gaming handheld Archives

AppWizard

December 2, 2025

Save Up to $30 Off Humble Choice for Cyber Monday

Humble is offering a limited-time discount on Humble Choice memberships in celebration of Cyber Monday, ending today. The monthly plan can be purchased for .50 with the promo code CYBER25, while the annual plan is available for .99 using the code HOLIDAY25IGN. November's game offerings include titles such as Total War Warhammer III, Another Crab's Treasure, Pharaoh: A New Era, Etrian Odyssey HD, No More Heroes 3, Synergy, Spin Hero, and Paleo Pines. Members also receive up to 20% off purchases from the Humble Store and contribute 5% of their subscription fee to charity.

AppWizard

November 30, 2025

The Steam Deck price just hit its lowest level ever, thanks to Valve’s Black Friday weekend discount

The 256GB Steam Deck LCD is currently available for 9.20, reflecting a 20% discount and marking its lowest price ever. The Steam Deck OLED is priced at 9.00, but the performance differences between the two models are minimal. Competing handhelds like the Lenovo Legion Go S and ROG Xbox Ally are priced around 0, while higher-end devices exceed ,000. The Steam Deck LCD features a 7-inch LCD display with a resolution of 1,280 x 800 and is powered by a custom AMD APU. It runs SteamOS, which is considered to provide a superior gaming experience compared to Windows. The Lenovo Legion Go S is the only other handheld that officially supports SteamOS but at a higher price.

AppWizard

November 29, 2025

The Steam Deck price just hit its lowest level ever, thanks to Valve’s Black Friday weekend discount

The 256GB Steam Deck LCD is currently available for 9.20, marking its lowest price ever with a 20% discount for Black Friday weekend. The Steam Deck OLED is priced 0 more than the discounted LCD model, while competitors like the Lenovo Legion Go S and ROG Xbox Ally are priced around 0, and higher-end options exceed ,000. The Steam Deck LCD features a 7-inch LCD display with a resolution of 1,280 x 800 and is powered by a custom AMD APU, providing a satisfactory gaming experience. It runs SteamOS, which is noted for delivering a superior handheld gaming experience compared to Windows.

AppWizard

November 28, 2025

The best Black Friday gaming deals for 2025: Save on PS5 consoles, Nintendo Switch games, handhelds and more

Gaming enthusiasts can find various Black Friday deals, including: - PlayStation 5 Digital Edition for 9 at Walmart (a 0 discount). - PlayStation 5 Pro for 9 at Amazon (tied for the lowest price). - Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World for 9 at Amazon (no discount). - Donkey Kong Country Returns at Target (new low price). - The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom at Target (new low price). - Super Mario Odyssey at Walmart (discounted). - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door at Best Buy (new low price). - Sony DualSense controller at Amazon (discounted). - Sony DualSense Edge controller for 9 at Amazon (best price to date). - PlayStation Plus Premium (12-month) for at PlayStation (discounted). - Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox (2TB) for at Amazon (discounted). - Clair Obscur for PlayStation (acclaimed RPG). - Battlefield 6 at GameStop (discounted). - Steam Deck for 9 at Steam (20% discount). - Lenovo Legion Go S for 9 at Best Buy (new low price). - Meta Quest 2 for 9 at Amazon (includes credit). - PlayStation VR2 + Horizon Call of the Mountain bundle for 9 at Amazon (no discount). - Lemokey P1 HE for at Amazon (best price for Prime members). - ASUS ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless for 9 at Amazon (all-time low). - Razer Viper V3 Pro for at Amazon (lowest price in months). - Razer DeathAdder V3 HyperSpeed at Amazon (discounted). - Turtle Beach Atlas Air for at Amazon (best price since February). - HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 at Amazon (budget-friendly option).

Winsage

November 21, 2025

Qualcomm says 90% of top Windows games will run on Snapdragon X2 laptops — is Windows on Arm gaming finally here?

