The higher contrast and richer colors of an OLED screen makes every game look better by default, but this display also supports HDR, with significantly brighter highlights at its peak. Starting at $549 for 512GB of storage, this variant features a 7.4-inch OLED display that’s brighter, faster, slightly bigger and more vivid than the 7-inch IPS panel on the now entry-level model. And the new Steam Deck OLED is a thorough upgrade over the original. Thanks to a refresh late last year, Valve’s Steam Deck continues to offer the best balance of price, performance and usability in the gaming handheld market. Steam Deck LCD - Display: 7-inch IPS, 1,280 x 800 resolution, 400 nits brightness, 60Hz | Processor: Custom 7nm AMD APU | RAM: 16GB LPDDR5 5500 MT/s | Storage: 256GB SSD | Battery: 40Whr | Dimensions: 11.73 x 4.6 x 1.93 inches | Weight: 1.48 pounds | Wireless: Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0 | OS: SteamOS Steam Deck OLED - Display: 7.4-inch HDR OLED, 1,280 x 800 resolution, 1,000 nits peak HDR brightness, 600 nits SDR brightness, up to 90Hz | Processor: Custom 6nm AMD APU | RAM: 16GB LPDDR5 6400 MT/s | Storage: 512GB, 1TB SSD | Battery: 50Whr | Dimensions: 11.73 x 4.6 x 1.93 inches | Weight: 1.41 pounds | Wireless: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 | OS: SteamOS They might not have the widest appeal as a result (Switch excluded), but they’re often easier for less tech-literate folks to just pick up and use. They aren’t necessarily ideal for emulation or playing the latest multiplatform titles instead, they often have distinct game libraries. We’ll call the last tier “handhelds that do their own thing.” This is a catch-all for things like the Switch or Playdate: portable devices that run heavily customized software and aim to provide a unique gaming experience. (Engadget does not condone piracy.) Backing up files of games you already own for personal use only is considered more defensible, though, so for that a mobile handheld can be a more user- and wallet-friendly way to play the classics (or even some Switch games) anywhere. Getting emulators to work can be complicated, and accessing the BIOS and ROM files required to play games this way is legally murky. While most are marketed toward those ends, many gamers actually buy them to emulate classic games through software like RetroArch. They aren’t equipped to play modern console or PC titles, but they’re usually more compact than a portable PC, and you can still use them for mobile games and cloud streaming. These devices often run Android or Linux and can range from under $50 to $400-ish.
![retroarch borders psp retroarch borders psp](https://i.imgur.com/glNjnmG.png)
![retroarch borders psp retroarch borders psp](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ANYTLgjT3MU/hqdefault.jpg)
Further down on the price spectrum are "mobile handhelds" like the Logitech G Cloud or Retroid Pocket.