- 4 months ago
Welcome to Handheld Showdown, a bracket-style competition series in which our hosts Paul and Tony battle out the best handheld gaming consoles out now. The bracket of 8 was set based on our audience's rankings and input from our gaming editors, and now, we need YOUR help to determine which 4 move on to the semi-finals round. In this video we introduce the consoles in contention, compare the pros/cons in every matchup, and give our takes on which gaming handhelds deserve to win. Whether you have your favorite picks already, or Tony and Paul convinced your choices, make sure to vote in the polls in the community tab now!
The battles ⚔️
Asus ROG Ally X vs. Nintendo Switch 2
Steam Deck OLED vs. Steam Deck LCD
Lenovo Legion Go S vs. MSI Claw 8
Lenovo Legion Go vs. Asus ROG Ally
The battles ⚔️
Asus ROG Ally X vs. Nintendo Switch 2
Steam Deck OLED vs. Steam Deck LCD
Lenovo Legion Go S vs. MSI Claw 8
Lenovo Legion Go vs. Asus ROG Ally
Category
🤖
TechTranscript
00:00Do you think this dethrones the Steam Deck?
00:02Yeah, absolutely.
00:03I want people to get the best, right?
00:05Trash.
00:06Trash.
00:07Why would you want to pay $70 for Cyberpunk
00:09when you could pay like way less than that?
00:11Welcome to the very first episode of Tom's Guide's handheld showdown,
00:15where the best gaming handhelds available right now in 2025
00:18will battle it out to see which one is crowned
00:20the ultimate handheld gaming console.
00:23It feels like more and more companies are getting into the handheld space
00:25and this feels like the new frontier for gaming.
00:28We asked you guys on socials to rank your favorite handhelds
00:32and after tallying up the most mentioned devices
00:34and where they landed, we vetted the picks with our team.
00:37People who've actually used these devices
00:39to make sure the matchups make sense.
00:41So we've settled on eight devices, but even though more have been announced,
00:44I'm looking at you, Acer.
00:46They're still not available to purchase.
00:48If you disagree with the seating, well, it's our bracket, our video.
00:51So I hope we can get over it.
00:53Tony and I will be using our years of experience
00:55to give you a rundown on each device
00:57and why we think it should go through to the next round.
01:00We'll then throw it back to you, the audience,
01:02to vote and see which device progresses.
01:05Voting will take place here on the channel and tomsguide.com,
01:08so make sure you're subscribed and you hit that bell
01:10so you don't miss the notification when the poll drops.
01:13We will then tally up the votes each week
01:15and announce the winners in the next video,
01:17where four will become two and finally two will become one
01:21when we announce our winner at the end of the month.
01:24So, Tony, what are you feeling about this competition?
01:27You know, I am super excited.
01:29We have some of the best handhelds out there
01:31and this is a market that just keeps growing and growing and growing
01:34and I'm eager to see which one comes out on top.
01:37So without further delay,
01:38let's find out who's going head-to-head in episode one.
01:40Starting things off, we have the ROG Ally X in our first seed
01:51and the Switch 2, surprisingly, in our eighth seed.
01:54Tony, I see you already making a face.
01:56I know you have some really strong opinions on the Switch 2,
01:58so let me take that one.
02:00But why don't you kick us off with the ROG Ally X?
02:03All right, so the ROG Ally X is basically like the original
02:07but just a lot better.
02:08It has longer battery life.
02:10But still retaining some of the best aspects of its predecessor.
02:13That is the 7-inch 1080p display.
02:17Same ergonomic design.
02:19Same processor, the Z1 Extreme chip.
02:21And it comes in black, which I prefer more than the white.
02:24I mean, I think you brought up same processor.
02:27How is this a successor to the Ally
02:29when we've basically got the same exact performance
02:32and now they're charging like another $300?
02:34Yes, it is more expensive.
