UPDATE: 11/13/2023 12:00 EST BY ROLAND UDVARLAKI

We regularly update posts to ensure they're updated and contain the latest and most up-to-date information. We updated this post to include the new Steam Deck OLED, Sony PlayStation Portal, the information about the Asus ROG Ally, and the newly announced Lenovo Legion Go.

Gaming consoles come in all shapes and sizes, and while the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S are excellent for home gaming, they’re not portable. That’s where handheld portable gaming consoles come into play, pun intended. Portable gaming devices took off in recent years, and the likes of the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck have helped boost the gaming industry.

There are more devices popping up, and some are more ambitious than others. Asus, Lenovo, Sony, and Logitech have all joined in recent months and years to try and capture a small slice of the pie. Some focus on cloud gaming, while others come with powerful hardware to enable truly wireless AAA games to be played without the cords attached.

Related: These are the best gaming phones you can buy right now!

What are the differences between portable gaming devices?

Before we state the obvious hardware differences, we must mention that some devices are made for cloud gaming, and the other half have powerful internal graphics that can render games on the devices. Devices like the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch have powerful chips, capable of playing games on the devices, while consoles like the Logitech G Cloud rely on internet connectivity.

That said, both type of devices are widely accepted by the gaming community, and both offer pros and cons over the other platforms. Cloud gaming devices are excellent for those wanting to play AAA titles wherever, whenever – assuming you have a reliable internet connection, while the other category is best for offline gaming, with the ability to connect online.

The downside of powerful machines are that they’re often large, bulky, and more expensive. However, they offer more freedom when you can’t connect to the internet. They’re also more power-hungry, and often need to be recharged every 3-4 hours, depending on your settings and games.

Best handheld gaming consoles

• 

  Steam Deck

  Excellent Alternative for Less

  The Steam Deck supports a massive catalog of games from the Steam library, and it offers excellent performance and competitive gameplay in a small form factor. It's one of the best handheld, portable gaming devices available in 2023.

  Pros

  • Extensive library of games
  • Excellent build quality
  • Upgradable storage

  Cons

  • Large and bulky
  • Not all Steam games are optimized

  $475 at Amazon $399 at Valve

• 

  Steam Deck OLED

  Best Overall

  The new Steam Deck OLED comes with faster connectivity, faster charging, and a better battery life, as well as a brand-new OLED display measuring 7.4 inches. It has the same compatibility as the original model, supporting hundreds of of games in the massive Steam library.

  Pros

  • 7.4-inch OLED display
  • Refined design & large library of games
  • Faster charging
  • Even more storage & same price as previous generation

  Cons

  • It's still one of the largest handheld gaming consoles out there
  • Not all Steam games are supported

  $549 at Steam

The Steam Deck LCD is one of the best and most versatile portable handheld gaming devices in 2023, and the new Steam Deck OLED takes things one step further. It’s powerful, capable, and has an extensive library of compatible games, thanks to the Steam catalog. It supports many AAA titles.

The Steam Deck is portable, but it’s still a very large and bulky device. Despite its size, it’s comfortable and enjoyable to play on. The LCD model sports a 7-inch IPS HD, while the OLED model packs a 7.4-inch display with expandable storage. The size and power aren’t the only things that make the Deck easy to recommend, and the device is also affordable. The Steam Deck LCD with 256GB storage remains available for $399, while the Steam Deck OLED with 512GB and 1TB are available for $549 and $649, respectively.

• 

  Nintendo Switch

  Best for most people

  The Nintendo Switch is currently one of the best gaming consoles on the market, as it lets you play your games on a huge display at home or in handheld mode with a 6.2-inch display when you need to hit the road.

  Pros

  • Great hybrid design
  • It can be docked and connected to TVs
  • Large game selection

  Cons

  • Short battery life

  $299 at Amazon $299 at Best Buy

• 

  Nintendo Switch OLED

  Best for most people

  The Nintendo Switch OLED is an improved version of the classic Switch. It replaces the screen with a larger OLED panel, and it has slightly revamped hardware that not only looks and feels better, but is also more enjoyable.

  Pros

  • Beautiful OLED display
  • Bigger than original Switch
  • Superior kickstand and speakers

  Cons

  • The hardware is fairly old
  • Same features as original Switch

  $349.99 at Amazon $349.99 at Best Buy

The Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch OLED are fan favorites, and they deserve a high spot on our best handheld gaming consoles list. The Switch is well-optimized, despite its aging hardware. It’s still capable of playing all Nintendo Switch titles, and the company is constantly releasing new updates and new titles to its most popular device.

The Switch comes with all of your favorite games, including Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, Animal Crossing, Pokemon, The Legend of Zelda, and hundreds more. The Switch isn’t exactly a cheap, but it’s offered at a price that is still affordable. The Switch OLED retails for $349.99, and it offers a large 7-inch OLED display, an improved kickstand, and better speakers. The OLED model also offers 64GB of storage by default, double of the original Switch.

