Although the price of gaming hardware seems to be on the rise, there are plenty of modern handhelds competing for consumers’ attention. Each device has its own strengths and appeals to different audiences, so it’s important to do a bit of homework before making a handheld purchase in 2026.
Nintendo Switch 2
The Pitch: The Nintendo Switch 2 is a machine built for fans of first-party Nintendo titles and convenient and hassle-free gaming on the go. Gamers who are die-hard fans of the Pokemon franchise or any of the other first-party Nintendo titles are going to want to get their hands on this device for the best possible playing experience.
The Switch 2 comes equipped with a 7.9-inch 1080p LCD screen (120Hz), 256GB storage, and a custom Nvidia chip supporting 4K docked output. Battery life typically lasts for two to six hours, depending on gameplay and settings.
The Price: $499.99
Steam Deck
The Pitch: Although Valve recently retired the most affordable Steam Deck in its line of hardware, the handheld PC gaming machine is still one of the most appealing products on the market.
The Steam Deck is the perfect choice for gamers who have a large library of PC games and aren’t particularly invested in playing first-party console titles at launch. In recent years, nearly all of the most exciting PS5 and Xbox Series titles have hit PC (many as SteamDeck verified products) within just a year or two of launch.
Both versions of the OLED Steam Deck include 1280 x 800 HDR OLED display, 7.4″ Diagonal display size, up to 90Hz refresh rate, and 3-12 hours of gameplay.
The Price:
- $549.00 for the 512GB OLED
- $649.00 for the 1TB OLED
ASUS ROG Xbox Ally
The Pitch: The ASUS ROG Xbox Ally is a true Windows 11 gaming machine that is built from the ground-up with Game Pass in mind. The handheld device is the perfect fit for gamers who want a SteamDeck-like experience, but haven’t already invested a ton of money into a Steam library of games.
The ASUS ROG Xbox Ally comes equipped with 16GB RAM and 512GB of internal storage. Owners can access supported games anywhere they go from Xbox and other PC game storefronts.
The Price: $599.99
ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X
The Pitch: Although the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X are very similar, it’s worth listing them out separately because they really are appealing to different audiences. The increased power in the Ally X takes the handheld to the next level of quality in terms of performance, but it also brings it up to a price tag that makes it a luxury purchase.
The ROG Xbox Ally X comes equipped with 24GB RAM and 1TB of internal storage.
The Price: $999.99
PlayStation Portal
The Pitch: The PlayStation Portal has perhaps the most niche use-case of the major gaming handhelds on the market. In the time since its original launch, the Portal has become much more useful with the addition of Cloud Streaming for PlayStation Plus Premium members.
The main downside to the Portal is that it is really only worth the purchase for gamers who already own a PS5 and/or have a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription. Additionally, it’s incredibly dependent on the quality of your wifi. This machine has no way to download and locally play a game, so players can only really get good use out of the Portal if they’re online and on a solid internet connection.
The Portal features an 8” LCD screen, 60fps capable at 1080p resolution, and the ability to play compatible games you have installed on your PS5 console.
The Price: $199
Lenovo Legion Go
The Pitch: Similar to the Nintendo Switch 2, the Legion Go always has detachable controllers to make for more flexible gaming arrangements. This hardware is a serious handful with its 2026 model boasting an 8.8-inch QHD+ 160Hz display.
In terms of specs, the Legion Go offers models that include 16GB to 32GB LPDDR5X RAM, up to 1TB Gen4 SSD, and the latest AMD Ryzen Z2 series chip.
The Price: $649 to $792
The Verdict
Each of the top gaming handhelds in 2026 really does come to the table with a different pitch for consumers. The right purchase for each consumer is really going to depend on whether they’re looking for maximum raw power, the largest library, the lowest price, or an exclusive first-party library of games.
With rumors that the PS6 will include some kind of handheld SKU, there is also the possibility that some gamers may want to keep their money in their wallet in the short term and wait until more official details arrive about the next-generation of consoles.
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