB of DDR5X RAM, a 74Wh battery and a dazzling 8.8-inch (1920 x1200) OLED 144Hz touchscreen.

Combined, all of these specs make the best parts of Lenovo's latest handheld. The only real problem holding it back was (you guessed it) Windows 11, and it affects the performance in gaming and battery life of these portable consoles to the point that it shaves off precious frames and a significant amount of time for keeping it turned on.

Don't get us wrong, the Legion Go 2 still impresses with its gaming chops (and beautiful OLED display), but knowing it could be better with a lightweight OS that's specifically built for gaming makes its current state a tad lackluster — especially at its full $1,349 price point.

So what kind of performance jump can we look forward to with SteamOS? Well, if it's anything like the Legion Go S models, it will be quite the improvement. Just check out the differences we benchmarked below.

Of course, we'll need to do some hands-on testing in our labs with the upcoming Legion Go 2 with SteamOS to see if gaming performance is massively improved, but the signs are clear. Even the short time I played The Witcher 3 and Black Myth: Wukong on the all-new SteamOS edition made it clear that Valve's operating system offers plenty of benefits.

It's almost like playing on a Steam Deck 2, what with the Legion Go 2's visually delicious OLED display and ergonomically pleasant detachable controllers. Essentially, it unlocks what the latest Legion Go could actually offer.

So, expected better performance and longer battery life just with a change of OS; no hardware changes needed. That fixes two of our biggest gripes with the current Lenovo Legion Go 2, but that price is still eye-wateringly high.

Still worth the price?

The Lenovo Legion Go 2 is just about the most expensive handheld gaming PC on the market, even compared to the other options like the ROG Xbox Ally X or MSI Claw A8 (all boasting the mighty AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip). But with SteamOS, the price is a little more justified.

Anyone after the pinnacle in portable handheld gaming will find the Lenovo Legion Go 2 is already a treat, thanks to its impressive specs, OLED display, adjustable ergonomics and more. But with SteamOS fixing the issues it has? That just makes this premium machine all the more worth it if you've been saving up for a top-quality gaming experience.

It remains to be seen just how well this upcoming Lenovo Legion Go 2 with SteamOS will fare, especially now that Xbox FSE makes Windows 11 a hugely more tolerable OS on handhelds. But as history details, SteamOS reigns supreme on handhelds, and on one of the strongest portable systems around, that's a good combination to look forward to.

Wondering what's next for on-the-go gaming? Check out what we expect for gaming handhelds in 2026.

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To say that 2025 was a busy year for the best handheld gaming consoles would be an understatement. Lenovo dropped two new systems with the Legion Go S and Legion Go 2, while MSI released the updated MSI Claw A8 (in markets outside North America). Of course, there was also the Asus ROG Xbox Ally and Asus ROG Xbox Ally X. Even if we don’t factor in the Nintendo Switch 2, there were plenty of new handhelds for folks to choose from.

Most of 2025’s handhelds offered substantial updates over their respective predecessors. The most notable upgrade was the inclusion of the new AMD Ryzen Z2 and Z2 Extreme chip, which delivered increased performance and battery life for the systems that utilized the processor. There were also minor and major redesigns, such as the Legion Go S and its unibody chassis, the Legion Go 2’s OLED panel, and the ROG Xbox Ally’s controller-like hand grips.

Gaming handhelds are here to stay, and 2026 should be another big year for these devices. Even if we don’t get as many of them as in 2025, the latest processors from AMD and Intel could provide meaningful spec bumps for existing products. And that’s in addition to operating systems specifically design for handhelds. There’s a lot to look forward to in 2026, so let’s break down what we can (and shouldn’t) expect in 2026.

SteamOS and lean Windows on more handhelds

SteamOS is the main reason I’ve preferred using a Steam Deck OLED over more powerful rivals running Windows 11. Why? Valve’s operating system was specifically designed for the handheld form factor, whereas Windows isn’t.

I’ve longed to see SteamOS on a non-Valve handheld, and that finally happened this year with the SteamOS version of Legion Go S. Thanks to the user-friendly interface and easy access to my Steam library (not to mention its ergonomic form factor and strong performance), the Legion Go S is my favorite gaming handheld of 2025. With SteamOS no longer tied to Valve’s ecosystem, I expect to see other handhelds utilize this operating system in 2026.

I also have to mention the Xbox Full Screen (XFS) experience on the Asus ROG Xbox Ally. This Xbox UI is easy to navigate and legitimately gives SteamOS a run for its money. Best of all, the Windows desktop doesn’t run while XFS is open, which allows the system to deliver better performance and battery life. I also expect other Windows handhelds to adopt the XFS in 2026.

More AMD Ryzen Z2 machines (and maybe Panther Lake?)

2025 saw the debut of the AMD Ryzen Z2 and Z2 Extreme chips, along with the first gaming handhelds that utilized AMD’s processors. The chip’s main advantage is better performance and power efficiency. Though you’ll need to tweak system and in-game settings to get optimal performance, we’re impressed by what we’ve seen from Ryzen Z2 Extreme-powered handhelds like the Legion Go 2 and ROG Xbox Ally X.

AMD’s Ryzen Z2 chip doesn’t deliver massive performance gains over its predecessor, but the difference is still noticeable. In 2026, I expect it will become the de facto processor for most handhelds.

That said, it’s also possible that the Intel Core Ultra Series 3 “Panther Lake” chip could be a game-changer for handhelds. Now, this is speculative on my part since no Panther Lake handhelds have officially been announced. But given that the MSI Claw ran on previous versions of Intel’s Core Ultra chips, I wouldn’t be surprised if a company makes a handheld that runs on Panther Lake. If Intel’s chip is as powerful and energy efficient as we hope, we could see a true competitor for AMD on the handheld front.

No Steam Deck 2

This one is a bit of a cheat since it’s something I don’t expect. Based on sales numbers, the Steam Deck is the most popular PC gaming handheld currently available. You would have expected a successor by now, especially as competitors like Asus, MSI, and Lenovo have released multiple iterations of their respective handhelds. However, there is no Steam Deck 2, and I don’t think we’ll see it in 2026.

When we interviewed Valve’s SteamOS designer, Pierre-Loup Griffais, about the Steam Deck 2 during CES 2025, he said there will not be a Steam Deck 2 with Ryzen Z2. The reason is that Valve wants to see bigger performance and power efficiency improvements in an 8-15 watt power envelope. “We don’t want to be looking at 20-30% improvement or anything like that, because we don’t think that’s meaningful enough for developers and for users,” said Griffais.

Given Griffais’ comments, and that Valve will be plenty busy next year with the debut of the Steam Machine and Steam Frame, the Steam Deck 2 is a long shot for 2026.

Outlook

Even without a Steam Deck 2, I expect gaming handhelds will continue being successful in 2026. Fast processors like Ryzen Z2 and user-friendly operating systems like SteamOS lay a solid foundation for whichever new systems we see next year.

As someone who reviews and enjoys playing on gaming handhelds, I’m eager to see what 2026 has in store. Even if it’s not as monumental a year, I still expect great things for folks who love gaming on the go.

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2025 was a banner year for the best handheld gaming consoles. We saw new and updated systems from Asus, MSI and Lenovo. And these weren’t just spec bumps, as SteamOS finally left Valve’s ecosystem, and we finally got a more handheld-friendly version of Windows. There were several handhelds to choose from, but one stood out above the rest.

And which handheld was that? If you’ve read my articles or have seen our handheld videos on the Tom’s Guide YouTube channel, then you know it’s the Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS. This machine has exactly what I’ve wanted from a handheld, namely, it runs on SteamOS and packs the still-powerful AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip. That one-two punch helps it compete with the more powerful Legion Go 2 and ROG Xbox Ally X.

Here’s why the Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS is my favorite gaming handheld of 2025.

SteamOS is the magic sauce

SteamOS is the most handheld-friendly operating system since it is specifically designed to work for such systems. Because of that, it’s easy to navigate through menus and jump straight into your games. If you’re familiar with the Steam Deck OLED or Steam Big Picture mode on desktop, you’ll feel right at home.

Unlike with Windows 11 handhelds such as the original Asus ROG Ally, you won’t spend an inordinate amount of time setting up the Legion Go S. Like the Steam Deck, you can start playing games in less than ten minutes. This is impossible on a Windows 11 handheld. This alone makes the Legion Go S more palatable to the average person.

The Legion Go S might not be the most powerful handheld available, but the fact that it runs on SteamOS gives it a huge advantage over machines that run stock Windows. It’s the first third-party manufacturer to utilize SteamOS on a handheld, but I suspect it won’t be the last. In that sense, we can view the Legion Go S as a pioneer.

Strong handheld performance

I reviewed the high-end SteamOS Legion Go S, which packs an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip and 32GB of RAM. You might not get the best performance out of the box; however, with the right settings, you can enjoy extremely smooth gameplay for a handheld.

For instance, at 1200p resolution, medium graphical settings and FSR disabled, Doom: The Dark Ages runs at a pretty poor 25 frames per second. The frame rate can hit 35 fps with the frame-boosting FSR enabled, and between 56 to 61 fps if you drop the resolution to 800p. Games don’t look as sharp at that lower resolution, but they also don’t look terrible.

While the Legion Go S with SteamOS doesn’t deliver mind-blowing performance, it’s still a very capable machine if you’re willing to spend some time fiddling with a game’s settings. Seeing this kind of performance on a handheld is quite impressive.

Comfortable design

The Legion Go S ditches the removable controllers of the Legion Go (and Legion Go 2) and instead has a uniform design that’s similar to the Asus ROG Ally X or MSI Claw A8. While detachable controllers are cool, I prefer this kind of handheld design. Not only is this design classy, but it also helps the Legion Go S feel more comfortable to hold.

I’m a fan of the asymmetrical Hall Effect thumbsticks, which accurately respond to even the most subtle movements. I also can’t forget about the rounded D-pad, which is pretty darn good for fighting games. The big face buttons and easy-to-reach shoulder buttons are also great.

Though the Steam Deck is still more comfortable to hold since it’s thinner and lighter, the Legion Go S is still one of the most ergonomic handhelds available.

Bottom line

The Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS was tailor-made for me since it features my favorite handheld OS on a device with strong performance and an ergonomic design. It’s a great system on its own, but it also promises a brighter future for handhelds since we’re no longer shackled to Windows on non-Valve machines.

Though it’s admittedly pricy, the SteamOS version of the Legion Go S is worth the money if you want something more powerful than the Steam Deck that offers the same user-friendly interface. It’s not the Steam Deck 2, but it’s close enough for me.

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There are literally thousands of titles available on Steam, from the latest AAA blockbusters to classic indie titles and everything in between. One of the best ways to play these games is on a Steam Deck, which gives you instant access to the best Steam games. If you’ve received or plan to get a Steam Deck and want to know which games you should buy first, you’ve come to the right place.

I’ve been an avid gamer for most of my life and have covered the games industry for over 15 years. Steam is my go-to digital storefront and platform for playing the best PC games, and it’s the first one I recommend to most people. That’s why the Steam Deck is arguably the best handheld gaming console for PC gaming. It just makes PC gaming on the go so much easier.

To help get you started I’ve listed the best 15 games to play first on the Steam Deck. These titles will run without much trouble, though you might need to adjust graphical settings and resolution to get better performance for some. You can always check the Steam Deck: Deck Verified page to see which games are optimized for the system. Let’s dive into the list!

Quick links

• Aperture Desk Job: Free @ Steam Store
• Baldur’s Gate 3: was $59 now $44 @ Steam Store
• Cyberpunk 2077 UE: was $82 now $38 @ Steam Store
• Dispatch: was $29 now $26 @ Steam Store
• Elden Ring: was $59 now $38 @ Steam Store
• Forza Horizon 5: was $59 now $29 @ Steam Store
• Gwent: Free @ Steam Store
• Hades II: was $29 now $22 @ Steam Store
• Hollow Knight: Silksong: was $19 now $15 @ Steam Store
• The Last of Us: Part I Remake: was $59 now $30 @ Amazon
• Portal 2: was $9 now $1 @ Steam Store
• Resident Evil 4 Remake: was $39 now $15 @ Steam Store
• Street Fighter 6: was $39 now $19 @ Steam Store
• Streets of Rage 4: was $24 now $8 @ Steam Store
• Vampire Survivors: was $4 now $3 @ Steam Store

Best Steam games to get first

If you were hoping to check out Valve's hit handheld gaming PC this Christmas without shelling out for the newer, pricier Steam Deck OLED, I've got some bad news. This week, Valve announced it's discontinuing the $399 256GB LCD Steam Deck, the original version that launched in 2022 with an LCD screen.

In a short notice on its Steam Deck page (h/t GamingOnLinux), the company confirmed it's "no longer producing the Steam Deck LCD 256 GB model," and that "once sold out, it will no longer be available." In whatever's the opposite of a Christmas miracle, it looks like the LCD model is already sold out, at least in the U.S. Gamers now only have the option between the Steam Deck OLED with 512GB of storage ($549) or 1TB ($649).

Valve didn't explain why it's ending production, and we've reached out for more information. If I had to wager a guess, it's likely the recent surge in RAM prices ate into the company's profit margins for the LCD model too much to justify making more. PC component prices are only expected to rise as we head into 2026, inflating the costs even further. A huge influx of demand from AI and data center companies has hoovered up available supplies of standard DRAM chips, a shortage compounded by manufacturers shifting production to make the kind of RAM that fuels cloud computing, as seen in the likes of ChatGPT and Gemini.

It's a bummer for gamers on a budget. Though the Steam Deck OLED bumped it from our best handheld gaming consoles ranking, the original Steam Deck is an absolute workhorse for the price. I got mine in 2023, and it's still chugging along nicely. To play the best PC games on the go, I tend to reach for something more powerful like the Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS, but it can handle some of my favorite indie games and even Baldur's Gate 3 without breaking a sweat. Handheld gaming PCs already had a reputation for being pricey, and now the cheapest option on the market is the base Asus ROG Ally, starting at $489.

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• Nintendo Switch 2 vs Steam Deck OLED — I took both on a trip to determine the best gaming handheld
• Microsoft promises to improve PC gaming in 2026, but will it be enough to topple Steam?

Since the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 over the summer, a new (champagne) problem has entered my life. My beloved Steam Deck OLED was always the first thing added to my backpack ahead of a trip, but now I find myself having to choose between Nintendo Switch 2 and Steam Deck OLED whenever I’m heading out of my apartment for an extended period.

