Hey everyone, as a follow-up, we ended up raising about $6,000 in support of Maui, and we sent the payment to the Food Bank last month. Thank you for the support, it is truly humbling!
Brother I don't know you from Adam but I love you for blessing people and giving to charity and making sure someone has food tonight. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. Colossians 3:14 KJV
What i like about this channel is it brings attention to legitimate charity efforts for important causes + we see the passion he has for buying and supporting companies, be it game companies/devs, or the retro handheld community - but this isn’t about saving as much money as possible, it’s about putting money where you feel it matters and gives back
I got my steam deck as a gift almost a year ago and the stuff valve is doing to keep it optimized for a good user experience have been excellent. I haven't even thought about buying anything else. Not yet anyway.
It really is an amazingly supported piece of tech. I will often prefer to play games on it over more powerful handhelds, just thanks to those optimizations.
I would say the standouts for portable handhelds are: GPD Win-4 (small) Valve SteamDeck (cheap) ASUS ROG Ally (value) GPD Win-Max-3 (large) The standouts for pocketable handhelds are: Anbernic RG 353m (small) Retroid Pocket 2S (cheap) Anbernic RG 405m (value) Retroid Pocket 3+ (large) Any single one of those eight handhelds will provide you with some decent entertainment. But if you get two devices, one from each segment, you will have a phenomenal time.
I have the GPDWin4 (with their dock as well). I have very small hands and that is why this one fits me best. Absolutely love the thing. To combat the heat; I printed the free clip on grip GPD supplied STL files for. Now my palms and fingers are further removed from the machine it doesn't bother me as much anymore.
@@EmbracetheSuck5280It's excellent. I haven't tried the other ones, but I'm very satisfied. Granted, I have 64GB 4TB model (managed to find one almost unused on eBay for 900€!)
Same here ill never give up my Deck unless a Deck 2 comes along and force retires my Deck. The Deck just really kicked off the market letting everyone know hey there's a market for handheld PC's and it's ok to go ahead and make them.
The Steam Deck made me to play PC games again. The easy to use, Steam OS, the community behind and Valve support is no brainer for to choose one. The others device may be more powerful or smaller but the Deck has the whole package and more. My next device will be the Steam Deck 2.
steam deck is fine, but its just old tech at this point and the ease of use comes with limitations. Id rather take something like the ally with windows where you get more options. But that is just preference I guess. If you arnt that good with technology I can see why youd want to go with something more simple.
Brother, no one understands the poor, everything is meant by money, this TH-camr also only wants to make his own money, don't be a slave to anyone, do something for yourself. You are born poor but if you die poor it is your fault.
Randomly ended up on this video after some interest in the Legion Go that's really awesome what youre doing. Good to know theres great people out there helping!
I love the fictional backstory that, beyond being a niche reviewer, you’re a guy with a 100 different device that mostly do the same thing, constantly cycling through them and changing your opinions of them. Like you in a room all day just frantically running around trying different emulator devices. Love the channel!
I just wish a new handheld gaming PC didn’t release every week. Holy hell it’s impossible to keep up with this market. It’s seriously ridiculous. I just said the hell with it, bought a Steam Deck, and never looked back.
Yesterday I was watching the video you made a month ago about your favorite handhelds and thought, man i bet he will make another favorites video like this. And today here we are. Crazy
I've had a number of these devices over the years, but the 2 I kept are the Steam Deck and the Win Max 2. Steam Deck is my go to gaming device, the Win Max I use for stuff the Deck can't/won't run well, general laptop use, and media consumption. Windows has been my biggest issue with most handheld PCs, and I'm able to circumvent most of those issues between these 2 devices 👍 thanks as always for your content Russ, good luck raising money for my Maui peeps ✌️
@@TheTyisawesome ease of use and convenience mostly, games not displaying correctly, older games just not working in Windows, navigation on a touch screen as opposed to trackpad, issues with screen orientation.. amongst others
Love the variety in the comment section. There are so many different devices being mentioned and its cool to see what everyone has and why they love it. My personal devices that I use and share with my wife is the rog ally, steam deck, razer edge and the switch oled. We have other devices like the win600, switch lite, miyoo mini and the Logitech G cloud, but those were just bought for collection sake.
I’m so happy you’re keeping the GPD WIN 4. I have one myself and I love the handheld. Maybe the battery life could be a little better but man, just holding it and playing on it gives me premium experience.
I follow your channel for probably a year or something. I really like to just sit in the train to work, do some quick gaming and in the evening play some games on the couch while my loved ones watch TV. Everyone happy. I bought the Steam Deck after your review, because someone who knows a lot about handheld gaming says it's good. And I'm happy to know you are still happy with it.
You're a good guy - I do hope you raise lots of money with this auction. Personally I'd only be interested in the Win Max 2 as an addition to what I already have (for the same reason you mentioned in the description) but I'm broke anyway so it doesn't matter ^^ Good luck!
Thank for the video. I had no idea there were so many portable PC handhelds. My perfect handheld combo that I also play docked is the Nintendo Switch and the Steam Deck. What a time to be a gamer.
That is definitely a super combo! My standard combo is very similar but with the RP3+ instead of the Odin Lite, just because it's smaller and can play up to PSP -- I leave the PS2/GC for my Steam Deck :)
@RetroGameCorps my combo is my Steam Deck and my Freeplay Zero hotrodded with a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W and a 3000 mAh battery upgrade. An odd pairing, I know, but I love gaming on Linux operating systems.
@@BigBossultrastealth the PS3 games I like to play are lightweight (like AfterBurner Climax) and the Steam Deck runs those fine. The rest of the PS3 games I’d likely play on the Ally or a 7840U device.
