Gaming Handheld reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 169 Reddit reviews across 24 subreddits and 43 posts to rank the best Gaming Handheld brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/Handhelds, r/SBCGaming, r/MoonlightStreaming, r/ROGAlly, r/consoles. Top-rated brands include Asus (4.5/5), Steam Deck (4.3/5), ROG (4.3/5).
Stats
Reviews169
Subreddits24
Posts43
Brands44
Products60
169 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Asus
4.5
(24)
"Asus Rog Ally Z1 extreme version"
"ROG Ally is a beast. Buy one, you will not be disappointed."
"It was well worth it. I use it every day and manage to play games like Destiny 2 smoothly."
"The power and versatility is unmatched."
"In my opinion, Rog Ally is the best handheld currently in terms of performance and portability."
"I've been happy with it ever since."
"Its fkn amazing. I bought it 2 weeks ago and my desktop is gaining dust."
"Not only have I played my ally a ton more, but I haven’t touched steam deck since I’ve gotten it."
"I love it and have been carrying it with me every day to work."
"I d say the Ally is the best handheld at the moment."
#2
Steam Deck
4.3
(18)
"I ended up buying a Steam Deck as I have tons of steam games and will load the google emudeck."
"Just get a steam deck if you want high end."
"Setting everything up on a Steam Deck can be a bit of a hassle, but its performance is solid."
"Steam Deck, ez."
"I have a Steam Deck and love it. One of my favorite pieces of tech and I would absolutely recommend it."
"In general I’d recommend the OLED Deck all day long because what you get for what you pay is an excellent value."
"Steam deck OLED makes the most sense here. It can run all those games just fine at high settings."
"Just go with the Deck."
"Why not save up and buy a steam deck?"
"The Steam Deck would be great for this. All of these handhelds are very premium and can run everything + dock with a TV."
#3
ROG
4.3
(16)
"The ROG Ally X is what I would pick for Windows gaming."
"Ally x!!!"
"Ally x all day. More options. More ram More everything"
"Definitely go for the X."
"If you are a “beginner” and use windows please get the Ally X. You will thank me later."
"Prefer the Ally ergonomically along with the higher power it provides."
"Rog ally x. I owned steam deck and i found the power a little lacking."
"If you actually mean windows then the rog ally X is the best.."
"The ROG Ally is one of the small ones. Can check it out."
"I find the ROG Ally X and Steam Deck OLED the most comfortable."
#4
Ayn
4.4
(8)
"The Odin 2 Portal is far and away my favorite option for streaming."
"Love my portal so far, streaming works great, and PC/console emulation is great"
"Ayn Odin Portal is amazing for streaming."
"Ive had nothing but rock solid performance with my Odin2 Pro."
"Ayn Odin 2 Portal"
"Odin 2 Portal with their WiFi 7 chip."
"Technically the best is the Ayn Odin 2 but that’s pricy."
"The Ayn was designed to compete with the Switch Lite."
#5
Nintendo
4.3
(8)
"By far the best is my hacked switch oled with Mobapad M6 HD joycons."
"Love my ds. Its portable. Large variety."
"Switch OLED"
"Nintendo Switch OLED"
"In my area psvita or 3ds can be found for $120 and they have ok library + can emulate older consoles."
"3ds is really great and highly moddable."
"Switch is no more for kids than a steam deck or ROG Ally"
"The Switch is a pretty good all-rounder in terms of price-performance."
#6
Valve
4.3
(6)
"Top 3 u could buy, in no specific order 1. SteamDeck 2. SteamDeck, but OLED 3. also a SteamDeck"
"Steam Deck is a no brainer."
"Steam Deck OLED is hard to beat."
"Steam Deck OLED"
"I’ve had a Steamdeck and it ran AAA games perfectly fine."
"OLED Steam Deck or Switch 2. If you don't have much technical knowledge you're better off just getting a Switch 2."
#7
Logitech
4.0
(6)
"Find something like a used G Cloud (since the Switch fulfills your "pocketable" criteria) or maybe have a look at an Ambernic RG556 if you find one on sale."
