The Handheld Market: Which one?

 The handheld market has always been difficult to choose from. From ROG Alloy which allows PC performance at a battery cost (and even price 650 dollars is a hefty price).  To the Steam Deck, which doesn't have a great screen, to the Nintendo Switch 2, which is dominating the handheld market right now. Which one though? Performance, good battery life, or cheapness? We're here to answer all your questions!

Before we start I would like to credit Linus Tech tips as i got most of the info there. If you want, just watch his video as reading will take forever and I know it.

Let's start with the Steam Deck. By the way, I know you guys are not tech experts but if you are I'm leaving the specs of each one of them

Specs of Steam Deck:

Aerith Zen 2 RDNA 2 GPU

16GB LPDDR5 5500MT/s RAM

40 WHR Battery

64 GB Expandable storage

7" 1280x800 60Hz LCD Display

This is probably the most popular option after the Nintendo Switch 2 and there's a reason for it. Steam OS is really slick and easy to navigate and also because of being a Linux based OS, it is way more efficient than a Windows Handheld. Also boot times are much less than a Windows Handheld. It's not the most powerful option in the Handheld market, and doesn't have a library bigger than a Windows Handheld. Considering you only have Steam and then also only around 19,000+ of those games actually compatible with the Steam Deck, it's not the greatest choice. But of course if you compare it to Nintendo Switch's library it still has way more games than Nintendo's 12,500+ games. It is the cheapest of all, it's price being $399.99.

How about we spice up the Steam Deck and talk about the better one, Steam Deck OLED!

Specs of Steam Deck OLED:

Sephiroth Zen 2 RDNA 2 GPU

16GB LPDDR5 6400MT/s RAM

50 WHR Battery

512 GB Expandable storage

7" 1280x800 60Hz OLED Display

Better storage, better battery, better display means buy it? Nope not yet. While it's OLED Screen is good, it still has its's performance issue, which doesn't even come close to the rest of the handhelds in this blog. It's way more pricier, priced at $549.99, but it makes sense as it's storage upgrade, it's faster RAM, it's longer battery life and most importantly, it's an OLED screen, 1,000 nits brightness, perfect blacks and HDR makes it all 10x better. Also it has a 90Hz Display which is not bad for the price but it still probably the least performance after the original Steam Deck.

ROG Ally

How about we spice up the performance with the ROG Alloy! Here are the beastly specs.

Specs of ROG Ally:

Z1 Extreme Zen 4 RDNA 3

16GB LPDDR5 6400MT/s

40 Whr Battery 

512 GB Expandable storage

7" 1920x1080 120Hz VRR LCD Display

Now I just go to the website and paste everything here which i will, but it will also include the downsides cause the product is trying to promote it's self and it'll be unfair.

Access to PC, Console, and Mobile Games –  

The ROG Ally allows you to play all games on any game platform, including Steam, Xbox Game Pass, Android apps, Epic, GOG, cloud gaming services, and more. No matter where you buy your games, you can play them on the Ally.  

90-Day Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Included -   

Play Forza Horizon, Minecraft Legends and hundreds of other PC games on the ROG Ally with 3 months of Game Pass included. With games added all the time, there is always something new to play. *Terms apply.  

Play the Way You Want

Game from anywhere in handheld mode, with a comfortable and ergonomic design that puts every button within easy reach. Weighing in at just 608 grams, the ROG Ally feels comfortable even during extended gaming sessions. Hook it up to your TV and connect multiple controllers to play with friends.  Transform ROG Ally into a full gaming PC set up by connecting to an ROG Mobile device and dock which supports an array of peripherals including a monitor, keyboard, mouse and more.  

Groundbreaking performance –  

Powered by Windows 11 Home, an AMD Ryzen™ Z1 Extreme APU with RDNA3 graphics, 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, and 512 GB PCIe® 4.0 SSD. The Ally makes playing AAA games on the palm of your hand possible.   

ROG Intelligent Cooling –  

ROG’s all-new Zero Gravity thermal system and dual fan design keep the Ally cool and quiet at any orientation, letting you game your way. Dual fans with fluid dynamic bearing design, dust filters, and Anti-Gravity heatpipes work in harmony to sustain peak performance while keeping fan noise low.  

Stunningly Beautiful Visuals –  

Enjoy high-quality visuals on the go with the Ally. Thanks to its 7-inch Full HD touchscreen display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync™ Premium technology, games appear crisp and clear.  

UHS-II MicroSD card slot – 

A dedicated UHS-II microSD card slot allows you to effortlessly add high-speed storage to your machine, so you can keep more games installed and ready to play.  

Seamless User Experience with Armoury Crate SE –    

ROG Armoury Crate SE provides quick access to all your games and essential settings in one place. Customize keymaps and tweak Aura Sync lighting all from one app.

Modern Security- 

Security matters to everyone.  Outfitted with Windows Defender for antivirus protection and Windows Hello featuring a fingerprint reader integrated into the power button, Ally keeps your data secure. Parents can limit apps, screentime and track their kids’ location with comprehensive family controls. 

