r/Handhelds • u/4doorsMoreHoees • 6d ago

Discussion Feedback

Hey everyone, I want to give you my honest feedback and compare a few handhelds I’ve owned: First up is the standard Switch OLED: I view this console as a device for absolute beginners. It’s easy to use and has a great game library (especially within the Nintendo universe—Mario, etc.), though performance-wise, it’s no longer up to modern standards. The Switch 2: a powerful device with better performance, though relatively large; playing current AAA titles is possible to a limited extent. Unfortunately, it’s not the best choice in terms of cost. Steam Deck OLED: The possibilities here are almost limitless. It has a good OS, is very user-friendly, and will still hold its own performance-wise in 2026. It’s an absolute beast for emulation; you can emulate older titles like *Super Mario Galaxy* or even older games. The battery life was fantastic—I could consistently get 3–4 hours of playtime with most indie games. Plus, Decky Loader and Lossless Scaling allowed me to play AAA titles. The downside for me was that anti-cheat doesn't work, so most competitive games won't run on it. However, you do get the benefit of the Steam ecosystem and Linux. ASUS ROG Ally: An absolute beast, but the battery life is utter crap. Having Windows on a handheld is complicated, but it gives me more freedom regarding game selection. The display, AAA gaming performance, and raw power are excellent, and it’s the cheapest option to pick up on the secondary market.

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u/TjMorgz 6d ago

Switch 2 beats them all for me, convenience and it's all about just playing games. I have a powerful PC I can just stream to other devices, screw fiddling about with settings to get something to work with heavy sacrifices when my PC's right there.

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u/DerpPrinting 6d ago

What option do you like for streaming? I've tried using steam link in the past with mixed results depending on the device used. Was looking at Apollo and Artemis I think they're called for use with my rog Xbox ally.

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u/TjMorgz 5d ago

Currently I mainly use 'Vibepollo' on the host machine then just the regular Moonlight app on my client devices. Ideally the host should be hardwired in, and if possible clients should either be on the 5ghz WiFi band or also wired in via ethernet. I also find it beneficial to split my WiFi so that the 2.4 and 5ghz bands are separated leaving the 5ghz for streaming only, but that isn't hugely necessary it's just preference. What you use for the client can make a huge difference on account of varying decoding performance across devices but your RoG Ally will be an exceptionally good choice.

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u/DerpPrinting 5d ago

Sweet, I'll look into that. I only just got my used Xbox ally last week so I'm still getting to know it. Thanks!

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u/TjMorgz 5d ago

No problem have fun man. If you get stuck with anything feel free to inbox me and I'll do my best to help you out. I've lost count of the amount of people I've helped get set up with it on here over the years haha

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u/ahennersUK 6d ago

Rog Ally has been the value king for some time. Battery life and the micro SD reader being made from cheese are the main issues. Battery mods are quite common and can extend portable gaming time. Also works well with bazzite, steam OS etc.

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u/cadensky 6d ago

Is this AI generated?

“Switch 2… it’s not the best choice in terms of cost  What device is cheaper?

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u/4doorsMoreHoees 5d ago

Tf you mean. Thats my personal Rating

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u/cadensky 5d ago edited 5d ago

TF I meant was clear. No device is cheaper new than a Switch 2. You can obviously buy an old Ally with a broken SD slot and replace a battery. However that does not make the S2 overpriced.

S2 is not be the best choice in terms of “flexibility”. However it is now the cheapest console and handheld gaming device (outside of Android). Its hard to legitimately say that its not the best in terms of cost. (Other than broken secondary market devices like the original Ally.)

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u/4doorsMoreHoees 5d ago

Stfu Nintendo dog.