Nintendo handheld gaming system

Best Bang for the Buck. Best for Retro Gaming Bottom Line. For Handheld Only Bottom Line. Customer Favorite Bottom Line. Click here for testing insights.

Models Considered. Consumers Consulted. Hours Researched. Updated December Table of Contents Buying guide for best handheld video game consoles Your first decision: retro arcade or cutting-edge gaming? Buying guide for best handheld video game consoles Although it seems like everyone is gaming on their smartphones these days, the real action is happening on handheld gaming consoles — which have come a long way since the Nintendo Game Boy.

Both consoles work with the same cartridge games. Other Products We Considered. The BestReviews editorial team researches hundreds of products based on consumer reviews, brand quality, and value. We then choose a shorter list for in-depth research and testing before finalizing our top picks. These are the products we considered that ultimately didn't make our top 5.

Handheld Game Console. It didn't make much of a dent in the market and Sega certainly didn't continue investing resources in handheld systems. However, it's also an undeniably cool console, as it was essentially just a handheld Sega Genesis. While some accessories weren't supported, players could basically take any Genesis game they wanted on the go, playing it just like they would at home, Sure, the Turbo Express--a similar idea for the TurboGrafx did this first, but the Genesis' software lineup was a lot beefier.

The company had a chance to dethrone Nintendo as the king of home consoles, and it succeeded with the original PlayStation, and the PSP gave the DS a run for its money. Though it ultimately fell well short of its competition in sales, Sony's first handheld was an undeniably impressive system. Its visuals were far better than the DS, it could be used for full-length movies, and it had a wonderful game lineup from Sony as well as third-party companies.

Some systems on this list earned their because of the strength of their software lineup. That is not the case with the Vita. The system started out well enough with its own Uncharted game and some excellent console ports, but Sony abandoned the system shockingly fast and ended up marketing it as a PS4 companion device within a few years.

That's a shame, because it's a stunning piece of tech, which shipped with an OLED display--at least the launch version--along with dual analog sticks, a touchscreen, and a rear touchpad.

It turned into an indie game darling, thanks in part to the free PS Plus games it received each month for a few years, and helped to set the stage for the Nintendo Switch.

The original Nintendo DS was a very impressive system, with touch control in gaming years before competitors would do so on their own handheld devices. But it was also a bit of a chunky abomination--a charming one, for sure--but one that looked a little bit antiquated despite its advanced tech. The DS Lite fixed that with a smaller and sharper design that looked like it was cutting edge, and it did so without sacrificing features. The Game Boy Advance game slot from the original version was still included, which wasn't the case on the DSi a few years later.

While the DSi was a better handheld from a hardware design perspective, the DS Lite gets the nod here because of backwards compatibility.

The not-so-little system that started it all, the Game Boy certainly wasn't the best iteration of Nintendo's famous handheld line, but it was one of its most successful because of its simplicity and great game selection. SteamOS isn't compatible with all Steam games, and Valve's commitment to this experimental device is unclear, but the relatively low price and its possible flexibility as a Linux-running device gives this a lot of interesting upside.

It's already available for preorder , but delivery times have slipped to mid For hands-on impressions, check out Giant Bomb's video. Read our Steam Deck first take. This playful little black-and-white plaything, made by the publisher of Untitled Goose Game, looks like a Game Boy cross-bred with a Pikachu and a Tamagotchi.

It's a completely new system with its own indie-developed games that get pushed to the device automatically, as part of a subscription that comes with purchase. The whole idea is clever, kitschy, throwback and whimsical.

Also, I didn't even mention that there's a crank in its side that works with specially designed games. It's available to preorder now , and early preorders should be getting it this year Read GameSpot's hands-on impressions of the Playdate. The DS came with technical upgrades new at the time, including a built-in microphone, touch screen on the bottom screen only , and Wi-Fi capabilities. With the success of the DS, it was easy for Nintendo to release variants of the handheld.

It had a longer battery life on its most dim setting. The sleek, better-looking version of the DS also had a wider screen and adjustable levels of brightness. The plan was so far along that Nintendo prepared it for mass production.

The XL morphed into the DSi. Nintendo wanted to follow up the DS and Ds Lite with another model. While critics picked at Nintendo for removing backward compatibility, the DSi was still wildly popular and sold millions of copies.

The cartridges for the software were much thinner compared to Game Boy cartridges and the new shape allowed for better mobility. Without much competition, the Game Boy Advance was able to sweep up sales with over 81 million units sold.

Nintendo faced heavy criticism for lacking a backlight until the SP came out in Nintendo continues to release new handhelds. The best upgrade is its image quality, which is superior to the original 3DS. The New 3DS also features minor aesthetic changes — the colored buttons and off-white look give it a Super Nintendo look.

The XL is a slightly bigger version. The 3DS is clean, sleek, and the graphics were stunning for its time. Nintendo released the 3DS in March , and the 3D effect was sharp. It also offered several augmented reality applications like Face Raiders, where you use pictures of friends or other players, and they come after you in a survival style shooter. The 3DS reinvented the handheld console wheel, giving Nintendo handhelds access to tons of applications and creating a clean 3D interface for handheld gamers.

The player can remove both ends of Joy Con controller and attach it to the included screen. It creates a handheld just as powerful as the home console position.