02:36But, you know, that battery life,
02:37if you're out on the road, bro,
02:39like you want as much battery life as possible,
02:41you don't want it just dying on you like 30 minutes in, you know?
02:44And if you want to give and use this to actually get work done on,
02:47so I don't think there's a contest.
02:48Yes, it might be more expensive than the Switch,
02:51but it has-
02:51A lot more expensive.
02:51Yeah, but you could do way more with it.
02:54But what's the thing you always mention that you hate about this?
02:57Yeah, the only main con about this is that
03:00even though it does let you play Windows 11 games,
03:03it's still Windows 11 and it's annoying navigating through.
03:06Especially on the touchscreen.
03:08Yeah, especially on touchscreen.
03:09That could be a pain, but you at least get a big library.
03:12Yeah, so if you try to buy this on Asus' website,
03:15which you actually can't because it's sold out,
03:17it's $7.99.
03:18Yeah, $7.99.
03:20But everywhere that you can actually buy it,
03:22bestbuy.com, it's $8.99.
03:23So it's even actually gone up in price.
03:26Which is not good.
03:28All right, so that's the Ally X,
03:29but the newest system that we have here is the Switch 2.
03:32And I think this has definitely been the one with the most buzz,
03:35the most hype.
03:36It has a lot of meaningful upgrades over the original Switch,
03:40at least for me.
03:41I mean, you've got the nicer, bigger display.
03:43You have a lot more processing power here.
03:45So it actually feels more comparable to these other systems now.
03:48It doesn't feel like, you know, just a Switch,
03:51or it doesn't just feel like I'm running my Nintendo games.
03:53You can actually run games like Cyberpunk 2077,
03:56and you're getting comparable performance to the,
03:59what was it, the Xbox Series S?
04:01Yeah.
04:01Which is just insane to think about.
04:02It's basically an Xbox in your hand now,
04:05especially with the new custom NVIDIA processor.
04:09I also think, like, a really big win with this
04:11is the portability.
04:13Like, Nintendo hasn't forgotten that the whole point of this
04:16is taking it on the go,
04:17and compared to every other system that we have on the list now,
04:20this is the one that feels most comfortable using for a long time.
04:24Yes, maybe the Joy-Cons aren't the most ergonomic,
04:28especially for certain games,
04:29but it's lightweight, you still have a really big screen,
04:32and you're not going to get tired as quickly when you're playing this.
04:35Till Nintendo can release some first-party games
04:37that are truly, like, compelling.
04:39I don't know, maybe Pokemon Zazie will convince me
04:44to finally make the plunge and spend $450 on this.
04:48But here's another bummer,
04:49and you brought this up when you mentioned the Ally X.
04:52We have access to not just Windows games.
04:55We can buy games on Steam, GOG, Ubisoft, whatever.
04:58Sales.
04:59Nintendo is always going to be charging us full price
05:01if we buy...
05:02Every single time.
05:02Every single time.
05:03And they're the ones pushing for the $70 and $80 games.
05:11That now a lot of other people are like,
05:13oh, we can charge that much for games?
05:15And, like, you know, you kind of made my point for me.
05:18Yeah, this is great for Nintendo games.
05:20If you're a Nintendo fan, fantastic.
05:23But, you know, I think more people are, you know,
05:26they want third-party support, right?
05:28And you're going to get it on something like this.
05:30Those are our thoughts on the Ally X and the Nintendo Switch 2,
05:34and now it's down to you.
05:35Once you've finished watching here,
05:37go to the post tab on our channel and leave your vote.
05:40Are you going with the ROG Ally X or the Switch 2?
05:43It's all up to you.
05:44I mean, R-Shot's up to us, but it's all up to you.
05:47The next matchup as we head across to the other side of the bracket
05:50is the Battle of the Steam Decks.
05:56I think it makes sense to give a little context.
05:58Let's start with the original Steam Deck LCD.
06:01All right, so this is the one that pretty much launched the revolution
06:05when it comes to handhelds.
