If you've got an older gaming desktop or laptop, and you're looking to pick up some new hardware, it might be time to consider a new form factor. Computer hardware is more expensive than ever, and the budget market for hardware is grim. Whether you're looking for individual upgrade components or full systems, staying on a tight budget is difficult.

Thankfully, handheld gaming PCs exist. Rather than get a new, high-end gaming rig that will just be out of date in a year or two, you're better off buying a gaming handheld instead.

Good, cheap gaming hardware is hard to find

Budget just doesn't mean the same anymore

All tech hardware is becoming increasingly expensive by the day, making it challenging to find good hardware while staying on a budget. Even if you're just upgrading a GPU or CPU, you still incur high overhead costs, depending on the processor you're looking for. Some of this is due to inflation and market demand, but various trade restrictions and tariffs have also significantly impacted tech prices.

And if you're trying to buy a new system outright, it's extremely difficult to find many good options for under $1,200, though there are a few. Most new gaming rigs with Nvidia RTX 50-series GPUs are easily over $2,000, even featuring lower-end GPUs. The handful of budget systems in the $1,500 and under range tend to run old CPU and GPU combinations. Things are a little better on the upgrade side as individual components aren't quite as pricey as full systems. However, if you're looking for a GPU, you'll often need to spend days waiting for prices to come down to reasonable levels, as few GPUs are ever on sale for their MSRP these days. Even the Intel Arc B580 gets slapped with price hikes.

Gaming handhelds, on the other hand, range from as low as $399 for Valve's base-model Steam Deck, with most Windows handhelds, such as the MSI Claw 8 AI+ or Asus ROG Ally, priced at $649 and above. Sales can often bring these prices down even lower, making handhelds the more affordable gaming option by far.

iGPUs are better than ever

There's still some room to grow with super sampling and frame-gen

In terms of raw performance, iGPUs are better than they've ever been, and new advances in upscaling technology and frame generation can make iGPU performance even smoother while gaming. The resolution and details will often be much lower quality, and you can get some graphics artifacting from supersampling and frame generation tech, but on a light, portable handheld with a 7 or 8-inch screen, you notice those issues significantly less than you do on a massive desktop monitor.

While plenty of gamers are still resistant to frame generation and upscaling technology, but on more limited hardware configurations, technologies like DLSS 4 are absolutely worth backing down from the pure silicon performance cliff. The Switch 2 has access to Nvidia's DLSS technology, while other handhelds can utilize either AMD's FSR 3 or Intel's XeSS 2 super sampling and frame generation frameworks, as both are hardware-agnostic.

Handheld flexibility is a huge bonus

Taking your gaming PC on the road is a game-changer

Laptops are the business device that won't die because hybrid work has made portable computing a must across almost every business. The same is also true of gaming handhelds. You don't just want to game when you're at home at your desktop battle station. You also want to game when you're trapped on a plane for a long flight, stuck sitting in traffic on public transport, or even just lounging in bed trying to fall asleep at night.

Unlike your desktop, you can use a handheld anywhere and everywhere. Especially if your favorite games don't require a Wi-Fi connection. So, instead of suffering on that long commute to the office, you can do a run of Hades II or slowly creep your way into Act 2 of Baldur's Gate III. Or in my case, I can live the ultimate MMORPG life and play Final Fantasy XIV from my bed like a true degenerate.

You've got plenty of choices

More handhelds get announced all the time

Between the original Asus ROG Ally, ROG Ally X, the MSI Claw 8 AI+, MSI Claw A8, Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion Go 2, Lenovo Legion Go S, and the Xbox-branded handhelds, there are more handheld gaming PCs available today than ever. And that's not even including the Nintendo Switch 2.

While the base Steam Deck remains the leader in terms of performance for its price, there are some benefits to the other handheld options, including OLED displays, improved battery life and thermal performance, or newer processors. More are expected soon when Intel and AMD launch their next-generation mobile processors.

A handheld isn't for everyone

But it's a great option for most

A gaming handheld doesn't just need to be a handheld; it also needs to be a gaming device. It can power a traditional mini PC setup. And you can use it for more than just gaming, because underneath the hood, handhelds are running either Windows 11 or Linux. So you can use your Steam Deck to run Obsidian, or you can use your Asus ROG Ally X for work. The options aren't limitless, but you do have plenty of uses for a handheld beyond just keeping up with your live service games or playing the latest indie titles.

Some folks will still prefer a traditional desktop setup, but for most gamers, a handheld just makes more sense these days.