The best handheld gaming consoles in 2022
The best handheld gaming consoles in 2022
Included in this guide:
The best handheld gaming consoles can keep you entertained anywhere. While the all-time gaming PCs and consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X are excellent companions at domicile, they're inconvenient to bring on a trip, and impossible to actually play while in transit. This is where handheld consoles come in: Moderately powerful, lightweight machines that are easy to stash in a backpack, or even a pocket.
While the best handheld gaming consoles in the past made you cull betwixt limited specs (similar a Nintendo Game Male child) and excessive power consumption (like a Sega Game Gear), modern handheld consoles don't suffer from such restrictions. The gadgets on this list back up deep games with gorgeous graphics. You lot can also play for hours at a time, thank you to strong battery lives.
Whether you need to pass the time on your commute or go on yourself occupied once yous reach your destination, here are the all-time handheld gaming consoles you tin can buy.
What are the best handheld gaming consoles?
A few years ago, the handheld gaming market was separate betwixt Nintendo and Sony, equally devices like the Nintendo 3DS and the Sony PlayStation Vita competed for supremacy. At present, Nintendo pretty much has the traditional handheld marketplace cornered with the Switch.
There are three varieties of Switch available: the Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo Switch OLED and the Nintendo Switch Calorie-free. The sometime two are inventive game consoles that yous can connect to a Television receiver, or play as a handheld; the latter is handheld-only. The game selection on the three systems is identical, which is adept news for fans of Nintendo franchises like The Fable of Zelda and Brute Crossing. Just be aware that transferring save data between the two systems is not virtually as seamless equally it could be, then you'll probably desire to selection one and stick with it.
The Apple iPad Air has ever been a pretty decent gaming device, in addition to a total-fledged tablet for multimedia and productivity purposes. A lot of good games are available à la menu in the Apple tree App Store. Withal, with the introduction of Apple tree Arcade terminal year, iOS devices have gained a choice of loftier-contour fare from both indie developers and major studios. If y'all haven't tried Apple tree Arcade, some of the games are comparable in quality to what yous'd find on a homebound panel, and are well worth a look.
We also recommend the Asus ROG Phone 5, which has some pretty decent games available through the Google Play Store. However, information technology's as well a platform for Google Stadia games, which ways you can play traditional big-budget titles on a tiny screen. Just be certain to bring a controller as well.
The all-time handheld gaming consoles you lot can buy today
The Nintendo Switch is easily the all-time Nintendo organisation in years, offering seamless gaming whether yous're at dwelling house or on the go. The hybrid console offers two means to play. At home, yous can plug the Switch into a dock, then play on your Telly using a standard controller. When y'all have somewhere to go, simply unplug the Switch from its dock, attach the Joy-Con controllers to either side of the device, and bring it with you anywhere. The gaming experience is nearly identical either way; you don't fifty-fifty have to stop your current play session.
The game library is chock full of fantastic Nintendo titles, such every bit The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2 and Animal Crossing New Horizons. Just exist enlightened that more demanding games will drain the battery faster, and that bankroll up your saves requires a paid subscription to the convoluted Nintendo Switch Online service.
Read our full Nintendo Switch Review .
The Nintendo Switch OLED isn't a vital upgrade for current Switch owners. But if you oasis't yet invested in Nintendo's hybrid handheld, the OLED is the model to go. This version of the Switch features a seven-inch OLED screen, a sturdy kickstand, improved speakers and a dock with a built-in Ethernet port. Otherwise, it'due south exactly the same equally the base Switch, which is an excellent console thanks to its extensive game library and smart portable features.
There are admittedly yet a few drawbacks to the Switch OLED. Without SSD storage or 4K support, the system feels a bit dated. Four years into the console's lifespan, we may become a more significant upgrade sooner rather than later. But if you want to play the latest Mario, Metroid and Zelda games, the Switch OLED is the best way to practice so.
Read our full Nintendo Switch OLED review .
The Nintendo Switch Lite is nearly two-thirds the size of the regular Switch, and delivers two-thirds of what nosotros love about the full-size model. Similar its bigger cousin, the Switch Low-cal has access to Nintendo's incredible library of get-go- and third-party games, as well as a comfortable control scheme and a big, colorful screen. Whether you want to play your fill of Zelda, Mario and Animal Crossing, or Doom, Bayonetta and Assassin's Creed, the Switch Lite tin can deliver the same excellent games in a profile that's easy to stash in a backpack or purse.
