Handheld News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

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It's now been two years since the hotly anticipated launch of Panic's handheld, the Playdate.

The MSI Claw has been launched and is now available to buy in the US and a few other select markets. The handheld gaming PC was first unveiled at CES 2024 in January as a new entrant into the handheld gaming space. The MSI Claw will compete with the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go and other handhelds in a burgeoning product category. The base variant of the handheld, A1M-052US, comes with the Intel Core Ultra 5-135H processor and runs on Windows 11 Home. There are two higher-end variants, as well, powered by Core Ultra 7 processor, which will be available to buy on March 12.

The portable PC market has exploded in recent years, with the Steam Deck and itsOLED counterpart leading the charge. We've seen entries from Asus ROG and Ayaneo along with Valve's breakthrough device, and now Lenovo has joined the battle with the Lenovo Legion Go. 

The much anticipated Ayaneo Slide is finally upon us. Featuring a pop-up, angle-adjustable screen that reveals a physical keyboard beneath, this Windows gaming handheld comes complete with an 8-core, 16-thread Ryzen 7 7840U, Radeon 780M graphics, Hall Effect joysticks and triggers, and up to 64GB of RAM and 4TB of storage. Prices start at $699 through IndieGoGo, and $799 after early bird, but if you prefer a keyboard on your handheld, this is a device you won’t want to miss. 

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If you're rocking a handheld gaming PC that isn't the Steam Deck, then I've got some good news for you to start the new year: AMD has released a new preview driver enabling its software-based frame generation tech on any system running an RDNA 3-based integrated graphics chip. 

A handheld Sega Mega Drive, known as the Mega 95 and which plays original carts, has been announced by accessory maker Hyperkin.

By Jon Porter, a reporter with five years of experience covering consumer tech releases, EU tech policy, online platforms, and mechanical keyboards.

A handheld Sega Mega Drive that plays original carts has been announced.

MSI is jumping on the bandwagon. After Asus and Steam solidified their positions among the best gaming handhelds last year, the gaming brand is looking to enter the fray. The MSI Claw was announced at CES 2024, bringing the world's first Meteor  Lake powered device to the market. 

Thanks to the popularity of the Steam Deck, it's no surprise that we've seen a multitude of manufacturers jump on the handheld gaming PC bandwagon. They have all released competing devices, each with their own take on the form factor and each hoping to carve out its own segment of this new emerging market. Now it's MSI's turn to show off its new handheld gaming device, and well, it's called the Claw.

Handheld gaming PCs have quite specific needs, when it comes to storage. It needs to be very compact, with low power consumption, but offer fast transfers at the same time. SSD controller wizards Phison has launched three new chips at this year's CES event and one of them is the perfect match for SSDs designed for the Steam Deck and other portable PCs.

While MSI has been teasing its foray into the handheld gaming PC market, with more details to be officially unveiled during CES 2024, details about the system have seemingly been leaked online. According to a post on social media platform X, the system will reportedly be dubbed the MSI Claw.

The first benchmarks of MSI's upcoming Claw Handheld gaming console have been leaked which confirms that it features Intel Core Ultra CPUs.

MSI has teased its plans to enter the handheld gaming console market with an upcoming "Dragon" themed design which will be unveiled at CES.

A large majority of handheld console makers are updating their designs with AMD's Ryzen 8040U "Hawk Point" APUs.

If you're plugged into the world of gaming, you will have heard of the Steam Deck by now, even if you didn't know there was also an amped-up OLED version available to buy.

With AMD dominating the handheld PC market, thanks to the Ryzen 7 7840U APU, it was only a matter of time before somebody decided to give Intel a try. That someone just so happens to be OneXPlayer, a brand that has a pretty decent track record with handhelds, such as the great OneXFly. It's just announced the X1, part of a new line up called the OneXPlorer series, with Intel's new Meteor Lake-powered Core Ultra chip handling all of the duties.

The Asus ROG Ally Z1 just got its best discount yet, just in time for the festive season.

