The 5 best handheld gaming consoles, tested and compared: Switch 2, Steam Deck, MSI Claw 8

Dylan Haas

Haley Henschel

Timothy Beck Werth

Read our full review of the Nintendo Switch 2.

Those who want to stay on the cutting edge of handheld gaming consoles need to get a Nintendo Switch 2 at some point. It's the latest and greatest version of the handheld, with more power, improved features and accessories, and a constantly-expanding slate of games that'll almost certainly induce FOMO if you don't hop on the bandwagon. If you're excited about playing the long-awaited The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, love all things Pokémon, or have a kiddo that needs to be introduced to the joys of Mario Kart, then the Switch 2 is a must-have.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is finally here, and it's unsurprisingly great. The new console has been eight years in the making, and many improvements have been made since the last generation of Switch consoles. And even after Nintendo raised the price by $50 in September, it's still less than half the price of other handheld gaming devices. For all these reasons, the Switch 2 is easily the best handheld gaming console for most people.

Nintendo went with the "make it again, but better" approach with the Switch 2. The concept is the same, but here, you'll get more processing power, massively improved features and accessories, and an upcoming game release calendar that looks promising. (The Switch 2 also allows for backward compatibility with your favorite Switch games, with some games even getting upgrades for the new console.) The handheld is bigger than its predecessor, but still thin and light, so it feels great to hold.

The new display, while a visual step down from the Nintendo Switch OLED, is still really good. It has HDR support, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a nice 1080p resolution within the 7.9-inch LCD panel. Still, we look forward to the inevitable OLED upgrade that's sure to come out in a few years. One of the best hardware upgrades, though, comes in the form of the new Joy-Con controllers, which snap onto the Switch using magnets instead of the original's sliding mechanism. They feel way better to attach and detach, and they're also a bit bigger, which helps with comfort a bit (although they still aren't that ergonomic for extended play sessions). They're also more responsive and have better button push feedback. It remains to be seen if Joy-Con drift will be a problem in the future, but we'll keep you posted. Older Switch controllers, including the Pro controller, can be used wirelessly with the Switch 2, which means you don't have to blow a bunch of money on new accessories if you don't want to.

In terms of software features, we've fallen in love with GameChat. It lets you join an online party to talk with your buddies, but doesn't require a headset, which means multiple people in one room can experience the chat as much as the player. It also has a livestream function that lets you share and watch gameplay with others in real-time without having to pause.

While we think the Switch 2 is pretty marvelous, some things could be better. For starters, pricing. The console is expensive, but that's not exactly the problem — it's all the stuff you have to buy after you get the handheld that can quickly become frustrating. Want to buy a Switch 2 camera? That'll be $54.99. New Joy-Con? Get ready to fork over $94.99. There's also the Pro Controller for $84.99, and the slate of Nintendo Switch 2 first-party games that range from $69.99 to $79.99. The Switch 2 is also exclusively compatible with microSD Express cards, so if you want to expand that 256GB of internal storage, you'll have to buy one of those instead of using your old Switch's microSD card. Those aren't cheap, either. Finally, battery life is just good, not great. We knew it'd be marginally worse than the original Switch as a sacrifice for more horsepower, but two to six hours on a single charge isn't anything to write home about, especially when we regularly got an average playtime of around three hours before needing a recharge.

While it has its hang-ups, the Switch 2 is a worthy upgrade to one of the greatest gaming consoles of all time, and one you need to get if you loved the original handheld in any capacity.

Read our full review of the Valve Steam Deck OLED.

The original Steam Deck was unlike any device that came before it, bringing the traditionally less-accessible PC gaming experience to a streamlined and impressively powerful handheld. And when the Steam Deck OLED arrived in 2023, it delivered big upgrades that were irresistible to a lot of gamers. Once upon a time, you could buy this handheld for just $399, but today, it will set you back $789, or $999 if you get the 1TB version, which you should. That's a 98 percent price increase, and it hurts.

Still, there's no denying that the Steam Deck OLED is one of the best handheld options for PC gamers. So, if you feel like you have PC gaming FOMO, the Deck will finally fix that.

