Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and more: all the news about the handheld PC gaming revolution

Feb 05, 2025 01:54 AM - 4 days ago 5349
  • Andrew Liszewski

    From Steam Deck to Steam Brick.

    The smaller and lighter Steam Brick says goodbye to the Steam Deck’s screen, controls, and artillery and stuffs the remaining electronics into a civilization 3D-printed lodging featuring conscionable a USB larboard and a powerfulness button.

    The civilization Steam Brick console adjacent to each the parts of the Steam Deck that had to beryllium stripped distant to make it.

  • Sean Hollister

    What handheld PCs should do to conflict the Nintendo Switch 2

    The Lenovo Legion Go S pinch SteamOS.

    The Lenovo Legion Go S pinch SteamOS.

    I stopped buying astir games for my Nintendo Switch the time I bought a Steam Deck. My Switch has been a Mario and Zelda instrumentality ever since. It’s simple: the Steam Deck took the Switch’s champion instrumentality — pick-up-and-play portability — while offering much games that tally better. I tin easy resume the ones I started connected my desktop PC, aliases proceed to play portable titles connected my desktop and marvel astatine improved graphics.

    But the Nintendo Switch 2, coming later this year, whitethorn alteration that worth proposition. Not only will it proceed to beryllium the console that attracts families and kids pinch inventive, surprising, must-try exclusive Nintendo games that usage its detachable Joy-Cons’ galore tricks, but it besides has a existent chance astatine convincing the enthusiasts who mightiness different bargain a handheld gaming PC — aliases who were waiting for handheld PCs to go little of a chaotic west.

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  • Sean Hollister

    The $900 Ayaneo 3 is the astir breathtaking PC handheld the company’s yet made

    Ayaneo builds the best-looking handheld PCs successful the business, but they’ve ever been boutique. The 2023 Ayaneo 2, for example, cost $1,300 for an arguably worse acquisition than the $400 Steam Deck. But that acquisition isn’t dampening my excitement for the caller 7-inch Ayaneo 3.

    Not only does this 1 commencement astatine $900, wrong striking region of the highest-end handhelds you’ll find astatine retail, it’s the astir feature-packed portable I’ve seen — pinch 2 USB4 ports and OcuLink and RGB-ringed Hall effect joysticks and your prime of 2 seemingly slayer screens. Perhaps astir exciting: a measurement to yet hole a handheld’s joystick and fastener layout to lucifer your ergonomic preferences!

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  • Antonio G. Di Benedetto

    Maybe elephantine gaming handhelds are wherever it’s at

    The Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) gaming tablet mounted successful a clamp-style controller, sitting beside the overmuch smaller Steam Deck.

    The Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) gaming tablet mounted successful a clamp-style controller, sitting beside the overmuch smaller Steam Deck.

    If you thought the Steam Deck was big, fto unsocial Acer’s Nitro Blaze 11, get a load of this Frankenstein’s monster of a PC gaming handheld I’ve cobbled together. This is simply a pre-production type of Asus’s upcoming ROG Flow Z13 tablet mixed pinch a GameSir G8 Plus clamp-on mobile controller; the Z13’s AMD Strix Halo processor makes it astir apt the astir powerful handheld gaming instrumentality you tin play. That is, of course, until your hands cramp nether its weight.

    It’s utterly ridiculous, I emotion it, and I’m opening to deliberation large screens are the future.

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  • Sean Hollister

    Hey that’s me, chatting astir the Intel / Quanta prototype modular handheld conception that amazed maine astatine CES.

    If you’d alternatively person much photos and not-quite-details astir this prototype, find ‘em here.

  • Sean Hollister

    I played pinch the caller Legion Go 2, too.

    The SteamOS and/or Windows-toting Lenovo Legion Go S was the best handheld of CES 2025, but it wasn’t the only Lenovo portable I took for a spin! The 3rd clip was the charm for this detachable-controller and kickstand Legion Go 2 prototype, which I recovered moving astatine the 3rd venue I encountered it.

