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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read our full ASUS ROG Ally X review.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Display: 5.5-inch OLED, 1080p resolution, 500 nits brightness, 60Hz | Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 | RAM: 8GB LPDDR4x | Storage: 128GB UFS 3.1 | Battery: 5,000mAh | Dimensions: 7.84 x 3.09 x 0.61 inches | Weight: 0.62 pounds | Wireless: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 | OS: Android 13

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Display: 5.5-inch OLED, 1080p resolution, 500 nits brightness, 60Hz | Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 | RAM: 8GB LPDDR4x | Storage: 128GB UFS 3.1 | Battery: 5,000mAh | Dimensions: 5.53 x 3.52 x 0.96 inches | Weight: 0.79 pounds | Wireless: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 | OS: Android 13

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

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

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

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

Display: 6-inch IPS, 1080p resolution, 60Hz | Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | RAM: 8GB, 12GB or 16GB LPDDR5x | Storage: 128GB, 256GB or 512GB UFS 4.0 | Battery: 8,000mAh | Dimensions: 8.86 x 3.86 x 0.67 inches | Weight: 0.93 pounds | Wireless: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3 | OS: Android 13

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

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

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

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

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

Display: 3.5-inch LCD, 1,600 x 1,440 resolution, VRR 30Hz-62Hz | Chipset: Altera Cyclone V FPGA, Altera Cyclone 10 FPGA | RAM: 3.4MB BRAM, 2x 16MB 16-bit cellular RAM, 64MB 16-bit SDRAM, 256KB 16-bit asynchronous SRAM | Battery: 4,300mAh | Dimensions: 5.86 x 3.46 x 0.86 inches | Weight: 0.61 pounds | OS: Analogue OS

Read our full .