Best handheld devices for gaming consoles
The best portable gaming consoles will keep you entertained wherever you go. While the best gaming PCs and consoles, such as the PS5 and Xbox Series X, are great at home, they’re difficult to transport and impossible to play while in transit. Handheld consoles fill this gap: moderately powerful, lightweight devices that can be stowed in a backpack or even a pocket.
Although previous handheld gaming consoles forced you to choose between minimal specs (like a Nintendo Game Boy) and high power consumption (like a Sega Game Gear), modern handheld consoles are free of such constraints. Deep games with beautiful graphics are supported by the gadgets on this list. Thanks to the long battery life, you can play for hours on end.
What makes the Best handheld gaming consoles?
There are several considerations to consider when selecting the best handheld gaming device for you; the following are the most important ones that we considered when compiling this list.
Size: Since everyone’s hands are different, the word “handheld” is subjective, but what we say is that these game systems are completely portable and operate on battery power. We considered ergonomics and have solutions in place if we believe the picks we made would become tiresome to play overtime.
Game library: You’re purchasing a gaming console in order to play sports. Our picks all have large game collections, so if you prefer first-person shooters, platformers, role-playing games, or all of the above, you’ll be delighted.
Storage: Modern portable gaming consoles can all download games from digital storefronts, but you’ll need storage space if you’re building up a large library. When making this guide, we considered a handheld’s internal storage space, but we also chose systems whose storage can be upgraded after purchase.
Battery life: Portable game systems operate on rechargeable batteries, which is one of the disadvantages of mobile gaming in the modern era. Although this is good for the environment and convenient for us, it makes it difficult to charge your battery while travelling. We’ve provided solutions where necessary, but our recommendation is to keep your battery fully charged before embarking on your next adventure.
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1. Nintendo Switch
Dimensions: 9.4 x 4.0 x 0.6 inches | Weight: 3.75 pounds | Battery Life: 9 hours | Game Store: Nintendo eShop
The Nintendo Switch is without a doubt the best Nintendo system in years, providing smooth gaming at home or on the go. There are two ways to play on the hybrid console. You can insert the Switch into a dock at home and use a normal controller to play on your TV.
Simply unplug the Switch from its dock, attach the Joy-Con controllers to either side of the unit, and take it with you wherever you go. You don’t even have to end your current game session because the gameplay experience is almost similar in either case.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, and Animal Crossing New Horizons are only a few of the fantastic Nintendo games available. Only keep in mind that more taxing games will drain the battery faster, and backing up your saves will require a paid subscription to the befuddling Nintendo Switch Online service.
2. New Nintendo 2DS XL
Dimensions: 7 x 4 x 2 inches | Weight: 15.2 ounces | Battery Life: 7 hours | Game Store: Nintendo eShop
The New Nintendo 2DS XL is a fantastic device with two big, colourful screens, a slim design that fits easily in a bag or pocket, and a massive library of fantastic games. The 2DS family of systems saw some of the best portable instalments of The Legend of Zelda, Mario, and Animal Crossing. Third-party tiles are also plentiful on the console, with Square Enix favourites among them.
Third-party tiles are also plentiful on the console, with favourites from Square Enix, Atlus, and Capcom among them.
If we’re being honest, we don’t think the 2DS XL will last much longer. Nintendo seems to have placed all of its eggs in the Switch basket, making the 2DS XL more difficult to come by. There are no new games planned for it, and it has been declared obsolete. But, if you haven’t already, that’s all the more justification to get one.
3. Hyperkin SupaBoy
Dimensions: 11.38 x 9.06 x 2.68 inches | Weight: 2.05 Pounds | Battery Life: 10 hours | Game Store: Hyperkin
The SupaBoy comes with a carrying case, wrist harness, and video out cables, allowing you to play Super Nintendo games on a television. This effectively transforms it into a retro-only Nintendo Switch. It has a 4.3-inch built-in screen that allows you to play games in their original 4:3 aspect ratio. You can also extend the sprites in order to play in 16:9 wide-screen mode.
According to the company, it has a battery life of up to 10 hours per charge, which is more than enough time to play through a large portion of a long Japanese RPG without having to pause. Hyperkin’s SupaBoy is a solid alternative if your series of Super Nintendo games has started to accumulate dust and you want a simple, convenient way to play them on the couch.
4. Nintendo Switch Lite
Dimensions: 3.6” high 8.2” long .55” deep | Weight: 12.8 ounces | Battery Life: 7 hours | Game Store: Nintendo
The Nintendo Switch Lite is about two-thirds the size of the full-size Switch and offers two-thirds of the features we love about it. The Switch Lite, like its bigger brother, has access to Nintendo’s vast catalogue of first- and third-party games, as well as a comfortable control scheme and a large, colourful screen.
If you want to play Zelda, Mario, or Animal Crossing, or Doom, Bayonetta, or Assassin’s Creed, the Switch Lite will offer the same high-quality games in a profile that fits easily in a backpack or pocket.
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How to choose the best handheld gaming console?
The best portable gaming console for your needs is determined by your intended use. The Pixel 4a is the smallest and most portable unit on the list, making it ideal for stowing in your pocket and playing on the go. Since you can connect it to a TV, the Nintendo Switch is probably the best choice if you want to divide your gaming time evenly between home and travel.
Aspects such as cost are often taken into account. The iPad Air and Google Pixel 4a are more expensive than the dedicated gaming handhelds on this list, but they are also more powerful. It’s probably not a good idea to purchase one solely for gaming, but if you already have one, you may want to see what games you can find before buying a dedicated Nintendo console to go with it.