I'm searching for Black Friday handheld gaming PC deals as the resident 'guy who just won't shut up about handheld gaming PCs'
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If you're after a good deal on a handheld gaming PC, you're in good company. These compact computers are all the rage right now, and for very good reason: we've finally reached a time when they're actually any good.
You can get a genuinely good gaming experience out of a device no bigger than some graphics cards. To name a few of the heavy-hitters, there's the ROG Ally X, MSI Claw 7, Steam Deck, Legion Go, Ayaneo Flip DS, alongside many more.
Interest in handheld gaming PCs grew exponentially with the Steam Deck, but I've had my mitts on them since the days of Project UFO and the original GPD models. If you remember those, well done, you are also old. Over that time, I've become learned in the ways of what's hot and what's not.
????We're curating all the best Black Friday PC gaming deals right now????
Guided by the breadth of our handheld reviews and our guide to the best handheld gaming PC in 2024, I'm sniffing out the genuinely good deals this Black Friday. There are already a few available now, even before the big day arrives.
Black Friday handheld gaming PC deals — quick links
- Amazon: All the Amazon Black Friday handheld deals
- Best Buy: Every Black Friday handheld deal on Best Buy
- Newegg: The full Newegg Black Friday handheld deal list
- ROG Ally X: $699.99 @ Best Buy
- MSI Claw 7: $366.42 @ Newegg
- Lenovo Legion Go: $499 @ Amazon
- Steam Deck LCD: $449 at Steam
Handheld gaming PC deals
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MSI Claw 7 A1M | Intel Core Ultra 5 135H | 7-inch screen | 512 GB SSD | Windows 11 | 16 GB RAM | $699 $366.42 at Newegg (save $332.58)
I have to admit the MSI Claw is not our favorite handheld gaming PC. Not even close. That would be the ROG Ally X, which hasn't recieved a tasty discount as of yet. However, below a certain price threshold, the MSI Claw 7 becomes worth a look, and I believe we're just about at that price threshold here. Powered by an Intel Core Ultra 5 'Meteor Lake' chip, this chip is the cheapest of those available, but it can deliver in games thanks to the same eight Xe-cores as the higher models. It's just not as reliable as AMD's options.
Price check: Amazon $407.80View Deal
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Steam Deck (LCD) | 512 GB SSD | SteamOS | $449 at Steam
Okay, the Steam Deck may have had an OLED refresh but the original version is still the archetype of what a mobile PC gaming device should be. It's just as powerful as the most recent model so all those Steam Deck compatible games should run well. It's the OG PC gaming handheld, and it still demands respect.View Deal
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Lenovo Legion Go | Z1 Extreme | 8.8-inch screen | 16 GB RAM | 512 GB SSD | $699.99 $499 at Amazon (save $200.99)
The Legion Go is one of the more polished handhelds on the market, with a sleek 8.8-inch screen and detachable controllers. That screen is a little overkill for the lil' AMD chip inside this machine, the Z1 Extreme also found in the ROG Ally, but it's great for playing indies on while relaxing. One of the controllers also becomes a mouse if you need it, which is a bit of a gimmick but works pretty well.
Price check: Newegg $499.99 | Best Buy $549.99View Deal
Price watch: NEW DEAL!
ROG Ally X | Z1 Extreme | 7-inch screen | 24 GB RAM | 1 TB SSD | $799.99 $699.99 at Best Buy (save $100)
The ROG Ally X is a little bit too new to receive a massive discount. However, as our pick as the best handheld gaming PC to buy right now, even a $100 off is worth mentioning. Combining a generous helping of RAM, which really matters with an APU, alongside a 1 TB SSD and awesome form factor, the ROG Ally X is top of the charts for a reason.
Price check: Asus $799.99View Deal
Handheld gaming PC accessory deals
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Crucial P310 2230 | 1 TB | PCIe 4.0 | 7,100 MB/s read | 6,000 MB/s write | $171.99 $69.99 at Amazon (save $102)
This is a compact SSD designed to fit in tight spaces, specifically handheld gaming PCs. It'll fit snugly in a Steam Deck or ROG Ally, for example. We reviewed the 2 TB model just last month and found it a good performer, though a little sluggish at times, but with such a decent discount such as this those small concerns are easily glossed over. That said, I don't for a second believe this SSD was ever really going to sell for $172, but that is what Micron says.
Price check: Micron $69.99View Deal
Price watch: NEW DEAL!
Steam Deck screen protector | JSAUX | 2-pack | Tempered glass | $9.99 $7.99 at Amazon (save $2)
The first thing I bought for my Steam Deck was a screen protector. Call my paranoid or whatever, but on a device I care about, I'm sticking a screen protector on there just to be on the safe side. These ones are cheap, well reviewed, and easily applied, and don't break the bank.View Deal
Price watch: NEW DEAL!
Hall effect joysticks for Steam Deck | GuliKit | No soldering | LCD model only | $31.70 $25.36 at Amazon (save $6.34)
I swapped my own Steam Deck's thumbsticks to Hall effect ones because 1) I only want Hall effect on everything I own, and 2) it is so cheap and easy. There's no soldering required, just a careful removal of the rear cover, SSD, and thumbsticks. From there, slot the new ones in and reassemble. These Hall effect sticks won't suffer from stick drift and they're extremely responsive and accurate. Just note this is for the LCD model only, no OLED.View Deal
Price watch: NEW DEAL!
