Handheld consoles date back to the 1980s, when the world wanted more gaming portability. Portability has always been the primary appeal of handhelds, enabling players to take their favorite games out with them. The best handhelds became travel companions for gaming on the go. However, today, handhelds are also much more capable alternatives to non-portable consoles. These are the best handheld consoles in the history of gaming.
Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch is one of the best handheld consoles, primarily because it revolutionized the gaming industry by eliminating the distinction between handheld/non-portable devices with its hybrid design. This was a portable console that players could take with them and play on their TV, making it a great lifestyle device. This was a handheld that could also support AAA games available for non-portable consoles.
However, the novelty of its hybrid design wasn’t necessarily enough to sell the Switch alone. It boasts a fantastic software library that includes great Nintendo titles such as Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, Super Mario Odyssey, and Super Smash Bros. The Switch also had stronger third-party developer support than some previous Nintendo consoles, such as the Wii U, which considerably expanded its game library.
Steam Deck
The idea of a handheld PC wasn’t necessarily something entirely new in 2022. Yet, Valve changed the game with its Steam Deck handheld PC that made the whole Steam ecosystem available on a handheld device. The Steam Deck is one of the best handheld consoles in history because it unlocked a huge library of Steam PC games for a portable device. Plus, the Steam Deck bridged the graphical gulf with non-portable consoles better than any handheld before it. So, it is undoubtedly one of the best non-Nintendo handhelds in the history of gaming.
Nintendo DS
The DS was another revolutionary Nintendo handheld that incorporated innovative dual-screen, touchpad, and microphone input controls. With more innovative control methods, the DS enabled players to play games in new ways. The dual-screen design of the Nintendo DS enhanced its general interface management by displaying menus and maps on the lower screen. With a good battery life and a massively diverse games library to boot, the Nintendo DS became a huge hit for the big N.
Game Boy / Game Boy Color
The Game Boy became the handheld console of choice during the late 1980s and early 1990s despite its colorless display. This console had a design that prioritized battery life and value over specifications. The Game Boy was a more portable handheld than color alternatives like the Lynx and Game Gear because of its longer battery duration. With Tetris bundled with it, the Game Boy became an ideal travel companion.
Nintendo later released a Game Boy Color that had a more colorful display and a faster processor. This console had 100% backward compatibility with original Game Boy games. That upgrade was the Game Boy at its best with a more colorful display, 10-hour battery duration, and thousands of playable games.
PlayStation Portable
Sony’s PlayStation Portable is one of the best handheld consoles in history because of how it bridged the graphical gap between home consoles when it was released. This was almost a portable PlayStation 2 with 3D graphics and multimedia capabilities that were ahead of its time for a handheld. It was the first handheld to offer console-quality graphics that could support 3D games like Final Fantasy, God of War, and Grand Theft Auto. Even though the PSP couldn’t topple Nintendo’s handheld dominance, it was still a hit for Sony and one of the best portable consoles that wasn’t from the big N.
Game Boy Advance
The Game Boy Advance was the handheld that bridged the gap with 16-bit console gaming and became the premier platform for 2D gaming at a time when non-portables were embracing a third dimension. This console offered direct ports of classic SNES titles like Super Mario World, A Link to the Past, and Yoshi’s Island. It was a handheld with unmatched backward compatibility as it combined three Game Boy generations into one. With iconic games like Metroid Fusion, Fire Emblem, Zelda: Minish Cap, and Aria of Sorrow, the Game Boy Advance set a new standard for portable gaming.
Nintendo 3DS
The Nintendo 3DS was a handheld with 3D tech that enabled it to support fully three-dimensional games. Games like Super Mario 3D Land, A Link Between Worlds, Majora’s Mask, Ocarina of Time, and Kid Icarus: Uprising showcased the 3DS at its three-dimensional best. Aside from its vast library of exciting three-dimensional games, the 3DS was the first Nintendo handheld to include the Virtual Console for retro gaming, enabling players to play classic SNES, NES, Game Boy, and Game Gear games from the past. The Nintendo 3DS was also a handheld with a uniquely engaged community with its StreetPass feature for exchanging Mii characters and game data.
The consoles above were seven of the best handheld consoles because they raised the bar for portable gaming in various ways. Even the humble Game Boy, primitive though it was graphically, raised the bar for portability, value, and durability. Handhelds like the Steam Deck, Switch, and PlayStation Portable raised the bar with their graphical quality, multimedia support, and hybrid designs. The DS, 3DS, and GBA also gave players an exciting new way to play games anywhere.
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