The Birth of Handheld Gaming

By David Law (@myretrogamehub) 

Reading Time: 19 minutes 

10th August 2024 

Exploring Handheld Gaming Consoles: A Complete Retrospective

Simple Beginnings

Before the emergence of handheld electronic games, newspapers and magazines commonly included word searches, crossword puzzles, comic strips and hidden-image games. These simple, paper-based games provided portable entertainment long before the advent of electronic handheld gaming devices.

The story of handheld gaming begins in the 1970s with the introduction of simple, single-game devices. These early handhelds were a far cry from today's multi-functional gadgets but laid the groundwork for the portable gaming revolution.

During the 1970s, gamers had only two main options for playing video games: visiting arcades or playing on a home console like the Atari 2600 or the Magnavox.

In this article, we're exploring the captivating history of handheld gaming, tracing its evolution from humble beginnings to the sophisticated devices we carry today. While handheld gaming has often developed alongside home consoles, this post will concentrate solely on the handheld market. I will not delve into the consoles. (The article is already quite lengthy. Adding more would turn it into a novel.)

Birth of Portable Gaming

Mattel Incorporated, an American multinational toy manufacturing company, was founded in 1945 by Harold "Matt" Matson and Elliot Handler. The company quickly found success with its innovative toy products. The most significant breakthrough came with the introduction of the Barbie doll in 1959, which became a massive commercial success and solidified Mattel's position in the toy industry.

However, despite this early success, the company faced significant financial challenges. In 1975, it was $118M in debt, primarily due to over expansion, financial mismanagement, accounting scandals, product failures, and leadership issues. These factors combined created a significant financial burden that the company struggled to overcome, leading to changes in ownership and management in the late 1970s to turn the company around.

Mattel brought in new management talent to save the company and turn its fortunes around. One of the key hires was Michael Katz, who joined Mattel in the late 1970s. Katz, known for his marketing acumen and strategic vision, was tasked to explore new product categories. Introducing products in areas where the company has not previously been successful. Katz had the idea to create a calculator-sized electronic game using LEDs. Modifying calculators into games wasn't an entirely new concept at the time. Texas Instruments' Little Professor and Unisonic's Casino 7 had released calculators in 1976 that could play simple math games on them. However, repurposing a calculator chip to play something new was an original idea.

1976 the company released Mattel Auto Race, often credited as the first handheld electronic game. It was a simple racing game in which players manoeuvred a car along a track, avoiding obstacles. The game was a commercial success, selling over half a million units. Its success demonstrated a strong demand for handheld electronic games and encouraged further development.

Mattel followed up with additional releases in the following years, including Mattel Football and Mattel Missile Attack in 1977 and Mattel Baseball and Mattel Basketball in 1978. Under new management, Mattel overcame its financial difficulties and re-established itself as a leading toy manufacturer. The company released about 14 handheld electronic games during the late 1970s and early 1980s, selling millions of copies.

Michael Katz and the new leadership team's efforts were instrumental in this turnaround, setting the stage for Mattel's continued growth and success in the following decades. Mattel remains a major player in the toy industry today.

The First Handheld Console War

In 1978, Coleco released "Electronic Quarterback," which resembled Mattel's "Football" game and sold over 3 million copies. This led to a lawsuit from Mattel, alleging patent infringement and trade dress violation. They claimed that Coleco's game copied their product's design and could confuse consumers.

However, the court ruled in favour of Coleco, determining that the similarities did not constitute patent infringement, allowing Coleco to continue selling *Electronic Quarterback*. This case highlighted the competitive nature of the burgeoning handheld electronic game market and set a precedent for handling intellectual property disputes in the industry. Despite the legal battle, both companies continued to innovate and expand the market, contributing to the growth of handheld gaming. After the court battle between Mattel and Coleco, the handheld gaming market saw increased companies entering the space and various handheld games being released. 

