Gaming Handheld

Making my weekly rounds through my pawnshops in the area and noticed this in the corner. I thought to myself impossible! Maybe somebody swapped out the sticks with black versions because there’s no way they’re only charging for about what the LCD version would cost. It was not possible to view the top of the deck to see the color of the power button from inside the case. So I nonchalantly inquired if I could take a look at one of the many switches displayed and steered the conversation towards the steam deck and requested to take a look. lo and behold a neon orange power button! (Poker face mode activate) I asked if they would they be able to cut me a deal if I also paired the deck with a jaw bone controller and they knocked $10 bucks off the steam deck price and I walked out a happy man! Just have to clean out the gamer grime in the crevices and find some reputable M.2 SSD manufacturers so i can upgrade it from 512 GB to 2 TB. This isn’t the first time I found a great deal from this pawnshop because of mispricing I’ve also got a pack of 4 AirTags for $25 (because the box printing only shows a single AirTag.) I’ve also found a 2 TB iPad Pro M4 13” for $650 because of a cracked screen which only turned out to be a screen protector. I also pick up any Sig P365s for sale because it’s a much better deal to buy the entire gun for $400-$500 than to buy the FCU by itself which cost around $350. I end up making these into gifts or commission pieces and usually swap parts around to make whatever variant of P365 is requested. TL/DR went to pawnshop saw a Oled steam deck they mispriced got a small discount. Check your pawnshops guys sometimes they don’t know what they have. You might have some luck with Facebook Marketplace too. (I’m ready for the so happy for you memes and all other variants of it)

I Work 12 hours a day so i barely stop at home and have no time to play games, ive been wanting to own a steam deck ever since It was announced but i'm Brazilian and tech is prohibitively expensive here. I finally managed to buy a deck but after only 2 days of owning it for some fucking reason It turned itself on while inside it's case because of my bluetooth headphones, and It overheated badly to the point that the case was burning hot once i got home. The deck still Works but it's VERY slow, even after i let It cool off for an entire night. It can't run any games and takes like 20 seconds to even open a browser. It's so slow that even typing takes like 1-2 full seconds to register each individual letter. I'm completely devastaded, this thing was so expensive and i've wanted It for so long and now it's ruined because apparently this fucking thing Just turns on on it's own randomly. I'm so fucking angry and Sad and desperately need any help in case any of you guys know of any way to fix this.

Storytime: Recently, I bought a Steam Deck on eBay because my girlfriend and I wanted to game together. Seemed like the perfect budget option. It arrived, and immediately… chaos. The thing kept crashing, and after each crash, a weird artifact would appear on the screen that wouldn’t go away until I rebooted. I work in IT so I took it as a personal challenge to fix it. I tried everything: fresh OS, fresh BIOS, different Protons… nothing worked. Frustrated, I went on Reddit and found someone with the exact same problem! Someone asked if they managed to fix it, and the reply was: “Couldn't find a fix so I sold it.” Curious, I checked the username… and yep. Same person who sold me the Steam Deck on eBay. Absolute legend. I contacted the eBay seller directly, and he claimed he “didn’t use it.” Sure, buddy. Before sending it back, I reached out to eBay and Steam support. eBay’s advice? “Return it.” Thanks. Steam support, on the other hand, took pity on me & gave me a free warranty. Sent it in for RMA, and they sent me back a fixed, working Steam Deck. (Probably a hardware issue as he overclocked the device and broke it.) Moral of the story: Some people are shady on eBay & Steam support rules! Edit: Reposted as removed because I linked his post. I'm sorry shouldn't of done that. Just wanted to show how awesome valve are and when they drop the next index 2 or deck 2 I'm first in line!

I think my Steam deck flipped out... In the best way possible! Id like to present the Flip Deck. After growing up with clamshell consoles as a kid, I needed to give my favorite handheld of all time the same treatment. This is 100% authentic and fully functional steam deck, everything working from the ambient light sensor down to the back buttons. Only thing that wouldn't fit was the original thumb sticks, but a few custom pcbs for that and the face buttons took care of it! It's a tiny bit taller, 4mm or so, but I was able to cut a full 100mm off of the length! I am in love with my steam deck, and further more, valve as a company. All of the things that happen behind the scenes that nobody will ever see or really know about. All of the hard work you guys have put in on steam os, proton, and now even fex with the latest planned VR, you guys have connected windows games to Linux and even ARM based devices, I see you guys putting in work! And 100x better than the 400 billion dollar company ever could. You guys care and I love it, and I'd love to be a part of your team at valve. Save me from the daily robot antics of society! With much love, pixel nerd.

Maybe I'm the minority, but over the years owning handhelds with much much smaller screen, I felt 7" was just nice, and I prioritise ergonomics than screen size while traveling abroad. Imagine having a Legion Go 8" screen with the XBAX handles, it's gonna be closer to a similar footprint as a laptop. Although I'm not gonna deny that having OLED with 120Hz VRR with slimmer bezels would be a dream. Also why I stopped using Nintendo: Because PC Master Race. Got used to playing AAA games with more variety than limited IP ones (Off topic: Hope I don't get crucified, but I felt Pokemon X and Y was peak Pokemon gaming experience). And why not Steamdeck? Because I prefer to play games above 40fps with higher graphic settings at 900p/1080p @ 17W. For new Ally owners, Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) works best when games are played above 40fps. In my opinion, the Switch is like the Toyota of handhelds, Steamdeck is like Tesla, while the MSI/Asus/Lenovo are the Audi/BMW/Mercedes equivalent. Hope it kinda makes sense when it comes to the price to performance. Another top tip to have more vivid colours on the Ally's screen: Go to AMD Adrenalin's screen settings -> Custom Colour Enabled -> Colour Temperature 6400 -> Brightness -17 -> Hue 0 -> Contrast 97 -> Saturation 120 (adjust to your personal preference between 100-120).

I've been working on a custom launcher that gives Windows a console-like experience, inspired by Xbox OS and SteamOS. I've always loved the UI of the Xbox Series, so I wanted to bring that same smooth and cohesive feeling to Windows. I've always found it surprising that Microsoft doesn't use the same Xbox OS interface inside the Xbox app, since it feels so polished on console. With FSE mode and a custom launcher, the whole experience finally feels much closer to that seamless console experience. In this video, I start playing in handheld mode on my ROG Xbox Ally X, then dock it to my TV and instantly continue the same session using a paired Xbox controller. My launcher automatically manages TDP, refresh rate, and handles sleep/resume behavior so Windows plays nice with the game, you can switch between handheld and docked modes as smoothly as on a real console. It even works great as an Xbox Portal, letting you stream and play your console library remotely or from the cloud. It's not Xbox OS/SteamOS, but I'm really happy with how it feels. This is almost an Xbox UPATE: Thanks so much for the amazing reception! 🙏 Since many people wanted to try it, you can download it here: 🔗 [https://zendeck.app](https://zendeck.app) Please note: this launcher is still in active development and may contain bugs. I’ve mainly tested it on my **Legion Go** and **ROG Xbox Ally X**, so other devices might behave differently or even crash in some cases. All builds are digitally signed with a **Personal Verified** **certificate** for safety.

I grew up playing on consoles. You turn them on, pick a game, and play. When I bought my first PC handheld (Legion Go, July 2024), I was honestly surprised by how different the experience was. In-game graphics settings, resolution, TDP, scaling, driver features... it felt like I had to tweak everything before I could actually play. I initially built AutoPilot just to handle things like TDP and performance automatically. But I quickly realized that wasn't enough, most of the friction was still in the in-game settings. That's how AutoPilot+ was born. AutoPilot+ detects the game and the handheld you're using, applies recommended in-game settings, configures resolution and AMD GPU features (like RSR or AFMF when supported), and then launches the game. The goal is simple: pick a game and play, while AutoPilot handles the rest. Instead of searching YouTube or Reddit for the "best settings" every time, this also opens the door to sharing and reusing community-tested game profiles directly through the launcher. This video shows the same game running on different handhelds, using the same flow, just recommended profiles applied automatically.

One thing I keep noticing with PC handheld gaming is how much manual work it still asks from players. For almost every game, there's a familiar loop: searching "best settings", opening Reddit threads, watching YouTube videos, tweaking sliders, launching the game again, and hoping it feels right. That process works if you enjoy tweaking, but it's overwhelming for people who just want to play. While testing Hogwarts Legacy, I hit a good example of this problem. On my Legion Go, the game ran its benchmark and recommended Ultra settings. It was technically playable, but in places like Hogsmeade there were noticeable stutters. On a different device (ROG Xbox Ally X), the same game's benchmark went the opposite direction and set everything to Low. Same game, same "recommended settings" idea, very different results. Smart Profiles is meant to smooth out that whole experience. Instead of asking users to figure out what to change, it applies in-game settings automatically based on the device and a simple preference, aiming for a more console-like experience. In the video, you can see: – the game's recommended settings – the resulting gameplay – and how applying a Smart Profile improves consistency on the Legion Go The goal isn't perfect settings or chasing Ultra. It's making PC handheld gaming more approachable for people who don't want to think about graphics menus at all. What games would you like to see Smart Profiles support next? **EDIT:** A few people asked how to install and enable Smart Profiles, so I made a full step-by-step guide here: [https://0degreez.com/2026/02/11/how-to-install-zendeck-from-scratch-and-use-smart-profiles-beginner-friendly-guide/](https://0degreez.com/2026/02/11/how-to-install-zendeck-from-scratch-and-use-smart-profiles-beginner-friendly-guide/)

I bought myself a used Z1E at the beginning of the year, the first thing that I spent my scholarship on. I paid about 330€, with some accessories, and man that was a great purchase! Installed Bazzite basically day one and I'm having a blast ever since. No matter what game I try, it's always playable (granted, there are cases like jedi survivor, where I had to run two frame generators on top of each other and play at 768p to have a decent frame rate with enormous input lag, but hey, it still was fun). I've had my eye on handheld PCs even before the steam deck was released, and even more after that since they became much more popular, but I'd never expect for them to become this cheap with that level of performance. Gaming for me was quite hard lately, since I live about 50/50 in my house and in my dorm, and my gaming PC can be only in one place at the time, and I don't really have the time to play for multiple hours at once. But now, I finally can play basically anywhere, even on a train, which is absolutely crazy! Tbh I don't know if I haven't played more games in that year, since, well ever. About a month ago I did the battery mod, 79 Wh from AliExpress with an aluminium plate and 3D printed backplate (I may not look that good as the original but has better grips and it's stupidly cheap when you have your own 3d printer). After that the Ally feels almost perfect, about 3 hours of battery life in more demanding games, which is absolutely more than enough for me. I'm not even mentioning everything else that comes with a fact, that this is *literally* a PC. I used it as a smart TV for my projector, as a computer when I didn't have access to my laptop and probably a few more things that right now I can't even remember. Tl;dr fantastic device with amazing price and insane capabilities, would recommend to anyone who's not scared of PC gaming

After months of research and searching I finally received the Rog Ally Z1E! I got it for ₹35800 ($380). It's looking neat and has no issues so far. Battery is at 74% (29,181/40,001). This is the first gaming console I'm buying on my own; I used to spend hours on my PSP my father bought me when I was a kid and the comfort of playing games on a couch/bed/car or wherever I am never left me. I have had a gaming laptop for some time now, but I never played too many games on it. Mostly because I already had a lot of things going on and thought gaming would take away too much time. I also have to set up the whole system, and I have to sit in the same chair I've been in all day for work. And then when I start playing, something interrupts and I have to turn it off again. I just installed The Witcher 3 and started playing again. I first played it about 2 years ago but never finished it. This time, I’m hoping the Ally makes it easier to pick up and play whenever I get some free time and finally complete the game. Feels nice to finally have a handheld again after all these years. If you’ve been using the Ally for a while, I’d love to hear any tips, game recommendations, or things I should know.

