Many handheld gaming consoles have come and gone over the years, but which ones have stood the test of time to become undeniable classics?
This is a hotly debated topic which we will tackle here.
“Hi there, I’m Tom from Aeon Reviews.com and here we will look at the best handheld consoles of all time”
Our top 10 handheld consoles list begins in ascending order with…
10/ TurboExpress
The TurboExpress was NEC Home Electronics attempt to enter the handheld gaming market in 1990.
Looking like the Game Boy’s evil twin, this was essentially a portable version of the TurboGrafx-16 home console (aka PC Engine GT).
Although aiming to compete with the Game Boy, Game Gear, and Lynx, this handheld only managed to shift 1.5 million units in it’s life.
NEC labelled this device the “Rolls Royce of handheld gaming systems”. Unfortunately the $299 retail price (due to the expensive display) was too much for many gamers.
One of the TurboExpress’ unique features was the Turbo Switches, which could be activated to mimic rapid button presses.
This device could take the same cartridges as the TurboGrafx-16, could be linked to other TurboExpress consoles for multiplayer games, and also had a TV tuner.
This device was home to arguably the finest incarnation of the classic game Bomberman, one of many gems in it’s library.
Unfortunately the high cost, combined with failing screens and sound systems, meant this system was short lived.
9/ Sega Game Gear
This 8bit beauty was released in 1991 as a competitor to the Game Boy, Lynx and TurboExpress.
Very much a portable Sega Master System it could even play Master System cartridges through an adapter.
The full-color backlit screen looked stunning for it’s time and supported an impressive 4096 colors, compared to the 64 colors supported by the Master System.
Gamers rejoiced at being able to play the likes of Sonic The Hedgehog and Shinobi on the move.
The Game Gear was aiming to be a more powerful and ergonomically comfortable version of the Game Boy (it’s main competitor at the time).
This led to a controversial war of words between Sega and Nintendo, with Sega’s advertising campaign suggesting Game Boy players were obese, uneducated, and color blind!
Accessories included a TV tuner and wide screen attachment.
Despite it’s initial success the device ultimately failed due to it’s short battery life (3 to 5 hours) and lack of a quality games library.
8 / WonderSwan
The WonderSwan was a 16 bit handheld console developed by Bandai in Japan.
Compared to it’s competitors, the Game Boy Color and Neo Geo Pocket Colour, the WonderSwan had a lower price point and longer battery life (30 hours, impressively through a single AA battery!).
The WonderSwan could be played both vertically and horizontally, allowing both portrait and landscape play.
It featured a unique library of games from developers such as Square, Namco, and Taito.
Notable for being available in nine colours at launch, with the range of colors being chosen by an online poll on the Bandai website.
Popular accessories included the WonderWave, which enables data transfer between two devices, and the WonderWitch, which is an official software development kit aimed at amateur programmers. Later models were also able to connect to the internet.
The WonderSwan enjoyed decent success in it’s back and forth feud with the Gameboy, where each company it seems would add upgrades to their devices in order to outdo the other.
The final incarnation of the WonderSwan called the SwanCrystal included a lower price point than the Game Boy advance and improved LCD display. However ultimately it could not compete overall with the Game Boy advance, which spelled the end of the WonderSwan.
7/ Hyperkin Supaboy
A portable Super Nintendo? Shut up and take my money!
Released in 2016 the Supaboy looks very much like a Sony PSP with Super Nintendo stylings.
This device accepts original Super Nintendo and Super Famicon game cartridges, as well as Super Game Boy games. It can also be used with the Game Genie.
It has a crisp display which can switch between 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratio, and also a 10 hour battery life.
Connect this up to a TV and plug two controllers in for a two player bi screen experience.
Pin Perfect™ technology ensures game play isn’t interrupted even if you shake or bump the machine. This feature secures the cartridge in place once inserted.
On the downside this is quite bulky for a portable device, and is probably on the borderline of what is considered ‘handheld’.
6/ Genesis Nomad
Whereas the Sega Game Gear was seen as a portable Sega Master System, the Genesis Nomad was aiming to be a Sega Genesis/Mega Drive for on the go.
It was derived from a Sega console called the Mega Jet. This was a console designed for use on airline flights, and was only released in Japan.