06:06And even though some people may go,
06:09hey, let me get the OLED one,
06:10this is still a fantastic console.
06:12It's light, sturdy, great ergonomics.
06:15You get access to, like, so many Steam games.
06:19And it only costs $399.
06:21So, yes, it has been outclassed somewhat,
06:24but it's still fantastic.
06:25Somewhat, in every what.
06:27Okay.
06:28There's better displays.
06:29I mean, before we even get into that,
06:31I mean, let's talk about the OLED.
06:33So what do we get with the upgraded OLED here?
06:35Obviously, the better display.
06:38I tested a lot of handhelds,
06:39and it's been a while since, like,
06:41I actually had one side-by-side with one of these.
06:43But this does dominate every other handheld
06:46when it comes to display.
06:47Yes, it's only 720p, but colors pop more.
06:49It works a lot better outdoors.
06:51And if you're playing on the go a lot,
06:53that makes a huge difference.
06:55But, yes, it's only 720p.
06:56You have a really old processor in here.
06:59Same one as that.
06:59So that was a bit of a bummer as well
07:01that we didn't get, like, a performance boost.
07:03But, like you're saying, Tony,
07:05when it comes to value gaming consoles,
07:08these two are still really great choices.
07:10And it comes down to,
07:11do you have a really tight budget
07:13where can you spend a little bit more money
07:14and upgrade to the better display
07:15that you get with the OLED version?
07:17Yeah, and for some people,
07:18the $150 difference, like,
07:20really does, like, factor into this.
07:22Yes, the OLED does look absolutely gorgeous,
07:24but if you're really tight on a budget,
07:26especially with the way the economy is now,
07:28you may want to consider that
07:29because you're still, at the end of the day,
07:30getting the same core experience.
07:32You're still getting all the games,
07:33the same ergonomic design,
07:34the cool back buttons,
07:35all the same stuff as this one.
07:38This one is a little bit lighter
07:39because of the OLED.
07:41I think that's something important.
07:43But you're not really missing out on much
07:45if you decide to go for the cheaper one.
07:47You also get better battery life, right?
07:49Yeah.
07:49Like, your battery in here?
07:50Yeah.
07:51So this, yeah, you get a better battery life.
07:54This is a 50-watt-hour battery versus a 40-watt,
07:57so it does last longer.
07:58What do you usually get
07:59when it comes to battery life?
08:01So generally, it's about an hour and a half,
08:04which isn't great, to be honest.
08:06But I am also, you know,
08:08playing with the display
08:09a little bit brighter settings
08:11and, you know, a little bit up
08:13because I just want to experience games
08:15looking at its best.
08:16But even though, like, you know,
08:18an hour and 30 minutes isn't great,
08:20that's still also comparable
08:21to a gaming laptop,
08:22so it's not, like, you know, crazy bad.
08:24When you compared both of these,
08:26did you notice, like,
08:27a significant boost in battery life
08:29when you switched to the OLED?
08:30Maybe about 10 or 15 minutes.
08:32That's anecdotal, you know,
08:33because we can't test these.
08:34Like, we can't Windows handhelds,
08:36but that little bit could, like,
08:38you know, take you home
08:39or whatever.
08:40Like, you're on the train
08:41and you've got to walk,
08:42you know, from the train station.
08:43Like, those 10 minutes
08:44could actually make a difference,
08:45but it's not, like, miles apart.
08:47But again, at the core experience
08:50hasn't fundamentally changed,
08:51so you're not really going to
08:52go wrong with it.
08:53But if you want to save $150,
08:56you've got the original model right here.
08:57And this is still a great handheld
08:59for people who are not only new
09:01to handhelds, but PC gaming, right?
09:03This is a lot more affordable
09:05than even, like,
09:06the cheapest gaming laptop.
09:07So if you've never played
09:08PC games before,
09:10you know, you've heard about them,
09:11this is a great entry point
09:12for both of those,
09:13PC gaming and handhelds.
