Handheld gaming has had a resurgence in the last few years, largely thanks to the Nintendo Switch; not to be left behind, Valve and Sony have got in on the portable action with their own portable offerings. The Steam Deck and PlayStation Portal aim to make gaming more convenient by letting you play your game library on the go. But how do they compare to one another?
In a way, it’s a bit like comparing apples and oranges. Yes, both are handheld devices, but while the Steam Deck is a handheld console/mini gaming PC, the PlayStation Portal is a remote-play device – in other words, it’s a PS5 streaming device and doesn’t run games natively like the Switch or Steam Deck.
That doesn’t mean it’s not a great handheld device, though, and if you’re in the market for just that, you may be torn between the Steam Deck and PlayStation Portal. Thankfully, we’re here to help. We’ve laid out all the major aspects of both devices below to help you decide what’s best for you.
If you’re only after handheld gaming consoles, it’s worth checking out our Steam Deck vs Nintendo Switch OLED breakdown, and if you want to consider the most recent Steam Deck, read our Steam Deck OLED review.
The PlayStation Portal is a fantastic remote-play device, allowing you to easily play your PS5 library on the go. Its high-quality, ergonomic design only adds to the experience, offering exceptional comfort. This handheld only gives access to your PS5 library, however, and requires a stable internet connection as it can’t play games natively.
For
- The best way to play your PS5 games remotely
- Ergonomic and accessible design with strong build quality
- Brilliantly translates PS5 games to a handheld device
Against
- LCD screen can show its limitations
- Sluggish battery charging
The Steam Deck is essentially a portable, more affordable handheld gaming PC. This handheld device lets you access your Steam library on the go – though its performance is a mixed bag. If you’re a PC gamer who loves versatility, convenience, and the ability to tweak your devices, the Steam Deck is worth considering.
For
- Well built
- Good performance
- Huge library of games
- Innovative and flexible
Against
- Slow load times
- Short battery life
- Software has some quirks
PlayStation Portal vs Steam Deck: price and value
There’s a considerable price difference between the PlayStation Portal and the Steam Deck; this isn’t surprising, given that the Portal is a remote-play device/accessory rather than a handheld gaming console/PC.
The PlayStation Portal costs $199.99 / £199.99 / AU$329, while the 256GB Steam Deck is $200 more at $399 / £349 / AU$649. For comparison, the PlayStation Portal is the same price as the Nintendo Switch Lite (which does play games natively), while the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch OLED sit between the Steam Deck and Portal, at $259.99 / £259.99 / AUD$435 and $299.99 / £259.99 / AU$469.95, respectively.
The Portal is pricey, considering it’s a streaming device, but brilliantly translates PS5 games to a handheld device – so if you plan to play your PS5 remotely regularly, it’s a worthy investment. It’s worth noting, though, that you do need to have a PS5 for the Portal to synchronize with. The Steam Deck, on the other hand, is pricier than its competition but more powerful and arguably less limited when it comes to game choice.
PlayStation Portal vs Steam Deck: specs
Here is the full list of specs for the PlayStation Portal and the Steam Deck.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 | PlayStation Portal | Steam Deck |
| Price | $199.99 / £199.99 / AU$329 | $399 / £349 / AU$649 (256GB) |
| CPU | Snapdragon 680 processor | AMD Zen 2 four core 2.4-3.5GHz (7nm) |
| GPU | Snapdragon 680 SoC | AMD RDNA 2 (7nm) |
| RAM | Snapdragon 680 SoC | 16 GB LPDDR5 (5500 MT/s) |
| Storage | N/A | 256GB NVMe SSD |
| Display | 8-inch LCD touch screen (1920 x 1080 resolution) | 7-inch LCD touch screen (1280 x 800 resolution) |
| Refresh rate | 60Hz | 60Hz |
| Battery life | 4,370mAh non-removable battery charged via USB-C, roughly 5-6 hours | 40Whr, 2-8 hours |
| Ports | USB-C, 3.5mm headphone jack | USB-C, 3.5mm headphone jack, microSD |
| Connectivity | WiFi 5, PlayStation Link | WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Weight | 18.66oz / 529g | 23.6 oz / 669g |
| Dimensions | 12in x 2.4in x 4.7in / 305mm x 60mm x 120mm | 11.73in x 4.6in x 1.93in / 298mm x 117mm x 49mm |
PlayStation Portal vs Steam Deck: design and features
While these are both handheld devices, they look and perform quite differently.
