Windows 10 handheld console now available on Amazon — watch out, Nintendo Switch

(Image credit: GDP)

The Windows-based GDP Win 3 handheld gaming PC is now available for pre-order on Amazon for $1,129.99, and it's quite an interesting device. Aimed at handheld gaming consoles like the Nintendo Switch, it comes standard with an Intel Core i5 processor and a Core i7 option.

GDP is known for manufacturing Android and Windows-powered handhelds along with its Win lineup of Windows-based devices which incorporate gamepad controls. According to the Amazon listing, the new Win 3 was first available to backers of GDP's Indiegogo campaign but is now available on Amazon and should start shipping the first week of June.

The full specs for the Win 3 are an Intel Core i5-1135G7 or i7-1165G7 CPU, 1TB NVme SSD, 16GB of RAM and Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics. The display is a 5.5-inch, 720p panel covered in fifth-generation Gorilla glass. For ports, you get a Thunderbolt 4 input, a USB Type-A, a microSD, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

For a $1,129.99 price tag, you would expect a better screen but it's basically a miniaturized gaming laptop, so screen resolution was an afterthought. There is also a 45.62Wh battery which GDP claims will give you 6 hours of heavy gaming or 8 hours during moderate use. GDP also sells an optional docking station for $84 that comes with a USB-C port, four full-sized USB ports, and an Ethernet port.

It seems like a really nice concept, but it's overkill when you factor in the over a thousand dollars price. It just seems counterproductive when you can buy a Nintendo Switch for $299.99 and a ton of games and peripherals for the $1,129.99 you would spend on the GDP Win 3. You could also buy an affordable gaming laptop with a better CPU in that price range.

The GDP Win 3 strikes me as a niche product that would be fun to test but I would rather buy a gaming phone like the Asus ROG Phone 5 which comes with a 6.78-inch AMOLED (2448 x 1080) 144Hz refresh rate display, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage, a 64-megapixel camera and over 10 hours of battery life. Oh, and it's also a phone, and it's cheaper, coming in at $729.99.

Mark has spent 20 years headlining comedy shows around the country and made appearances on ABC, MTV, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, Food Network, and Sirius XM Radio. He has written about every topic imaginable, from dating, family, politics, social issues, and tech. He wrote his first tech articles for the now-defunct Dads On Tech 10 years ago, and his passion for combining humor and tech has grown under the tutelage of the Laptop Mag team. His penchant for tearing things down and rebuilding them did not make Mark popular at home, however, when he got his hands on the legendary Commodore 64, his passion for all things tech deepened. These days, when he is not filming, editing footage, tinkering with cameras and laptops, or on stage, he can be found at his desk snacking, writing about everything tech, new jokes, or scripts he dreams of filming.