Handheld plot consoles are great … but which one is the greatest ?
Which handheld video game consoles are the best of the best ? Here ’s our ranking of the gravid hand-held game consoles .
Best Handheld Game Consoles: Honorary Mentions
There ’s a specific chemical group of hand-held biz console everyone thinks about when it come to the very best , and , for safe reason , they also happen to be the well - marketing . This list ’s top five encompasses the five adept - selling handhelds , although the club they ’re ranked in does n’t conform to the sales figure . The honorary mention include two system of rules that fall just outside this criteria but are still cracking in their own ways , plus one additional scheme .
Game Gear
Sega ’s Game Gear was by no means a commercial-grade failure , but it was a marvelous ordination to compete against Nintendo ’s Game Boy , which to this day has only been surpassed in handheld console table sales by Nintendo ’s own DS and Switch . Most of the Game Gear ’s design option were made in response to criticism of the Game Boy : the Game Gear ’s CRT screen was both backlit and in full color , and the system was a more comfortable horizontal shape compared to the Game Boy ’s vertical shape .
The Game Gear also had an impressive first - party game card and could even play Master System cartridges with the Master Gear Converter accessory . But it still had some notable flaws that hold it back , including a lack of third - political party support and less than four hours of battery life at the cost of a walloping six AA batteries . Despite these fault , the Game Gear is a classical handheld system with a lot of kernel , and more than worthy of an honorary mention .
PlayStation Vita
Although corresponding in sales to the Wii U , the PlayStation Vita still had its fair share of undivided ( at the time ) hit . For RPG rooter , there was the mega - hit Persona 4 Golden . For lover of action and risky venture , there was Uncharted : Golden Abyss . And for otome ocular novel biz fan , the Vita was an absolute gem trove , introducing dear games such as the Code : Realize series and Collar x Malice . But even for major otome secret plan fans , the Vita was a hard sell when the PSP still held up with its own depository library , and more of these secret plan were making their way to PC . The Vita may have had its own great library , but it ’s evenly as great that its game have since made their way of life onto other cabinet .
Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch would be the 2nd well - sell handheld game console … if it was n’t a hybrid , muddy its assortment . Still , it more than well earns an honorary mention for its innovation , success , and salient secret plan library . With a splendid mix of original championship as well as remaking and remasters of beloved classics , all of which can be play on a big screen at house or on the go , the Nintendo Switch ’s impact on the video recording game industry is nothing short of momentous .
The Best Handheld Game Consoles, Ranked
5: Game Boy
The Game Boy is the original video game handheld giant . The system ’s clunky pattern and frankly ugly black and white visuals did n’t detract from its undischarged game library with solid first- and third - party musical accompaniment , not to advert its iconic lastingness and respectable battery living . The follow - up Game Boy Color also slimmed the system down to a more well-to-do size and offered a much - appreciated color screen .
There ’s no shortage of darling video game claim on the Game Boy , from Tetris to the Super Mario Land series . We also have the Game Boy to give thanks for the beginning of the smash hit Pokémon series . These , and many more Game Boy title , ascertain amazing sale figures due in no pocket-size part to the Game Boy ’s own impressive sales event — although “ impressive ” is a bit of an understatement . Without counting the Nintendo Switch , the Game Boy is still the 2nd best - selling hand-held biz console , and it ’s the quaternary well - selling secret plan console table overall , highly befitting its monumental bequest .
The handheld gaming landscape painting has grown much more advanced since the Game Boy ’s day , and interface and remakes of the arrangement ’s statute title keep them middling approachable . The Game male child may be archaic in terms of design and hardware , butit ’s because of the Game Boy that handheld gaming is what it is today .
4: PlayStation Portable (PSP)
Considering the PlayStation Portable was up against the good - deal hand-held plot console of all time during its lifespan , it did really well for itself . And it ’s not hard to see why : the PSP ’s ironware allowed it to playact a brilliant smorgasbord of technologically telling games , such as Grand Theft Auto : Liberty City Stories , Monster Hunter Portable 3rd , and Metal Gear Solid : Peace Walker . The system also see fantastic remakes and port wine of many beloved JRPG titles , including games from the Final Fantasy serial publication , Star Ocean , Breath of Fire , Tales of , and Disgaea .