09:15That said,
09:15if one of these had to go through
09:16it in the bracket,
09:17I mean, I'm leaning towards the OLED.
09:19Yeah, again,
09:20the original Steam Deck is awesome,
09:23but I want people to get the best, right?
09:26It's got to be the OLED.
09:28All right, let's now move on
09:30to our third matchup.
09:31And Tony, I think you're going to find
09:32this one really exciting.
09:33We've got the original Ally
09:36and we've got the SteamOS version
09:38of the Lenovo Legion Go S.
09:40Yeah, this is what I've been waiting
09:41to talk about.
09:42So let's get into it.
09:48All right, so on a previous video,
09:50I said that I would love
09:52this handheld with SteamOS.
09:55Now, this handheld has
09:56the Z1 Extreme processor.
09:58So does this one has SteamOS
10:01and it is amazing.
10:03Like, I can't even convey
10:05to proper words how awesome this is.
10:08Like, you know,
10:09it's the Legion Go S,
10:11which is already awesome,
10:12but it has SteamOS.
10:13And the fact that I was able
10:14to get this up and running
10:15in five minutes was just incredible.
10:18When we were updating this thing
10:19for this video,
10:20it took like 50 years.
10:21So, not 50 years,
10:22but it was many, many hours.
10:24Yeah, so I had reviewed
10:26so many, like,
10:27different Windows 11 handhelds
10:29that when I finally
10:29just started getting this setup,
10:31I'm like, oh my God,
10:33look how easy this is.
10:34Like, this is,
10:36SteamOS is just built
10:37for handheld gaming.
10:38And like, the fact that you get,
10:40like, such a strong processor,
10:41great ergonomics,
10:42like, it just puts it
10:43over the top for me.
10:44I know we just talked
10:45about the Steam Deck,
10:47but do you think this
10:48dethrones the Steam Deck?
10:50Yeah, absolutely.
10:50Which I know is shocking
10:52because, you know,
10:53I've been standing
10:54the Steam Deck for years
10:55on this channel,
10:56but, like, this is
10:57just so much better.
10:58Shut up, Siri.
11:00But this is just
11:01so much better.
11:02It's amazing.
11:03It's basically,
11:04the Steam Deck,
11:06like, I don't want to say
11:07illicit drugs here,
11:08but it is a souped up
11:09version of the Steam Deck
11:10and it is great.
11:11What drug are you going to say?
11:12I was going to say
11:13on steroids.
11:14I don't think I'd say that.
11:15You can say steroids.
11:16Wait, Tony,
11:17what happened, though?
11:17You were so loyal
11:18to the Steam Deck.
11:19That's what I'm saying.
11:20Yeah.
11:20Look how easily he caves.
11:22Like, oh,
11:22we've got better hardware now.
11:24That's what I've been saying.
11:25That's what I've been saying.
11:25Get better hardware
11:26with SteamOS
11:27and it's a great combo.
11:29I still think
11:30I'm being consistent,
11:32right?
11:32Because what is the main thing
11:33I loved about
11:34the Steam Deck?
11:35SteamOS, right?
11:36So you give me SteamOS
11:37on better hardware,
11:38that's it, you know?
11:39So, like...
11:40You don't think this is,
11:41like, so we've got
11:42a bigger 8-inch screen here.
11:43You don't think
11:44that's, like, too big now?
11:45The bigger 8-inch screen
11:46does make a big difference,
11:48although I will admit
11:49you may not always
11:50want to play games
11:51at 1080p.
11:51They may not look as great.
11:52You may want to keep it down
11:53to 720p,
11:54but that also helps
11:55with not only performance
11:56but battery life.
11:57So...
11:57And also,
11:58since it's only 8 inches,
12:00it won't look terrible
12:01as compared to something
12:02like the Legion Go,
12:04which has an almost
12:059-inch display.
12:06So I think it hits
12:07that sweet spot,
12:078 inches.