There are many choices, but the obvious choice continues to be the Steam Deck. Time will tell how Windows 11 changes to accommodate handheld PCs, but right now SteamOS is a massive selling point.
I'm a BIG fan of the GPD Win 4 because of how portable and powerful it is! I dont mind plugging in my power bank (which i usually have with me when I travel for general tech) to keep going on flights ✈️
Hi. I´m starting with Switch, as a gift. As PC player, bought a KinHank GP430...Retroid Pocket 2 later, and bought an Steam Deck, of course...Retroid Pocket 3+ later...and waiting for an affordable Windows Handheld... Maybe the Lenovo fits in. Anyway, ordered my first Ayaneo device lately. I hope, its "luxury" blows my head up. Got 2 Gameboys back on the days; that count too? Got sold. Retro gaming with crispy display and sound, is my motto. Retroid Pocket 3+ is my travel companion. And now, thanks for your content, and your kindness. Keep doing the good things, please. Warm regards. ❤🔥
I own a win4 and a steam deck, I basically play everything between those and have logged a solid 80+ hours on d2 using the win4 😅 It's replaced my gaming pc entirely, I love it that much.
I am currently researching and shopping for my first handheld. I get so much information from your videos. This possibly makes the decision harder, but thank you still!
I have a steam deck, rog ally, loki max, gpd win 4, and win600. I don't plan on getting rid of any of them lol. I love them all. Plus, I want my son to play them when he grows up
The ROG Ally is really starting to settle into a sweet spot after a handful of more expensive devices came out. It's seemingly the perfect balance of power and price quite frankly. I love mine, I can pull from almost any platform and game. Plus it's a PC if I need it to be.
My forever device is the GPD Win Max 2. It has all the IO I'd want, it has a full on laptop keyboard, it has a camera built in, it has lots of storage expansion options (M.2 2280 slot that supports 4TB, a M.2 2230 slot that supports 2TB, a SD card slot that supports 2TB, and a micro SD card slot that supports 1TB), the battery is about double the capacity of the Steam Decks, and the screen is big and beautiful (yes the resolution is 1600p so that's not feasible to render higher end games but it runs older games just fine at that resolution and even if you have to drop the resolution, the size and how vibrant it gets still helps things out). The only 2 downsides to this device are the speakers are down facing and not as good as other devices (which is okay to me as I use headphones/ear buds or don't have the audio up when I'm using it) and the price is pretty steep (I paid $1200 for it). But given that I use this as both a laptop and a portable gaming device, I'm okay with the price. It's my go to all in 1 device.
The ROG Ally is straight money!! It's all I need! I love it so much and haven't even turned on PC since buying one. It runs AAA games at 1080p over 60fps with ease wiping the floor with SD in any game. its unreal to me everyday I play on it and or use it as PC. The speakers are incredibly good too. I don't understand SD users, it's not Windows so its basically useless to me.. as the whole point of a device like this is to replace a PC and offer portability. Reviewers act like Linux is a bonus but if you are already a windows user its an absolute detriment.
The steam OS is really nice and hassle free (outside of desktop mode) I have a deck, and not an Ally. But if I had to buy one right now I would still get the deck, but that is because of the price point. Ally is just a lot more expensive, especially in europe where Im from.
@@xshme Ah okay i can understand that because the European market is different. but i have to say the performance boost on the Ally vs SD is significant and justifies the price. It's my opinion steam OS is a detriment on a handheld PC. In Canada where I'm from the Ally is under $1000 and you can't get this much PC performance from a pre-built or laptop. As i stated the Ally has completely replaced the need for my gaming PC something that would not be possible with Steam OS
That's neat! I am glad you're supporting the people that lost lives and homes in Maui. I'm all for charities. If I was super rich and had money to burn. I would. I would love a dedicated pc handheld. But currently need the money. I am looking for cars T.T I guess that's kind of tech, right? 😅Appreciate your guides and reviews btw keep it up!
Heya! You got mentioned in the Besties podcast about a month after I found your channel. Also, you helped me out a lot with emulation on the Steam Deck, so thank you!
I trust your reviews and am super excited to see your future review of the Lenovo Legion GO. I love my Steam Deck, but the 8.8” screen that the GO has is more of what I’m looking for.
Like I keep asking all my favorite handheld creators: Which one makes the best all in one Switch? What's the one that's the most fun, easy to set up, looks good and works best from one's TV >and< works well just to pick up take on the go for more gaming? And what are the best accessories to make it happen? Bonus Question: How much is it worth it just to spend the same price or less to get as powerful or more powerful than these by going with just a laptop or mini-PC? I have fallen in love with the freedom of PC gaming, but I'm still from console roots. What's the coolest way to get the PC Console gamer experience?
"I've amassed 50 handheld PCs and it's getting to be too much, so I'm going to auction some off to help whittle down my collection. Here are the 49.5 that I plan to keep."
I really love your channel! It has helped me so much in figuring out what handhelds are the best match for me, along with how to set them up. I have a long way to go to learn how to tweak them the way you do, but the information you provide is my first resource. I wish I could afford to bid on one of these, but I still think your charitable contribution is awesome! The one thing I would love to see you add to your channel (and website) are some tutorials/walk-throughs/instructions on how to reset these devices. As more and more come out, like many of us, I would like to be able to reset an old model to factory settings and sell an older device to help pay for the new model. I have an old Anbernic RG 351p and I have struggled to figure out a way to do this. I backed up the SD card that came with it, so I can reset that, but I don't know what, if anything, I need to do with the device before selling it.
Used to be a home console guy. But now a portable console guy because of working two full-time jobs. My Steam Deck's getting more love than my Switch and Anbernic 353V.
