Valve’s Steam Deck is an impressive piece of engineering and welcome addition to the world of handheld gaming PCs. Unfortunately, it’s currently very difficult to get your hands on one, as preorders are backed up by months. If you’re looking for an alternative, there are several other options worth considering.
There are a lot of great retro gaming handhelds on the market, but none of them are suitable alternatives to the Steam Deck. To be a viable alternative, a device needs to be capable of high-quality 3D gaming and is a portable console. That rules out our favorite retro gaming handhelds, which are great fun but don’t meet the requirements.
Steam Deck Alternatives
| Handheld | CPU | GPU | Display | RAM | Storage | Input | Battery | Ports | Wireless | Audio | OS | Dimensions | Weight | Additional Features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Steam Deck | Custom AMD Zen 2 “Van Gogh” APU Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32) | 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6GHz (up to 1.6 TFlops FP32) | 7″ diagonal, 1280 x 800px (16:10 aspect ratio), Optically bonded IPS LCD for enhanced readability, 400 nits typical, 60Hz | 16 GB LPDDR5 on-board RAM (5500 MT/s quad 32-bit channels) | 64 GB eMMC (PCIe Gen 2 x1), 256 GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4 or PCIe Gen 3 x2*), 512 GB high-speed NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4 or PCIe Gen 3 x2*), UHS-I supports SD, SDXC and SDHC | Full-sized controls, Trackpads, Gyro, Grip buttons, Touchscreen | 40Whr battery, 45W USB Type-C PD3.0 power supply | USB Type-C, 3.5mm audio, microSD card reader | Bluetooth 5.0 (support for controllers, accessories and audio), Dual-band Wi-Fi radio, 2.4GHz and 5GHz, 2 x 2 MIMO, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | Stereo with embedded DSP | SteamOS | 298 x 117 x 49mm | 669g | |
 | Steam Deck OLED | 6nm AMD “Sepiroth”, 4 Zen 2 CPU cores / 8 threads, 2.4 GHz – 3.5 GHz, 4-15 watts | 8 RDNA 2 Compute units, 1 – 1.6 GHz | 7.4 inches, 1280 x 800 pixels, HDR OLED, 90 Hz, 1000 nits peak brightness (HDR), 600 nits (SDR), 110% P3 color gamut, <0.1ms response | 16GB, LPDDR5-6400 | 512GB/1TB NVMe SSD UHS-I supports SD, SDXC and SDHC | Full-sized controls, Trackpads, Gyro, Grip buttons, Touchscreen | 50 Wh, 2.5 meter charging cable | USB Type-C, 3.5mm audio, microSD card reader | WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 | Hi-Fi audio | SteamOS | 298 x 117 x 50mm | 640g | |
 | Legion Go | AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme, 8 x Zen 4 CPU cores up to 5.1 GHz), 5W – 30W (plugged in), 5-30W (on battery power) | AMD Radeon RDNA 3 | 8.8” QHD+ (2560 x 1600) IPS; 16:10 10-point Touch (144Hz / 97% DCI-P3 / 500nits / 83%AAR | 16GB 7500Mhz LPDDR5X | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2242 | 10-point multitouch, Detachable controllers w/gaming buttons and touchpad, Hall effect joysticks, 1 x mouse wheel, 1 x mouse sensor, 6 x assignable buttons, 6-axis gyroscope, RGB lighting around joysticks and on power button | 49.2WHr with Super Rapid Charge, Controller battery capacity: 900mah | 3.5mm audio combo jack1 x USB Type-C (USB 4.0, DisplayPort™ 1.4, Power Delivery 3.0)1 x microSD card reader, 1x USB Type-C (USB 4.0, DisplayPort 1.4, Power Delivery 3.0) | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 ax), Bluetooth 5.2 | 2 x 2W SpeakersDual-array near-field microphone | Windows 11 | 210 x 131 x 20mm | 854g | |
