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[Topher]

windows handhelds were out before there was a oled deck and you were fanboying by then allegedly.

suddenly oled became more important than power and framerate. i guess people with a series s and an oled screen are better served than those who got a series x and play it on an lcd then.

Not really a good comparison considering large TV screens are going to highlight that difference in power a heck of a lot more than a 7 or 8 inch screen will.

 

[OverHeat]

Windows handheld suck ass

 

[rodrigolfp]

Windows is trash run general, but made worse by a tiny screen.

Linux is trasher for gaming, but made worse by a tiny screen.

 

[mnkl13]

Yo watch out for this deflection because shit you are playing scared. I'm spitting here and you're throwing back nothing there. I got my OLED laptop, my OLED tablet, my OLED Switch, and my OLED Deck, and my OLED HDTV.

OLED > *

well at least windows handhelds are coming with much better lcds than the deck lcd, which makes me guess that the next windows oled will be better quality than the deck oled. i hope that makes you happy

 

[jshackles]

I still have my Steam Deck set up with Windows and it's associated tools, and it's still absolutely fantastic. I thought it might be a fad thing I tinkered with for a while before going back to SteamOS, but for me having access to all my games and launchers is just a better experience overall for very little downside.

Steam big picture mode still runs on startup, so the only time I need to exit out of that is if I'm installing / setting up / configuring a new game. I can hold down the start button to toggle between "mouse mode" and "controller mode" which makes it easy to navigate outside of Steam (or if I'm playing a game that doesn't support controllers, I guess...). In fact, there isn't much that I could do in SteamOS that I can't do in Windows mode - though Decky Loader and Emu Deck did make some things easier.

 

[OverHeat]

The one and only worthwhile PC handheld

 

[mnkl13]

Not really a good comparison considering large TV screens are going to highlight that difference in power a heck of a lot more than a 7 or 8 inch screen will.

but oled does it? you know that not all lcds are as bad as the steam deck lcd right? some are not that bad compared to an oled screen.

 

[Minsc]

well at least windows handhelds are coming with much better lcds than the deck lcd, which makes me guess that the next windows oled will be better quality than the deck oled. i hope that makes you happy

I am actually excited for an eventual Windows handheld device - a well built one that's plenty fast with an OLED display would speed that process up a ton, but I'm not 100% opposed to something like the upcoming Ally 2 if it fit the bill in all the other ways to compensate for the LCD display, or maybe it'd even have a tiny miniLED or something, though unlikely.

Still, I don't outright dismiss these handhelds, and I did pre-order the Ally. Just haven't found the one yet.

 

[mnkl13]

The one and only worthwhile PC handheld

you can barely run those

 

[Topher]

but oled does it? you know that not all lcds are as bad as the steam deck lcd right? some are not that bad compared to an oled screen.

Sure, Rog Ally LCD is better than Steam Deck LCD. OLED is better than all of them. I own both Rog Ally and Steam Deck OLED. The primary trade off is superior screen and battery life of Steam Deck vs superior power and compatibility of the Rog Ally. None of these stand head and shoulders above the rest.

 

[BlackTron]

you can barely run those

I might have assumed the same but it seems the deck can run these games somewhere around mid settings at 30-40 fps so idk man...sounds playable with the small screen

 

[Bond007]

I just dont care for Windows anything outside of work.

 

[mnkl13]

I might have assumed the same but it seems the deck can run these games somewhere around mid settings at 30-40 fps so idk man...sounds playable with the small screen

yeah i know i was just being sassy

 

[mnkl13]

Sure, Rog Ally LCD is better than Steam Deck LCD. OLED is better than all of them. I own both Rog Ally and Steam Deck OLED. The primary trade off is superior screen and battery life of Steam Deck vs superior power and compatibility of the Rog Ally. None of these stand head and shoulders above the rest.

but don't forget it's not just pros with oled, there's also some disadvantages with the tecnology. like under the sunlight lcds are better, and since this is an handheld, that's something to consider.

 

[hououinkyouma00]

windows handhelds were out before there was a oled deck and you were fanboying by then allegedly.

suddenly oled became more important than power and framerate. i guess people with a series s and an oled screen are better served than those who got a series x and play it on an lcd then.

OLED does a ton for image quality.

I'd much rather have the OLED deck then a ROG Ally or any of these way too expensive Chinese handhelds.

 

[Frwrd]

Legion Go has hall joysticks

It does? I’ve only seen the Steam Deck and Ally, thanks for the heads up

 

[Topher]

but don't forget it's not just pros with oled, there's also some disadvantages with the tecnology. like under the sunlight lcds are better, and since this is an handheld, that's something to consider.

Depends on which Steam Deck you get. Mine has a matte screen so it is actually better in sunlight than my Rog Ally. You may be right about the glossy OLED. Not sure.

