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The top handheld gaming consoles have surged in popularity over recent years. It’s hardly surprising that numerous new devices from major manufacturers have been revealed at CES 2025. If you’re enthusiastic about gadgets such as the Steam Deck OLED, Asus ROG Ally X, and Lenovo Legion Go, there’s plenty to look forward to.
The majority of the Tom’s Guide computing team (myself included) are present at CES exploring the most significant gaming handhelds set to be launched this year. As one of the previously mentioned handheld enthusiasts, I can assure you that this year could be exceptional for these devices. Enjoying the finest PC games wherever you go is about to become even better.
Below is a summary of the finest gaming handhelds anticipated this year from Acer, MSI, and Lenovo.
Lenovo Legion Go S
The Legion Go S is a more economical handheld from Lenovo, incorporating the best features of the Legion Go into a compact and more ergonomic design. This new gadget not only introduces a fresh design, but it can also be outfitted with an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme or a new AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chip. Most excitingly, a model equipped with SteamOS is expected to be released in May.
SteamOS on the Legion Go S is revolutionary for several reasons. First, this marks the debut of SteamOS on a third-party gaming handheld. Secondly, this variant should be more user-friendly as Windows 11 is not particularly suited for the handheld format. However, if you prefer a Windows 11 portable, the Legion Go S still offers that operating system as an alternative — although it comes at a higher price than the SteamOS version.
The design of the Legion Go S is akin to that of the ROG Ally or Steam Deck. While it lacks detachable controllers like the Legion Go, its unibody structure and rounded edges make it more comfortable to hold. It also features an updated rounded D-pad and trigger locks, which should enhance the feel of playing fighting games and first-person shooters (respectively). The 8-inch (1,920 x 1,200) display with a 120Hz refresh rate should allow games to look fantastic and perform smoothly.
The Legion Go S could represent the most thrilling gaming handheld of 2025 owing to SteamOS, but its additional characteristics also render it appealing.
Acer Nitro Blaze handhelds
Acer unveiled its inaugural gaming handheld in 2024. It appears the brand was not satisfied with the 7-inch Nitro Blaze 7, as the latest models are larger. Quite significantly larger in one instance.
The numbers at the end of the Acer Nitro Blaze 8 and Acer Nitro Blaze 11 designate their respective sizes. The former is an 8-inch handheld, while the latter is an enormous 11 inches. Upon its release, the Nitro Blaze 11 will be the largest Windows 11 handheld available. If you have large hands and find the standard 7-inch handhelds too small, this might be the right choice for you. This robust device also features detachable controllers similar to the Lenovo Legion Go and Nintendo Switch, which is a pleasant addition.
There are several distinctions beyond size. For example, the Blaze 8 has a quicker refresh rate compared to the Blaze 11. If you enjoy fast-paced first-person shooters, you would likely prefer to use the Blaze 8. The smaller size should also facilitate easier portability.
Unlike other competing handhelds, Nitro Blaze systems are equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS, a genuine laptop processor. With 16GB of RAM included, these handhelds should be competent enough to run the best PC games effortlessly.
MSI Claw 8 AI+
The MSI Claw 8 AI+ is already available but it still garnered some attention during CES 2025. We were somewhat underwhelmed with the original MSI Claw, but this enhanced model aims to address its predecessor’s flaws.
Initially, the Claw 8 AI+ features the new Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 2 CPU with an Intel Arc 140V GPU. This chip promises improved performance and efficiency compared to the AMD processors in the ROG Ally, Legion Go S, and Steam Deck. With the same Intel XeSS technology present in the company’s Arc GPUs, games are expected to deliver solid performance and smooth frame rates.
There are minor yet noticeable design modifications compared to the earlier model. It has a larger 8-inch display, a concave D-Pad, Hall Effect joysticks, and more responsive shoulder buttons. The handheld also sports a dual-tone color scheme instead of the all-black design from before.
The MSI Claw 8 AI+ should compensate for the previous iteration. Hopefully, this device will validate the use of Intel chips within handhelds. If this handheld performs as expected, the AMD-powered competition could find themselves on alert.
More from Tom’s Guide
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