It's been a day or so I received my Xbox Ally X, put about 10 hours of gaming into it and want to share my thoughts, especially comparing it to SD Oled. I had the SD Oled since launch and previously owned ROG Ally X. TLDR; Xbox Ally X has much better hardware, buttons, ergonomics, it's more comortable to play games. It runs games much better and starts them much faster. However the Full Screen Experience is completely shit and Windows on handheld is still dick cutting nightmare. XAX is very heavy, surprisingly, holding it by the grips makes it seem like her than OG Ally X. SD feels like a toy compared to it - although the SD is slightly bigger. The controls are better on XAX - most noticeable for me are the Dpad, sticks and triggers. Playing FPS games feels absolutely amazing, since you can 100% rely on the buttons and they're super accurate. Face buttons are LOUD and a bit hard to press. Not a fan, still better than SD as they're larger. BUT - the trackpads are absolutely insane on SD and I regularly use them for Heroes and Wii Emulation. And I sure as shit can't emulate most Wii games on the XAX itself. Screen is good - you bump up the vibrance a bit and it looks awesome. I'm constantly moving between OLED, VA miniLED, IPS so I'm sort of desensitised to the wow factor of OLED. But the image is course better on SD with VibrantDeck. I'm still leaning towards the XAX as VRR is a must on low powered handhelds with high refreshrate screen. The 7" size isn't a deal breaker when having it next to the bigger SD. The new chip in XAX has incredible performance at 17W - i run everything at 17W which gets me around 3 hours of battery Im usually away from the outlet and want to be as portbale as possible, so Ill never really consider anything above those W. The system starts up faster, games start faster too. Ghost of Tsushima runs at 60 on med/high 1080 FSR. For about 10 minutes before it crashes. FG about 80. FFVII Rebirth runs at around 35 on med/high 1080 native 100% min RES scale. Yakuza Like a Dragon runs at around 45 on med/high 1080 native. Found Rebirth to not be optimised that well, very little settings. Yakuza runs like shit in general, VERY hars to get good performance out of that game. The Xbox Full Screen Experience is completely dogshit. It starts up, is unresponsive for the next 15 secconds. Launching other launchera, e.g. GoG Galaxy always takes a couple of tries. Launching games is super weird, some are launched in background and you have to manually switch to them. I spent almost 3 hours installing windows updates. C O N S T A N T freezes and lags. It's either super responsive or it doesn't so anything. No reliable sleep, HUGE deal breaker if not for Bazzite. Bottom line is, once Bazzite stable releases, this is imo the beat handheld out there due to the fact that I can get into games much faster and they play much better. The experience of playing DOOM 2016 on XAX and SD Oled are two different things, due to the performance and controls of the XAX. The point of a handheld for me is to play as many games for the longest of time - traveling, camping, commuting. Want to take it out, play, put it back. The 17W mode plays everything and has amazing battery. Once Bazzite releases, it will finally have sleep that isn't shit. Btw. Where I live, the equivalent of SD Oled 1TB is about 30% cheaper the XAX. I would absolutely not consider the SD LCD to be any sort of a competitor to anything anymore.

Love handheld gaming any chance I get. What’s everyone’s favorite from here? Can’t decide on which one I like the most. SteamDeck is the good ol reliable, ally x battery life and performance is great but small screen, the LeGo S I haven’t had too long but the screen is amazing.

I think I have an addiction. It all started back in December when I fell prey to an IG story selling a cheap vertical handheld. I really just wanted something to play Tetris. It arrived, and I played it for a few weeks before it failed completely. It wouldn't even turn on, just a cheap GB product clone which I WAY overpaid for. That pushed me down the rabbit hole of emulators. I bought an RG40XXH, then a Retroid Pocket 5. I got the RP5 for a decent deal off eBay, but then I discovered AliExpress and the [r/crownpuffdeals](https://www.reddit.com/r/crownpuffdeals/) deals. That is when the addiction got really bad. I started buying a new handheld almost every week. I realized I really enjoyed the tinkering aspect: setting them up with custom OS (MuOS, Knulli, Spruce, dArkOS, etc.) options, configuring frontends like ES-DE and Cocoon, and building curated ROM libraries. Eventually, I started buying them just to give away to friends. Here is my current collection. I plan on downsizing this and giving most of them away. **The Purchase In Order:** 1. RG40XXH 2. Retroid Pocket 5 3. Miyoo Flip 2 4. Ayn Thor Pro 5. RG35XXSP (grey) 6. Mangmi Air X 7. RG Rotate 8. RG35XXSP (blue) 9. RG40XXV 10. RGCubeXX **The Keep List:** My plan is to keep the Thor, one of the RG35XXSP units, the RG40XXV, and the RGCubeXX. I want to keep the blue SP because I love the color, but it only has 1GB of RAM compared to the grey's 2GB. I tried swapping the boards out, but it appears the blue SP has a different screen. (Most likely, I'll just keep both.) **The Giveaway Plan:** I plan on giving the rest to friends. Looking back at my AliExpress orders, I previously ordered another three RG40XXH units and three BatlEXP G350s, which I already set up and gifted. **Lessons from 6 Months in the Hobby:** * **You only really play one main device.** For me, that is the Thor. Sometimes I pick up another just for the fun of it, but the Thor is my daily driver. * **The Anbernic line handles plenty.** For the majority of the games I am playing, the Anbernic XX line can easily handle the gameplay. **The ROM Library Struggle:** Do not even get me started on ROM libraries. I have been driving myself crazy trying to get the perfect mix. I figured for my friends, largely due to memory card prices, I am sticking to 128GB cards. That fits pretty much all the lower-end systems, and I add a few PS1 games in for them too. I do warn them that not every single game will play perfectly on the XX line, but 95% will work just fine. **A HUGE Thank You:** Finally, I want to add a HUGE thank you to Russ [u/onionsaregross](https://www.reddit.com/user/onionsaregross/) from [Retro Game Corps](https://www.youtube.com/@RetroGameCorps), [Joey's Retro Handhelds,](https://www.youtube.com/@JoeysRetroHandhelds) and [u/TheTechDweeb](https://www.reddit.com/user/TheTechDweeb/) [TechDweeb](https://www.youtube.com/@TechDweeb). Their videos really helped with absolutely everything. I want to give a special shoutout to Russ [u/onionsaregross](https://www.reddit.com/user/onionsaregross/) for his written articles and video guides. I think I spent days poring over his Android setup guides! I also have to add a massive thank you to [r/crownpuffdeals](https://www.reddit.com/r/crownpuffdeals/) and [u/crownpuff](https://www.reddit.com/user/crownpuff/). His AliExpress buying guides have saved me so much money. Waking up on a Monday morning, the very first thing I do is check my phone to see what coupons I can use to order! UPDATE: Wow. I'm trying to respond to everyone who had questions.

From top to bottom: - Nintendo Switch 2: For Switch and Switch 2 games. - Lenovo Legion Tab 3: For emulation in general up to PC and Switch games. Mostly used for PS2 and PSP, but sometimes I want to play a game with a heavy CRT shader on what is basically a mini tv. - Retroid Pocket Classic: My EDC. Emulation up to PS1, PSP, N64 and very light PS2 games. Mostly I do very retro stuff up to the 32 bit era, sometimes I stretch it past it's optimal use. After a lot of trials I ended up selling/giving away most of my consoles. Some I really really liked, but couldn't justify keeping or didn't get enough use. But this 3 have stood the test of time and mostly don't make me want to buy anything else. (I mean I do have an order in for the RG Rotate, but that's a story for another day) Past handhelds (in order): - PS Vita. Sold; Loved it. Didn't get enough use. - Anbernic RG35XX (OG). Gifted, when I got my next console. - Retroid Pocket 4 Pro. Sold; Probably my second most used console. Loved everything about this one, except the screen wasn't great and was a tad small. - Switch Lite. Sold; Now this one. This one was one of my favourites. Great size, amazing games. Really really good. But when I got the switch 2, and already having my wife's Switch OLED, I couldn't use my account on all three and this one fell unused quickly. - Miyoo A30. Sold; Before I got my RPC, this was my EDC. Loved this little guy. Only issue was the screen was too dim for outdoors. But the controls were so good. - Anbernic RG35XXH. Sold; Another one I really liked, such a good size. Really good quality over all. But I decided to part ways with it to get the RPC, and I don't regret it one bit. Maybe just a little bit because it was such a great Ape Escape machine. - Anbernic RG40XXH. Sold; This one is really good, I thought it would get more use, but it didn't click with me as I expected. Still a very solid one. What about you all? I'd love to hear your journey with this little nostalgia machines. Let me know. And also remember, go play some goddamn video games!

Played the entire game in 1.25x speed because thats just the kind of man I am. I read so, so much about the input latency while waiting for the device to arrive as this was my biggest concern because I am very susceptible to input delay. But all worries faded the moment I turned on some 3DS emulation, which represents basically pretty much the worst case of input latency in terms of emulators. The input latency is really in the acceptable range and I hope this gameplay showcases how well I am able to play - as a matter of fact, I am much more skilled on the Thor playing 3D Land than on the original 3DS! (replayed the same levels to test) The 120hz screen really makes the difference in input latency, I tried switching back and forth and immediately noticed the difference (again, I am very susceptible) I never really played on my Retroid Pocket 5, but this thing, man... this thing just hits DIFFERENT lemme tell you. Instead of spending years tinkering and setting everything up like I do with any other retro handheld, I literally started playing 3D Land at first as a quick gaming test but then got HOOKED immediately and played through the whole game, 0 issues! There is one little loading glitch you can see in the video when I enter through one of the doors (the platforms took like 10ms to load lol) but I kid you not, that was the first time something like this happened, right on camera hahaha. The comfort is amazing, especially if you're already used to playing on a NDS / 3DS. Only caveat is the sharp edges on the shoulder buttons but honestly thats nitpicking, you don't notice in game and you position your fingers automatically and subconsciously in a way that its comfortable (for me they are resting right in between the trigger and bumper and thats mega comfortable) Im running a 4k texture pack at 4x resolution and 1.25 speed and there is ZERO ISSUES in performance, even on 2x speed its silky smooth, no stutters, NOTHING. No matter what performance mode I pick, smooth sailing all around. 10/10 this is the endgame handheld ever

The GBA was released 25 years ago on March 21st 2001 in Japan, a handheld I didn't get to experience until much later in life when I started tinkering with it via emulation on a PSP. What really got me into the GBA library years later was the raise of popularity of emulation handhelds around 2019 and beyond which allowed me to discovered a fantastic library of games I didn't pay much attention too, what are some of your favorites ? Here's some of mine that I discovered (yeah I know, Where's Pokemon ??) - Summon Nights Swordcraft story 1 & 2 A neat little contained ARPG series within the Summon Nights franchise. What really got me hooked to this is unique combat system that felt like a mix of turn based mechanics mix with action RPG gameplay. The story is compelling enough between the two games too. - Mario Tennis Power Tour I didn't know what to expect when I first tried this game, but a tennis RPG where you don't even play as Mario is far from what I expected. Story is nothing to write home about but the tennis gameplay is was very engaging to me. - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban If you read this far you've likely noticed the theme already, I really like RPG's game mode for the GBA. This Harry Potter game is no different, the turned based gameplay feels very pokemon in nature. - Risk/Battleship Clue I only play Battleship in this pack of game. Its great to play with another player passing the console around. Also, it's fun to play through the good & bad licensed games that released for the system, you can check out this thread I made a whole ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/SBCGaming/comments/1k0o0xf/ive_been_obsessed_with_licensed_gba_games/ Devices: Miyoo Flip, RG35XXSP, RG35XX-H,

