Christmas is coming! At Moyens I/O, we decided to prepare a big Christmas guide for you. It highlights products tested and approved by our journalists, broken down by theme. Whether you’re looking for a gift for your loved ones or just for yourself, we’re here for it. Today, we’ll be highlighting three flagship portable consoles of the moment.
Three different portable consoles for every budget. It’s true that we have been spoiled with the launch of so many brands this year. But which one to choose? Don’t panic, we will help you.
Base: Nintendo Switch OLED
It sounds so obvious that we hesitated to include it in this buying guide to leave room for others. But we can’t fight: the Switch OLED is hands down the best portable console on the market today. Rich game library, plenty of fantastic games (Zelda TOTK and Mario Wonder this year alone), great concept, Nintendo Switch has everything it needs to please. Here we recommend the OLED model released in 2021. Its display provides real added value compared to the LCD panel of the classic version. Switch OLED is absolutely necessary.
- Extensive game library
- Exceptional ergonomics
- OLED screen
- One console has reached the end of its life, the next should be announced soon
- Screen limited to 720p
- Almost everyone already has one.
Our full review of the Nintendo Switch OLED
Ultra connected: Razer Edge
Razer entered the portable console market with Edge. Kishi V2 Pro, the best mobile Pad on the market, is an Android terminal built into the controller. With its Qualcomm Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 processor, it has enough power to run all major games on PlayStore without blinking. It also prides itself on the Cloud, with the ability to launch games via GeForce Now or Xbox Game Pass. It’s all presented with a beautiful OLED display and pretty respectable battery life. What’s the biggest difference between a controller and an Android phone connected to it? The existence of Nexus, an interface dedicated to video games. A machine for those who want to play everything, all the time, be it Android or PC.
- An ultra versatile machine
- Kishi controller, very comfortable
- OLED display and autonomy
- You have to pay extra for your subscriptions to play in the cloud
- Connecting to good Wi-Fi is required to play
- Some ergonomic concerns
Full review of Razer Edge
Big engine: ROG Ally
Asus released its first portable console this year: ROG Ally. It is essentially a Windows computer converted into a controller using the Steam Deck concept. Aim? It allows you to play all your PC games anytime, anywhere, whether on Steam, Xbox or Epic Games Store. It’s a computer after all! ROG Ally is available in two models. The most expensive one (799 euros) is powered by the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme SoC, while the other one, sold for 699 euros, makes do with the classic Ryzen Z1. We can’t recommend you enough to opt for the top-of-the-line model; The classic Z1 version, although not much cheaper, is really too weak to convince. So it is better to invest. In any case, Asus has created a beautiful machine. How nice it is to sit down to play some Baldur’s Gate 3 or Cyberpunk 2077 without your bed or couch! Last important point: The console displays customizable RGB LEDs. What could make more sense for a ROG product?
- A real pocket computer
- Excellent ergonomics
- The Z1 Extreme model can run all this with a few compromises
- LCD screen, not OLED
- The classic Z1 model to avoid
- Starving autonomy
