Best Steam Deck alternative 2024: Lenovo, Asus, and more

Regardless of the regularly rising variety of Home windows handhelds, the ROG Ally stays the very best Steam Deck various on the market. Whereas it doesn’t excel in any explicit class relative to its opponents, Asus’ system presents a gaming expertise larger than the sum of its elements, very like the Steam Deck itself.

The ROG Ally is on the market with a alternative of two processors, the Ryzen Z1 and Ryzen Z1 Excessive. Whereas related in identify, these chips every boast markedly completely different efficiency attributable to their distinction in spec. A lot so, that we solely advocate selecting up fashions outfitted with the Z1 Excessive, because the Z1’s worth is significantly decrease. In case your funds can stretch to the extra highly effective CPU, although, you may count on body charges that both match or exceed the Steam Deck and the remainder of the very best moveable gaming consoles.

Superior specs don’t cease on the processor with the ROG Ally, because it additionally comes with a sharper 1080p show with the next refresh charge of 120Hz. Its IPS LCD panel isn’t OLED, but it surely’s about nearly as good as you will get for this show kind. Higher nonetheless, this decision is a candy spot for efficiency and battery life, not placing an excessive amount of pressure on both entrance.

Out-of-the-box storage for the ROG Ally tops out at 512GB, however this may be simply upgraded with one other off-the-shelf PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2230 SSD. You possibly can add additional area for video games through the microSD card slot, however bear in mind that there are stories of the reader malfunctioning. ASUS has since deployed a patch that ought to have addressed these points, so you’ll want to obtain any updates as they arrive, and train warning when enjoying notably demanding video games. For extra on this one, try our Asus ROG Ally assessment.

Geared up with ‘TrueStrike’ controllers, a built-in kickstand, and nice efficiency, this Steam Deck various takes just a few notes from the standard Nintendo Swap too. The Legion Go is an formidable piece of equipment, and a flexible choice to Valve’s handheld. You’ll discover an 8.8-inch IPS panel ready for you, which is likely one of the largest screens out there on a handheld proper now. It’s good and crispy too with a big pixel rely of 1600p.

Nonetheless, you’ll want to arrange to downscale video games to 1200p or 800p as pushing as much as 1600p can show an excessive amount of for the Ryzen Z1 Excessive, regardless of its in any other case sturdy capabilities.

Detaching the controllers from the Legion Go makes for a extra relaxed moveable gaming expertise you probably have the area to relaxation the machine on a close-by floor. Nonetheless, the hand held additionally has ‘FPS Mode’, which transforms one of many controllers right into a would-be mouse when mixed with the included base which is helpful for each video games and light-weight work.

Legion House does provide loads of customization but it surely’s far more fiddly than Valve’s choices on the Steam Deck, however this might enhance over time with future updates. The one different gripe that brings the Legion Go down a peg is its weight, measuring 854g, which may make it considerably uncomfortable to make use of for extended durations. For the total lowdown, see our Lenovo Legion Go assessment.

Not solely is the Asus ROG Ally X a terrific various choice to the Steam Deck, however this beefier cousin of the Asus ROG Ally is a handheld gaming dream. Filled with improved battery life, a stunning LCD display, and a few of the greatest efficiency capabilities in handheld gaming, the Ally X is a formidable addition to this listing. From indie gems to triple-A titles, Asus’s newest piece of equipment is as much as the problem, though with some small caveats.

The Asus ROG Ally X runs on Home windows 11, and whereas it’s largely a streamlined expertise, there are cases the place it nonetheless wants the perimeters refining. Nonetheless, the Home windows working system additionally means you might have entry to all of the Xbox Recreation Cross video games, and you may have them sit alongside all of your Epic Video games and Steam titles in Asus’ customized gaming hub.

It’s additionally price mentioning that the ROG Ally X stands tall as one of many most interesting Steam Deck alternate options on the market, that premium expertise comes at a premium value. In our opinion, it’s price it, but it surely’s your cash. If you would like extra particulars, try our full Asus ROG Ally X assessment.

Don’t let the dimensions of the Win Mini (2024) idiot you as that is one Steam Deck various that punches nicely above its weight, regardless of its dimension. Not solely has GPD managed to squeeze loads of efficiency into this lean machine, however opening up the clamshell chassis reveals a built-in keyboard and trackpad alongside its face buttons and Corridor impact joysticks for a very versatile system.

New for the Win Mini (2024), GPD has upgraded its show to incorporate variable refresh charge (VRR) help. Regardless of its prevalence amongst gaming screens, this characteristic is surprisingly uncommon amongst handhelds, with the Steam Deck and ROG Ally being a few of the solely different examples. In a nutshell, it retains display tearing at bay, no matter your body charge, making for a a lot smoother gaming expertise.