With the expected launch of Intel's Meteor Lake architecture being just around the corner, benchmark scores are getting leaked left, right, and centre. A 3DMark Time Spy test for a Core 7 Ultra 155H puts it slightly faster than AMD's Ryzen Z1 Extreme, which is used in lots of handheld gaming devices. Given that they have the same power limit, it suggests that Team Red might not have the pocket PC market all to itself in 2024.

HP Victus | RTX 4060 | Core i5-12500H | 16GB DDR4 | 1TB SSD | 512GB SSD | 15.6-inch | 144Hz | $1099 $699 at Walmart (save $400)At full price, there are better laptops on the market, but with a $400 discount, it's pretty hard to beat this HP Victus. You're getting a 12 core, 16 thread CPU, an RTX 4060 GPU, and 16GB of RAM. The storage is a bit small at only 512GB but at least there's is a lush IPS, 144Hz 1080p panel. Heck, you even get one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate too. Perfect for gaming on the go.

The Lenovo Legion Go handheld gaming console was launched globally at IFA (Internationale FunkAusstellung Berlin) showcase event in September. Powered by the new AMD Ryzen Z1 series of processors, the Windows-based device is set to go on sale in EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) markets this month. While there's been no official word from Lenovo over a launch timeline for the Indian market, the Lenovo Legion India Instagram page seems to have hinted at a regional release window for the handheld. The Lenovo Legion Go handheld could release in India next year.

Most handheld gaming PCs out there are much chonkier than a Nintendo Switch, but Cyber Monday has slashed the price of one that’s the same size. That’s right, we’re talking about a mini portable powerhouse that can practically access the same games as a Steam Deck or Asus ROG Ally, but it’s not going to feel like a brick in your backpack. Oh, and did I mention it has an OLED screen? Well, it has an OLED screen, so Valve’s latest mini rig had better watch its back. 

I legitimately feel bad for anyone who bought a Steam Deck right before Valve’s surprise reveal of the new and improved OLED model. The announcement came out of nowhere and the Steam Deck OLED is a better version of the LCD original, at roughly the same price point. So, I understand why the r/SteamDeck forum was immediately flooded with new owners lamenting their life choices. To these people, and to anyone with the debut hardware, I want to make it perfectly clear: The Steam Deck LCD is one of the best handheld PCs on the market.

Asus ROG Ally | AMD Z1 Extreme | 16GB RAM | 512GB SSD | 7-inch 1080p | 120Hz | $699.99$619.99 at Best Buy (save $80)The most powerful version of once of the best PC gaming handhelds just got hit with the Black Friday deal stick. The Asus Ally surprised us at launch with its relatively low price (for a premium Asus product). Now it's even cheaper. Has the time come for you to get in on some handheld gaming action?

The best PS Vita games will offer you a new world of gaming on one of Sony's most iconic consoles, and while it may seem a little out of date in today's digital world, it still boasts an incredible array of titles worth playing. But with the Nintendo Switch and DS family dominating the handheld market, and Sony quietly closing down production of the PS Vita console in 2019, the clock is ticking to get your fix of Vita games before it is slowly fazed out. 

It can be difficult for those inexperienced with video game hardware to determine exactly what the PlayStation Portal is. This is the latest accessory released by Sony, manufacturers of the PlayStation family of consoles, including the current generation's PlayStation 5. The PlayStation Portal, announced in August 2023, is likely to be a popular wishlist item for the holiday season and beyond.

Sony’s PlayStation Portal has just launched, so to help answer the question, «Is the PlayStation handheld worth it?” we’ve got our PS Portal reviews round-up to see how the nascent device has fared with the critics.

Sony has apparently learned nothing from the success of the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck. Or from its own portable systems like the Vita and PSP, for that matter. The PlayStation Portal (yes, technically it's another PSP) is a $200 handheld system that can only stream games from your PlayStation 5. There aren't any built in apps, it can't play anything locally, and there's no connection to Sony's cloud game streaming service. It's purely a streaming window into your PS5, hence the name.