The Steam Deck OLED is a bit dated compared to the latest MSI and Lenovo handhelds, but it's undoubtedly the best handheld for PC gamers who have a long list of titles in the Steam library. Likewise, if you want to get into PC gaming without getting a gaming laptop or custom PC rig, this is your best bet.

Using Steam's built-in OS, the Steam Deck OLED gives you access to the entire Steam Store library (including your own account, if it's already attached to a PC rig). Not every game in there is compatible with the Deck, but Steam kindly labels the ones that can run on it within their storefront — and the selection is enough to keep you busy for a long, long time. From there, you can install games directly onto the device and start playing.

The power of the Steam Deck is remarkable. We had multiple "pinch me" moments as we booted up demanding games like Elden Ring, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, and God of War, and experienced zero performance issues. And now that the handheld is equipped with an OLED display, we're even more impressed by this device. (Seriously, playing Red Dead Redemption 2 on a handheld for the first time was surreal.) We also appreciated the Deck's desktop mode, which basically turns it into a pint-sized computer that you can use for web browsing and more. If you're patient enough, you can even program it to boot up non-Steam launchers like EA Origin and Ubisoft Connect, but it's a complicated process that requires some Linux know-how. It's a downside for those who want an all-encompassing PC experience with no limitations, but there's still so much here to enjoy that it's not a dealbreaker by any means.

"Valve didn’t just transfer the same display specs from [the] LCD model into an OLED form. Instead, the screen is better in almost every way. Its 7.4-inch size mildly improves on the 7-inch dimensions of the original (while retaining the same 800p resolution). Crucially, the original model’s 60Hz top refresh rate has been expanded to 90Hz, enabling gameplay of up to 90 frames per second for games that support it," wrote our reviewer Alex Perry in 2023.

PC gaming has traditionally been inaccessible to a large swathe of people because of the steep financial investment and need for constant troubleshooting. While the price advantage is no longer relevant, the Steam Deck is still able to democratize PC gaming for all players, and to us, that's a gigantic feat.

Read our full review of the ROG Xbox Ally X.

When the ROG Xbox Ally X first came out, we noted that it was expensive compared to the competition. But what a difference a year makes. While every other gaming handheld has gotten a price increase, the ROG Xbox Ally X is holding steady at $999.99. Now, to be clear, that doesn't make it cheap, by any means. However, it's definitely worth noting that it's overall value has only gone up since it was first released.

If you're an Xbox or cloud gamer, then the Xbox-branded handheld from Asus ROG is a natural choice or alternative to the Xbox Series X/S. You'll be able to use this handheld to play Grand Theft Auto: VI when it comes out (finally), as well as Xbox titles you already own and games on Xbox Game Pass. The hardware is impressive, and you can use the built-in Copilot features to get an instant AI assist if you get stuck in a game.

As our reviewer wrote, "Overall, the ROG Ally X will feel very familiar to gamers in the Xbox camp, in a good way. The device even has a fingerprint reader, adding a layer of security while providing an easy way to jump right back in and play...I love the ergonomics of the ROG Xbox Ally X, and I'm sure Xbox gamers will agree. The integrated grips simulate the feel and comfort of a standard Xbox controller. Previous ROG Ally iterations didn’t have these kinds of grips, so that makes this a step up already in that aspect."

Our reviewer noted that the handheld played Lies of P impressively well. "Lies of P running in top shape really demonstrated how much power the Xbox ROG Ally X had." The handheld also supports quite a few "Play Anywhere" titles that can be downloaded and, well, played anywhere. Good luck taking your gaming laptop on a long flight.

Our biggest complaint with this handheld? The ROG Xbox Ally feels a little too much like a Windows PC experience. So, if you already have a gaming laptop or PC, it's hard to justify the investment. We wish it had an OLED display for the $1,000 price tag, but the display it does have is rock solid.

PC gamers with plenty of money to spare will appreciate the power and design of the new MSI Claw, equipped with the ultra-powerful Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor. However, that $1,799.99 price tag is impossible to ignore, and you can buy a powerful gaming laptop for the same price. However, if you're looking for the best possible performance and graphics in a handheld gaming console, there's none better.

