A handled video game console is a small electronic device that is solely designed for playing video games. It is a portable device, usually with a built-in screen and integrated control system.
Now, you might want to know what are the special features that keep a handled console separate from a traditional game console.
Well, let me tell you that a handled console differs in many ways from a traditional console. We can see the differences in shapes and sizes, features and specifications, and above all, in purpose and functionality. However, we can’t deny its impact on the gaming market.
As per the report presented by Fact.MR, the present market value of portable video game consoles is US$15 billion and it is expected to be US$27 billion by the end of the current year.
Here is The List of 10 Best Selling Handheld Consoles of All Time
After overviewing its huge impact on the gaming market, we have decided to make a dedicated post on the handled game consoles to make you well informed. Our present blog post on the 10 best-selling handled video game consoles of all time will serve this purpose.
So, let’s move forward.
#1 – Nintendo DS
We chose to place the Nintendo DS at the top of our list. Do you know why? Because of players’ craziness towards it. This console is regarded as one of the best-selling handled video game consoles of all time because of its massive popularity and giant fan following.
After being released in 2004 by Nintendo, it created a commotion in the market. Featured with a dual sensitive-touch screen with smooth Wi-Fi connectivity, it gained enormous love from players all over the world. One could use the stylus and super responsive touchpad to control the gameplay.
With a vast and interactive library of games, this console sold over 154 million units worldwide, which is a huge success. This console gave birth to some popular games. The elite series of Pokemon i.e ‘Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum,’ came out from it. ‘New Super Mario Bros.,’ ‘Mario Kart DS,’ ‘The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass’ etc. are some other popular games.
#2 – Game Boy & Game Boy Color
When we take the name of Game Boy, Game Boy Color comes just behind it by default and that is why we have placed them in a single place. These two were released by Nintendo in 1989 and 1998, respectively.
The Game Boy became very popular for its extensive gaming library which included some popular games like ‘Tetris’ and ‘Super Mario Land.’ The Game Boy color, on the other hand, is the upgraded version of The Game Boy console.
A color display with attractive graphics and its backward compatibility with the original version made it very popular. This duo impacted the gaming industry with over 118 million units sold together.
#3 – Game Boy Advance
The Game Boy Advance (GBA) is another successful launch by Nintendo. The name says it’s ‘advance’ and it instantly gives us a ray of hope to get some developed features from its original version. Right? Well, it does not deprive us of getting that.
The Game Boy Advance appeared in 2001 with a powerful 32-bit processor and improved graphics quality. It supported the backward compatibility of both The Game Boy and The Game Boy Color, enabling users to experience amazing gameplay on its large display.
A great library of games powered the Game Boy Advance. We can find the more advanced series of Pokemon here i.e. ‘Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald.’ And games like ‘The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap,’ and ‘Mario Kart: Super Circuit’ etc. are always challenging as well as impressive. This gaming console sold over 80 million units worldwide.
#4 – PlayStation Portable
The PlayStation Portable or PSP is a popular game console that was developed and released by Sony in 2004. If you don’t want to play your games at a particular place, but rather prefer to play in your garden in the lap of Nature, this game console could be the right choice for you because of its portability.
To give its users a gaming experience of the next level, it became successful. Featured with a widescreen display of 4.3 inches and a 333 MHz processor, it offers improved graphics with multi-media capabilities. This console was successful in selling over 80 million units worldwide.
‘God of War: Chains of Olympus’ and ‘Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories’ are some of the amazing titles from this console that people loved much.
#5 – Nintendo 3DS
The Nintendo 3DS is the advanced launch to the existing Nintendo DS series. It was developed and marketed by Nintendo. This console came onto the scene of the gaming industry in 2011. It introduced a special technology that allowed its users to enjoy the 3D visuals in live games without wearing a 3D glass.
Featured with a touch-sensitive dual screen with a robust processor and amazing graphics, this console became successful in grabbing the players’ attention. You should know that the updated version of this console was released in 2015 with the name Nintendo 3DS XL. The Nintendo 3DS family sold over 75 million which is significant in number.
This console offers a great gaming library where amazing games are put together. The famous ‘Pokémon X and Y,’ ‘The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D’, ‘Animal Crossing: New Leaf, ’ etc. are a few of them that you will find here inside this console.
#6 – Game & Watch
The Game and Watch is one of the most popular video game consoles introduced by Nintendo’s late president Gunpei Yokoi in 1980. It could serve dual functionality both as a digital watch with an alarm facility and a game console. It means it can alarm you from getting too addicted to your video gaming screen.
Featured with an LCD as a display, it was much loved for its ease of controlling gameplay with its navigational buttons. Being considered to be the pioneer of portable gaming, it influenced the future of the Nintendo handled series.
