Best handheld gaming consoles in 2025 including Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck and more

1. Nintendo Switch OLED

Nintendo Switch OLED specs
Display	7in OLED, 1280×720 resolution
Storage	64GB (expandable via microSD
RAM	4GB
Battery Life	4.5 to 9 hours
OS	Custom Nintendo OS
Dimensions	102mm x 242mm x 13.9mm (4.02in x 9.53in x 0.55in),
Weight	320g (0.71lbs) (420g with Joy-Cons attached – 0.93lbs)

The hybrid nature of the Nintendo Switch means you don’t even need to use the Switch OLED as a handheld device – but you’re wasting its best feature if you don’t. As with most gadgets, an OLED display is transformative, especially given the vibrant colour palettes of many of Nintendo’s games. Super Mario Bros. Wonder or The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom absolutely pop off the screen. Nintendo also fixed the kickstand with its OLED revision, making tabletop mode a far more viable way to play, and we were fairly impressed with the speakers too. 

The Switch OLED isn’t a perfect device. Battery life is merely fine, there are more ergonomically pleasing handhelds, and the ageing hardware often has a difficult time with third-party console ports. Nintendo is surely working on a successor, which may (or may not) see a 2025 reveal – and there’s no guarantee of backwards compatibility. But thanks to a truly incredible software library comprising some of the best games ever made, a clean, simple UI, and that gorgeous 7in 720p OLED display, there simply isn’t a better all-round handheld console out there. 

• Read more: Nintendo Switch OLED review

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2. Steam Deck OLED 

Steam Deck OLED specs
Display	7.4in, 1200×800 HDR OLED w/ 90Hz, 1000 nits brightness
Storage	512GB/1TB NVMe SSD, microSD expansion
RAM	16GB RAM
Battery Life	3-12 hours
OS	SteamOS 3
Dimensions	298mm x 117mm x 49mm (11.73in x 4.61in x 1.93in)
Weight	Approx. 669g (1.47lbs)

We really liked the original Steam Deck, despite not being overly impressed with its weight, battery life or LCD display. All three were addressed by Valve with the Steam Deck OLED, making the first effort feel a bit like a rough draft in comparison. The new larger 7.4in HDR display, with its 1000-nits maximum brightness, has been blowing us away since we started using the device. It has hugely improved contrast and colours, while OLED’s trademark inky blacks make it hard to go back to LCD. The Deck OLED is also slightly lighter than Valve’s first effort, which you definitely do notice, and it lasts longer between charges too. 

The Steam Deck OLED is a handheld PC, but its custom-built OS makes it feel like a console in all the right ways. If you want to access your Steam library with minimal faff you can; desktop mode then welcomes tinkerers who want to emulate old games and install other launchers. 

Not every game will function as you want it to out of the box, and the Deck struggles to run modern AAA titles with any finesse. It’s also still a big bulky handheld, which might prove too much to handle for smaller hands. But if you want to play PC games portably, the Steam Deck OLED is our top pick. And if you want to save some cash, the equally powerful LCD model is still available at a lower price. 

• Read more: Valve Steam Deck OLED review

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3. Asus ROG Ally X

Asus ROG Ally X specs
Display	7in, 1920×1080 (120Hz)
Storage	512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD (expandable via microSD)
RAM	16GB LPDDR5
Battery Life	2 to 6 hours
OS	Windows 11
Dimensions	280mm x 113mm x 39mm (11.02in x 4.45in x 1.54in)
Weight	608g (1.34lbs)

If you’re new to the whole PC gaming handheld thing, and want to play more than just your Steam library without messing about with Linux, the Asus ROG Ally X is now the obvious choice. It lasts longer than the original, has an easily upgradeable SSD, and more RAM than any Steam Deck. The refined ergonomics also put both the MSI Claw and Lenovo Legion Go in the shade.

It’s not perfect: Windows 11 still doesn’t feel entirely happy on a small screen, and the display’s colours and contrast aren’t a match for the Steam Deck OLED – even if the Ally’s higher resolution and refresh rate levels the playing field a bit. The price is a lot spicier than Valve’s handheld, too – it’s now almost in gaming laptop territory.

Original ROG Ally shouldn’t be in a rush to upgrade, then, and the Steam Deck OLED remains my top pick – but the gap is narrower than ever.

• Read more: Asus ROG Ally X review

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4. Nintendo Switch Lite 

Nintendo Switch Lite specs
Display	5.5in LCD, 1280×720 resolution
Storage	32GB (expandable via microSD)
RAM	4GB
Battery Life	3 to 7 hours
OS	Custom Nintendo OS
Dimensions	91.1mm x 208mm x 13.9mm (3.59in x 8.19in x 0.55in)
Weight	275g (0.61lbs)

In another arena, you might knock the Nintendo Switch Lite for lacking the big screen credentials of its pricier bigger brothers. Here, though, we’re exclusively about handheld consoles, which is exactly where the Switch Lite really sings. Its lighter weight and smaller design not only make it more comfortable to hold than the big Switch, but more portable to boot. You even get a proper D-pad here, which the standard model lacks, arguably making the Lite the retro platformer champ. 

Once you’ve played games on the Switch OLED it’s really hard to look at the Switch Lite’s 5.5in LCD screen, but if you can overlook its inherent inferiority it’s still a great display. And keeping the same 1280×700 resolution on the smaller panel means games look even sharper. 