So, on my most recent trip (to picturesque Edinburgh, Scotland), I decided there was only one way to settle this debate for good. Take both the Nintendo Switch 2 and the Steam Deck OLED with me, and finally determine the best gaming handheld, all in the name of science!

I’ll get into the results below, breaking things down into categories, from handheld design to the games available on each system, but the top-line conclusion is that it’s a close contest, with both Switch 2 and Steam Deck making a pretty compelling case for themselves.

Switch 2 vs Steam Deck OLED: Design

A gaming handheld’s form factor is critically important. After all, you’re going to be holding the device for potentially multiple hours at a time. In this category, there’s a clear winner for me: Steam Deck OLED.

Valve’s Steam Deck OLED is a near perfectly sculpted handheld; it’s got significant weight to it, which I personally love, and thanks to the in-built ergonomic grips on either side, it's comfortable to hold in almost any position. The four customizable back buttons are a nice touch, and while I rarely use them, the two trackpads on the front are highly responsive.

Unfortunately, the Switch 2 comes up short in comparison. Its smooth design lacks grips for larger hands, and I find it a little uncomfortable to hold for extended periods. To remedy this issue, I use a d brand Killswitch case, which mimics a design much closer to a Steam Deck. But for this test, I’m only considering the features of the base Nintendo Switch 2 unit.

Winner: Steam Deck OLED

Switch 2 vs Steam Deck OLED: Game library

Determining which handheld has the best game library is a highly subjective call. Personal preference plays a major part in the decision.

Based purely on quantity, the Steam Deck OLED is leagues ahead of the Switch 2. Per Steam Deck HQ, there are more than 19,000 games (and counting) rated either “Verified” or “Playable" on the device, and even Steam titles listed as “Unsupported” can often be played on the Deck, such as The Witcher 2 - Assassins of Kings and Sunset Overdrive.

The Switch 2 is only six months into its lifecycle, so naturally, the library is on the smaller side, but it is growing with each passing week. The big advance Nintendo’s current flagship console has in its corner is its stable of first-party exclusives. You can’t play the likes of Mario, Zelda, Kirby, Metroid and Pokémon on any other gaming platform, handheld or not.

For me, the Steam Deck edges this category, because being able to play full-featured blockbuster games on the go is still an incredible novelty to me (I grew up on the Game Boy Color!), but the Nintendo Switch 2 does have its own solid collection of AAA ports including Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, Hitman: World of Assassination and Star Wars: Outlaws.

So, due to the highly subjective nature of this one, I'm ruling it a draw.

Winner: Tie

Switch 2 vs Steam Deck OLED: Battery life

To test battery life, I fully charged up both handhelds and then ran them until the “low battery” warning appeared. Both had Wi-Fi switched on and AirPod Pro 2 earbuds connected. First up, I tested out Nintendo Switch 2, playing Star Wars: Outlaws.

I noted in my original Switch 2 review that battery life was relatively poor, and that proved to be the case in this secondary round of testing. Just 90 minutes into my open-world Star Wars adventuring, and the Switch 2 was warning me that my battery life was dwindling. Which isn’t a great time.

Turning to Steam Deck OLED, I opted to start a fresh playthrough of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, and it breezed past the 90-minute mark with the battery counter reading just over 50%. I was able to continue playing for another 80 minutes before the battery life warning indicator appeared. No contest here, Steam Deck OLED takes this key category with ease.

Winner: Steam Deck OLED

Switch 2 vs Steam Deck OLED: Extra features

Did I create this category as a bit of a “freebie” for the Switch 2? Perhaps, but I do think it’s important to note the versatility of Nintendo’s handheld compared to Valve’s portable PC.

For this face-off, I’m not factoring in Switch 2’s included docking station, letting you seamlessly switch between playing on a TV and a handheld (I’m judging both devices purely on their handheld merit). But even with TV mode aside, Nintendo Switch 2 still offers a lot of flexibility.

The ability to instantly snap off the Joy-Con 2 controllers and make use of the Switch 2 unit’s kickstand to play in what Nintendo calls “Tabletop Mode” is nifty. This allows you to place the console on a table and give your arms a nice little rest. While the Switch 2 itself isn’t exactly heavy, it is more comfortable in Tabletop Mode than holding an entire handheld.

Steam Deck OLED, on the other hand, is a more traditional handheld gaming device; everything is built into the main unit. And the only way to replicate “Tabletop Mode” is to buy a stand (or a case with a stand feature) and connect a controller, which isn’t ideal if you want to travel light.

Winner: Nintendo Switch 2

Switch 2 vs Steam Deck OLED: Final verdict

Purely on points, Steam Deck OLED takes this bout thanks to its fantastic form factor, astonishingly deep library (half the time when I boot up my Steam Deck, just picking what to play first is a challenge), and superior battery life (based on my real-world testing). But the Nintendo Switch 2 has an awful lot going for it as well, which makes this a tough choice.

Nintendo makes some of the finest, usually family-friendly, games in the entire industry, and you can’t play masterpieces like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild anywhere else. A strong exclusive software lineup goes far in my books. Plus, the flexibility of three separate modes of play is a pretty killer feature, letting you start a game on your television and within seconds continue your progress on the Switch 2’s great 7.9-inch display.

Both device makes for a fantastic handheld gaming experience, so you can’t really go wrong with either choice. I suppose the big determining factor might be whether you want access to Nintendo's exclusive games, or whether you own one of the best gaming PCs, which in turn allows you to continue your progress in thousands of Steam games on the Deck.

Even after all this testing, it appears that my selection headache will continue for the foreseeable future. Perhaps I’ll just start traveling with an extra-large backpack and bring both handhelds with me on every trip.

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Windows gaming saw notable improvements in 2025, and Microsoft plans to go even further in 2026. In a blog post, the software giant detailed all the ways it has updated Windows gaming on PCs and handhelds, and improved compatibility with Arm PCs. The question is, can these updates help Windows gaming truly compete with Steam?

One of the biggest enhancements we saw this year was on the handheld front, thanks to the Xbox full-screen experience (FSE) that debuted on the Asus ROG Xbox Ally. This launcher not only provides a more Xbox-like experience for the best handheld gaming consoles, but more importantly, minimizes Windows 11 background tasks to improve frame rates and battery life. Though SteamOS is still a better handheld operating system, the FSE makes Windows handheld gaming more viable.

Advanced Shader Delivery (ASD) on the ROG Xbox Ally is another substantial update that gets you into a game faster by delivering precompiled shaders when you first install a game. If you’ve ever had to sit through shaders getting installed separately from the initial install, you’re no doubt happy about this change.

Microsoft also discussed how Windows gaming has improved on Arm-based computers. Users can download and play supported games directly from the Xbox PC app, which includes many of the games available on Xbox Game Pass. There is also support for AVX and AVX2 extensions to the Prism emulator that allows x86/x64 software to run on Arm. This results in greater game compatibility on Arm PCs such as the best laptops running on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chips.

Looking to 2026, Microsoft wants to bring the FSE to more Windows devices. Windows and Xbox Insiders can actually test this feature right now for the best Windows laptops and best 2-in-1 laptops, and desktops running on Windows. Microsoft also plans to expand ASD support for more devices and bring a public preview of Auto SR (Microsoft’s answer to Nvidia DLSS and AMD’s FSR) to the ROG Xbox Ally X. We can also expect the company to continue improving performance and graphics through software updates.

Outlook

There’s no denying that Microsoft is taking PC gaming more seriously, especially since Valve now allows SteamOS on non-Valve hardware. That said, Steam is the de facto leader of PC gaming, with wide support from gamers and developers alike.

Microsoft has a tough battle ahead in this space, but if it continues improving, then perhaps Windows gaming can be a viable competitor to Steam.

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I could barely contain my excitement when Valve announced the new Steam Machine. In fact, I even said I might ditch my gaming PC for the Steam Machine. The promise of a small PC gaming device, presumably nearly as powerful as a PS5, was tempting. However, my initial enthusiasm has cooled in subsequent weeks.

We learned a great deal about the Steam Machine when it was unveiled. Valve claims it will be six times more powerful than the Steam Deck OLED and capable of running games at 4K resolution at 60 frames per second (with FSR enabled). The system will come in 512GB and 2TB flavors, and we can expect bundles that include the new Steam Controller. The fact that the system is a small 6-inch(ish) cube is just icing on the cake.

While all of that sounds great, we didn’t get the most important piece of information. Namely, how much the Steam Machine will cost. Given the ongoing tariff situation and ballooning price of RAM, I wouldn’t be surprised if Valve itself is unsure how much their system will ultimately cost … which has me extremely worried. That said, perhaps the pricing situation isn't as grim as I fear.

Worst-case scenario

Consoles like the Xbox Series X and PS5 are typically sold at a loss, with the manufacturer recouping its development costs through software sales or subscription services. Some expected Valve would follow a similar route with the Steam Machine, but it appears that won’t be the case.

In an interview with YouTuber Skill Up (via Ars Technica), Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais said the Steam Machine will not be sold at a loss. Griffais said the hardware will be “more in line with what you might expect from the current PC market.” He said the Steam Machine’s CPU and GPU were designed to outperform 70 percent of the PCs that Steam users own (per Valve's hardware and software survey), and that pricing will reflect what you’d pay for a desktop with comparable specs.

Then there’s a report from Linus Sebastian from Linus Tech Tips, who attended the Steam Machine reveal event. When he suggested that a subsidized price point around $500 would make the Steam Machine a more compelling product, Valve representatives remained quiet. Linus said that “the energy of the room wasn’t great.”

All of that led many people, including myself, to think the Steam Machine could cost well over $1,000, which would be more in line with PC pricing. That price range would immediately alienate many console players who might have bought the Steam Machine. That the Steam Machine will reported be less powerful than a base PS5 would make that price point sting even worse.

Based on those comments, it’s safe to say the Steam Machine won’t cost $500 like the PS5 and Xbox Series X used to (thanks, tariffs, for raising console prices!). However, Valve’s upcoming gaming system might not be as expensive as some fear.

Some hope?

Linus Tech Tips’ initial report caused quite an uproar. Ironically, the famous YouTuber has also helped assuage some of our worst fears about the Steam Machine’s price.

In a more recent video, Linus purchased PC parts that were similar to what’s inside the Steam Machine, and he believes that the gaming device could cost around $600 to manufacture. Since Valve won’t sell the Steam Machine at a loss, Linus thinks Valve could sell its hardware for $700 at a minimum.

Obviously, this is just a guesstimate, so don’t take what Linus said to heart. That said, I think a $700 starting price seems realistic given the current state of things (i.e., tariffs and RAM prices). Upgrading to a 2TB model or getting the Steam Controller bundle will naturally raise the price. But even if a fully kitted Steam Machine costs over $1,000, that will at least be an option and not the starting price.

Outlook

The Steam Machine won’t arrive until sometime in Spring 2026, so we still have time to speculate (and worry) about how much Valve’s device will ultimately cost. This might be too optimistic on my end, but I expect it will cost between $700 and $1,000, depending on your chosen configuration.

That would still make for an expensive piece of equipment, but folks could justify the cost if the Steam Machine makes PC gaming as streamlined as console gaming. There's also the amount of money folks will save over time thanks to all the frequent Steam sales. And even if you can’t initially afford a fully decked-out Steam Machine, you could potentially purchase an entry-level model and then later upgrade storage and purchase the Steam Controller when you can afford it.

Right now, I’m choosing to be cautiously optimistic about the Steam Machine’s price, as I don’t believe Valve wants to alienate more customers than it needs to. I’m not expecting a system as affordable as a Steam Deck, but I also don’t expect it’ll cost as much as a gaming desktop. Of course, we’ll have to wait and see if my worst fears about an inflated price come true. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best!

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I have a confession to make: I’ve never played a Metroid Prime game before. Though I’ve played many of the series’ 2D entries as far back as the original NES Metroid and up to the relatively recent Metroid Dread, I never had a chance to try the first-person shooter Prime titles. Because of that, I wasn’t particularly excited about Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Now, after having played it for the better part of two hours during a preview event, I’m eager for more.

Though Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is the fourth installment of the sub-series, it’s designed as an entry point that even newcomers like myself can enjoy. As you’d expect, you play as series protagonist Samus Aran as she explores a new and hostile alien planet. This time, Samus can use psychic powers to solve puzzles and battle foes. She can even ride a motorcycle named Vi-0-La (which wasn't available in my demo).

Metroid Prime 4 releases on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 on December 4. We’ll have a full review in due course, but for now, check out my hands-on impressions of this eagerly anticipated Nintendo exclusive.

A dealy alien world

The main portion of the demo I played took place on a planet called “Fury Green.” As its name implies, this is a seemingly lush world filled with all manner of strange alien plant and animal life. Samus traverses the land to find a teleporter key she needs to advance her mission. Like with 2D iterations, you have to bring up the world map to locate your objective, and take note of areas you might want to explore later.

It doesn’t take long until Samus has to fend off hostile alien creatures that want to make her their lunch. You can lock on to foes or shoot freely. Most of these initial enemies are easy to defeat with standard shots, but tougher foes require you to press and hold the shoot button to charge your shots and deal more damage.

Samus’ visor has a scanner you can use to gain more information from the environment. This can be handy if you’re not sure how to interact with certain devices, though learning more about Fury Green’s ecology and history is nice too.

The Morph Ball ability is here and useful for navigating through small openings scattered around the land. In the demo I played, you couldn’t do much in this form besides roll through tight corridors or lay the occasional bomb to destroy barriers that impeded your progress. Here’s to hoping the Morph Ball will have other applications in the final game.

New powers

The new psychic powers blend nicely with Samus’ standard abilities. For instance, enabling psychic mode on Samus’ visor lets you see psychic motes (small glowing orbs) that are typically invisible. You can then grab these motes and toss them like a baseball at statues to open barred doors. Samus can also pull levers and move other objects with her psychic abilities.

One of the coolest things you can do is shoot psychic shots from your arm cannon. This action allows you to manually control the shot’s direction, which can be useful for solving puzzles or defeating certain enemies. Time also stops when you’re doing this, so you don’t always have to feel rushed (at least in the demo).

I’m curious to see how Samus’ psychic powers will expand in the final game, but based on what I played, they add another dimension of complexity (and enjoyment) to what would have otherwise been standard puzzles and enemy encounters.

