From Gameboy to iOS: History of handheld gaming

Let's explore the history of handheld gaming

Back in the 1990s and 2000s, Nintendo's GameBoy and DS range of consoles were the kings of handheld gaming. They offered a gaming experience.

Author - Sophie T 

However, from around 2010, the smartphone in your pocket became capable of delivering a similar gaming experience. This has resulted in a change in gaming habits. The lack of handheld consoles since that time speaks volumes.

What games are people playing on their smartphones?

From a developer's perspective, the beauty of creating a game for these devices is that almost everyone has one in their pocket. It has meant developers can look to make a game that has an audience outside of the traditional gaming market. 

The likes of Angry Birds have become massive across the world. This is very much a pick-up-and-play type title that will attract the non-traditional audience we have already mentioned.

Mobile devices have also become popular for football fans. For example, fans of EA FC 25 can enter into auctions to buy players on the popular Ultimate Team game mode. This means that even when they're away from their console, they can sttill engage with their popular sports game. 

Although not a video game, football fans also use their phones for Fantasy Football. It means people can constantly engage on the go.

Iconic handheld games that have made the jump to smartphones

However, many handheld games from the Nintendo GameBoy and DS era have now had new additions playable on smartphones. The first handheld game played by many back in the day was Pokemon and in 2016, Pokemon Go became one of the most downloaded smartphone apps ever. 

After that, versions of Mario and Mario Kart have since been enjoyed by gamers on their mobile devices. These are perhaps unusual for a company like Nintendo which has often seen its gaming mascot as something of a traditional figure.

The end of an era

In 2006, the DS launched and sold millions of copies straight away. However, this would turn out to be the last traditional handheld console that became a success. Its sequel the 3DS never quite reached the popularity of that predecessor. 

Around the launch of the DS, Sony launched the PlayStation Portable (PSP) and despite it being a graphical powerhouse, it never really had that success. Perhaps this was a sign of the change in the markets. 

A hybrid console is the present

One thing that we have seen in recent times is developers trying to create an experience that can be utilized in different formats. With some of the games mentioned previously, you can play on your laptop or smartphone. This means you can always be engrossed in your favourite game wherever you are. 

In 2017, Nintendo launched the Switch. This is a console that provides gamers with the traditional experience. A console plugged into your television. However, it also enables you to use it as a handheld console. The relative success of this device means that developers might start to think twice about disregarding the traditional handheld console setup. 

It is constantly reported that Sony are actively working on a brand new PlayStation handheld that could feature an powerful graphics chip and would be able to run games natively. Perhaps, developers are about to go back to the future. 

Will hybrid be the future?

In this previous article, we have previously explored the speculation about a potential Switch 2 and Nintendo's next console. It appears they will stick with the hybrid model. Will their competitors follow suit? Some believe Microsoft's next console will have the ability to be played in some kind of 'handheld' mode. It will be interesting to see what happens.