Battery life is decent enough, and the fantastic Switch library is just as good here as it is on the regular Switch. You just have to ask yourself if you’ll miss the ability to dock it to a TV, or Joy-Con-exclusive features like HD Rumble. If a handheld is all you want and you can live without OLED, the Switch Lite is an excellent and affordable option.

• Read more: Nintendo Switch Lite review

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5. Lenovo Legion Go

Lenovo Legion Go specs
Display	8.8in, 2560×1600 (144Hz)
Storage	512GB SSD (expandable via microSD)
RAM	16GB LPDDR5X
Battery Life	2 to 6 hours
OS	Windows 11
Dimensions	299mm x 131mm x 21mm (11.77in x 5.16in x 0.83in)
Weight	854g (1.88lbs)

The Lenovo Legion Go makes its case with an enormous and quite stunning 8.8in, 1600p, 144Hz display and Switch-esque detachable controllers. A novel FPS mode then turns one of them into a vertical mouse. It works well and definitely makes you feel more accurate than when playing with analogue sticks. 

Like the ROG Ally you can run pretty much any game you like thanks to Windows. When it works you can have a lot of fun with Lenovo’s handheld, but we didn’t like the clunky Legion Space software. Most games can’t run well at the highest native resolution either. If they do, they’ll zap the battery dead in no time. 

Still, if you’re a Game Pass subscriber you can turn the Legion Go into a portable Xbox with a great screen. That’s a major advantage over the Linux-based Steam Deck, which can only stream Xbox Game Pass via the cloud unless you go through the messy process of installing Windows.

• Read more: Lenovo Legion Go review

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6. Logitech G Cloud 

Logitech G Cloud specs
Display	7in IPS LCD, 1920×1080 (60Hz)
Storage	64GB (expandable via microSD)
RAM	4GB LPDDR4X
Battery Life	Up to 12 hours
OS	Android-based with cloud gaming support
Dimensions	256.84mm x 117.21mm x 32.95mm (10.11in x 4.62in x 1.3in)
Weight	463g (1.02lbs)

This Android-based handheld comes with most of the major cloud gaming services (including Game Pass) pre-installed. It’s comfortable to hold and has a very decent 7in, 1080p display. But beyond the built-in controls, there isn’t a lot it can do that the phone likely sitting in your pocket right now can’t.

Whether you should buy one, then, depends on how much you already make use of apps like Xbox Cloud Gaming or Nvidia’s GeForce Now. There’s no doubt that playing Starfield is less fiddly on a dedicated gaming device than it is on your phone. If both your internet speeds and Wi-Fi strength are good enough, it can be pretty great. Plus the G Cloud is just an Android tablet at its heart, so you can download mobile games to play offline, too.

With servers in the cloud doing the heavy lifting, battery life is strong – up to 12 hours if you aren’t running many games natively. Some people will always be skeptical about cloud gaming, and there’s no denying that the G Cloud is an odd device –  and not a cheap one either. But if you’re all in on game streaming this handheld ticks a lot of boxes. 

• Read more: Logitech G Cloud review

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7. PlayStation Portal 

PlayStation Portal specs
Display	8in, 1920×1080 LCD w/ 60Hz
Storage	N/A
RAM	N/A
Battery Life	6 – 8 hours
OS	Proprietary (for streaming PS5 games)
Dimensions	337mm x 150mm x 95mm (13.27in x 5.91in x 3.74in)
Weight	400g (0.88lbs)

Sony has a long history with handheld consoles, but the PlayStation Portal is not another PSP or Vita. In fact, unless wirelessly connected to your PS5 it’s about as useful as a brick. The Portal streams games from your console, exactly as your phone does when using the PS Remote Play app (which is free). The difference here is that you get proper DualSense controls on either side of the 1080p 60fps display that you play your games on. 

The PlayStation Portal is an unapologetically niche device, primarily aimed at PS5 players who regularly have to give up the TV to someone else in the house. If your home Wi-Fi isn’t fast enough you’re likely going to experience performance issues. That said, we really like playing PS5 games on that large and bright display, without having to give up the DualSense’s haptics and adaptive triggers. Battery life is surprisingly decent too.

As it isn’t really designed to be used outside the house and can’t do cloud streaming of any sort, the PS Portal is a slighter offering than a lot the devices on this list. But if you’re in the target market and your broadband is up to the job, it might just be the handheld you’re looking for. 

• Read more: PlayStation Portal review

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8. Panic Playdate 

Panic Playdate specs
Display	2.7in black-and-white LCD, 400×240 resolution
Storage	4GB
RAM	16MB
Battery Life	Up to 14 days standby; 8 hours active play
OS	Custom OS for Playdate
Dimensions	76mm x 74mm x 9mm (2.99in x 2.91in x 0.35in)
Weight	86g (0.19lbs)

The Playdate is very different from every other handheld console on this list. Rather than replicating the big-screen gaming experience on a portable device, its library consists exclusively of bespoke titles, most of them making use of its unique crank controller. 

This is an intentionally low-tech toy. Its black and white display isn’t even backlit and the majority of its games are bite-sized experiences, best played for a few minutes at a time rather than a few hours. 

It is, then, a decidedly more niche proposition than the Switch or Steam Deck. But if you like collecting beautiful objects, of which the cheerful yellow Playdate is undoubtedly one, and enjoy something a bit different from your handheld gaming, you can’t go wrong. 

• Read more: Panic Playdate review

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How to choose the best handheld gaming console for you

As the above list attests to, the handheld console market is wide-ranging and varied, so Stuff is here to help you make the right choice based on your gaming habits.