| ROG Ally X [Rumor] | AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme, 8C/16T up to 5.1 GHz | AMD Radeon RDNA 3, 12CU @ 2.7 GHz | 7″ 1920×1080, 120Hz, 500 nits, 7ms, VRR | 24GB LPDDR5X-7500 | 1TB M.2 NVMe 2280 SSD PCIe 4×4 | 10-point multitouch, Detachable controllers w/gaming buttons and touchpad, Hall effect joysticks, 1 x mouse wheel, 1 x mouse sensor, 6 x assignable buttons, 6-axis gyroscope, RGB lighting around joysticks and on power button | 80Wh | Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.2 | 28.0 × 11.4 × 3.7 cm | ||||||
 | ROG Ally | 1) AMD Ryzen™ Z1 (6-core, 12 threads, up to 30W – 2.8 TFlops) 2) AMD Ryzen™ Z1 Extreme (8-core, 16 threads, up to 30W – 8.6 TFlops) | 1) Z1: AMD Radeon™ RDNA 3 Graphics (4GB VRAM, 4 compute units) 2) Z1 Extreme: AMD Radeon™ RDNA 3 Graphics (4GB VRAM, 12 compute units) | 7-inch display, 16:9 aspect ratio, 1920 x 1080 resolution, 500 nits brightness, 120Hz refresh rate, VRR | 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM | 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD, UHS-2 Micro SD card expansion | Controllers, Macro Buttons, Touchscreen | 40 WHrs, 65W USB-C PD 3.0 power supply | 3.5mm audio jack, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 combo port with DisplayPort 1.4 support, UHS-II microSD card reader | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5 | Dolby Atmos | Windows 11 | 280 x 113 x 39mm | 608g | XBOX Game Pass Ultimate – 3 months |
 | ONEXPLAYER X1 Mini | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U, 8 cores, 16 threads, up to 5.1GHz | AMD Radeon 780M, 12 compute units, up to 2700MHz | 8.8-inch touchscreen, 144Hz refresh rate | Swappable SSD | Touchscreen, detachable controllers | 65Wh, around 2 hours high-demand gaming, longer for less intensive use | Harman Audio | Windows 11 | 710g | |||||
 | ONEXPLAYER 2 Pro (Ryzen™ 7 8840U) | AMD Ryzen 7 8840U, Zen 4 architecture, 8 cores, 16 threads, up to 5.1 GHz | Radeon 780M Graphics | 8.4” 2.5K (2560 x 1600 resolution), 358 PPI | 32GB LPDDR5X, 7500 MHz | 1TB/2TB, PCIe 4.0 x4, Read speeds of 7,109.76MB/s, Write speeds of 6,316.21MB/s | Pro-Level Joysticks, 500Hz refresh rate, virtually no dead zones | 65.5Wh, up to 4 hours of gameplay (GTA5 at 60FPS), 8-9 hours video playback | USB 4.0 Port with up to 40 Gbps, Thunderbolt Technology compatible | Certified Harman AudioEFX Tuning | Windows 11 | ||||
 | GPD Win 4 (2024) | 1) AMD Ryzen 7 8840U, 8 Zen 4 CPU cores / 16 threads, Up to 5.1 GHz, 15-30W TDP 2) AMD Ryzen 5 8640U, 6 Zen 4 CPU cores / 12 threads, Up to 4.9 GHz, 15-30W TDP | 1) 8 Zen 4 CPU cores / 16 threads, Up to 5.1 GHz, 15-30W TDP 2) 6 Zen 4 CPU cores / 12 threads, Up to 4.9 GHz, 15-30W TDP | 6 inches, 1920 x 1080 pixels, 60 Hz, Slider (covers a physical keyboard) | 16GB /32GB / 64GB, LPDDR5x-7500 | 512GB / 2TB / 4TB, PCIe 4.0 M.2 2280 NVMe SSD, microSD card reader | Sliding physical keyboard, touchscreen | 45.62 Wh | 1 x USB4 Type-C (40 Gbps), 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (10 Gbps), 1 x OCuLink (63 Gbps), 1 x 3.5mm audio jack, 1 x microSD card reader | WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, optional 4G LTE module | 3.5mm audio jack | Windows 11 Home 64bit | 220 x 92 x 28mm | 598g | |