Transparent back plate for Steam Deck | Purple | LCD model only | $25.99 $20.79 at Amazon (save $5.20)
While you're pulling apart your Steam Deck for Hall effect thumbsticks or a new SSD, why not also add in a fun translucent back plate? Okay, it's not necessary or going to make your games run any faster, but I have this exact back plate on my Steam Deck and I think it looks very cool indeed. What more reason do you need? Just note this is for the LCD model only, no OLED.View Deal
Handheld gaming PC deals — UK
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ROG Ally | Z1 Extreme | 7-inch screen | 16 GB RAM | 512 GB SSD | £499 £399 at Amazon (save £100)
If you're eyeing up a handheld gaming PC for the holiday period, you can't go wrong with the ROG Ally. This is the version with the full-power chip inside it, the Z1 Extreme, which is absolutely the version to go for. It's a savvy handheld that's still worth a look even with the improved ROG Ally X on the market. Most importantly, it's now the price of a Steam Deck but more powerful and runs Windows 11, which is both a good and bad thing.
Price check: Argos £399.99View Deal
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Lenovo Legion Go | Z1 Extreme | 8.8-inch screen | 16 GB RAM | 512 GB SSD | £699.99 £479.99 at Amazon (save £220)
The Legion Go is a lot like the ROG Ally crossed with a Nintendo Switch, and much bigger than both. It has detachable controllers, one of which can turn into a mouse, and which make for a simple relaxed set-up. The big screen runs at 1600p, which is great for browsing Windows 11, but not really in the ballpark of the Z1 Extreme chip in terms of playable performance. Still, you can run it at 1080p just fine, and this is one of the more polished gaming handhelds on the market.
Price check: Ebuyer £698.99View Deal
Live
Hey, Jacob Ridley here. I cover all things hardware here at PC Gamer, and I'm the guy that likes to talk about handhelds a lot. So, without further ado, let's talk about some handhelds.
Let's talk about the best of the best, the ROG Ally X.
The Ally X feels like the final hurrah for this generation of AMD-powered Windows handhelds. Built around the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor that also can be found inside the ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go, and more or less the same chip as in most other Windows-based handheld, it excels in other ways.
First off, the battery life is great. That's thanks to an 80 Whr battery that really makes a difference to the longevity of this device. That's really important for taking this thing on a long plane journey—you can get some good hours of gaming in without worrying about finding an outlet.
The other big improvement is the 24 GB of RAM onboard. That's more than the 16 GB we expect to see, though a little less than you'll find on premium, more niche handheld brands such as some from Ayaneo or OneXPlayer. The processor in the Ally X uses the same memory pool for both the CPU and GPU components, and more memory means a fairer share between both. That's good for performance, and in our testing we did notice a slight advantage for this design over others.
The screen is still a 1080p, 7-inch IPS—there's no OLED model. Don't expect to be making the most out of its 120 Hz refresh rate too often, either, though it does help keep the desktop sufficiently smooth.
And of course, I'm not just saying this to whet your whistle with no payout. The ROG Ally X is $100 off right now, which is pretty good going for a device that came out back in July and is still considered the hot, new thing.
Price watch: NEW DEAL!
ROG Ally X | Z1 Extreme | 7-inch screen | 24 GB RAM | 1 TB SSD | $799.99 $699.99 at Best Buy (save $100)
The ROG Ally X is a little bit too new to receive a massive discount. However, as our pick as the best handheld gaming PC to buy right now, even a $100 off is worth mentioning. Combining a generous helping of RAM, which really matters with an APU, alongside a 1 TB SSD and awesome form factor, the ROG Ally X is top of the charts for a reason.
Price check: Asus $799.99View Deal
Replacing a handheld's SSD — it can be done
Swapping out a smaller SSD for a larger one is an easy job on a standard gaming PC. On a handheld, it usually requires unscrewing more stuff. Still, I'm here to tell you it can be done.
The first thing you should know is that most of the time you'll want a PCIe 4.0 SSD with a 2230 form factor. That is a specially squished form of solid state that takes up far less room than your average NVMe stick. The one major exception to this is the Legion Go, which requires a 2242 SSD, and some Ayaneo devices actually use the full 2280 SSD form factor.
Here are two of the 2230 SSDs we've tested right here on PC Gamer, both of which are discounted right now:
I've got a few handy videos to outline the process, depending on which handheld you've got.
Just note, you'll likely need to clone your existing drive using an SSD clone tool like Macrium Reflect to get your handheld working as intended. This is a lot easier to do if you have access to a Windows PC with a spare NVMe slot to run the application and clone the drive.
Steam Deck — SSD replacement guidance
Here are some written step-by-step Steam Deck SSD upgrade instructions covering what needs to be done. If you're a visual learner, here's a video instead:
@pcgamer_mag ♬ original sound - PC Gamer
ROG Ally — SSD replacement guidance
Asus has put together a decent step-by-step guide on how to replace your ROG Ally SSD. You can read it here.
The teardown video below also shows the general job of getting the handheld open to access the NVMe.