For the past few years, a lot of gaming handhelds have flooded the market, but not all are worth the money. I have been into gaming for a very long time be it retro Game boys or PC or modern consoles. Somewhere Nintendo Switch eco-system was good enough, but with the release of Switch 2 it has been a major disappointment. It has become a “golden goose moment for Nintendo” with the game key card fiasco, local wireless sharing of games and a poor battery backup. The launch titles didn’t showcase the true potential of the console, and it is already a missed opportunity. Previously, console life cycles used to be seven years, which is now reduced to five, and it will become three years in the future. Among all handhelds out on the market as of today, the only long-term value I see is for Steam Deck OLED from a company called Valve. It is more of a PC handheld with its own operating system SteamOS. Although Steam library has a huge collection of games, it was not recommended a few years ago, but now with the use of the app Lossless Scaling it is much more lucrative among all other handhelds. Not only the ergonomics is good (medium to large hands), it is OLED and the battery life can be extended using an additional setting where you can reduce the TDP (10-13Watts) and still get the same performance with more than 3hr20mins of gameplay on AAA titles. Steam does have Steam verified games, which are optimized for the Steam Deck. But those native settings will not let you extend your battery life. There are many Windows handhelds with much powerful chipsets and more RAM, but the tradeoffs are way too high. Firstly, the price, if anything goes above 800$USD it is just not worth it because you can get a gaming laptop with adding more money. In addition, a robust processor requires more power, which increases battery size, resulting in a bulkier console that destroys the ergonomic design. All those powerful handhelds will either collect dust or remain as a memento on your shelf. Xbox found a way around with their latest collaboration with Asus ROG, and I believe Sony will also launch its portable console may be within 2-3 years. Any handhelds that not only provide their own exclusives but also open to other game stores such as Steam, Epic Games, Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus will have the major chunk of the market. Almost all gaming handhelds will work the same unless they are using a custom chipset. So, if you are willing to wait for the next OLED Switch 2 refresh, then maybe we could see some improvements. Or if you willing to start your gaming journey today and save yourself from brain rot from incessant noise, then Steam Deck OLED is recommended along with lossless scaling. Its useful life would be two years before another refresh comes from Valve. But still there will plenty of Indie games and AAA backlogs, retro games that you can enjoy on your steam deck.