Advice on picking a handheld gaming PC?

Posted by CharlieFoxtrot432@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 2 comments

I consider myself a casual gamer. I can get sucked into a game for weeks on end, and then once that’s done, I probably won’t game for another few weeks, if not months. I think the problem now is that I do not have a dedicated gaming platform where I can play the titles I want (Like Witcher 3, RDR2, CyberPunk, Spiderman).

I have a MacBook M1 Pro I use for general purpose, and try to run games like Metro Exodus (which works great) and I have a Switch (last game I played is ToTK).

All of this is to say that I’ve been looking at a new gaming platform where I can play all of the games I want and I’ve arrived at handheld gaming PCs but not sure how “powerful” it needs to be. I’ve been looking at the Steam Deck OLED, ROG Ally (and Ally X) and I’m torn between price and whether I really need to have something as powerful as the Ally X.

My ideal set up would be to be able to play it docked mode majority of the time, and even eventually play some light PCVR, but want the convenience of having it portable. I’m not in a position to build a PC right now, unfortunately, and won’t be for a while. Gaming Laptops are out of the question as well as I prefer the portability of the handhelds.

I’m just trying to get some input on how to best decide what I should get and if something like the Steam Deck OLED (comparatively cheaper) should be more than enough to do what I want to do, or having something like the Ally X would guarantee me to not have to upgrade for a few years due to performance demands of modern games.

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pragomatic@reddit

There is a very good database at https://handheldsarena.com/ that will help you pick.

If you're a very casual gamer, the Steam Deck's interface and wide user base make things super easy, even if the chip is slightly weaker than the latest and greatest, and I'd direct you that way.

CharlieFoxtrot432@reddit (OP)

My only concern is that the Steam Deck OLED wouldn’t has as much “runway” in terms of how long it will last compared to the Ally X because it’s not as powerful and with how demanding games are becoming when it comes to performance. Another thing is that I would be stuck with SteamOS to play games unless I know how to work with Linux to get other programs in that will let me play games outside of the Steam library (and also emulators).