The best gaming handhelds | Digital Trends

For decades, Nintendo was the uncontested king of the handheld market. The Game Boy was a marvel that showed what gaming on the go could be, and each subsequent system has only gotten better and better up to the handheld/console hybrid of the Switch. Other companies have tried their hands to varying levels of success, but only now are there true competitors and reasons to pick up different handheld gaming consoles.

Each system has different pros, cons, and unique factors to consider when looking for the perfect one for you. We’ve taken as many variables into consideration as possible to bring you the list of the best gaming handhelds no matter what you’re looking for.

Steam Deck OLED

Best handheld console

If price isn’t an issue and you want one handheld that can do almost everything, the Steam Deck OLED cuts very few corners. Despite the name, this beast of a PC in your hands can do way more than just run Steam games, which already is an amazing selling point. Being a mini-PC, you can also load up other launchers, services, and emulators to play anything you can think of. That said, the interface and process of actually loading up a lot of these optional programs isn’t always easy. You will need to be willing to do a lot of tinkering, or finding some outside help, if you want to make it your one-stop-shop for all things gaming.

That said, the OLED screen makes games really pop, and the improved battery of this model will keep you going for hours on end (depending on the intensity of the game, of course). There’s very little to complain about with the Steam Deck OLED.

Steam Deck OLED

Best handheld console

Nintendo Switch Lite

Best budget handheld console

There are tons of cheap handhelds out there, but the best compromise on price and still ensuring quality is the Switch Lite. Coming in at $200 new, you can rest assured this system won’t let you down. It obviously lacks the dock of the normal Switch, but most people find playing in handheld mode the preferred method anyway. You not only get all the amazing first-party Nintendo games you can’t get anywhere else, such as Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, and Mario Odyssey, but so many indie and third-party games that are perfect to play on the go.

For this low a price, the Switch Lite is an easy system to get for kids, as a second system, or just to have on a whim. Between the current and classic Nintendo games available on it, you’re getting way more than your money’s worth.

Nintendo Switch Lite

Best budget handheld console

Best handheld gaming PC

Asus ROG Ally

What makes the Asus ROG Ally the ideal handheld gaming PC specifically over something like the Steam Deck is that it runs on Windows rather than Linux. There’s nothing specifically wrong with Linux, obviously, but almost everyone is already familiar and comfortable with Windows so picking up the Ally is a far easier ask. Just like the Steam Deck, you can download and run all the major launchers, only the process is much easier to get done here. You can easily play games across Epic, Xbox, and Steam with no issue. It can run most games at fantastic settings thanks to its beefy internals and great display.

This is the only handheld gaming PC that can actually outmatch the Steam Deck in terms of performance, though it does lack an OLED screen. The ease of use and versatility, though, makes up for it in our eyes.

Best handheld gaming PC

Asus ROG Ally

Best gaming phone

iPhone 15

You don’t have to buy a handheld that only plays games to get a great experience anymore. Our phones have gotten to the point where they are capable of playing current games almost at the same level as consoles, or better in some instances. The iPhone 15 is the latest model, though there are the Pro and Max versions, but any of them will be more than enough to offer an amazing handheld experience. You will obviously have access to all the games on the app store, but now even traditional console games like Resident Evil 4 and Death Stranding are playable native on your phone.

Now that emulators are also available on the app store, your phone can let you replay all the great games from your childhood. And for the modern games that aren’t downloadable, you can access them all through streaming if your connection is good enough.

Best gaming phone

iPhone 15

Best handheld retro console

Evercade

For those who want an authentic retro experience, you might as go all the way with the Evercade. Sure, almost every entry on this list is capable of emulating all the systems and games this one does (and more), but none of them actually feel like a handheld you could have gotten in the past. The layout and buttons all feel great, but it’s the cartridges that take it to a new level. Unlike most emulators that just download ROMs or put hundreds of them on a microSD card, the Evercade takes real, physical cartridges that any old-school gamer or collector will love.

The system does have preinstalled games, and carts do bundle in more than one game so it isn’t as inconvenient to travel with. The simplicity of carts also makes it way easier for those of us who want to play collections of these old games but don’t feel comfortable tinkering around trying to get emulators and ROMs to work.

Best handheld retro console

Evercade