"Gcloud or your phone. Your phone will arguably have better stats depending on what phone you already have, just get the gamesir or equivalent mobile controller."
"Logitech G Cloud when its on sale. 1920x1080p display. 7" screen. 10-12hr battery life"
"I’ll sell you my Logitech G cloud, perfect condition, for $100 plus shipping."
"Used G Cloud as u/Baelish2016 suggested. Great device. Performance is not an issue."
"Streaming only? G-Cloud is probably the best value."
#8
Retroid Pocket
3.8
(6)
"Yeah thinking of getting a Retroid Pocket 5 but love the form factor of the gameboy ambernick."
"For higher end devices, I think they leave something to be desired. There’s usually a better option for a bit more money - like the Retroid Pocket 5 instead of the Rg 556."
"My Retroid Pocket 5 works great via HDMI out to my TV."
"Retroid pocket 5, ayn, ayaneo, ect…you are looking at high end and expensive"
"In regards to a handheld device I’m enjoying the Retroid Pocket 5 a great deal. Great performance. Great screen. Great battery life."
"You may want to take a look at the Retroid Pocket Classic. It starts shipping next week."
#9
Anbernic
3.8
(6)
"Buy an anbernic 👍🏻👍🏻"
"All of Anbernic’s xx line besides the RG28xx have bluetooth and hdmi out and can play up to ps1, a bit of dreamcast, N64 and PSP."
"Anbernic handheld. They have an official website and like 30 handhelds to choose from."
"Check out the Anbernic xx series of handhelds. several variations, playable out of the box."
"Vita’s aren’t cheap, they have gone up in price a lot and you will get more with anbernic…take a look at the rg406h"
"Spending less would be the Anbernic RG406H."
#10
Sony
3.7
(6)
"PS Vita although finding it for that price may be challenging as I feel they’ve risen in price lately."
"I've got moonlight on my vitas, and it works great"
"For sure the vita is a great option if you can find it for a decent price."
"In terms of consoles from Sony and Nintendo, I prefer the ps vita."
"Psvita is excellent and cheap. Its easy to mod as well."
"Don't get a PS Vita. It's a great device but the lack of dedicated buttons for R2, L2, R3 and L3 are going to greatly hinder the experience for any modern game."
#11
ASUS
4.4
(5)
"Go ally x. The VRR display and z1 extreme chip are at the top of the market currently."
"Rog ally x is the goat"
"ASUS ROG Ally"
"Oh come on, man, do 5 minutes of research on YouTube. Ally X, done."
"You should probably get a ROG ALLY or a gaming laptop."
#12
Retroid
3.7
(6)
"The retroid pocket 4 would suit you just fine since it will be able to emulate those consoles and a few more above that for that price."
"A used Retroid Pocket 3+ is a great 720p option at about 4ms decoding but you get Joycon joysticks."
"Retroid pocket 5 is the best IMHO and it costs 220."
"Retroid Pocket 5 is about as good as it gets."
"The Retroid Pocket 5 is my second choice"
"Retro pocket 5"
#13
Ally
4.3
(4)
"If you like modding, go with a windows handheld. The best at the mo is unquestionably the Ally X."
"Just got an ally rog after seeing one person here mentioning the other day."
"I’d get the ally. Since it has windows it will be the one with the most compatibility."
"If you want access to gamepass and the best performance on those AAA games, you're going to want to go with a Windows handheld."
#14
Miyoo
4.0
(4)
"Get them something simple and easy to use like a Miyoo that just works out of the box."
"Excellent devices and you can order those with games."
"Miyoo mini are great devices but they're too fragile"
"I'm hoping the Miyoo A30 is somewhat durable, but mine is still in the mail."
#15
Lenovo
4.0
(3)
"The new Lenovo legion go S is coming out next month and it looks like a great addition to the pc handheld lineup so far."
"Look into the Legion Go or Legion Go S. The Go S should suffice for performance."
"Lenovo Legion Go: Largest screen (8.8 inch QHD), has detachable joy con like controllers and a kickstand."
#16
Lenovo Legion
4.0
(3)
"Legion go hands down!"
"LEGION GO BABY! It's a chonky bastard, but I love it."