Hey everyone, I’m Mert, a dev from Berlin. I built this to fix something that kept killing my momentum while playing collectible-heavy games. As a busy father, my gaming time is limited and every minute is precious—I didn't want my hobby to feel like admin work or 'homework' just to get started. (I realize the irony of 'not having time' while somehow coding an entire app. Apparently, my brain decided that building a custom solution from 11 PM to 2 AM several months was easier than just re-searching 'SOTN Inverted Castle Map' one more time) So I built **Game Twin**. It basically works like "save states"—but for everything *around* your game. I recently released **a** **new update** specifically to address feedback I got from the community (thank you!) to make the navigation and UX much more intuitive. **How it works:** * **Guides & Maps:** Everything reopens exactly where you left off. No more scrolling back to page 47 of a walkthrough, table of content is created automatically for text, pdf and html files. * **Achievement Hunting:** Synced via Steam/RetroAchievements with quick access to tips. * **Automatic Detection:** Picks up what you're playing via **ES-DE, RetroArch, or Retro/Steam achivements**. * **Vault System:** Each game gets its own “vault.” When you switch games, your entire workspace switches with you. **The "No-BS" Tech Stack:** * **Privacy:** Free Open Beta, no accounts, no cloud, no data collection. * **Local Sync:** Syncs over local Wi-Fi between devices (I use my phone, tablet and AYN Thor depending on docked play, travelling with my Miyoo Mini Plus etc. situations). * **Offline First:** Once a guide is saved, you don’t need a connection. **Specs:** Android 12+ **Download (GitHub):** \[[https://github.com/alpha-minus/game-twin/releases/latest](https://github.com/alpha-minus/game-twin/releases/latest)\] Devices in the video: Miyoo Mini Plus, Samsung Galaxy A10 I'm curious if this fits your workflow, or if there's anything else I should tweak in the next update? **\*\*\*UPDATE — on hosting, source code and dev process\*\*\*** * **Why GitHub?** It's my home base as a developer. It keeps hosting costs at zero and makes updates seamless via Obtainium (less friction for me, one-tap updates for you). * **Is it open source?** No. I'm considering commercialising it down the line but nothing is decided yet thus It's a free open beta for now. * **The "Source code" zip files:** GitHub automatically adds these to every release. They only contain the README and assets, not the app code. That's just how the platform works, not an attempt to imply anything. * **Rough edges:** It's still a beta. I'm polishing as fast as my schedule allows. * **On AI-assisted development:** I use it daily and I want to be transparent about that. It was the only realistic way to ship something this complex solo. But let me be clear, AI doesn't design products, debug edge cases at midnight, or make the thousand small decisions that turn an idea into something that actually works. That was still months of hard work and more late nights than I'd like to admit. You can see the evolution of the app on the GitHub releases page. The ideas, the frustrations it solves, and every product and architecture decisions came from me. AI helped me build faster than I could alone, but it didn't build this for me. I have updated the Github README with the latest notes to be more transparent about the topic. Thanks for all the feedback so far!

I have ADHD and mega fixate on various hobbies for a couple months at a time. While fixating I blow a load of money on things to do with that hobby and obsess over purchasing the perfect stuff. This community and hobby as a whole kind of pushes that too the max. Like even people without the problem I have seem to buy many, many handhelds. Still a really awesome sub and community and I'm sure most peoole on this sub have a reasonable amount of handhelds, but the people who seem to post a lot fall into a bit of the unhealthy category. I for one need to stop obesessing on what to buy next and be happy with my TrimUI Brick, Miyoo Mini+ which I currently have, and my RG477M and Rg34XXSP that are coming in the mail.

*Miyoo Mini Flip with MiniUI Took about a month from ordering to get to my doorstep but was well worth it. Spent last day setting this up with MiniUI and Russ’s 5 game handheld guide to get box art working. I have 10 games on it but am going to keep it at that number as this is my new EDC and I want to actually beat some of these games. Buttons feel good, not a lot of travel but inputs are crisp and responsive. Fits well in the hands and while I haven’t played for more than 20 minutes at a time, did not feel any discomfort. The hinge feels great (though obviously time will tell) and overall I am beyond happy with this little guy. I know the battery life is pretty ass but I don’t see myself playing it for more than 2-3 hours at a time so hopefully it’s not an issue. MiniUI auto saves when you turn it off and the boot up time is quick (and loads right into the autosave). Closing the lid puts it in sleep mode for I think 5 minutes and then auto shuts down. I ordered on October 20 and it shipped about 5 days ago so hang in there if you’re still waiting for an early order to ship, they’re getting them out.

Maybe this has been brought up before, but yeah the title. It's my opinion that Switch 1 games that are 540-720p in handheld look pretty horrendous stretched over the Switch 2's 1080p display. I get that Nintendo can't just flip a switch and enable it by default, because I'm guessing it could cause issues on a game by game basis with faster battery drain yada yada, but hell, just bury the option to toggle it on/off somewhere deep in the system settings so little kids and casual fans will never find it unless they seek it out, throw up a huge disclaimer that says ''MAY CAUSE POTENTIAL ISSUES WITH PERFORMANCE AND FASTER BATTERY DRAIN''. Just give us the damn option! Again, maybe this has been brought up before, but I feel like it needs bringing up every damn day until Nintendo does the deed. Rant over.

I just wanna preface this by saying I own both the Steam Deck and the Nintendo Switch 2, and I’m not saying one’s better than the other. This might sound a bit all over the place, but hopefully my point comes across. On paper, the Steam Deck and other PC handhelds should be better. More power, bigger library, more freedom. But in reality, I’ve found them way more frustrating. Between developers not bothering to optimise properly, DRM nonsense, and third-party launchers like EA, Ubisoft, and Rockstar that need you to be online just to boot an offline game, it kinda ruins the whole handheld experience. That’s honestly what pushed me towards the Switch 2. Ethics and game prices aside (I usually just wait for a used copy anyway), the Switch just feels way more straightforward. I download a game and it works. No launchers, no random login screens, no connection checks. If I’m offline one day, it’s fine, I can still play. Such a simple concept, yet somehow PC devs keep finding ways to overcomplicate it. They always say DRM is to stop piracy, but piracy still happens regardless. It’s been around forever. All it really does is punish the people who actually paid. Then there’s Valve’s Verified system on the Deck. I feel like they hand those badges out too generously sometimes. I’ve played “Verified” games that struggle to hold 30fps or have broken UI scaling. You still end up messing around with Proton settings or community tweaks just to make things playable. It’s not entirely Valve’s fault, but it shows how little testing most devs do for handhelds. And honestly, the optimisation issues just keep getting worse. Some games now even force ray tracing on by default, like Star Wars Outlaws, which is wild. On my main desktop with a 3090, I don’t even bother using ray tracing because it tanks performance. So imagine trying to run that on a handheld. It’s just bad design choices stacked on top of more bad design choices. Then you’ve got file sizes. Games hitting 150GB or more has basically become normal now, and it’s ridiculous. Most of that is ultra-high-res textures that make no sense on a small handheld screen. Even a 1TB SSD fills up fast. On the Switch 2, games are often half or even a third the size of their PC versions, and they still look great for what they are. Another big thing is hardware cycles. Consoles usually last a good 6 or 7 years, and developers properly optimise games for that specific hardware. On PC, the system requirements jump every year. Games like Starfield or Alan Wake 2 already push modern GPUs hard, and that means devices like the Deck or Legion Go are gonna start struggling sooner rather than later. It also feels like there’s a bit of a loop between GPU manufacturers and devs. The more demanding they make games, the more people upgrade, and both sides profit. Meanwhile, we’re the ones stuck constantly tweaking settings or dropping cash on new gear. Finally, price versus performance. The standard Switch 2 in the UK is about £395. The Legion Go 2 Z2E with 2TB storage is close to £1300. Sure, it’s stronger, but that doesn’t mean much if the games don’t run properly. On the Switch 2, I can at least trust that the game was built with that hardware in mind and will generally just work. So yeah, I’m not saying anyone who bought a Deck, Legion Go, MSI Claw or whatever made a bad choice. They’re impressive devices for sure. But personally, I just want something that turns on, plays the game, and doesn’t fight me every step of the way. And right now, the Switch 2 feels like the only one that still gets that right.

# General Information Release date: March 5, 2026 Supported Platform(s): Nintendo Switch 2 Genre: Simulation Publisher: Nintendo ESRB rating: Everyone Supported play modes: TV mode, Tabletop mode, Handheld mode Game file size: 10 GB Supported languages: Japanese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, American English Official website: https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/pokemon-pokopia-switch-2/ # Reviews ## Aggregators * [Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/pokemon-pokopia/) - 89 * [OpenCritic](https://opencritic.com/game/19667/pok-mon-pokopia) - 88 ## Articles * CGMagazine - [10 / 10](https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/game/pokemon-pokopia/) * COGconnected - [86 / 100](https://cogconnected.com/review/pokemon-pokopia-review/) * Daily Mirror - [4 / 5 ](https://www.mirror.co.uk/gaming/pokemon-pokopia-review-switch-2-36803410) * Dexerto - [5 / 5 ](https://www.dexerto.com/pokemon/pokemon-pokopia-review-the-best-pokemon-game-on-switch-2-3326208/) * Digitec Magazine - *German* - [5 / 5 ](https://www.digitec.ch/de/page/41733) * Enternity.gr - *Greek* - [9 / 10](https://www.enternity.gr/Article/Games/Reviews/pokmon-pokopia-review/100503.html) * Eurogamer - [4 / 5](https://www.eurogamer.net/pokemon-pokopia-review) * Eurogamer.pt - *Portuguese* - [5 / 5 ](https://www.eurogamer.pt/pokemon-pokopia-review) * Everyeye.it - *Italian* - [8.7 / 10](https://www.everyeye.it/articoli/recensione-pokemon-pokopia-paradiso-virtuale-vivere-costruire-sognare-66841.html) * GAMES.CH - *German* - [91%](https://www.games.ch/pokemon-pokopia/test/review-mNif/) * GAMINGbible - [10 / 10](https://www.gamingbible.com/reviews/pokemon-pokopia-review-goty-contender-959440-20260302) * GamePro - *German* - [80 / 100](https://www.gamepro.de/artikel/pokemon-pokopia-test,3448879.html) * GameSpot - [9 / 10](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/pokemon-pokopia-review-the-pokemon-anniversary-gift-i-didnt-know-i-wanted/1900-6418465/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f) * GamesRadar+ - [4.5 / 5 ](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/pokemon/pokemon-pokopia-review/) * Geeks & Com - *French* - [8.5 / 10](https://www.geeksandcom.com/test-pokemon-pokopia-nintendo-switch-2/) * Gfinity - [10 / 10](https://www.gfinityesports.com/article/pokemon-pokopia-review) * Glitched Africa - [9 / 10](https://www.glitched.africa/pokemon-pokopia-review/) * Hobby Consolas - *Spanish* - [87 / 100](https://www.hobbyconsolas.com/videojuegos/analisis-pokemon-pokopia-un-colosal-paraiso-que-todo-fan-saga-deberia-visitar_6938224_0.html) * IGN - [9 / 10](https://www.ign.com/articles/pokemon-pokopia-review) * IGN Italy - *Italian* - [8.5 / 10](https://it.ign.com/pokemon-pokopia/223993/review/pokemon-pokopia-la-recensione) * LevelUp - *Spanish* - [9 / 10](https://www.levelup.com/reviews/pokemon-pokopia/) * Nintendo Life - [8 / 10](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch-2/pokemon-pokopia) * PPE.pl - *Polish* - [9 / 10](https://www.ppe.pl/recenzje/402029/pokemon-pokopia-recenzja-gry-zabawa-w-odkrywanie.html) * Spaziogames - *Italian* - [9 / 10](https://www.spaziogames.it/articoli/recensione-pokemon-pokopia) * TheGamer - [3 / 5 ](https://www.thegamer.com/pokemon-pokopia-review/) * TheSixthAxis - [9 / 10](https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2026/03/02/pokemon-pokopia-review/) * VGC - [5 / 5 ](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/review/pokemon-pokopia-review/) * Video Chums - [9.1 / 10](https://videochums.com/review/pokemon-pokopia) Last update: Mar 2, 11:04am ET Cheers, The [r/NintendoSwitch](https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/) mod team

Dear Reddit, I am in dire need of advice, I have two sell two of my handhelds, and I can’t make up my mind 😬 Here are the candidates: GPD Win Max 2025 HX370: powerful and doubles as a laptop on a pinch, best travel option. SteamDeck OLED 1TB Limited Edition: best ergonomics, by far, beautiful screen, but underpowered. AyaNeo Pocket S: powerful Android handheld that can run Switch and Steam PC games via emulation, it is also the most portable, fits in a jacket’s pocket. Nintendo Switch 2: access to future Nintendo first-party titles. MSI Claw 8 AI+: the most powerful of the bunch, even if a HX370 or Z2 Extreme device can match its performance for some titles, XESS is miles ahead in quality, FSR is quite ugly in comparison. Which two would you sell, and why?

