The finest gaming handhelds for 2026

The Switch 2 largely exists in its personal world, although. If you need one thing extra highly effective that may additionally entry the a lot bigger libraries (and steeper gross sales) of PC storefronts like Steam, you desire a handheld PC. The Lenovo Legion Go S is our favourite of these proper now, particularly the model that runs on Valve’s SteamOS and makes use of AMD’s Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip. 

There are two comparisons to make right here: one between this {hardware} and Valve’s personal Steam Deck, the opposite between SteamOS and Windows, the working system utilized by most different handheld PCs. Let’s begin with the previous: The Legion Go S is the primary handheld apart from the Steam Deck to ship with Valve’s versatile however intuitive gaming platform. The mannequin I like to recommend prices $900, a hefty $350 greater than the Steam Deck OLED, however its upgrades are substantial sufficient to be well worth the premium. 

The major factor is efficiency: With a beefier Z1 Extreme chip, double the RAM at 32GB, 1TB of storage and the next max energy draw — as much as 33W when operating on battery energy as an alternative of 15W, or as much as 40W when plugged right into a charger — the Legion Go S is clearly superior for enjoying resource-intensive video games. Most video games I examined ran at greater body charges and resolutions when all different settings have been equal. Blockbusters like Cyberpunk and Red Dead Redemption 2 might attain a gentle 60 frames per second (fps) with fewer visible sacrifices. There have been nonetheless some dips once I ran across the notoriously tough metropolis areas in Act 3 of Baldur’s Gate 3, however they have been far much less debilitating. There’s simply extra headroom to make your video games look higher, and crucially, you’ll have much less bother with future releases as energy calls for develop. Not all the things runs completely, however you gained’t hit the wall as laborious as the Deck already has over the past couple of years.

I discover the Legion Go S extra nice to carry as nicely. It’s a bit of chunkier and heavier than the already-large Steam Deck, so smaller-handed of us could discover it fatiguing over time. But when you can dwell with the load, the rounded, calmly textured edges and snappy offset joysticks slide naturally into the hand. The face buttons, triggers and d-pad are all responsive and comfortably sized too. Everything feels sturdy, and because the joysticks use Hall effect sensors, they need to keep away from any “drifting” because the years roll on.  

The 8-inch LCD show is one other spotlight. It’s not a transparent improve over the Steam Deck OLED’s panel, which helps HDR and places out higher distinction and bolder colours. But it’s greater, and so many PC video games beg to be performed on a bigger display screen. It’s a lot sharper at 1200p, plus it helps VRR. It additionally has a quicker 120Hz refresh charge, which helps some video games look a bit extra fluid in movement.

But there are nonetheless trade-offs. Using these greater efficiency modes can nuke battery life and make the built-in followers sound like a small jet engine. Battery life isn’t nice to begin, sometimes lasting between 1.5 and 4 hours relying on what you play. The Deck is simply extra power-efficient at 15W. (The followers right here do nicely to maintain the system cool below load, nonetheless.) The audio system could possibly be clearer. The dinky trackpad isn’t any match for the bigger contact panels on the Deck, which some swear by for technique video games and MMOs. The Deck additionally has extra strong neighborhood assist for issues like customized controller profiles. And all of this is able to be extra interesting if it value $100-200 much less. If you’ve acquired the money, although, this model of the Legion Go S has actual and lasting benefits over Valve’s machine.

That’s the {hardware} comparability. The different includes software program. Lenovo does promote a Windows version of the Legion Go S, however the SteamOS mannequin offers a extra frictionless, optimized and usually console-like expertise. The Linux-based OS nonetheless has just a few shortcomings: Not each recreation is supported, together with many fashionable live-service video games, and accessing purchases from exterior of Steam isn’t totally easy. But the overwhelming majority of your Steam library ought to work with out bother, and the OS nonetheless feels made for handhelds in a manner Windows isn’t. Its core parts are legible and sensibly designed, and it isn’t saddled with as a lot bloat. At the identical time, there are tons of community-made plug-ins and programs you’ll be able to set up to make the OS extra helpful. 

Also notice that there’s a lower-cost version of the Legion Go S with a weaker Ryzen Z2 Go chip. I’d skip that one until you already know you’ll keep on with much less demanding video games otherwise you actually need the big VRR show at a less expensive worth. It’d be extra engaging when you see it on sale.