The Best handheld game console that Will Make You Ditch the Big Screen in 2025
The Best handheld game console that Will Make You Ditch the Big Screen in 2025
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Handheld gaming consoles have been around for almost half a century, offering players the opportunity to enjoy solid gameplay in a time and place of their choosing. But the past few years have been monumental for this vibrant product category, thanks to massive leaps forward in hardware specs and design. Powered by cutting-edge processors and graphics, the latest handhelds can deliver the latest blockbuster games in high resolution, effectively replacing a standard gaming console or computer in the process.
What to Consider
Platform
The leading handheld game consoles on the market run Windows 11, Steam OS, or Nintendo’s proprietary software. Selecting a platform will impact not only the games you access on your console but also how you interact with them beyond gameplay.
Windows 11 is the most versatile platform you can pick for a handheld. Microsoft’s platform will give you access to popular apps, web browsers, and streaming services, ensuring you can use your console for many additional tasks, just like you would a gaming PC. The OS is also essential for easily accessing PC games you purchased at the Microsoft Store or downloading them via an Xbox Game Pass subscription.
One of my favorite things about Windows 11 handhelds is that they can transform into desktop computers by connecting to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. All you need for this is an original or high-quality third-party dock with additional ports. Of course, keyboards and mice can also link via Bluetooth.
On the other hand, the Steam Deck and its Linux-based platform bring easy access to the latest blockbuster PC games. You can buy them, save your progress in the cloud, and connect with other gamers online. I’ve been using Steam on multiple gaming PCs for years and can vouch for its ease of use and reliability. I especially like being able to pick up where I left a game off on another device weeks after my last session. The Steam Deck also has a desktop mode for browsing the web and accessing productivity apps. If you are familiar with Linux, this is also worth considering.
Even though it has a dock for gaming on a TV screen, the Nintendo Switch doesn’t offer access to many content streaming services (both video and music). Nintendo’s consoles are all about fun and immersive gameplay with iconic characters, and that’s more than enough to consider them.
Hardware
The most important thing you need to know about hardware specs is that having the best doesn’t necessarily guarantee the most captivating gameplay. This is particularly relevant for display resolution in PC handhelds.
Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) is all you need for a phenomenal gaming experience in a PC handheld. Higher resolutions are suitable for streaming video and web browsing. With standard HD panels on board, the Nintendo Switch OLED and the Steam Deck OLED are proof that great gaming on the go doesn’t require a high-resolution display.
When it comes to screen refresh rates, the best PC handhelds and the Steam Deck OLED can provide more than the 60-frames-per-second standard panels do. Plus, lowering the resolution of the games on a handheld PC will inevitably result in smoother visuals.
The latest PC games can reach 100 gigabytes in size, so purchasing a Windows 11 console or a Steam Deck with sufficient memory is paramount. Having said that, I recommend investing in a console with nothing less than 512 GB of memory. The Nintendo Switch games are available in card format, so storage capacity isn’t a major factor to consider.
Battery Life
Just like in gaming laptops, battery life shouldn’t be a major factor in choosing a handheld console. Every entry on this list will deliver a few hours of fun — all with no wires or charging. Having their bundled charger or a high-capacity battery pack handy is always recommended if you own a handheld PC because cranking up their performance has a massive impact on their energy consumption, just like in any laptop. Lighting up the millions of screen pixels and running the fans to keep the hardware cool and the performance consistent is crucial for these devices.
How We Tested
I spent tens of hours gaming on every console listed here to put its gaming hardware and ergonomics to the test. I played a mixture of games — from Doom Eternal and WRC to Sega Classics — on PC consoles and the Steam Deck, keeping an eye on resolution, frame rates, and overall quality of gameplay.
I also kept a close eye on every console’s ergonomics during hours-long gaming sessions. The quality of every device’s controls (buttons, thumbsticks, triggers, etc.) and the available customization options were also on my radar. So were additional features like audio quality and the availability of RGB lighting Report this page