Ally & Steamdeck for me. Ally get's almost all my play currently with Starfield (which looks and plays amazing on the Ally). But for on the go I prefer my Steam Deck for indie and less demanding games. Waiting at a doctors office and having the sleep/resume feature on the deck is clutch.
If you set power but to Hibernate your Ally, you can pause your game and just hit the power button and comeback to it offering the same functionality although i do not have 100% success rate but it does work in most games
I know, I just don't trust putting it to hibernate or sleep while in a case. Windows does weird things and I don't want it randomly turning on.@@TheTyisawesome
Late comment, but new Ally X is amazing! 🎉 Id love to find something 1/4 the size and still very powerful but may never happen. 😢 Great choices and content from the channel, thanks!
I would probably pick either the GPD Win 4 because of the keyboard (and relatively small size) or the ONEXFLY because it really looks comfortable and also has good size (not too big).
im disappointment that loki mini pro has come out so slowly. i was going to buy it but it kept getting pushed back. so when deck stock came in i bought the deak and glad im did. its perfect in every way for myself
That's kind of how Ayn operates, their products seem like good deals when they are promised, but by the time they actually deliver, they're not really worth it anymore.
@@ferdgerbeler8494 yeah i wish i knew that before i was fanboi'ing them. i really like Ayn's products ON PAPER but as you and other's have said. they arn't that good on releasing. its sad cause they seem like they could be great
3:48 appreciate you mentioning this! *The ability to boot from a 2nd storage device* (or use additional storage of any kind!)* is crucial*, as someone who prefers to dual boot these handhelds with Linux / SteamOS (if I ever get one). Please do keep mentioning this feature (or explain it in more detail) in your future reviews! 👏😁 Should mention that you're awesome for sending your auction profits to charity too -- I hope those living in Maui are safe and swiftly recovering from the disaster. 💖
Still love the ally screen and speakers love them! gonna get one just for decoration lol! still use the deck for emulation and the all for window gaming !
I have a steam deck as my main daily handheld. 10/10 in love. I also have a miyuu mini plus that I pocket and play gba games when I'm pooping. Also 10/10 love it.
It`s great to hear that you`ve been getting so much mineage out of the Ally, tbh... I`ve been considering a handheld pc for a while as an end of the year purchase, and as enticing a value proposition as a base model Steam deck with either an SSD upgrade or a 1tb SD card ( especially since they now sell refurbished units for even less), I`ve been leaning towards the Ally for the extra performance and versatility afforded by windows (specificly for running gamepass and microsoft store games natively, since I own an xbox, and some of my library consists of xbox play anywhere titles), but the announcement of the lenovo legion go has thrown a wrench in the works, and I`m now waiting for final specs and pricing to be revealed, and for reviews to come out, so that I can know what device to go for. It`s going to be a long wait though, and I`m struggling to not impulse buy the Ally as it is. Also, I haven`t considered any of the other devices in part necause I don`t really know where I could buy some of them from, and in part because when I do find them on amazon or other retailers, their proce always seems too high relative to their specs, when compared to the specs for the money that you get with the Ally and the Deck I was also thinking of buying one of the eGPU things to make the Ally my desktop as well, but they are so absurdly priced that for the price I`d rather build a gaming PC. If the Lenovo happens to support standard eGPUs over usb though, that might factor heavily into my final decision, depending on the current price of GPU enclosures ( although a quick amazon search seems to suggest that a GPU enclosure costs as much as a decent CPU and motherboard, so I might as well just build a pc to take full advantage of the GPU, and use whatever handheld pc I decide to buy on the side)
I don't think it will have much presence in such a flooded market now. Personally I don't think it offers anything compelling. The removable controllers is kinda neat but not something that hasn't been done
It's HEAVY, and in that regard I think steam deck is my limit. I'm looking for something a bit smaller and lighter than the steam deck with as good ergonomics and some kind of keyboard.
I have owned and sold off around 20+ different handhelds in the past 2 years, but the 3 devices that will die with me are: Ayaneo Air Pro (Oled), Odin Lite, and the Switch Oled.
@@bipbop3121 Nah, it's just a coincidence. The only one that I went out of my way to make sure was Oled was the Switch. The Ayaneo was just a nice surprise.
I guess I'm firmly in the crazy person territory as I have the Steam Deck and the ROG Ally. I use the Ally to play PC games and the Steam Deck for emulation. I overall prefer the Ally due to form factor and performance but I also had it fry an SD card so it's mainly good for having the select small number of PC games to play on the go whereas all my ROMs are on SD cards so the Steam Deck and its ability to NOT fry SD cards is the way to go for emulation. I do plan on getting the Legion Go sooner rather than later and I'll eventually get the GPD Win 4 once it can be obtained for a reasonable price from a reputable retailer. The Legion Go for that next step up in PC gaming on the go and the GPD Win 4 because I just think it'd be neat to have something that resembles PSP/Vita to specifically emulate classic Sony systems
Question. You mentionned that you use the Deck more and more often but go the the ROG Ally from time to time (plus the cute one in fromn your backpack), how do you manage your save games when switching from one device to the other ? I get that using Steam grants the cloud saves feature but what about the other software ? including the emulators ofc.
Hey as a regular user of the ROG Ally. How has your SD card slot held up? I was thinking of getting one as a replacement for my media center pc but I have concerns about having enough storage. A couple big SD cards or an internal drive replacement would be enough but the most talked about issue with the Ally seems to be the SD card slot.
As someone who has the ally sinds day one it's about luck. Many fail but some are still kicking strong (talking about the SD reader). But you can also buy a aliexpress 2280 adapter for the ally, so u can put full slot ssd's inside your ally up to 4tb. For me personally I am using it to play 1 AAA game few small size platformers/vampires surivers etc. and I only emulate Switch games on it both zelda's and loads of pokemon and mario games. so I have enough with the 512GB it came with. never touched the SD card yet.