Hi all! I managed to get a hold of a Legion Go 2 yesterday, and the reason I wanted it is probably a bit different than most people on this sub. I use my handhelds strictly for streaming my desktop PC with an NVIDIA RTX 4070 via Moonlight / Artemis / Apollo. I just prefer gaming on the couch downstairs instead of at the same desk where I work remotely all day. Before receiving the Legion Go 2 yesterday, I have been using a Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 (11 inch 1440p OLED screen and a Snapdragon chip) with the Razer Kishi V3 Pro XL controller. I will probably sell one of the two devices, and here are my impressions so far (hopefully somebody will find this comparison useful): \- The decoding latency is better on the Legion Go 2. It is less than 1 ms, whilst on the Tab S9 it is 4 - 6 ms on average. To be honest, I don't really notice the difference as 4 - 6 ms is already very close to natively playing on the PC itself. \- The ergonomics are way better with the Tab S9. I owned a Steam Deck OLED, MSI Claw 8 AI+ and a Lenovo Legion Go S before having the Legion Go 2 and the Tab S9. The Razer controller with the tab S9 FAR exceeds any handheld on the market currently in terms of ergonomics. It is like holding an Xbox controller. \- The weight: the Tab S9 with the controller is close to 700 grams, while the Legion Go 2 is close to 900 grams. You can definitely feel the Lenovo is heavier, but you hold it differently than the Tab S9 so the weight is more evenly divided. It doesn't really feel heavier while you are playing a game, and is not a reason I would ditch the Legion Go 2 for the Tab S9. \- The resolution: while the Tab S9 has a 2560 x 1600 OLED screen, and the Legion Go 2 has a 1920 x 1200 OLED screen, it does not feel more blurry while playing a game. But to be honest, I use a virtual display with my streaming setup, and I force the resolution to 2560 x 1600 on the Legion Go 2. Maybe it is a placebo effect, but when I was streaming with a 1920 x 1200 resolution, the image felt more blurry... After changing it, there is literally no difference between the two devices in terms of resolution. \- The screen size: 8,8 inch on the Legion Go 2 vs 11 inch on the Tab S9. For handheld gaming, 11 inch is simply too big. However, I scale my streaming display size smaller, to the equivalent of a 9,8 inch screen. This results in a bit bigger black bars at the sides, but it is an OLED, so you don't notice it at all while playing a game. For me personally, 9,8 inch is ideal to play AAA games on a handheld as the UI and subtitles are often too small, as they are made for large monitors or TV's in mind. The other handhelds I had with 7 inch and 8 inch screens were definitely too small to play these games imo. 8,8 inch is the minimum for me. \- The battery: definitely better on the Tab S9. I can stream 6 - 8 hours with it, while the Lenovo was pretty drained after 3 - 4 hours. So all in all I actually prefer the Tab S9 currently. But it's only been a day with the Lenovo, so maybe it is just a matter of getting used to a new device. I do prefer the idea of the Legion Go 2, as it is a proper handheld instead of a modified tablet. The thing that bothers me the most with the tablet is the fact that the controller is not fully covering the sides of the tablet, which results in tipping the tablet constantly and not finding a 'sweet spot' to game on it for long periods of time. The Legion Go 2 does not have this problem ofcourse, as it is just a normal handheld with the controllers covering the full screen sides. This might be the reason I will keep the Lenovo instead of the Tab S9. Happy to answer questions, if there are any!

I had the Steam Deck OLED, didn't like it at all, especially for $650. Only ran a select number of games, didn't run games good at all and also the build quality was bad as I ran into "sticky buttons", and apparently I am not the only person who has had this issue. So I returned it. Given my very low expections of handhelds, I bought a MSI Claw 8 AI+ just for simply playing Diablo 2 Resurrected (a new expansion got announced) on the couch. Man ... handhelds in 2026 are completely different. They run any AAA games no problem at all. These things really perform like consoles now, except you can hold it in your hands. Now I play every game on this handheld (not just D2R). Ever since I got this MSI Claw 8 AI+, I haven't played a game on my PC with a RTX 5080. And the next gen handhelds are going to be even better as Intel Panther Lake is going to be alot more efficient.

lol I got my onexfly f1 pro 4TB + 64GB for 1,081 Amazing . Great speakers. Panel is nice and vivid . No vvr, just cap the frame rate Also drivers on the hx370 are better

I like the 7” screen on my Onexfly but only because it’s a smaller handheld with virtually no bezels. The Xbox Ally X on the other hand has massive bezels that can easily accommodate a larger screen and is basically the size of a Steam Deck.

The GPD Win 5 or the Onexfly Apex. Next would be the MSI Claw 8 ai, Legion Go 2 Z2 Extreme or the Xbox Ally Z2 Extreme Variant.

Hi OP, if you truly want a PC the smallest option available is the OneXFly F1 Pro. I specifically got this one *because* it's so much smaller than the competition - however the chip is the 2nd best handheld processor right now. It's pretty expensive new; but I purchased mine used on reddit for about $800. Your other option for something truly small is an android handheld. Odin 3/RP6 or AYN Thor if you want a dual screen clamshell handheld. These handhelds can play anything up to Switch and older PC/Indie games directly from your Steam library.

I sold my steam deck last year and regretted it so I really couldn't pass up a replacement for under $300! The 2tb nvme is over $100 on its own so I'd say I did pretty good 😁 So far I'm really liking the ally, especially after installing SteamOS. My only complaint really is that the battery is terrible.. I'm lucky to get an hour under moderate load. I'm gonna try out one of those $50 74Wh batteries on Amazon here soon. In the mean time I've tweaked most of my games to 720p 30fps locked to 15w for max battery. Anyone have experience with the cheap Amazon batteries? Are they worth it or should I spend a little more and get the jsaux battery kit?

Lately, I’ve been looking for an handheld console to play video games from my libraries (Steam, Ubisoft, GOG...), because sometimes I come home from work and don’t necessarily feel like playing at my desk, or simply because I’d rather relax on the couch/in bed while still wanting to play a bit I was really torn between the Steam Deck, Legion Go S and Xbox Rog Ally, and after a few weeks of thinking it over (and a great deal), I decided to give the Xbox Rog Ally a try I’ve seen a lot of mixed/negative reviews, and I have to admit, I think it’s actually really great! Right now I’m playing Assassin’s Creed Odyssey on PC, so I wanted to launch it to see what it’s capable of, and I’m able to play on High settings at 30fps, and the battery seems to hold up pretty well I notice a clear difference between Xbox’s full-screen mode (lightweight Windows) and classic Windows mode. The first one is a really great idea for performance! I ordered a 512Gb SanDisk Extreme Pro microSD card to store smaller/older games on it, but for someone who can already play on a PC and sometimes prefers to play in laptop mode, I think it’s a great value for the price

Alright, so I sold my steam deck and got rog ally in that same price. I got my steam deck 3 years ago and i loved it. It was so simple and easy to use. It had everything i wanted from a gaming handheld. Now it was soo good for indie games and side scrollers, and i had good experience. But now recently i started playing read dead redemption 2 and some more demanding games. And honestly it started showing its age. I had the lcd version so the display quality wasn’t great too. It always looked inferior in front of my oled switch. And then finally I decided to say goodbye to it. And i always knew that the rog ally is really good when it comes to performance, but as we all know the battery life is not good at all. Or at least this is what people said. Anyway i found a guy on reddit who sells modded consoles and all. And i got to know he had one ally for sale along with a 80wh battery mod available for it. We had the deal and i got my ally with a modded battery in my hands after 5-6 days. Now it was time for me to decide either i want to stick with windows or install bazzite on it. And honestly i wanted to use windows because we can do so much more on windows. It could have been my all rounder machine but after receiving my ally i spent 5 hours just setting it up and still it wasn’t ready to play games and i realised that it’s not for me. On that same day i installed bazzite and man, I can’t tell how better it feels. It feels better than my steam deck not only while playing games but even when you’re just scrolling through ui. Maybe because of that 120hz display. And about the battery, its soo worth it. And as i got it with the modded battery the only comparison i can make is with steam deck. And yeah..Its way better than my deck. Like last night i was playing god of war and it lasted about 3+ hours with my settings. And was able to play it in good settings with 60fps with no upscale or fsr. Also in some games i can get 10+ hours in one single charge. Steam deck can take the advantage of running games at good frame rates on lower tdps but honestly rog ally can do too with most games. Im really happy with my decision and I’m kinda sad that why didn’t i do it sooner. And yeah mine was a pre owned unit but it wasn’t used that much so i got a pretty good console imo. Now im just perfecting it according to my taste with the accessories and the customisation and all. And guys if you have a ally, please give bazzite a try. Thats it, its my 2nd day with and im loving it. I’ll probably update after some time. Thanks.

Easily yes. Getting the most developer support is probably the top reason. The screen still looks nice, you won’t be missing the higher resolutions of others. I have an ROG Ally but use my Steam Deck much more.

I can recommend the Powkiddy X55. is around 80 bucks I think

Powkiddy x28 runs PSP games well and its android. You could find them for cheap.

Yes!! I still use my first modded 3DS 4 years later! And my first unofficial handheld (the Powkiddy V10) is still my main GBA device!

If you want to start with a more budget option, I quite liked the little brother of the rg556, the Powkiddy X55. Also ergonomic, the screen is excellent but not OLED, and it’s often down around $60 in sales last I checked.