Graphics and performance

I played Metroid Prime 4: Beyond on a Switch 2 in both handheld and docked modes. The latter will be my preferred way to play, especially on my LG CX 4K OLED TV and with a Switch 2 Pro controller. But more on that shortly.

The game offers two graphics settings in docked mode: 4K at 60 frames per second or 1080p at 120 fps. I tried out both and opted for 4K/60 since it offers a nice balance of visual fidelity and smooth performance. 120 fps mode is good too, but since I have a hard time telling the difference between 60 and 120 fps, the graphical downgrade isn’t worth it.

Though Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has an impressive art style that feels appropriately sci-fi, it doesn’t have cutting-edge graphics. I bring that up to keep your expectations in check. After all, this is still a game that has to run on the original Nintendo Switch. That said, I’m fond of the overall visual presentation, even it’s it’s not on the level of a Cyberpunk 2077.

Handy (pun intended) controls

Another thing that makes this game unique is that you can play all of it using the Joy-Con 2’s mouse mode. It’s not exactly like playing with a mouse and keyboard, but it’s a close enough approximation of that experience. I should also note that you can instantly play in mouse mode by flipping the right Joy-Con 2 controller to its side and placing it on a flat surface. Pretty neat stuff!

Though I appreciate how you can seamlessly go into mouse mode and back to standard controls, this isn’t a control scheme I see myself utilizing. If you’re like me, you’re going to use the Switch 2 Pro controller, which works beautifully with Metroid Prime 4.

Outlook

There’s more I could say about Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, but I don’t want to give too much away. Based on what I played, this feels like a classic Metroid adventure filled with mind-bending puzzles, harrowing alien encounters, and lots of exploration.

I wasn’t expecting much, but I’m now stoked to lose myself in this game when it arrives. If it lives up to the hype, it’ll be a glorious way for Switch 2 to cap off 2025.

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PC gaming handhelds like the Steam Deck OLED and ROG Xbox Ally X and offer freedom to game anywhere in your home, but that promise falls apart when your Wi-Fi connection can't keep up. Slow download speeds, dead zones in certain rooms and unreliable connections during peak usage hours all point to the same culprit: your router.

Most Wi-Fi problems with gaming handhelds aren't caused by the device itself. An outdated or under-equipped router struggles to provide the coverage, bandwidth and interference management that modern wireless gaming requires. Upgrading your network setup solves these issues more effectively than any device-side troubleshooting.

Here's how you can improve your Wi-Fi performance on your gaming handheld.

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Microsoft's new pair of Xbox gaming handhelds may be a hit with reviewers but there's no getting away from the premium price of the devices. The starting price for the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X wasn't announced until very late in the day and when it did, it was an astonishing $599 and $999, respectively.

Speaking to Variety, Xbox President Sarah Bond has defended those astronomical price tags, saying: “I feel really good about the value that we’re giving gamers for the price, based off the reception to the hardware.”

Bond explained that Microsoft gave Asus, which made the hardware for the systems, free rein to set the prices.

"We looked at, how do we create multiple options for people? And it really was Asus, because this is their hardware," she said. "That is all of their insight into the market, into the feature set, into what people want, to determine the ultimate prices of the devices."

According to Bond, at least, the pricing hasn't dented the demand among early adopters with the $999 Xbox Ally X pre-orders selling out on the Xbox Store last month. Bond also said the systems are selling "really quickly at a number of other places around the world.”

Whether or not the value proposition from Asus and Xbox is enough to sustain the Xbox Ally remains to be seen. During testing, we found the gaming experience on Xbox's lesser device was similar to what you can get on a vastly cheaper Steam Deck. In fact, the two machines have almost the exact same processing power, but opting for the LCD Steam Deck is $200 cheaper.

That being said, the more expensive Xbox Ally X blew us away with its performance and ergonomics. One sore point for a handheld costing nearly a grand is the lack of an OLED screen. But if it's raw performance and intuitive controls you're after, the Xbox Ally X nails it.

Of course, Bond's comments are only one side of the story. It would be interesting to hear from Taiwanese manufacturer Asus on how the pricing was arrived at. I expect there were some intense discussions around Asus HQ on how much the Xbox branding would contribute to the final price of the device. While Asus has its own brand recognition among gamers, it's not on the same playing field as Microsoft's Xbox juggernaut.

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I’ve used the ROG Xbox Ally X for a week, and it’s easily one of the best handheld gaming consoles I’ve tested. Like we said in our Asus ROG Xbox Ally X review, this device features stellar ergonomics and a leaner version of Windows 11 that helps improve performance and battery life. While it’s not exactly an Xbox as Microsoft claims, it’s a brilliant handheld gaming PC.

A feature that some might not be aware of — and one I almost ignored — is Gaming Copilot. This AI companion exists to guide and give advice during gameplay. While you can converse via text, using voice commands delivers a smoother experience. Gaming Copilot is currently in beta for Xbox Insiders, but it should be coming to all Xbox users at some point.

Though AI is all the rage nowadays, I’m still not sold on the technology. This is especially true for using AI when playing video games. That said, I wanted to give Gaming Copilot an honest try to see if it lived up to the hype.

Does Xbox’s AI companion add or detract from the gaming experience? Read on to find out!

How Gaming Copilot works

Gaming Copilot is designed to be your “personalized gaming companion,” according to Xbox’s Jeff Rubenstein. The feature can offer advice to help you in whatever game you’re playing, whether it’s guiding you to your next destination or giving tips on how to take out in-game enemies. If you’re really struggling, Gaming Copilot could prove useful.

On the ROG Xbox Ally, the easiest way to bring up Gaming Copilot is by long-pressing the dedicated library button next to the right analog stick until a green voice recording icon appears in the center bottom of the screen. When you see the icon, you know the AI companion is listening for your voice. You can also text with Gaming Copilot via the Armoury Crate app, but using your voice keeps you in the game.

You can select from four voice types: energetic, wise, chill, and heroic. Wise and Chill are fine, but the former sounds too stereotypically British, while the latter sounds too nonchalant. Energetic and Heroic are my favorites since they sound peppy and inspirational, respectively. I hope the final version has more voice options and that we can select specific voice types for each.

As I said before, this feature is currently only available for Xbox Insider members. If you’re enrolled, you can try the Gaming Copilot on your Xbox, PC, and on the Xbox app on your smartphone.

My Gaming Copilot experience

To test Gaming Copilot, I fired up Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 from my Steam library. I wanted to start with something simple, so I asked Copilot what game I was playing. It correctly said I was playing Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 from Insomniac Games. I wasn’t expecting to get the developer’s name, so that’s a nice bonus from the AI.

As I made my way across the digital version of Manhattan, I asked the AI to identify which part of the city I was moving through. While it was correct in saying I was “swinging” through the streets, it incorrectly thought I was downtown when I was actually on the East Side near the UN building. However, when I went to Harlem, Copilot correctly identified the neighborhood thanks to its, and I quote, “iconic El train.”

For fun, I asked the AI who its favorite superhero was. Copilot said it “has a soft spot” for Spider-Man since he’s a down-to-earth hero. I wondered if it said Spider-Man because of the game I was playing, so I then asked who its second-favorite superhero was. Microsoft’s AI said it liked Black Panther because his all-black suit looks cool and because he’s so regal.

The previous exchange made me want to see if I could trip up the AI. I asked if it was excited for the upcoming Black Panther game, even though I knew it had been canceled. The AI said it was originally hyped, but disappointed that the game was canceled. Good job, AI!

I then asked if Black Panther would appear in another game, and Gaming Copilot correctly said Black Panther would be in the upcoming Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra title.

While Gaming Copilot was mostly correct with its answers, it wasn’t perfect. When I was perched on top of the Empire State Building, the AI correctly identified the Hudson River when I looked in that direction. However, when I swung the camera to the East River, Copilot still thought it was the Hudson. But to the AI’s credit, it was humble when I corrected it and apologized for its mistake.

After goofing around, I decided to use Gaming Copilot for its intended purpose. I asked it where I needed to go, and the AI told me to follow the marker on the map, which isn’t exactly useful information since I could already see that. However, when I engaged in a fight and I asked what to do, Copilot provided good advice by saying I should use spider-gadgets, respond to on-screen button prompts, and stay on the move.

Asking for gaming advice might not be useful for seasoned gamers, but for complete beginners, I can see how the AI companion could be beneficial. That said, I did like how it congratulated me when I won a battle and encouraged me to continue when I got knocked out.

Outlook

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Six hundred dollars. Why is the ROG Xbox Ally $600? It’s a question I simply cannot answer.

That’s not to say the Xbox Ally is a terrible handheld — it’s actually fine. In the two weeks I’ve had testing it, I’ve had fun digging into indie titles at smooth frame rates and being afforded the battery life uplift that comes with it.

AAA performance is lacking, but nothing a little tweaking to 720p low settings can’t get around to afford around 40 FPS in the likes of Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite. And on top of that, I can’t ignore that the new gamer-fied Xbox Full Screen Experience of Windows 11 does eliminate my biggest bugbear of PC handhelds.

But this is a similar experience I can get in the vastly cheaper Steam Deck. In fact, it’s almost exactly the same APU with 4 cores/8 threads, and 8 RDNA 2 GPU cores. And I can snag one with an OLED screen for $50 less, or even go lower and pick up the LCD version for $200 cheaper.

And for those looking for more AAA overhead, there are more powerful Ryzen Z1 Extreme options that come in at the same price as this less powerful option — all of which will get this same power unlock with the Xbox FSE update.

Plus, there’s the Xbox Play Anywhere confusion. On paper, with more than 1,000 titles supported by this platform-agnostic move, you may not feel it. But if you’ve been an Xbox loyalist for a while, you may run into some pain points with your library just not being compatible.

So yes, the ROG Xbox Ally can be the most comfortable handheld I’ve used, with the more pronounced grips with subtle contours, and it can be a nice device for crushing Silksong on. But the price is going to leave a bad taste in your mouth. Make it $500, then we’ll be onto something.

ROG Xbox Ally: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? This is a Windows gaming handheld — the entry-level model of the two made by Asus in partnership with Xbox.
• Who is it for? This is for the indie darlings only. If you’ve racked up 50-plus hours on Silksong and you’re looking for your next great indie title, this will suit.
• What does it cost? You can pick one up for $599.
• What do we like? The ergonomics are on another level compared to other gaming handhelds — this thing is comfy. On top of that, the re-engineered Windows 11 gives you a slick Xbox UI to navigate over the desktop OS, and the low-end APU doesn’t stress the battery too much.
• What don’t we like? Why would I spend $600 on this when I could get the similarly-specced Steam Deck for less? Moreover, the Ryzen Z1 Extreme is a more powerful chip on paper, and you could get a handheld sporting this for the same price. It’s far too expensive for what it offers.

ROG Xbox Ally: Specs

ROG Xbox Ally: The ups

Given my solid playtime experience with the ROG Xbox Ally at Gamescom, where I got to tuck into a well-optimized title like Forza Horizon 5, I came in feeling pretty excited. And at first, there were elements to celebrate.

A dream in the hands

I have to give the design teams at Asus and Xbox props here — just like the ROG Xbox Ally X, this is the most comfortable handheld I’ve ever played on. The Xbox controller-inspired grips eliminate fatigue effectively and ensure you could keep playing for hours on end.

The texture on the grips ensures a firm hold, buttons and joysticks are in just the right areas for thumb placement, and the haptics inside deliver impressive enhancements to the experience with good detail.

Windows 11 gets a gaming tune up

And then there’s the work done to Windows 11 to make this feel a lot more like a console than a tiny PC (and all the awkward touchscreen problems that come with it).

It’s called Xbox Full Screen Experience, and it’s a stellar UI to navigate — both for just jumping into your games fast and having quick, easy access to all the technical settings to tweak, whether that’s display restrictions or wattage limits to preserve battery life.

Even better, Microsoft’s done the background work as well and killed off all those desktop-running background processes that come with traditional Windows 11. Of course, you can open it at will, but whenever you’re just playing, none of it is necessary. And what this does is remove those costly background processes, limiting the true potential of that Ryzen Z2A chip.

The end result is an indie handheld that is capable of lasting a while. For all intents and purposes, it’s a decent handheld.

ROG Xbox Ally: The downs

Unfortunately, the Xbox Ally is only a decent handheld when you look at it with serious tunnel vision, and not question what else you could get for that $600 investment (or less). Because when it comes to our testing, you can get much better for your money.

Feels like its 2022 all over again

To those who have already read my pieces on the build-up to the launch of the ROG Xbox Ally, you’ll know that I’ve been a little suspicious about that Ryzen Z2 A. With 4 cores/8 threads and 8 RDNA 2 GPU cores, this is pretty much identical to what the Steam Deck packs — the only difference being the Ally can get to a higher wattage.

In my benchmarking comparisons, though, you’ll be hard-pressed to spot the difference.

The more I played around with the settings, the more near-identical numbers I got — 40-ish FPS on Forza Horizon 5 at the same settings, super low frame rates when throwing more demanding (and less well-optimized) games at it.

There’s a part of me that does want to say “good job,” because Microsoft has stripped back Windows 11 to the point that it can match the Steam Deck’s performance. But then, I realize I’m paying $600 for that experience.

That’s $50 more than the cost of the Steam Deck OLED with the same amount of storage and a far superior screen. (Yes, the LCD panel on the Xbox Ally does have variable refresh rate, but you won’t really be using that much given the frame rates you can actually get.) And if price-to-performance is key, it’s $200 more than the base model.

You could get better for cheaper

So let’s take that amount of money and go shopping around a little bit, because the Steam Deck is one good example, but not the best. This Windows 11 Xbox Full Screen Experience update is coming to all handhelds in 2026. As a matter of fact, users can actually install it now.

And just like the roof being raised on performance on the Z2 Extreme-armed Ally X, this looks set to breathe new life into older handhelds sporting the Ryzen Z1 Extreme — a chip that is demonstrably faster than the Z2A in this particular Ally.

For example, the Lenovo Legion Go is regularly discounted to $599 during peak sales events, and that breezes past the Ally. The original ROG Ally with Z1 Extreme is $649 at the moment, but I’ve seen it sold for $599 as well. Once again, it might be worth waiting until Black Friday to see that price come down. If it did before for Amazon’s October Prime Day, it will again.

But that’s all before dipping into the world of refurbished tech. If you’re desperate for a handheld right now, the ROG Ally is $489 in excellent condition, and the Legion Go is $579. This is far better performance for the same price or cheaper.

