Useful links

If your handheld's maker publishes its own graphics driver, start there.

• AMD · Radeon graphics

  Adrenalin Edition

  26.10.2Optional

  Released 30 Oct 2026

  A fix-only release. AMD lists fixes for crashes and timeouts, including with overlays and FSR Frame Generation. The current Recommended release is 26.10.1, from 20 Oct 2026. AMD's notes say this package doesn't support handheld PCs, so get handheld drivers from the maker.

  Release notes ↗Download page ↗

• Intel · Arc graphics

  Arc and Core Ultra graphics

  101.9175WHQL

  Released 4 Nov 2026

  Full version 32.0.101.9175, now WHQL Certified. It covers Arc A- and B-series cards and Core Ultra graphics from Meteor Lake to Panther Lake, and adds Game On support for Football Manager 27, Phantom Blade Zero and World of Warcraft: Forever. On a handheld, check your maker's page first.

  Release notes (PDF) ↗Download page ↗

• NVIDIA · GeForce

  Game Ready driver

  621.14WHQL

  Released 4 Nov 2026

  Game Ready for World of Warcraft: Forever. It's also the driver for DLSS 5 in Hogwarts Legacy, which NVIDIA says starts on 5 Nov for RTX 50 Series GPUs and laptops and RTX Spark PCs. For the most stable setup, my pick is Game Ready 617.42 (WHQL, 6 Oct 2026).

  Announcement ↗Release notes (PDF) ↗617.42 announcement ↗Download page ↗

• AMD · Ryzen

  Mobile chipset drivers

  8.09.28.1124

  Released 21 Oct 2026

  For Ryzen handhelds, laptops and mini PCs. If your maker publishes its own chipset package, start there.

  Release notes ↗Download page ↗

Drivers, BIOS and firmware updates for each device come from its maker.

• ROG Xbox Ally (2025) ↗ASUS · rog.asus.com
• ROG Xbox Ally X (2025) ↗ASUS · rog.asus.com
• ROG Xbox Ally X20 (2026) ↗ASUS · rog.asus.com
• Legion Go ↗Lenovo · pcsupport.lenovo.com
• Legion Go 2 ↗Lenovo · pcsupport.lenovo.com
• Legion Go S ↗Lenovo · pcsupport.lenovo.com
• Claw series: latest updates ↗MSI · msi.com
• All Claw models: pick yours, then Support ↗MSI · msi.com
• Drivers and FAQs for every model ↗OneXPlayer · onexplayerstore.com
• Support downloads for every model ↗AYANEO · ayaneo.com
• GPD Win 5 drivers and firmware ↗GPD · gpd.hk

Free projects on GitHub that I point handheld owners to.

Windows handhelds

• Handheld Companion ↗github.com/Valkirie/HandheldCompanionA touch-friendly overlay for Windows handhelds, with controller emulation, gyro aiming and performance controls.
• Universal x86 Tuning Utility ↗github.com/JamesCJ60/Universal-x86-Tuning-UtilitySets power limits (TDP) and clocks on AMD and Intel chips.
• RyzenAdj ↗github.com/FlyGoat/RyzenAdjA command-line tool that reads and sets power limits on Ryzen mobile chips.

Windows clean-up

• WinUtil by Chris Titus Tech ↗github.com/ChrisTitusTech/winutilOne window for installing programs, removing bloat, applying tweaks and fixes, and managing Windows updates. It runs from an admin PowerShell, so read the README first.
• Win11Debloat by Raphire ↗github.com/Raphire/Win11DebloatA PowerShell script that removes preinstalled apps, turns off telemetry and declutters Windows 10 and 11. Its wiki explains how to undo changes, and most removed apps can be reinstalled from the Microsoft Store.

SteamOS and Linux

• Bazzite ↗github.com/ublue-os/bazziteA Fedora-based gaming Linux with SteamOS-style versions for handhelds, desktops and living-room PCs.
• Decky Loader ↗github.com/SteamDeckHomebrew/decky-loaderAdds a plugin menu to Steam's Game Mode.
• SimpleDeckyTDP ↗github.com/aarron-lee/SimpleDeckyTDPA Decky plugin for TDP and power settings on Linux handheld PCs.
• InputPlumber ↗github.com/ShadowBlip/InputPlumberA Linux service that routes and remaps controller inputs on handhelds.

Android

• DroidDeck ↗github.com/Droid-Deck/DroidDeckRuns Valve's Steam client on Android handhelds, with Windows games through ARM64 Proton. It needs Android 9 or newer and an Adreno 730 or newer GPU. There's no official DroidDeck website, so only download it from GitHub. It isn't affiliated with Valve.
• ARMSX2 ↗github.com/ARMSX2/ARMSX2A PlayStation 2 emulator for ARM64, based on PCSX2, for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS and Windows. Its own site is armsx2.net. Other sites with similar names aren't the project's, so download it from GitHub or armsx2.net.
• ARMSX3 ↗github.com/ARMSX2/ARMSX3An early PlayStation 3 emulator for Android, built on RPCS3 by the ARMSX2 team. It's also on Google Play from the developer ARMSX. It needs a fast Snapdragon handheld (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or newer and 12GB of RAM are recommended), and you supply the PS3 firmware yourself.

Upscaling

• OptiScaler ↗github.com/optiscaler/OptiScalerSwaps a game's upscaler for another one (DLSS, FSR or XeSS) and can add frame generation.
• DLSS Swapper ↗github.com/beeradmoore/dlss-swapperManages and swaps the DLSS, FSR and XeSS files in games across the main PC launchers.
• HelixSR ↗github.com/lonewolf0622/HelixSRA drop-in FSR 3.1 replacement for DirectX 12 games that runs DLSS's upscaling network on AMD GPUs, also usable through OptiScaler. Version 1.2.0 builds the network from NVIDIA's DLSS DLL on your PC; the files it makes are for your own PC only. The author has tested it only on Linux, so treat it as experimental.

Stutter and HDR

• SCSKiller ↗github.com/BlueHeisenberg/SCSKillerShader Stutter Killer: compiles a game's shaders into the graphics driver's cache before you play. Windows, NVIDIA and AMD only, for DirectX 12 games (and DirectX 11 on NVIDIA). It doesn't fix traversal stutter, and a driver update means compiling again.
• Go2HDR ↗github.com/Rayekkk/Go2HDRA tray app for the Legion Go 2 that matches Windows' SDR content brightness to the screen brightness whenever HDR is on, using a curve you can edit.
• LaptopTrueHDR ↗github.com/spiwar/LaptopTrueHDRCalibrates Windows HDR for a laptop's or handheld's built-in screen: it reads the panel's peak brightness and sets the SDR/HDR content brightness to match. Run it at full system brightness with external screens unplugged, and delete any Windows HDR Calibration profiles first.

The capture tools from my test method.

• CapFrameX ↗github.com/CXWorld/CapFrameXRecords and analyzes frame times, with an overlay and comparison charts. It records the frame data in my runs.
• PresentMon ↗github.com/GameTechDev/PresentMonIntel's open-source frame-timing capture tool for Windows. CapFrameX captures through it.
• HWiNFO64 ↗hwinfo.comSensor readings and logging. I log every run with it, with its own FPS counter switched off.
• RivaTuner Statistics Server ↗guru3d.comDraws the on-screen overlay in my runs.