  • Tom Warren

    Microsoft is combining ‘the champion of Xbox and Windows together’ for handhelds

    Vector collage of the Xbox logo.

    Vector collage of the Xbox logo.

    Image: The Verge

    Xbox main Phil Spencer has been dropping hints astir an Xbox handheld for months, but what astir Windows handheld gaming PCs? Jason Ronald, Microsoft’s VP of “Next Generation,” tells The Verge that we should expect to spot the Windows handheld gaming acquisition alteration wrong this almanac year.

    Ronald was a roundtable panelist this evening astatine an AMD and Lenovo event titled “The Future of Gaming Handhelds,” which was mostly a coming-out statement for Lenovo’s caller Legion Go S. But he did hint onstage that Microsoft plans to bring the Xbox acquisition to Windows PCs, alternatively than the different measurement astir — and expanded connected that considerably aft we caught up pinch him later.

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  • Sean Hollister

    I yet touched the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus.

    The Intel Lunar Lake handheld, connected waste now, looks and feels SO overmuch amended than the original, and I perceive it performs acold better, too.

  • Sean Hollister

    A look wrong the Lenovo Legion Go S.

    Lenovo sent Dave2D an full pre-production portion of the soon-to-be Steam-ified Legion Go S, complete pinch its Lenovo-exclusive AMD Z2 Go chip, truthful he’s sewage the champion look yet. You tin spot its full-length SSD slot present (with spacer for smaller drives) for easy upgrades.

    He also ran early benchmarks that propose it’ll surely person much capacity than the Steam Deck. We some work together it won’t beryllium a artillery life champ.

  • Sean Hollister

    Valve will officially fto you instal SteamOS connected different handhelds arsenic soon arsenic this April

    Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

    SteamOS was always expected to beryllium bigger than Valve’s ain Steam Deck, and 2025 is the twelvemonth it yet expands. Not only will Lenovo vessel the first third-party SteamOS handheld this May, Valve has now revealed it will fto you instal a moving transcript of SteamOS connected other handhelds moreover sooner than that.

    Pierre-Loup Griffais, 1 of the lead designers connected the Steam Deck and SteamOS, tells maine a beta for different handhelds “is slated to vessel aft March sometime,” and that you mightiness observe the OS just starts moving properly aft that happens!

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  • Sean Hollister

    Up adjacent pinch the SteamOS-powered Lenovo Legion Go S.

    Sorry I couldn’t supply immoderate capacity aliases artillery impressions, though: this portion has an aged Z1 Extreme spot inside, nary intensive games connected display, not moreover a Portal 2 savegame.

  • Sean Hollister

    Lenovo’s officially making a Legion Go 2, too.

    The Legion Go S is the contiguous successor to the Legion Go handheld, minus the detachable gamepads / rodent / kickstand and positive a SteamOS option. But a Legion Go 2 is coming sometime successful 2025, Lenovo has announced.

    Specs see Ryzen Z2 Extreme, an 8.8-inch 144Hz OLED surface pinch VRR (!), and a large 74Wh battery. This 1 didn’t move on, but the grips are decidedly comfier!

    1/5Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

  • Sean Hollister

    Lenovo Legion Go S official: $499 buys the first authorized third-party SteamOS handheld

    The Lenovo Legion Go S, pinch SteamOS.

    The Lenovo Legion Go S, pinch SteamOS.

    Lenovo is trying an experiment. In May, it will officially go the very first institution extracurricular of Valve to vessel a handheld gaming PC pinch the Steam Deck’s wonderfully pick-up-and-play SteamOS alternatively of Microsoft Windows. And astatine $499, it’ll beryllium a existent Steam Deck rival, joining it arsenic 1 of the lower-priced PC handhelds you tin buy.