The PSP ’s covert resolving power and 130 DPI were incredibly telling for the other 2000s , too , making it great to watch movies on if someone want to take a suspension from represent game . It also made the organization a great home for ocular novels , and many of the PS Vita ’s otome game smasher originated on the PSP , such as Norn9 and Amnesia : memory . Even Persona 3 Portable was pluck into a more optical novel - inspired data format compare to its PlayStation 2 master .
To top it all off , players had the option to go digital with the PSP . apart from physical UMD dismission , more than 800 PSP games were available digitally through the PS Store . The PS1 ’s games library was also almost entirely available on the PSP this path . The PSP showcased what hand-held technology was able of and had something for everyone , easy take in its smudge as one of the best hand-held game consoles of all time .
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3: Game Boy Advance (GBA)
The Game Boy Advance is a miracle machine . The 32 - mo arrangement was a huge jump up from its 8 - bit Game Boy Color predecessor , and it boasts the power to replicate the SNES ’s Mode 7 graphics mode . This midget scheme could bring fay - based game or games in 3D , lead in a library chock full of top - mountain pass and diverse claim , from ports and remasters to original game that have since become classics in their own right wing .
Remakes of Super Mario World , Yoshi ’s Island , and Super Mario Bros. 3 were joined by entrant such as the Mario & Luigi series , Mario vs. Donkey Kong , and Mario Kart Super Circuit . The Mega Man Zero and Battle internet series restrain the Blue Bomber ’s bequest lead substantial . Remakes of Final Fantasy 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , and 6 introduced the beloved series to young hearing while Final Fantasy Tactics Advance offered a novel entry in the Tactics sub - series . Games like Super Monkey Ball Jr. showcased the GBA ’s ability to spiel 3D games , while games like Golden Sun raise that solely newfangled informatics could thrive on the platform , too .
Many games were also forced to take on a unique visual style for the Game Boy Advance , which still did n’t have a backlit screen . The big , bright , and bombastically animated faery of the Ace Attorney series are one such good example . westerly audiences would n’t first meet Phoenix Wright until the Nintendo DS rolled around , but the series was originally released in Japan on the GBA . On the other hand , the GBA enclose Western audience to Fire Emblem for the first time with the seventh and 8th games in the series . Other beloved GBA games , such as Mother 3 , may still be single to Japan , but they ’re just as much a part of the system ’s awe-inspiring legacy .
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Also a part of the organization ’s bequest are its rise . The second upgrade , the Game Boy Micro , was a sorcerous improver to the GBA family , but it was n’t as groundbreaking ceremony as the Game Boy Advance SP . The SP ’s grapple pattern was a great option for portability , and would go on to influence the DS menage of consoles . The adult rising slope of the SP , however , was its blind ’s light . The SP ’s CRT screen was in the first place front - lighted , but it did eventually pick up a much - welcomed backlit projection screen . But the fact that the GBA could civilize such a phenomenal games library of first- and third - party titles even without these upgrades is a testament to how outstanding the console was on its own .
2: Nintendo DS
The Nintendo DS is n’t just the best - deal handheld console of all time — it ’s the second best - selling telecasting secret plan console , period . Even the atrociously successful Nintendo Switch has n’t caught up yet . The system ’s rightfully forward-looking double screens and touch screen engineering science on the bottom screen helped repel unique game experiences and resulted in an outstanding depository library overall .
New possible action came about from biz that utilized the system ’s touch modality screen capabilities , lead in touch - based mechanics that are key element of the gameplay , such as in the Etrian Odyssey serial publication , Elite Beat Agents , and The World Ends With You . Alternatively , games could prioritize clitoris inputs and simply expend the two screens to carry additional key information , such as the rail maps and race car placement on the bottom screen of Mario Kart DS .
Other selection include holding the DS horizontally like a Word to produce a distinct physical feeling , as consider in the perfectly phenomenal game Hotel Dusk : Room 215 . And one of the most amazing plot twists in video recording plot chronicle comes from how the creative thinker - blowing 999 : Nine Hours , 9 soul , 9 Doors use the organization ’s two screens narratively .
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The DS Lite design subsequently improve upon the somewhat clunky original darmstadtium without sacrificing any feature , including a slot on the bottom of the system that accept Game Boy Advance cartridges . Adding the Game Boy Advance game card to the DS ’s already telling repertory simply lift the organisation to a intimately untouchable status — closely .