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Valve has just unveiled its Steam Deck OLED handheld console which comes as a refresh of the original Steam Deck, featuring an OLED screen, better connectivity, better storage functionality & most importantly, a brand new AMD 6nm SOC known as Sephiroth.

All customers can take advantage of this discount, but My Best Buy Plus/Total members get the best price.

By David Pierce, editor-at-large and Vergecast co-host with over a decade of experience covering consumer tech. Previously, at Protocol, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired.

Lenovo announced its plans to enter the handheld gaming PC market back in September and two months later, the Legion Go is now finally in Lenovo's stores. Depending on where you live, two models are up for grabs, with both sporting a huge 8.8-inch screen, lots of RAM and storage, plus a decent sized battery.

As spotted by GameRant, a Nintendo patent application published last week details a new handheld reminiscent of the company's DS and 3DS systems, but with a third screen and the ability to physically separate the unit into two devices.

Nintendo filed a patent for a device that looks like it would bring back the 3DS/DS line, but in a really strange way.

ASUS has rolled out new updates for its ROG Ally handheld which adds support for AMD HYPR-RX & 900p resolution alongside a list of bug fixes.

Nintendo has never shied away from putting its strange and experimental ideas into practice with its hardware, as consoles like the Wii, the DS, and the Switch (to name a few) have shown over the years, and unsurprisingly, the company is continuing to concoct more ideas that are as far away from “ordinary” as they possibly could be.

Lenovo's Legion Go handheld console has finally received a teardown, revealing the internals of the second AMD Ryzen Z1-powered device.

By Tom Warren, a senior editor covering Microsoft, PC gaming, console, and tech. He founded WinRumors, a site dedicated to Microsoft news, before joining The Verge in 2012.

Since the release of the Game & Watch in 1981, portable gaming has developed a rich history behind it, leaving a legacy distinct from its home console counterparts. is one of the latest projects from publisher Lost In Cult, the company behind gaming journal and other indie-centric releases like. focuses on the legacy left by portable devices and their games not just on the industry, but the community surrounding them.

As discovered by Liliputing and picked up by The Verge, a handheld PC company is toying with a rather familiar-looking screen configuration for one of their upcoming products: the Ayaneo Flip DS and its sibling, the Ayaneo Flip KB. The KB just flips open to a mini-keyboard, while the DS has an upper and lower screen, similar to a particularly well-known line of Nintendo handhelds.

Emdoor, a PC manufacturer that normally ships rugged systems for industrial use, is joining the portable gaming PC bandwagon with a machine that's uniquely different from all of the others. Rather than using one of AMD's all-in-one processors, this device will be sporting a new Intel Meteor Lake CPU.

The first Intel Meteor Lake CPU-powered handheld gaming console has been revealed by Emdoor & features an Arc-integrated GPU.

By Sean Hollister, a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.

It had to happen at some point but Valve's much-loved Steam Deck has been falling down its weekly revenue charts for a little while now. For the past two weeks, though, it's dropped outside of the top ten, suggesting that competition from ASUS, Ayaneo, OneXPlayer, and Aokzoe has taken a sizeable slice of the handheld PC market.

Diablo 4 has been out in the wild for a decent while now, but Blizzard didn’t reveal a Steam release for its latest entry to the iconic series until recently. With the upcoming Season of Blood and Steam launch quickly approaching, many fans are wondering whether or not they’ll officially be able to play the game in a handheld mode via Valve’s portable Steam Deck. We now know that Diablo 4 is already deemed verified for the device thanks to an update from Blizzard.

Although Nintendohas always had competition in the tightly contested home console market, historically from Sega and more recently from Microsoft and Sony, the company has always been the undisputed king of the handheld console — a supremacy that began in 1989 with the Game Boy and continues to this day, over 30 years later, with the Switch Lite. Though Sony has tried on two occasions to take over the handheld console market, with the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita, no non-Nintendo handheld console has ever surpassed the quality of build, catalog depth, or universal popularity of the contemporary Nintendo offering.