If this were a $500 device, we’d be having a different conversation. But in a world where every penny matters, if you’re in the market for a handheld, you could get much more for your money.

ROG Xbox Ally: Verdict

I’ll be honest with you, after seeing the $1,000 price tag on the ROG Xbox Ally X, I was really rooting for the Ally to be the real value buster here — the Series S of handhelds that just ticked all the right boxes at a lower price.

But then, the cold, hard reality hit, and what we’re left with is a $600 system that should cost $400 based on its performance. That’s a crying shame because the Ally itself is an OK handheld, which I would’ve had a better impression of if it were more affordable.

Alas, this just feels like the base model companies make so they can say “from *INSERT LOWER PRICE HERE*” and not have to say the big number. But even at that level, this is still a big number, and you can get similar or better price-to-performance for cheaper.

Here it is. An Xbox you should actually buy… I feel bad for that unnecessary dunk, but I mean it with the best intentions — the ROG Xbox Ally X is an impressive leap forward for handheld gaming.

From the simplification of Windows 11 to boot straight into an easy-to-use Xbox UI, to the ergonomic design and the power under the hood, it’s almost like Microsoft has seen our complaints about Windows gaming handhelds and meticulously addressed each one.

The Xbox controller-inspired body is oh-so comfortable for playing for hours on end, the Ryzen Z2 AI Extreme chip delivers solid performance (further enhanced by a streamlined version of Windows 11), and the 80 Wh battery easily gave me around three hours of playtime on one charge. This is certainly one of the best gaming handhelds you can buy.

But at $999? This is a pricey purchase — one only serious gamers with dense PC libraries should pay. And notice that I said “PC,” because the “Xbox Play Anywhere” branding is sure to create some confusion amongst long time Xbox players looking to dig up their entire library. But more on that later.

Let’s actually get into my 5,000 mile round trip with the Xbox Ally X, which starts (as you’d expect) with delays at the airport.

ROG Xbox Ally X: Video review

ROG Xbox Ally X: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? This is a top-of-the-line PC gaming handheld — sporting top specs.
• Who is it for? This is for gaming enthusiasts who want to take their PC library with them.
• What does it cost? You can pick one up for $999.
• What do we like? You want the best (and are paying $999 for it)? You’re getting the best. This is a seriously great gaming handheld with the performance to boot, the power efficiency, the stellar ergonomics, and the slick new Windows 11 Xbox UI to boot.
• What don’t we like? I’m a little sad that the Ally X didn’t get the OLED treatment — especially at the high price tag, and Xbox Play Anywhere is going to cause some confusion.

ROG Xbox Ally X: Specs

ROG Xbox Ally X: The ups

So as is becoming more and more inevitable, my flight was delayed. Not only that, but at the worst possible time — when you’re sitting on the plane with seatbelts fastened and unable to go anywhere. Lucky for me, the Ally X came in clutch and made the delay fly by.

The best feeling handheld

I remember all the reactions when we shared the design leak ages ago. All the talk of it looking a bit like a toy and being too thick to be a gaming handheld. Well, I can confirm that a) it’s a sleek-looking system and b) it’s actually the most comfortable handheld I’ve ever used.

Turns out, a little thickness was the cure all along! While everyone seems to worry about thinness, Asus and Xbox have brought the best of both worlds together with an even weight distribution across the system, and those controller grips inspired by the Xbox pad.

Every other handheld I’ve tried, no matter how subtly more pronounced the grips are (like the MSI Claw A8), they all come across a slight fatigue after a while as there’s a balancing act to keep those smaller curves in your hand.

Here, however, there’s none of that. Just grip on and get playing, and I easily played through my delay and the entire flight without feeling any aches. It’s simply a compact joy to play on.

Amping up the horsepower

Now let’s talk about the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme. I’m going to go ahead and ignore that AI part, because at this point, no game is actually taking advantage of the NPU for performance gains.

But the main strength of this new chip, as I saw in the Claw A8, comes down to finding a better balance between performance and power efficiency. Because sure, when you do put it through our standard tests when plugged in (so running in a 35W Turbo Mode), the gains over the Ryzen Z1 Extreme are sort of minor.

However, as you start to head into the 17W performance mode, you see a marked difference that shows AMD has figured out a way to make more use of the wattage afforded to it.

Then of course, you can get into the settings tweaks and extract all the more performance than our standard array of benchmarks we do! For example, Cyberpunk at medium-to-high detail, 1080p with FSR resolution scaling runs at a smooth 50 FPS average.

And in turn, that leads to a strong battery life that should pass over any medium commutes, and only require the occasional boost back up to 100% if you’re on a long haul flight. When you tweak the power efficiency settings, you can easily get just over three hours on one charge. Of course, you can deplete that 80Wh battery faster, but this huge cell does have some staying power.

All-in-all, this is now the new strongest PC gaming handheld in terms of raw horsepower. And while some of that comes down to the hardware, there’s another major element that really helps it here: the software.

Windows 11 no longer sucks on a gaming handheld!

It’s been the bane of my existence for so long that it feels almost revelatory to see a gaming handheld operate like…well a gaming handheld. You can’t begin to imagine the elation I felt when I went through the setup process without once being offered a year of Microsoft Office 365 for free!

The Xbox UI you’re immediately ported into is seriously slick to navigate and really gives Steam OS a run for its money in terms of ease of use, while also ensuring you’ve got rapid access to tech settings if you want to tweak anything quickly.

But while I could wax lyrical about the fact Microsoft is finally on the right track, that’s not even the best bit in my mind. One look at a task manager, and you’ll see the desktop isn’t even running. This is one of the secrets to that additional performance headroom over other handhelds.

Running the Windows 11 desktop is a rather consuming task of background resources, and it can hamper gameplay and battery life. With that cleared out of the way, you’ll notice a nice little uplift here.

ROG Xbox Ally X: The downs

And after a few days in paradise, taking in the views (the views of in-game scenery on my Ally X of course), it was time to head back, and that’s when I really got to think about this machine and spot the weak points that many of you have talked about already.

$999 and no OLED display?

Going the LCD route is not the end of the world, and Asus’ 7-inch 1080p panel is pretty enough — good color presentation (77.9% DCI-P3 color gamut), smooth frame rate, impressive brightness at 515.8 nits in our testing, and small enough to make any textures look super crispy.

But given the cost is $999, I’m a little gutted that we’re not seeing an OLED screen here. It’s always shocking how much of a game changer an inky display with deep contrast and a flash flood of color can be for breathing new life into your games.

And speaking more in particular about that price, it’s a hard one to justify to anyone other than the hardcore gaming crowd or those who are serious about taking AAA experiences on-the-go. There’s gaming laptops that you could get for this same cost.

Is this an Xbox?

Now before I jump into this gripe, I’ll be clear in saying most of you won’t be impacted by this. Your combination of a massive Steam library and Game Pass will serve you well. I’m talking more to those who have amassed quite an Xbox console library.

You see, this is a PC gaming handheld that is part of a program called “Xbox Play Anywhere” — simply put, a platform-agnostic move to play your games on both Xbox and PC at no extra cost. So far (at the time of writing) 1,522 games are supported.

But there are some surprising omissions. For example, Battlefield 6 is not part of this program, and neither is the Xbox copy of Final Fantasy XIII I bought a while back. I can see this causing some frustration to those who have been dedicated to this platform.

This is a problem that should resolve itself over time with more developers opting in, but there’s going to be some more puzzlement heading into this new era.

ROG Xbox Ally X: Verdict

I live in a paradoxical mind. On the one hand, I sit on my lawn chair saying gaming handhelds have gotten too damn expensive. But on the other hand, I can’t lie — this is the best PC gaming handheld I’ve ever used, and I’d feel OK dropping $999 on it.

Impressive performance paired with a giant battery and power efficiency — all deeply rooted in a stripped down Windows 11 with a slick Xbox UI to navigate and a

All I’d say is just think about the library you have and the ways you play. If you’re leaning more towards indie, and you’re OK shaving off some textures in your AAA games, then a cheaper handheld is more than enough. Or if you dabble more in strategy, you can get some great gaming laptops for this price.

If you’re back here after thinking that through, you have your answer. Go play to your heart’s content!

So, as you may already know, Intel Panther Lake is officially on the way, and I got to test it for myself. While there’s a lot to get excited about — bringing the efficiency of Lunar Lake and mashing it with the raw performance of Arrow Lake — the one standout feature to a gamer like me is that GPU.

With up to 12 Xe3 cores, better ray tracing capabilities, and some crazy good new AI-driven gaming features that provide improved frame rates, I was blown away by what this chip is capable of.

That’s all well and good for a laptop, but at a time when the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme has only seen minor uplifts in performance over Z1 (read my MSI Claw A8 review for specific numbers on that), Panther Lake could be the true generational leap I’ve been looking for. Let me explain why AMD should be nervous right now.

Seriously strong performance

At the moment, one Intel gaming handheld exists with worldwide availability — the MSI Claw 8 AI+. While AMD continues to take a lead over this chipset for handheld gaming, recent updates have made the Core Ultra 7 258V an impressive alternative.

That being said, its graphics prowess could be better. This is Lunar Lake after all: the notebook chipsets that were really good with power efficiency, but not so great on the performance side of things. And this is where Panther Lake comes into the equation, by taking the speed focus of Arrow Lake and pairing it with this stamina.

So far, we know of two GPU options — a base model Panther Lake chip with a 4-core Xe3 GPU, and a top-of-the-line option with 12 cores. Surprisingly, though, while I assumed Intel would tell me that gaming handhelds would go for the lower configuration, the company is so confident in its power management that the 12-core monster could fit in here.

By the numbers

We can put this to the test…sort of. You see, the demo units at the Intel Tech Tour were laptops running with 45 watts of power. In a gaming handheld, that would be insane, as to get decent stamina, you’d be looking at 17 watts. However, let’s go into this with Painkiller, which runs at a rock solid 60 FPS at 1080p Epic settings with Intel’s own XeSS resolution scaling tech.

First off, it’s worth noting that in a chip that you’re probably going to find in slimline notebooks, that’s crazy good. Integrated graphics have been coming along in leaps and bounds recently, and Intel’s taking a giant jump ahead with 1.5x graphics improvement over Lunar Lake (as claimed by the company).

Oh, and let’s not forget those 12 ray tracing units running alongside the GPU cores — really unlocking those more realistic, immersive lighting and reflections. It’s seriously impressive to see in person.

Now let’s apply the logic that we see from AMD gaming handhelds — namely that the difference between its highest wattage and 17 watts is around a 30-40% drop in frames (provided you aren’t optimizing the settings).

Of course, that drop could be bigger for Intel, going from the 45W I saw to 17W. But that performance curve for the 12-core Panther Lake really may not be as stark when turning down the power, as more cores means less work across them all. Using very rough math to paint a picture, I’d say this could be 30-35 FPS.

Intel did say this GPU has been tested across a range of wattages, and even confirmed that at 28W, they were seeing “similar results” to 45W. This could seriously be a breakthrough for handheld gaming, but I haven’t even gotten to the best bit yet.

Multi frame gen makes sense here

Built on Xe3 cores, Intel has been able to do some AI wizardry and bring XeSS multi-frame generation to the party. Essentially, for every two frames the GPU generates, AI fills in three in between for far smoother frame rates.

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The Lenovo Legion Go 2 is here, with meaningful upgrades over its predecessor. The star of the show is the 8.8-inch OLED panel that helps games look their absolute best. Toss in the ergonomic detachable controllers and strong AMD Ryzen Z2-driven performance, and you have one impressive Windows 11 gaming handheld.

However, as great as the Legion Go 2 might be, it’s very expensive. The fact that it runs on pure Windows, has poor battery life, and requires you to seriously tinker with in-game and system settings to get the best performance also dampens what should otherwise be a slam dunk of a handheld.

Of course, Lenovo has another option for you to consider — the Legion Go S. To be specific, the model that runs on SteamOS. While this device might not pack the latest AMD APU or detachable controllers, its lower price and greater ease of use might make it a more compelling choice than the Legion Go’s successor.

The Legion Go 2 and Legion Go S rank among the best handheld gaming consoles, but how do they stack up in a direct comparison? More importantly, which one is right for you? I’ll compare each handheld’s strengths and weaknesses to help you decide which handheld to buy.

Legion Go 2 vs Legion Go S: Specs (tested)

Legion Go 2 vs Legion Go S: Price

Let’s start with the thing that’ll likely be the big determining factor for most folks, and that’s price. While neither of these Lenovo handhelds is exactly cheap — especially compared to the $319 LCD Steam Deck — one definitely costs more than the other.

Right now, the Legion Go 2 is the most expensive gaming handheld from a major manufacturer. It starts at $1,099 for a model with the regular Ryzen Z2 chip and $1,479 for a fully equipped model with the Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip and 2 TB of storage.

The Legion Go S with SteamOS starts at $649 and packs an AMD Z2 Go chip, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Our review unit costs $899 and features an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip, 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

As you can see, even the most expensive Legion Go S model costs less than the lowest-specced Legion Go 2. If you’re budget-minded, the Legion Go S is the handheld to get.

Legion Go 2 vs Legion Go S: Design

The Legion Go 2 and Legion Go S generally have the same basic design out of the box. Each has four shoulder buttons, four face buttons, and four menu buttons. They each have two analog sticks and a D-Pad, along with ports along their top and bottom sides. However, that’s where the similarities mostly end.

The biggest difference between these two systems is that the Legion Go 2 has Nintendo Switch 2-like detachable controllers. They're now rounder and smoother, with a more intuitive button layout.

As before, you can use the right controller as a vertical mouse for greater control in FPS games. The Hall Effect joysticks are fluid and responsive, and the rounded D-Pad is perfect for navigating menus or playing fighting games.

With the controllers attached, the Legion Go 2 measures 11.64 x 5.38 x 1.66 inches and weighs 2.03 pounds. That’s slightly bigger and heavier than the original, but it’s much more comfortable to hold thanks to its rounder controller grips and even weight distribution.

However, the Legion Go 2 can get heavy after a while. Thankfully, you can use the kickstand on the back to set up the handheld on a flat surface and play that way.

The Legion Go S ditches the removable controllers and instead has a uniform body design that’s similar to the Asus ROG Ally X. It’s comfortable to hold thanks to its ergonomic design, grippy corners and smart button placement. At 11.77 x 5.02 x 0.88 inches and 1.63 pounds, it’s smaller and lighter than the Legion Go 2.