The Nomad was released in 1995 and sold exclusively in North America.
It was designed to be connected to a television via a video port.
It also featured a 6 button controller, and the ability to plug in an extra controller for two player games.
Genesis games were inserted into the device, making it compatible with 500 games on launch.
Unfortunately this console was short lived, as Sega of Japan did not really have any plans to support Genesis based systems going forward, as they were focussing on the Saturn instead.
Also this device could not compete with the Game Boy at a time that the Pokemon games had been released.
Finally, the 2 to 3 hour battery life was poor for such a device, defeating the object of a portable console if you have to plug in to a power supply for longer periods.
5 / Neo Geo Pocket Color
This influential 16 bit color console was released in 1999 in the US.
Memorable for being available in six different colours and it’s clamshell plastic game boxes, this system was backwards compatible with the Neo Geo Pocket.
The joystick control was great and it boasted an impressive 40 hours battery life.
Despite being the home of such classics as Metal Slug and SNK vs Capcom, the Neo Geo Pocket Color was very much the right console at the wrong time.
It simply couldn’t compete with Nintendo at the time of the Pokemon craze, and also it’s makers SNK had been in financial trouble for some time.
Great, but the Neo Geo Pocket Color was very much a story of what could have been.
4/ Atari Lynx
The Atari Lynx was the first color handheld, and a 16 bit one at that when it was released back in 1989.
It’s powerful spec made the Game Boy look like it was from the dark ages.
It had features never seen before such as a switchable right-handed/left-handed (upside down) configuration, and the ability to network with up to 15 other units for co-op gaming.
This device was so far ahead of the game that it had features of the Super Nintendo before the Super Nintendo was even released.
Gamers went nuts over the pre-release footage of games such as California Games and Blue Lighting.
Ultimately it could not compete with the games library of the Game Boy, and a lack of marketing also contributed to the Lynx’s downfall.
3/ Nintendo DS
The Nintendo DS or Nintendo Dual Screen was released in 2004, and included features never seen before in a hand held.
It featured two LCD screens working in tandem (one touch screen), a built in microphone and wireless connectivity.
Seen as a portable N64, the fact that this was backwards compatible with Game Boy Advance titles quickly helped establish the DS’s popularity.
Popular is perhaps an understatement as this went on to become the best selling handheld console of all time, and the second best selling console of all time behind the PS2 (154 million units sold across all DS varieties).
The ability to controls games using a stylus on the touch screen was unheard of at the time and had gamers flocking to try something which added something a little different to their gaming experience.
2/ Playstation Portable (PSP)
The Playstation Portable hit the scene in 2004, with Sony aiming to compete with the Nintendo DS.
The PSP offered a more powerful system specification than it’s Nintendo counterpart and also offered a 4.3″ screen, video player, and TV tuner. It could also be connected to the PS3, Windows, Macs, other PSPs, and the internet.
The PSP grew quickly in popularity, in part because you really felt like you had the power of a home console while on the go.
The console was made popular thanks to classic games like Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.
PlayStation owners who picked this up instantly recognised this as a portable version of their favourite console, as the keys and controls inherit the same operability of the PlayStation and PlayStation 2.
1/ Nintendo Game Boy
When the Nintendo Game Boy was released in 1989 it became an instant classic.
Nintendo were already killing it with the NES, and when the Game Boy was released it became the go to handheld console for gamers.
It helped that it came bundled with one of the most addictive games of all time (Tetris).
But the fact that Super Mario Land was also a launch title was the one two combo which elevated this system to legendary status almost immediately.
It didn’t matter that the screen only had four colours, the game play on these launch titles is what helped it shift a million units in its first weeks of release in the US.
Yes there were other more powerful handhelds around during it’s initial run, but the Game Boy just nailed it in so many ways.
Coupled with some incredible game soundtracks which still stick in my head to this day, make this in our opinion the best handheld console of all time.
Well there it is, our Top 10 handheld consoles of all time.
We hope you enjoyed our list, did we miss anything? If so please comment below!
Also check out the following video which contains many more handheld consoles from the past three decades.
Finally don’t forget to check back with us for more articles like this, especially our article on All-in-One Retro Consoles.