I only have the Steam Deck, but it suits my needs for everything. Honestly, I've just had no complaints. I mean, I only wish they had like a Steam Deck Mini that was more portable (but just as powerful). Granted, I usually only play docked unless I'm on a trip somewhere, so that would just be a bonus. For home-gaming, you just cannot go wrong with the Steam Deck. I also have a Retroid Pocket 3 Plus (I know it isn't a handheld PC), but it is just a really fun retro handheld for any occasion.
How do you find it performs docked? I am tempted by a steam deck and I too will likely play docked a lot, but I have a 4k OLED and although I am aware it won't get 4k quality, I'd like to know if it can hold it's own when docked. I usually play games likes dark souls, sniper elite, rocket league and a few others.
I say it all the time, but I love GPD Win 4, it's been so great. I end up doing work on it a lot too at cafes or on transit because of the keyboard. I love the size, it seems to be just right. I feel like the battery also lasts a long time unless I am running steam, but still pretty good. I don't play for more than 45 minutes to an hour at time anyway, and it lasts much more than that even with Steam and running spotify at the same time. I also love that I was able to change the lights on it. And I love the keyboard is backlit.
Im content w the retroid pocket 3+ and the og pocket go, the former meets all my needs and the latters perfect for the field, easy to quickly hide from higher ups
The fact that one of the biggest handheld gaming device channels says “you will need to pry the Steam deck from my cold, dead hands” should tell you all you need to know. Valve really knocked it out of the park with their approach to this space.
I really love the Win 4 now that it finally arrived. My only gripe is that I can't get it to do Steam Controller Config as cleanly as the Steam Deck or even my desktop PC and it runs into some problems with Switch via Emudeck but that may be my fault in the set up lol
Hey everyone, as a follow-up, we ended up raising about $6,000 in support of Maui, and we sent the payment to the Food Bank last month. Thank you for the support, it is truly humbling!
Brother I don't know you from Adam but I love you for blessing people and giving to charity and making sure someone has food tonight.
And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. Colossians 3:14 KJV
This video did not require a snack and a drink?
**brings out my popcorn and drink**
Daaang it. Guess I will put these back
Not required but highly recommended
This is serious business. like a business meeting so we’re skipping lunch.
Oh no PinkDan12345 isn't going to remember to eat now.
The charity is too serious of a topic to be memeing around, if I had to guess.
awesome that you're doing this to help out the community in maui!
goooooooood!!!! man
i hadn't heard you mention the fire so i assumed you guys were safe.... amazing to hear you guys helping out the community!
Thanks, yes we are safely on a different island.
What i like about this channel is it brings attention to legitimate charity efforts for important causes + we see the passion he has for buying and supporting companies, be it game companies/devs, or the retro handheld community - but this isn’t about saving as much money as possible, it’s about putting money where you feel it matters and gives back
I got my steam deck as a gift almost a year ago and the stuff valve is doing to keep it optimized for a good user experience have been excellent. I haven't even thought about buying anything else. Not yet anyway.
I'm sold on mine until the next iteration of the deck. Plenty to play on it until then.
It really is an amazingly supported piece of tech. I will often prefer to play games on it over more powerful handhelds, just thanks to those optimizations.
It's just so easy to use and very convenient most of the time. The trackpads and rear triggers are very useful.
@@skycloud4802 And capacative touch on the joysticks set to right click for camera control in mmo games.
@@RetroGameCorpsikr I'm surprised valve is put out 2-3 patches for starfield that actually improves performance
You rock! I think the retro game community certainly loves you for your kindness as well as great video content. Keep up the good work!!!
I would say the standouts for portable handhelds are:
GPD Win-4 (small)
Valve SteamDeck (cheap)
ASUS ROG Ally (value)
GPD Win-Max-3 (large)
The standouts for pocketable handhelds are:
Anbernic RG 353m (small)
Retroid Pocket 2S (cheap)
Anbernic RG 405m (value)
Retroid Pocket 3+ (large)
Any single one of those eight handhelds will provide you with some decent entertainment. But if you get two devices, one from each segment, you will have a phenomenal time.
You are by far my favourite handheld dude. Your reviews are comprehensive, and what you do for charities like this are so cool ❤️
I have the GPDWin4 (with their dock as well). I have very small hands and that is why this one fits me best. Absolutely love the thing. To combat the heat; I printed the free clip on grip GPD supplied STL files for. Now my palms and fingers are further removed from the machine it doesn't bother me as much anymore.
Awesome, glad you're liking it! I tend to not use grips but I can totally see how that would improve the experience :)
I love my GPD Win 4, though I have huge hands unfortunately. My pinkies and ring fingers go numb after 30 min
Is is good performance wise? I’m ditching my deck and spending the 1200 on the win 4 but I hope it’s worth the price.
@@EmbracetheSuck5280It's excellent. I haven't tried the other ones, but I'm very satisfied. Granted, I have 64GB 4TB model (managed to find one almost unused on eBay for 900€!)
Same here ill never give up my Deck unless a Deck 2 comes along and force retires my Deck. The Deck just really kicked off the market letting everyone know hey there's a market for handheld PC's and it's ok to go ahead and make them.
I love how you work and how you act as a person helping others.
Keep doing this!
The Steam Deck made me to play PC games again. The easy to use, Steam OS, the community behind and Valve support is no brainer for to choose one.
The others device may be more powerful or smaller but the Deck has the whole package and more.
My next device will be the Steam Deck 2.
You nailed it. i have exactly the same experience.