 

[Gamezone]

Can you run Gamepass on Steam Deck?

No, and I also don't care about Gamepass or any other launcher on PC. Microsoft should release their subscription service on Steam.

 

[rodrigolfp]

No, and I also don't care about Gamepass or any other launcher on PC. Microsoft should release their subscription service on Steam.

Yes.

 

[Fafalada]

Yes, and also no. It works in a decent number of games IMO. Pinball Arcade, Ori, Midnight Suns, FFVII, well there's a PC wiki I'm sure you're aware of with hundreds of games.

It's getting better but we still keep getting PC games that either miss or have badly broken HDR even when console versions have support for it. Eg. the entire NFS lineup from EA to date...
Anyway point being that Win11 AutoHDR is kind of an - important bandaid to have if you care about HDR on PC. I'm sure eventually we'll get something like it on Linux - but for now Windows is a noticeably superior option for HDR gaming.

Show me the Windows handheld with an OLED display, I'm waiting.

Both released some time before SteamDeck OLED too - but as I said in an earlier post, no HDR support - yet.

 

[Minsc]

It's getting better but we still keep getting PC games that either miss or have badly broken HDR even when console versions have support for it. Eg. the entire NFS lineup from EA to date...
Anyway point being that Win11 AutoHDR is kind of an - important bandaid to have if you care about HDR on PC. I'm sure eventually we'll get something like it on Linux - but for now Windows is a noticeably superior option for HDR gaming.

Both released some time before SteamDeck OLED too - but as I said in an earlier post, no HDR support - yet.

I figured there had to be some, thanks. I am not super familiar with Ayaneo devices and the sort - I know there's quite a lot and the impressions vary quite a bit, but I'd definitely choose one of those over a regular brand for the screen. I wonder how they compare speedwise? I'll have to look in to it more, and I do really want 32GB of RAM or at least more than 16GB for Windows as well. Too bad they seem to be going after the true portable market, and not just the large handheld market too. I do prefer larger screens, and always see it as a nice bonus when normal models move to OLED and also give a larger screen at the same time.

But when you look at the slim gaming laptops nowadays there's so many great choices with OLED now, so not having the same representation in handhelds was a bit disappointing.

And yes, the HDR is pretty huge, I see it as pretty awesome for those games that it works with, which seem to be getting better every month. However, that AutoHDR thing I've heard has some issues, like text and UI which uses white - doesn't it just push that text and white out at full brightness max nit HDR? Which sounds truly horrible.

Edit: That Air 1S is pretty tempting. Wish a more local company had specs like that, 32GB ram, OLED, but it is not a powerhouse like the Ally/Go. Runs on 5-25W, and I really don't mind seeing a handheld have a bit more power on the high end if needed. Still, it's a damn tempting set of specs.

 

[Fafalada]

I figured there had to be some, thanks. I am not super familiar with Ayaneo devices and the sort - I know there's quite a lot and the impressions vary quite a bit, but I'd definitely choose one of those over a regular brand for the screen. I wonder how they compare speedwise? I'll have to look in to it more, and I do really want 32GB of RAM or at least more than 16GB for Windows as well. Too bad they seem to be going after the true portable market, and not just the large handheld market too. I do prefer larger screens, and always see it as a nice bonus when normal models move to OLED and also give a larger screen at the same time.

Yea Aya Neo handhelds have always had great screens, their LCDs were already a notch above everything else, but indeed targeting the smaller form factor (presumably helped with sourcing higher quality screens too). And I'm with you - I got my handheld because of the 8-Inch screen, sadly not an OLED, but it was a rather nice screen back in 2022.
Other than that - it varies, but general trend is that nowadays most of these have good or even great build quality (often better than original Deck - as evidenced by many of them packing cooling assemblies handling 30+W with less fan noise and smaller form factors), but software side can be a bit hit and miss.
For performance of specific Aya Neo models - the 1S(first pic) is 7840U series - 25W is still gonna run around 2.5x the SteamDeck perf. The Air Pro was 5560U - so a faster CPU but a fair bit worse GPU than the Deck.
Personally I'm expecting next wave will have more OLED screens now that Valve set the standard, but for me I'm not sure that'll be enough to upgrade until AMD moves past RDNA3.

But when you look at the slim gaming laptops nowadays there's so many great choices with OLED now, so not having the same representation in handhelds was a bit disappointing.

Yea I think it's got to do with availability of OLED panels in the right sizes. It took forever for laptops to adopt them in quantities too - even though tablets have been mostly OLED for most of the previous decade already.

However, that AutoHDR thing I've heard has some issues, like text and UI which uses white - doesn't it just push that text and white out at full brightness max nit HDR? Which sounds truly horrible.