    That handheld will beryllium the 1.6-pound Lenovo Legion Go S, a caller and improved type of the company’s eight-inch handheld that ditches the Nintendo Switch-like detachable gamepads and kickstand for a lighter and much accepted design, pinch a sculpted grip that felt supremely comfortable successful my hands.

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  • Sean Hollister

    Asus conscionable announced the world’s first Thunderbolt 5 eGPU

    The 2025 Asus XG Mobile, now pinch modular Thunderbolt 5 alternatively of a proprietary connector.

    The 2025 Asus XG Mobile, now pinch modular Thunderbolt 5 alternatively of a proprietary connector.

    This steaming achromatic translucent container isn’t a gaming PC — instead, it mightiness beryllium the astir powerful single-cable portable docking position ever conceived. When you plug your laptop aliases handheld into the just-announced 2025 Asus XG Mobile, it promises to adhd the powerfulness of Nvidia’s top-flight GeForce RTX 5090 mobile chip, and up to 140 watts of electricity, and 2 monitors, and a USB and SD-card-reading hub, and 5Gbps ethernet simultaneously.

    That’s because it’s the world’s first* Thunderbolt 5 outer graphics paper and 1 of the first Thunderbolt 5 docks, utilizing the caller 80 gigabit per 2nd bidirectional link to do much things pinch a azygous cablegram than we’ve ever seen before.

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  • Sean Hollister

    No, Valve isn’t moving pinch GPD to bring SteamOS to its handheld.

    Valve conscionable squashed its 2nd Steam Deck-adjacent rumor successful 1 day. “We’re not presently moving pinch GPD connected charismatic SteamOS support,” Valve designer Lawrence Yang tells The Verge.

  • Sean Hollister

    Intel brought a large honking stereo 3D handheld gaming PC to CES 2025.

    It’s co-developed pinch Tencent, it’s called the Sunday Dragon, and it’s perfectly immense pinch an 11-inch autostereoscopic surface (like the Nintendo 3DS but massive). I astir dropped it trying to region its detachable controllers.

    The 3D popped to life conscionable good for me, and while the heft gave maine pause, the grips are sculpted nicely. Lunar Lake inside.

  • Sean Hollister

    AMD’s Z2 handheld gaming chips are charismatic — and not coming to a Steam Deck adjacent you

    AMD has conscionable officially announced its afloat lineup of Ryzen Z2 chips for handheld gaming PCs for illustration the Steam Deck, aft a brief tease this fall — but arsenic of today, it’s beautiful muddy who they’re for aliases what they’re going to do for handheld PC gaming.

    First off, though AMD told journalists successful a pre-recorded briefing that Valve’s Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion Go, and Asus ROG Ally lineups would each characteristic the caller chips, it’s not clear that’s really true.

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  • Jay Peters

    Acer made an tremendous 11-inch gaming handheld

    Promotional creation of Acer’s Nitro Blaze 11.

    Promotional creation of Acer’s Nitro Blaze 11.

    Image: Acer

    Acer is announcing 2 caller Nitro Blaze gaming handhelds astatine CES 2025, and 1 of them, the Nitro Blaze 11, is genuinely elephantine pinch a monolithic 10.95-inch screen.

    Seriously, it’s immense — conscionable look astatine this photograph of a personification holding it! It’s absurd!

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  • Sean Hollister

    Ayaneo 3: could the “world’s first modular handheld” lick the awesome joystick debate?

    It’s astir apt going to costs a buttload of money, but I’m earnestly intrigued: could this modular design fto immoderate of america get symmetrical sticks, others offset Xbox-style sticks, and still others bask touchpads aliases other buttons instead?

    Still, looks like you’ll person to “pick two” astatine a clip — while the Steam Deck offers dual touchpads, dual sticks and D-pad simultaneously.

    More successful Ayaneo’s video.

  • Sean Hollister

    The Steam Deck has yet been surpassed — by a fork of Valve’s ain experience

    An Asus ROG Ally X, moving Bazzite. It looks conscionable for illustration SteamOS, because they stock an interface.

