Compare gaming handhelds side by side
Pick up to four devices. Rows line up spec by spec; where one value is clearly better (more battery, less weight), it is marked.
Head-to-head guides
Which one to buy, based on what published reviews found.
- Lenovo Legion Go S vs Valve Steam Deck OLEDBoth run SteamOS, so this is a hardware choice. The Legion Go S is faster and has a larger 8-inch 1200p 120 Hz screen with VRR. The Steam Deck OLED is lighter, has the better HDR OLED screen, proper trackpads and Valve's more polished software, and usually lasts longer on battery. Reviewers listed the Go S at $599.99 in 2025; Valve now charges $789 for the 512 GB Deck OLED, so check current prices before choosing.Read the comparison →
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ vs ASUS ROG Xbox Ally XThe MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is the faster handheld by a wide margin and lasts longer on battery, thanks to Intel's Arc G3 Extreme. The ROG Xbox Ally X is lighter, $800 cheaper and at least as comfortable, with the same Xbox full-screen interface. Reviewers recommend the Claw to enthusiasts who want the most speed in a handheld; for most buyers the Ally X, or its OLED sibling the Ally X20, is the saner choice.Read the comparison →
- Nintendo Switch 2 vs Valve Steam Deck OLEDThese two are less rivals than different platforms. The Switch 2 is the home of Nintendo's games, has a sharper 1080p 120 Hz screen, plays on a TV through its dock and is lighter. The Steam Deck OLED plays your Steam library, usually with cheaper games, on an HDR OLED screen, and it's the more comfortable of the two to hold. With the Deck now at $789 and the Switch 2 at $499.99, price also favours Nintendo. Pick by the games you want to play first.Read the comparison →
- Retroid Pocket 5 vs AYN Odin 3Both are Android emulation handhelds with 1080p AMOLED screens, but they sit in different leagues. The Retroid Pocket 5 is a light, cheap Snapdragon 865 device that handles everything up to PS2 and GameCube well. The AYN Odin 3 has a far newer Qualcomm chip, a larger 120 Hz screen and a much bigger battery, runs some PC games and more Switch titles, and costs well over $100 more.Read the comparison →
- ASUS ROG Ally X (2024) vs ASUS ROG Xbox Ally XThe 2025 ROG Xbox Ally X keeps the 2024 Ally X's screen, battery and 24 GB of memory, and adds AMD's newer Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme, bigger Xbox-style grips and Microsoft's full-screen Xbox interface. Reviewers measured gains of about 10 to 15%, biggest at low power. At $999.99 against $799.99, the older Ally X is the better value for most buyers, and owners shouldn't upgrade for speed alone.Read the comparison →
- ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X vs Lenovo Legion Go 2Both run Windows 11 on the same AMD Z2 Extreme silicon, so frame rates end up close and the choice comes down to everything around the chip. The ROG Xbox Ally X is lighter, cheaper and the more comfortable of the two. The Legion Go 2 has the much better screen, an 8.8-inch 144 Hz OLED with HDR, plus more RAM, detachable controllers and a kickstand, and it costs more and weighs about 200 g extra.Read the comparison →
- Valve Steam Deck OLED vs ASUS ROG Xbox Ally XThe Steam Deck OLED is the simpler handheld with the better screen for contrast and HDR, plus trackpads that no Windows rival matches. The ROG Xbox Ally X is much faster, has a sharper 1080p 120 Hz panel and runs Windows, so Game Pass, other PC stores and anti-cheat games all work. Valve's 2026 price rise shrank the gap between them to about $210, which makes this a closer call than it used to be.Read the comparison →
Choose at least two handhelds to start, or open a popular match-up:
▲ marks the better value where more (or less) is clearly better. Each value's source is on the device's page.