Now that we’re into Cyber Week and the thick of the holiday shopping season, there are going to be a ton of video games on sale. What likely won’t be on sale are gaming handhelds.
These portable consoles are the hottest trend in gaming right now, with companies making their own handheld. With so many choices out there, you might be wondering which one to get. Luckily, this guide will help you decide what gaming handheld is the one to pick.
Whether it’s someone who has been playing video games all their life or someone who just wants to pick up the hobby, the Steam Deck is the handheld to get. Not only is it one of the most affordable portable gaming devices available right now, starting at $400, but it’s also one of the easiest to set up and has a wide selection of Steam games to purchase. For those who like to tinker with their hardware, a Steam Deck can also be used to play Xbox and PlayStation games, along with being able to install emulators for practically every game console to ever exist.
The only downside of the Steam Deck is that its hardware is somewhat outdated at this point, making it difficult to play newer, AAA games.
If you’re looking for a gift for someone who plays only on consoles, whether it be a combination of an Xbox, Nintendo Switch or PS5, the Xbox Ally X is going to be the best bet. It’s ideal for Xbox Series console owners since its big selling point is providing a portable Xbox experience, but its integration of Steam makes the handheld the best of the console and PC gaming worlds. The Xbox Ally X also has enough performance to play practically every game available.
When it comes to power to take with you, it doesn’t get more powerful than the Lenovo Legion Go 2. One big advantage it has over the Xbox Ally X is its OLED screen. It’s for that reason that the Legion Go 2 is perfect for the hard-core PC gamer who always tweaks their rig to make sure games run at their highest settings. When they’re on the go, they simply don’t want to skimp on the visual fidelity while gaming.
This entry comes as a bit of a no-brainer, but if the person you’re shopping for is a Nintendo fan who hasn’t picked up the Switch 2 yet, then it likely means they’re waiting for someone to buy it for them. The Switch 2 does what the original Switch couldn’t do: Provide a comparable experience to the Xbox Series and PS5. Do not get it twisted, though, as the home consoles still can outperform the Switch 2, but developers already have plans to port over their AAA games to Nintendo’s newest console, something that couldn’t have been said with the original Switch.
When the PlayStation Portal came out two years ago, it was a bit baffling to everyone. Its only use was to play PS5 games remotely when right next to the PS5. Since then, Sony has made some big strides with the Portal. To start, the Portal can be used to remotely play while away from your home as long as there is good Wi-Fi. Second, Sony added cloud gaming support for the Portal, which means if you have a PS Plus subscription, there are hundreds of games available to play on the cloud with no console required. Considering its price of less than $200, the Portal is something any PlayStation fan would want to have, even if they don’t realize it yet.
What else to buy
Cases: If you’re buying one of the handhelds up above and want to get some important accessories, or maybe some more affordable gifts for the grandparents to buy, then a case is the way to go. Each handheld has different cases made just for it or you can buy one case to fit them all.
MicroSD cards: With the exception of the PlayStation Portal, all the handhelds listed support extra storage, and if you’re buying a handheld for someone who does a lot of gaming, they probably have too many games to fit on the default storage on the handheld. The Steam Deck, Xbox Ally X and Legion Go 2 support traditional microSD cards, while the Switch 2 uses microSD Express cards. The minimum storage you’d want to buy is 512GB, but ideally you’ll want 1TB.
Docks: Of all the handhelds, the Switch 2 is the only one that comes with a proper dock. The others you’ll have to buy separately. The PlayStation Portal is a bit of an outlier when it comes to docks, as it doesn’t connect to a TV, but there is a charger dock available for purchase to make sure it’s always charged. There are docks that can fit the Steam Deck, Xbox Ally X and Legion Go 2, but it’s recommended to get those docks designed specifically for them.
Power banks: All the handhelds, with the exception of the PlayStation Portal, have about 2 hours of battery life if you max out the settings while playing. The Portal, since it’s just streaming, has a battery life of 6 to 8 hours. For those gaming on the go, having a power bank is practically a necessity. There is a wide range of power banks out there, and 10,000mAh would be the absolute minimum, as that can double the battery life of most handhelds.
