Gaming consoles come in all shapes and sizes, and while home systems are substantially more powerful, it’s the handheld consoles that bring portability and ease of gaming to the masses. Sure, the games on these handheld consoles might not be thebest lookingor have the highest frame rates, but the ability to take a gaming system anywhere was a novelty no home console could rival.
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Over the years, there have been numerous handheld consoles, but only a few were able to dominate the market as well as these systems did. This is our ranking of the best handhelds we’ve ever, well, held.
8PlayStation Vita
A Console That Deserved Way More Love Than It Got
Console Iterations
Sony’sPlayStation Vitawas a technical marvel for its time. This was the first handheld console featuring an OLED screen, and even in the world of smartphones, an OLED of this size and resolution was unheard of. The stunning display, coupled with its extremely powerful hardware that packed more power than a PS2, allowed for PS3-quality games on the go. Titles like Persona 4 Golden, which earned the Vita its nickname as the “Persona machine,” and Uncharted: Golden Abyss showcased the system’s potential for deep, immersive gaming.
However, Vita’s reliance on expensive proprietary memory cards and a lack of consistent first-party support left many fans feeling let down. Failing to keep up with Nintendo’s 3DS, Sony basically gave up on the system a few years after its release, but thankfully, the Vita cultivated a passionate niche fanbase that still holds the console in high regard for its rich library of JRPGs and indie games.
7Nintendo Switch
The Console That Saved Nintendo After the Wii U Disaster
Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch disrupted the gaming industry in a way few consoles ever have. It merged the power of a home console and the portability and versatility of a handheld and managed to come out as a winner in what many thought would be another disaster after the Wii U disaster. Players could jump from docked mode to handheld in seconds, making it the ultimate companion for both casual and hardcore gamers.
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Exclusive titles on the Switch like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey were some of the best games ever, period. Yes, there was the Joy-Con drift controversy, but no console is safe from technical mishaps like this. All in all, the innovative design andunparalleled game librarycemented the Nintendo Switch’s place as one of the best handheld systems of all time.
6Steam Deck
The Power of a PC in a Handheld
Steam Deck
Valve’sSteam Deckis a dream come true for PC gaming enthusiasts. It offered players the ability to play triple-A titles like Elden Ring on a handheld device, not through cloud streaming, but by actually running it on the system. Many people fail to realize how big a deal this was; over the decades, the catalog of PC games has constantly been increasing, and now, all of a sudden, there comes a handheld PC console that not only has instant access to thismassive library of gamesbut plays even the triple-A titles better than anyone could imagine.
The Steam Deck doesn’t set the same restrictions that other console manufacturers often do, and it’s perfectly fine for owners to mod their Steam Deck and even install some other OS on it. It’s not like other handheld consoles, doesn’t have exclusives of its own, and doesn’t have any unnecessary restrictions put on it. The Steam Deck is a PC with all the freedom that comes with that platform, that can fit in the hands of players, and that’s exactly why everyone loves it.
5Nintendo 3DS
A Great Handheld With a Gimmicky 3D Screen
Nintendo took a bold step forward with the3DS, and the big ace up their sleeves was the all-new 3D display on the system that gave the console its name. The 3D display did wow the audience at first, but it didn’t prove to be the major selling point. Although its launch was shaky due to the high pricing and a lack of strong titles, Nintendo revived the console using the one strategy they have always implemented: releasing good first-party titles like Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Fire Emblem: Awakening, and Pokemon X and Y.
Over its lifetime, the 3DS blossomed into one of the company’s most beloved handhelds, and while the company itself has moved on to bigger and better consoles, a dedicated community of fans still keeps the system alive thanks to modding.
4Nintendo Game Boy Advance
The Next-Gen Game Boy
Nintendo Game Boy Advance
With the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo brought color and clarity to handheld gaming in a way that left the world in awe. With titles like The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, Metroid Fusion, and Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, handheld gaming finally caught up to the fidelity of an SNES.
The console’s lightweight design made it perfect for gaming on the go, and its compatibility with older Game Boy games ensured no one was left behind. Because the GBA did not have a backlit screen, a novelty that some other handhelds of the era had, it boasted impressive battery times that were way beyond what the competition could achieve. Later on, Nintendo released the Game Boy Advance SP, which had a foldable design alongside a backlit LCD display, and the system became the definitive console to play Game Boy games.
3PlayStation Portable
Sony’s First Foray Into the World of Portable Consoles
ThePlayStation Portable, or PSP, was Sony’s answer to the Nintendo DS, and even ignoring the fact that it was a first attempt, the console was a massive success. Its sleek design, multimedia capabilities, and wide range ofPS2-quality gameslike God of War: Chains of Olympus and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, made it the system of choice for hardcore gamers who were done with Nintendo’s family-friendly aesthetic and the lineup of Mario and Pokemon sequels.
Despite its limited control scheme and later struggle with piracy, the PSP sold over 80 million units and proved that a handheld could be much more than just a gaming machine.
The PSP was the first handheld console I got after the PS2, and it took me around five years to convince my parents to get me one. Wanting something so badly and not getting it makes you only want it more badly, and that’s probably the reason why I spent so much time playing on my PSP. I exhausted its library of all the good games within a year.
2Nintendo DS
Two Screens Are Always Better Than One
Nintendo DS
Few systems can claim to have redefined handheld gaming quite like the Nintendo DS. Its innovative dual-screen design, complete with touchscreen functionality, made it a console that almost anyone could pick up and play. Games like Brain Age and Nintendogs attracted casual players, whilePokemon titleslike Diamond and Pearl and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass satisfied core gamers.
It holds the record of the best-selling handheld console of all time, with more than 150 million units sold worldwide, proving that it’s not always about power when it comes to a game console.
The Nintendo DS had some pretty massive shoes to fill in as the successor to the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance, and it did that with flying colors.
1Nintendo Game Boy
The One That Started It All
Nintendo Game Boy
Despite sitting in third place on the list of best-selling handheld consoles, the Nintendo Game Boy is the undisputed king of handheld gaming. Released in 1989, it wasn’t the most powerful device nor the flashiest, but its sturdy design, long battery life, and Tetris, the game that defined this console, helped it dominate the market.
Over the years, its library expanded with iconic titles like Pokemon Red and Blue and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. Every handheld console that came after exists because the Game Boy was a massive success and laid the foundation for them. Despite not having the most units sold, it’s one of the key reasons video games have become such a widely beloved form of entertainment today.
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