We recommend picking the original Switch for those looking for a cheaper alternative, and the OLED for everyone else. The OLED screen makes games far more visually appealing, and it’s one of our favorite devices to have come out in recent years.

The Nintendo Switch Lite makes an appearance on our list, due to its low price tag, and extensive library of games. The Lite is powered by the same chip as the original Switch, and it has most of the same functionality too. The only real downside is that the left and right controllers aren’t removable, and the device can’t be connected to TVs. There’s no dock, as it’s primarily aimed at helping you relax while you’re on the move.

While there are a few downsides, the price makes it an appealing option, and a great alternative, especially if you don’t care about removing the controller and connecting it to the big screen. The Switch Lite is compatible with all Nintendo Switch titles and provides a similar experience with the same user interface.

The Asus ROG Ally is one of the best Steam Deck alternatives on the market. It's powered by an AMD chip, and it's capable of running games at 1080p at 60fps. It's powerful enough to run most AAA titles with ease, and it supports most Windows-compatible games. It also has an ergonomic design that feels comfortable, and the handheld console feels fairly light and compact.

The ROG Ally comes with a fast processor, sharp display, and great performance. You can further enhance the experience by playing games at 720p, and while it lacks a dedicated user interface like the Steam Deck and SteamOS, it still offers a lot of value. If you're after a compact gaming console that lets you take your gaming to the next level, the ROG Ally is worth considering.

The Lenovo Legion Go was announced on September 1, at IFA 2023. It's powered by the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, coupled with 16GB of RAM and 512GB or 1TB of SSD storage. It starts at $600, and it's an excellent alternative to the Steam Deck, providing a smooth gaming performance for graphics-intensive titles.

The console comes with a massive 8.8-inch QHD+ display (2560 x 1600), making it one of the sharpest out in the market. It also supports 144Hz refresh rate, and it's color-accurate too, with its 97% DCI-P3 color gamut. The console has detachable controllers, dedicated buttons, and even a touchpad to make the Windows 11 experience slightly easier and hassle-free. If you're after a gaming device that does well across the board, the Lenovo Legion Go is worth considering.

The Logitech G Cloud Gaming device is unique, and certainly stands out. It’s a cloud gaming machine that primarily focuses on enabling gamers to play wherever, and whenever. It supports streaming services like the Xbox Cloud Gaming platform, and NVIDIA GeForce Now. NVIDIA’s platform allows you to play the games you already own, assuming it’s supported on the platform, while Xbox offers hundreds of selected games for you to choose from.

The Logitech G Cloud is a compact, lightweight, and great-looking machine. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 720G chip, and it has a 7-inch IPS FHD 60Hz display. It’s excellent for users with a great internet connection, and those who want to play AAA titles wherever they go. That said, the device lacks one key feature, cellular connectivity. You’ll have to rely on hot-spotting from your other devices, or rely on a good Wi-Fi connection to play games. There’s also no option to add a SIM card, making it a tough sell for many.

The Sony PlayStation Portal was announced earlier in 2023, and became available on 15 November 2023. It's specifically made for existing PlayStation 5 owners, those who want to take their game with them on-the-go. Keep in mind that the Portal is a rather limited device, and it doesn't support cloud gaming, and instead, it relies on the PS5's connection and power to stream games over the network.

The Portal works wirelessly using a Wi-Fi connection, and it uses the same excellent PlayStation 5 controller and PlayStation system that we all know and love. If you're a hard-core PlayStation 5 player who wants to take their game outside or somewhere else from the bedroom or living room, this might just be the device you've been looking for.

The Razer Edge is an Android gaming handheld device, primarily aimed at running Android games. It’s powered by the powerful Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 chipset, providing excellent performance. The device is also versatile, and it lets you stream your favorite AAA games from streaming services, offering even more features than some other competing devices. The Edge also has expandable storage and USB-C connectivity.

As for gaming, it’s an excellent device, although it’s hard to see why you’d want to pick this up over a midranger or a high-end smartphone, or even a gaming smartphone like the nubia REDMAGIC 8S Pro. The one thing where the Razer Edge shines is its compatibility, support, and convenience with its built-in joysticks and buttons.

Our Recommendation

The Steam Deck OLED is our go-to recommendation for those looking to take their gaming to the next level. The Deck offers great compatibility with hundreds of optimized games in the Steam library, making it a no-brainer for Steam users. The device also lets you expand the storage, and dock it onto large displays, such as monitors and even TVs. It’s a very capable machine and the best device available today.

Suppose you’re after one of the best mobile experiences. In that case, we’d strongly encourage you to check out our nubia REDMAGIC 8S Pro review, and other devices, such as the ASUS ROG Phone 7.