    An Asus ROG Ally X, moving Bazzite. It looks conscionable for illustration SteamOS, because they stock an interface.

    An Asus ROG Ally X, moving Bazzite. It looks conscionable for illustration SteamOS, because they stock an interface.

    The first clip I installed Bazzite connected a Windows gaming handheld, I laughed. It looked for illustration such a blatant clone of Valve’s Steam Deck interface. Its galore bugs kept maine astatine bay.

    Now, an Asus ROG Ally X moving Bazzite has each but replaced the Steam Deck successful my life. For the moment, it whitethorn beryllium the champion handheld your clip and money tin bargain — because it brings 90 percent of the Deck’s easiness of usage to the Ally’s much powerful hardware, larger 80 watt-hour battery, and adaptable refresh complaint screen. Depending connected the game, it tin moreover connection better capacity and artillery life than the very aforesaid handheld pinch Windows. I’ve been testing it for 5 months, and I’ve seldom looked back.

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  • Sean Hollister

    Valve will beryllium Lenovo’s ‘special guest’ astatine just-announced gaming handheld event

    The Lenovo Legion Go S

    The Lenovo Legion Go S

    Image: Evan Blass (X)

    “The early of gaming handhelds is coming to CES ‘25 and you person a beforehand statement seat!” the email successful my inbox exclaims.

    Let maine translate: it looks for illustration Lenovo conscionable tacitly confirmed it will denote its first SteamOS handheld successful Las Vegas connected aliases earlier January 7th, 2025. We’re expecting it to beryllium the Steam fastener equipped Legion Go S that leaker Evan Blass revealed past week.

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  • Sean Hollister

    Leak: Lenovo’s larger Legion handheld adds OLED and keeps the detachable mouse

    A gaming tablet pinch a kickstand and 2 detachable controllers alongside, 1 of which is oriented vertically connected a array arsenic a mouse

    A gaming tablet pinch a kickstand and 2 detachable controllers alongside, 1 of which is oriented vertically connected a array arsenic a mouse

    Earlier today, Evan Blass revealed an unannounced Lenovo Legion Go S handheld gaming PC pinch an extremely intriguing twist: a Steam fastener that suggests it could beryllium the first third-party SteamOS handheld, and frankincense the first existent competitor to the Steam Deck.

    But that handheld gaming PC apparently won’t beryllium alone: Blass conscionable provided The Verge pinch these images of a new, larger Lenovo Legion Go arsenic well.

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  • Sean Hollister

    The first batch of refurbished Steam Deck OLED is already sold out.

    I may person hinted to my family that I wanted an OLED upgrade arsenic my 1 Christmas coming this year... wonderment if they saw it successful time?

  • Sean Hollister

    Valve is now trading refurbished Steam Deck OLEDs starting astatine $439

    A portable handheld gaming PC faces us, colorful surface pointed our way

    A portable handheld gaming PC faces us, colorful surface pointed our way

    Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

    The Steam Deck OLED, the champion type of Valve’s gaming handheld pinch further artillery life, a flimsy summation to performance, and an eye-popping screen, tin now beryllium purchased refurbished for $110 little than it costs brand-new.

    Valve has conscionable begun selling certified refurbished Steam Deck OLED models starting astatine $439 successful the US, UK, Canada, and EU. That buys you the 512GB exemplary pinch a glossy screen, while the 1TB anti-glare exemplary tin beryllium had for $519 — little than the $549 you’d salary to get moreover the 512GB exemplary brand-new. (The 1TB exemplary usually costs $649.)

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  • Sean Hollister

    MSI claims its caller Claw tin hit the ROG Ally X while consuming less watts.

    Lots of YouTubers just got to try the caller handheld, but haven’t validated that declare rather yet.

     these are pinch XeSS aliases FSR upscaling enabled.</em>

    1/2Note the good print: these are pinch XeSS aliases FSR upscaling enabled. Image: MSI via Cyber Dopamine

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