You remember that cute little Gorilla in the video game that people loved much. Yes, you will find this amazing character here in ‘Donkey Kong’. Besides this, Some popular titles from this game console are ‘Ball,’ ’ ‘Mario Bros.,’ ‘The Legend of Zelda’ etc. The players loved these games so much that this console sold over 40 million units worldwide.
#7 – PlayStation Vita
We have placed the PlayStation Vita at number seven on our list. It was released by Sony in 2011. Featured with a powerful Quad-core processor with a 5-inch OLED touch screen, it uses front and rear touch pads and dual analog sticks to control the game.
PlayStation Vita is featured with a built-in memory card and the good thing is that the card is expandable. Depending on the model you choose, you will get the facility of online connectivity i.e. Wi-Fi and 3G/4G. It also offers backward compatibility with PlayStation Portable (PSP) games.
‘Uncharted: Golden Abyss,’ ‘Persona 4 Golden’, ‘Gravity Rush,’ ‘Killzone: Mercenary’ etc. are some exclusive titles from this console. Selling over 82 million units worldwide, this console was a major success.
#8 – Sega Game Gear
Sega introduced the gaming console, Sega Game Gear in the market in 1990. With a 3.2-inch backlit color LCD, capable of displaying vibrant color, and a Zilog Z80 processor, it used a directional pad to control the game and a game cartridge as storage.
It targeted the audience of Nintendo and entered into the market as the primary competitor of the Nintendo Game Boy which was released by Nintendo in 1989.
Do you know? There is an amazing game on this console, which is inspired by real-life events. Ed Boon and John Tobias, these duo-creators took inspiration from real-life characters while making ‘Mortal Kombart’. Some other popular games on this console are ‘Sonic the Hedgehog,’ ‘Streets of Rage,’ ‘Shinobi’ etc. This console was not a major success in terms of sales. However, it could sell over 10 million units worldwide.
#9 – N-Gage
The letter ‘N’ in ‘N-Gage’ stands for Nokia. Yes, you are right. It was launched by Nokia in 2003. N-Gage is basically a handled gaming device that works as a hybrid smartphone. It came up with a 2.1-inch color screen with 3 MB of internal memory and it is powered by an ARM9-based CPU as the processor. In 2004, Nokia released an updated version of it named N-Gage QD.
This model provided a directional pad, action buttons, and a numeric keypad to control gameplay. Like other phones, it included GSM cellular network and Bluetooth as connectivity. A game cartridge powered it, allowing one to digitally download and play the games.
It featured a variety of games and some of the popular titles of this console are ‘Tomb Raider,’ ‘FIFA Soccer,’ ‘The Elder Scrolls Travels: Shadowkey’ etc. It is estimated that Nokia sold over 3 million units of the original N-Gage model worldwide.
#10 – Atari Lynx
The Atari Lynx is the last gaming console on our list. It was released in 1989 by Atari Corporation, an American manufacturer of computers and video game consoles. The specialty of this console is that it can connect up to 17 players together via ComLynx cable.
It offered a built-in speaker and headphone jack to produce stereo sound and it used 16-bit CMOS ‘Mikey’ and ‘Suzy’ chips as the processor to deliver a smooth gameplay experience. It supported a backlit LCD screen of 3.5 inches and used a D-pad and action buttons to control the live game. This console sold over 3 million units worldwide.
Some popular titles from this console are ‘California Games,’ ‘Chip’s Challenge,’ ‘Gauntlet: The Third Encounter,’ ‘Blue Lightning’ etc.
Wrap-Up On 10 Best-Selling Handheld Video Game Consoles of All Time
Handled games are loved by players mainly because of their flexibility, portability, and social interaction. Unlike the traditional consoles, it is a kind of ‘all-in-one’ solution. We have thoroughly researched and chosen the top 10 best-selling handled video game consoles of all time and listed them based on our research.
So, did you like it?. If you like it, please don’t forget to share it with your friends and other game enthusiasts whom you know. If you have anything to opine, please open your mind in the comment section.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s):-
Below are some frequently asked questions related to the current topic that people over the internet ask frequently. Please go through them; it will bring some clarity to you.
Q1. What is a handled video game console?
Ans. A handled video game console is a small, portable, smart electronic device that allows people to play video games and even allows them to get connected with other online players with their online social presence.
Q2. How does a handle video game console differ from a traditional video game console?
Ans. A handled video game console differs in many ways from a traditional video game console in terms of portability, screen size, control, power and specification, etc. A handled game console is portable with a smaller screen size and has limited processing power than a traditional game console. A handled console has an integrated control system, unlike a traditional console.
Q3. Which handled game console should I go for?
Ans. Well, which handled game console best suits you is only known to you. Preference changes from person to person based on the need and specifications. Please don’t forget to check all the features from where you plan to purchase.
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