12:08But what do you think
12:09about this?
12:09We've got the smaller,
12:10older,
12:11but way more affordable
12:12ROG Ally.
12:13It starts at, what,
12:14$599 now?
12:15Yeah, at the time
12:16of this recording,
12:17that's changing, yeah.
12:18Which isn't too far
12:19from the Z1 Extreme.
12:20The Z1 Extreme,
12:20I think,
12:21goes for, like,
12:21$699.
12:22So for $100 more,
12:23you get basically
12:24the same exact performance.
12:26But that starts at,
12:27what,
12:28$829?
12:30Well,
12:31it actually starts
12:31at $599.
12:33With the Z2 Go?
12:34But with the Z2 Go,
12:35which is not a great chip.
12:36Trash.
12:37Yeah, you have trash.
12:38Let's just be honest here.
12:39You would want to go
12:40with the Z1 Extreme,
12:41which is going to bump it
12:42up to $899.
12:43Pretty hefty.
12:45I think that's too much.
12:45But you still get 32 gigs
12:46of RAM.
12:46That's too much.
12:47You can't take advantage
12:48of the full 32 gigs.
12:49Well, what is the key difference?
12:51SteamOS?
12:51SteamOS.
12:52I can get SteamOS
12:52on here for free.
12:53I can do it day one.
12:54I can do it right now.
12:55Yeah.
12:55I can do it right now.
12:56Yeah.
12:57How long is that
12:57going to take you?
12:58Who cares?
12:59Who cares?
13:00It's probably going to take you
13:01a long time.
13:02Once and done.
13:03Yeah, but you know what
13:03I need to do to get
13:04SteamOS running on this?
13:05Turn it on.
13:06That's it.
13:06That's all I got to do.
13:07I don't have to go
13:07through installing,
13:08you know, Linux
13:09and all those other crap.
13:10I will spend the 40 minutes
13:12or whatever to save 300 bucks.
13:14Like, listen,
13:14if you want to go
13:15through the hassle,
13:16be my guest.
13:17But if you just want
13:18a simple handheld experience,
13:20this is the one to get.
13:21But here's arguably
13:23the biggest deal breaker.
13:24And, you know,
13:25I pre-ordered this day one.
13:27I've owned this for over
13:28almost two, three years now.
13:30The reason I didn't
13:31install SteamOS,
13:32even though I really want to,
13:33is that some games
13:34like Overwatch 2
13:35and other games
13:36with like anti-cheat software
13:37just won't run on SteamOS.
13:39Yeah.
13:39Like, so if you want
13:40like to play
13:42the most amount of games,
13:43if you want to play
13:43like emulators
13:44and all your other game libraries
13:46super easily
13:46without jumping through
13:47a bunch of hoops,
13:48Windows 11
13:49is actually the winner.
13:50And even though
13:51the Ally X
13:52was overwhelmingly
13:53the number one seed,
13:54I think the original Ally
13:56is still a really great pick
13:57for a lot of people,
13:58especially if you don't need
13:59the extra battery life
14:00that the more expensive Ally X
14:02offers and the 24 gigabytes of RAM,
14:03which a lot of games
14:04aren't going to take advantage of.
14:06If you want to save money
14:07and get the best value
14:08Windows 11 gaming handheld,
14:09this is it.
14:11And finally,
14:12rounding out our bracket
14:12in style,
14:13we have the Lenovo Legion Go
14:14versus the MSI Claw 8 AI+.
14:17Okay.
14:23I really want to talk
14:24about the Claw first
14:25because I've been following this
14:27literally around the world
14:28between...
14:29Literally.
14:29Literally.
14:30Like between,
14:31you know,
14:31the rumors,
14:32between seeing it under glass
14:33where we could look at it
14:34but we couldn't touch it
14:35to finally getting it in hand.
14:37I think this is the story
14:39of Redemption
14:39because literally
14:40it addresses so many
14:42of the issues we had
14:43with the original Claw 8
14:44when that came out.
