I travel a good bit and am looking at getting a handheld option for when on the plane, trains, etc. I mostly play sports and racing games (Madden, NCAA, MLB the Show, F1, Forza). I do have an Xbox series X currently at home, but I’m not opposed to something outside of that environment if it makes sense.

Based on the need to play offline what options do I have here? Seems like it’s fairly limited in this regard. Are the Xbox ROG Ally or Steam Deck an option? Legion Go? Switch 2? Or something else? Am I best off just getting a refurbished PSP and going for old versions of games?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

1 points Ironmike62

I think a Windows handheld would be best so that you can play games natively on it with Xbox play anywhere given that you also own a Series X. It also can give you an immediate library for titles that support that feature assuming you have digital copies on Xbox. If your budget is tight, I'd recommend a Z1 Extreme Rog Ally on the used market. If you can afford it, the Xbox Ally X and the Legion Go 2 are great. Legion Go 1 is an option too but I think it's a little clunky. The newest MSI Claw isn't bad but you'll have to deal with Intel drivers which can be hit or miss. Legion Go S Windows is an option but for the money you'd be better off with a Used Ally X or ponying up for the Xbox Ally X or even Go 2.

If you don't care about play anywhere though, Steam Deck OLED refurbs were recently on sale. That's still probably the best bang for your buck device on the market. Just know that some online games don't work on SteamOS so double check compatibility if that's important to you.

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1 points LEGALIZERANCH666

I have a Lenovo Legion Go and other than its absolutely massive size, it’s pretty fantastic. It can pretty easily run everything I’ve played (a lot of Borderlands 3 and emulators) but it really isn’t portable. You need an available outlet if you’re going to be playing it for more than a couple of hours, and good luck pulling it out and getting comfortable if you’re flying economy. I had it with me on my flights to and from Korea and I opted to play my 3DS instead.

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