Steam Deck is the real gaming handheld, others are just small laptops with controller.
steam deck is fine, but its just old tech at this point and the ease of use comes with limitations. Id rather take something like the ally with windows where you get more options. But that is just preference I guess. If you arnt that good with technology I can see why youd want to go with something more simple.
@@zachwang6485 well, windows can run emulators
@@bestmind-tm2me Steam OS can do that too.
me who can't even afford any of these watching the video with my Switch Lite:
Brother, no one understands the poor, everything is meant by money, this TH-camr also only wants to make his own money, don't be a slave to anyone, do something for yourself. You are born poor but if you die poor it is your fault.
I get way too excited when I see you have a new video…. I can’t be the only one 😅
Randomly ended up on this video after some interest in the Legion Go that's really awesome what youre doing. Good to know theres great people out there helping!
I love the fictional backstory that, beyond being a niche reviewer, you’re a guy with a 100 different device that mostly do the same thing, constantly cycling through them and changing your opinions of them. Like you in a room all day just frantically running around trying different emulator devices. Love the channel!
Glad you are keeping the AOKZOE A1 Pro. It deserves a spot.
Mos def!!!
I just wish a new handheld gaming PC didn’t release every week. Holy hell it’s impossible to keep up with this market. It’s seriously ridiculous. I just said the hell with it, bought a Steam Deck, and never looked back.
Yesterday I was watching the video you made a month ago about your favorite handhelds and thought, man i bet he will make another favorites video like this. And today here we are. Crazy
I've had a number of these devices over the years, but the 2 I kept are the Steam Deck and the Win Max 2. Steam Deck is my go to gaming device, the Win Max I use for stuff the Deck can't/won't run well, general laptop use, and media consumption. Windows has been my biggest issue with most handheld PCs, and I'm able to circumvent most of those issues between these 2 devices 👍 thanks as always for your content Russ, good luck raising money for my Maui peeps ✌️
Curious what issues you are experiencing using Windows on your handheld?
@@TheTyisawesome ease of use and convenience mostly, games not displaying correctly, older games just not working in Windows, navigation on a touch screen as opposed to trackpad, issues with screen orientation.. amongst others
Love the variety in the comment section. There are so many different devices being mentioned and its cool to see what everyone has and why they love it. My personal devices that I use and share with my wife is the rog ally, steam deck, razer edge and the switch oled. We have other devices like the win600, switch lite, miyoo mini and the Logitech G cloud, but those were just bought for collection sake.
I’m so happy you’re keeping the GPD WIN 4. I have one myself and I love the handheld. Maybe the battery life could be a little better but man, just holding it and playing on it gives me premium experience.
I follow your channel for probably a year or something. I really like to just sit in the train to work, do some quick gaming and in the evening play some games on the couch while my loved ones watch TV. Everyone happy. I bought the Steam Deck after your review, because someone who knows a lot about handheld gaming says it's good. And I'm happy to know you are still happy with it.
This channel really is the best to get before you buy info.
You're a good guy - I do hope you raise lots of money with this auction. Personally I'd only be interested in the Win Max 2 as an addition to what I already have (for the same reason you mentioned in the description) but I'm broke anyway so it doesn't matter ^^
Good luck!
you deserve it man!
Thank for the video. I had no idea there were so many portable PC handhelds. My perfect handheld combo that I also play docked is the Nintendo Switch and the Steam Deck. What a time to be a gamer.
In my case, Steam Deck, AYN Odin Lite and Miyoo Mini. The perfect team :)
That is definitely a super combo! My standard combo is very similar but with the RP3+ instead of the Odin Lite, just because it's smaller and can play up to PSP -- I leave the PS2/GC for my Steam Deck :)
@@RetroGameCorpsdo you have a device for ps3 or is that just the steam deck?
@RetroGameCorps my combo is my Steam Deck and my Freeplay Zero hotrodded with a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W and a 3000 mAh battery upgrade. An odd pairing, I know, but I love gaming on Linux operating systems.
@@BigBossultrastealth the PS3 games I like to play are lightweight (like AfterBurner Climax) and the Steam Deck runs those fine. The rest of the PS3 games I’d likely play on the Ally or a 7840U device.
is the Ally better for more intensive games, like for example skate 3 chugs in the free roam unless you go into free play@@RetroGameCorps
Sweet! Thanks Russ great video. Also I recently got an Aya neo air pro 5825u and I don't think I'll ever get rid of it. I love it so much.
There are many choices, but the obvious choice continues to be the Steam Deck. Time will tell how Windows 11 changes to accommodate handheld PCs, but right now SteamOS is a massive selling point.
Wish you the best of health
Wish i was as half as good as you as you are winning in life 👍🏼
I'm a BIG fan of the GPD Win 4 because of how portable and powerful it is! I dont mind plugging in my power bank (which i usually have with me when I travel for general tech) to keep going on flights ✈️
Steam Deck and ROG Ally is my 2 i own, i only really play the Ally since getting it at launch, it just does everything i need it!
Hi. I´m starting with Switch, as a gift. As PC player, bought a KinHank GP430...Retroid Pocket 2 later, and bought an Steam Deck, of course...Retroid Pocket 3+ later...and waiting for an affordable Windows Handheld... Maybe the Lenovo fits in.
Anyway, ordered my first Ayaneo device lately. I hope, its "luxury" blows my head up.
Got 2 Gameboys back on the days; that count too? Got sold.
Retro gaming with crispy display and sound, is my motto. Retroid Pocket 3+ is my travel companion.
And now, thanks for your content, and your kindness. Keep doing the good things, please.
Warm regards. ❤🔥
This is what makes you my favorite reviewer. Thorough, honest, and straight to the point! Also as a + youre hot. 😂
Aokzoe A1 Pro rocks! Plus, I can't wait for my AYN Odin 2!