Game & Watch Series

As we shift our focus from American innovations in handheld gaming, let's travel to 1979 in Japan. Gunpei Yokoi, a renowned Japanese video game designer and engineer, worked at Nintendo, a company primarily known for its playing cards and toys.
During a routine train ride, Yokoi observed a bored businessman idly playing with an LCD calculator to pass the time. This simple act sparked an idea in Yokoi's mind: What if a portable device was designed specifically for gaming to keep people entertained on the go?

Nintendo produced the Game & Watch series, a calculator-sized gaming device first released on April 28, 1980. The series consisted of portable handheld electronic games featuring simple, engaging gameplay on LCD screens. Each device was dedicated to a single game, often incorporating a clock and alarm function, and introduced innovative controls, including the D-pad. The series released over 50 dedicated handheld and tabletop games over ten years. The series was highly successful, selling over 43 million units worldwide and paving the way for future handheld gaming systems. The Game & Watch was the birthplace of the iconic D-pad, first seen in the 1982 game Donkey Kong.

In celebration of the 35th anniversary of the original Super Mario Bros., Nintendo launched a new version of the Game & Watch in 2020. A year later, they followed up with a special Zelda edition. These modern iterations retained the nostalgic charm of the classic Game & Watch series while incorporating contemporary features and enhancements.

A Game Changer

Yokoi's next project, the Nintendo Game Boy, was released on April 21, 1989. This was the first truly portable gaming console, thanks to its rugged design, long battery life, and interchangeable cartridges.
The Game Boy used a dot matrix display with no backlight, which was less advanced than the colour screens of some competitors but was chosen for its durability, longer battery life, and lower cost.
With a monochrome screen and 8-bit graphics, the GameBoy wasn't the most advanced handheld on the market but the most successful. Launching with titles such as Tetris, the GameBoy quickly became a global phenomenon. 

One of the Game Boy's most significant innovations was using interchangeable game cartridges. Unlike the earlier Game & Watch series, which featured a single game per device, the Game Boy allowed players to purchase and play multiple games on one system. This flexibility significantly expanded the console's appeal and longevity, ensuring a continuous stream of exciting new games for players.
The Game Boy's long battery life, powered by four AA batteries, was critical to its success. This made it practical for extended play sessions; it had four times the battery life of its competitors. 
Backed by popular Nintendo games and an extensive library of third-party titles, the Game Boy dominated the handheld gaming market for over a decade. With worldwide sales of over 115 million systems, it remains one of the best-selling handheld consoles of all time.

Gunpei Yokoi applied his "Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology" philosophy to the Game & Watch series and the Game Boy. This philosophy involved innovatively using mature, well-understood technology to create new, compelling, reliable, and cost-effective products.

The Contenders

While Nintendo dominated the handheld market, many competitors emerged around the late 1980s and early 1990s, each bringing their own innovations to the table.

Tiger Electronics

During the era when handheld electronic games were gaining popularity, Tiger Electronics made a significant impact with its range of affordable and accessible handheld games, even as Nintendo's Game & Watch and Game Boy dominated the market. Tiger's handheld games stood out due to their simplicity and wide array of licensed properties from popular franchises such as Power Rangers, Star Wars, Transformers, and Disney.
Tiger Electronics offered a range of affordable and accessible handheld games that became immensely popular, particularly among younger audiences. Unlike the more advanced and expensive handhelds like the Game Boy, Tiger's devices were simple, single-game handhelds with basic LCD screens.
Despite lacking technical sophistication, Tiger Electronics' handhelds were popular among kids for their beloved characters, simple gameplay, and affordability.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Tiger handheld games were priced from $15 to $30, much cheaper than advanced handheld consoles like the $90 Nintendo Game Boy, plus the additional expense of game cartridges.
The nostalgic re-releases in recent years have brought some of these classic games back into the spotlight for contemporary audiences.

Atari Lynx

The Atari Lynx, released in 1989, was a pioneering handheld gaming console known for its advanced features and innovation. It was the first handheld console to feature a colour LCD screen, offering vibrant graphics ahead of its time. The Lynx also included a backlit display, which allowed for gameplay in various lighting conditions, and a powerful 16-bit graphics processor, making it capable of scaling and rotating sprites, a significant technical achievement for handheld devices of that era.

