The best handheld of all time?

Best handheld ever?


  • Total voters
    356
Neo Geo Pocket

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Im kind of surprised. The DS' library was so good and unique.
I never got a PSP because of its poor library. That's why I loved my DS. It was just a bit unfortunate that there was so many touch functions thrown on the Zelda games. There were enough other games that used those capabilites, like Aninal Crossing, Elite Beat Agents and the visual novels. Zelda could have been more traditional.
 
I never got a PSP because of its poor library. That's why I loved my DS. It was just a bit unfortunate that there was so many touch functions thrown on the Zelda games. There were enough other games that used those capabilites, like Aninal Crossing, Elite Beat Agents and the visual novels. Zelda could have been more traditional.
PSP has a great library it was just very different.

Zelda DS were great and nobody will ever convince me otherwise.
 
PlayStation Vita

+ Beautiful OLED
+ Gorgeous design
+ Great games including Persona 4 Golden, Gravity Rush, Killzone Mercenary, tons of indie ports, lots of PS1 and PSP games
+ Emulation isn't my thing but it's great for emulation or so I've heard.
- Pricing wasn't great
- Sony gave up

+++ DID I MENTION GRAVITY RUSH?!?!
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For me it's pretty close between PSP and Vita.

I'd initially say Vita, but considering the technical innovation jump that meant PSP for portables, and also getting way better catalog support specially from first party, I'd say PSP.

Looking forward to see the next gen PS Portal successor running games natively (I assume will be basically a PC handheld but maybe not open to install there SteamOS or Windows).
 
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Very fond memories with the SP. Backlit screen. Great design, all the best Gameboy games before things got bloated. Saying this as something who uses Steamdeck every day
 
I haven't owned most of these, but I've owned:

PSP
DS
GameBoy
3DS
Gameboy Advance
Switch
Steam Deck
Gameboy Color

Steam Deck by far, for me. Wide range of games and customization. Great overall platform and design. I find it amusing PSP is so highly rated. I'd rate the PSP the worst of the ones I had as far as value and time used. Outside of Chains of Olympus, my PSP largely collected dust.
 
3DS but only because on top of its own library it has access to all of DS.

- MH4 and MHGU
- Trauma Center
- SMT4 and Strange Journey
- Etrian Odyssey
- ALBW
- Mario Golf 3DS
- Project X Zone

The combined library is incredibly good, and none of them feel good to play on emulators.
 
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Somebody please remove OP's gamer cred

How do you have a poll with:

"Nintendo Switch"

and then have

"Switch 2"

Keep your damn naming convention consistant in a poll.
 
It's the steam deck. My frustrations with Linux aside, the device itself is virtually perfect from a hardware standpoint. It's insanely ergonomic, lightweight and comfortable to hold for hours on end, and punches way above its weight class for performance.

Being able to play essentially any console game from Atari to Switch on a single device is insane.
 
Somebody please remove OP's gamer cred

How do you have a poll with:

"Nintendo Switch"

and then have

"Switch 2"

Keep your damn naming convention consistant in a poll.
I've never seen so many poll critics in my life. 😲
 
Gameboy or DS easily. lol @ voting PSP! :messenger_tears_of_joy:
It does have an enormous library, and it was very impressive hardware for its time. Hack your PSP today, and the poor thing will chug under the weight of all the stuff you can put on a single SD card.

DS for me would win for Phoenix Wright, Layton, and Elite Beat Agents alone, but the PSP is easily the best dedicated handheld not made by Nintendo.
 
PSP has a great library it was just very different.

Zelda DS were great and nobody will ever convince me otherwise.
Please share what of its library you loved so much! I'm not ironic, it just never was for me, but I'm iterested in hearing from someone for whom it was. A class mate had one and showed me a Final Fantasy movie on it and it felt like such a luxury device. People might forget that at this time only perhaps some iPods could compete with that handheld quality screen.
 
