Handheld Game Console - List of Notable Handheld Game Consoles

List of Notable Handheld Game Consoles

• Milton Bradley Microvision (1979)
• Epoch Game Pocket Computer - (1984) - Japanese only; not a success
• Nintendo Game Boy (1989) - First internationally successful handheld game console
• Atari Lynx (1989) - First backlit/color screen, first hardware capable of accelerated 3d drawing
• TurboExpress (1990, Japan; 1991, North America) - Played huCard (TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine) games, first console/handheld intercompatibility
• Sega Game Gear (1991) - Architecturally similar to Sega Master System, notable accessory firsts include a TV tuner
• Watara Supervision (1992) - first handheld with TV-OUT support: the Super Game Boy was only a compatibility layer for the preceding Game Boy.
• Sega Mega Jet (1992) - no screen, made for Japan Airlines (first handheld without a screen)
• Mega Duck/Cougar Boy (1993) - 4 level grayscale 2,7" LCD - stereo sound - rare, sold in Europe and Brazil
• Sega Nomad (1995) - Played normal Sega Genesis cartridges, albeit at lower resolution
• Neo Geo Pocket (1996) - Unrelated to Neo Geo consoles or arcade systems save for name
• Game Boy Pocket (1996) - Slimmer redesign of Game Boy
• Game Boy Pocket Light (1997) - Japanese only backlit version of the Game Boy Pocket
• Tiger game.com (1997) - First touch screen, first Internet support (with use of sold-separately modem)
• Game Boy Color (1998)
• Cybiko (around 1998)
• Sony PocketStation (1998) - Japanese only PS1 memory card/portable mini console in one.
• Sega Visual Memory Unit (1998) - Dreamcast memory card/portable mini console in one.
• SNK Neo Geo Pocket Color (1999)
• Bandai WonderSwan (1999) - Developed by Gumpei Yokoi after leaving Nintendo
• Bandai WonderSwan Color (2000)
• Game Park GP32 (2001) - first with full homebrew support
• Game Boy Advance (2001) - First 32-bit handheld
• Pokémon mini (2001) - The smallest cartridge-based system that includes a black-and-white LCD screen, and the smallest integrated gamepad ever created.
• Bandai SwanCrystal (2002) - Minor redesign of WonderSwan Color
• Nokia N-Gage (2003) - Game system and GSM cell phone (first combination of the two); first included MP3 player and FM radio; used Bluetooth (first wireless multiplayer); first use of GPRS for online play
• Game Boy Advance SP (2003) - Redesign of GBA: slimmer, clamshell form factor; frontlit screen
• GameKing (2003) - first handheld developed by a Chinese company.
• Tapwave Zodiac (2004) - First PDA/game handheld hybrid; Palm OS PDA with game-focused form factor and features
• Nokia N-Gage QD (2004) - Redesign of N-Gage, removed MP3 playback and radio
• Nintendo DS (2004) - First inclusion of dual screens, built-in microphone, and Wi-Fi for wireless multiplayer; touchscreen
• PlayStation Portable (2004/2005) - First use of optical media; uses Memory Sticks for saved data; plays movies and music and views JPEG pictures.
• Gizmondo (2005) - Uses GPRS network; first inclusion of GPS for location-based games, first built-in camera
• Game Boy Micro (2005) - Redesign of GBA; smallest Game Boy form factor to date, first transflective LCD screen in a handheld.
• Game Boy Advance SP (Backlit) - A low key re-release of the GBA SP with a backlit screen.
• XGP (2005) and Game Park Holdings GP2X (2005) - Successor units to the GP32 handheld, each being developed by the two companies that split off from Game Park.
• Nintendo DS Lite (2006) - Redesign of DS, including smaller size, brighter screen levels, and other subtle changes.
• PlayStation Portable Slim & Lite (2007) - Redesign of PlayStation Portable (PSP), including smaller size, lighter weight, video out capability, USB charge, and other changes.
• PlayStation Portable-3000 (2008) - Minor redesign of the current PSP Slim & Lite, including brighter screen, built in mic, and a PS button replacing the Home Button
• Nintendo DSi (2008) - Small redesign of the Nintendo DS Lite. Some changes include built in internet, camera, use of SD card, this model however does not have backward compatibility with Game Boy Advance games
• PSP Go (2009) - A brand new PSP including no UMD, Internal Memory, Bluetooth, and a sliding screen
• Nintendo DSi LL/XL (2009) - The fourth iteration of the Nintendo DS handheld game console technically identical to the DSi with its distinguishing feature being its large form factor which will be almost an inch larger than the DSi and slightly thicker. It will boast two 4.25" LCD screens 93% larger than the current DS Lite.
• Mi2 (2009) - The Mi2 is a small handheld game device created by Planet Interactive in cooperation with the Chinese manufacturer Conny, it contains 100 built in games.
• Dingoo a320 (2010) - a new version of the a320 which will have emulation for 11 consoles including the NES, SNES, Genesis and Master System
• Pandora (2010) - Open Source handheld developed by former distributors and community members of the GP32 and GP2X.
• Xperia PLAY (2011) - A gaming smartphone designed by Sony Ericsson, it is the first device to be part of the PlayStation Certified program.
• Nintendo 3DS (2011) - The first portable console to use the autostereoscopy technology, which creates the illusion of 3D.
• PlayStation Vita (2011-2012) - Sony's successor to the PSP series.
• SNK Neo-Geo X (2012-2013) - Released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Neo Geo AES home console