Despite its technical prowess, the Atari Lynx faced several challenges. It was larger and heavier than its main competitor, the Nintendo Game Boy, making it less portable. Additionally, the Lynx had a relatively short battery life and was more expensive, which limited its market appeal. While featuring some notable titles, the game library was less extensive or compelling than the Game Boy's.

Sales of the Atari Lynx were modest compared to the Game Boy, which dominated the handheld market. However, the Lynx is remembered fondly by gaming enthusiasts for its ambitious design and its role in pushing the boundaries of handheld gaming technology. Its influence can be seen in the evolution of portable gaming devices that followed.

Sega Game Gear

The Sega Game Gear, released in 1990, was Sega's entry into the handheld gaming market, designed to compete directly with Nintendo's Game Boy. It featured a full-colour backlit LCD screen, which provided vibrant graphics and made it a more visually appealing option than the Game Boy's monochrome display. The Game Gear's landscape orientation and ergonomic design offered a comfortable gaming experience.

One of the Game Gear's key advantages was its ability to play games in colour, a significant draw for gamers looking for a more immersive experience. Additionally, it had a wide array of accessories, including a TV tuner that allowed the device to be used as a portable television, further enhancing its versatility.

However, the Game Gear faced several challenges. Like the Atari Lynx, it was also larger and heavier than the Game Boy, making it less portable. While visually impressive, the colour screen and backlight led to a much shorter battery life, requiring six AA batteries for only a few hours of gameplay. This made it less practical for long gaming sessions on the go. The Game Gear was also more expensive than the Game Boy, both in terms of the initial purchase price and ongoing battery costs.

Despite these drawbacks, the Game Gear garnered a dedicated following and sold about 11 million units worldwide. Its game library included popular titles such as Sonic the Hedgehog and various Sega arcade classics. While it never surpassed the Game Boy in market share, the Sega Game Gear remains a notable part of gaming history for its technical innovations and contribution to the handheld gaming era.

NEC TurboExpress

The TurboExpress, released by NEC in 1990, was a handheld version of the TurboGrafx-16 home console. It boasted a 2.6-inch backlit active matrix colour screen and could play standard TurboGrafx-16 HuCard games. However, it faced challenges due to its high retail price and poor battery life, requiring six AA batteries for only a few hours of play.

Additionally, it was prone to technical issues, such as dead pixels on the screen. While it was praised for its powerful hardware and portability, these drawbacks limited its commercial success, causing it to remain a niche product compared to more enduring handhelds like the Game Boy.

Despite being technologically inferior, the Nintendo Game Boy outperformed all its competitors in sales. Its success was driven by a more affordable retail price, longer battery life, and an extensive game library.

Virtual Boy

The Virtual Boy, released by Nintendo in 1995, was an ambitious attempt to introduce 3D virtual reality gaming to the market. This was Yokoi's last project at Nintendo before he decided to leave and start his own gaming company, Koto Laboratory, in 1996.

The Virtual Boy was notable for its stereoscopic 3D graphics, creating depth in its games. The device used a head-mounted display with a red monochromatic LED screen to produce the 3D effect, and players looked into the device through a set of goggles.

The Virtual Boy faced challenges, leading to its failure. The red-and-black display caused eye strain and headaches. Its lack of portability and limited game library also contributed to its downfall.

The Virtual Boy was discontinued within a year of its release and sold fewer than 800,000 units worldwide. Despite its commercial failure, it is remembered as a bold and innovative experiment in gaming history. Since then, it has become a collector's item and a symbol of innovation and the challenges of early virtual reality technology, making it one of Nintendo's rare failures.

Not long after leaving Nintendo, Yokoi was asked by Bandai, a Japanese toy and video game company, to collaborate with them to develop a new handheld gaming device to compete with the Game Boy, the console he helped create back in 1989.  

Modern Handheld Gaming

In 1998, Nintendo launched the Game Boy Color on October 21 in Japan, a major enhancement to the original Game Boy. It featured a colour screen while retaining backward compatibility with its predecessor's games. One of its standout features was its impressive battery life, capable of running for over 30 hours on just two AA batteries.

