5 Things to Consider Before Buying a Gaming Handheld

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Decide on Your Budget
Choose Which Games You Want to Play
Determine Whether You Want to Use a Dock
Check How Long Your Gaming Sessions Last
Check the Specs

Key Takeaways

Consider your budget: The cost of handheld consoles varies with storage and processing power.
Ensure the handheld supports the games you enjoy, such as PlayStation exclusives, Steam titles, or PC games.
Dock or no dock: Decide if you want a handheld that can connect to a TV screen to enjoy gaming on a larger display.

With the increasing interest in gaming handhelds, should you pull the trigger and get one for yourself? Here are some things to consider before buying a handheld gaming console and how to choose which one is best for you.

1 Decide on Your Budget

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This question is often the most significant deciding factor on which handheld console you’re buying or if you’re buying one in the first place. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X cost $500 a piece, with both offering 1TB storage. On the other hand, the top-of-the-line Nintendo Switch is priced at $350 but only comes with 64GB of internal storage.

If you prefer PC games or titles available on Steam, the Steam Deck starts at $400 for the 256GB model. But if you want the 1TB model, you must pay $650—$150 more than the PS5 or the Xbox Series X.

The base-model ROG Ally is priced at $500—the same as the PS5 and Xbox Series X—but has a more powerful processor than those consoles. The ROG Ally with the Z1 Extreme chip costs $700, but it’s even more powerful, allowing you to play newer AAA games. While both ROG Ally models only have a 512GB SSD, they both have a microSD slot, allowing you to expand their storage.

Although these may look pricey, they’re still cheaper than you’ll spend building a gaming PC. According to our well-rounded PC buying guide , you’ll likely pay about $1,000 to build a mid-range gaming PC, while higher-end builds could start at $1,500 or more. However, desktop PCs are more likely to last longer, as you can upgrade your PC to improve its performance in the future.

2 Choose Which Games You Want to Play

Before buying a handheld console, you must consider which games you like. If you’re into PlayStation exclusives, you’re pretty much stuck with the PlayStation Portal unless you want to use PlayStation Plus to stream games to Windows-based handhelds, like the Asus ROG Ally .

On the other hand, Nintendo fans will likely stick with the Switch, especially as the company isn’t a fan of emulators and has continuously blocked and sued emulator developers. If most of your game library is on Steam, then the Steam Deck makes sense as your primary gaming handheld choice.

If you want to run games that are not on Steam and don’t want to install Windows on your Steam Deck , you can pick other handhelds like the ROG Ally or MSI Claw, which are portable Windows computers. That way, you’ll have more leeway to install the apps you like.

However, not all games are optimized for handheld gaming, even if you can install them on one of these consoles. This is especially true for real-time strategy games , often designed to be played on a larger screen with a mouse and keyboard. If these are the games you like, we suggest sticking to your PC or at least getting a console dock, like these great ROG Ally docks or a genuine Valve Docking Station for the Steam Deck.

3 Determine Whether You Want to Use a Dock

Valve

While handheld gaming consoles give you portability and let you play anywhere, it’s often better to game on a large TV screen. If you don’t have another gaming console attached to your TV or don’t want to spend money on multiple gaming devices, consider getting a handheld that works with a dock.

The best example of a handheld design for docked gaming is the Nintendo Switch. Even though the Switch is already a six-year-old console , it’s still an excellent device for both portable and console gaming, especially as it comes with a dock in the box. You also don’t need to purchase separate controllers, as the Switch’s built-in controllers slide off to let two people play simultaneously.

But if the games you like aren’t Nintendo games, consider getting a handheld console that you can attach to a larger screen through a dock or cable. That way, you can enjoy gaming on a larger screen when available. However, note that you might need a controller or a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard to enjoy gaming on your TV via your handheld, so you should consider these additional expenses if you don’t have them yet.

4 Check How Long Your Gaming Sessions Last

The biggest advantage of a gaming handheld is that you can play your games anywhere you are. But the caveat here is that you can only play for so long before you need to recharge.

For example,our Steam Deck review showed that it only lasts about an hour and a half when playing some demanding titles, so you’ll have to plug it into the wall to continue playing (or bring a massive power bank with you).

Of course, the handheld’s portability still is a significant advantage over a gaming desktop or laptop. That’s because you can just pull out your handheld console from your bag to start playing.

But if your games use a lot of battery power, the handheld’s portability advantage diminishes, as you need to find an outlet to recharge it while you’re playing. But if you only play games for less than an hour a day or prefer older, simpler games that don’t require that much power, then a handheld gaming console will make sense for you.

5 Check the Specs

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If you’ve decided to buy a handheld gaming console, don’t forget to check the specifications of your options. That’s because not all gaming consoles are made the same.

For example, the PlayStation Portal only works via streaming—meaning it will stream games from your PlayStation 5. So, if you don’t have a strong internet connection at home and at the places where you intend to use the Portal, it’s not a suitable handheld for you.

The Logitech G Cloud is also a primarily streaming device. That means you’ll need a high-speed internet connection and a game streaming subscription before you can even game on it.

If you want to play games even if you’re offline, consider getting a device that stores games locally, like the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, or ROG Ally. However, you should also check the storage capacity of the device you’re getting, see if it has expandable memory, or see if you could upgrade its storage.

Other handhelds, like the ROG Ally, also give you processor options. So you should check the games you’re playing and see if it’s worth going for the more powerful (and expensive) handheld or if you should settle for the more affordable base model.

If you just want a portable gaming device to play on today and don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on a gaming rig, then buying a gaming handheld is the sensible choice. Just ensure that you’ve considered the things we’ve listed above so that you can pick the right device for you and avoid buyer’s remorse.

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5 Things to Consider Before Buying a Gaming Handheld