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As much as I love my Switch, it hasn’t been my go-to handheld in years.

Unfortunately for Nintendo, some of the biggest names in PC gaming listened and did it better.

Steam Deck vs Switch 2

And it’s far from the only name in the game.

Already challenging Steam for the throne is theWindows 11-drivenAsus ROG Allyand its beefier cousin, theROG Ally X.

Heating things further,CES 2025made it clear that this’ll be a banner year for gaming handhelds.

Asus ROG Ally

Lenovodebuted its smaller, easier-to-useLegion Go Swith a new AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chip.

SteamOS’s widespread adoption has the potential to ratchet up the appeal of the entire handheld PC gaming market.

In reality, Nintendo is running circles around the competition, if it can even be called that.

Lenovo Legion Go S

The fact is, Nintendo has carved out a league entirely of its own.

One that PC gaming handhelds have yet to crack, for all their technical bells and whistles.

Want to check out the latest Mario or Legend of Zelda title?

YouTube

Nintendo’s your one and only option just as it’s always been.

Eventhe best handheld gaming PCs suffer from frustrating drawbackslike poor battery life and subpar OS optimization.

The original model was great, but this latest iteration demonstrates that Valve can improve on perfection.

Valve Steam Deck: $520 @ Amazon

The Steam Deck OLED has set a new standard for competitors to follow.

However, the battery is significantly smaller.

Steam Deck OLED (512GB): $645 @ Amazon

MSI Claw 8 AI+: $899 @ Amazon

Lenovo Legion Go: $699 @ Amazon

Lenovo Legion Go S: $729 @ Lenovo

Asus ROG Ally X: $799 @ Best Buy

Asus ROG Ally

A person holding a Nintendo Switch 2 playing Mario Kart World

Lenovo Legion Go 2 on colored background

Playing Mario Kart World on the Nintendo Switch 2 in handheld mode

A Nintendo Switch 2 console in hand

Nintendo Switch 2 London event hands-on images

Nintendo Switch 2

A person holding a Nintendo Switch 2 playing Mario Kart World

NYTimes Connections

NYT Strands on a cellphone

The cover of the upcoming Star Wars: Outlaws video game

Nintendo Switch 2

Left to right: Billy Magnussen, Osy Ikhile, Paul G. Raymond, Cristin Milioti, Milanka Brooks in Black Mirror season 7

Sebastian De Souza as Garrett and Sofia Carson as Alex in "The Life List" on Netflix

A bald eagle in The Americas