There’s no doubt that the Nintendo Switch changed the idea of what portable gaming could be, but the Steam Deck, the best handheld gaming PC, brought it to a whole new level. Featuring an NVIDIA Tegra chipset, it would make sense for AMD to create something similar for PC gaming. This has led to a revolution of handheld gaming PCs featuring Zen CPUs and RDNA GPUs starting with the incredible Steam Deck.
TL;DR – These are the Best Handheld Gaming PCs
The ability to play PC games from anywhere means gamers can play everything from Street Fighter VI to Cyberpunk 2077. Other than the Steam Deck, a majority of handheld gaming run a full version of Windows 11, rather than Linux. This also opened up the ability to play different launchers from Epic Games Store to Battle.net. For those looking for some options, here’s a list of some handheld gaming PCs to consider.
When looking for the right handheld gaming PC for you, there’s more to consider beyond CPU and GPU. Other specs like RAM, storage, controller input type and software overlays play a big part in these handhelds. And pretty much across the board, these devices are expensive due to the amount of power packed behind the portables.
1. Valve Steam Deck
The best handheld gaming PC
Popularizing the handheld gaming PC revolution, the Valve Steam Deck doesn’t actually come with Windows installed. Instead, it uses Valve’s custom SteamOS, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have games that work on it. Thanks to the API Proton, the Steam Deck supports dozens of games optimized for the portable from Cyberpunk 2077 to Forza Horizon 5.
There are ways to get Windows running on the seven-inch display portable by booting directly from the USB-C port. Beyond that are three storage options with one of the best input controls available for any portable gaming handheld.
2. Asus ROG Ally
The best Windows handheld gaming PC
Coming in two flavors, the Asus ROG Ally has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. When it comes to visual specs, the portable Windows 11 gaming handheld has a 7-inch FHD LCD touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate. At the base $599 price, you get a 6-core AMD Zen 4 matched alongside an AMD RDNA 3 with 6 compute units. For $100 more, users can get the Z1 Extreme edition featuring an 8-core AMD Zen 4 and AMD RDNA 3 with 12 compute units. For added security, the handheld also features a fingerprint scanner on the power button.
3. GPD Win 4
The best handheld gaming PC with a keyboard
More like a mini laptop than gaming handheld, the Goodlife623 GPD Win 4 looks almost like Sony’s PSVita until you look beneath the surface. The portable has a AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and AMD Radeon R5 GPU. All of that is hiding behind a 6-inch 1080p screen. One of the highlight features of the GPD Win 4 is a sliding Windows keyboard, which makes using the desktop operating system a breeze on the go.
There are three versions available including a base configuration with 16GB RAM and 1TB of SSD storage going up as high as $1,599 for 32GB and 2TB of SSD storage.
4. Ayaneo Air
The most portable handheld gaming PC
One of the smallest handheld gaming PCs available, the AYANEO Air Pro has a 5.5-inch OLED FHD screen. Performance-wise, you should be able to get quite a bit of horsepower of the 6-core AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and AMD Radeon GPU. A little under two inches thin, the AYANEO Air also weighs 2.6lbs. With 512GB SSD storage, there’s also room to expand via Micro SD slot. Though it may lack the sheer power of many portable Windows handhelds on the list, the formfactor alone may be worth the price of admission.
5. GPD Win Max 2
The best convertible handheld gaming PC
Taking a different approach to the Goodlife623 GPD Win 4, the GPD Win Max 2 has a large 10-inch screen and full keyboard that feels more like a significantly smaller netbook. On top of the keyboard are traditional gaming controls including dual analog sticks, D-pad and face buttons. When it comes to specs, the Win Max 2 comes packed with an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, AMD Radeon 6800M, 16GB RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. Perfect for creators and graphic designers, the touchscreen also supports active pens too.
6. Ayaneo Geek
The best handheld gaming PC for media
If you want the sleek form factor of the AYANEO Air but with slightly more power and functionality, you should consider the Geek. It has a 8-core AMD Zen 3 CPU, an AMD RDNA 2 GPU, and 16GB RAM. There are also two SSD storage versions available: 512GB and 1TB, and all configurations feature a 7-inch display with a 1280X800 resolution, haptic feedback and gyroscope controls.