The PlayStation Portal is essentially a DualSense controller wrapped around an 8-inch LCD, so it sports the same white wings with black detail and thumbsticks. These thumbsticks are smaller than the DualSense, and there are some differences in the placement of certain buttons, but overall, this device will feel familiar to PS5 owners.
This DualSense integration also means the Portal has haptic feedback and adaptive triggers for more immersive gaming. In addition to these DualSense features, the PlayStation Portal has PlayStation Link connectivity, allowing you to connect your device with a Pulse Elite headset or Pulse Explore earbuds. If you’ve not got a PlayStation Link-able device, you can attach a headset via the 3.5mm headphone jack – but there’s no support for Bluetooth accessories.
In contrast, the Steam Deck looks like the Switch’s mature older brother – you know, the one who rides Harleys and drinks Jack Daniels like water. It’s a matte black tablet with a 7-inch LCD and has the typical thumbsticks, triggers, and face buttons you’d expect on a handheld (in fact, it has more than the average device), alongside two square trackpads for extra control.
The best part – for some – about the Steam Deck is its versatility and how customizable it is. You can connect it to a USB dock to use a keyboard, mouse, and monitor and use Steam OS 3.0, a Linux distro based on Arch Linux, in desktop mode. You can then install other software and even other operating systems, such as other Linux distros or Windows 11.
Steam Deck is a chunky device but offers a comfortable experience – which Valve reportedly took a lot of time designing. Similarly, the Portal is surprisingly hefty and larger than you might expect (though lighter than the Steam Deck), but its ergonomic design means it’s comfortable to use for long periods.
With any handheld device, you want a high-quality, sturdy build – as it will likely get bumped about a bit when on the go. Fortunately, both the Steam Deck and PlayStation Portal tick that box. If you’re concerned, however, it’s worth using the carry case that comes with the Steam Deck or investing in a case for the Portal.
PlayStation Portal vs Steam Deck: performance and battery life
As already mentioned (many times), the performance of these devices is the biggest difference between them.
The PlayStation Portal is a remote-play device and essentially allows you to stream from your PS5 to the device. As such, you need a PS5 (that is turned on or in rest mode) to connect to and a stable internet connection. Given the importance of the internet connection, it’s surprising the Portal uses WiFi 5 and not 6, but we still found it to perform superbly during our testing. We had little to no lag or input delay and games ran as smoothly as on the main PS5 console. The Portal’s LCD screen can show its limitations at times, but the image quality is very impressive overall. The sound through the Portal’s built-in speakers, too, is punchy and seamless.
The Steam Deck, on the other hand, is essentially a handheld (more affordable) gaming PC and natively plays PC games from your Steam library – though performance between titles can vary, ranging from impressive to frustrating. It’s best to stick with ‘Steam Deck Verified’ titles, which have been thoroughly tested on the device and should run smoothly while looking great. Games without this signifier, but with the ‘Playable’ tag can work on Steam Deck, but may not run how you’d hope. Fortunately, the list of ‘Deck Verified’ titles is growing by the day, so you’ll be spoiled for choice. If you’ve got the know-how, you can also tweak games to make them run better. Overall, the Steam Deck’s performance is good – just don’t expect PC-level performance consistently, and prepare for stuttering at times.
Unfortunately, neither the Steam Deck nor the PlayStation Portal boasts impressive battery life. The Steam Deck can manage between two and eight hours – but in our testing, we found it only lasted an hour and a half playing God of War. This reduces the portability of the Steam Deck considerably and will be a huge pain for those who plan on lengthy gaming sessions.
The PlayStation Portal is only slightly better and has a similar battery life to the DualSense, around five to six hours. This should suffice for longer gaming sessions – though more demanding games will likely reduce this – and the device is easily charged via a USB-C cable, though, this can take around two hours.
PlayStation Portal vs Steam Deck: verdict
While they’re both handheld devices, the PlayStation Portal and Steam Deck are very different devices, suiting very different needs.
If you’re a PS5 player who wants to comfortably enjoy their library of PS5 games on the go without losing much of the console gameplay experience, the PlayStation Portal is the clear choice here.
However, if you’ve got a chunky Steam library or prefer PC gaming (but perhaps can’t afford a fully-fledged gaming PC), the Steam Deck is the better option, as you can download and play games straight from the device. If you don’t mind splashing a bit more cash, though, I advise picking up the Steam Deck OLED over the Steam Deck for more storage and an overall better experience.