IGN’s Jackie Thomas has reviewed every major handheld gaming PC, from the Steam Deck to the ROG Xbox Ally, playing games, running benchmarks, and testing their gaming performance, battery life, ergonomics, and more. After 100+ hours of testing, these are the 4 best gaming handhelds in 2026 – and why we don’t recommend the Steam Deck anymore.
Where to buy:
Asus ROG Xbox Ally –
Asus ROG Xbox Ally X –
Lenovo Legion Go S –
MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ –
For more, check out our full guide to the best handheld gaming PCs in 2026:
I spent 5 months with my Legion go 2 Z2E 32g and absolutely loved it. Recently switched to a Legion Go S Z1E Steam 32g and I actually like it more. It’s so much lighter and more ergonomic. Plus, the native optimization from Steam OS is just unbeatable to me.
You forgot to add the PS Portal.
PS Portal is a demo handheld for PC games 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣🗑️🚮
X button FOREVER
Damn all these are so expensive, even the ones mentioned in the comments 😭😭
Buy a used Logitech G Cloud for $150 if you use streaming services because 95% of the time you’re playing at home on the couch or in bed. I’m playing 2077 on highest settings, 1080p, and 60 frames on mine.