14:45So Intel struggled
14:46at first with their drivers
14:47and some games
14:48just weren't running really well.
14:50But then they came
14:51with the updated Intel processor
14:53and it delivered
14:54much better performance.
14:55It was actually,
14:56in a lot of games,
14:57better than the Z1 Extreme,
14:58which is exactly
14:59what I've been wanting
14:59for years.
15:00We've been basically stagnant
15:02in terms of performance.
15:03Games just basically
15:04ran the same.
15:05This had more juice
15:07to just run
15:08a little bit smoother
15:08and not just for games
15:10but like,
15:11yes,
15:11this is a Windows device.
15:13Love it or hate it.
15:14But if you want
15:15that productivity machine,
15:16this feels like
15:17a laptop replacement.
15:18If you're someone weird
15:19like me
15:19who docks their handheld
15:20and actually uses it
15:21as a desktop replacement,
15:23this is probably
15:24one of the best devices
15:24that can do it today.
15:26Yeah.
15:26So everything you said
15:27about the Claw,
15:27I pretty much agree with it.
15:29It is better.
15:30The original Claw
15:30was not that great.
15:31This addressed a lot
15:32of the same problems
15:32and a lot of the pros
15:33you said about this
15:34actually apply
15:35to this guy as well, right?
15:36Windows 11,
15:37good for productivity,
15:38access to all your games,
15:40which is great.
15:41But this still has AMD,
15:43which I still think
15:45is a little bit more reliable
15:46when it comes to drivers
15:47and all that.
15:48Intel is getting better.
15:50So that's why
15:51if I had to make a choice,
15:52I would side with Allegiant Go.
15:55And it's also like still
15:57kind of the most unique
15:58handheld out there.
15:59in this category.
16:01And it has...
16:01It's like if the Switch 2
16:03and this had a baby.
16:04I mean,
16:05I can't disagree with that.
16:06Basically,
16:07that's what it is, right?
16:08You get a large
16:098-point-inch display.
16:11Larger.
16:11Yeah, larger.
16:12I mean,
16:12it is literally
16:13the largest...
16:14Right?
16:15I mean,
16:15this is 8-inch.
16:16Yeah.
16:16That's 8.8-inch.
16:17Yeah, you can tell the difference.
16:18They got the smaller bezels there.
16:20So that's a pro for it.
16:21I'll admit that.
16:22And just like the Switch,
16:23you can actually detach
16:24the controllers,
16:26which is actually really cool.
16:27And then one of my other
16:28favorite features is the fact
16:29that it has this big kickstand
16:31because I will admit
16:32this thing is heavy.
16:33It is big.
16:34So I actually like to just
16:35keep it on the desk
16:36and play around with it that way.
16:38Right now,
16:39it's actually more expensive
16:41than it used to be at $749.
16:43But there's always a bunch of sales.
16:44Like currently,
16:45at the time of this recording,
16:46it's $500.
16:47So not too bad at all.
16:49That's a steal.
16:50Steal.
16:51And when I first got to try this out,
16:53I'm like,
16:54why don't more handhelds
16:55have a built-in kickstand?
16:56Seems like a no-brainer.
16:57Maybe you won't want
16:59the detachable controllers,
17:00but it's nice to have.
17:02But with a console this big,
17:04like this is pushing it.
17:05This is at what?
17:061.75 pounds.
17:07Nearly two pounds with this guy.
17:08It's already big, yeah.
17:09This is heavy.
17:09So sometimes it would be nice
17:11to just be able to
17:11have a kickstand propped out.
17:13Even if I'm just playing
17:14on a table like this,
17:15I think that extra support there
17:17would be really nice.
17:17Yeah, because not everybody
17:19wants to hold a handheld all day.
17:21And even when I was reviewing this guy,
17:23I just literally just played it like this.
17:26It was just a lot more comfortable.