There is someone at the Federal Trade Commission who really likes to spill the beans on upcoming tech. This time, they got hold of documents from Microsoft that details their upcoming plans for Xbox consoles all the way until 2028. While they are looking at what to do for the future, Microsoft’s plans for the Xbox are starting to look similar to Sony’s current moves with their PlayStation handheld device. Is Xbox copying PlayStation again, or is Microsoft planning to do it better?

Xbox has a lot of hardware plans for the next few years, including a new Xbox Series X console, "the world's best controller," and maybe even a handheld console.

There’s no shortage of peripherals for Nintendo Switch, but it’s fair to say we haven’t seen anything quite like the Nitro Deck.

The Nintendo Switch 2 performance may be too far from that of the Xbox Series S, according to rumors circulating online.

The Xbox Microsoft merger saga continues with a new set of leaks allegedly revealing the company's strategies for the future. In addition to unveiling plans for upcoming game titles and remasters, the leaks included information on refreshes of the Xbox current generation consoles, the Xbox Series X and S, and alleged intentions to acquire more gaming companies, including Nintendo. While not all the information revealed was up-to-date, it potentially gives the public a glimpse into Xbox and Microsoft's plans for the future.

The first ever PC handheld I tried out was an Intel-powered device. That was the Project UFO, powered by a 10th Gen Intel chip. Then I tried the One-Netbook OneXPlayer, fitted with an Intel Core i7 1165G7. While both times I enjoyed the concept of a PC handheld, the performance was never quite up to expectation. I've used many more handhelds since and had a much better time—though they've all been powered by AMD silicon. Intel has no major share of the handheld market these days.

Microsoft will finally break into the handheld console market, with a portable Xbox in development for this console generation. This comes from leaked court documents revealing some of Microsoft's biggest plans, including both a new home console and a portable device.

As handheld PCs like the Steam Deck become increasingly popular these days, it was only a matter of time before the DIY scene started pumping out their own takes. Hardware YouTuber Pitstoptech (via liliputing) has ingeniously designed what looks like an awesome modular and upgradeable handheld gaming PC.

A modder used the mainboard from a Framework laptop to create a modular handheld gaming PC that's really easy to upgrade.

YouTuber, Pitstoptech, has created the world's first modular gaming handheld console using Framework's Intel Core i7-1260P mainboard.

In the world of handheld PCs, some companies are aiming at bigger and more powerful devices, while others are doing the opposite, going for portability and ease of use. The Ayaneo Flip is more like the latter: a tiny PC you could stuff in your back pocket. You know, in case you wanted to relive your old Nintendo DS glory days.

Western Digital introduced a new SSD this week offering up to 2TB of storage for handheld gaming PCs such as the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally.

The new WD SN770M SSD is shaping up to be a good drive for anyone looking to upgrade their Steam Deck or other PC handheld's storage capacity.

Nintendo's next-gen Switch 2 Handheld console could be utilizing NVIDIA Ampere GPU architecture within its SOC as spotted within recent GitHub updates.

The Steam Deck has kick-started a wave of handhelds from some of the big names in PC gaming. Asus has its Windows-powered ROG Ally, Lenovo just announced its own Legion Go handheld PC, and Logitech released a cloud-focused handheld. AMD has been quietly arming an entire new wave of Steam Deck competitors, and that got me thinking: where’s Microsoft’s Xbox handheld?

Revealed last week, PlayStation Portal is Sony's own answer to remote play on PS5. In other words, it allows players to stream their PS5 games to an eight inch, 1080p screen with DualSense functionality attached to it. Retailing at $199.99 / £199.99 / €219.99, there's been a lot of discussion around whether it's a cost-effective solution to what seems to be a pretty niche problem.

