(Image credit: Amazon edited with Gemini)
Valve surprised everyone this week when the gaming giant suddenly brought the Steam Deck OLED back in stock with an insane $300 price hike. The 1TB version now costs $949, while the 512GB variant is now $789.With that increase, the Steam Deck may not be the most valuable handheld console you can pick up right now. Instead, I've gone through our list of the best handheld gaming consoles and picked my favorites. I've picked consoles that offer similar or, in some cases, better performance than the four-year-old Steam Deck.Of course, you can also turn any handheld console into a Steam Deck by installing SteamOS or the Bazzite gaming OS.Quick Linksshop all handheld gaming consoles at AmazonAsus ROG Xbox Ally 7: for $599 @ Best BuyLenovo Legion Go: for $849 @ Best BuyAsus ROG Xbox Ally X: for $999 @ Best BuyPS5 Pro: for $899 @ AmazonSwitch 2: for $449 @ AmazonMy Top Steam Deck AlternativesTraditional console alternativesIf a PC gaming handheld isn't appealing to you, you can also consider going the traditional route, which are also more appealing now.The Nintendo Switch 2, despite price hikes coming in September, only costs you $449, while even the most expensive PlayStation, the PS5 Pro is now cheaper than the 1TB Steam Deck at $899.My Top Console Alternatives
