The market for handheld gaming PCs now offers a trio of compelling alternatives to the Steam Deck OLED, including ASUS’s ROG Xbox Ally X, Lenovo’s Legion Go S, and MSI’s Claw 8 EX AI+, each catering to different priorities such as performance, price, and SteamOS compatibility.
Steam Deck OLED remains the simplest handheld gaming PC to recommend, but it is no longer the only sensible choice. For buyers who want direct access to Game Pass, a fuller Windows app library or, in Lenovo’s case, SteamOS on non-Valve hardware, the market now offers three clear alternatives. The strongest all-round option is ASUS’s ROG Xbox Ally X, which Tom’s Hardware praised for its ergonomics, controller-style grips and Xbox Full Screen Experience, with the Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme also turning in strong results in testing. The main concession is the screen: at this price, it still uses IPS rather than OLED.
Lenovo’s Legion Go S occupies a different niche. In its SteamOS form, it keeps the familiar controller-led interface and suspend-and-resume behaviour that Steam Deck users already know, while adding an 8-inch 120Hz display, VRR and AMD’s Ryzen Z1 Extreme. Tom’s Hardware said the SteamOS version delivered strong results, and PC Gamer highlighted the comfort, bright panel and good battery life. Even so, its 55.5Wh battery is notably smaller than the 80Wh packs in the ASUS and MSI rivals, and SteamOS still brings the same compatibility limits that affect some anti-cheat-heavy or Windows-dependent games.
MSI’s Claw 8 EX AI+ is the performance pick, but it is aimed at buyers willing to pay heavily for it. According to Tom’s Hardware, it posted class-leading numbers across a range of gaming tests, including strong results in Metro Exodus, Cyberpunk 2077 and Red Dead Redemption 2. The specification sheet is equally serious, with 32GB of memory, a 1TB SSD, an 80Wh battery, dual Thunderbolt 4 ports and an 8-inch 120Hz panel with VRR. The problem is value: at $1,799, it is far more expensive than the ASUS model while still stopping short of OLED.
Current pricing places the ROG Xbox Ally X at $999.99, the Legion Go S SteamOS model at $1,099.99 and the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ at $1,799. Valve raised Steam Deck OLED prices on May 27, with the 512GB model now at $789 and the 1TB version at $949. That makes ASUS the most balanced Windows option, Lenovo the most direct SteamOS alternative, and MSI the pick for those prioritising performance above cost. In practice, the field is now narrow rather than crowded: each model has a distinct reason to exist, and each avoids the problem of padding the category with unavailable or redundant devices.
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