17:28But other things I like about it,
17:30like the analogs,
17:31the nice and smooth big D-pad,
17:33and the screen is just like enormous.
17:35Like you could actually
17:36get work done on this.
17:38Like obviously you maybe
17:39want to plug into like a monitor.
17:41That's better, you know.
17:42But let's just say you have
17:44to get work done in a pinch.
17:46This pointer right here,
17:48let me see if I can attach it,
17:49because it's the opposite
17:50of the switch.
17:51You have to pull it down.
17:52You actually can kind of
17:53use it like a mouse.
17:54You ever do that?
17:55I have when I was testing it.
17:57It's not the greatest,
17:58but it does work.
17:59It cracks my hand way too fast.
18:00Yeah, yeah.
18:00No, I wouldn't use it all the time,
18:02but it is kind of cool.
18:03Even has a little touch pad here,
18:05just like the Steam Deck,
18:07which is kind of cool.
18:08That was cool, yeah.
18:09Again, very unique system
18:11that people kind of forgotten about.
18:12Because this thing's so much bigger,
18:15performance does take a hit.
18:16You'll have to drop
18:17the frame rate to 720p,
18:19which does not look good
18:21on such a big screen.
18:23But again,
18:24some of the other features
18:25could just make it worth it
18:26for people,
18:27the detachable controllers
18:28and the fact that you can just
18:29prop it up on a table like this.
18:32And again,
18:32it's such a unique design
18:34and at $500,
18:35like if you can find it on sale
18:37for that price,
18:38I mean,
18:38if you're okay
18:39with something this big
18:40and you like the idea
18:41of detachable controllers
18:42and a Switch-like experience,
18:43I mean,
18:43this is super cool.
18:44Yeah.
18:45But at $899,
18:47if you have the budget for it,
18:48this is the best performing handheld
18:50in this form factor
18:51for under $1,000
18:52that you can get today.
18:53Now,
18:54one of the questions out there
18:55is like,
18:56should you buy this now?
18:57Because like I said,
18:57$500 is pretty good, right?
18:59But there is
19:01a Legion Go 2
19:02on the horizon.
19:04May come out this year.
19:06And I actually got to check it out
19:07at CES,
19:08a prototype version of it.
19:09OLED display,
19:10which is already
19:11a huge advantage.
19:14The Z2 Go Extreme chip,
19:15that's going to be
19:16one of the configurations.
19:17So even though,
19:19yes,
19:19this is cheap right now
19:21or cheap,
19:22you know,
19:22or affordable,
19:24you may want to wait.
19:26Okay.
19:27Surprise, surprise.
19:28I would say
19:29you probably should wait
19:30as well
19:31because we have
19:32the CLAW A8.
19:34Yeah,
19:34they changed up
19:35the naming scheme,
19:35but we've got
19:36the CLAW A8
19:37on the way.
19:38So they dropped AI+.
19:40They're also dropping Intel
19:41and they're going
19:42for the Z2 Extreme
19:43as well.
19:44And I got my
19:45first look at that
19:46at Computex
19:48a few months ago.
19:49And in addition
19:50to like all
19:50the super fun colors,
19:51like, yeah,
19:52we're going to get
19:52better performance.
19:53We're going to get
19:53a really great battery life
19:55and it's going to be
19:56in a bit more
19:57of a compact format.
19:58Okay, that's good.
19:59Yeah.
19:59Yeah,
19:59because it is kind of big.
20:00And let me ask you this.
20:02Do you think
20:02them switching over
20:03to AMD
20:04is giving people options
20:06or admitting defeat?
20:08Haven't, like,
20:09articles come out
20:10that Intel's basically
20:10like bowing out?
20:12Yeah.
20:12Like, I think they basically
20:13said that, uh,
20:15what,
20:15NVIDIA and AMD,
20:17they're the main players.
20:19So I don't even know
20:20if we'll see, like,
20:21a version of this
20:22in the future
20:23with newer Intel hardware.
