The best handheld gaming consoles in 2022
The best handheld gaming consoles in 2022
Included in this guide:
The best handheld gaming consoles can go on y'all entertained anywhere. While the best gaming PCs and consoles similar the PS5 and Xbox Series X are excellent companions at abode, they're inconvenient to bring on a trip, and impossible to really play while in transit. This is where handheld consoles come in: Moderately powerful, lightweight machines that are easy to stash in a backpack, or fifty-fifty a pocket.
While the best handheld gaming consoles in the by made you choose between limited specs (like a Nintendo Game Boy) and excessive power consumption (like a Sega Game Gear), modern handheld consoles don't endure from such restrictions. The gadgets on this list support deep games with gorgeous graphics. Y'all can also play for hours at a time, thanks to strong battery lives.
Whether you need to laissez passer the time on your commute or keep yourself occupied once you reach your destination, here are the best handheld gaming consoles you tin can buy.
What are the all-time handheld gaming consoles?
A few years ago, the handheld gaming marketplace was divide betwixt Nintendo and Sony, as devices like the Nintendo 3DS and the Sony PlayStation Vita competed for supremacy. Now, Nintendo pretty much has the traditional handheld market cornered with the Switch.
In that location are iii varieties of Switch bachelor: the Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo Switch OLED and the Nintendo Switch Lite. The sometime ii are inventive game consoles that yous tin connect to a TV, or play as a handheld; the latter is handheld-simply. The game pick on the three systems is identical, which is practiced news for fans of Nintendo franchises similar The Legend of Zelda and Animate being Crossing. Just exist aware that transferring save data between the two systems is not about as seamless as it could be, and so you'll probably desire to pick one and stick with it.
The Apple iPad Air has always been a pretty decent gaming device, in addition to a full-fledged tablet for multimedia and productivity purposes. A lot of good games are bachelor à la carte in the Apple App Store. However, with the introduction of Apple Arcade last year, iOS devices have gained a selection of high-profile fare from both indie developers and major studios. If you lot haven't tried Apple tree Arcade, some of the games are comparable in quality to what yous'd detect on a homebound console, and are well worth a look.
We also recommend the Asus ROG Phone 5, which has some pretty decent games bachelor through the Google Play Store. Notwithstanding, it's also a platform for Google Stadia games, which means you can play traditional big-budget titles on a tiny screen. Just be sure to bring a controller every bit well.
The best handheld gaming consoles you tin can buy today
The Nintendo Switch is hands the all-time Nintendo organisation in years, offering seamless gaming whether you're at home or on the get. The hybrid console offers two ways to play. At home, you tin can plug the Switch into a dock, then play on your Television using a standard controller. When you lot have somewhere to go, simply unplug the Switch from its dock, adhere the Joy-Con controllers to either side of the device, and bring information technology with y'all anywhere. The gaming experience is nearly identical either mode; you don't even take to stop your current play session.
The game library is chock full of fantastic Nintendo titles, such as The Fable of Zelda: Jiff of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon ii and Fauna Crossing New Horizons. Just exist aware that more demanding games will drain the battery faster, and that backing upwardly 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 electric current Switch owners. But if you oasis't still invested in Nintendo's hybrid handheld, the OLED is the model to get. This version of the Switch features a vii-inch OLED screen, a sturdy kickstand, improved speakers and a dock with a built-in Ethernet port. Otherwise, it's exactly the same as the base Switch, which is an excellent console thanks to its extensive game library and smart portable features.
There are admittedly nevertheless a few drawbacks to the Switch OLED. Without SSD storage or 4K support, the system feels a flake dated. Four years into the console's lifespan, nosotros may get a more pregnant upgrade sooner rather than later. Only 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 Low-cal is nigh two-thirds the size of the regular Switch, and delivers two-thirds of what we love about the full-size model. Like its bigger cousin, the Switch Lite has access to Nintendo's incredible library of start- and 3rd-party games, also as a comfortable control scheme and a large, colorful screen. Whether y'all want to play your make full of Zelda, Mario and Animal Crossing, or Doom, Bayonetta and Assassinator's Creed, the Switch Lite can deliver the same excellent games in a profile that's easy to stash in a backpack or bag.
