If there was ever a time when gamers could be spoiled for gaming hardware, it looks like 2025 could be it. And that’s because CES 2025 included reveals and previews of PC gaming hardware, with Nvidia’s new RTX 5000 series GPU lineup stealing the spotlight. However, I would argue that handheld gaming PCs have been the biggest highlight of the event.
It’s undeniable that Valve breathed new life into the handheld gaming scene when it launched the Steam Deck in 2022, with the competition growing rapidly every year – we’ve seen mid-generation upgrades from Asus with the ROG Ally and Valve’s Steam Deck with an OLED variant .
While we wait for news about successors to the Asus ROG Ally X and Steam Deck OLED, the announcements from e.g. Lenovo, MSI and Acer have been enough to leave me very excited about handheld gaming PCs this year. So here are my picks for the best gaming handhelds for CES 2025.
1. MSI Claw 8 AI+
While this was technically announced last December, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ had a significant presence at CES 2025 – and rightly so, because from what I’ve seen so far, this is shaping up to be one of (if not the) best handheld gaming PC in recent times.
MSI’s first attempt at the Claw A1M used Intel’s Core Ultra 7 155H processor, which was not well received. This time around, MSI is using the more efficient Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (which uses the Intel Arc 140V integrated GPU), providing both stronger battery life and gaming performance based on MSI’s claim of 17W and multiple previews.
ETAPrime showcased Claw AI 8+ running CD Projekt Red’s graphically demanding Cyberpunk 2077 with the ray tracing ultra preset enabled using Intel’s XeSS upscaling method – and the frame rate stayed around 40 fps consistently.
It’s available for pre-order on MSI’s US storefront for $899.99, while unfortunately there’s no news on availability or pricing in the UK and Australia.
2. Lenovo Legion Go S
The original Lenovo Legion Go is another example of a new gaming handheld that doesn’t quite get it right the first time. It originally had a 1600p display and used AMD’s Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor. While that hardware is certainly powerful (the Z1 Extreme is also used in the Asus ROG Ally), it wasn’t enough to handle the 2560×1600 resolution, forcing gamers to dial down the resolution in-game.
In comes the Lenovo Legion Go S, which is a mid-generation upgrade and now uses a 1920×1200 120Hz VRR 8-inch display plus 32GB of RAM. It will have multiple configurations, allowing you to choose between SteamOS or Windows 11 – and it will come with either the Ryzen Z2 Go or the Z1 Extreme chip.
While the lower screen resolution and screen size may seem like a negative, it will serve gamers well with either processor likely capable of handling the 1200p resolution with relative ease.
The Windows 11 Z2 Go models (16GB or 32GB) are now available for pre-order at Best Buy starting at $729.99 shipped this month, with the SteamOS models launching in May. Meanwhile, Legion Go 2 is slated to be released sometime this year using the new Z2 Extreme, but it’s still just a prototype for now.
3. Acer Nitro Blaze 8
I would have loved to have put the Acer Nitro Blaze 11 here as I think it will be the biggest hit for Acer, but it’s just way too big for a handheld gaming PC. It’s also priced at $1,099, which is absurd for a handheld gaming PC. Fortunately, the alternative to this is the Acer Nitro Blaze 8, which may still end up having the same performance issues as the original Lenovo Legion Go due to its ambitious (for a handheld) 1600p display, but is far more portable and comfortable to hold.
Using the same specs as its larger counterpart, it will use AMD’s Ryzen 7 8840HS processor, which has the same Radeon 780M iGPU as in the Z1 Extreme, an 8.8-inch 144Hz display and 16GB of RAM. This appears to be Acer’s attempt to catch up with the current handhelds, but it may lose out to the likes of the Legion Go S and the MSI Claw 8 AI+ with their newer components.
Either way, this will be an impressive handheld option for gamers, available in Q2 of this year, starting at $899, in the midst of what looks like a great year for all handheld PC enthusiasts.