20:25This is unique,
20:26but this,
20:28without question,
20:29has the best performance.
20:30So for under $1,000,
20:31if you want the best
20:33gaming performance
20:33that you can get
20:34in handheld
20:34in this form factor,
20:35it's got to be
20:36the Claw 8 AI+.
20:38You know,
20:38I've noticed that you said
20:39every single one
20:40of your picks
20:41has been the best.
20:41How can all of them
20:42be the best, bro?
20:43Because they're the best
20:44for different categories.
20:45I'm trying to help
20:46everyone out here.
20:47So if you're on a budget,
20:48if you want the ultimate console,
20:49like, there's one for everyone.
20:51Just making sure you,
20:52you know,
20:52we're consistent.
20:53I'm very consistent.
20:55I mean,
20:55I'm not just shilling
20:57or defending one console here.
20:59I think there's, like,
21:00a lot to love
21:01and hate fairly
21:02about a lot of these consoles.
21:03And the reason
21:04we make these videos
21:05is because we love
21:06playing on these so much.
21:07And each year,
21:07we're seeing them improve.
21:09And just like the last video,
21:10we saw, like,
21:11a weird Frankenstein
21:12between two of the consoles
21:13we loved come out.
21:14Who knows?
21:15Maybe next year,
21:15we are going to get something
21:17more like a Switch 2,
21:19super portable,
21:20still easy to take on the go,
21:21but with the performance
21:22of something massive
21:23like the Claw 8 AI+.
21:25And here's the thing,
21:26there's nothing wrong
21:27with loving multiple,
21:28like you said,
21:28at the end of the day,
21:29we love all handhelds,
21:30but in this contest,
21:32there could be only one.
21:34And Tony,
21:35you said it best,
21:35we can only have one.
21:36We've given you every reason
21:38why these consoles
21:38deserve to move on
21:39to the next round,
21:40and now it's your decision.
21:42It's up to you.
21:43Check out the poll
21:44posted in the channel
21:45and at tomsguy.com
21:46to vote for which device
21:47you want to send
21:48to the next round.
21:49Oh, by the way,
21:50if you liked any of the handhelds
21:51we talked about in this series,
21:52you can find them all
21:53in the links down below.
21:55On the channel,
21:55you can find our reviews
21:56for the Asus ROG Ally X
21:58Lenovo Legion Go S
21:59with SteamOS,
22:00MSI Claw 8 AI+,
22:01and the Nintendo Switch 2,
22:03as well as all the other
22:04great gaming content
22:05that we have.
22:05Don't forget to vote
22:06for each round's winner
22:07and stay tuned
22:07for next week's
22:08semifinals episode
22:09to see which devices
22:10make it through.
22:11You can find us everywhere
22:12at Tom's Guide
22:13and you can follow Tony and I
22:14to see what other gaming
22:15and cool tech
22:16we're checking out.
22:17And we'll catch you
22:17in the next episode
22:18of Handheld Showdown.
22:26That was pretty good.
22:27What do you think?
22:28It was all right.
22:29It was all right?
22:29Yeah.
22:30Well, you're just mad
22:31because your precious
22:32ROG Ally isn't going to win,
22:34is it?
22:34You don't think it's going to win?
22:35No, I don't think so.
22:36I don't think it's going to win either.
22:37I don't think it's going to win.
22:38I don't think it's going to win.
22:38I don't think it's going to win.
22:39I don't think it's going to win.
22:39I don't think it's going to win.
22:40I don't think it's going to win.
22:40I don't think it's going to win.
22:41I don't think it's going to win.
22:41I don't think it's going to win.
22:42I don't think it's going to win.
22:42I don't think it's going to win.
22:43I don't think it's going to win.
22:43I don't think it's going to win.
22:44I don't think it's going to win.
22:45I don't think it's going to win.
22:46I don't think it's going to win.
22:47I don't think it's going to win.
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