is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.
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But boutique brand GPD has taken premium handhelds to a new extreme. With the GPD Win 5, I can confirm it’s created the most powerful handheld ever — by sacrificing a big chunk of the portability that makes handhelds attractive to begin with. With prices ranging from $1,600 to $2,200, it’s too rich for me, but I’m beginning to wonder if cord-first handhelds might be a legit new category for the most demanding PC gamers.
There’s a fingerprint reader in that power button, too, and the Menu button works as an Xbox one. Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge
The Win 5 is a 7-inch, 1080p, 120Hz VRR handheld that looks like a giant PlayStation Vita crossed with a PSP, right down to its silver rounded metal corners and transparent D-pad. Which, by the way, is one of the best D-pads I’ve ever used. But the reason you’d buy one isn’t the comfortable sculpt, it’s that it’s the first handheld with AMD’s Strix Halo chip. That’s the same one you’ll find in the Framework Desktop, with the fastest integrated gaming graphics yet made.
To power that monster chip, GPD makes you either A) plug in a power cord, or B) snap on a battery “backpack.” That’s right: there’s no battery inside this handheld itself.
I was ready for that to be a dealbreaker. I half-expected I’d give up after a few days of fighting the cord or flinging around a heavy brick.
Instead, after a week and change playing with an early prototype, I’m finding it surprisingly well thought out. GPD studied the cord, leaning into its strengths to create a lighter and far more powerful handheld plugged in. I can attach the battery, then unplug the cord and still play games at high framerate; when I tire of the battery’s weight, I can run a cable between the battery and handheld and stick the battery part in a pocket or bag.
And this isn’t like sticking a normal USB-C battery into a normal portable. These tethers unlock far more power.
Even though it’s been over three years since the Steam Deck first arrived on the scene, handheld performance hasn’t evolved all that much. Rivals have put faster chips in their portables, but none play the latest games at 1080p any more competently than the Steam Deck could. Why bother with high-res screens at all?
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