The Legion Go S’ asymmetrical Hall Effect analog sticks and the rounded D-Pad are as responsive as the face and shoulder buttons. I also like that L2 and R2 have trigger locks to set their actuation points, which can be beneficial for first-person shooting games.

The Legion Go S has a more comfortable uniform design that’s easier to hold for longer periods. Conversely, the Legion Go 2’s detachable controllers, which let you play in handheld or tabletop modes, make the system more versatile.

Design-wise, neither has a clear edge since they’re so different from one another.

Legion Go 2 vs Legion Go S: Display

This is where the Legion Go 2 has a distinct advantage. While the Legion Go S’s display certainly delivers bright and colorful images, that’s not quite enough to overtake the Legion Go 2’s superior panel.

For starters, the Legion Go 2 has an 8.8-inch display, whereas the Legion Go S has a smaller 8-inch display. That naturally helps everything appear larger, though not necessarily sharper, since both of the systems’ displays top out at 1200p. Resolution aside, the Legion Go 2’s larger canvas gives everything more room to breathe.

Of course, the main draw of the Legion Go 2 is its OLED panel. That, coupled with HDR support, provides a nice contrast between darker and lighter elements. The vibrant neon lights and holograms in Cyberpunk 2077 are absolutely mesmerizing on the Legion Go 2.

Our lab tests confirm my experience. The Legion Go 2 delivers oversaturated colors (sRGB and DCI-P3) compared to the Legion Go S. Lenovo’s latest handheld also delivers strong color accuracy (Delta-E).

The Legion Go 2 has the most beautiful display I’ve ever seen on a handheld. It’s hard for the Legion Go S to compete with that.

Legion Go 2 vs Legion Go S: Performance

Our Lenovo Legion Go 2 review unit packs an AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Conversely, the Legion Go S I reviewed features an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip and the same amount of RAM and storage.

Given the former’s updated processor, you’d expect better performance. While that can be true, the gulf between the two systems isn’t that wide.

In our lab tests, we run several games through their respective built-in benchmark tools with graphics set to Ultra at a device’s native resolution. As you can see in the table below, Cyberpunk 2077 can barely run at 5 frames per second, which is decidedly unplayable. Dirt 5 fares decently at 34 fps, while Far Cry 6 can barely hit 30 frames per second.

These results are bad enough, but they’re made worse when you see that the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme-powered machine has marginally better performance than handhelds with the Z1 Extreme chip.

While our in-house testing paints a bleak picture, my own anecdotal testing shows the potential of AMD’s latest handheld APU. For instance, I got Cyberpunk 2077 to run at 50 to 60 fps when I lowered the resolution to 800p. More importantly, enabling AMD’s FSR 3 boosted the framerate to the mid-50s at the native 1200p resolution.

I also got better results from the Legion Go S when I toyed with settings. For example, I played Doom: The Dark Ages at 1200p resolution, medium graphical settings and with FSR (frame generation) disabled. With those settings, I saw frame rates in the mid-20s. With FSR enabled, the fps jumped to 35. I got a smooth 56-61 fps at 800p resolution with FSR, though the game doesn’t look so good at this lower resolution.

Out of the box, you won’t get the best performance from either system. With some tinkering in settings, not to mention enabling FSR in supported games, you’ll get better results.

Regardless, the Legion Go 2 delivers only marginally better performance than the Legion Go S. There’s a possible culprit, which I’ll discuss in the next section.

Legion Go 2 vs Legion Go S: Interface

The Legion Go S runs on basic Windows 11, while the Legion Go S has a model with SteamOS. The latter is specifically designed for handheld controls and doesn’t have all the bloat of Windows 11. Because of that, it’s easy to navigate SteamOS’ menus and to jump straight into your games. The same isn’t true for Windows 11.

Sure, Microsoft’s operating system is great for the best gaming laptops and the best gaming PCs. However, it doesn't work seamlessly with a handheld's control scheme. Since you can't navigate through most of Windows (especially the desktop), you're forced to move the mouse cursor with the right analog stick, or otherwise use your finger like you would on one of the best tablets. This can be a chore, even on the large 8.8-inch screen.

Going back to performance, Windows 11 also seems to contribute to slowing down gaming performance and battery life, which is something we noted when we installed SteamOS on the original ROG Ally X and saw improved performance and battery life. This could be why we didn’t see a dramatic performance improvement on the Ryzen Z2 Extreme-powered Legion Go 2.

Windows 11 might have greater game compatibility and system customization than SteamOS, but Valve’s OS is designed for handhelds, so it’s easy to jump into your favorite games without a hassle. This is evident not only on the Steam Deck, but on Lenovo’s own Legion Go S with SteamOS.

Legion Go 2 vs Legion Go S: Battery

Gaming handhelds generally have battery life comparable to gaming laptops, which can range from one to two hours at most. Unfortunately, neither the Legion Go 2 nor the Legion Go S buck this trend. If you plan to travel with either device, don’t forget to bring its respective 65W AC adapter.

In the PCMark 10 gaming battery test, the Legion Go 2 lasted for 2 hours and 15 minutes. That’s slightly longer than its predecessor, but an hour less than the ROG Ally X.

In our standard battery test, which involves continuous web surfing at 150 nits of screen brightness, the Legion Go 2 lasted for 10 hours and 45 minutes. If you want to use the system for basic tasks like web surfing or watching videos, you can do so for a reasonable length of time.

Since the Legion Go S runs on SteamOS, we weren’t able to conduct our usual slew of battery life tests. To that end, I fired up Doom: The Dark Ages with the display set to 1200p resolution and selected performance mode to get the full 30W TDP. It took about 1.5 hours before I got a battery life warning.

The Legion Go 2 can endure longer than the Legion Go S, but don’t expect more than an extra 30 minutes at most.

Legion Go 2 vs Legion Go S: Which handheld should you buy?

The ROG Xbox Ally is $599 — $100 more than the Nintendo Switch 2 that we already said was rather pricey in our review. And that’s before I even had the chance to spit my morning coffee out at seeing the ROG Xbox Ally X is $999.

Gaming handhelds are getting pricier, and this isn’t even the worst offender (looking at you, $1,349 Lenovo Legion Go 2). But a thousand dollars for an ultraportable just seems crazy to me. Did you know that for the price of one ROG Xbox Ally X, you could buy three Steam Decks?

Obviously I’m comparing apples to oranges here. One is a handheld that launched back in 2022, and the other is coming out in just a few weeks. But they may be closer than you think — let me explain.

There are levels to this

It is a little complicated by the fact these are easily two of the best Windows gaming handhelds I’ve tested. Turns out when you remove the weight of Windows 11’s background tasks, you unlock a lot of performance headroom.

As I’ve talked about before, the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X come with the Xbox Full Screen Experience — more than just a UI overhaul, it doesn’t run any of the background tasks required for Windows 11 desktop mode. In my time testing, this saw an uplift in frame rates across many of the AAA titles I jumped into.

Then there’s the ergonomics, which with inspiration taken from the Xbox controller, makes these the most comfortable handhelds I’ve gripped. Oh, and in a 1-up over the Steam Deck, you get support for all your gaming libraries here — not just Steam. Sure, there are Linux-based workarounds, but out-of-the-box it's way easier on the Ally.

Everything lined up, and I had a lot of fun with both of them. They are good, but are they a thousand dollars of “good?” In this economy, that’s a question I’m less sure about, but if you’re sold on the idea of this, be my guest — preorders are open.

Where to buy ROG Xbox Ally in U.S.

• Xbox: check stock
• Best Buy: check stock
• Amazon: check stock
• Walmart: check stock
• Newegg: check stock
• Asus: check stock

Where to buy ROG Xbox Ally in U.K.

• Xbox: check stock
• Amazon: check stock
• Argos: check stock
• Currys: check stock
• Asus: check stock

Silicon similarities

Oh, you’re still here? That means you’re a little more skeptical like I am. Well, let’s go a little more granular, and start with the Ryzen Z2 AI Extreme. Of course, while I can’t speak for the NPU side of things, which looks primed to help with some AI super resolution trickery, we do have a basis of comparison here in the MSI Claw A8 with the non-AI Z2 Extreme.

Because they have the same APU specs minus that NPU: 8 cores/16 threads, a 16-core GPU with RDNA 3.5 and a TDP of up to 35 watts. On paper, we saw an effective 25-30% uplift in frame rates over the Z1 Extreme. At the top end, the upgrade is a little more clear cut.

But that’s when the Ryzen Z2A of the ROG Xbox Ally comes in, and when I say the specs “4 cores/8 threads, and 8 RDNA 2 GPU cores” you may be thinking that sounds familiar? Well, it is, because these are the same specs as the Steam Deck’s custom AMD APU — only difference being that the Ally can reach a higher wattage.

You see? They’re more similar than you think, and I don’t think it’s the best idea to charge $200 more than your competition for that.

Settings tweakers

But it could be even more problematic than that, because of the one thing we gamers love to do on PC: tweak settings. Yes I’m saying that sarcastically, but nothing scratches that satisfying itch more than being able to find a zen-like balance between fidelity and frames.

In PC gaming handhelds, that puzzle becomes a little more complicated, as it’s not just fidelity and frames, but it’s also performance per watt too. You want the game to look pretty, run smoothly, and not murder your battery life in under 30 minutes.

And when it comes to tweaking, the Steam Deck is still one of the best at low wattages. You may be wallowing in low graphics settings, but it’s always surprising to me how good low settings games can look. God of War Ragnarok still looks epic, Forza Horizon 5 still runs impressively smoothly, and even something like Indiana Jones can run north of 40 FPS.

However, that’s before even talking about indie games — the kinds of titles that are perfect for handheld gaming, like Silksong, and these barely cause any pressure on the Steam Deck. And all of this performance (and maybe a few percent more) is what you’ll probably get on the ROG Xbox Ally… Why is that worth an extra $200?

Z1 Extreme could be the power user cheat code

What if you wanted that extra headroom? Yes, the Ryzen Z2 AI Extreme looks set to give you up to 30% extra frames in your games over Z1 Extreme, but what happens when that Xbox Full Screen Experience comes to every Windows gaming handheld?

It’s clear this has been key to some of those performance improvements I saw when playing on the ROG Xbox Allies, and Microsoft has said it will be coming to others (we know this seeing it pop up in the insider preview of Windows 11 25H2).

To me, that brings the Z1 Extreme back into play, as it could revitalize the frame rates here. And for users, that could mean the original ROG Ally for its cheaper price could be the one to buy.

More from Tom's Guide

• MSI Claw A8 review: Ryzen Z2 Extreme dominates, but at what cost?
• Netbooks are back, baby! And that’s not even the weirdest part of this gaming handheld hybrid
• I went hands-on with the Lenovo Legion Go 2 — I love the OLED panel, but I’m worried about the price

The ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X are now available for pre-order — launching on October 16 at $599 (£499) and $999 (£799) respectively. That is indeed a steep price (especially on the X). But given the demand, I don’t see these hanging around for long.

In my book, these are hands-down two of the best Windows 11 gaming handhelds you can buy right now. And trust me — the performance boost you get when you kick that bloated desktop OS to the curb is almost shocking. The AMD Ryzen Z2A in the standard Ally breezes through indie games (and even dips its toes into AAA waters), while the Ryzen Z2 AI Extreme is basically a monster that chews through blockbusters like it’s at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

When Microsoft said this thing was a “portable Xbox,” they weren’t joking. The sleek console-style UI steps aside so you can dive straight into your library with zero hassle — no Windows pop-ups trying to sell you OneDrive, no random updates at the worst possible moment. Just pure gaming bliss.

Sure, there are cheaper handhelds out there (I’ll get into those a bit later). But right now, the real question is: where can you snag a shiny new ROG Ally without selling your kidney? Don’t worry — bargain-hunting is basically my superpower, and I’ve already tracked down the best places to buy one.

Where to buy ROG Xbox Ally in U.S.

• Best Buy: check stock
• Amazon: check stock
• Walmart: check stock
• Asus: check stock

Where to buy ROG Xbox Ally in U.K.

• Xbox: check stock
• Amazon: check stock
• Argos: check stock
• Currys: check stock
• Asus: check stock

U.S. Pre-order links

U.K. Pre-order links

What are the cheaper alternatives?

Those prices are a little steep, and so far, I’ve not heard anything about any Black Friday deals coming on these handhelds. So what are the alternatives? Yes! Here’s what I’d recommend instead, while saving yourself plenty of money.

More from Tom's Guide

• MSI Claw A8 review: Ryzen Z2 Extreme dominates, but at what cost?
• Netbooks are back, baby! And that’s not even the weirdest part of this gaming handheld hybrid
• I went hands-on with the Lenovo Legion Go 2 — I love the OLED panel, but I’m worried about the price

The Asus ROG Xbox Ally gaming handheld is supposed to launch in just over three weeks, yet we still don't know how much the new console will cost you. However, a new leak from the United Kingdom hints at a potential price and a pre-order date.

The leak comes from an alleged worker at the UK chain Argos who posted photos of promo materials for the Xbox Ally on Reddit (spotted by PC GamesN). Note that this is only for the Xbox Ally, not the higher-end Xbox Ally X, which is rumored to cost closer to $1,000

This leak puts the Xbox Ally closer to Valve's Steam Deck OLED. In the leaked image, we can see a listed price of £499.99, which is around $670 in conversion prices.

That conversion doesn't take into account taxes or how Asus and Xbox will price the handheld for the US market, which is tricky to predict given the fluctuating tariffs affecting goods coming into the country.

That said, PC Games points out that when you factor in taxes UK prices tend to align closely with US ones. So, it wouldn't be too surprising if the Xbox Ally hits between $500 and $600 at launch.

The promotional posters don't show the pre-order date, but the leaker says that they've seen materials indicating that pre-orders start today (September 24). As of this writing, I haven't seen any pre-orders open yet, but there's time for that to change.

How does the Xbox Ally compare to the Steam Deck

On paper, the Xbox Ally is actually fairly similar to the Steam Deck OLED, so a similar price would give the Steam Deck some real competition in a space where most handheld consoles are far more expensive than Valve's offering.

The Xbox Ally may be a step down from its beefier buddy but it's definitely not a weakling on paper. With a version of Windows 11 optimized for gaming and a new Xbox interface, this could be a tempting offer compared to the Steam Deck.

