It would be tempting to assume that, massive PC gaming corp. that it is, Valve would have the entire handheld gaming PC market sewn up. It’s got the affordable end dealt with by the older LCD-screened Steam Deck and the more recent Steam Deck OLED version is getting new colourways to make it ever more desirous without being too much more expensive.
But I’ve been hugely impressed with the level of innovation that we’ve seen around the still burgeoning handheld market, with Ayaneo arguably the kings and queens of wrapping essentially the same hardware as everyone else up in fascinating new ways. I would also suggest it’s managed to make the best of the struggles with Windows 11 as the de facto operating system for most non-Valve handhelds, too.
With the little and large of handhelds, in the Flip DS and Kun, Ayaneo has certainly been a busy ol’ bee this year.
Asus has been the comeback kid, however, rejuvenating its ROG Ally console with a mid-season ROG Ally X refresh which fixed all the old problems and gave it a battery life that is the envy of every other handheld around. And it looks damned good in black, too.
A host of other companies have tried to get into the market, to greater or lesser success, with the likes of Lenovo and Zotac being two of the most prominent new entries. Though MSI has come through, too, attempting to fly the flag for Intel. Poor, poor Intel. Though we are more excited about a potential Lunar Lake handheld in the coming year.
But, right at the tail end of the year we’ve had our hands on the most powerful handheld PC we’ve ever tested, the OneXFly F1 Pro with its Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chip. That’s been a big of a game-changer in terms of gaming frame rates on the go, though it’s not without its flaws, too.
So, here are the nominees. We’ll announce the winner on New Year’s Eve.
Best gaming handheld 2024: the nominees
The winner of the PC Gamer Hardware Award for the best gaming handheld will be announced on New Year’s Eve. It’s all to play for, and any one of these three is completely deserving of the crown.