 | AYANEO Flip KB | AMD Ryzen 7 8840U | Radeon 780M (RDNA3) | 7″, 1920 x 1080 IPS Dynamic Screen, 120Hz | 16/32/64GB | 512GB/2TB | Optical Finger Mouse, Master Controller, Hall Sensing Joystick, Linear Hall Trigger, X-axis Linear Motor Standard character full keyboard with Fn keys; RGB Lightings. | 45Wh | Full-featured USB4 Type-C | Up to 40Gbps, USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C (Data Only) | Up to 10Gbps, OcuLink SFF-8612 | Effective Bandwidth of 64Gbps, UHS-II TF Card Slot | Maximum Read Speed of 300MB/s, 3.5mm Headphone Jack | WiFI 6E , BT 5.2 | Windows 11 Home | 180 x 102 x 29.8 | 650g | All-new arge Area VC + Air Cooling System | |
| AYANEO Flip DS | AMD Ryzen 7 8840U | Radeon 780M (RDNA3) | 7″, 1920 x 1080 IPS Dynamic Screen, 120Hz Secondary Display: 3.5x960x640 IPS screen, 3:2 screen ratio | 16/32/64GB | 512GB/2TB | Optical Finger Mouse, Master Controller, Hall Sensing Joystick, Linear Hall Trigger, X-axis Linear Motor | 45Wh | Full-featured USB4 Type-C | Up to 40Gbps, USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C (Data Only) | Up to 10Gbps, OcuLink SFF-8612 | Effective Bandwidth of 64Gbps, UHS-II TF Card Slot | Maximum Read Speed of 300MB/s, 3.5mm Headphone Jack | WiFI 6E , BT 5.2 | Windows 11 Home | 180 x 102 x 29.8 | 650g | All-new arge Area VC + Air Cooling System | |
 | GPD Win Max 2 2024 | 1) AMD Ryzen 7 8840U, 8 Zen 4 CPU cores / 16 threads, Up to 5.1 GHz, 15-30W TDP 2) AMD Ryzen 5 8640U, 6 Zen 4 CPU cores / 12 threads, Up to 4.9 GHz, 15-30W TDP | 1) 8 Zen 4 CPU cores / 16 threads, Up to 5.1 GHz, 15-30W TDP 2) 6 Zen 4 CPU cores / 12 threads, Up to 4.9 GHz, 15-30W TDP | 10.1-inch IPS display with ultra-narrow bezels, eye protection, 1920×1200 default resolution (max 2560×1600), 299PPI, 16:10 aspect ratio | Up to 64GB LPDDR5x RAM @ 7500 MT/s | 1TB or 2TB M.2 NVMe 2280 SSD (expandable with dual M.2 slots) | Built-in keyboard, touchpad, Hall Sensor joysticks, mappable back buttons, touchscreen with 10-point multi-touch support, optional active stylus compatibility | 67Wh battery with up to 3 hours of gaming, supports 100W PD fast charging | Full-speed USB4 with PD 100W charging, Oculink port (eGPU compatible), high-speed SD and microSD card slots, headphone jack | Wi-Fi 6 with maximum transmission rate of 2402Mbps, Bluetooth 5.2 | Built-in 4-channel smart amplifier, 4 super-linear speakers | Windows 11 | |||
| GPD WIN Mini 2024 | 1) AMD Ryzen 7 8840U, 8 Zen 4 CPU cores / 16 threads, Up to 5.1 GHz, 15-30W TDP 2) AMD Ryzen 5 8640U, 6 Zen 4 CPU cores / 12 threads, Up to 4.9 GHz, 15-30W TDP | 1) 8 Zen 4 CPU cores / 16 threads, Up to 5.1 GHz, 15-30W TDP 2) 6 Zen 4 CPU cores / 12 threads, Up to 4.9 GHz, 15-30W TDP | 7 inches, 1920 x 1080 pixels, 120 Hz, Variable Screen refresh, 500 nits, Native Landscape orientation, 10-point multitouch, Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | Options for 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB LPDDR5 6400 MT/s | 512GB/2TB NVMe Gen 4 SSD | Hall-effect, drift-resistant analog sticks; recessed D-Pad; linear full-analog triggers; full mini keyboard and touchpad | 44.24Wh | 1 x USB4 (40 Gbps), 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (10 Gbps), 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (10 Gbps), 1 x microSD card slot, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack | WiFi 6 & Bluetooth 5.2 Support | AAC Hyper-Linear Dual Speaker | Windows 11 | 168×109×26 mm | 520g | |