More from Tom's Guide

• I tried the Asus TUF Gaming A18 with an RTX 5070 and it changed my mind about 18-inch gaming laptops
• I just tried Nacon’s new Xbox controller — and I never want to play with a regular controller again
• Microsoft alters how Xbox controllers access the Task menu in Windows 11 — how it works

It’s been a long time, MSI. Ever since testing the first claw, the question has been loud and clear from me: “when will you make an AMD version?” Intel’s cool and all, and the recent updates to Arc graphics have made the Claw 8+ AI a seriously capable gaming machine.

But finally, the MSI Claw A8 sporting Ryzen Z2 Extreme is here, and I’m mightily impressed by the performance, stamina, and the attention to detail on the ergonomics to make this a premium way to play.

Is it something I’d say is worth upgrading to from a Z1 Extreme handheld if you have one? No — you’ve got more than enough with that system, and the incoming Xbox Full Screen Experience update should bring better performance as I saw with the ROG Xbox Ally. Speaking of, this is still full-fat Windows 11 out of the box, which continues to be awkward to use.

But when it comes to those who are enthusiasts looking to get into PC gaming on-the-go, this is a strong option with Hall Effect joysticks, a nice design that feels great to grip and play for hours on end, and a buttery smooth display… So what’s the problem?

Well, put simply, the price is rather bonkers for handheld gaming. We know it’ll cost £849 in the U.K. and around €999 in Europe, but MSRP for the U.S. is currently under wraps (rumors are pointing to $899 or maybe even $999).

Some may say it earns that cost with blistering performance, a large display, big battery cell and a great feel in the hand. But given the minor gains over Z1 Extreme, the fact you could get a Steam Deck OLED for half the price, and strong gaming laptops for the same cost, we’re through the looking glass.

If you can afford it, and if you’re a keen PC gamer with ultraportable requirements, this is a mighty option. But think twice before you buy, as there are better value for money options.

MSI Claw A8: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? This is a Windows gaming handheld — the first to launch sporting the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme.
• Who is it for? This is for gaming enthusiasts who want to take their PC library with them, while not having the space for anything bulky like a gaming laptop
• What does it cost? You can pick one up for £849. The U.S. price is yet to be disclosed.
• What do we like? MSI’s move to AMD has paid off big here — performance is more consistently impressive over the Intel-armed MSI Claw 8 AI+. On top of that, you’re getting the same great display, same large battery that lasts a little longer too, and improved ergonomics with hall effect sticks for comfortable control over hours.
• What don’t we like? It’s Windows 11 again, but that should be fixed in time with the Xbox Full Screen Experience update. But ultimately, the main issue here is that price. We don’t know the MSRP in USD yet, but signs are pointing to $1,000 and that’s a big price for a gaming handheld.

MSI Claw A8: Specs

MSI Claw A8: The ups

MSI has really done its homework here — listening to what people do and don’t like about the current crop of gaming handhelds, and really applying it here in the Claw A8.

Upping the performance

Any time I’ve dabbled with the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme, I’ve been impressed with the power gains. In the MSI Claw A8 paired with 24GB of LPDDR5x RAM to eliminate any memory obstacles, AAA titles absolutely purr on this handheld.

The company claims up to a 30% performance improvement, and while that is true when at the maximum 33W power profile, 17W does garner roughly 20-25% uplifts, and faster frame rates than the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V in the Claw 8 AI+.

Of course, just like any PC gaming, a little bit of tinkering is needed to put any AAA game you’re playing in the right frame for your gameplay needs. Example: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 with FSR at 1080p tuned to a series of high and medium settings can garner a rock-solid 60 FPS — all keeping cool under sustained load with the new Cooler Boost HyperFlow thermal management inside.

And that 80Whr cell inside the Claw A8 is capable of decently long gaming sessions — a little less than the Ryzen Z1 Extreme with a same-size battery in the ROG Ally X, but not to the point that I’m griping about it.

MSI does tout an Endurance Mode, which provided your gaming intent is more Indie, you can take advantage of. I was able to get Silksong running at 60 FPS at medium brightness for a touch over three hours.

All-in-all, this is the most powerful gaming handheld I’ve dealt with. It’s power may be somewhat masked by the bloated Windows 11 running in the background, but you’re not going to have a bad time here.

Ergonomic (and style) improvements

Honestly, I was getting pretty tired of every gaming handheld looking like the same black box in your hands. So the white or green finish here really does make this dynamically stand out from the pack — it actually feels fun to look at, and fun to hold too, as MSI has really done some great work with the ergonomics here.

The hand grips are a lot more blockier now, which did make me nervous at first about those edges digging into my hands, but they do add a little more of a chunk for you to grip onto. Plus the Hall Effect joysticks and triggers have a nice smoothness to them for the gameplay.

There is a fair bit more heft to this at 1.7 pounds, but the weight distribution is evenly balanced across the system, and the thickness of those grips does reduce that pressure on your wrists to keep it held up. But also, those USB-C ports do support AR glasses, and I’ve been having a really good time on long haul flights with the Viture Luma Pro specs.

Great screen and speakers

Much like the Claw 8 AI+, you are getting an 8-inch LCD panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio, 120Hz refresh rate and a 1920 x 1200-pixel resolution. I will keep demanding OLED, especially at a price like this (more on that later), but as far as gaming handhelds go, this is one of the better screens out there — bright and crispy, and colorful even when you turn that brightness down to extract more battery.

But more surprisingly good has been the speakers. Normally, I would always point you towards buying a pair of wired headphones, because the tweeters are usually rather tinny and they never overwhelm the fan noise without distorting.

But MSI has done something impressive here. If you don’t have a good headset to immerse yourself, the speakers here have impressive definition in gameplay, and can go loud to block out any loud fan noise when in the midst of Cyberpunk 2077.

MSI Claw A8: The downs

One comes with a question mark, and one is a problem that should (hopefully) resolve itself soon — in fact, I’m actually in the process of testing it as we speak.

Enough of Windows 11

MSI Center M does some hard work here to try and keep you away from using Windows 11. But you will have to interact with it, and just like I’ve said many times before, it’s pretty terrible to use on a touchscreen.

When gaming, and when you have titles installed, the home screen MSI offers along with quick settings integrated directly into the Xbox Game Bar is a great way to tweak things and switch titles on the fly.

However, these just feel like band-aids over the ultimate problem that is the albatross of a desktop OS hanging over the neck of this system. Background processes are absolutely dragging this system down in terms of performance and battery life.

Now, a fix is on the way with the Xbox Full Screen Experience. In fact, if you download Windows 11 25H2 (like I just have), you can get access to an early version of this. But I’m not going to review something on the promise of a thing coming down the line. As of right now, it’s just a muddled UI.

Price = yikes

Now, I can’t go ahead and say this is entirely MSI’s fault. Inflation and tariff mania has taken a hold of handheld gaming, and beefier options like this were always going to be the hardest hit.

The Asus ROG Ally X with Z1 Extreme went up to $899, so while the price in USD of the Claw A8 is unknown, I wouldn’t be surprised if the cost could be $999. I mean the Intel version is $999 as well!

This puts it into the same territory where you could get a gaming laptop with vastly more power for the same price (if you’re a frames-per-dollar kinda person). But I’m more looking at this from what you can actually get at lower prices.

Granted, it won’t be this level of performance. However, you can still get a great gaming experience out of the Steam Deck OLED for a far lower price. Either that or go full console and snag the Nintendo Switch 2. At the known price of £849, this is a steeply priced option when you could get cheaper thrills.

MSI Claw A8: Verdict

And that’s the story of the MSI Claw A8. Chances are if you’re reading this, you’re already the kind of person that’s ready to take a big hit on the price. And if you do fall into that audience, and you don’t already have a Z1 Extreme system, this is a great option.

Performance and battery life are good, the ergonomics are great, and this is a great-looking option. But while it is indeed a good option, I have one piece of advice for you: wait.

The ROG Xbox Ally X is just around the corner, and so is the Xbox UI too. And in my time testing this, it’s what handhelds have been waiting for this entire time in terms of unlocking power and stamina.

This could also mean that Ryzen Z1 Extreme systems are back on the table too with this game-changing update, and you could save yourself some pennies. But in the immediate, if you are chasing speeds and feeds, this is the one to buy right now.

I miss netbooks. There, I said it. Yes, they were always super cramped to use, packed touchpads that even a mouse would describe as “a little small,” and they were drastically underpowered to boot. But there was something special about having such a tiny Windows device for getting stuff done.

But after testing the world’s first glasses-free 3D laptop-handheld hybrid at IFA 2025, I had a crystallizing moment — the netbook craze has been in front of me the entire time and I just didn’t see it.

As my friend Cale Hunt over at Windows Central surmised, gaming handhelds are the new netbooks. Reading his thoughts last month, I wasn't convinced. But after going hands-on with the Digiera Holomax, he's definitely onto something!

Let me explain why.

Power play

One thing that I sure am glad isn’t coming over from netbooks is the lack of raw horsepower. This is a beast that should be able to hang with the likes of the Xbox ROG Ally X — packing an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chip, up to 64GB of RAM and up to 4TB of storage.

For stamina, there’s an 80 Wh battery that the company says can last 10 hours (...sus), and everything is kept cool with a mix of copper heat pipes, an aluminum heatsink and a 4,200 RPM fan.

But we’ve got to talk about the screen here: an 11-inch 2560 x 1600-pixel resolution panel that is capable of autostereoscopic 3D. Using a smart eye-tracking system built into the bezel, it can find your peepers, and use AI to convert 2D content to 3D for your eyes only. The effect is impressive — it reminds me of Acer’s SpatialLabs 3D tech in terms of producing a crispy picture that doesn’t hurt your eyes.

And of course, this is a hybrid device. You’re currently seeing it in handheld mode with those ergonomically sound controllers attached magnetically on the side, but there’s also a keyboard to attach to the bottom too. Once you attach the board and begin to type, your mind is taken back to the Netbook era.

One big problem

But with all of this, there’s one crucial issue. MSRP: $2,699. In the gaming handheld space, that’s diabolical. Even in the laptop space, that’s unseemly — the Asus ROG Flow Z13 with its monster Ryzen AI Max+ 395 CPU (vastly better at gaming than the Holomax’s 370) is $400 cheaper.

That’s steep and if this makes it to market, I can’t in good conscience say you should buy it. This is an interesting device for sure — the form factor and ways to use make it a fascinating one to play on. But for nearly three grand? You'd best be absolutely sure this is everything you’ve ever wanted.

Outlook

More from Tom's Guide

• I went hands-on with the Lenovo Legion Go 2 — I love the OLED panel, but I’m worried about the price
• I just tested the ROG Xbox Ally — here's 3 things I love about it (and 2 that I don't)
• Is the Steam Deck still worth it in 2025? I'd argue yes — but with caveats

The Lenovo Legion Go 2 (starting at $1,099) updates the original Legion Go in meaningful ways thanks to its vibrant OLED panel, ergonomic design and new AMD Ryzen Z2 chip. Like before, Lenovo’s device also has Nintendo Switch 2-like detachable controllers and runs on Windows 11. While the Legion Go 2 is certainly impressive, all those updates come at a steep cost.

Getting into specifics, the large 8.8-inch OLED touch display is a marvel to behold, and makes the 7- or 8-inch panels on rival handhelds appear tiny in comparison. It’s hard to properly convey how great the OLED appears in person, but suffice it to say it’s arguably the best-looking screen on a handheld. I can’t undersell the display even if I tried.

As one of the few gaming handhelds to feature the latest AMD Ryzen Z2 or Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip, the Legion Go 2 is capable of delivering impressive performance. I say it’s “capable” since you’ll need to tinker with the in-game graphics and display settings—not to mention turn on the frame-boosting FSR in games that support it—to get the best results. While you might not see radically better performance in comparison to other handhelds, the extra 5-10 frames can make a big difference.

The Legion Go 2 is the largest gaming handheld from a major manufacturer. While it’s more comfortable to hold thanks to its rounded edges, it can still get heavy after prolonged use. Thankfully, you can use the built-in kickstand and set the device on a desk while you play. You can also detach the controllers while the handheld is in “tabletop” mode, if you want.

While I like what the Legion Go 2 has to offer, it won't be one of the best handheld gaming consoles for everyone—and not just because of the steep asking price that can climb as high as $1,479. As always, Windows 11 is still clunky to use on a handheld. I also wish the battery life were longer.

Faults aside, the Lenovo Legion Go 2’s amazing OLED display, unique design and strong gaming performance might make the system worth the high asking price for some. I’ll detail all of the handheld’s strengths and weaknesses in my full review.

Lenovo Legion Go 2 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The Lenovo Legion Go 2 is a gaming handheld featuring an 8.8-inch OLED panel, the latest AMD Z2 chip, and detachable controllers.
• Who is it for? Folks who want a Windows 11 handheld with a large OLED panel, the latest AMD mobile processor and a unique design.
• What does it cost? The Legion Go 2 starts at $1,099 at Best Buy and features the base AMD Z2 chip, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Our review unit costs $1,349 and packs the more powerful AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip and 32GB of RAM.
• What do we like? We like the vivid OLED panel, detachable controllers and decent gaming performance.
• What don’t we like? The asking price is high, and Windows 11 still isn’t a great OS for handhelds.

Lenovo Legion Go 2 review: Specs

Lenovo Legion Go 2 review: The ups

The Legion Go 2 stands out thanks to its vibrant 8.8-inch OLED panel and Switch-like detachable controllers. And with some settings tweaks, it can also deliver strong gaming performance.

Vivid OLED panel

Besides its unique design (which I’ll cover shortly), the Legion Go 2 stands out due to its gorgeous 8.8-inch OLED panel. Only a handful (pun intended) of handhelds feature an OLED panel, so this is a huge selling point.

In addition to the contrast the OLED panel provides, the Legion Go 2 supports HDR, which the previous model lacked. When I fired up Cyberpunk 2077, I was impressed by Night City’s bright and vibrant neon lights and holograms. Everything looked equally mesmerizing when I swung around Manhattan in Marvel's Spider-Man 2. The OLED panel is a wonder to behold.

Our lab tests confirm my experience. As you can see above, the Legion Go 2 delivers oversaturated colors (sRGB and DCI-P3) compared to the Legion Go S and Asus ROG Ally X. Lenovo’s latest handheld also has strong color accuracy (Delta-E).