The Game Boy Color was compatible with the extensive library of Game Boy titles, offering a more vibrant gaming experience with up to 56 colours simultaneously. It had a faster processor, increased memory, and popular titles like Pokémon Gold and Silver, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX, and Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. Due to its compact design, affordability, and vast game library, the Game Boy Color continued Nintendo's dominance in the handheld gaming market.

The immense popularity of the Pokémon franchise drove sales of the Game Boy Color, as fans were eager to experience the new titles and features. This synergy between the Pokémon games and the Game Boy Color hardware helped Nintendo maintain its dominance in the handheld gaming market. It solidified the Game Boy Color's place as a pivotal device in gaming history.

Neo Geo Pocket and Neo Geo Pocket Color 

A week later, on October 28, 1998, SNK released its handheld console, the Neo Geo Pocket, in Japan. It was designed to compete with portable systems like the Game Boy Color. The Neo Geo Pocket featured a monochrome display and was later succeeded by the Neo Geo Pocket Color in 1999, which offered a colour screen and improved hardware.

The Neo Geo Pocket family was known for its robust build quality, excellent battery life, and a strong library of games, particularly in the fighting genre, such as SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium and King of Fighters R-2.

The Neo Geo Pocket struggled to gain market share outside Japan due to competition from Nintendo's Game Boy Color and SNK's limited marketing. Despite its strengths, it didn't achieve commercial success. Still, it is remembered for its innovative design and quality game library, which has maintained a dedicated following years after its release.

Sony PocketStation

WonderSwan

Bandai released the WonderSwan handheld gaming console exclusively in Japan on March 4, 1999. Designed by Gunpei Yokoi, the WonderSwan was notable for its affordability, long battery life—about 24 hours of gameplay off a single AA battery—and innovative design. It featured a monochrome screen and a unique control layout that allowed for horizontal and vertical gameplay, providing developers with creative options for game design.

Bandai released the WonderSwan Color, an upgraded version with a colour screen displaying 241 colours from a palette of 4,096. It maintained backward compatibility with the original WonderSwan games and offered improved hardware for more complex titles.

The WonderSwan consoles found moderate success in Japan due to their affordable pricing and diverse game library, featuring popular anime and manga titles and games like Final Fantasy, Guilty Gear Petit, and Digimon Adventure. However, the WonderSwan was only released in Japan, restricting its global impact.

Ultimately, the WonderSwan and WonderSwan Color were overshadowed by the Game Boy Color and later the Game Boy Advance. However, they are remembered for their innovative features and contributions to the handheld gaming market.

Game Boy Advance

In 2001, Nintendo released the Game Boy Advance (GBA), which featured a 32-bit CPU and a 2.9-inch reflective TFT colour screen capable of displaying 240x160 pixels. The GBA provided graphics and gameplay experiences comparable to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Its ergonomic design and shoulder buttons offered a more comfortable and versatile gaming experience.

Backward compatibility with Game Boy and Game Boy Color games ensured that players could continue to enjoy their existing libraries while new titles took advantage of the GBA's enhanced capabilities. Iconic games such as Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, Metroid Fusion, and Advance Wars showcased the system's potential and became classics in their own right.

The Game Boy Advance also saw the release of several hardware revisions, including the Game Boy Advance SP in 2003, which featured a clamshell design and a front-lit screen (later upgraded to a backlit screen), and the Game Boy Micro in 2005, which offered a more compact and stylish form factor.

The Game Boy Advance sold over 81 million units worldwide, solidifying Nintendo's dominance in handheld gaming and paving the way for future innovations like the Nintendo DS. Its impressive game library and enduring popularity make it beloved among gamers and collectors.

Nintendo DS

The Nintendo DS, released in 2004, was a groundbreaking handheld gaming console with dual screens, including a touchscreen. It introduced new ways to interact with games using the stylus for touch-based controls and gameplay mechanics, offering creative and intuitive game experiences.

