Handheld Gaming PCs Are About to Get a Lot More Expensive

Budget-minded handheld gamers, brace for impact. The era of reasonably priced portable PCs—with sweet spots at $699 or below—is slipping away. New contenders like the Lenovo Legion Go 2, MSI Claw A8, and ROG Xbox Ally X are planting their flags at the high-performance, high-cost summit. Welcome to the steep-end.

Lenovo Legion Go 2: OLED Brilliance Comes at a Premium

Lenovo's Legion Go 2 just bowed at around $1,099, a sharp $400 jump over its predecessor. That price leap signals a shift: this isn’t your Steam Deck successor; it’s a full-price challenger in the gaming laptop arena.

Beyond the cost, hardware got an upgrade: a gorgeous 8.8" OLED display with 30–144 Hz VRR, beefed-up RAM and storage (up to 32 GB and 2 TB), Hall-effect joysticks, detachable controllers, a kickstand, optical mouse features, and even a fingerprint reader. But performance gains over the older Ryzen Z1 Extreme are modest—raising the question: are we paying for specs or style?

MSI Claw A8: Premium Hardware, Premium Price

MSI’s follow-up to the infamous Claw brings Ryzen Z2 Extreme power, up to 24 GB RAM, an 80 Wh battery, and a 1080p 120 Hz screen. A recipe for performance, yes—if your wallet can handle it. At €999 in Europe, that’s north of $1,100 USD, putting it squarely in the “ouch” category.

ROG Xbox Ally X: Branded, Polished—and Not Cheap

The ROG Xbox Ally X, a collaboration between ASUS and Microsoft, enters the ring with Xbox flair and Windows flexibility. Its rumored price is $899 to $999, depending on the region. With Xbox-themed UX and access to Game Pass, Steam, Epic, and PlayStation ports, it brings premium convenience... for a premium price that may limit its mass appeal.

Why This Price Spike Matters

The handheld renaissance kicked off with Valve’s Steam Deck, a lean yet potent machine, built on affordability. Handhelds like the Legion and Claw were niche and pricey, so the Deck disrupted that—and brought the category into the gaming mainstream.

Now, as suppliers chase higher specs and flashier features, they're drawing a steeper line between niche and mainstream. It’s starting to feel like buying a gaming laptop—and not necessarily in a good way.

Consumer Reflections and Inflation

A few gamers cried foul about the recent cost surge. In forums, one user quipped:

“Everything is more expensive now.”

Another investor of sarcasm on r/Handhelds noted handhelds hitting $700 feel excessive—especially when consoles can deliver more cost-effective performance.

Even tariffs are blaming hikes: for example, a $399 handheld could effectively balloon to $900 after a 125% import tariff.

What This Means for Gamers

If you’re chasing frames-per-dollar, these high-end handhelds may give you pause. The hardware punch is real—but at the cost of affordability. If history repeats, we might see a bifurcated market: high-end luxuries and stripped-down budget options.

Your best bet? Hunt for the last generation’s gems still around—Steam Deck, Legion Go S, original ROG Ally—and marvel at how long they punch above their weight.