One thing to note is that the Legion Go 2 has a lower 1200p resolution from its predecessor’s 1600p. That might sound bad, but it doesn’t make an appreciable difference when you’re playing—especially when you’re so enthralled by the OLED panel. The buttery smooth 144Hz refresh rate also helps you forget about the lower (but still sharp) resolution.

Strong performance (with FSR)

Our Lenovo Legion Go 2 review unit (valued at $1,349) packs an AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Thanks to those components, I expected big performance gains over handhelds with the now last-gen Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor. While the Legion Go 2 can deliver impressive performance, you’ll have to seriously tinker with the settings to get there.

In our lab tests, we run several games through their respective built-in benchmark tool with graphics set to Ultra at a device’s native resolution. At those maxed-out settings, the Legion Go 2 struggles to deliver satisfying performance.

As you can see in the table above, Cyberpunk 2077 can barely run at 5 frames per second, which is decidedly unplayable. Dirt 5 fares decently at 34 fps, while Far Cry 6 can barely hit 30 frames per second. These results are bad enough, but they’re made worse when you see that the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme-powered machine has marginally better performance than handhelds with the Z1 Extreme chip.

While our in-house testing paints a bleak picture, my own anecdotal testing shows the potential of AMD’s latest handheld APU.

I was initially disappointed when I started playing Cyberpunk 2077 and saw frame rates hover in the mid-30s in the game’s default graphical and display settings. Lowering the resolution to 800p bumped the frame rates into the high 50s/low 60s, though I wasn’t happy losing visual fidelity. Thankfully, enabling AMD’s FSR 3 boosted the framerate to the mid-50s at the native 1200p resolution. I consider that a good compromise of graphical quality and gaming performance.

You can bring up the Legion Go 2’s Quick Settings sidebar to adjust things like performance, display resolution and refresh rate, controller vibration, and more. To get the best performance possible, you can toggle on Radeon Super Resolution (RSR) within the General sub-menu. I didn’t get the best results until I toggled this option, so it’s important to keep that in mind to get smooth gameplay.

If you take the time to adjust system and game settings, the Legion Go 2 can offer impressive gaming performance. If it wasn’t clear already, FSR is the Legion Go 2’s secret weapon for smoother gameplay.

Ergonomic design

Design-wise, the Legion Go 2 is largely similar to its predecessor. With the controllers attached, the handheld measures 11.64 x 5.38 x 1.66 inches and weighs 2.03 pounds. That’s slightly bigger and heavier than the original, but it’s much more comfortable to hold thanks to its rounder controller grips and even weight distribution.

That said, the Legion Go 2 might become heavy to hold for long periods. Thankfully, you can use the kickstand on the back to set up the handheld on a flat surface and play that way. There’s also an optional Switch-like grip for the controllers, though we didn’t receive one with our review unit. If the Legion Go 2 gets too heavy, you can always follow my lead and keep it on a table with the controllers attached.

The detachable controllers aren’t radically different, but they have been redesigned with more ergonomic lines, a smoother feel and a more intuitive button layout. As before, you can use the right controller as a vertical mouse for more natural control in FPS games.

The Hall Effect joysticks are fluid and responsive, with just the right amount of tension when you move them. I also love the larger and rounded D-pad, which is better suited for playing fighting games like Street Fighter 6. And in case you were wondering, the new controllers are backward compatible with the original Legion Go.

Last but not least is the port selection. You get the same number as before, which includes two USB-C/USB 4 ports, one located on the top and the other on the bottom. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microSD card slot. The power button also has a fingerprint reader, like the original Legion Go.

Lenovo Legion Go 2 review: The downs

There’s a lot to like about the Legion Go 2, but the handheld also has several downsides that could deter you from purchasing this device.

Steep price

Right now, the Legion Go 2 is the most expensive gaming handheld available from a major manufacturer. It certainly has great features, but its price point will no doubt be a deterrent for many potential buyers.

The Legion Go 2 starts at $1,099 for a model with the regular Ryzen Z2 chip and a whopping $1,479 for a fully decked out model with 2TB. In comparison, the Asus ROG Xbox Ally with a Z2 chip starts at $599 for the base model, while the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally X with a Z2 Extreme chip costs $999. That latter price isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s still less expensive than even the base Legion Go 2.

Considering how the original Steam Deck is currently selling for $319 (down from $380), the Legion Go 2’s high price isn’t easy to swallow.

Midling battery life

Like gaming laptops, gaming handhelds don’t have the best battery life. And while the Legion Go 2 boasts great battery life when surfing the web, its gaming battery life won’t win any awards.

In our battery test, which involves continuous web surfing at 150 nits of screen brightness, the Legion Go 2 lasted for 10 hours and 45 minutes. If you want to use the system for basic tasks like web surfing or watching videos, you can do so for a reasonable length of time. That said, if you’re interested in the Legion Go 2’s primary function, i.e., gaming, don’t expect it to endure long.

In the PCMark 10 gaming battery test, the Legion Go 2 lasted for 2 hours and 15 minutes. That’s slightly longer than its predecessor, but an hour less than the ROG Ally X. If you plan to play this system while on the road, don’t forget to bring its included 65W charger.

Windows 11

If you’ve read any of our handheld reviews or opinion pieces, then you know we’re not fond of Windows 11 for handhelds.

While the OS is great for the best gaming laptops and the best gaming PCs, it doesn't work well with a handheld's control scheme. Since you can't navigate through most of Windows (especially the desktop), you're forced to move the mouse cursor with the right analog stick, or otherwise use your finger like you would on one of the best tablets. This can be a chore, even on the large 8.8-inch screen.

Windows 11 also seems to contribute to slowing down gaming performance and battery life, which is something we noted when we installed SteamOS on the original ROG Ally X and saw improved performance and battery life.

Windows 11 might have greater game compatibility and system customization than SteamOS, but Valve’s OS is specifically designed for handhelds, so it’s easy to jump into your favorite games without a hassle. This is evident not only on the Steam Deck, but on Lenovo’s own Legion Go S with SteamOS.

Given the usability of SteamOS and how the ROG Xbox Ally has a lighter version of Windows more suitable for handhelds, a handheld running pure Windows 11 seems even more glaring.

Lenovo Legion Go 2 review: Verdict

The Legion Go 2 just comes up short of being an easy recommendation. Sure, I love the gorgeous OLED display, and you can get pretty good gaming performance with some tinkering. The more ergonomic design and smooth Hall effect joysticks are also huge bonuses.

Unfortunately, the system’s affordability ultimately makes it a hard sell; the fact that it runs on basic Windows only compounds the frustration. However, if and when we’re able to install the leaner version of Windows that’s on the ROG Xbox Ally the Legion Go 2 could be a more enticing gaming handheld—especially if Lenovo cuts the price or runs a big sale.

As things currently stand, you might want to consider a cheaper alternative, such as the Steam Deck OLED ($649) or the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally ($999). However, if you can stomach the price you can have a lot of fun with the Legion Go 2. For what it offers, it’s still a great handheld…just not the best.

A new Lenovo Legion Go 2 leak just revealed the handheld’s full specs. The information in question comes from a known leaker, Evan Blass (via GamesRadar), who posted what appears to be press release slides on X (formerly Twitter). If this leak is accurate, it confirms some information we already knew and some that has been speculated.

Specs-wise, Lenovo’s handheld can be configured with either an AMD Ryzen Z2 chip or the more powerful AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme. The handheld will have up to 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage. If true, the entry-level model could sport a Ryzen Z2 chip, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, with the latter two being similar to what other entry-level handhelds feature.

As I learned when I went hands-on with a Legion Go 2 prototype during this year’s CES, the Legion Go 2 sports an OLED panel. According to the leak, the display will have a 1200p resolution and 144Hz refresh rate. 1200p resolution is actually lower than the current Legion Go’s 1600p, which is interesting. But considering we’re getting an OLED panel, the trade-off might be worth it.

And like the original, the Legion Go 2 will have detachable controllers similar to the Nintendo Switch 2. The controllers aren’t radically different, though they’re more rounded to provide a better grip. The biggest change I noticed when I tried the prototype was the rounded d-pad, which should make it easier to play fighting games on the Legion Go 2.

This leak doesn’t discuss price, but given how gaming consoles now cost more thanks to the ongoing tariff situation, I don’t expect the Legion Go 2 will be cheap. The Legion Go currently costs $749, but it originally started at $599. Handhelds like the Asus ROG Ally X are also now more expensive than before. In other words, the Legion Go 2, with its OLED display and beefier specs, could command a steep price.

As always, take this (and any) leak with a healthy dose of skepticism. IFA 2025 kicks off in a few days, so we’ll hopefully learn more about the Lenovo Legion Go 2 at that time. Stay tuned for updates as we hear them!

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With the Lenovo Legion Go 2 now expected to be revealed in just a few days at IFA 2025, a big question is how much the gaming handheld will cost. As feared, it won't come cheap, and the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally X looks to undercut it.

According to Notebookcheck, an anonymous source has reached out to bring price and release details on Lenovo's next-gen gaming handheld. As per the source, Lenovo plans to launch the Legion Go 2 for €999 in Europe, with orders set to go live in early September.

However, in the U.S., Lenovo only looks to start selling the Legion Go 2 in November, with pricing between $1,049 and $1,099. This is a tall ask, and further proves that premium gaming handheld costs are going off the rails.

If accurate, this will make the Legion Go 2 even pricier than its biggest rivals, including the MSI Claw A8 and ROG Xbox Ally X. The former has been spotted in France for €899 (originally €999 in Germany and now £849 in the U.K.), while the latter has been seen for €899, with rumors indicating Microsoft's handheld will start at $899 in the U.S.

Of course, it's a good idea to take this all in with a pinch of salt, as the source doesn't provide information this claim is based on. Moreover, the source states that Lenovo is still working out U.S. pricing, and that's highly likely due to tariffs.

Notebookcheck also provided a YouTube video of the leaked Legion Go 2 from Evan Blass. Check out what to expect below:

It may only be a few days until we see Lenovo's pricing and release plans on its Legion Go 2, but by the looks of it, the next-gen gaming handheld may struggle against it's (possibly) lower-priced competition

The price of handheld power

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Last week, we heard that the Lenovo Legion Go 2 was expected to be revealed at IFA 2025. Now, it appears the rumor was accurate, as a major leak shows the anticipated handheld is set to arrive in just a few days.

Reliable leaker Evan Blass revealed promotion materials to be used at Lenovo's event at IFA 2025, showcasing the Lenovo Legion Go 2. With the event set to kick off on September 5, it may not be long until we see the next-gen gaming handheld be officially announced.

As expected, the promo video shows that the Legion Go 2 will come equipped with an AMD Ryzen Extreme Z2, as with the MSI Claw A8 and ROG Xbox Ally X. It will also come with an 8.8-inch 1600p OLED panel with a 144Hz refresh rate, an upgrade over the original Legion Go, and the usual detachable Legion Truestike controllers — this time with fingerprint resistant "next-gen excimer coasting" and an improved back button layout.

We've seen plenty of leaks of the Legion Go 2, and these now appear to be accurate. We should also expect at least 1TB of SSD storage (going up to 2TB) and 32GB of RAM, along with an upgraded battery capacity of 74Whr.

Pricing is still up in the air, and an official launch date is still uncertain. However, considering this leaked reveal, it's likely that pre-orders will kick off in September, with the handheld being shipped in October.

That said, it's believed the Legion Go 2 will be priced at $1,000, and seeing how the Legion Go S with a Ryzen Z1 Extreme costs $829, the upgraded Legion Go 2 is sure to be set at a higher price.

Hopefully, the Legion Go 2 will be able to run SteamOS like its Legion Go S sibling, but it appears to only run on Windows 11. That said, at least a gaming handheld UI for Windows 11 overhaul is on the way.

So, with the Lenovo Legion Go 2 looking to launch very soon, is a Steam Deck 2 still worth the wait? Well, according to a recent rumor, you'll be waiting quite a while.

The wait for Steam Deck 2 will be longer

As noted by known hardware leaker KeplerL2 on a NeoGAF forum, the Steam Deck 2 is now rumored to release in 2028. This was in response to a comment asking if new handheld PC releases from MSI or Valve would outshine the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally set to release on October 16, with KeplerL2 stating, "Steam Deck 2 is 2028."

We've heard rumors of the Steam Deck 2 being in the works, with a leaked AMD "Magnus" Zen 6 APU giving Valve a reason to deliver the significant performance boost it's looking for in its next handheld console. However, this rumored chip (or a form of it) isn't expected to arrive until 2027, so this may line up with KeplerL2's rumor.

If accurate, we'll be waiting a long time until a Steam Deck 2 arrives. We may even see a PlayStation handheld in the meantime, but for now, it's looking like we have a Lenovo Legion Go 2 to look forward to.

And who knows, maybe the Steam Deck 2 may act as a next-gen PlayStation handheld.

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I wasn’t impressed when the Asus ROG Xbox Ally was originally unveiled. While the promised performance gains that the AMD Z2 Extreme chip could offer over the Z1 Extreme-powered Asus ROG Ally X sounded appealing, this new handheld seemed like little more than the latter with Xbox branding and some reworked controller grips. The fact that it would be a Windows 11-based handheld was also a turn-off, especially since Valve allows SteamOS on other platforms.

Now that both the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X have been fully unveiled during Gamescom 2025, my skepticism is waning. In fact, you could say I’m optimistic about the upcoming handheld. I like that Xbox is working with its game studio partners to test and optimize the best PC games for handheld compatibility, and that the Z2 Extreme model will utilize AI upscaling to deliver sharper graphics and smoother performance. And if rumors are true, the $599 starting price isn’t as high as it could have been.

Everything I mentioned above is reason enough to be excited about the ROG Xbox Ally. However, there’s one aspect that my colleague Jason England discussed in his Asus ROG Xbox Ally hands-on preview that has me truly hyped for this system—and it’s something I’ve wanted from Windows handhelds for years. What is that? A simplified Windows 11 that boots into an easy-to-use UI. If this feature makes the ROG Xbox Ally as user-friendly as a Steam Deck, it could be one of the best handheld gaming consoles.