Indeed!!! A1 Pro for the W!!!
I own a win4 and a steam deck, I basically play everything between those and have logged a solid 80+ hours on d2 using the win4 😅
It's replaced my gaming pc entirely, I love it that much.
I am currently researching and shopping for my first handheld. I get so much information from your videos. This possibly makes the decision harder, but thank you still!
If you do not care about SD card reader. The ROG Ally is in my humble opion the nr1 handheld. Just sad they kinda flopped with the SD card reader.
I have a steam deck, rog ally, loki max, gpd win 4, and win600. I don't plan on getting rid of any of them lol. I love them all. Plus, I want my son to play them when he grows up
This is the illist handheld pc flex I ever see I wish I could purchase one
The ROG Ally is really starting to settle into a sweet spot after a handful of more expensive devices came out. It's seemingly the perfect balance of power and price quite frankly. I love mine, I can pull from almost any platform and game. Plus it's a PC if I need it to be.
Perfect video right now. Was looking at handheld PCs and I didn't know what to choose.
Onexfly looks right down my alley in terms of size and form factor
My forever device is the GPD Win Max 2. It has all the IO I'd want, it has a full on laptop keyboard, it has a camera built in, it has lots of storage expansion options (M.2 2280 slot that supports 4TB, a M.2 2230 slot that supports 2TB, a SD card slot that supports 2TB, and a micro SD card slot that supports 1TB), the battery is about double the capacity of the Steam Decks, and the screen is big and beautiful (yes the resolution is 1600p so that's not feasible to render higher end games but it runs older games just fine at that resolution and even if you have to drop the resolution, the size and how vibrant it gets still helps things out).
The only 2 downsides to this device are the speakers are down facing and not as good as other devices (which is okay to me as I use headphones/ear buds or don't have the audio up when I'm using it) and the price is pretty steep (I paid $1200 for it). But given that I use this as both a laptop and a portable gaming device, I'm okay with the price. It's my go to all in 1 device.
I've been playing AAA games on the Air 1S at 20W without issue. 25W while plugged in. Got Hogwarts Legacy, COD and Fortnite settings honed in
The ROG Ally is straight money!! It's all I need! I love it so much and haven't even turned on PC since buying one. It runs AAA games at 1080p over 60fps with ease wiping the floor with SD in any game. its unreal to me everyday I play on it and or use it as PC. The speakers are incredibly good too. I don't understand SD users, it's not Windows so its basically useless to me.. as the whole point of a device like this is to replace a PC and offer portability. Reviewers act like Linux is a bonus but if you are already a windows user its an absolute detriment.
The steam OS is really nice and hassle free (outside of desktop mode) I have a deck, and not an Ally. But if I had to buy one right now I would still get the deck, but that is because of the price point. Ally is just a lot more expensive, especially in europe where Im from.
@@xshme Ah okay i can understand that because the European market is different. but i have to say the performance boost on the Ally vs SD is significant and justifies the price. It's my opinion steam OS is a detriment on a handheld PC. In Canada where I'm from the Ally is under $1000 and you can't get this much PC performance from a pre-built or laptop. As i stated the Ally has completely replaced the need for my gaming PC something that would not be possible with Steam OS
The steam deck for me is all I need!
Mine is AOKZOE A1, still the best handheld I got. No issues at all.
That's neat! I am glad you're supporting the people that lost lives and homes in Maui. I'm all for charities. If I was super rich and had money to burn. I would. I would love a dedicated pc handheld. But currently need the money. I am looking for cars T.T I guess that's kind of tech, right? 😅Appreciate your guides and reviews btw keep it up!
🎉GPD Win 4 on the highlights, pretty nice to see 💌
Love the idea of a charity auction! Just put in a bid on one haha assuming I don't win that I'm in the market and am looking at all these, so thanks!
Thank you for bidding regardless!
@@RetroGameCorps For sure! Thanks for making these vids! One of my favorite channels on youtube, for sure
Heya! You got mentioned in the Besties podcast about a month after I found your channel. Also, you helped me out a lot with emulation on the Steam Deck, so thank you!
Once that video wrapped up, I couldn't resist the urge to fire up my PC and play Samurai Shodown!
6:54 Imagine being a 14 yr old and having a cool ass dad like Russ! Hopefully he appreciates retro games as much as you do lol.
All PC handhelds mentioned
*Small handhelds*
Anbernic Win600 (budget pc)
ayn Loki Max (6800u chip)
ayn Loki Zero (budget pc)
AyaNeo Air Pro
AyaNeo Air 1S (7840u chip)
GPD Win4
*Large handhelds*
Aokzoe A1 Pro
ONEXPLAYER 2 Pro
AyaNeo 2S (Luxury Handheld)
ROG Ally (Battery eater)
SteamDeck (Flagship handheld)
*Honorable Mention*
OneXFly
I trust your reviews and am super excited to see your future review of the Lenovo Legion GO. I love my Steam Deck, but the 8.8” screen that the GO has is more of what I’m looking for.
I'm so in love with the ONEXFLY's design, not even kiddin
I just wanna say you're a respectable dude. Real shit.
Like I keep asking all my favorite handheld creators: Which one makes the best all in one Switch? What's the one that's the most fun, easy to set up, looks good and works best from one's TV >and< works well just to pick up take on the go for more gaming?
And what are the best accessories to make it happen?
Bonus Question: How much is it worth it just to spend the same price or less to get as powerful or more powerful than these by going with just a laptop or mini-PC?
I have fallen in love with the freedom of PC gaming, but I'm still from console roots. What's the coolest way to get the PC Console gamer experience?