I would probably go with Switch. It was the first handheld that really clicked with me. I've owned a Vita, GBA and original Game Boy and none of them did anything really to sway me to portable play. I only played on stationary consoles. But Switch changed everything. I love the hybrid nature and want all my consoles to be hybrid. Now I'm rocking a ROG Ally X which is an awesome piece of tech, which I alternate between handheld and desktop mode just like Switch and I love it. But I would never had bought it if not for Switch paving the way.
 
For me it's a jailbroken Vita. Every single vita game plus every single PSP game at your finger tips? Great form factor and screen, plus emulators on top of emulators. Sure it might not be the biggest powerhouse now, but that form factor is just awesome and it was the beginning of dual analogs on portables.
 
Best handheld was the (non-XL) New Nintendo 3DS. Perfect size, clamshell design, 3D added magic to games. It was a perfect portable gaming device that I had with me in the pocket of my jeans 90% of the time. Pull it out, play for 20-30 minutes, fold it together, put it back. No backpack needed. Getting something like this again would be a dream come true.

Steam Deck is my modern favorite. I can play 90% of the games that I care about on that wonderful device. I hope we'll get a successor soon.

Honorable mention: GPD Win Mini (2025). Good dimensions, clamshell design, reasonably powerful. Unfortunately quite expensive.
 
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Please share what of its library you loved so much! I'm not ironic, it just never was for me, but I'm iterested in hearing from someone for whom it was. A class mate had one and showed me a Final Fantasy movie on it and it felt like such a luxury device. People might forget that at this time only perhaps some iPods could compete with that handheld quality screen.
On PSP?

Pursuit Force 2
Lumines
Metal Gear ACID 2
Metal Gear Solid PO & PW
Exit
Crush
Ultimate Ghosts & Goblins
Mega Man MHX & PU
Daxter
FFT WOTL
Tactics Ogre
Syphon Filter 1 & 2
Dissidia
Tekken 5 DR
Locoroco 1 & 2
Patapon 1 & 2
Burnout Legends
WipeOut Pulse
Disgaea
SFA3 Max
Jeanne D'Arc
Persona 3 Portable
Hot Shots Golf & Tennis
GTA LCS & VCS
God of War
Valkyrie Profile Lenneth
Outrun 2006
Crazy Taxi
Monster Hunter

Not all worth loading up today (just play P3 Reload or the TO remaster), but insane library. I still play mine occasionally (and my DS too)
 
On PSP?

Pursuit Force 2
Lumines
Metal Gear ACID 2
Metal Gear Solid PO & PW
Exit
Crush
Ultimate Ghosts & Goblins
Mega Man MHX & PU
Daxter
FFT WOTL
Tactics Ogre
Syphon Filter 1 & 2
Dissidia
Tekken 5 DR
Locoroco 1 & 2
Patapon 1 & 2
Burnout Legends
WipeOut Pulse
Disgaea
SFA3 Max
Jeanne D'Arc
Persona 3 Portable
Hot Shots Golf & Tennis
GTA LCS & VCS
God of War
Valkyrie Profile Lenneth
Outrun 2006
Crazy Taxi
Monster Hunter

Not all worth loading up today (just play P3 Reload or the TO remaster), but insane library. I still play mine occasionally (and my DS too)
It had so many more that i liked add:
Coded Arms
DJMax series
Final Fantasy Type-0
Gran Turismo (shame it didn't had a normal SP mode)
Grand Knights History
Guilty Gear Judgment
Half-Minute Hero
Killzone Liberation
Ridge Racer 2
Steambot Chronicles
Sweet Fuse At Your Side
The 3rd Birthday (not a great PE but still)
Valkyria Chronicles 2 & 3
What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord?!
Wild Arms XF
More good ports like Final Fantasy IV
...

Vita's library has some gems but is a joke compared to PSP.
 
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3DS but only because on top of its own library it has access to all of DS.

- MH4 and MHGU
- Trauma Center
- SMT4 and Strange Journey
- Etrian Odyssey
- ALBW
- Mario Golf 3DS
- Project X Zone

The combined library is incredibly good, and none of them feel good to play on emulators.

But why not pick DS for GBA then?

DS+GBA > 3DS+DS
 
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