So you want to buy a gaming handheld PC

Published 12 June 2026 · tech

Gaming handhelds are amazing. They make it so much easier to fit all kinds of games into my day. Sadly, they’re less affordable than they’ve

Gaming handhelds are amazing. They make it so much easier to fit all kinds of games into my day. Sadly, they’re less affordable than they’ve ever been due to an unprecedented, AI-fueled shortage of memory chips, an unforced oil crisis, rampant inflation, fallout from tariffs, and more. But that’s not going to stop you. You’ve decided now’s the time to buy one, before the next shoe drops. I won’t talk you out of it! I genuinely don’t know when or if prices might come back down. So instead of telling you to hold off, I’ll try to help you navigate this “new normal” I keep hearing so much about. We’ll do this four ways First, if you just want me to tell you what to buy and be done with it, grab an Xbox Ally X if it’s still $999 at the time you read these words. It’s the handheld I’d buy for myself if I were buying today. It’s the only top-tier handheld that hasn’t hiked its price, and it has a good mix of performance, comfort, and battery life. Second, let’s talk bargains. There are a few refurbished and open-box handhelds worth nabbing on closeout — if you can find them at all. Third, I’ll ask you some questions. Assuming you’re buying new, are you looking for the most powerful handheld? The one with the most battery life? The most affordable? The best screen? The easiest to pick up and play? Because all of those are different handhelds, and none are the Xbox Ally X. Click the links in this paragraph to find out which. Fourth, I’ll list every other handheld PC you’re likely to find when you shop around, and why you should probably skip them. I want you to know whether that seemingly good closeout deal is actually worth your money. But before I go down the list, let’s talk Windows and Linux. While I’ve dinged many of the handhelds I’ve reviewed for The Verge for Windows woes, that’s not as big a deal today — because you can install Bazzite or even SteamOS on many of them for a better pick-up-and-play experience. The same exact handheld is often more stable and performant with Linux, and you often get instant sleep and resume that’s hit-or-miss on the operating system they shipped with. It’s still true many competitive online multiplayer games don’t work on Linux because of anti-cheat fears, though others do. It’s also true that Windows has gotten better at sleep and resume with certain handhelds like the Xbox Ally X. But it’s a misconception that Linux can’t play as many games as Windows. The reality is that Linux can play more decades of Windows games work better on Linux thanks to Proton patches and community profiles that translate old mouse and keyboard controls to your gamepad. Ready? Let’s go down each list, from least to most expensive. Open box and refurb bargains Refurbished Valve Steam Deck LCD (typically $279-$359) If you ever see it in stock, do not hesitate: buy a refurbished Steam Deck LCD. Valve discontinued the original in December 2025, but Valve refurbs are now the best deal in town. The Steam Deck OLED meaningfully improved on the LCD model in many ways, but it is absolutely not worth $400 more than a certified refurbished LCD model. Reddit is flooded with examples of Valve’s excellent customer support, so I wouldn’t be worried about getting a lemon, and the Steam Deck LCD is one of the easier handhelds to pick up and play thanks to preloaded SteamOS and well-placed controls. It has enough performance for games as intensive as Elden Ring, but expect to play higher-end titles at low settings, with lots of upscaling, for less than two hours on battery. Light fare can last longer. Open-box Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme (typically $500-$550) At $500, if you’re willing to install Bazzite, and if you don’t play far from a cord, I can genuinely recommend the ROG Ally Z1E in today’s economy. It’s one of the weaker devices to carry that chip, with one of the smallest batteries at 40 watt-hours, but it’s also got the same kind of smooth (if not colorful) 7-inch 120Hz VRR screen you’ll find in the Xbox Ally X. When plugged into the wall, or in short sessions on battery, its turbo mode gives you Steam Deck-beating performance. Open-box Lenovo Legion Go (sometimes $600 open box, normally $850) The original Legion Go is an acquired taste I’m never going to acquire: big, bulky, with extra buttons weirdly squishing under my hands when I grip. The battery’s only a little bigger than in the original ROG Ally, it doesn’t have a variable refresh rate screen, and the 2560×1600 resolution is far more than the chip can power in modern games.