Ayaneo posted an update for the NEXT 2 pre-order suspension. >Dear Backers, >First of all, thank you for your continued attention and support for **NEXT 2**. Since the project went live on **February 10**, more than a month has passed. We sincerely appreciate the trust and support you have shown us during this time. >**NEXT 2 represents AYANEO’s exploration of the next-generation flagship Windows gaming handheld.** It is not only a major leap in performance, but also a comprehensive evolution in design language, ergonomics, control systems, and overall user experience. Centered around the core spirit of “NEXT,” NEXT 2 continues and deepens AYANEO’s vision for the future of handheld gaming devices. While inheriting our brand’s design philosophy, it also pushes forward with new breakthroughs, aiming to deliver a more complete and advanced handheld gaming experience. >In fact, when we launched **NEXT 2**, storage prices were already at a very high level. At that time, we were already under significant cost pressure. However, considering that many AYANEO fans had been looking forward to this product for a long time, we still decided to release it as planned and open pre-orders so as not to disappoint our supporters. >However, **after the Chinese New Year**, when we communicated with our suppliers again to confirm the latest storage procurement prices, we found that storage prices had increased to **several times higher than before the holiday**. Under such circumstances, the overall cost of the product has become far higher than our current selling price. Therefore, after careful consideration, we have decided to **suspend the pre-orders of NEXT 2**. >In fact, even before the launch of **NEXT 2**, storage prices had already been rising for several months. At that time, we believed the price might be approaching its peak. Even if it meant making little to no profit—or even a slight loss—we still decided to move forward with the launch. However, what we did not expect was that storage prices would not only continue to rise but would increase even more rapidly. At present, the total cost of the product has far exceeded our selling price, even approaching **twice the price we originally set**. Under such circumstances, continuing to sell this product is no longer sustainable. >At the same time, we do not want to constantly adjust the selling price due to fluctuations in component costs. We believe that continuing to sell **NEXT 2** under the current circumstances could potentially harm the interests of consumers and ultimately affect the long-term development of the brand. Therefore, we have **removed the product from all sales channels**, and consumers are no longer able to purchase **NEXT 2** on Indiegogo. >For Backers who have **already pre-ordered NEXT 2**, please rest assured that **we will continue to move forward with production as planned**. >We would also like to clarify that **this does not mean the end of the NEXT 2 product lifecycle**. We are only **temporarily suspending pre-orders**. If storage prices return to more reasonable levels in the future, we may consider **resuming the sale of NEXT 2**. At this time, we cannot predict when storage prices will decline, but we will continue to closely monitor market changes. >Finally, we would like to make a commitment to all Backers: >**Regardless of whether NEXT 2 will be available for sale again in the future, the after-sales service for this product will not be affected.** We will prepare sufficient spare parts for after-sales support and will provide long-term, reliable service and maintenance for NEXT 2, just as we have done for many previous AYANEO products. >Thank you again for your understanding, trust, and continued support of AYANEO. >**AYANEO TEAM**

> Looking for a new gaming device to replace my laptop in the near future, laptop has a 4070, I know I’ll lose some performance switching but I don’t care Strix Halo it is even with its flaws mainly the hefty price tag, weight due to larger cooling/battery and heavy tdp usage > I need something I could dock in theory, but still pick up and take with me You got 3 choices, 2 of which are already out being the [GPD win 5](https://gpdstore.net/product/gpd-win-5/) and [OneXPlayer Apex](https://onexplayerstore.com/products/onexfly-apex-worlds-most-powerful-8-gaming-handheld) while the last one [AYANEO Next 2](https://www.indiegogo.com/en/projects/ayaneo/ayaneo-next-2-windows-handheld) is set to release this year > what would honestly be better for a daily use? Personally I wouldnt go for either of these due to reasons above but if you're looking into one of these devices I'd probably lean to the Apex. The Win 5 is pretty small but its also the most portable and reliable of the 3 [AYANEO is just one of the worst companies in the handheld space right now](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9FGaj8Jfxg) and although they seem to have thrown everything including the kitchen sink at the Next 2, I cant in good faith recommend them unless we see a 180 The APEX is just great a good middle ground with great everything. It has one big caveat tho which is that their current battery has some issues that they're trying to fix before the next batch of orders so I'd wait for that to get sorted first **What would I recommend?** Personally I think even the strix halo devices are a compromise and I'm currently waiting on a panther lake device to release (probably the MSI claw and also probably not anytime soon) as unlike the Strix Halo which is basically a laptop chip which is stuck into a handheld, The panther lake line is made for handheld tdp and cooling meaning we can get its sweet 30-50% performance increase over the HX370 / z2e while still having regular handheld weight and battery life

Not Steam Deck. Go with a Z2 Extreme device or if you really want the most powerful get an Ayaneo Next 2 or OneXFly Apex.

If you are mostly looking to play indie Steam games I would look at a higher end Android handheld. I found that my PC handhelds are too big pull out of my bag comfortably on plane or the airport and the battery is bad anyway. I bought an AYN Thor and it has been perfect for traveling. With Gamhub I can play lower end Steam games with cloud save syncing, emulate everything up to switch games or watch movies on it. The battery life is great and it has an OLED screen. There are tons of new options that will be out early next year like the Odin 3 and Retroid Pocket 6. If you do want to stick to a PC handheld that Steam Deck OLED is probably the best travel option since the lower power battery life is the best of everything out. My biggest issue with the Steam Deck is that it's getting aged and can't play a lot of the higher end AAA games well so I prefer the Z1E options. The Go S Z1E and Thor have been the perfect combo for my usage.

Hi, all! I'm trying to stay off my phone in those in-between moments (For me, between classes at university.) I want to find a SUPER small pocket console I can keep with me to fiddle with when I need entertainment for a few minutes. I like the look of the Playdate, but wow, what a price point- and I'm not enough of a gaming nerd to spend that much. I like simple games that have easy controls and aren't complicated to figure out. I'm not too worried about screen size. If there's too many games preloaded, I might get overwhelmed, so keep it simple. Questions and advice are SO appreciated! Thanks, all!

For me personally, I miss the portable only style games. They were often designed for shorter play sessions and just felt like unique smaller scale experiences that experimented in fun ways. I understand why people want portable AAA games, but I just as well rather play those on my TV with a full powered console personally. And I also understand why developing a single game that can play on everything is also ideal for developers vs making bespoke portable games. My Playdate console has thankfully scratched that itch a bit for me, but that’s obviously a super niche device that I can’t recommend to anyone who isn’t immediately interested in it.

Topic question, and I’m more talking about temporarily ignoring certain handhelds, but is there one handheld you disproportionately play more than all the rest, for numerous months at a time? I recognize this is a phenomenally common thing but w/e I wanted to talk about it lol. I primarily got into handhelds because I’ve started experiencing motion sickness/ nausea in recent years unless I’m playing on smaller screens, and I also really enjoy sitting on the couch with my wife and gaming while she’s doing something else. I own a Steam Deck OLED (which I got for free), a PS Portal and Switch 2, and just got a Legion Go S during the BestBuy Black Friday sale. I was playing my SD OLED that I won at a company party a ton until Switch 2 released, and then that was my obsession for awhile especially since I loved DK Bananza so much and was having a blast with a portable SF6. However, my use waned after I got a PS Portal (I know, it’s not a dedicated device, only streams, has connection issues, etc etc) due to the novelty of revisiting my PS4/PS5 library in handheld format, and the super light feel and I dig the controls and haptics. Despite all its limitations and flaws, I was getting a lot out of mileage out of it. Then I made a very impulsive purchase when I bought the Legion Go S (Z1E 32GB Steam OS version) like a lot of ppl did during BestBuy’s Black Friday deal. And hot damn, i literally haven’t picked up any of my other handhelds since then. Im so happy and impressed with it that I’ve been completely ignoring the rest of my handhelds for nearly two months now. I’ve also found myself completing more games and even double dipping at times, playing some titles that would objectively look better on the Portal. TLDR idk wtf this topic is but yeah.

Portables are the best! Father of a soon to be one year old I have a portal, Switch 2, and recently upgraded my Steam Deck to a Legion Go S. I love that thing. Haven’t picked up my Switch 2 or Portal since I got it! Don’t even get me started on my retro handhelds collection 😵‍💫

I completely agree with your opinion. The Mini V2 is the best for secondary or portable use, and you can combine it with either the Portal, Ally X, or Deck as your main device.

Hi everyone, This post is foe people who are considering odin 3 and my experience with it so far, as well as a dad and first day pre-order steam deck owner. When I saw Steam Deck announced I immediately knew this is what I was waiting for and it lived up and over delivered to all of my expectations! The goal was simple. To have a good battery life and be able to anytime turn it on for 15-30min and get some gaming time as a fresh father. Fast forward a few years I finished many many games, that I couldn't otherwise. But the portability was always a bit of an issue and so as a companion I preordered RP5. That one again crushed a big chunk of my backlog but somehow I started to feel the screen is a bit too small and the power is not there. I was heavily considering upgrading to RP6 and had it in the cart, however after thinking about it, my 33yo eyes were not anymore as comfortable with the screen size so I risked it and got ayn odin 3. All the talk about drivers not being there, games not running.. But otherwise it had everything I wanted. So I took a chance on it. Guys. This device is insane! First the build quality. It's miles better than RP5. The sticks, the feel of materials and how solid it feels in the hand. Second, the screen! For portability 6 inches is probably the best choice and I am very happy with it! Then we come to games and emulation. Even without the driver support, the progress has been made already and it's amazing! The PC games that it can run, starts to close the gap and gets close to my Steam Deck! It's crazy. It can play Elex no issues even over 60fps in some areas. It runs Witcher 3 with some flickering where I would recommend to wait for better drivers, but sits between 30-60 based on area and settings. My favorite Gothic 1 and 2 can be played at 120 fps! At native resolution. It can handle all small indie titles from steam. Next emulation. Botw runs better 45-60 and like 200 in shrines 😂. The graphical issues with latest Eden are so minimal that I can already play this no issue. And so do other Switch games. Ps2? Amazing! So then it begs the question, where does my Steam Deck fit? And unfortunately nowhere. Now with Odin 3 I will have to really sell it and upgrade to more powerful handheld for games that it actually can't run. More focusing on AAA stuff. I'm a bit sad as I love my Steam Deck, and it's an amazing device. But seeing how far arm the devices have come, it's crazy and brings so much potential for the future! Hopefully this will help you decide if the ayn odin 3 is right for you. I would recommend already 512 version as my 256gb is getting already full 😂 Thanks for I reading and have a great day!

Back then I had an S22 Ultra it was weak and Switch emulation wasn't really all that great so I only emulated PSP games and below, since that was what I grew up with but then kinda forgot about it since friends wanted to play CODM on mobile and various other PC titles on, well, PC. Got the S25 Ultra a year ago and totally forgot about trying out emulation until of course, Tomodachi Life, and now trying out other games that I missed from Switch. BOTW runs flawlessly, other than the shrine texture issues sometimes, and I finished Odyssey too. Now, why did I regret? Because now I'm looking at the Ayn Odin 3... Or any other Android Handhelds. With the mindset that I should use my 25 Ultra purely as a daily driver and anything else should be on a dedicated handheld due to better cooling. Decisions decisions... Also vid showcase of my noob BOTW gameplay cause I'm still getting used to the UI and controls. Surprisingly battery heat has been under 40C the entire time. Was thinking of getting a 60fps mod, but cooling.

We have Ayn Thor at home /j But no this is seriously awesome! Adding a dolphin bar to this thing is madness... I love it.