Always Ready to Go –  

Play your favorite games and stay content for hours without worrying about a charger. The Ally also supports fast charging, enabling a charge from 0-50% in just 30 minutes. 

Immerse Yourself with Dolby Atmos and Smart AMP –  

Virtual 5.1.2-channel surround sound powered by Dolby Atmos technology puts you in the center of the action. Dual front-firing Smart Amp speakers with Dolby Atmos pump up the volume without distortion and immerse you directly in your games. Source: https://shop.asus.com/us/rog/90nv0gy1-m00040-rog-ally-2023.html?utm_source=Product+Page&utm_medium=Product+Page

However of course there are issues. Like even though it charges to 50% in 30 minutes you're really only getting 48 minutes of battery life in the highest preforming mode. So it's not very battery friendly but what I do know is that it's performance friendly. The Z1 Extreme Zen 4 RNDA 3 makes this thing beastly in performance on the highest performing mode. However of course, this depends on the performance mode and on lower settings you will notice a difference. But you can squeeze mabye an extra hour of battery life on the lowest mode. This chip is so powerful that it can overcome the inefficiencies that come with windows handhelds. Luckily, there will be improvements to Windows Handhelds navigation on The ROG Ally, so the really annoying experience of navigating windows on a Windows Handheld will be gone.

The screen is pretty good especially for a handheld where the screen isn't so huge you need 1440p

It has a 7 inch IRS Touch Display

The screen is a 1920x1080 resolution.

It has 120Hz VRR (Variable Refresh Rate)

It has 500 nits peak brightness. Not as much as the Steam Deck OLED but still good. It's not cheap, being $649.99 for the version with 512 GB. And of course, it's expandable because that's not enough for nowdays Triple A games. 

How about we make the ROG Ally's battery life 2x better and tell you guys about the ROG Ally X!

It has an LCD display, comes packed with 1TB of storage (expandable), faster and better RAM being 24 GB of LPDDR5 and 7500Mt/s, and the biggest upgrade, a whopping two times bigger battery being 80 Whr. Of course, it's much heavier, but this weight is justified through the battery, RAM and storage. The great battery gives you at least 2 hours, even in the highest performance mode. The GPU Stays the same, being the beastly Z1 Extreme. In lower performing modes, you could get hours of gameplay without power, meaning it's great for short road trips under 3 hours. However, for long distance road trips, you always want a power source nearby. It doesn't take as long as the ROG Ally does to charge, being just 106 minutes (1 hour and 46 minutes) which for the huge battery is an improvement. Also it can last 2 hours 47 minutes on lower performance modes. Of course it's still not the hugest battery life, compared to the Nintendo Switch 2 but, for the power it's beastly GPU draws, it's not bad. But all this is about your budget, and really if you have a tight budget, then neither of the ROG Ally's are for you as this one is a $249.99 bump from the previous one being $899.99.

Lenovo Legion Go

What if we could combine the ROG Ally's power with the removable controllers of the Switch, well this is it. But of course this comes at a price, and that's the weight and the thickness.

Lenovo Legion Go Specs

Z1 Extreme Zen 4 RDNA 3

16 GB LPDDR5X 7500Mt/s

49.2 Whr battery (+900 mAh for controllers)

512 GB Expandable storage

8.8" 2560x1600 120Hz VRR LCD Display

It's the highest performing of them all as it can do 1440p at 144Hz. But there's a small drawback, remember the really low battery life from the ROG Ally, well it's in this one too but at least it can do a little over an hour. Have you ever seen the binding button on the back of the DualEdge Controller from the PS5, well it's in this too. You can bind them to any button you want.

Also the controllers that snap off aren't bad and here's a picture of them de-attached.

I would definitely consider buying this one if it weren't for the price. It's almost in between the prices of the ROG Ally and the ROG Ally X being $749.99. I like the detachable joy-cons on this one.

I don't think this counts as a handheld but if you already have a PlayStation 5 then in for a real treat. Btw Xbox fans skip this. No need to get these expensive handhelds. If you have a PS5, then get a PlayStation Portal, this saves you around $300-700 and you can just stream your PS5 from your Portal. However, when you leave home make sure the PS5 is on Enter Rest Mode and NOT Powered Off or this won't work. It's the lightest and cheapest one being $199.99. It has an 8" Touch Display with a resolution of 1920x1080 basically 1080p and Locked 60Hz. It is great for it's awesome haptics. It also gives you access Sony's extensive game library. It also has the best battery life being 4 to 5 hours and 6-8 hours if brightness is reduced.

Only problem is, there's no game console in it. It's streaming wirelessly from your PS5 so you need a PS5 for this. If you have one great you save a lot. If you don't, it's just as expensive in a bundle of PS5 and PlayStation Portal as the ROG Ally. Streaming isn't perfect, since both your PS5 and Portal needs an internet connection, so don't even think about using it in a road trip without hotspot. And, the further you go from your PS5, the worse your experience in especially input latency.