The DSi , on the other hand , is a slightly dissimilar story . It trades the Game Boy Advance cartridge expansion slot for a reasonably lustreless online store . The DSiWare catalog just does n’t equalise up to the Game Boy Advance ’s , so while it ’s appreciated as a precursor to the more refined eShop , it simply did n’t apologise the trade - off .
Still , this rebuff is minor , and it ’s more than clean to say thatthe Nintendo DS as a whole is one of the most revolutionary , and greatest , handheld game consoles in video play history . What accommodate it back from the top spot is n’t what one of its iterations deficiency , but rather how its successor make upon everything that it did so well .
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1: Nintendo 3DS
The Nintendo 3DS is the complete opposite of an clamant succeeder . Rather than flying off the shelf , the system was off to such an awful start that it receive a closely 33 % permanent price drop . On top of that , those who buy the organisation at its original price peak even received a appeal of downloadable NES and GBA games as an apology . Thankfully , the new , contract Leontyne Price and a slow but steady increase in solid game spillage help turn the 3DS ’s cutting future around , and it finally take off .
The 3DS be up on the DS ’s successful treble - projection screen and touch modality - screen design , allow its games to go on in the same mineral vein as the DS ’s unequalled gameplay potentiality . On the surface , the handsome remainder between the 3DS and its predecessor is the 3DS ’s 3D slider , which allows plot to have a stereoscopic 3D effect without the pauperism for specialty glasses . While some games made great use of this ocular effect , such as Mario & Luigi : Dream Team , this in reality was n’t the system ’s marketing head — so much so that espouse - up arrangement polish off the 3D slider altogether .
The 2DS may be one of the most unattractive system out there , but unlike the silklike DSi compared to the DS and DS Lite , the 2DS does n’t give up its backwards compatibility . While subsequent 3DS iterations may have done aside with the 3D , they can all still play DS cartridge , adding its predecessor ’s salient games subroutine library to its own impressive lineup .
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There are enough 3DS follow - ups to become a meme , but they always add up to the system in worthful ways . The “ New ” 3DS adds extra articulatio humeri buttons and a “ C - Stick , ” in addition to upgrade the system of rules ’s ironware . The newfangled 2DS opts for the infinitely better grapple blueprint of the 3DS rather than the 2DS ’s door stopper look , but only removes the 3D slider of the New 3DS . Just like how the organization could shed $ 80 off its MSRP and hail out all the good for it , the 3DS class could put away its 3D luger and keep going strong .
The 3DS also wreak with it a much - improved eShop compare to the DSi ’s , giving players more options to get at its amazing library . In fiat to keep player ’ game organize , the 3DS had the option to customize its home blind with folders . subsequently in the system ’s biography , the Nintendo Badge Arcade app also yield participant access to stickers that they could use to spiffy up their system ’s menus even further . A respectable collection of nursing home theme add together to the personalization player could try out with , throw each 3DS really palpate like the unequaled willpower of its owner . It ’s dead lurid that this grade of organization and customization is n’t present in the Nintendo Switch . If the Switch was n’t relegated to honorary mention position due to its hybrid nature , it would still be ranked beneath the 3D for this lack of family concealment customization alone .
Another feature of the 3DS that did n’t return for the Switch is StreetPass . A 3DS in sleep manner would still connect with other devices as they passed by , receiving info that could be used in various scenarios . Some apps , like Mii Plaza , go entirely through StreetPass , encouraging players to pass by as many people as potential to complete puzzles and fill out a world mapping . Many games also implemented StreetPass into their gameplay , including Bravely Default , Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS , and Animal Crossing : New Leaf . These connectivity features majorly enhanced the hand-held gaming experience . Conventions , college campus , and even the food market store became places where gameplay could happen even without actively wreak thanks to StreetPass .
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The Nintendo 3DS may be tied with the PSP for broken sale among this top five tilt of greatest handhelds , but it just go to show that as significant as sale are , they still are n’t everything . The Nintendo 3DS is the image of the hand-held gaming experience , from its connectivity feature to its personalization pick . total to that its own great games library and backwards compatibility with the DS ’s phenomenal collecting of game , and the result is the greatest handheld game console .
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