I’m still quite new to the whole retro scene. Last year after countless hours of Russ, Dweeb and comments on this sub, I bought the Anbernic RG 34XXSP as my first retro device. Booted everything up. Selected my games to play and then…. Nothing. I kept playing games on either my iPhone or Steam Deck. For some reason is disliked the presence of the analogue sticks playing games like Mario and Dragon Ball Adventure. Based on a few months playing like this. I decided to look into controllers for my iPhone. I got a MCON coming and was intrigued by the GameSir Pocket Taco. However I caught myself looking at the Miyo Flip Mini because I wanted something without the analogue sticks to play those games. I thought that just looked slicker and that the analogue sticks were the reason I wasn’t using my device. Then two things happened: 1) The holidays came and like most of us, we (binge) watched Stranger Things and the urge to play a D&D game on the go krept up. I already have Baldur’s Gate 3, but was looking for something more bite sized. Some Google and chatbot interactions later and Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance (GBA) got recommended. 2) Then on the Retro Podcast it was mentioned that the 34XXSP is almost similar in size as the Taco, so why carry that around? So I dusted off the 34XXSP and booted up Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance. And holy hell, it of course runs smooth, but using the analogue sticks instead of the D-Pad made me do a complete 180. The game is so much fun and plays so much easier with an analogue stick! I now feel bad/sad I wasted so much time looking at the new shiny thing, whilst it wasn’t needed. I guess what I wanted to say is to just try various types of games before deciding a new device is absolutely needed. Thank you reading my epiphany and enjoy the rest of your day 😅 — Device: Anbernic RG 34XXSP Game: Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance (GBA)

I'm really happy to see that a lot of people enjoy [my Pixel Transparency shader](https://www.reddit.com/r/SBCGaming/comments/1q2vtpo/new_pixel_transparency_shader_for_gbc_no_more/) for Game Boy Color games. It mellows the whites and adds a subtle drop shadow (which you can disable in shader parameters if you prefer) to create an image closer to the original hardware. Just append it to your favorite grid shader or use one of the presets. # GLSL version Many of you requested a GLSL version to work on Linux-based devices like the Brick and Anbernic XX devices. I ported it over and updated some of the grid shaders it relies on for compatibility since the gl versions are less maintained. There are two ways you can get it: 1. [Download directly from the GitHub repo here.](https://github.com/mattakins/Pixel_Transparency/releases/tag/1.1) Choose glsl or slang - glsl for Linux-based devices or slang for devices that support the vulkan driver. Then you can simply copy over to your shader directory on your device or SD card. 2. In the next day or so, the glsl versions should get approved to be a part of the RetroArch glsl shader repo. So that means if your device has Internet, you can go to Main Menu > Online Updater > Update glsl shaders. The slang version is already part of the slang shader repo, so you can get it this way now. # New simpletex preset I added a new simpletex preset (shown in the images). simpletex offers a nice, white pixel grid. This was inspired by a comment on my original post. I really love how it looks. # More than just color correction Some people asked how Pixel Transparency is different than just color correction. The left images have color correction and a grid shader. The right images have color correction and a grid with Pixel Transparency. On the Game Boy Color, white pixels were transparent, and games were designed to take advantage of that. Pokemon, for example, was never meant to blind you with a bright white background. # Tip me I've put a lot of time and energy into this shader, and seeing it bring joy to people is really rewarding. I appreciate all the amazing comments on my last post. If this shader brings you joy, [feel free to leave me a tip](https://ko-fi.com/mattakins). # Update - Performance on Brick Some comments are reporting performance issues with the GLSL version on the Brick. I'll troubleshoot and post an update here with an optimized version. If anyone else has performance issues, please let me know in the comments and what specific device you are using. Thanks! # Update 2 - Brick fix and slowdown on low-end devices Thanks to u/scarwizard for bringing this to my attention. Two issues are causing this shader to not play nice with the Brick: 1. NextUI does not support GLSLP (GL preset files) by default which this shader depends on. However, you can download the RetroArch Pak from the Pak Store which has full shader support and load up the preset files. Another alternative is MuOS which supports GLSLP. 2. Performance and slowdown issues were likely caused by shadow blur. [On the GitHub repo](https://github.com/mattakins/Pixel_Transparency/releases/tag/1.1), I revised the GLSP version to default to a more performant shadow blur effect. I also added a performance package specifically with the Brick in mind which defaults to shadow blur off. Shadow blur is barely perceptible on most handheld screens anyway. Try these if your device was chugging with the first version. Pixel Transparency is now in the official glsl repo and can be downloaded via the online updater in RetroArch. i will be pushing this performance update there soon, but for now it's available on GitHub. Please continue to report any issues. Thanks for helping make this shader great on as many devices as possible!

I think I have an addiction. It all started back in December when I fell prey to an IG story selling a cheap vertical handheld. I really just wanted something to play Tetris. It arrived, and I played it for a few weeks before it failed completely. It wouldn't even turn on, just a cheap GB product clone which I WAY overpaid for. That pushed me down the rabbit hole of emulators. I bought an RG40XXH, then a Retroid Pocket 5. I got the RP5 for a decent deal off eBay, but then I discovered AliExpress and the [r/crownpuffdeals](https://www.reddit.com/r/crownpuffdeals/) deals. That is when the addiction got really bad. I started buying a new handheld almost every week. I realized I really enjoyed the tinkering aspect: setting them up with custom OS (MuOS, Knulli, Spruce, dArkOS, etc.) options, configuring frontends like ES-DE and Cocoon, and building curated ROM libraries. Eventually, I started buying them just to give away to friends. Here is my current collection. I plan on downsizing this and giving most of them away. **The Purchase In Order:** 1. RG40XXH 2. Retroid Pocket 5 3. Miyoo Flip 2 4. Ayn Thor Pro 5. RG35XXSP (grey) 6. Mangmi Air X 7. RG Rotate 8. RG35XXSP (blue) 9. RG40XXV 10. RGCubeXX **The Keep List:** My plan is to keep the Thor, one of the RG35XXSP units, the RG40XXV, and the RGCubeXX. I want to keep the blue SP because I love the color, but it only has 1GB of RAM compared to the grey's 2GB. I tried swapping the boards out, but it appears the blue SP has a different screen. (Most likely, I'll just keep both.) **The Giveaway Plan:** I plan on giving the rest to friends. Looking back at my AliExpress orders, I previously ordered another three RG40XXH units and three BatlEXP G350s, which I already set up and gifted. **Lessons from 6 Months in the Hobby:** * **You only really play one main device.** For me, that is the Thor. Sometimes I pick up another just for the fun of it, but the Thor is my daily driver. * **The Anbernic line handles plenty.** For the majority of the games I am playing, the Anbernic XX line can easily handle the gameplay. **The ROM Library Struggle:** Do not even get me started on ROM libraries. I have been driving myself crazy trying to get the perfect mix. I figured for my friends, largely due to memory card prices, I am sticking to 128GB cards. That fits pretty much all the lower-end systems, and I add a few PS1 games in for them too. I do warn them that not every single game will play perfectly on the XX line, but 95% will work just fine. **A HUGE Thank You:** Finally, I want to add a HUGE thank you to Russ [u/onionsaregross](https://www.reddit.com/user/onionsaregross/) from [Retro Game Corps](https://www.youtube.com/@RetroGameCorps), [Joey's Retro Handhelds,](https://www.youtube.com/@JoeysRetroHandhelds) and [u/TheTechDweeb](https://www.reddit.com/user/TheTechDweeb/) [TechDweeb](https://www.youtube.com/@TechDweeb). Their videos really helped with absolutely everything. I want to give a special shoutout to Russ [u/onionsaregross](https://www.reddit.com/user/onionsaregross/) for his written articles and video guides. I think I spent days poring over his Android setup guides! I also have to add a massive thank you to [r/crownpuffdeals](https://www.reddit.com/r/crownpuffdeals/) and [u/crownpuff](https://www.reddit.com/user/crownpuff/). His AliExpress buying guides have saved me so much money. Waking up on a Monday morning, the very first thing I do is check my phone to see what coupons I can use to order! UPDATE: Wow. I'm trying to respond to everyone who had questions.

Hey everyone, I’m honestly at the point where I was this close to throwing my Anbernic handheld in the trash, so Reddit is kind of my last hope here. I bought an Anbernic RG40XXV from China (AliExpress), and unfortunately it never really worked properly. The device simply does not turn on. Right now the behavior is very simple and very frustrating: • The device does not power on • The screen stays completely black • The only sign of life is the orange charging LED when it’s connected to power What I’ve already tried: • Left it charging for many hours • Held the power button for different lengths of time (short press, 10s, 20s, 30s) • Tried different button combinations • Booted with and without the SD card • Flashed a fresh, official firmware image • Even opened the device and reconnected the battery to the board None of that made any difference. No image, no backlight, no sound, nothing — just the orange LED when charging. At this point I’m assuming it’s a hardware issue, but before I completely give up, I wanted to ask the community: Does anyone here have one last idea or suggestion I could try? I really wanted to like this handheld and I know Anbernic has a lot of fans here, so I’d truly appreciate any help. Thanks in advance Edit 2: It worked. I managed to charge it with an old 5V charger and even open a game. Now I'm going to learn how to use this thing. Thank you very much to the users of this community. Edit: Update: As the lovely u/MissDNight pointed out, the SD card was in the wrong slot. The problem seemed to be user-caused. But as the product was shipped with the SD card in the wrong slot, and I really didn't think I should test it in the other one. Now I have a screen with an empty battery. I'm excited about the possibility of using the console, but I'm finding it strange that the console has been charging for a while and the status doesn't seem to change. I'm using a computer port to charge it; I think I've read something like that here before, right?

Adding a third (and final, until a Steam Deck 2) handheld to my collection—the Logitech G Cloud. I use a Nintendo Switch 2 for Switch stuff and an Ayaneo Pocket ACE for all emulation/Android gaming needs. The last piece I ~~needed~~ wanted was for streaming PC/PS5/Xbox Cloud Gaming titles. As a WFHer, I don’t like to continue sitting at my desk for gaming after work is done. Enter: Logitech G Cloud, a device with the purpose of doing just that—streaming to a device with a big ol’, crisp 1080p panel, full analog sticks and triggers, comfortable ergonomics, and a battery that would let me do it for hours on end. The $300 price tag on Logitech’s site seemed steep, but $172 second-hand felt like a good deal. I was pleasantly surprised with the condition and that the device serial number matched the box it came with. Working on getting ConsolePort setup for WoW today so I can play it on the G Cloud, and I’ve also been wanting to restart E33. Never finished the game when I was 33. Now I’m 34, just gommaged with Sophie, and my beef with the Paintress feels personal. Response times with dodges and parries feel wonderful. I can’t believe we’re in an age where those inputs communicate THAT fast over the internet. Also REALLY want to play Metaphor Refantazio on Game Pass, but I’m debating if I should hold out for a Switch 2 release. Anyway, if you’re looking for a solid streaming device without spending on a high-end Android or handheld PC, check eBay for one of these! I’ve heard it can emulate up to PS2/GC, but don’t think I’d recommend getting it for that purpose. But for streaming, it’s really incredible. Happy Friday and happy gaming good people!

I own a PS5 and a gaming PC, and I used the PlayStation Portal for about six months. Overall, I actually liked it a lot, it does PS5 Remote Play really well, and it feels like a “premium” accessory for the PS5 experience. The Portal was smooth for Remote Play on my setup, and the haptics/vibration were a big plus. It’s also super comfortable to hold for longer sessions. Ergonomics-wise, Sony nailed it, and it genuinely feels better in-hand. But I sold it because it only streamed PS5. I wanted one handheld that could stream both my PS5 and my PC, and the Portal just isn’t built for that. So I started looking at handheld gaming PCs. I considered the Steam Deck, but for my needs in 2026, especially with newer AAA games, it began to feel a bit old. I also looked at the ROG Xbox Ally (X), and I was tempted because it can do everything. The problem is the price and practicality. Spending around $1,000 on a handheld when I already have a powerful PC felt hard to justify, especially since my main goal wasn’t “play everything natively,” it was “stream my existing library.” On top of that, those handheld PCs are heavier, and battery life can be pretty meh if you’re doing anything demanding. For me, it didn’t feel like the right move. That’s when I found the Logitech G Cloud. New, it’s about $300, which I still think is overpriced for what it is. But I grabbed a refurbished one from Walmart for $195, and at that price it finally made sense as a dedicated streaming handheld. So far, the experience has been really good. I’ve used Steam Link for PC streaming and PS Play for PS5 streaming, and both have worked great. The software also feels clean and modern, and the device is lightweight and comfortable, which matters a lot if you’re using it for long sessions in bed or on the couch. I did try Moonlight + Sunshine since everyone recommends it over Steam Link, but honestly, Steam Link was just way more straightforward for me. It was easy to set up, easy to launch, and it does what I need without any extra tweaking, so that’s what I mostly use for PC streaming. I haven’t tried emulation because I didn't buy this to play retro games. My whole goal was simple: a handheld that can stream my PS5 and my PC reliably. With Wi-Fi 6 on my network, streaming has been smooth with no noticeable lag on my setup, and the battery life is solid too (Logitech claims around 12 hours). If you’re looking for a handheld specifically for streaming, not as a full PC replacement, I’d honestly recommend the Logitech G Cloud.

