Topic: Gaming handhelds

Steam Deck, Asus Rog Ally, Lenovo Legion Go... What now?

Let's discuss these devices that are very popular according to statistics revealing how many Steam users play on Steam Deck, 10% of a massive user base. In my opinion, the most interesting things to discuss are user reviews and anything that you can't find on the official websites, but you can discuss anything. Just don't forget to say what model you are talking about, I had a hard time following NEStalgia after we decided to post all this on a thread. 😅

Interesting topic. Definitely will be here later with a longer reply but if you’re here looking for a recommendation, Steam Deck OLED would absolutely be the safest recommendation out of the ones you’ve listed. For reasons listed below that were highlighted by a different user in a different thread.

Reason I’m citing a second opinion is because I have the LCD, not the OLED. So my thoughts on OLED are only second hand, so I thought I’d cite that part. My general steam deck experience is definitely first hand so I’ll be speaking on that and give my opinion on why it’s better to just get the OLED.

To add to the post by Ralizah, OLED also can turn on remotely, something the LCD can’t do.

That, and the point they made about OLED screens using less power in darker games due to turning off individual pixels is absolutely true and nothing to scoff at.

Furthermore, while I don’t own an OLED, the lacking features in LCD that are in OLED are so tangible that they’re enough to validate my stance.

Cannot unfortunately speak for the Legion GO, but running on windows means you likely run into less compatibility issues.

Some games cannot run on a framework other than .NET 4.6.2, which is not supported by Linux in any way nor is it able to force compatibility via any versions of Proton or Proton GE. But that issue is so rare that it’s honestly not worth ignoring the steam deck for it. Just thought I’d mention it since no reviews do.

Legion GO is also severely more powerful and is likely better at running certain stuff, including RPCS3.

P.S.: apologies for the sudden ping if this is a community you never visit, it was merely as means of giving credit. G’day.

@Yousef- I drop by when there's a topic I'm interested in. And, as you can probably guess, I'm an increasingly big proponent of Valve and the Steam Deck.

Despite the power limitations compared to more expensive devices and the issues still involved with gaming on Linux (which has made great strides since the introduction of the Deck, thankfully), it's hard to beat the Deck when it comes to active support and user-friendliness in terms of customization and UI. Between discounted LCD models and the customer-friendly pricing for the OLEDs, it's also definitely the best value when it comes to gaming handhelds.

I'd absolutely agree the OLED model is worth spending a bit more on. It's a brilliant device.

Nice work, @Banjo- , saved me the trouble of repasting it and in a much more organized manner!

I was messing around with trying to get a unified launcher and discovered Playnite. It's really nice for integrating all your storefronts into one interface, but it doesn't play very well with Xbox. It can only import games you've launched before, so if you have a big backlog of games that you have bought but haven't played they don't show up in your list and you have to find them in the Xbox app anyway. Plus Game Pass games you've played do show up in your list, even if you don't still have access to them. Launching games means downloading and installing them (either on console or PC) which is a pain if, say, I'm not playing Infinite Wealth anytime soon but want it to show up in my library. You can add manually but that's a huge pain.

It's kind of interesting, PureXbox will probably end up having to transition into more of a Xbox+PC gaming site if Xbox itself is going to continue promoting actual PCs as part of its Xbox ecosystem. They may stop when they have their own handheld, of course, but when even their showcases show most things on PC and include PC-only games, "Xbox" and "PC" start to become synonymous.

so I had a steam deck and my wife bought me the rog extreme for Xmas. they don't even compare the rog is better in everyway except batter life. I liked it so much I bought the new one and was able to sell the first one for 400. the new black rogs battery is amazing my car adapter still works for it.
The biggest thing it has over the deck is you don't have to run proton for non steam things and you can still use steam out of the box. it has great macro controls like opening the keyboard and taskmanager or getting a second desktop. it works great in the TV. the most demanding game I have played is dying light 2 and no issues. BG3 runs great.
I travel a lot 5 days a week my rog and kindle maybe the best things I own.

Thanks for collating this all @Banjo- that's helpful, here's my 2 cents.

Most of the handheld devices are better at something than others, so deciding what you want to do with the device should help make the decision. Especially ask where is your ecosystem. E.g. if you want to play games from Steam, the Deck is no brainer. If you want to play Game Pass natively etc. the Rog Ally is great.

