8 Best Handheld Gaming Consoles (2025), Tested and Reviewed

AlternativesThese aren’t our prime picks, however are nonetheless handheld choices we might advocate over others.MSI Claw 8 AI+ for $1,000: MSI has had a roller-coaster few years with its handheld sport consoles, however all of the deeply damaged and flawed {hardware} has lastly led to the Claw 8 AI+, which is a robust entry. The {hardware} is gorgeous, the button format is well-done and ergonomic, regardless of the massive dimension, and efficiency has been nice. I’ve loved failing miserably in Sekiro and have collected far too many acorns in Squirrel With a Gun. The 1080p display screen has a 120-Hz refresh charge and is sharp and clean. Sadly, the largest downside is the truth that it runs Home windows. MSI’s Middle M software program can also be not intuitive to make use of, and I’ve run into a couple of bugs the place the controls cease working. Worse but, the console is troublesome to search out in inventory. It is a disgrace as a result of that is lastly a great MSI handheld, however its excessive value and availability points simply make it inaccessible to most.Asus ROG Ally X for $900: The Asus ROG Ally X (6/10, WIRED Evaluation) nonetheless cannot completely overcome the jank that comes with Home windows. It additionally does not have as many distinctive and fascinating options because the Lenovo Legion Go. Nevertheless it does have one factor that the opposite Home windows handhelds haven’t got: a large battery. With an 80-Wh battery, this factor can retailer extra juice than many gaming laptops. That is not only a nice-to-have; it is important, since Home windows tends to burn by means of battery quicker than different platforms. It is nonetheless not sufficient to achieve good battery life, per se, but it surely’s what I’d contemplate acceptable. I obtained almost three hours out of Doom Everlasting and a bit of longer enjoying Hades II. No different Home windows handheld I’ve examined (together with the Legion Go) lasts that lengthy, which is a bit unhappy, but it surely nonetheless makes this the most suitable choice for longer gaming classes.Nintendo Swap Lite for $197: The Swap Lite (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is the most cost effective model of the Swap, however not by a ton. It lacks removable controllers, and you may’t dock it to play in your TV. That is for transportable gaming solely. In case you’re effective with that, then it can save you a bit of cash with this model, however if you wish to play with separate controllers or in your TV–or if you happen to’re simply not sure–then it is in all probability value spending a bit of additional on the Swap OLED. I do not suppose it is value shopping for an unique Swap anymore.Strive Cloud Streaming InsteadInstead of shopping for a brand new machine only for gaming on the go, you would use the telephone you have already got in your pocket. The newest telephones have high-resolution and high-refresh OLED panels, nice battery life, and quick information connections required for multiplayer or streaming. For all of those choices, a correct controller will assist the expertise lots. We’ve a information with clamp and stand-alone controllers that work with iPhone and Android, so be sure that to examine that out if you happen to resolve to go the streaming route.{Photograph}: Simon HillSteam Hyperlink (iOS, Google Play): In case you have a gaming PC and a quick web connection, you possibly can run video games domestically after which stream them to any machine that may run the Steam Hyperlink app. I am actually impressed by how simple this selection is to stand up and operating, and it even has built-in customizable contact controls, so you possibly can fireplace it up with none further {hardware}. That is my most well-liked possibility for gaming on my telephone, assuming I am not simply crushing fingers of Balatro.Nvidia GeForce Now: Nvidia was one of many early choices for cloud gaming, and GeForce Now (8/10, WIRED Recommends) remains to be a fantastic possibility for PC avid gamers who haven’t got the most recent {hardware}. It makes use of your present library of owned video games from numerous platforms, however runs them on Nvidia servers for extra constant efficiency. There is a free model with an hour session cap, amongst different limitations, however a premium membership permits you to skip the queues and play for longer, whereas getting extra efficiency.Xbox Cloud Gaming: Although technically nonetheless in beta, Microsoft has been slowly increasing the Xbox partitions to incorporate PC avid gamers, and now streaming. Recreation Go Final subscribers can stream a collection of Recreation Go video games to their cell machine. This feature has a subscription payment and restricted video games in comparison with the opposite choices, however if you happen to’re already on Recreation Go Final, it is value testing.Keep away from These Gaming HandheldsThis house has been flooded with handhelds, and never all of them are nice. A few of them are so unhealthy that I’d argue nobody should purchase them in any respect.Asus ROG Ally: The ROG Ally had lots of potential, but it surely did not pan out. It has the identical jank as different Home windows-based handhelds, and unreasonably low battery life, even by gaming handheld requirements. Updates, because it got here out, improved it sufficient to advantage together with this one in our Honorable Mentions up to now, however now that the ROG Ally X is out—and sometimes for not far more cash than the unique—it is laborious to advocate this one anymore.Logitech G Cloud: For this handheld, Logitech took a web page out of the PlayStation Portal’s playbook, specializing in streaming first. Sadly, it does not do it as effectively. For starters, it is significantly dearer at $300, plus it requires a subscription to streaming providers like GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming. It struggles greater than different gadgets I’ve examined at streaming video games, and its capacity to run video games domestically through Android is equally not very strong.Energy up with limitless entry to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and unique subscriber content material that is too necessary to disregard. Subscribe Immediately.