Boy playing handheld game

Nintendo has dominated the handheld console market since , when the Game Boy was first released, and the Japanese electronics giant continued with a number of updates to the Game Boy family until the brand was discontinued a few years ago You can still purchase brand new Game Boy consoles on sites like Amazon.

These days, a new generation of gamers are taking their gaming on the go, thanks to popular consoles like the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo DS , which offer sharper, faster and more feature-packed gameplay compared to the previous models.

Sony, meantime, has its PlayStation Vita console, which is noted for its crisp display and ability to stream music and video content, in addition to playing games.

There are many factors to think about when choosing the right handheld game system for you; below are the most important ones, which we considered while we were researching this list. We took ergonomics into consideration, and have solutions if we feel like the picks we chose could get fatiguing to play over time. Battery life: One of the perils of handheld gaming in the modern era is that portable game systems run on rechargeable batteries.

I recommend this gb MicroSD card , which has definitely eased my storage anxiety. The Joy-Con controllers are detachable, and the Switch has a kickstand, so you can mitigate hand and arm fatigue by propping it up on a table and playing with one controller on each hand. Size is a bit of an issue, but the Switch does let you play full-sized console games on a 6. But, with great power comes so-so battery life.

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Mix and match royalty-free images, videos, and editorial with packs that never expire. Alternatively, a set of enhanced display modes does away with those original styles in favor of making colors pop. The Pocket is also just a nice piece of hardware, with a hefty plastic enclosure and satisfyingly snappy buttons. The 3. Just as importantly, Analogue provides no way to run ROM game files, which are illegal to distribute but are nonetheless widely available online. Admittedly, this loving treatment can sometimes feel undeserved.

You can put the system to sleep, for instance, then pick up where you left off, or create save points to cope with more difficult games. Analogue says that it has more in store for the Pocket. Analogue first announced the hardware itself in October , started taking pre-orders mid-pandemic—they sold out almost immediately —then delayed the product several times.

The Nintendo Switch Lite is about two-thirds the size of the regular Switch, and delivers two-thirds of what we love about the full-size model. There are some drawbacks, though. Due to its smaller size, the Switch Lite has a smaller battery, meaning less playtime overall.

Read our full Nintendo Switch Lite review. The Apple App Store has some of the best smartphone games on the market, and it usually gets the best titles months before Android does. In addition to perennial favorites like Fortnite, Hearthstone and Minecraft, you can also play indie darlings like Monument Valley, Florence and Threes. What really sets the iPad apart from Android tablets, though, is Apple Arcade.

Some of the games are exclusive to the Apple Arcade service; others, you can get on a Switch or PC, but not an Android device. Read our full Apple iPad Air review. The best handheld gaming console is arguably the one you already have on you, and that's why it's worth considering a dedicated gaming phone, like the Asus ROG Phone 5. This excellent albeit very large smartphone is powerful enough to run any game on Android, which means you can enjoy both casual handheld titles as well as longer sit-down-and-play experiences.

For the latter, it helps to have a controller. With the ROG Phone 5's large screen and fast refresh rate, you can play many of your favorite console and PC games from anywhere in your home — or anywhere with a strong enough Wi-Fi connection. The New Nintendo 2DS XL is a fantastic system, with two large, colorful screens, a design that makes the system easy to stash in a bag or pocket, and a huge library of wonderful games.

The console is well-stocked third-party tiles, too, featuring favorites from Square Enix, Atlus and Capcom.

Nintendo seems to have put all its eggs in the Switch basket, and the 2DS XL has become harder to find as a result. There are no new games coming out for it, and it's been officially discontinued. The best handheld gaming console for your needs depends on where you want to use it. If you need something that you can stash in your pocket and play absolutely anywhere, the ROG Phone 5 is the smallest, most versatile device on the list.