"I've amassed 50 handheld PCs and it's getting to be too much, so I'm going to auction some off to help whittle down my collection. Here are the 49.5 that I plan to keep."
im using steam deck and rg35xx. i feel like with those 2 ive got all my bases covered
Someone combine the GPDwin4 and the ROG Ally. That would be the king 👑
You're on to something
I really love your channel! It has helped me so much in figuring out what handhelds are the best match for me, along with how to set them up. I have a long way to go to learn how to tweak them the way you do, but the information you provide is my first resource. I wish I could afford to bid on one of these, but I still think your charitable contribution is awesome! The one thing I would love to see you add to your channel (and website) are some tutorials/walk-throughs/instructions on how to reset these devices. As more and more come out, like many of us, I would like to be able to reset an old model to factory settings and sell an older device to help pay for the new model. I have an old Anbernic RG 351p and I have struggled to figure out a way to do this. I backed up the SD card that came with it, so I can reset that, but I don't know what, if anything, I need to do with the device before selling it.
it makes me happy that you doing this to help out the community, great video keep it up .
I definitely purchased the Powkiddy X55 the price and design were ideal. I took your channel $5 discount. I can't wait to receive my handheld.
Great video! I have a OneXFly ordered, pumped to have it (hopefully) have it shipped soon.
Used to be a home console guy. But now a portable console guy because of working two full-time jobs. My Steam Deck's getting more love than my Switch and Anbernic 353V.
Russ is the best, deserves way more subs
No joke. Control on a handheld is so important and I need that touchpad, preferably 2. Almost no handheld does that. Maybe will go for the Lenovo.
Ally & Steamdeck for me. Ally get's almost all my play currently with Starfield (which looks and plays amazing on the Ally). But for on the go I prefer my Steam Deck for indie and less demanding games. Waiting at a doctors office and having the sleep/resume feature on the deck is clutch.
If you set power but to Hibernate your Ally, you can pause your game and just hit the power button and comeback to it offering the same functionality although i do not have 100% success rate but it does work in most games
I know, I just don't trust putting it to hibernate or sleep while in a case. Windows does weird things and I don't want it randomly turning on.@@TheTyisawesome
I love my AokZoe A1 pro!
Absolutely!!
Late comment, but new Ally X is amazing! 🎉
Id love to find something 1/4 the size and still very powerful but may never happen. 😢
Great choices and content from the channel, thanks!
I would probably pick either the GPD Win 4 because of the keyboard (and relatively small size) or the ONEXFLY because it really looks comfortable and also has good size (not too big).
Same. Both great. I went with the Onexfly, I have one coming soon.
I like that both devices are under 600g at 580g & 520g with the 7840u
im disappointment that loki mini pro has come out so slowly. i was going to buy it but it kept getting pushed back. so when deck stock came in i bought the deak and glad im did. its perfect in every way for myself
That's kind of how Ayn operates, their products seem like good deals when they are promised, but by the time they actually deliver, they're not really worth it anymore.
@@ferdgerbeler8494 yeah i wish i knew that before i was fanboi'ing them. i really like Ayn's products ON PAPER but as you and other's have said. they arn't that good on releasing. its sad cause they seem like they could be great
Sometimes certain things didn't happen just to make place for something that might be better... Congrats
Gave my steam deck to my Twin Bro. Keeping the GPD win 4, R pockets 2+ and 3+, Anbernic 353ps, and 351m, and miyoo Minis
Really hope you try the GPD Win Mini!
3:48 appreciate you mentioning this! *The ability to boot from a 2nd storage device* (or use additional storage of any kind!)* is crucial*, as someone who prefers to dual boot these handhelds with Linux / SteamOS (if I ever get one).
Please do keep mentioning this feature (or explain it in more detail) in your future reviews! 👏😁
Should mention that you're awesome for sending your auction profits to charity too -- I hope those living in Maui are safe and swiftly recovering from the disaster. 💖
Waiting for a Legion Go.
I like Asus but too many reports of the SD card reader failing, and only having one USB port is a letdown.
Id agree but legion go has no VRR. Kind of a deal breaker
You are a good dude. Thanks for helping the community.
Still love the ally screen and speakers love them! gonna get one just for decoration lol! still use the deck for emulation and the all for window gaming !
I wish I hadn't forgot the speakers, in some of my comments. That's what happens when you haven't been hands on and don't own.
easily the best speaker i own witch it kinda funny @@bipbop3121
Russ forgot to tell me to get a drink and my favorite snack in the intro. Unfortunately, I died from dehydration at 11 minutes in.
I have a steam deck as my main daily handheld. 10/10 in love. I also have a miyuu mini plus that I pocket and play gba games when I'm pooping. Also 10/10 love it.
Sending this video to my wife so she can understand a good selection of NEEDED models. She has to understand Russ.
Asus Rog Ally it's my favorite tech!
I agree, the Steam Deck is probably the most important piece of tech since the iPhone.
🤣🤣🤣
It`s great to hear that you`ve been getting so much mineage out of the Ally, tbh... I`ve been considering a handheld pc for a while as an end of the year purchase, and as enticing a value proposition as a base model Steam deck with either an SSD upgrade or a 1tb SD card ( especially since they now sell refurbished units for even less), I`ve been leaning towards the Ally for the extra performance and versatility afforded by windows (specificly for running gamepass and microsoft store games natively, since I own an xbox, and some of my library consists of xbox play anywhere titles), but the announcement of the lenovo legion go has thrown a wrench in the works, and I`m now waiting for final specs and pricing to be revealed, and for reviews to come out, so that I can know what device to go for. It`s going to be a long wait though, and I`m struggling to not impulse buy the Ally as it is.
