PC Gamer {Hardware} Awards: The very best gaming handheld of 2025

This 12 months has been a little bit of a bizarre one for gaming handhelds. AMD’s mighty Strix Halo chip launched at CES, but it is too energy hungry and scorching to see its inclusion in something we are able to really use proper now. AMD’s Z Excessive vary continues to be going robust, although, with the Z1 Excessive making for a very good mid-range handheld, and the brand new Z2 Excessive powering the surprisingly succesful Asus ROG Xbox Ally X.

MSI Claw 8 AI+ appears to be one of many standouts, giving wonderful efficiency. Nevertheless, the chip is not the one factor that makes a tool, and our favorite gaming handhelds of this 12 months pack a punch within the look, really feel, and battery life departments.

We did not see any new iterations from Valve within the {hardware} division this 12 months, however different corporations having access to Steam OS means extra bespoke Home windows-less units additionally made their option to market. Lenovo’s SteamOS-powered Legion Go S gives nice efficiency, regardless of being on the older Z1 Excessive chip.

We noticed corporations like Ayaneo throw their hat within the ring with the Strix Level Ayaneo 3. This handheld comes with a really neat however odd modular management system that did not absolutely win our hearts over. Although not a PC, the implementation of sensible DLSS within the Nintendo Swap 2 definitely bridges the efficiency hole, even when Nintendo is persistently its greatest promoting level and its worst enemy.

As they are saying, cream rises to the highest, and we have nominated the three ~~creamiest~~ greatest gaming handhelds of 2025, and we’ll announce which one takes the gold on New 12 months’s Eve.

Every of those three gaming handhelds gives various things at completely different worth factors, they usually have all earned their nomination. It looks as if funds gaming handhelds did not actually get a phrase in edge methods this 12 months, which we’re hoping is not a development subsequent 12 months. Nonetheless, just one can take the win, and we’ll let you already know who does on New 12 months’s Eve.

Finest handheld PC 2025

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