These Handheld Gaming Consoles Will Keep You Playing
Here's a host of recent (and one upcoming) gadgets to have you gaming on the go
Whether you're sitting in an airport waiting on your connecting flight or simply looking for a way to drown out the noise of crying infants on a plane by immersing yourself in some demon-slaying in Doom, there’s enough reason to travel with a gaming handheld. And no, I’m not referring to the nearly a decade-old Nintendo Switch. Granted your smartphone could do the trick but why deal with unwanted data costs and battery drain when you’re in uncharted territory? With that in mind, here’s a host of recent (and one upcoming) gadgets to have you gaming on the go.
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Asus ROG Ally X
The Asus ROG Ally X is an interesting option. It has the best battery life of the bunch, a terabyte of storage, and more memory than most laptops. On paper, this is the one to get. Easier said than done. While Asus did make it available officially in India at launch in August last year, you’ll be hard pressed to find it at all since then. And even if you do, you’ll be paying close to a lakh for the privilege. The first generation ROG Ally is available for around `40,000 but given how much better other options are, including those from Asus, you’re best getting this when you’re travelling outside the country.
Price: from 99,990 INR
Steam Deck OLED
The Steam Deck is probably the best gaming handheld you can get right now. It’s not available officially, so you don’t get any warranty. However as someone who has owned and used two of them (since the launch of the original LCD version), the Steam Deck has been extremely reliable. As the name suggests, it runs games from the biggest PC games store—Steam. It helps that its creator Valve (which owns Steam) will swoop in and ensure games run smoothly and just as importantly, has been pushing out Steam Deck OS updates regularly. These add new features like in-game recording. After a rough launch three years prior, most games run fine on it. Be it puzzlers like Balatro or sprawling epics like Elden Ring. Granted you won’t get visuals akin to top of the line PCs but it’s more than enough for gaming on vacation.
Price: from 50,000 INR
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Nintendo Switch 2
The original Nintendo Switch walked so the Steam Deck and its ilk could run. While it’s getting too long in tooth to warrant a recommendation, its sequel seems like a tempting prospect. From heady remasters for stone cold classics like Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, which look fantastic with their Switch 2 updates to open-world racing shenanigans in Mario Kart World, there’s a lot to play—until Nintendo's next big Mario or Zelda made just for the Switch 2. While I can confirm that Nintendo is considering an official Indian release for the Switch 2, don’t expect it this year. Which means like the Nintendo Switch, you’ll end up with no official support or warranty for now.
Price: TBA (expected to be between 50,000-60,000 INR)
Lenovo Legion Go
The Lenovo Legion Go sports a luxurious screen, detachable controllers similar to the Nintendo Switch, and runs games fairly well thanks to its heavy-duty specs. The only downside is the battery life, clocking in at a couple of hours at best (the Steam Deck OLED routinely gets up to five hours in my experience). However if you have a decentlysized power bank (10,000mAh) you can eke out more. A small price to pay for one of the best Windows OS-powered handhelds on the market, and the only one regularly available officially in the event you need warranty.
Price: from 68,990 INR