Video game consoles are the most important part of gaming. Whether you want to play on a PC, handheld, or a regular home console, you need to understand the consoles in order to understand which ones will work best for you.
10 Best Handheld Video Games
Handheld gaming has come a long way since its beginnings, but it’s important to remember the classics.
One type of console you may want to look at is the handheld. These are consoles that you can play anywhere. Here is a list of the best handheld consoles of all time, ranked by the number of units that they have sold.
10Steam Deck (2022)
Units Sold: 3 Million (Estimated)
Some Great Games To Play
This console is Valve’s first dip into the handheld world, and it is a pretty impressive machine. The console boasts an AMD Zen 2 CPU, 16 GBs of RAM, and the ability to add more storage as you continue building yourSteam library. Considering it is the newest one on the list, chances are that the number of consoles sold will increase significantly as the console takes hold — especially once PC players decide they need a handheld.
What makes the Steam Deck so great isn’t necessarily its impressive specs, Linux-based OS, or its new OLED models. Instead, the massive library that the Steam Deck offers is what truly should turn heads. The Steam Deck Library offers over 8,000 games for players, and Valve is adding more daily. These games are some of the best out there, from games likeSkyrim, which can be played on handhelds like the Nintendo Switch, to games likeHalf-Life,which isn’t available on any other handheld.
Steam Deck
9Game Gear (1990)
Units Sold: 10.62 million
The Game Gear is one of the older entries on this list. WhileSegamade several consoles, this was their only handheld, and it is one of the best-selling Sega consoles to date (just behind the Sega Genesis and Sega Master System). What made the Game Gear even better is that, while the system’s library only had around 300 original games, you could also play Master System games on it, and the system saw ports of the Sega Genesis' most popular games. This meant that the system was one of the first to feature backward compatibility.
…the system was one of the first to feature backward compatibility.
Additionally, the Game Gear was an impressive piece of hardware back in the early ’90s, and anyone who wants to collect game consoles should have it. The specs themselves were amazing for a console at the time, but it also had tons of accessories that took the console to the next level. You could add a TV antenna and watch TV on the go, add a magnifying glass to the screen to make it larger, or even connect it to another Game Gear to play multiplayer. This system is truly an impressive system, even today.
Sega Game Gear
8PlayStation Vita (2011)
Units Sold: 15 million
ThePlayStation Vitawas Sony’s answer to a new PlayStation Portable. With the success of the PSP, it was obvious that fans wanted more, and Sony wanted to ride that wave for as long as possible. When the console was released, mobile gaming was in its infancy, and the PS Vita had to be equipped to deal with the upcoming wave in the gaming community. Therefore, any popular game from Sony’s home consoles was thrown onto the PS Vita, making them portable and more accessible to players.
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Once the PS4 dropped, the PS Vita’s focus shifted. At this point, Sony decided to make the PS Vita a Remote Play device, meaning you could play any game from your PS4 on the PS Vita, so long as you were around your system and could connect them. This emphasis on the PS Vita being able to do multiple things truly made the system excel and stand out. While the console may be discontinued, it is still worth it for anyone wanting to play those older Sony games.
PlayStation Vita
7Game & Watch (1980)
Units Sold: 43.4 million
The Game & Watch was one of Nintendo’s first consoles, and it truly is one of the most collectible consoles they have released. The Game & Watch came in a ton of different varieties and themes, making some of them valuable. You could pick up one that represented your favorite game, favorite color, or one of the original versions of the console. This added variation allows you to truly express yourself and find the one you love. (It is also probably one of the reasons the future Nintendo consoles came in so many varieties.)
Not only did it offer games, but you could also turn it into a clock or a timer, something that was invaluable at the time.
What made this console succeed so much was its innovation. In 1980, there were very few handhelds on the market, and this was Nintendo’s first handheld console ever. Because of the newness of it all, fans flocked out to buy this game, and even today, it is an amazing console to add to your collection. Not only did it offer games, but you could also turn it into a clock or a timer, something that was invaluable at the time. If you’re interested in the Game & Watch, but wanta more modern iteration of it, you can purchase the Zelda orMarioones released for Mario and Zelda’s anniversaries.
Game & Watch
6Nintendo 3DS (2011)
Units Sold: 75.94 million
The Nintendo 3DSwas the successor to the Nintendo DS, and offered backward compatibility, allowing players to use both 3DS and regular DS games on the system. This system, like most of Nintendo’s systems, was meant to be a family system where kids could play together, and it offered the ability for kids to connect via StreetPass. It took the best parts of the original DS and added its own twist to them.
It took the best parts of the original DS and added its own twist to them.
The best part about the 3DS was its ability to turn any 3DS game into a 3D version of it. While it couldn’t do this with standard DS games, there were plenty of 3DS games that looked amazing on the console. Strategy games such asFire EmblemorShin Megami Tenseitruly stood out and received a new layer to the games, since you could see the battles from all angles. For the first time ever, you could truly feel like you were in the game.