Personally I've found the Steam Deck OLED to be bloody brilliant. Obviously it plays Steam games natively and the battery life and screen are great. I also use it for streaming from both PS5 and Xbox while at home AND streaming Xcloud when away. It's also perfect for retro gaming. I upgraded from the OG Deck and it does 95% of what I want, and at it's relatively low price of £479 it's a dream.

The only complaint I have is that while you can run windows it's not a great experience and so playing Game Pass, or some other launcher titles natively isn't always possible in Steam OS, this being an Xbox site if that's what you want to do specifically look elsewhere. That is a gap in the market that a rumoured Xbox handheld with a slick interface could potentially slip into.

I have tried the ROG Ally X at a friends and while the performance is great I didn't like a few aspects about it by comparison to the Deck (battery life, OS / Windows 11 felt clunky in a handheld, it's heavy and of course the price, at £799 it's pretty expensive) but it depends what you want to use if for. If I wanted it for top end PC games and Game Pass this is what I would go for.

I've also tried the PS Portal, which I was sceptical about but that actually really surprised me. The screen while not OLED is gorgeous, and better than many OLEDs, it's hard to state how good this is. I quickly forgot I was playing on a handheld, I was just playing PlayStation. The large 8 inch screen means all text is just as visible at arms length as it is on a TV, which can be a problem with smaller handhelds and one reason I didn't like using a phone with a backbone or tablet on a table with an Xbox pad for this. There was a bit of occasional macro blocking or a dip in performance, this could be better, but nothing I haven't seen elsewhere while streaming. I borrowed my mates while he went on holiday and almost bought one after. If I didn't have a Deck I'd probably get one for £199.

All in all Steam Deck OLED works well for me and I'm not looking to upgrade, but an Xbox handheld might have my interest if it allowed seamless playing of Game Pass titles natively that I could continue playing as easily as a Switch in handheld mode.

I'm glad that you are finding this thread useful. I realised that some users were posting interesting hands-on impressions under random articles, and elsewhere I read other users asking questions about these handheld PCs, so I asked NEStalgia and we agreed to make an specific thread not for me, but for every owner and potential owner of any of these.

I have been curious about them since Steam Deck and I almost got one, but I didn't. Right now, I'd rather wait and see what Xbox is cooking. I don't own a single PC game except the Xbox Play Anywhere titles. My digital library is 99% Xbox console/Play Anywhere. I bought an Xbox One for Rare Replay and now I own hundreds of Xbox games and 99% of them are digital. I even bought the digital version of the few games that I own physically. The store has great deals. This means that, whatever Microsoft releases, my digital library is enough reason to be interested in it. Moreover, I assume that their handheld or hybrid would be more user-friendly than a third-party one, and that Xbox and Game Pass games would run on it.

Many Switch users have a handheld PC as well and I find that fascinating, many of them willing to get alternatives for non-Nintendo games and for retro gaming. I have tried gaming on my Galaxy S22 Ultra, but smartphone gaming is not for me, even with a controller attached. I have a Switch for (some) Nintendo exclusives. Actually, I had the Switch Lite, but hated the screen and sold it, then bought the regular Switch version 2. I play it most of the time docked and using an Xbox controller and even mapped the buttons in the Switch menu to match Xbox. Some people might think that I hate handhelds because I don't like playing on a phone or on Switch Lite, but I still love my (smaller) New Nintendo 3DS that I pre-ordered back in the day.

I had all the consoles released last generation except Vita, but that was overkill. I spent most of my gaming time playing Xbox and Nintendo games, including old games like Ocarina of Time in 60fps on Wii U. My most-played PS exclusive was Wipeout Omega Collection, but I didn't enjoy any of the other PS exclusives.

Conclusion: I'm curious about all of these devices now that the technology allows them to be very solid gaming experiences. I would get an Xbox handheld/hybrid to enjoy the same experience in terms of library, UI and controls that I enjoy on console. I believe that it would be great for the Xbox business and would make more sense than two new home consoles.

@Banjo- I'm with you on the Switch Lite.

Never liked it, barely touched it for the three years I had it. Swapped for a Switch OLED recently and I've had a great experience with the 20+ hours I've put in so far.

Also agree about the New Nintendo 3DS - one of my favourite consoles of all time, let alone handhelds.

@FraserG Right, my man! 😁 I think that it's the combination of low-res modern graphics, generally blurry visuals and, most of all, the low-quality screen what makes Switch Lite... bad.