Best SteamOS handheld experience — if you can find one
Valve Steam Deck OLED
Reviewed
The Steam Deck OLED remains the reference point every other handheld PC is measured against. SteamOS boots straight into your library, sleeps and resumes like a console, and runs more efficiently than Windows on identical hardware — so games feel smoother and batteries last longer than raw specs suggest. The HDR OLED screen and trackpads are still unmatched for the money. The catch in 2026 is availability: component shortages pushed the 512GB model to around $789 and stock comes and goes, so factor the real street price into your decision rather than the launch-era reputation.
$789
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What we like
- ✓SteamOS is the smoothest, most console-like handheld software available
- ✓Vivid HDR OLED display with excellent contrast
- ✓Trackpads make strategy games and desktop use genuinely playable
- ✓Huge community of per-game settings and optimizations
- ✓Instant sleep/resume that Windows handhelds still can't match
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