Also, I haven`t considered any of the other devices in part necause I don`t really know where I could buy some of them from, and in part because when I do find them on amazon or other retailers, their proce always seems too high relative to their specs, when compared to the specs for the money that you get with the Ally and the Deck
I was also thinking of buying one of the eGPU things to make the Ally my desktop as well, but they are so absurdly priced that for the price I`d rather build a gaming PC. If the Lenovo happens to support standard eGPUs over usb though, that might factor heavily into my final decision, depending on the current price of GPU enclosures ( although a quick amazon search seems to suggest that a GPU enclosure costs as much as a decent CPU and motherboard, so I might as well just build a pc to take full advantage of the GPU, and use whatever handheld pc I decide to buy on the side)
Looking forward to see if the Legion Go will take the crown, i have a feeling it will.
Absolutely not it's nothing new we seen it with switch steam deck has proven itself especially in price
I don't think it will have much presence in such a flooded market now. Personally I don't think it offers anything compelling. The removable controllers is kinda neat but not something that hasn't been done
they simply lost me at PORTABLE device weighting almost 1kg...
I am really excited as well 😁 its looking like a huge winner, no vrr and the weight scares me a little but I need to start the gym anyway 😉
It's HEAVY, and in that regard I think steam deck is my limit. I'm looking for something a bit smaller and lighter than the steam deck with as good ergonomics and some kind of keyboard.
Great content as always bruh. The AOKZOE A1 Pro is my daily driver in the #1 spot, followed by the Steam Deck.
Surprised no Loki love in the mix. Gets the form, function and price right to compliment a Steam Deck. Love mine!
I have owned and sold off around 20+ different handhelds in the past 2 years, but the 3 devices that will die with me are:
Ayaneo Air Pro (Oled), Odin Lite, and the Switch Oled.
OLED I see is a big factor with you. Are you like stocking up on OLED replacement screens for those devices?
@@bipbop3121 Nah, it's just a coincidence. The only one that I went out of my way to make sure was Oled was the Switch. The Ayaneo was just a nice surprise.
I guess I'm firmly in the crazy person territory as I have the Steam Deck and the ROG Ally.
I use the Ally to play PC games and the Steam Deck for emulation. I overall prefer the Ally due to form factor and performance but I also had it fry an SD card so it's mainly good for having the select small number of PC games to play on the go whereas all my ROMs are on SD cards so the Steam Deck and its ability to NOT fry SD cards is the way to go for emulation.
I do plan on getting the Legion Go sooner rather than later and I'll eventually get the GPD Win 4 once it can be obtained for a reasonable price from a reputable retailer. The Legion Go for that next step up in PC gaming on the go and the GPD Win 4 because I just think it'd be neat to have something that resembles PSP/Vita to specifically emulate classic Sony systems
I have an asus laptop with an XG Mobile & I love it. it's so convenient for my lifestyle
Question. You mentionned that you use the Deck more and more often but go the the ROG Ally from time to time (plus the cute one in fromn your backpack), how do you manage your save games when switching from one device to the other ? I get that using Steam grants the cloud saves feature but what about the other software ? including the emulators ofc.
Hey as a regular user of the ROG Ally. How has your SD card slot held up? I was thinking of getting one as a replacement for my media center pc but I have concerns about having enough storage. A couple big SD cards or an internal drive replacement would be enough but the most talked about issue with the Ally seems to be the SD card slot.
As someone who has the ally sinds day one it's about luck. Many fail but some are still kicking strong (talking about the SD reader). But you can also buy a aliexpress 2280 adapter for the ally, so u can put full slot ssd's inside your ally up to 4tb. For me personally I am using it to play 1 AAA game few small size platformers/vampires surivers etc. and I only emulate Switch games on it both zelda's and loads of pokemon and mario games. so I have enough with the 512GB it came with. never touched the SD card yet.
I only have the Steam Deck, but it suits my needs for everything. Honestly, I've just had no complaints. I mean, I only wish they had like a Steam Deck Mini that was more portable (but just as powerful). Granted, I usually only play docked unless I'm on a trip somewhere, so that would just be a bonus. For home-gaming, you just cannot go wrong with the Steam Deck.
I also have a Retroid Pocket 3 Plus (I know it isn't a handheld PC), but it is just a really fun retro handheld for any occasion.
How do you find it performs docked?
I am tempted by a steam deck and I too will likely play docked a lot, but I have a 4k OLED and although I am aware it won't get 4k quality, I'd like to know if it can hold it's own when docked.
I usually play games likes dark souls, sniper elite, rocket league and a few others.
I say it all the time, but I love GPD Win 4, it's been so great. I end up doing work on it a lot too at cafes or on transit because of the keyboard. I love the size, it seems to be just right. I feel like the battery also lasts a long time unless I am running steam, but still pretty good. I don't play for more than 45 minutes to an hour at time anyway, and it lasts much more than that even with Steam and running spotify at the same time. I also love that I was able to change the lights on it. And I love the keyboard is backlit.
Price though?
Im content w the retroid pocket 3+ and the og pocket go, the former meets all my needs and the latters perfect for the field, easy to quickly hide from higher ups
The fact that one of the biggest handheld gaming device channels says “you will need to pry the Steam deck from my cold, dead hands” should tell you all you need to know.
Valve really knocked it out of the park with their approach to this space.
Took some time tho
I really love the Win 4 now that it finally arrived. My only gripe is that I can't get it to do Steam Controller Config as cleanly as the Steam Deck or even my desktop PC and it runs into some problems with Switch via Emudeck but that may be my fault in the set up lol
Love the video! So glad to hear about helping others. I have a Modded Win600 looking at the Aya Neo 2s. P.S. It will get a lot of Mods too, LOL.
I’d love to have a GPD Win 4. Seems like a balanced option for me