Gaming

Horizon Forbidden West on PC Gaming Handhelds

How well does it play?

Published

April 19, 2024

Horizon Forbidden West is one of the most visually stunning games today, perhaps ever. Previously only a PlayStation exclusive, the game is now available on PC. Being available on the platform means it opens itself up to being playable in multiple ways. With gaming handhelds being a hot thing of late, we tested the game on three handhelds to see how well it runs.

But first, the system requirements.

Very low (minimum)

Processor: Intel Core i3-8100 or AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB or AMD Radeon RX 5500XT 4GB
Average performance: 720p @ 30 fps

High

Processor: Intel Core i7-9700 or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 or AMD Radeon RX 6800
Average performance: 1440p @ 60fps or 4K @ 30fps

Ultra High

Processor: Intel Core i7-11700 or AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 or AMD Radeon RX 7900XT
Average performance: 4K @ 60 fps

Gaming handhelds typically have a power output comparable to baseline/entry level gaming laptops. That means these should be enough to handle the demands of Horizon Forbidden West,

So, we’re good on paper. But what’s it like during actual gameplay?

MSI Claw

The latest player from a major PC and Gaming manufacturer in the gaming handheld space has a lot to prove. It’s also the only one in the devices we used today that is powered by Intel Core Ultra. There’s plenty of room for improvement here.

The MSI Claw struggled to run the game the most. On High Graphics Settings, the game would crash within three to five minutes with an error message saying the device “doesn’t have enough RAM” to run the game.

Bringing it down to Medium Graphics Settings makes it playable. But Medium on the MSI Claw looks drastically different from the rest of the devices here. You lose a lot of the visual appeal of the game. And while you can freely move Aloy around, the environment you’re moving in looks like smudged painting.

We’re not off to a great start but it does get better.

Lenovo Legion Go

Having the biggest screen in the bunch, we enjoyed looking at the Horizon Forbidden West visuals on this screen the most. Those eight inches do wonders when placed so close to your face.

We started the game on High Graphics settings and while the Legion Go was able to run it, we also had to run to the nearest power outlet to keep the device running. Also, in High Graphics settings, there’s some noticeable lag and delay. It’s just not the best experience gameplay-wise, but it does kickass for visuals.

That said, the sweet spot remains to be the Medium Graphics Settings. In this configuration we got a workable balance between visual fidelity and gameplay. The power draw is still high but it at least lasts a little over an hour on battery.

ROG Ally

The ROG Ally is just an inch off the Legion Go’s display but you do notice the difference. That said, Horizon Forbidden West ran the smoothest on this gaming handheld.

Unlike the Legion Go, we opted to play on Medium Graphics Settings from the jump. That meant the ROG Ally got a feel for the game pretty early on and ran the game seamlessly.

The in-game engine cutscenes look rough sometimes, but that’s par for the course for the capabilities of gaming handhelds right now. We’re fairly certain this will only improve in the coming generations of this device category.

We spent our longest play time on the Ally because it’s less inconspicuous to take out and play when you’re out and about. Play time on battery is slightly longer than the Legion Go – a difference of about 7-10 minutes. That’s notable if you ask us.

Extra

One of our members got his hands on the ROG Strix 16 just as we were about to wrap up this article. Here’s what he had to say about the experience.

“With the RTX 4080 inside the ROG Zephyrus G16, games like Horizon Forbidden West look and feel like a massive world sprawling with life. While frame rates hover around the usual 50-58 frames per second, the details on the characters and the overworld pop out beautifully. Even when you set it to its most balanced setting, the game still plays out well without sacrificing too much on the details.”

Is Horizon Forbidden West a Gaming Handheld Match?

Like most AAA titles, the answer is “Yes, but.” Yes, you’ll be able to run this game smoothly, you just have to sacrifice some visual fidelity due to the nature of Gaming Handhelds at this time.

That’s not a total downer though. We’re still very much in awe of the fact that you can even run it at all. If your primary play platform is any of these gaming handhelds, you’d be pleased to know that you should get through an entire playthrough without encountering any major problems.

Horizon Forbidden West is a fantastic game, and while its stunning visuals is its primary calling card, don’t sleep on its gameplay, especially when you can play it on the go.

Related Topics:Gaming Handheld Horizon Forbidden West Horizon Forbidden West PC Legion Go MSI Claw ROG Ally

Gaming

ASUS brings 2026 ROG Zephyrus Duo, G16, and G14 to the Philippines

New Zephyrus laptops arrive

Published

June 24, 2026

GadgetMatch

ASUS Republic of Gamers has announced the Philippine availability and pricing of its 2026 ROG Zephyrus lineup.

Headlining the range is the new ROG Zephyrus Duo, joined by refreshed versions of the Zephyrus G16 and Zephyrus G14. The latest models feature Intel Core Ultra processors, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series Laptop GPUs, upgraded cooling systems, and ROG Nebula HDR OLED displays.

The lineup is available through authorized retailers starting June 24, 2026.

ROG Zephyrus Duo introduces dual-screen gaming

The 2026 ROG Zephyrus Duo (GX651AX) is billed as the world’s first 16-inch dual-screen gaming laptop.

It features two 16-inch 16:10 touch displays with 120Hz refresh rates. Together, they provide up to 32 inches of combined screen space for multitasking, content creation, streaming, and gaming.

The primary display is a 3K ROG Nebula HDR OLED panel with up to 1,100 nits peak brightness, Dolby Vision HDR support, and 100 percent DCI-P3 color coverage.

A new 320-degree kickstand hinge enables multiple usage modes, including Laptop Mode, Dual-Screen Mode, Book Mode, Tent Mode, and Sharing Mode. ASUS ScreenXpert software manages display layouts and transitions between modes.