There are some drawbacks, though. Due to its smaller size, the Switch Calorie-free has a smaller battery, meaning less playtime overall. The Switch Lite also doesn't have detachable Joy-Cons, significant that impromptu multiplayer sessions are much harder to facilitate. You also tin can't transfer save data easily between a Switch Lite and a regular Switch, then consider advisedly which i you desire.
Read our total Nintendo Switch Lite review .
The Apple iPad Air is ane of the all-time tablets on the market, so it stands to reason that it's as well one of the all-time handheld gaming consoles. The Apple App Shop has some of the best smartphone games on the market place, and it ordinarily gets the all-time titles months before Android does. In addition to perennial favorites like Fortnite, Hearthstone and Minecraft, you tin can also play indie darlings like Monument Valley, Florence and Threes.
What actually sets the iPad autonomously from Android tablets, though, is Apple Arcade. This subscription service gives you access to more than 100 games for $five per month. Some of the games are sectional to the Apple Arcade service; others, you can go on a Switch or PC, merely non an Android device. Sayonara Wild Hearts was an early contender for the best Apple Arcade game, only What the Golf game, Honey Reader and Lifelike are also ingenious experiences that you generally won't find elsewhere.
Read our total Apple tree iPad Air review.
The all-time handheld gaming console is arguably the i y'all already have on you, and that's why information technology's worth considering a dedicated gaming phone, like the Asus ROG Phone 5. This splendid (albeit very large) smartphone is powerful enough to run whatever game on Android, which means you tin can savour both casual handheld titles also as longer sit-downwards-and-play experiences. (For the latter, it helps to accept a controller.) Whether your tastes skew more toward Crossy Route or Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the Asus ROG Phone 5 has what y'all desire to play.
Don't forget that Android smartphones now have access to a variety of cloud 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, you tin can play many of your favorite console and PC games from anywhere in your home — or anywhere with a strong enough Wi-Fi connection.
Read our full Asus ROG Phone 5 review .
The New Nintendo 2DS XL is a fantastic system, with two large, colorful screens, a pattern 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 of systems. The console is well-stocked third-political party tiles, also, featuring favorites from Square Enix, Atlus and Capcom.
If we're being honest, the 2DS XL may not be effectually for much longer. Nintendo seems to have put all its eggs in the Switch basket, and the 2DS Twoscore has become harder to discover as a consequence. There are no new games coming out for it, and it's been officially discontinued. But that'due south all the more than reason to choice i up now, if yous haven't already.
Read our full New Nintendo 2DS XL review .
How to choose the all-time handheld gaming console for you
The best handheld gaming console for your needs depends on where you desire to utilize it. If you demand something that you can stash in your pocket and play admittedly anywhere, the ROG Phone 5 is the smallest, most versatile device on the list. If you want to split your game fourth dimension every bit between habitation and traveling, the Nintendo Switch is probably the best option, since yous tin can hook information technology upward to a TV.
Price is also a consideration. The iPad Air and ROG phone are much more expensive than the dedicated gaming handhelds on this listing, only they're besides more versatile devices. It'south probably not a bully thought to purchase them exclusively for gaming, merely if you happen to already own ane, you may want to run into what kind of games you can get before you complement information technology with a defended Nintendo device. Likewise, the Switch Lite is cheaper than the full-fledged Switch, but it also has fewer features.
How nosotros examination handheld gaming consoles
Since the best handheld gaming consoles comprise both dedicated gaming hardware and versatile mobile devices, nosotros don't have a standardized process to test them. Instead, nosotros describe from our experiences with these devices after we give them full reviews. A Nintendo Switch and an Apple iPad Air, for example, fill very different roles in the tech globe, so devising apples-to-apples tests for them is nearly impossible.
Instead, nosotros evaluate each system'south game library, every bit well as how well it plays games relative to its hardware. An ROG Phone v is a much more powerful device than a 2DS XL, but the 2DS XL can play much deeper, more than involved games, cheers to its innovative second screen and dedicated controls.
To earn a spot on this listing, a system simply has to play first-class games, and be small-scale enough to transport easily. For anything across that, we rely on our qualitative judgment.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/round-up/best-handheld-gaming-consoles
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