"I like the screen size of the legion and use it in tabletop mode but if u want handheld its a little heavy"
#17
Razer
3.7
(3)
"I use a Razer Kishi with my Samsung S10+ and it works great."
"Razer Kishi or Backbone or similar controller. It is the most pocketable and cheapest."
"Razer Edge"
#18
Powkiddy
3.7
(3)
"The powkiddy x55 is a great budget device with a big screen, perfect weight ~200g and good ergonomics"
"I'd recommend getting something fairly rugged and cheap, which would make me lean towards the Powkiddy V90."
"PowKiddy or Anbernic for ROMs."
#19
GameSir
5.0
(2)
"I just got a GameSir G8+ that I was using for my iPhone 14 Pro Max and now on my Legion Y700 I got and it’s been perfect"
"I highly recommend the gaimsir g8 to use with your phone if you go that route."
#20
OneXPlayer
3.3
(3)
"OneXplayer is native Windows based handheld."
"OneXFly"
"The onexplayer f1 pro is smaller than the steam deck and will play everything. Con it's 1500 dollars"
#21
Valve Steam Deck
4.5
(2)
"The Steam Deck imo"
"The current Steam Deck is very capable. I played through Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on mine and it was a fine experience."
#22
RG
4.5
(2)
"Excellent devices and you can order those with games."
"RG Nano is comparable, but also fairly expensive."
#23
Odin
4.0
(2)
"Oh nice the Odin2 looks great or steamdeck."
"Odin 2"
#24
Trimui
4.0
(2)
"Trimui smart pro for $50? 16:9 IPS panel with dedicated gaming controls."
"In this price range you could try the new trimui brick it looks better built"
#25
Samsung
3.5
(2)
"Mine is Samsung Galaxy tablet with Gamesir G8 + (bluetooth)"
"Buy a prepaid snapdragon phone/used Galaxy S21 FE etc + a phone controller."
#26
Lenovo Legion GO
5.0
(1)
"My Legion GO absolutely kicks ass, getting 60fps on an older but gorgeous title like Death Stranding at 800p is possible."
#27
PlayStation
5.0
(1)
"It's a game changer. Also very reasonably priced"
#28
R36S
5.0
(1)
"R36S is also a good choice that came out recently."
#29
GKD
5.0
(1)
"The GKD Pixel by far, but it's hard to find now."
#30
Retro Lite
5.0
(1)
"You can check Retro Lite CM5."
#31
8BitDo
5.0
(1)
"I just bought a new 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Controller and it feels so good."
#32
ASUS ROG Ally X
5.0
(1)
"Rog ally X."
#33
Nintendo 3DS
4.0
(1)
"A 3DS gives you access to both the DS and 3DS library."
#34
Sony PSP
4.0
(1)
"Similar with the PSP, been buying a fair few games this year."
#35
TrimUI
4.0
(1)
"I'd recommend getting something fairly rugged and cheap, which would make me lean towards the TrimUI Smart."
#36
GPD Win 4
4.0
(1)
"Steam Deck seems to be the best value, but if you want more horsepower and don’t mind paying extra for it GPD sells a Win4."
#37
GPD Win
4.0
(1)
"Gpd win"
#38
Ark OS
4.0
(1)
"Load on the community maintained image of Ark OS for the r36s and then add the roms and bios files"
#39
PS Vita
4.0
(1)
"Get a PSVita and mod that bitch"
#40
GPD
4.0
(1)
"I have a Win 4 and its a huge step up from the Steamdeck in terms of performance."
#41
Doogee
4.0
(1)
"My current solution: Doogee U11 (1280x900, 90hz) with Gamesir G8+ ($140)."
#42
Backbone
4.0
(1)
"I got an unsealed BBIB backbone for 25 dollars on eBay. Same one sells for $100 at Best Buy."
#43
Claw
4.0
(1)
"Claw 8 AI+ or Onexplayer F1 Pro. you need the latest chips from intel/amd to surpass ally x/legion go"
#44
SF2000
3.0
(1)
"Sf2000. Normally would not recommend but it seems like this is the situation it would help."
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