 Also there is a cheaper alternative where you just take a PS5 Controller and your phone/tablet and open up The PS Connect app and connect your controller to your phone/tablet. This is cheaper and you get the same Portal experience and this also has the same issues as the Portal.

Overall, not recommended for portability.

Ayaneo 3 OLED

It doesn't perform very well but it has an OLED screen and a super cool modular interface where you can swap the controllers position whether you want to reach the joystick or the D-pad.

Here are the specs:

Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 Zen 5 RDNA 3.5

32 GB LPDDR5X 7500Mt/s

49 Whr Battery

1 TB Storage (Expandable)

7" 1920x1080 basically 1080p 144Hz OLED Display

This one is not the cheapest, being $1399 and is not recommended even if you don't have a tight budget. At that price just buy a good gaming laptop. Also it's fan noise is loud making it hard for you to even focus on your gaming.

MSI Claw 8 AI+

This handheld is an unexpected standout of all of the handhelds. here is it's specs:

Intel Core Ultra 7-258V Lunar Lake

32 GB LPDDR5X 8533MT/s

80 Whr Battery

1 TB Expandable Storage

8" 1920x1080 (1080p) 120Hz VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) LCD Display

This is a really good handheld and it's battery isn't bad for it's performance, being between The Ally and Ally X, around 1 Hour and 40 Minutes which is reasonable for it's high performance. This one is a $100 dollar bump from the Ally X making it $999.99.For it's huge screen and high refresh rate it's not bad but what it's not as good as is the Nintendo Switch 2.

Nintendo Switch 2

Specs:

Tegra T239

This GPU is great as it includes Nvidia features like DLSS and hardware-accelerated ray-tracing.

7.9" LCD Display (We may see an OLED version in the future)

It is 1920x1080 (1080p) resolution

120Hz VRR (Variable Refresh Rate)

HDR

The new magnetic Joy-Cons and the mouse feature are really good. Also the Joy-Cons now have gyro-sensors so you don't have to always use the joystick in Mario Kart World

Docked Mode

Handheld Mode

Size difference between Switch 1 and 2.

Wait for The Xbox Ally X?

Definatly. If you're an Xbox fan then yes. It's expected to hit the shelves on October 16, 2025. It's kind of like the Ally X but branded with Xbox and integration with Xbox and Game Pass. And it is probably the most performance and the most battery life out of all these options. Of course, if you want, get a Nintendo Switch 2, it's not bad but this handheld will have a controller like grip

This is the cheaper Xbox Ally

• Processor: AMD Ryzen™ AI Z2 Extreme
• RAM: 24GB LPDDR5X
• Storage: 1TB PCIe® 4.0 NVMe™ M.2 SSD
• Display: 7-inch, FHD (1920 x 1080), 16:9 aspect ratio, 120Hz refresh rate
• Operating System: Windows 11 Home
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4
• Battery: 60Wh ( with 65W charger)
• Ports: 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, MicroSD card reader, 3.5mm audio jack
• Special Features: Impulse triggers, AI-powered features

 

• Performance:

  The AI Z2 Extreme processor, coupled with 24GB of RAM, enables high-end gaming. 
• Storage:

  1TB of SSD storage allows for a large library of AAA titles to be stored locally. 
• Immersive Controls:

  Impulse triggers provide responsive haptic feedback for a more engaging gaming experience. 
• Game Compatibility:

  As it runs on Windows, the handheld is compatible with a wide range of games from various platforms including Xbox (from the name).
•  Source: Google AI Overview

This is the more expensive Xbox ROG Ally X

• • Processor: AMD Ryzen™ AI Z2 Extreme 
  • Graphics: Integrated AMD Radeon Graphics (RDNA 3 architecture) 
  • Memory (RAM): 24GB LPDDR5X-8000 
  Storage: 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD 
  Display: 7-inch FHD (1920x1080) IPS, 120Hz, 500 nits brightness, 100% sRGB, Gorilla® Glass Victus™ 
  Operating System: Windows 11 Home 
  Ports: 1x USB4 Type-C (Thunderbolt 4 compatible), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, UHS-II microSD card reader, 3.5mm combo audio jack 
  Controls: ABXY buttons, D-pad, L&R Hall Effect analog triggers and bumpers, assignable back buttons, two full-size analog sticks, HD haptics, and 6-axis IMU 
  Audio: AI noise-canceling, Hi-Res certification, Dolby Atmos 
  Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 
  Battery: 80Wh 
  Dimensions: 290.8 x 121.5 x 50.7 mm 
  
  
  
  

This Xbox Handheld is definitely going to be the best Handheld out of all of these options. See more info about the Xbox Ally's here. 

Here is the reveal trailer.

Thanks for reading. If you've made it to the end (which I know most people won't) please consider commenting and sharing this blog as it really helps al lot since this took ages to make. 

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