MS doesn't automatically enable it for everything - there's some kind of vetting process for supported games. IME the text doesn't usually exhibit that problem, at least in the games I've played. NFS is probably still my favorite example of games that benefit from it (Especially 2015, but really every NFS game in past 10 years), but really a lot of games from last gen are boosted nicely.
Speaking of - HDR support recently got added to Retroarch - not sure how well it works on Deck, but it's worth trying. It's not there to make HDR-like effect, but more to help older games be more CRT-like in how the colors are displayed.

 

[VitoNotVito]

Every time a new thread is posted on handheld gaming, it mostly always comes down to “buy a Deck OLED”, “Windows is terrible on handheld”, “battery life is shit”.

I had a lot of time to decide which handheld was better for me, including the Deck OLED. I think a 512GB Deck OLED is $550, while a 512 Ally or Legion Go is $700.

Yes, the user experience is definitely friendlier on the Deck, with its custom OS. Also the community is stronger and bigger. But at least to me, and probably the majority of you PC gamers, it’s pretty much the same to use Windows or the SD OS. If you have at least SOME experience using Windows, which I’m sure most people buying these handhelds have, it really doesn’t take a big brain to keep it set up and updated.

Can’t say the same for folks trying to dual boot Windows to play GamePass or installing mods. That actually takes tinkering on the Deck.

For $150 more you get a much more powerful processor (giving me 20-30+ fps than the Deck at higher TDPs), bigger screen in case of the Legion, VRR in case of the Ally, and Windows. And yes, IMO Windows is much better than Linux on these handhelds (or any PC). I can just play GamePass, Destiny or COD without worrying about the anticheat BS.

With the Deck you get OLED, yes, but Id argue OLED truly matters when buying a big ass TV, not a 6in handheld. You get used to it pretty fast. OLED is obviously a great plus, but I’d rather have a better processor, a bigger screen, or the versatility of Windows.

I’m not trying to shill anything here, do what you want with your money. But after careful consideration I bought a Legion Go and I couldn't be happier. It’s sad when I see friends who got the Deck and can’t play games at decent fps or can’t play them at all.

What I mean is, if you know ANY Windows at all, don’t assume that the Deck will be your only or the best choice. Windows handhelds are good, and in my case BETTER than the Deck. Don’t just follow what a random forum guy or media outlets say.

Tell me you didn’t use the steam deck without telling me you didn’t use the steam deck

 

[Mythoclast]

Tell me you didn’t use the steam deck without telling me you didn’t use the steam deck

I did use one several times, and I hated how close of a system it was. I want freedom and compatibility, not Linux

 

[VitoNotVito]

I did use one several times, and I hated how close of a system it was. I want freedom and compatibility, not Linux

If you want freedom then obviously you’ll never play any console.
Steam deck is the closest PC will get to console experience. Fuck medieval Windows clutter.

 

[Minsc]

My problem with both the Ally and Go is the 16GB of RAM. Once again, because of the discussion in this thread, I *almost* ordered one last night, but alas, I cannot with 16GB of RAM on a Windows device. It's pretty stupid these days. I really hope the next one offers a 32GB option.

I don't really get the freedom arguments against the Steam Deck, it can be modded any way you want, including dubious ways, and you can even dual boot, but honestly I sort of feel if it doesn't run in Linux one way or another you're probably just doing it wrong at this point.

 

[Bry0]

i would say deckers are trying to justify their shackles. windows handhelds come with freedom, freedom to access all games of any gamestore and play them with just a push of button.

Just put windows on your deck, valve provides the drivers. There are no shackles, that’s the entire point. It’s yours to do whatever you would like.

they’re all PCs, you can put windows on your deck, Linux on your Ally, how on earth have yall turned this into system wars?

 

[OverHeat]

The only thing that make to oled deck the best pc handheld so far is not the screen but the batteries life.

 

[Ozriel]

No, and I also don't care about Gamepass or any other launcher on PC.

Thats where all that ‘plug and play’ talk comes from, since many of you treat it as a ‘Steam gaming handheld’.

As a PC gaming handheld, you’re getting in the Desktop Linux mode trenches to properly set things up.

Microsoft should release their subscription service on Steam.

Hopefully that never happens.

 

[Minsc]

Hopefully that never happens.

Are you afraid it'll hurt Steam software sales on PC?

If everyone on Steam had free access to thousands of games including new releases, I could see that.

 

[Ozriel]

Are you afraid it'll hurt Steam software sales on PC?

If everyone on Steam had free access to thousands of games including new releases, I could see that.

Nah. It’d significantly impact the availability of 3rd party games in the service and likely have significant impact on the viability of the service itself.

Devs put their games on GP knowing a massive portion of customers are only on Steam. Put GP on Steam and MS has to pay way way more money for content.