Sony’s previously announced Remote Play portable for PS5, the PS Portal, will officially launch on 15th November – as dated overnight. Pre-orders are open now in select countries via the platform holder’s own direct-to-consumer storefront, PS Direct. The manufacturer says pre-orders will open at other retailers on 29th September.

When the Ayaneo Kun was first revealed, it was the trackpads that initially drew me to it, but just ahead of the Indiegogo campaign launch tomorrow, September 5, it's the extreme gaming mode that's catching my eye.

IFA technically kicks off today in Berlin, but it seems like Lenovo may have won the thing outright. I’ve given the company plenty of credit in the past for its willingness to try new things in this oft-staid world of consumer electronics, and it’s really come out of the gates swinging.

Lenovo Legion Go was launched during the IFA (Internationale FunkAusstellung Berlin) 2023 in Berlin on Friday (September 1) as the company's first Windows gaming handheld device. It features an 8.8-inch QHD+ display with up to 144Hz refresh rate and is powered by the new AMD Ryzen Z1 series of processors. The handheld gaming console runs on Windows 11 Home with Legion Space software on top. It comes with Hall Effect joysticks for improved responsiveness and accuracy during gaming sessions. The Lenovo Legion Go will compete with the likes of Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and Asus ROG Ally (Review).

After several leaks, Lenovo has officially revealed the Legion Go, including its full featureset and pricing.

After the Steam Deck and the Asus ROG Ally, it’s Lenovo’s turn to have a go at handheld gaming PCs with the newly-announced, Windows 11-powered Legion Go. It’s a chunky lad compared to its peers, weighing 854g and packing an 8.8in display, but promises a bigger battery and – most interestingly – a pair of Nintendo Switch-style detachable controllers.

The Lenovo Legion GO is now officially a thing, and the chonky Steam Deck rival is scheduled to arrive this Halloween. That feels appropriate given that its price point could give you a fright, as the extra large 8.8-inch gaming handheld will cost more than both Valve’s portable powerhouse and the Asus ROG Ally. There also won’t be any spooky surprises in terms of specs, as we seem to be in the loop thanks to previous leaks.

By Monica Chin, a senior reviewer covering laptops and other gadgets. Monica was a writer for Tom's Guide and Business Insider before joining The Verge in 2020.

For fans of handheld gaming PCs, 2023 just keeps getting better. Following the release of ASUS’ ROG Ally earlier this year, Lenovo is entering the category with the Legion Go. And, after getting the chance to go hands-on with it, I think some of Lenovo’s twists may end up making a big difference.

The PlayStation Portal streaming handheld has quickly become a contentious little device. At first glance, it looks the part of a PSP or Vita successor. However, this thing’s limited to streaming games installed on your PS5 or PS4, which makes its use cases niche to say the least. For those that are interested in it, though, we finally have a release date for the Portal nailed down.

PlayStation Portal, Sony’s $200 handheld for PS5 game streaming, is available to pre-order today before its November 15th launch. The company announced the availability details today in an update to its announcement post from last week. The upcoming device requires a PS5 and a persistent WiFi connection.

Sony has announced the release date for its upcoming Remote Play device, PlayStation Portal.

The Kun, Ayaneo's latest addition to its ever-growing range of handheld gaming PCs, will be available sooner rather than later. It’s expected to go up for pre-order on September 5, with the Indiegogo campaign beginning at 8AM ET.

There have been previous whispers of Lenovo potentially gearing up to release a handheld gaming PC called the Legion Go that’ll compete with the Steam Deck and the ROG Ally. It has also been rumored that there will be Lenovo AR glasses released that’ll work with the handheld. More details have emerged, courtesy of Windows Report. If the report is true, we could have the device as early as October this year, though it’ll come with a hefty $799 price tag.

Specifications for the rumoured handheld gaming PC by Lenovo, reportedly dubbed the Legion Go, seem to have been leaked. According to Windows Central, the Legion Go is slated to run on the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, and will be shown off to the public on September 1 during IFA.