Atari Gamestation Go Logitech G Cloud Playstation Portal ... all very disappointing

Because the G Cloud is overpriced for the specs. You can spend the same amount for the Ayn Odin 2 Pro and emulate console systems up to the Nintendo Switch and do some GameHub/GameNative with PC games. Then you have the Retroid Pocket G2 at $200 which makes the G Cloud not an option at all anymore. Even if your main focus was just a large screen then you can easily buy a 10in or 11in Android tablet like the Alldocube iPlay 70 for around $150 and slap the 8bitdo Mobile or GameSir G8+ controller and call it a day.

Dear Reddit, I am in dire need of advice, I have two sell two of my handhelds, and I can’t make up my mind 😬 Here are the candidates: GPD Win Max 2025 HX370: powerful and doubles as a laptop on a pinch, best travel option. SteamDeck OLED 1TB Limited Edition: best ergonomics, by far, beautiful screen, but underpowered. AyaNeo Pocket S: powerful Android handheld that can run Switch and Steam PC games via emulation, it is also the most portable, fits in a jacket’s pocket. Nintendo Switch 2: access to future Nintendo first-party titles. MSI Claw 8 AI+: the most powerful of the bunch, even if a HX370 or Z2 Extreme device can match its performance for some titles, XESS is miles ahead in quality, FSR is quite ugly in comparison. Which two would you sell, and why?

I've got a Steam Deck and I love it. However, even though it's a great handheld, I'd love to have something closer to the size of a PSP or a Switch Lite to carry my PC games on the go. I heard about the GPD Win, which seems amazing, but honestly, the price is way higher than I'd like to pay, and the AYN Loki is not available anymore as far as I know. What options do you know of that meet these criteria? Android handhelds are not an option; I have the Retroid Pocket 5 and it's amazing with Winlator, but I'm looking for a more powerful, native option.

You're looking for something small, powerful and cheap. Realistically, one of those is going to have to go, or you're going to have to move heavier in one direction, because it's like a trifecta of difficult. You can get something small and powerful, but not cheap (GPD ~~WIN 5~~ WIN 4). Same thing with powerful and cheap (IMO, used OG ROG Ally X), but not necessarily small. Small and cheap, easy -- any Android handheld. Finding the perfect middle of all three is all personal preference, my dude. EDIT: FWIW, it might be worth waiting it out a bit and seeing how some of the Steam on ARM / Rocknix development plays out. Not necessarily as “powerful” as like a GPD Win but at least closer to native (think like, Steam Deck performance level maybe?) via a translation layer.

Sell Gpd and steam deck. Ayaneo for poketability. Switch for Nintendo game. For rest msi.

I've been working on a custom launcher that gives Windows a console-like experience, inspired by Xbox OS and SteamOS. I've always loved the UI of the Xbox Series, so I wanted to bring that same smooth and cohesive feeling to Windows. I've always found it surprising that Microsoft doesn't use the same Xbox OS interface inside the Xbox app, since it feels so polished on console. With FSE mode and a custom launcher, the whole experience finally feels much closer to that seamless console experience. In this video, I start playing in handheld mode on my ROG Xbox Ally X, then dock it to my TV and instantly continue the same session using a paired Xbox controller. My launcher automatically manages TDP, refresh rate, and handles sleep/resume behavior so Windows plays nice with the game, you can switch between handheld and docked modes as smoothly as on a real console. It even works great as an Xbox Portal, letting you stream and play your console library remotely or from the cloud. It's not Xbox OS/SteamOS, but I'm really happy with how it feels. This is almost an Xbox UPATE: Thanks so much for the amazing reception! 🙏 Since many people wanted to try it, you can download it here: 🔗 [https://zendeck.app](https://zendeck.app) Please note: this launcher is still in active development and may contain bugs. I’ve mainly tested it on my **Legion Go** and **ROG Xbox Ally X**, so other devices might behave differently or even crash in some cases. All builds are digitally signed with a **Personal Verified** **certificate** for safety.

This is my opinion on these two handhelds. Ergonomics the Xbox ally x takes the win. There's no doubt about it. The controller feel on this thing is amazing. Paired with d brands Killswitch it's perfect. Legion go 2njust has a silicone case from Amazon since no one really makes a protective case for it like dbrand. Triggers I prefer the ally x. They just seem more quality the feel that is. Like more sponge like in a way? More resistance? Joysticks are pretty even for me don't prefer one over the other. The d pad same thing I don't play mortal Kombat anymore so don't really have a preference for d pads. Legion go has a win for the track pad. It's actually really nice sensitive and works. Button layout is better on ally x for my hands the placement is perfect. I almost have to bend my thumb awkwardly to use the right joystick on the legion go. The screens... Legion go 2 has the best screen I have ever seen on a handheld like absolutely blows anything out of the water. I calibrated HDR properly and it's just mind blowing how this screen pops. The bezels are SIGNIFICANTLY smaller on the legion go 2. 144hz vrr free sync 1200p OLED. What more could you ask for in a handheld. The "joycons" are sick they do their job. Fps mode works well and isn't uncomfortable to use. Do I need it? No but a nice perk. Built in kickstand a bonus. All handhelds should have one. I have experienced significant more bugs on the legion go 2. Joycons not working only touch does. Lenovo menu freezing not working. Waking out of sleep mode not working. Maybe that's a windows thing? But I've experienced little no no issues on the Xbox ally x. I did dual boot the ally x with bazzite and it's made it and even better handheld. I plan to do the same on the legion go 2 and give it a shot. They're both awesome handhelds they really are. You just need to pick your poison. Ergonomics over display. I really do feel if the ally x had an OLED display it would crush the handheld market. It checks every box for me except the display. If anyone has any questions lmk! Hope this helps people trying to make the decision. I highly recommend getting the best buy total tech membership. 45$ a year and you get 60 day returns no questions asked. That's ample time to decide on a purchase this expensive.

I grew up playing on consoles. You turn them on, pick a game, and play. When I bought my first PC handheld (Windows-based, mid-2024), I was honestly surprised by how different the experience was. In-game graphics settings, resolution, TDP, scaling, driver features… it felt like I had to tweak everything before I could actually play. I initially built AutoPilot just to handle things like TDP and performance automatically. But I quickly realized that wasn't enough — most of the friction was still in the in-game settings. That's how AutoPilot+ was born. I own an Xbox Ally X, and I originally assumed things like default game profiles or Gaming Copilot would actually modify in-game settings automatically. They don’t. AutoPilot+ detects the game and the handheld you're using, applies recommended in-game settings, configures resolution and AMD GPU features (like RSR or AFMF when supported), and then launches the game. The goal is simple: pick a game and play, while AutoPilot handles the rest. Instead of searching YouTube or Reddit for the "best settings" every time, this also opens the door to sharing and reusing community-tested game profiles directly through the launcher. This video shows the same game running on different handhelds, using the same flow — just recommended profiles applied automatically.

I'm new here so I'm not sure if this has been brought up. A little background about myself. I started pc flipping as a side gig about 2-3 months back so I do know quite a bit about hardware. Getting into the story, I made quite a bit of money earlier this week from some pc sales and I thought I'd spend a little to reward myself and I wanted to buy a portable handheld PC(steam deck/ally/legion go etc). I did some research, and basically for all the used 1st gen handheld pc gaming devices, they go for about 400usd or so in my market(before haggling), so I was trying to get a deal for about 320usd or less. I kind of narrowed down to the rog ally z1 extreme mainly because of the upgradable battery to 80wh(which cost about USD$40) effectively doubling the battery life which is kind of what I was going for. The rog ally x didn't have much more of an upgrade other than mainly the 24GB of RAM instead of 16 but I already have a powerful Playnite PC hooked up with my TV with an rtx 3080, so I wasn't going to play the most demanding games on it and wouldn't need 16GB of shared vram + system ram. I managed to score a deal of just about USD$316 from someone. After using it for a day or 2 I did more research into it. I realized the rog xbox ally which was released last year was actually a step down(in performance) from the rog ally z1 extreme released in 2023. The rog ally z1 extreme with 80wh battery has longer battery life than the steam deck, and lenovo legion go, much more powerful hardware than the steam deck and msi claw. Taking the same hardware, it would cost USD$1000 if you were to buy a laptop of similar spec and I know for sure it would cost about USD$600-700 for a desktop equivalent(which doesn't use a battery + in conservative prices) in the used market with the insane prices of DDR5 RAM right now. Not to mention, it last longer than an equivalent gaming laptop on battery. This is literally a powerful computer for just about usd$300-400 in the used market which you can game on. It's just insane when the tech youtubers are showing of budget gaming PC builds that are $600 when you can literally buy the rog ally z1 extreme for $320, hook it up to a monitor, connect a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and you get yourself a pretty decent gaming PC. Not to mention you can just bring your rog ally along to a meeting, hook it up to a projector or TV with a wireless presenter and you can do a presentation instead of a much bulkier laptop that doesn't even have as long of a battery life. Lastly, I think armoury crate is pretty comprehensive with how much you can control the battery and performance of the rog ally and manage your game library. TLDR: - ROG Ally Z1 extreme is an incredible value - it beats all its competitors in value - it beats all its variants in value - it beats desktops and laptops of equivalent specs in value - it has longer battery life than most laptops and smaller than a laptop while being able to game on it I honestly hope ASUS doesn't see this, so that they can continue to put out products of such value. If you don't own a rog ally right now, I highly recommend it. I will be spending some time optimizing it to give it more battery life and performance and likely be playing games like d2r, palworld, rotk 8 remake, jrpgs, emulated games on it. I'll leave the super demanding games with Ray tracing like black Myth, cyberpunk on my PC instead. Glad to be part of this community.

Well yeah, it came out in 2011. It is almost 15 years old. As much as I think it’s the best and most elegant handheld Sony has made, I wouldn’t recommend getting it over something newer. But for those that already own it, I think it is totally worth digging out and appreciating the nice hardware it is. That it’s easy to hack these days is a bonus.

I haven't played with it yet, just showing some size comparisons since I have original hardware. I got the RG Vita because with GammaOS Next it seems to be close to the Pocket Air Mini. Since the Mangmi Air X went up in price I wanted to have an option to recommend over the Pocket Air Mini. I like the PAM but it feels weird recommending it after ayaneo's preordering issues and the shell cracking problems me and a couple others have had. Ayaneo replaced the shell for free but I'd like to be able to recommend something that doesn't have that problem in the first place. **Compared To Vita:** \- Same thickness \- Much wider shell by about an inch and a half \- Bigger d pad, rubber membrane \- Bigger sticks, both in surface area and height, LGBT light up stick and removable too \- Both have all glass fronts \- Thinner shoulders but has triggers, clicky though and not full triggers, and the bumper and trigger buttons are that cool vita transparent. \- Pocketable but not in jeans, would recommend a bag or as a home console \- Chunky, much larger than I was expecting. \- Downfiring speakers, headphone jack, usb c, wifi 5, all that jazz \- No lanyard holes :( \- Feels weirdly empty compared to the PS Vita. Not as weighty, the ps vita feels like the components are packed tight. This doesn't really matter but some people might find the rg vita to be oddly weightless. **Compared To PSP:** \- MUCH bigger \- Skinnier though \- Smaller face buttons and d pad, the buttons all have greater travel and don't feel as close to the face plate as the psp's buttons do. \- Real analog sticks \- A lot of differences that you'd expect just from modern advances. Like USB C instead of 5v charging dc or mini usb for pc connection. \- No transparent bumpers or lanyard hole. **Compared To RP3+** \- Round \- No weird side buttons that you accidentally press with your palm. \- Similar sticks but taller on the vita \- Bigger d pad and face buttons \- No HDMI out on base rg vita \- RP3+ triggers feel closer to real triggers as they pivot. RG Vita's only look like triggers, they're very shallow and clicky. \- Much bigger, thicker, and not as ugly (personal opinion) **Overall** I like the aesthetic even if it can't play vita games. It feels comfortable enough, although the lack of ergonomics makes me think shooters might be an issue with its lack of booty cheeks to grip onto. I have the RG34XX and a GBA and those two felt like twins with different haircuts. The RG Vita and PS Vita feel more like an older sibling and younger sibling. Like you can tell they're related. Weirdly though, I don't think the average person would ever confuse it with a PS Vita because of the lack of branding and the lack of silver edges.