 | TECNO Pocket Go | AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS (35W, 8-cores, 16-threads, up to 5.1 GHz) | AMD Radeon 780M (12 x RDNA 3 compute units) | AR glasses with 0.71 inch Micro OLED screens, simulating a 215-inch screen experience | 16GB LPDDR5 | 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD | Resembles an Xbox controller design | 50 Wh replaceable battery | Windows 11 | ||||||
 | Orange Pi Neo | AMD Ryzen™ 7 7840U | Radeon 780M | 7-inch FHD+ (1920 x 1200, WUXGA) 16:10, 500nits Brightness, 120Hz Refresh Rate | 16GB/32GB LPDDR5 (6400MHz dual channel) | 512GB-2TB PCIe® 4.0 NVMe™ M.2 SSD (2280) | Linear Hall Trigger, Hall Sensing Joystick with RGB Lighting, Dual 6-axis gyroscopes | 50WHrs, 3S1P, 3-cell Li-polymer battery, Standard PD-65W GaN power adapter | 2x USB 4.0 Type-C, 1x 3.5mm headphone jack, 1x TF card slot | BT5.3, Wifi 6E | 2x 1W dual panoramic speakers | Manjaro Gaming Edition | 259 x 107 x 19.9mm | ||
 | ONEXPLAYER X1 | 1) Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 16-core, 22-thread processor (higher-end configuration) 2) Intel Core Ultra 5 125H 14-core, 18-thread processor (entry-level configuration) | 1) 8-core Intel Arc integrated graphics (higher-end configuration) 2) 7-core Intel Arc integrated graphics (entry-level configuration); compatible with ONEXGPU external GPU dock | 10.95 inch, 2560 x 1600 pixel, 120 Hz | 16GB LPDDR5x | 1TB-4TB M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD (replaceable) | Detachable game controllers, optional detachable keyboard, optional pen (4096 levels of pressure sensitivity) | 65 Wh, supports 100W fast charging | 2x USB4 ports, 1x USB 3.2 Type-A port, microSD card reader, 3.5mm audio jack | WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 | Stereo speakers with Harman Kardon tuning | Windows 11 | 251.5 x 162.6 x 12.7mm | 789g | |
 | MSI CLAW A1M | Intel Core 7 Ultra 155H, 16C/22T up to 4.8 GHz | Arc Graphics, 8 Xe-Cores @ 2.25 GHz | 7” FHD (1920×1080), 120Hz, IPS-Level Touchscreen | 16GB LPDDR5-6400MHz | 512GB PCIe Gen4x4 M.2 2230 | Controllers, Macro Buttons, Touchscreen | 53Wh, 65W PD adapter | 1x Type-C (USB / DP / Thunderbolt™ 4) with PD charging, 1x Micro SD Card Reader, 1x Mic-in/Headphone-out Combo Jack | Intel® Killer™ BE Wi-Fi 7 + Bluetooth 5.4 | 294 x 117 x 21.2 mm | 675g | |||
 | Aya Neo Slide | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U | AMD Radeon 780M | 6-inch 1080p IPS LCD screen (368 pixels per inch, up to 400 nits brightness, 85% DCI-P3 color gamut, 120% sRGB color gamut). This screen slides upward to unveil a QWERTY keyboard. | 16/32/64GB LPDDR5X | 512/GB/2TB/4TB M.2 2280 | QWERTY keyboard with RGB backlit keys, plus joysticks and trigger buttons equipped with hall sensors, a 6-axis gyroscope for motion detection, an X-axis motor for rumble effects | 46.2 Wh | 2 x full-feature USB4 ports, 1 x a microSD card reader | BT5.2, Wifi 6E | 64-bit Home Edition | 226 x 90 x 28.5 mm | 650g |