I was interested in buying a Steam Deck... Until I discovered all the (apparently) better alternatives. Asus Rog Ally, OneXPlayer, Aya Neo etc... I like the idea of an handheld console and obviously I would like to have a device that can run almost everything, so the Windows based handhelds seem better than the Steam Deck. Is it true? Furthermore the Steam Deck looks really big compared to some new devices out there (eg the OneXFly) and neither I like the screen of the Steam Deck, apparently of lower res and with very big bazels (to me looks like the first Nintendo Switch). On the other hand, I think Valve is a more serious company than (apart from Asus) some other unknown Chinese company and I expect Valve to deliver a better product. Still I'm not convinced of Steam OS compared to Windows 11, since I would like to play also Epic games and maybe some emulators. So I started getting information about the alternatives and... There are a lot. There are so many that I got overwhelmed. If you go to the OneXPlayer website they sell like 3-4 different handheld consoles, Aya Neo even more and they also have IndieGoGo campaigns running for new devices, all with weird names. I can't understand what's the device right for me (and I really don't understand their business model). So my question is: are the rivals of the Steam Deck worth their price? Are they really better than the Steam Deck (in terms of quality, screen, size)? Thank you for your opinion!
UPDATE: I finally bought a refurbished 256GB Steam Deck.
How much time, relatively speaking, do you spend playing multiplayer Epic games? If it's more than 50%, then yeah, SteamOS may not be for you. But if it's less than that, then SteamOS would be a better experience, simply because it was built ground-up for gaming. No Windows Defender slowing down your system unexpectedly, no Windows Updates to hijack your system at the most unexpected times, no other bloatware or nonsense services like Bing/copilot crap or ads in Explorer - just pure gaming. These Windows handhelds you speak of are barely optimized for gaming, the most they do is add a launcher and call it a "gaming console" - you still have to put up with various Windows annoyances, which defeats the point of a dedicated gaming console - you want to be able to just pick it up, turn it on and game - no nonsense. One of the cool things about SteamOS is how reliable the sleep/resume is when you're gaming, which allows you to just pause and game whenever you like. This whole streamlined experience is why people love the Deck.
BTW, SteamOS has no issues running emulators. I can't think of any popular emulator that runs only on Windows, or runs significantly better on Windows.
The lower res is actually better because it's a small screen. A higher res on a small screen makes things harder to see, plus with a lower res you get more FPS and a better batter life.
It may not look good, but it actually makes it more ergonomic and easier to hold. Check any review of the Deck and you'll see they all praise it's ergonomics, like this one: https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/pc-gaming/steam-deck-review#section-steam-deck-form-factor-ergonomics-and-gamepad
"Despite its undeniable girth, the Steam Deck's attention to ergonomics makes it an incredibly comfortable device to hold, even during extended gaming sessions"
In fact, read the rest of the article - or any other in-depth review. You'll find that the Steam Deck is a much more polished experience overall compared to the others, and this is thanks to both it's hardware and software.