I'm curious as to why other people chose to get their Steam Decks. For me personally, it started when I started to fall out of love with Nintendo and PlayStation, both of which I am a lifelong fangirl. My earliest memories of being alive are of the PSP and DS Lite. Before the Steam Deck I had many handhelds as that is my preferred way to play, I had a Switch, PSP, PS Vita, and pretty much every DS and 3DS. However in recent years I have come to resent Nintendo a bit for pricing and also all the recent Pokémon releases, it's become very apparent that they kinda just want money. As for PlayStation, I kept having hardware issues with the Vita and on top of that, I realised I don't even really have a PlayStation library on my PS5, most of those games came from the PS Plus subscription, if I were to cancel it or not be able to afford it, I would lose all my games, the subscription was holding me hostage. So I gave up on the Switch last year, I needed some extra cash as I am a university student and I realised I wasn't playing 90℅ of my overpriced library, so I sold it to a friend of a friend. The PS Vita completely broke on me at the end of last year and I was just so frustrated that I couldn't just have a nice handheld experience. So I started playing games on my PC which I typically only ever used for game development for university. I enjoyed the games and the ability to build my library and keep it but I still missed playing handheld, it felt like the answer was there to whole time, I just needed a Steam Deck. So now I'm a massive Steam Deck fangirl and haven't touched any of my other consoles since. If I need to play a PSP or Switch game, I just emulate it which is amazing. I was surprised at how well Breath of the Wild runs on the Deck emulators.

I bought this used NintendoDSi a couple months before the double screen fever take over and I been searching for some physical games that I didn’t have. I really don’t need a new ds device, the tariffs screw the prices so much and I can’t justify getting a new device just because. Sometimes the ones we got are the best we have. Device: NintendoDSi. Game: Pokemon White for the Nintendo DS.

I used to love playing Dark Souls 3 on my phone, and other PC games like cuphead (which I still really like tbf), but now I'm almost exclusively playing stuff like Rayman 3 and Origins, Simpsons hit and run, and DS pokemon games lmao. Idk, they just hit different for some reason. I tried switch emulation and figured I might as well pick up a used switch OLED instead to not stress my poor fold out, and also not have to tinker or have issues and shit. It's so cool how phones can run such demanding titles, but they just can't compare to old school classics IMO

Gpd win 5, Onexplayer fly apex

Yep that's why I recently sold my Steam Deck OLED after having the AYN Thor for several weeks now. I just got a Onexfly F1 Pro HX370 to replace my Steam Deck for everything I can't play on my Thor. I found myself picking it up might more frequently because it's not as bulky as the other PC handhelds.

PSA if you didn't read the text body. The current Apex Battery has some issues: [https://www.reddit.com/r/OneXPlayer/comments/1qwx7b9/onexplay\_apex\_battery\_issue\_video/](https://www.reddit.com/r/OneXPlayer/comments/1qwx7b9/onexplay_apex_battery_issue_video/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/OneXPlayer/comments/1qwnm68/confused\_about\_apex\_battery\_update/](https://www.reddit.com/r/OneXPlayer/comments/1qwnm68/confused_about_apex_battery_update/)

You didn't say you have a budget so in that case GPD Win 5 Or OneXPlayer Apex

Hey all. I’ve been working on Armada, a SteamOS-like Linux distribution for ARM handhelds, built on the same foundation as Bazzite with device support borrowed from ROCKNIX. There’s now a preview release available to try. It currently includes: * ARM64 Steam * FEX for x86 game support * CachyOS Proton 11 * Gamescope / Steam game mode * SD card boot support Current device support: * AYANEO Pocket EVO: tested and working * Odin 2 Portal: tested and working * Odin 2 Mini: tested (touchscreen not working yet) * Odin 2: supported but untested This is still prototype software. There is no upgrade path yet, it boots from SD, and setup requires flashing the ROCKNIX ABL, so it is very much “use at your own risk.” The goal is to make ARM handhelds feel closer to a SteamOS-style experience, while keeping the project open and building on the great work from ROCKNIX and Bazzite. Check it out here: [https://github.com/virtudude/armada](https://github.com/virtudude/armada)

# THE FUTURE OF AYANEO REVIEWS ON MY CHANNEL Hey everyone, I have an important update regarding the channel and my coverage of AYANEO products. After much consideration, I have decided to stop reviewing AYANEO devices and will no longer be accepting review units from the company. As many of you know, I’m always the relaxed, low-key Canadian in the handheld space. I’m not interested in drama, but I do feel a deep responsibility to be transparent with you about the brands I recommend. If I wouldn't feel comfortable spending my own money on a device, I can’t justify asking you to spend yours. This decision comes down to four main pillars: **Safety, Privacy, Transparency, and Business Ethics**. **1. Hardware Safety and Quality Control**: While minor QC issues are common in this hobby, my recent experiences have crossed a line into safety concerns: * The Pocket DS: My unit began melting internally while charging. I don't mess around with battery safety, and the strong smell of burning electronics was a major red flag. * The Air Pro: My "replacement" for a defective unit was actually a dirty, used return from a previous customer that hadn't even been factory reset. For a "premium" brand, this is unacceptable, even if they sent a new unit after. This shouldn't have happened to begin with. **2. Personal Data Privacy:** During a "verification" check before sending my replacement Air Pro, I was accidentally shown another customer’s full personal information. This is a massive breach of data privacy. As a reviewer, I cannot overlook a company's inability to protect basic customer information. https://preview.redd.it/b55z1a5f21cg1.png?width=3100&format=png&auto=webp&s=f1521feaf0689bdee7321c7ad43cc3940bc6ac38 **3. Selective Transparency:** I’ve noticed a pattern where the company is becoming highly selective with their review units. They appear to be ghosting anyone—myself included—who provides honest, critical feedback. I value my integrity and your trust far more than any review unit, and I will never compromise my honesty just to maintain a relationship with a manufacturer. **4. Business Ethics:** The final straw was a very bizarre and frustrating refund experience: The Refund Delay: It took two months to receive my refund for my Pocket DS. Despite tracking showing it was delivered, the company claimed for weeks that it hadn't reached their warehouse as they had to relay ship it from the receiving point. A petty accounting error: Once the refund finally processed, they insisted I pay back $2.30 USD due to an overpayment error. After I sent it back, I received a message thanking me and explaining that if I hadn't, the staff member responsible for the error "would have her salary docked". For a "premium" brand to be this petty—and to put that kind of pressure on their staff—speaks volumes about their internal culture. https://preview.redd.it/b9vqb0xm01cg1.png?width=2590&format=png&auto=webp&s=7eaac054600c206fd779b67be42a55a0b9dae3be Moving forward- As my peers at Retro Game Corps and Retro Handhelds have noted, the industry has shifted. Companies like AYN are now proving they can deliver superior hardware, faster shipping, and better communication without the "premium tax" or the crowdfunding risks. I’m not coming from a place of malice, but from a place of genuine disappointment. My goal is to focus on hardware that is durable, safe, and backed by companies that respect their customers. I’ve cancelled my remaining pre-orders, and I’m looking forward to highlighting brands that I can truly stand behind. Thanks for sticking with me while I navigate these tougher decisions.

Dear Reddit, I am in dire need of advice, I have two sell two of my handhelds, and I can’t make up my mind 😬 Here are the candidates: GPD Win Max 2025 HX370: powerful and doubles as a laptop on a pinch, best travel option. SteamDeck OLED 1TB Limited Edition: best ergonomics, by far, beautiful screen, but underpowered. AyaNeo Pocket S: powerful Android handheld that can run Switch and Steam PC games via emulation, it is also the most portable, fits in a jacket’s pocket. Nintendo Switch 2: access to future Nintendo first-party titles. MSI Claw 8 AI+: the most powerful of the bunch, even if a HX370 or Z2 Extreme device can match its performance for some titles, XESS is miles ahead in quality, FSR is quite ugly in comparison. Which two would you sell, and why?

Hello! I'm Jipsony, the dev behind Retro Catalog. It's been so much fun being part of this community for another year, and trying so many games on our beloved SBC handhelds. This year I've worked on the website almost every day. I've really enjoyed it and when I look back at all the updates of the year, I think it was well worth the time: Size comparison tools, "Best of" lists, user reviews, game recommendation tools, user accounts, customizeable user collections, EmuReady integration, etc.. I'd like to share a few top 3 rankings based on the user collections in Retro Catalog. Please note that the collections feature was added to the site on November 1st, so these rankings reflect only the past two months: **Most Favourited**: AYN Thor, AYANEO Pocket Air Mini, Retroid Pocket G2. **Most Wishlisted**: AYN Thor, Retroid Pocket 6, Retroid Pocket G2. **Most Owned**: Miyoo Mini Plus, RG 35XX SP, Steam Deck. And here's a general recap about this year's releases: **Number of Releases**: At least 60 handhelds **Operating systems**: - Android: 31 handhelds - Linux: 23 handhelds - Windows: 12 handhelds **Form Factors**: - Horizontal (40) - Clamshell (11) - Vertical (9) **Brands with the most releases**: - Anbernic (8) - AYANEO (6) - Retroid (5) - AYN (4) **Most popular aspect ratios**: - 16:9 (25) - 4:3 (21) - 16:10 (6) - 3:2 (4) **Most popular resolutions**: - 1920 x 1080 (21) - 640 x 480 (11) - 1240 x 1080 (5) - 1280 x 960 (5) **Most popular screen sizes**: - 3.5 (10) - 7.0 (8) - 5.5 (6) - 3.92 (5) **Screen Types**: - IPS (34) - OLED (14) - LTPS (8) - LCD (4) **PSP Emulation Performance**: - 58 handhelds can play PSP decently, the cheapest being the [My Mini](https://retrocatalog.com/retro-handhelds/my-mini) at $30 - 41 handhelds have great PSP performance, the cheapest being the [Action Pi](https://retrocatalog.com/retro-handhelds/action-pi) at $60 **PlayStation 2 Emulation Performance**: - 37 handhelds can play PlayStation 2 decently, the cheapest being the [AYANEO Pocket Air Mini](https://retrocatalog.com/retro-handhelds/ayaneo-pocket-air-mini) at $70 - 33 handhelds have great PlayStation 2 performance, the cheapest being the [Retroid Pocket Classic](https://retrocatalog.com/retro-handhelds/retroid-pocket-classic) at $110 **Switch Emulation Performance**: - 27 handhelds can play Switch decently, the cheapest being the [RG-477V](https://retrocatalog.com/retro-handhelds/rg-477v) at $200 - 23 handhelds have great Switch performance, the cheapest being the [Retroid Pocket G2](https://retrocatalog.com/retro-handhelds/retroid-pocket-g2) at $210 [Link to the 2024 recap](https://www.reddit.com/r/SBCGaming/comments/1hpvyyc/2024_handheld_gaming_recap_stats_and_highlights/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) So which one of these handhelds was your favourite? Mine is still the Retroid Flip 2, such a great device to boot up from time to time.