For the longest time, if you wanted to play console games like those on the Xbox or PlayStation, you had to buy the console that went along with them. Simple logic, but it's changed somewhat in recent years as flagship Xbox exclusives are now on PC and PlayStation, and PlayStation titles are being ported to the PC. Not that every game is getting this treatment, but enough of the big titles to make the thought process over what to buy need a different angle.

And you know what? The difference is choice. Whether that's the hardware you buy to play your games on, the operating system you install to run them on, or even the storefront you get them from. Yes, consoles can do some things better than PCs, mainly because the developers only need to optimize for one set of hardware, but plenty of the recent PC gaming hardware releases have shown the gap isn't as big as you might have thought.

5 A mini PC

All the power of a gaming console, in a smaller footprint

The closest thing to a gaming console in the PC world is the mini PC. They can be incredibly powerful for their small size, but care should be taken when looking at specifications because there are tons of different versions of the same thing with different CPUs, GPUs, and other specs. They should all ship with Windows, which is good if you want to play Game Pass for PC games, but that's not the only option. Linux gaming has come a long way, and you can choose from custom-made distros like Bazzite to replace Windows, Batocera if you want to play retro games, or pick other desktop distros and add Proton to ensure compatibility with your Windows games.

• Khadas Mind

  CPU

  Up to Intel Core i7-1360P

  Graphics

  Intel Iris Xe graphics

  Memory

  Up to 32GB RAM

  Storage

  Up to 1TB SSD, free M.2 2230 slot

  Motherboard

  Custom

  Ports

  2x USB Type-C, 2x USB Type-A, HDMI

  $649 at Khadas $550 at Amazon

• Geekom GT1 Mega

  CPU

  Up to Intel Cure Ultra 9 185H

  Graphics

  Intel Arc graphics (integrated)

  Memory

  32GB DDR5-5600

  Storage

  Up to 2TB SSD

  Motherboard

  Custom

  Ports

  Rear: 2x USB4, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x USB 2.0 Type-A, 2x HDMI 2.0, 2x 2.5Gbps Ethernet; Left side: 1x SD card slot; Front: 4x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x 3.5mm headset jack

  $990 at Amazon $1099 at Geekom

• Minisforum AtomMan X7 Ti

  CPU

  Intel Core Ultra 9 185H

  Graphics

  Intel Arc graphics (integrated)

  Memory

  32GB DDR5 5600MHz dual-channel

  Storage

  1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD

  Motherboard

  Custom

  Ports

  2x USB4, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x USB 2.0 Type-A, 2x 5Gbps Ethernet, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 2.0, 1x OcuLink, 3.5mm headphone jack, 1x SD card reader

  $639 at Minisforum $784 at Amazon

4 A mini-ITX PC

With the right components you can build a true console-killer

Whatever games you're running, gaming consoles these days are much closer to PCs with custom operating systems than ever before. So, why not turn a PC into a console? With the right components and a small case, you can build a PC that's close to console size and install any of the options for a console-like dashboard, like Launchbox, or even simply set Steam to run in Big Picture mode every time the PC boots.

Yes, you'll have to deal with the occasional driver update or glitch. But consoles aren't immune to glitches, and you have to send those to the service center to get them fixed. At least with a PC you have some control over fixing issues, and you get a much bigger game library to play with, spanning back more years than the back compatibility list on consoles.

3 Steam Deck

Why limit yourself to being tethered to a TV?

The Steam Deck, in LCD or OLED variants, is still my favorite way to game, whether late at night or while slouching on the couch with it docked to my TV. It's powered by a custom AMD APU, just like the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5/5 Pro, and more importantly, Valve spent a lot of time getting the UI right so that it's a proper console experience, and not just a shell over the desktop version of the operating system running on it.

The ergonomics might not be the greatest, but all handhelds suffer from this to some degree, and I clock more playtime on this console than any other I own. Oh, did I say console—that's my bad—because there's also a full-fledged Linux desktop mode inside Steam OS. And with Valve working on making Steam OS compatible on other PC gaming handhelds, and presumably on PC hardware as well, you'll be able to have a consistent, streamlined gaming experience on every device you own.

• Follow

  Followed

  Steam Deck

  Dimensions

  11.7 x 4.6 x 1.9 inches (298 x 117 x 49mm)

  Brand

  Valve

  Weight

  1.48 pounds (669 grams)

  Chipset

  Custom AMD Zen 2-based processor (4 cores, 8 threads, up to 3.5GHz)

  RAM

  16GB LPDDR5 5600MHz

  Storage

  Up to 512GB M.2 2230 SSD

  The LCD Steam Deck is an affordable way to play your Steam library on the go.

  $399 at Steam

• Steam Deck OLED

  Dimensions

  11.7 x 4.6 x 1.9 inches (298mm x 117mm x 49mm)

  Brand

  Valve

  Weight

  1.41 pounds (640 grams)

  Chipset

  Custom AMD Zen 2 APU (4 cores/8 threads, up to 3.5GHz boost)

  RAM

  16GB LPDDR5 6400MT/s

  Storage

  512GB or 1TB NVMe SSD, microSD card slot

  The Steam Deck OLED brings slightly better internals, faster Wi-Fi, and a much better screen to the PC gaming handheld that's still our firm favorite.

  $649 at Steam

2 A Windows-based PC gaming handheld

Take your Game Pass for PC titles on the road

One thing missing from the Steam Deck is native support for Game Pass for PC games. Currently, these have to be streamed through the Edge browser in desktop mode. This is not an elegant solution and doesn't really showcase the Steam Deck to its best. Do you know what can run native Game Pass for PC games? Windows-based PC gaming handhelds, like the Asus ROG Ally, come with the Xbox app pre-installed, so you can start downloading games as soon as you're signed in to your Microsoft account.

Sure, these handhelds are more expensive than your TV-attached console, but they're also portable. Plus, you can dock them to your TV when you're at home. And yes, Microsoft is "building" its own Xbox Handheld, but it's being built by one of the existing OEMs for PC gaming handhelds. That means it won't change much from the models that are already on the market, and also, it won't be much different in price. You don't need to wait for an Xbox-branded handheld when there are many options right now, like our favorite ROG Ally X or the MSI Claw 8 AI+, which should be in stock soon.

1 A Raspberry Pi

Okay, and a few more accessories to turn it into a sweet retro gaming console

Much has been said about back compatibility with gaming consoles, but to play some of the games of yesteryear, you need to turn to emulation. The Raspberry Pi is perfect for emulating retro games, although you could just as well do this on an old PC. You'll need a few other things as well, but the first decision is what operating system to run. The Pi has plenty of options, from Batocera, RetroPie, and Recalbox, among others, although you might want to stick to Batocera as it's got the best Bluetooth controller support.

While it's not going to be powerful enough to emulate the current generation of consoles, it can probably manage the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 eras well. Plus, you'll learn something in the process, as while the setup is fairly painless, it's still going to take some time to fine-tune the experience. Maybe you'll want to 3D print a new case so that your mini console looks like one, or build an arcade cabinet and use your retro machine to play tons of classics, without needing to have a stack of quarters. Either way, it'll be something you built, and there's something to be said about that process.

You could buy a locked-down gaming console, but you'll get more games and utility from any of these choices

PC gaming these days doesn't mean you have to build everything from scratch, or even that you need to keep track of things like driver updates. Gaming-focused operating systems like Batocera, SteamOS, and Bazzite have shown that PC gaming can be just as seamless as console gaming, by remaking the user experience. Installing one of these three on any small but powerful PC will give you tons of gaming enjoyment, and you can still use them as a desktop to get work done, something that consoles can't and likely won't do.