The MSI Claw 8 is the pinnacle of handheld gaming at the moment, but it's still tough to recommend because of the price tag. As MSI proudly notes, this compact gaming console offers "Peak performance, peak ergonomics, [and] peak software." After testing it out, we can verify that's absolutely the case. While it doesn't have an OLED display, the brightness and color clarity were excellent. And thanks to the powerful processor, you can run intensive AAA titles without compromising on performance or graphics.

We loved the void purple color and overall design, and it has a very comfortable fit in your hand. Like the ROG Xbox Ally X, it feels like you're holding console game controllers, and for long gaming sessions, the ergonomics are impressive. It also has a bevy of ports, with a 3.5mm headphone jack, MicroSD card reader, and two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports. While some gamers may prefer the Linux-based SteamOS, we definitely didn't mind the familiar Windows 11 setup.

One minor note: The appeal of gaming handhelds is that they're plug-and-play, and don't require as much tinkering as a gaming PC or laptop. However, thanks to the powerful new Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor, we did have to go through an annoying setup process, which involved downloading the latest drivers and updating the firmware repeatedly. If you're spending almost $2,000 on a device like this, then you'll likely have the know-how to get through this process, but it was a bit of a pain point for us.

Read our full review of the Nintendo Switch Lite.

If you want to get the Nintendo Switch experience in a smaller package, the Nintendo Switch Lite was made just for you. It has many of the same capabilities as the regular Switch, but it's way easier to take on the go with you.

Nintendo's smallest, slimmest, and cheapest system is the Switch Lite, a handheld-only console from 2019 that ditches the detachable Joy-Cons for built-in controls. It can't be used for TV or tabletop play, and it lacks any sort of revolutionary specs, but that's not the point here: Its chief purpose is to offer a friendly, approachable portable gaming experience, and it totally delivers.

Our testing included several fun sessions with Hades and Breath of the Wild, and it really is incredible that you can get titles of that caliber on a device that's the size of a small clutch. Plus, you're technically not missing out on any power: It runs on the same NVIDIA CPU as Nintendo's other Switches, and its LCD touchscreen (while not OLED-pretty) is plenty bright and colorful. You won't have access to the entire Nintendo library from the get-go, mind you. Some games are incompatible with the Switch Lite out of the box because it doesn't natively support HD Rumble and IR motion controls. The good news is that it's only a handful of titles, and the problem is easily remedied by pairing the console with a separate Joy-Con.

The other thing about the Switch Lite that blew us away in our testing was its feather-light build: This thing weighs just over half a pound. (For comparison's sake, the standard Switch weighs 0.88 pounds — it doesn't seem like much, but it makes Senior Shopping Reporter Haley Henschel's hands get cramped and numb after an hour or so.) It's extremely comfortable to hold for long periods of time, with a familiar layout that features a traditional D-pad instead of a four-button setup like the other Switches. We'd play the Switch Lite all day if it let us — its battery sadly maxed out around four to five hours in our testing. If you're going to take it with you on an extended bus ride or flight, make sure you juice it up beforehand. Finally, the Switch Lite's onboard storage is capped at 32GB, just like the standard model, so you'll definitely need to buy a separate microSD card if you want to load it with more than a couple of games. But as with all of its shortcomings, the Switch Lite's exceedingly reasonable $200 price point makes this easy to swallow.

The types of games you're interested in will probably be a (if not the) deciding factor in your purchase, since each different handheld supports wildly different titles and formats. In other words, don't buy an Analogue Pocket if you want to get into Elden Ring or Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Some handheld consoles are hybrid systems, meaning you can play them without any external setups or use a docking station (typically sold separately) to connect them to a TV or monitor. The Nintendo Switch takes things one step further and works in tabletop mode, where you disconnect the Joy-Con and use the console as a standalone screen while it's propped up on its built-in kickstand.

Handheld consoles have small screens by nature, but a display should still be crisp and bright enough so that players can read small text and take in tiny details without squinting.

A handheld console's battery life can vary drastically depending on the games you play and your brightness settings. (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at full blast will slurp up juice way faster than Stardew Valley at half brightness, for example.) But generally, it's a huge plus if you don't need to charge it after just a couple of hours of use.