The most productive portable game consoles have gained popularity over the years. It’s no surprise that several new machines from some of the biggest brands were announced at CES 2025. If you’re a fan of devices like the Steam Deck OLED, the Asus ROG Ally has something to get you excited about. Training
Most of the Tom’s Guide computing team (myself included) are on the ground at CES checking out the most notable gaming handhelds releasing this year. As one of the aforementioned handheld fans, I can tell you that this year could be a banner one for such machines. Playing the best PC games whenever you go is about to potentially become better than ever.
Below is a rundown of the gaming laptops you can expect this year from Acer, MSI, and Lenovo.
The Legion Go S is a more budget-friendly handheld from Lenovo featuring the best aspects of the Legion Go into a smaller and more ergonomic form factor. This new device doesn’t just offer a new design, but can also be kitted with an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme or a new AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chip. Best of all, a model running on SteamOS is expected to drop in May.
SteamOS on Legion Go S is a game-changer for several reasons. First, this is the first time SteamOS has appeared on a third-party gaming handheld. Secondly, this style deserves to be more user-friendly, as Windows 11 doesn’t run very well in the portable form factor. But if you prefer a Windows 11 laptop, the Legion Go S still has that operating formula as an option, costing more than the SteamOS version.
The Legion Go S has a similar design to the ROG Ally or Steam Deck. It doesn’t have removable drivers like the Legion Go, but its unibody design and rounded sides make it less difficult to hold. It also features a new rounded D-pad and cause crashes, making fighting games and first-person shooters (respectively) more intuitive and accurate. The 8-inch (1920 x 1200) display with its 120Hz refresh rate also makes games look more appealing. Wonderful and works perfectly.
Legion Go S will be the most exciting gaming handheld of 2025 thanks to SteamOS, but its other attributes also make it appealing.
Acer released its first gaming handheld in 2024. It seems the company wasn’t content with the 7-inch Nitro Blaze 7 as its newest devices are bigger. Quite a lot bigger in one case.
The numbers at the end of the Acer Nitro Blaze 8 and Acer Nitro Blaze 11 imply their respective sizes. The former is an 8-inch laptop, while the latter is a monstrous 11-inch. When it launches, the Nitro Blaze 11 will be the most giant Windows 11 handheld on the market. If you have giant hands and find that the old 7-inch handhelds are too small, this is your option. This beast also has removable controllers like the Lenovo Legion Go and Nintfinisho Switch, which is a big touch.
There are some differences but still the length. For example, the Blaze 8 has a faster refresh rate than the Blaze 11. If you like fast-moving first-person shooters, you’ll probably need to play on the Blaze 8. The smaller length also makes it less difficult to carry . .
Unlike competing handheld devices, Nitro Blaze systems use an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS, which is a true desktop processor. Add 16GB of RAM and those handhelds will be tough enough to run the most productive PC games without breaking a sweat.
The MSI Claw 8 AI+ is already available but it still received some shine during CES 2025. We were less than impressed with the original MSI Claw, but this updated model promises to fix its predecessor’s shortcomings.
First up, the Claw 8 AI+ has the new Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 2 CPU packing an Intel Arc 140V GPU. This chip promises better performance and efficiency than the AMD processors in the ROG Ally, Legion Go S and Steam Deck. Featuring the same Intel XeSS tech found in the company’s Arc GPUs, games should have strong performance and smooth frame rates.
There are some small but noticeable design differences from the previous model. It has a larger 8-inch display, a concave D-Pad, Hall Effect joysticks and more responsive shoulder buttons. The handheld also has a dual-tone colorway instead of all-black like before.
The MSI Claw 8 AI makes up for the previous model. Hopefully, this device will be a bigger argument in favor of Intel chips in wearable devices. If this handheld performs as well as we hope, the AMD-equipped festival may receive a notice.
Tony is an IT editor at Tom’s Guide and covers laptops, tablets, Windows, and iOS. In his spare time, Tony enjoys reading comic books, betting on video games, reading speculative fiction novels, and spending too much time on X/Twitter. His non-nerdy activities include attending Hard Rock/Heavy Metal concerts and going to bars in New York with friends and painting buddies. His work has been featured in publications such as Laptop Mag, PC Mag, and independent gaming sites.
Nintendo Switch 2 reveal tipped for this Thursday — and there’s a new price rumor
I’m still giving gaming laptops a chance this year, but it may not be on the Steam Deck.
Forget the Samsung Galaxy S25: The Galaxy S26 just got this huge update
Tom’s Guide is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.