There are some drawbacks, though. Due to its smaller size, the Switch Light has a smaller battery, pregnant less playtime overall. The Switch Lite also doesn't have detachable Joy-Cons, meaning that impromptu multiplayer sessions are much harder to facilitate. Yous likewise can't transfer salve data hands between a Switch Lite and a regular Switch, so consider carefully which 1 yous want.
Read our full Nintendo Switch Lite review .
The Apple iPad Air is one of the all-time tablets on the market, then information technology stands to reason that information technology's also 1 of the best handheld gaming consoles. The Apple tree App Store has some of the all-time smartphone games on the marketplace, and it usually gets the all-time titles months before Android does. In addition to perennial favorites like Fortnite, Hearthstone and Minecraft, you can too play indie darlings like Monument Valley, Florence and Threes.
What really sets the iPad apart from Android tablets, though, is Apple Arcade. This subscription service gives you access to more than 100 games for $5 per month. Some of the games are exclusive to the Apple Arcade service; others, y'all can become on a Switch or PC, but non an Android device. Sayonara Wild Hearts was an early on contender for the best Apple Arcade game, simply What the Golf, Dear Reader and Lifelike are as well ingenious experiences that you generally won't find elsewhere.
Read our full Apple iPad Air review.
The best handheld gaming console is arguably the 1 yous already have on yous, and that's why it's worth considering a dedicated gaming phone, like the Asus ROG Phone 5. This excellent (albeit very big) smartphone is powerful plenty to run any game on Android, which means you can relish both casual handheld titles as well as longer sit down-downward-and-play experiences. (For the latter, information technology helps to take a controller.) Whether your tastes skew more toward Crossy Road or Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the Asus ROG Phone 5 has what yous want to play.
Don't forget that Android smartphones at present have access to a variety of deject gaming services, from Google Stadia, to Nvidia GeForce Now, to Xbox Deject Gaming. With the ROG Phone 5's large screen and fast refresh rate, y'all tin play many of your favorite panel and PC games from anywhere in your home — or anywhere with a strong enough Wi-Fi connectedness.
Read our total Asus ROG Phone 5 review .
The New Nintendo 2DS XL is a fantastic system, with two large, colorful screens, a design that makes the system easy to stash in a handbag or pocket, and a huge library of wonderful games. The Fable of Zelda, Mario and Animal Crossing got some of their very best portable installments on the 2DS family unit of systems. The console is well-stocked third-party tiles, too, featuring favorites from Foursquare Enix, Atlus and Capcom.
If nosotros're being honest, the 2DS XL may non be around for much longer. Nintendo seems to have put all its eggs in the Switch handbasket, and the 2DS XL has get harder to find as a result. At that place are no new games coming out for it, and information technology'due south been officially discontinued. Simply that's all the more than reason to choice i upwardly now, if you haven't already.
Read our full New Nintendo 2DS Forty review .
How to choose the best handheld gaming console for you lot
The best handheld gaming panel for your needs depends on where yous want to use it. If you lot demand something that y'all can stash in your pocket and play absolutely anywhere, the ROG Telephone 5 is the smallest, most versatile device on the listing. If you want to carve up your game time equally between dwelling and traveling, the Nintendo Switch is probably the best choice, since you lot can hook information technology upward to a Television set.
Cost is besides a consideration. The iPad Air and ROG phone are much more expensive than the defended gaming handhelds on this list, merely they're also more versatile devices. It's probably not a great idea to buy them exclusively for gaming, but if you happen to already own one, y'all may desire to see what kind of games you can go before you complement it with a defended Nintendo device. Likewise, the Switch Lite is cheaper than the full-fledged Switch, but it also has fewer features.
How nosotros test handheld gaming consoles
Since the best handheld gaming consoles comprise both dedicated gaming hardware and versatile mobile devices, we don't have a standardized procedure to test them. Instead, we draw from our experiences with these devices after we give them full reviews. A Nintendo Switch and an Apple iPad Air, for example, fill very dissimilar roles in the tech world, so devising apples-to-apples tests for them is nearly impossible.
Instead, we evaluate each system's game library, also as how well information technology plays games relative to its hardware. An ROG Phone 5 is a much more than powerful device than a 2DS XL, but the 2DS XL tin can play much deeper, more involved games, thanks to its innovative second screen and dedicated controls.
To earn a spot on this list, a arrangement simply has to play first-class games, and be small enough to transport easily. For annihilation beyond that, nosotros rely on our qualitative judgment.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/round-up/best-handheld-gaming-consoles
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