Qualcomm has introduced the Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme, which are expected to significantly enhance the performance and efficiency of Windows laptops. Initial benchmarks show that the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme performs well in single-core, multi-core, and GPU metrics, making it suitable for both productivity and gaming. Over 90% of the most played Windows games will be compatible at launch on devices using these new processors, which offer up to 2.3 times higher efficiency than previous models. Qualcomm has also launched the Snapdragon Control Panel to optimize game performance and ensure up-to-date drivers. The Snapdragon X2 Elite supports AVX2 emulation for running certain games via Microsoft's Prism Emulator, and there is ongoing development of kernel-level anti-cheat support for Windows on Snapdragon. Microsoft reports that 90% of user activity on Windows 11 on ARM involves native applications, indicating improved compatibility. New laptops featuring these Snapdragon processors are expected to debut in the first half of 2026, with previews potentially at CES in January.

BetaBeacon

November 14, 2025

Android gaming handhelds are great, but there’s an ugly side to the space I’m tired of ignoring. Here’s a glimpse at my journey through the frustrating world of delayed Android gaming handhelds and what it reveals about one of the market’s biggest players

AYANEO is experiencing quality control issues, poor build quality, and shipping delays due to trying to do too much too fast.

Winsage

November 11, 2025

Microsoft Starts Rolling Out Redesigned Start Menu to All Windows 11 Users

Microsoft released its November 2025 Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 11, featuring a redesigned Start Menu and enhancements for the 25H2 and 24H2 versions. The KB5068861 update includes: - Improvements for Copilot+ PCs: - Click to Do enhancements for tasks like translating text and selecting objects. - File Explorer updates allowing quick action commands when hovering over files. - Voice Access enhancements with Fluid Dictation for better grammar and punctuation. - Enhanced Windows Search with semantic search capabilities. - Redesigned Start Menu with a scrollable All section, responsive layout, and Phone Link integration. - Taskbar updates with a new battery icon indicating charging status and health, along with battery life percentage displayed on the lock screen. - A new security control for Administrator Protection available in preview. - Quality updates addressing issues with Task Manager and gaming handheld devices. Two changes related to File Explorer have been postponed for a future update: recommended files for Microsoft Account users and third-party cloud storage integration.

BetaBeacon

November 7, 2025

Android gaming handhelds are having their ‘Steam Deck moment’ as new devices like the AYN Odin 3 and KONKR Pocket FIT deliver Snapdragon 8 Elite power and full PC game emulation at unprecedented budget prices, ushering in a golden age for portable gaming

The Steam Deck originally launched with a price tag of 9, cheaper than other x86 handhelds. AYANEO and AYN have now released Android gaming handhelds powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, offering top spec models for 9 and 9 respectively. These handhelds can run Windows emulation and offer a user-friendly experience for gaming. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is capable of emulating other consoles, including Switch games. AYANEO, AYN, and Retroid are releasing handhelds with a similar price-to-performance ratio as the Steam Deck.

BetaBeacon

November 5, 2025

Game Boy goes glam with AYANEO’s latest luxurious gaming handheld

AYANEO has introduced the Pocket VERT, a high-end handheld inspired by the classic Game Boy. It features a CNC-machined body, diamond-cut shoulder buttons, and a 3.5-inch screen with 10 times the resolution of the original Game Boy. Pricing and availability details are yet to be announced, but it is expected to come with a luxury price tag.

AppWizard

November 5, 2025

I’d pay $1,500 for an Xbox Ally X with 2.5x the performance, and this leaked AMD CPU could nudge that dream closer to reality

AMD is rumored to be developing the Ryzen AI Max+ 388 chip, featuring the largest integrated GPU it has produced, built on the Strix Halo design. This chip has a streamlined architecture with eight CPU cores and 40 compute units (CUs) based on RDNA 3.5 architecture, distinguishing it from its predecessor, the Ryzen AI Max+ 395, which has 16 CPU cores. The Max+ 388's GPU is expected to be significantly more powerful than existing models like the Steam Deck and Xbox Ally X, potentially offering 2.5 times the performance of the Xbox Ally X. The current market for handheld gaming chips includes devices like the Steam Deck and Xbox Ally X, with the Max+ 388 anticipated to set a new benchmark for portable gaming performance. The only current handheld using the Strix Halo architecture is the GPD Win 5, priced around ,000.