While home consoles have been dominating the gaming scene over the past years, there’s still a certain appeal for handheld devices. During its release, the Game Boy revolutionized the industry as players could finally take their games with them. Although their hardware isn’t as powerful, developers have found great ways to work around these technical roadblocks and deliver some amazing games on these systems. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the best handhelds you can buy.
Nintendo 3DS
The Nintendo 3DS had a rough start in the market because of its major price tag and lack of good games.
It was a step up from the original DS and even had some new features like its stereoscopic 3D, StreetPass, and SpotPass. However, these gimmicks weren’t winning over any fans so Nintendo decided to change their strategy and lower the price tag. Slowly, people began buying the 3DS and Nintendo continued to create new games for it. Nintendo brought over some of their most notable franchises on the handheld like “Pokemon,” “Fire Emblem,” and “Animal Crossing” over the past few years. Despite the Switch’s release, Nintendo still has a few plans for the 3DS and will release major titles like “Pokemon Ultra Sun/Moon” and “Metroid: Samus Returns” later this year.
PSP
The PSP was Sony’s first attempt in the handheld market and it was well-received in said market, unlike its successor.
Better known as the PlayStation Portable, Sony’s handheld device was praised for its powerful hardback back during the day, but critics lamented that games were in a UMD format. Nonetheless, fans loved the overall design and its other features like the media and GPS functionalities. Because of its popularity, the PSP attracted some famous developers that made great games like “Crisis Core,” Persona 3 Portable," “Tactics Ogre,” “Monster Hunter,” and more.
Despite the PSP’s success, the PS Vita did not quite live up to its predecessor.
Nintendo Switch
Nintendo’s latest console might be treated like a home console, but the main system is actually its tablet form. Despite its portability, the Switch boasts some amazing power as fans can play games like “Breath of the Wild” and “Splatoon 2” on the go.
Unlike the Wii U, the Switch has had a positive reception. While the hybrid console has a few solid titles, it’s still lacking a good amount of games in its library. In spite of this, Nintendo has already shared their plans of bringing over major franchises like “Metroid,” “Fire Emblem,” and “Pokemon."