Windows 11 sucks for handhelds

This is something we’ve said for years, but Windows 11 sucks for gaming handhelds. Since Windows 11 isn’t designed for controller inputs, you’re forced to use touch controls to do anything outside of a device’s game launcher, which isn’t exactly easy on a small screen. You can use the right analog stick to move the mouse cursor, but it’s a clunky exercise. Also, I don’t want to be offered a free subscription to Office 365 when setting up a gaming device!

Windows 11 also impacts battery life and performance since the operating system is running tasks in the background, most of which have nothing to do with whatever game you’re playing. When Jason turned his ROG Ally X into a Steam Deck by replacing Windows 11 with SteamOS, he noticed a significant difference in performance and battery life, with both improving by an average of 25%.

Windows 11 has been the proverbial albatross around the neck of handhelds utilizing Microsoft’s operating system. Yes, Windows 11 offers greater game compatibility and customization than SteamOS, but if you want a handheld you can pick up and play, Windows 11 machines don’t provide a seamless experience. Thankfully, it appears the ROG Xbox Ally will have a gaming handheld-centric version of Windows 11.

A handheld-friendly Windows

As Jason explains in his preview, the Xbox Ally boots directly into an Xbox UI. It’s not only a simpler front end, but it also dumps all of those aforementioned unnecessary background processes. This leaves more headroom for the processor and RAM to focus on gaming, which results in higher frame rates.

This also allows for a more controller-friendly interface, with quick settings available with the press of a button and a multitasking viewer. Asus’ Armoury Crate launcher is still here, and you can use it for further fine-tuning power profiles and more. This sounds like a complete departure from what we’re used to from Windows handhelds, and I’m absolutely here for it.

This is something we’ve yet to see, but I’d like to know if we’ll still have to set up Windows 11 when we power the ROG Xbox Ally for the first time. That would be annoying, but if I don’t ever have to see the Windows 11 desktop after the initial install, then I can accept that—even if I'd still have to decline the free Office 365 subscription.

Outlook

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The rumored Lenovo Legion Go 2 may beat the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally to the finish line, as the next-gen gaming handheld is expected to be announced in just a few weeks — just in time for IFA 2025.

Lenovo has announced an event at IFA, which many on Reddit believe will come with news on the Legion Go 2. This is set to take place on September 5, with the website's keywords (via VideoCardz) indicating it will show off upcoming ThinkPad, ThinkBook and Aura Edition laptops, along with "Legion" and "Legion Gaming" products.

Of course, it isn't certain if this event will give us details on Lenovo's next gaming handheld, as the company has been tight-lipped about the Legion Go 2. That said, there's been plenty of leaks on the console, and signs have been pointing towards a September launch — or at least a reveal.

When will it launch?

According to a leaked prototype video of the Legion Go 2, which showed off an 8.8-inch OLED display and an AMD Ryzen Z2 processor (with the final product likely coming with the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme, as with the MSI Claw A8 and ROG Xbox Ally X), it's been rumored that the Legion Go 2 will launch in September.

However, with Lenovo's event taking place at IFA 2025, there's reason to believe that the gaming handheld will at least be announced for then, with pre-orders kicking off in September. If this is the case, it's likely to go on shelves sometime in October. But it's possible that it will start shipping at the end of September, too.

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Back in the ‘90s, I was a Game Boy kid — I even loved those late night drives back from vacation where you had to wait for passing street lights to see what was on the (non-backlit) screen! But the real beauty of it was the games were purposely built for on-the-go play to instantly hook you.

That’s something I believe has gone missing in 2025. We’re surrounded by vastly more powerful systems like the Steam Deck OLED and ROG Xbox Ally, which do allow for incredible-looking games that tell infinitely better stories with vast amounts of gameplay depth. But with all that complexity, they can take a while to get to the good part, whereas Game Boy games ditched all of that unnecessary guff and just got to the point.

But with any sort of old tech fondness, am I looking at it through rose-tinted glasses? I do miss my Commodore 64 (even got a keyboard in honor of it), but when I went back to it, you realize that it just didn’t age well. Is that the same with Nintendo’s handheld?

Well, after daily-driving the ModRetro Chromatic for a few weeks, I can safely say that’s not the case. Game Boy games still slap, and the Chromatic is the best way to play them. Let me tell you about it.

Premium Boy

There’s a lot of things I miss about the original Game Boy, but if there are two things I definitely don’t long for, those would be the cheap plastic and the display without a backlight. The Chromatic addresses both of these head-on, and feels all the more premium for it!

First, you’re getting a 2.6-inch 160x144-pixel IPS display with great color and backlighting, so those play sessions don’t have to end when the sun goes down. The subpixel structure has also been worked on to be as authentic to the original Game Boy as possible, and it really shows whether you're in or outdoors thanks to that bright backlight. Also shout-out to the ultra-loud speaker in here too — great clarity and prime for blasting out those 8-bit soundtracks.

And second, there’s a rock solid magnesium alloy body here, which feels great to hold and gives you a real confidence in its durability. Pair that with either Gorilla Glass atop the screen for scratch resistance, or you could pay an extra $100 and get Sapphire, and my two biggest bugbears about the original handheld have been resolved.

Emulation, but done right

So if you’re like me, chances are you’ve gone back to the family home and found a shoebox full of old games that you’re keen to play. A lot of the cheaper retro systems you can buy on Amazon pack a software-level emulator. It does the job, but can bring with it pesky bugs and issues of lag between you pushing buttons and the character moving on-screen.

The ModRetro does this differently with a Field-Programmable Gate Array architecture (FGPA). Basically, rather than throwing the Game Boy game through a software emulation layer, the Chromatic replicates the hardware — the game is actually played without any of that software trickery needed.

That guarantees a lag-free gaming experience across all the Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges I threw at this handheld, and the authenticity is backed up by all the small-but-critical decisions made too.

The sub-pixel structure and color balance are tuned to match Nintendo’s hardware, the PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) buttons have been tested to replicate that same tactile feel. You could even play multiplayer just like in the past with an optional Link Cable.

All of this comes together to give you the best look back at your childhood, and not only that, but ModRetro is taking some notes from modern day to enrich the gaming possibilities too.

Physical game cartridges, but better

ModRetro is producing its own game cartridges too. Each Chromatic comes bundled with a copy of Tetris, but there are other addictive titles like Dragonyhm and Toki Tori — Ultimate Edition to be had too.

But this is where the modern inspiration comes in, because using a feature called Cart Clinic, developers can actually push updates to their games. Just plug it in via USB-C to your PC or Mac, fire up the software and apply the patch.

Most recently, this has opened up the insanely addictive Battle Mode in Tetris: the best multiplayer mode from the original title on Game Boy.

Basically, as you wipe out lines, those lines are then added to the competing player’s screen. It’s crazy good fun, and a real showcase example of how you can continue to support these games even after they’ve been pushed on silicon!

Outlook

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The Asus and Xbox co-developed ROG Xbox Ally will be here soon. During Gamescom 2025, Asus announced that its highly anticipated Xbox handheld launches on October 16 in the United States and markets across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. And as we previously reported, there will be two versions— the entry-level ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X.

The base ROG Xbox Ally will pack an AMD Ryzen Z2 chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. Then there’s the ROG Xbox Ally X, which has a more powerful AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor with a 50 TOPS NPU, 24GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. The latter will sport a larger 80Wh battery compared to the former’s smaller 60Wh battery.

One interesting tidbit from today's news is that Xbox has been working with its game studio partners to test and optimize a slew of PC games for handheld compatibility. The new “Handheld Compatibility Program” exists to ensure that folks have a relatively seamless gaming experience on both ROG Xbox Ally handhelds.

Compatible games will have “Handheld Optimize” or “Mostly Compatible” badges. This is the equivalent of the Steam Deck Verified badge for Valve’s handheld.

What does Handheld Optimized mean? It means games will work with default controller inputs, feature legible text, and have appropriate resolution in full-screen mode. These games will also have “intuitive text input method” and “accurate” iconography, which could mean a virtual keyboard for inputting text, and have UI elements adjusted for the handheld. Games with the Mostly Compatible badge might require you to tweak settings in-game for a better handheld experience.

The new Xbox handhelds will also have advanced shader delivery. Basically, the Xbox app will preload a game’s shaders during download, which should drastically reduce the time you have to wait to download and install a game. Waiting for shaders to download before you can play a game is annoying, so this feature is definitely appreciated.

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While there were handheld PCs before the Steam Deck, it would be fair to say that Valve’s just-about-portable marvel has played its part in a big push for handheld dominance, especially after Nintendo took a while to release its successor to its ludicrously popular Switch.

Still, 2025 is a very different time from 2022. Nintendo is back with a vengeance, and there are more powerful handhelds like the ASUS ROG Ally. Even Xbox is looking to get in on the action, so if you’ve not picked up a Steam Deck as of yet, have you missed your chance, especially as rumors swirl of a Steam Deck 2?

Let’s dig in.

The lay of the land

Between your Asus ROG Ally and ROG Ally X, MSI Claw 8 AI+, Logitech G Cloud, Lenovo Legion Go S and many more, it’d be fair to say we’ve gone from there being very little like the Steam Deck to having an absolute bevy of options — and that’s not even counting the much-improved Nintendo Switch 2.

This isn’t intended to be a comparison piece between the Steam Deck and its rivals, but it’s worth considering the options if you’re looking for the best handheld PC. Steam Deck can run Windows, but its strength lies in SteamOS (which is now coming to other handhelds) and its more console-like ease of use.

Looking to play Fortnite or Call of Duty Warzone? Those games simply aren’t supported on SteamOS, so you’re probably better off looking at alternatives. But, if you’ve got a huge Steam library or a backlog that you just can’t seem to chew through, Steam Deck (specifically the OLED model) is the way to go.

Letting off Steam

Booting up Steam Deck, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s more console than PC. Sure, you can boot into a Linux-based desktop mode and add other game launchers, but being able to grab the system, power it on and pick up where I was on Cyberpunk 2077 wherever I am is arguably better than on console, thanks to the way Steam Deck can quickly resume from sleep mode without messing with TV inputs and such.

Still, there have been suggestions that Valve’s console just doesn’t pack the punch it used to. Other handheld PCs have higher resolutions, better refresh rates and overall more power, while even the Switch 2 can run a fantastic port of the aforementioned Cyberpunk. Does the Steam Deck have enough power?

In many ways, it depends on your viewpoint. If you’ve got a nice gaming PC, you’ll get more frames and higher resolutions there, but being able to take games on the go at a very respectable 900p resolution still feels a little like witchcraft for anyone who once thought the Game Boy Color was the high watermark of handheld gaming.

Power up a Steam Deck in front of someone who’s never seen one before and show them 2022’s Elden Ring running so nicely on a handheld, or 2018’s Monster Hunter World, 2019’s Red Dead Redemption 2 (don’t jump to the comments, we’re talking PC release year) and they’ll likely care not one jot.

And yet, in 2025, is that enough? That depends on your desire to play the latest PC games, and while there will always be games that run well with a subtle tweak or two, there will be others that struggle or flat out won’t work because of the Linux base of SteamOS.

So, while I’m gutted I can’t play Destiny 2: Edge of Fate on my Steam Deck, I can console myself with knowing that Diablo 4 and Path of Exile 2 are great on the system, but it’s not the place I’d be playing Battlefield 6 when it launches, even if I could.

In short, it’s down to your choice of games, but it’s worth stressing just how massive the Steam library is and how easy it is to get started. I have games running back a decade or so, where I installed them to play on an old Intel MacBook or Sony Vaio laptop that I can install and be playing in comfort with just a few button presses.

Valve’s labelling system makes it easy to work out which games will be playable, and for me, there’s nothing like knowing I can jump into 2008’s Mirror’s Edge or 2013’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist on a modern-day system and have them run better than they did on the original hardware more often than not.

Bye-bye, backlog

In that sense, Steam Deck is the console for lapsed gamers that don’t want Microsoft Word on their portable handheld, but instead want to jump into cult classics like Hitman: Blood Money (my all-time favorite game, thanks for asking).

Add to that Steam’s frankly ridiculous (in a good way) discounts, and you can build a collection for a few dollars. Put that next to the Switch 2, which will charge you another $60 for the Elden Ring you already have on PC, and you can see how the Steam Deck more than holds its own.

All of this talk of convenience doesn’t mean there’s nothing for tinkerers to enjoy, either. Valve has been very happy to put frame counters and power charts front and center for anyone who wants them, while many users choose to swap out SSD drives for larger ones. That makes the Steam Deck a sort of "jack of all trades," and while it may not be a master at any one, it’s pretty fantastic at many of them.

Should you buy a Steam Deck in 2025?

The answer is a resounding yes, but with a handful of caveats attached. For one, it’s worth confirming if the games you want to play on Steam Deck will actually run on the system, either because of anticheat requirements or just plain old graphical grunt under the hood.

If the game doesn’t, you might want to look at an alternative, or consider playing on a console or a more traditional PC.

The other caveat is the model of Steam Deck you should go for. The LCD is a fantastic system, but the OLED surpasses it in every way. The screen is slightly bigger and much better, both in terms of brightness and contrast, and has a higher refresh rate, while it’s also got improved battery life and faster downloads thanks to Wi-Fi 6E.

In short, the Steam Deck OLED is the one to go for, and anyone picking one up in 2025 will be very, very happy.

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This is it! We’re down to the final two devices in our Handheld Showdown limited series on YouTube.

We compared some of the best handheld gaming consoles to let you pick which ones move forward in the bracket. As before, you shared your thoughts, voted, and we’re now down to the final match-up!

The two handhelds in question are the Asus ROG Ally X and the Steam Deck OLED. The original Asus ROG Ally and Steam Deck are popular devices, so it’s no surprise that their respective successors made it to the finals. We’ve seen some heated battles during this series, and this will surely be the hottest of them all.

As before, make sure to watch the latest episode embedded below and vote for which handheld wins! Please vote and drop your comments in the video or right here in this post. Let’s do this!

Vote for your favorite handheld gaming consoles now!

Handheld Showdown originally started with a bracket of eight, as determined by our audience’s ranks and input from our gaming experts.

We’re now down to the final two handhelds and need your help to decide which one will get crowned as the grand champion.

Here is the match-up, so please vote for the gaming handheld you think should win:

Asus ROG Ally X vs. Steam Deck OLED

It all comes down to this! The Asus ROG Ally X and Steam Deck OLED might not be the newest handhelds available, but they’ve proven themselves among gamers thanks to their portability, performance and robust gaming libraries. This is going to be one tough match-up!

What happens next?

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