The numbers below are estimates from our handheld model, fitted on published reviews and checked against review results it never saw.
See every handheld on the handheld hub, or check one game on all of them: each game page has an "On handhelds" table.
The handhelds at a glance
| Handheld | Chip | System | Screen | Memory | Launch price (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam Deck (LCD / OLED) | AMD Van Gogh | SteamOS | 7-inch LCD / 7.4-inch OLED, 1280×800 | 16 GB | $399 / $549 |
| ROG Ally | Ryzen Z1 Extreme | Windows 11 | 7-inch, 1920×1080, 120 Hz | 16 GB | $699.99 |
| ROG Ally X | Ryzen Z1 Extreme | Windows 11 | 7-inch, 1920×1080, 120 Hz | 24 GB | $799.99 |
| ROG Xbox Ally | Ryzen Z2 A | Windows 11 | 7-inch, 1920×1080, 120 Hz | 16 GB | $599.99 |
| ROG Xbox Ally X | Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme | Windows 11 | 7-inch, 1920×1080, 120 Hz | 24 GB | $999.99 |
| Legion Go | Ryzen Z1 Extreme | Windows 11 | 8.8-inch, 2560×1600, 144 Hz | 16 GB | $699.99 |
| Legion Go S | Ryzen Z2 Go | Windows 11 | 8-inch, 1920×1200, 120 Hz | 16 GB | $729.99 |
| Legion Go 2 | Ryzen Z2 Extreme | Windows 11 | 8.8-inch OLED, 1920×1200, 144 Hz | 32 GB | $1349.99 |
Prices are the launch prices of the version listed; other storage and memory versions cost more or less.
How fast is each handheld?
Estimated FPS at 800p, the Steam Deck's own resolution and a common choice on the others, in each device's top mode on battery:
| Handheld | Mode | Typical game, 800p Low | Typical game, 800p Medium | Games at 30+ FPS, 800p Medium (of 210) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam Deck | 15 W | 42 | 34 | 103 |
| ROG Xbox Ally | Turbo 20 W | 43 | 34 | 119 |
| Legion Go S | Performance 30 W | 48 | 38 | 133 |
| Legion Go | Performance 20 W | 55 | 43 | 147 |
| ROG Ally | Turbo 25 W | 60 | 48 | 168 |
| ROG Ally X | Turbo 25 W | 60 | 52 | 173 |
| Legion Go 2 | Performance 20 W | 62 | 55 | 176 |
| ROG Xbox Ally X | Turbo 25 W | 66 | 59 | 184 |
On the Steam Deck, 29 of the 210 games don't start or can't be played online on SteamOS (see below), which is part of why it reaches 30 FPS in fewer games.
Some games at 800p Medium:
| Game | Steam Deck | ROG Ally | ROG Ally X | ROG Xbox Ally X | Legion Go | Legion Go 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 28 | 39 | 42 | 47 | 35 | 44 |
| Elden Ring | 35 | 49 | 53 | 60 | 44 | 56 |
| Baldur's Gate 3 | 27 | 38 | 40 | 46 | 34 | 43 |
| Hogwarts Legacy | 27 | 37 | 40 | 45 | 33 | 42 |
| Forza Horizon 5 | 56 | 78 | 84 | 96 | 70 | 89 |
| Counter-Strike 2 | 78 | 108 | 117 | 133 | 97 | 124 |
| Fortnite | doesn't run | 60 | 65 | 74 | 54 | 69 |
At 1080p the same devices run about 25–30% slower. On the 1920×1200 and 2560×1600 screens of the Legion Go models, most people play big games at a lower resolution or with FSR upscaling; see DLSS vs FSR vs XeSS.
Battery mode vs Turbo
The ROG handhelds can run at a lower power limit on battery. Lower power means fewer FPS but less drain. Our estimates in both modes (800p Medium):
| Handheld | Top mode on battery | Default battery mode | Typical game | Games at 30+ FPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROG Ally | Turbo 25 W | Performance 15 W | 48 → 41 FPS | 168 → 143 |
| ROG Ally X | Turbo 25 W | Performance 17 W | 52 → 46 FPS | 173 → 161 |
| ROG Xbox Ally | Turbo 20 W | Performance 15 W | 34 → 31 FPS | 119 → 109 |
| ROG Xbox Ally X | Turbo 25 W | Performance 17 W | 59 → 52 FPS | 184 → 173 |
So the lower mode costs about 9–15% of the frame rate. Our step from one mode to the other was checked against reviews that tested both modes in the same game: it was within about 4–8% of what they measured. We don't measure battery life, so we can't say how many minutes the lower mode adds. The Steam Deck has a single 15 W limit, and for the Legion Go models we have too few reviews in a second mode to show one.
SteamOS vs Windows
The Steam Deck runs SteamOS, Valve's own system. It starts straight into your Steam library, sleeps and wakes like a console and needs little setup. The catch: games with kernel anti-cheat or their own launcher can refuse to run. 29 of our 210 games don't start or can't be played online on it, among them Fortnite, Valorant, Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Rainbow Six Siege, Destiny 2 and EA Sports FC 26. (From Valve's Steam Deck compatibility checks and anti-cheat trackers, checked 17 October 2026.)
The ROG and Legion handhelds run Windows 11, so every game in our list runs, from any store. The trade-off is a desktop system on a small screen, which takes more setup.
Which handheld should you buy?
- Cheapest and easiest: Steam Deck. The best value if your games are on Steam and don't need anti-cheat. It's the slowest here, so plan on Low to Medium at 800p in big games. The OLED model has a bigger 90 Hz screen; in our estimates the speed is the same.
- Best Windows handheld for most people: ROG Ally X. About 50% faster than the Steam Deck in the typical game, every Windows game, and 24 GB of memory. The original ROG Ally is a little slower (same chip, 16 GB).
- Fastest: ROG Xbox Ally X. The quickest of these in our estimates (184 games at 30+ FPS at 800p Medium), at a higher price.
- Biggest screen: Legion Go 2. Close to the ROG Xbox Ally X in speed in our estimates, with an 8.8-inch OLED screen, at the highest launch price here. The first Legion Go has the same big screen size with the older Z1 Extreme chip.
- Avoid if you want speed: the ROG Xbox Ally and the Legion Go S. Their chips are closer to the Steam Deck than to the Ally X.
Compare two directly: Steam Deck vs ROG Ally X, ROG Ally X vs Legion Go 2, ROG Xbox Ally X vs Legion Go 2, ROG Ally vs Legion Go.
How accurate are these numbers?
Each device's speed comes from published reviews (Notebookcheck, Tom's Hardware, PC Gamer, Digital Foundry, ComputerBase, HotHardware and others) at a stated power limit. About a quarter of the results were held back and never used for fitting; on those, the median error is about 12%. Most devices are medium confidence, the ROG Xbox Ally X high. The handheld hub shows the confidence for each one.