Benchmarking the Win Mini (2024) reveals its shocking energy as a small however mighty gaming system. Based on GPD, you may count on a median body charge of 64fps in Forza Horizon 5, utilizing the sport’s ‘Excessive’ preset. In fact, you may enhance this even additional by activating AMD FSR in video games that help the upscaling tech.

The one main disadvantage of the Wini Mini (2024) is its value. Beginning at $879 through Indiegogo, in lieu of Ryzen 5 8640U availability for now, it’s one of many costlier Steam Deck alternate options in the marketplace. Nonetheless, an elevated value for such a bespoke design isn’t a shock and is one thing that many different handhelds in the marketplace merely don’t provide.

Android gaming doesn’t get any higher than on the Odin 2. Whereas a lot of what makes this handheld so unbelievable to sport with comes right down to its specs, its efficiency wouldn’t shine as a lot because it does if not for the work AYN has clearly put into the machine’s scrumptious design.

On the coronary heart of the Odin 2 lies a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, the identical SoC discovered within the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely. Paired with at the least 8GB of RAM, this combo naturally makes brief work of even essentially the most demanding Android titles, together with picks from our listing of the very best cellular video games like Genshin Influence and Honkai Star Rail.

The inclusion of Corridor impact joysticks makes enjoying video games on the Odin 2 a responsive pleasure, with no trace of drift. Annoyingly, the face buttons and D-pad don’t match as much as the machine’s joysticks. Whereas they nonetheless present an honest expertise, some will discover them uncomfortably small and they’re susceptible to minor rattling.

The 8,000mAh battery gives hours upon hours of playtime and charging is straightforward and speedy due to help for 65W Fast Cost 5.0. The one actual fault the Odin 2 has as a Steam Deck various is that it’s essential to use cloud streaming companies like Nvidia GeForce Now to play your library of PC video games. Fortunately, it handles this process like a champ too.

It’s tough to discover a funds various to the Steam Deck however the Pocket 4 Professional is about as shut as you will get. Costing simply $200, it’s a surprisingly nippy console that may function a PC in a pinch by way of cloud streaming companies. As its identify suggests, it’s a terrific possibility for anybody on the lookout for among the finest retro handhelds.

Simply because it’s comparatively low cost, doesn’t imply that Retroid skimped on the construct high quality of the Pocket 4 Professional. Housed in its plastic chassis you’ll discover a set of analog triggers and Corridor impact analog sticks, which really feel nice throughout all genres of sport however notably shine in racing titles. Whereas its 4.7-inch show is on the smaller aspect, as its 750p decision, you may join it to an exterior show and output 1080p video through its USB Sort-C port.

The Pocket 4 Professional is likely one of the smaller Steam Deck alternate options in the marketplace too, weighing in at simply 251g, and with dimensions that make it genuinely pocketable in some pants. Naturally, this does make it considerably unwieldy for these with bigger arms, however most ought to discover it comfy to carry.

Given its value, you shouldn’t count on flagship-level efficiency however the Mediatek Dimensity 1100 SoC packs sufficient punch to see you thru a bout of Android gaming and handles streaming with no drawback. Simply keep in mind that if you have already got an costly smartphone, you might have already got a gaming machine that’s simply as succesful because the Pocket 4 Professional, if no more so.

No listing of Steam Deck alternate options could be full with out the Swap OLED, which emerges as our choose for the very best Nintendo Swap for a number of causes. The primary, naturally, is its OLED panel, making it one of many most cost-effective gadgets to characteristic the show know-how. Colours and distinction are merely chic on this display and make for a marked improve over costlier LCD alternate options.

We recommend selecting up the Swap OLED over the Lite as do you have to encounter any dreaded bouts of stick drift, you’ll solely want to exchange the defective Pleasure-Con slightly than all the system. This does naturally enhance the worth, inside $50 of the 256GB Steam Deck LCD, however the further price is nicely price enhancing the longevity of your machine.

One benefit the Swap enjoys over each different Steam Deck various is an ecosystem of bodily video games. Not solely is a library of cartridges superior to gather, however you’ll be capable to promote them do you have to want slightly than be perpetually caught with a digital license. Nonetheless, the Nintendo eShop is ripe with downloads do you have to want.

It’s price noting that we’re anticipating a Swap 2 within the close to future, which may see the Swap OLED and different fashions fall in value. Nonetheless, till that point, Nintendo’s console stays the very best handheld console on the market.