5PlayStation Portable (PSP) (2004)
Units Sold: 81 million
The PlayStation Portable (PSP)is one of the most well-known handheld consoles out there. Even today, fans want to see a reboot of this line of game consoles and were highly disappointed with the new PlayStation Portal only being a Remote Play device rather than an all-in-one device like the original PSP was (though thePlayStation Portal is still pretty neat). There were three additional revisions to the gaming console that all fell under the name PlayStation Portable, and each one made the system even better.
Just like with Nintendo’s consoles, the PlayStation Portable was so popular because there was something for everyone. The system had an impressive number of variations, ranging from just colors to being designed based on certain video games available on the console. Finally, another thing that truly made this system stand out is its ability to play UMD movies. This lets anyone with a movie on a UMD watch it on their PSP. While the PS Vita took what the PSP had and made it better, the original PSP will always be the more nostalgic console.
4Game Boy Advance (2001)
Units Sold: 81.51 million
The Game Boy line is what most people think of when they think of Nintendo. These consoles cemented Nintendo’s position in the handheld gaming world (and in the gaming world in general) and made way for some of the best games ever. This specific console features some heavy-hitting games from some ofNintendo’s best exclusive franchises, such asPokemon, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, and Fire Emblem.
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What makes this a system that stands out in the grand scheme of things is the extensive library, backward compatibility, and accessibility. The game was able to play Game Boy, Game Boy Color, andGame Boy Advancegames. Additionally, with the release of the N64 and Gamecube, you could play these games on the big screen (if you purchase additional peripherals). Considering the console offered an extensive library and an amazing amount of games to play on other devices, this was a near-perfect console.
Nintendo Game Boy Advance
3Game Boy & Game Boy Color (1989 &1998)
Units Sold: 118.69 million (Combined)
The Game Boywas released in 1989 and theGame Boy Colorwas released in 1998. The Game Boy Color was released nine years after the original Game Boy and was created as a way to have a better Game Boy. The Game Boy Color had a better screen, better graphics, more RAM, and could play games on a variety of color palettes. However, considering they were made to be the same other than these minor differences, the Game Boy and Game Boy Color have always been linked together and have had their sales combined.
While some may feel that graphics today are so much better than this, it is important to realize the significance of gaming in this era.
Another thing that you will love about the Game Boy and the Game Boy Color is that they are 8-bit and 16-bit respectively. While some may feel that graphics today are so much better than this, it is important to realize the significance of gaming in this era. These graphics may not be the best, but they truly show how far gaming has come, andthey bring a lot of nostalgiaback to anyone who played these handhelds as a kid.
Nintendo Game Boy
2Nintendo Switch (2017)
Units Sold: 132.46 million
The Nintendo Switchis the second best-selling console that Nintendo has ever released (and is the third best-selling video game console of all time). It doesn’t take much effort to realize why this game system is held at such high prestige. While you have been able to buy extra items and have a bulky setup that lets you play your handheld games on your TV, the Switch lets you do this with ease. It was made with the idea of being a handheldanda home console. This not only let them tap into both audiences but also attracted players who were interested in the idea of “switching.”
The Nintendo Switch has been such a success because of its uniqueness. Not only does the system boast the ability to switch from handheld to home console mode, butit also has an impressive library, being home to thebest Legend of Zelda gamesaround. While most Nintendo systems have some games dedicated to older audiences, this is the first time that Nintendo has ever thrown around the idea that their system is for everyone. While the system is a family system, it is also one that anyone can play and enjoy. With games like Skyrim,The Witcher 3, andDoomas some of the system’s best-sold video games, you can tell they are straying away from focusing solely on the family.
1Nintendo DS (2004)
Units Sold: 154.02 million
The Nintendo DSis the best-selling handheld of all time and is the second best-selling console of all time (thePlayStation 2only has less than 1 million more sales). With the addition of a touch screen, dual screens, backward compatibility (with an extensive library), and the ability to play with friends via an online connection rather than a physical one, it is no wonder that this console has done so well for Nintendo.
Overall, this system was a big step up from the Game Boy line, and it truly changed the way that handheld gaming was done.
The DS added some pretty interesting features to games that will truly make you feel like you’re in the game. The system featured a microphone that allowed you to speak to your game, blow into it to make things move, or even speak to other players during online sessions. It also featured dual screens, one of which was a touch screen. This addition allowed you to use the touch screen for minigames, inventory management, playing with Pokemon, etc. Overall, this system was a big step up from the Game Boy line, and it truly changed the way that handheld gaming was done.
Nintendo DS
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The newest product from game preservation company Analogue is the Analogue Pocket, which plays games for Game Boy, amongst other handhelds.
