The market for high-performance handheld gaming consoles is currently booming, with offerings like the Steam Deck, the ASUS ROG Ally , and the Lenovo Legion Go vying for the attention of gaming enthusiasts. Each of these consoles offers its own unique advantages and features, which begs the question of which one could be considered the best.
In this comparison, we'll be taking a closer look at the Steam Deck, the ASUS ROG Ally, and the Lenovo Legion Go to determine which one will reign supreme among handheld consoles in 2023.
Let's get started!
Colorful, lightweight, or versatile: which do you prefer?
Starting with the design, each console takes a distinct approach. The Steam Deck, released in 2022, is billed as a lightweight device , but its design may seem somewhat prototypical. The layout of the controls on the front may not be the most comfortable, especially when using the joysticks. Additionally, the presence of a dual trackpad, while useful for navigation, takes up a lot of space.
On the other hand, the ASUS ROG Ally adopts a more striking design , following the canons of gaming consoles. Its aggressive lines and RGB lighting appeal to enthusiastic gamers. The asymmetrical button layout makes it comfortable to play. However, it lacks a trackpad, which limits navigation options.
Finally, the Lenovo Legion Go stands out for its versatility . Not only does it feature an asymmetrical key layout, but its controllers are detachable, allowing you to use them separately, similar to a Nintendo Switch. The right controller can be set to FPS mode and has a wheel on the back and a trackpad for precise navigation. It also offers the largest number of programmable buttons and triggers. However, its speakers aren't located on the front like those of its rivals, which affects the experience, and it's the heaviest of the three.
Lenovo Legion Go wins on screen
As for the displays, all three consoles use touch-enabled IPS panels, but they differ in resolution and refresh rate.
The Steam Deck comes in last with a 7-inch display with HD+ resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate.
The ASUS ROG Ally comes in second with a 7-inch display, Full HD resolution, and a 120Hz refresh rate.
In first place, the Lenovo Legion Go features an 8.8-inch display with Quad HD+ resolution, a 144Hz refresh rate, and 97% coverage of the DCI-P3 color spectrum, offering a superior visual experience.
If you're looking for power, look for Asus Rog Ally.
In terms of power, both the Lenovo Legion Go and the ASUS ROG Ally share an eight-core, 16-thread AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU based on Zen 4, and up to 12-core RDNA 3-based graphics. However, the ROG Ally can connect to an external graphics card via its ROG XG Mobile interface, making it extremely more powerful.
The Steam Deck, meanwhile, falls behind with a 4-core, 8-thread Zen 2-based APU and an 8-core RDNA 2-based GPU.
Windows 11 or SteamOS?
As for the operating system, the ROG Ally and Legion Go run Windows 11, giving them access to a wide range of games and platforms, including Steam, the Epic Games Store, Xbox Game Pass, and GeForce Now. The Steam Deck, on the other hand, uses the Linux-based SteamOS, limiting its access to games available on the Steam store only. On the plus side, SteamOS is more intuitive and user-friendly than Windows 11, and it's possible to install Windows on the Steam Deck, though this may impact performance.
Valve promises the greatest autonomy
Battery life is affected by screen resolution and game settings. Valve promises between 2 and 8 hours of battery life for the Steam Deck, ASUS offers between 2 and 7 hours for the ROG Ally, and the Legion Go struggles to exceed 2 hours in AAA titles.
If we talk about prices
If you're looking for value (considering models with 256GB of storage), the Steam Deck is cheaper at around $550, while the ROG Ally and Legion Go are very similarly priced at around $780. However, you can take advantage of some great deals in stores where Legion Go is on pre-order.
In short, choosing between the Steam Deck, the ASUS ROG Ally, and the Lenovo Legion Go depends on your preferences and needs. Now tell us, which one do you prefer?