Powering the device are an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU, 64GB LPDDR5X memory, and 2TB SSD storage.

ROG Zephyrus Duo price in the Philippines

ROG Zephyrus Duo GX651AX-SR071WSM (RTX 5090, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD) — PhP 559,995

The laptop comes bundled with an ASUS Pen 3.0, ROG Universal Backpack, ROG Gladius III Gaming Mouse, and ASUS warranty package.

ROG Zephyrus G16 gets RTX 5090 option

The refreshed ROG Zephyrus G16 (GU606) retains its slim aluminum chassis, measuring 1.49cm thick and weighing 1.85kg.

Configurations include up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU with up to 160W TGP. ASUS says the laptop supports NVIDIA DLSS 4 and Multi-Frame Generation technologies.

The 16-inch display uses a 2.5K ROG Nebula HDR OLED panel with a 240Hz refresh rate, VESA DisplayHDR True Black certification, and NVIDIA G-SYNC support.

Battery life is rated at up to 22 hours of video playback, while ROG Intelligent Cooling combines Tri-Fan Technology, liquid metal, and expanded ventilation for sustained performance.

ROG Zephyrus G16 prices in the Philippines

ROG Zephyrus G16 GU606AR-TB061WSM (RTX 5070 Ti, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — PhP 289,995
ROG Zephyrus G16 GU606AX-TB084WSM (RTX 5090, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD) — PhP 429,995

Both variants include an ROG Exclusive Sleeve and ROG Strix Impact Gaming Mouse.

ROG Zephyrus G14 focuses on portability

The ROG Zephyrus G14 (GU405) continues to target gamers who want a more compact machine.

It measures 1.59cm thin and weighs 1.5kg. Despite its size, ASUS equips the laptop with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU with up to 130W TGP.

The device sports a 14-inch 3K ROG Nebula HDR OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, NVIDIA G-SYNC support, and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 1000 certification.

ASUS also redesigned the thermal system with thicker heat pipes, additional copper fins, and improved ventilation to boost cooling performance.

ROG Zephyrus G14 prices in the Philippines

ROG Zephyrus G14 GU405AP-SY057WSM (RTX 5070, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — PhP 224,995
ROG Zephyrus G14 GU405AW-SY069WSM (RTX 5080, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — PhP 324,995

Each model ships with an ROG Exclusive Sleeve and ROG Strix Impact Gaming Mouse.

Warranty and launch promos

All 2026 ROG Zephyrus laptops sold locally come with ASUS’ No. 1 Quality & Service Program. This includes a three-year international and local warranty, one-year accidental damage protection, and Premium Care support.

Buyers also receive a gaming mouse, three months of PC Game Pass, an Office 2024 lifetime license, one year of Microsoft 365 Basic with 100GB cloud storage, and up to 700GB of ASUS Cloud Storage.

Meanwhile, the new ROG Slash Collection 4.0 accessories, including the Slash Backpack 4.0 and Slash Sling Bag 4.0, will arrive in select ROG stores starting July 2026.

Gaming

Steam Machine was supposed to be much, much cheaper

Was the price increase justified?

Published

June 23, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

The Steam Machine is the most anticipated gaming device this year. Valve’s upcoming machine aims to deliver a PC gaming experience in a convenient package. Today, the price of the Steam Machine was finally unveiled, and it’s a doozy. But did you know that it was supposed to be much, much cheaper?

Now, we already know that the Steam Machine was cheaper before, but we didn’t really know how much cheaper. Speaking to IGN, Valve essentially confirmed the Machine followed the same price hikes as the Steam Deck, which experienced an increase of over US$ 200.

After doing a bit of algebra, it can be assumed that the Steam Machine was supposed to start at around US$ 750. That’s a huge jump, considering that the more expensive variant currently costs almost US$ 1,500, almost double the price of the original.

Unfortunately, that’s just how the industry works these days. Because of the ongoing RAM crisis, several manufacturers have already confirmed price hikes happening throughout the year. Apple, most recently, announced that price increases might come soon because of the untenability of shouldering the costs themselves.

It gets worse for the Machine, though. Despite being expensive, the price tag doesn’t really reflect the specs you’re getting. You can certainly grab a gaming laptop with better specs for around the same (or even a smaller) price tag, especially considering that Valve’s console-but-not-really-a-console doesn’t come with peripherals yet.

Gaming

Epic Games Launcher is getting a huge update to make it faster

The update will also add customizable profiles and user reviews.

Published

June 23, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Admit it; you probably have a hoard of free games languishing on the Epic Games Store. Though it’s nice that Epic gives away games every week, the overall inconvenience of using the platform sadly outweighs the freebies. Now, the company is finally redesigning the app from the ground up with a distinct focus on making it much faster.

Earlier this year, Epic admitted that “the launcher sucks.” Though the company cited a number of reasons, the number one culprit is certainly speed. Compared to its contemporaries (especially Steam), the Epic Games Launcher leaves much to be desired. The platform just doesn’t let users into their games as quickly as Steam does.

During the recent Unreal Fest, Epic, via @LuKaOnIndeed on X, confirmed that the entire launcher will be rebuilt to be “5x to 6.5x faster.”

The performance improvements will come with other new features including player profiles and user written reviews. Epic’s vision of the future looks completely different from how the launcher is today.

Though the company doesn’t have a definite timeline right now, Epic promises that the updates will come later this summer.

It does remain to be seen whether these updates will change anything about how users perceive the platform. For the longest time, gamers consider Steam as the platform of choice. Some users even repurchase their Epic games (sometimes obtained for free) on Steam just to have it on the platform they prefer.