The Nintendo DS had online and local multiplayer gaming via Wi-Fi, along with popular titles like Mario Kart DS, Nintendogs, Animal Crossing: Wild World, New Super Mario Bros., and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. It was also backward compatible with Game Boy Advance games.

In addition to its technical innovations, the DS saw several hardware revisions, including the Nintendo DS Lite (2006), which offered a sleeker design and brighter screens, and the Nintendo DSi (2008), which added cameras and an online store for downloading games and applications. The Nintendo DSi XL (2009) features larger screens and improved battery life.

The Nintendo DS was a massive commercial success, selling over 154 million units worldwide. Its innovative features, diverse game library, and broad appeal contributed to its status as one of the best-selling gaming consoles of all time. The DS's legacy continues to influence modern gaming.

PlayStation Portable (PSP)

In 2004, Sony entered the handheld gaming market with the PlayStation Portable (PSP-1000), known for its impressive hardware and graphics comparable to the PlayStation 2. It was a strong competitor to other handheld consoles at the time.

The PSP wasn't just for gaming. It also played music, videos, and photos and used UMDs for games and movies. With Wi-Fi, it supported online gaming, web browsing, and access to the PlayStation Network.

The PSP's game library boasted successful titles like God of War: Chains of Olympus, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. These showcased the handheld's ability to deliver console-quality experiences in a portable form factor.

Sony released several iterations of the PSP, including the PSP-2000 (Slim & Lite) in 2007, which was lighter and slimmer than the original model; the PSP-3000 in 2008, which featured an improved screen and built-in microphone; and the PSP Go in 2009, which offered a more compact design with a sliding screen and digital-only game downloads.

The PSP was a commercial success, selling over 80 million units worldwide, paving the way for Sony's continued presence in the handheld market. It's remembered for its powerful hardware, versatile multimedia capabilities, and strong game library.

Nintendo 3DS

The Nintendo 3DS, released in 2011, was a groundbreaking handheld gaming console that introduced autostereoscopic 3D technology. This technology allowed players to experience 3D effects without needing special glasses, setting it apart from other handheld devices and providing a new dimension to portable gaming.

The 3DS featured dual screens, similar to its predecessor, the Nintendo DS. The bottom screen was a touchscreen. The top screen was where the 3D magic happened, offering adjustable 3D depth that could be tailored to the player's preference. The console also included a Circle Pad for analog control, an accelerometer, and a gyroscope, enabling diverse control options and gameplay experiences.

The Nintendo 3DS was backward compatible with Nintendo DS games, ensuring players could continue enjoying their existing library. It also boasted a robust selection of new games that took advantage of its 3D capabilities, including titles like Super Mario 3D Land, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Mario Kart 7, and Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

The Nintendo 3DS underwent several hardware revisions, such as the larger Nintendo 3DS XL (2012), the budget-friendly Nintendo 2DS (2013), the more powerful New Nintendo 3DS (2014) models, and a clamshell design of the New 2DS XL (2017). It sold over 75 million units worldwide and became beloved among gamers for its innovative 3D technology and extensive game library, securing its place in the history of handheld gaming.

Overall, Nintendo's iterative approach with the DS and 3DS series over the years highlights its ability to innovate while listening to user feedback. Nintendo continually refined its handheld consoles to meet its diverse gaming audience's evolving needs and preferences.

The PlayStation Vita

In December 2011, Sony Computer Entertainment launched the PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) in Japan, followed by its release in early 2012 in North America, Europe, and other regions. This handheld console boasted advanced hardware, such as a 5-inch OLED touchscreen, dual analog sticks, and a rear touchpad, making it a powerful portable gaming device. The PS Vita received positive feedback for its impressive display, robust control options, and strong initial game lineup, which included titles like Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Wipeout 2048. Critics and early adopters were impressed by its potential to offer console-quality gaming experiences in a handheld format.

The PlayStation Vita had two main versions: the original PS Vita 1000 series, released in 2011, featuring a 5-inch OLED screen and no internal storage, and the slimmer PS Vita 2000 series, released in 2013, which had a 5-inch LCD screen, 1 GB of internal storage, and improved battery life. 

The PS Vita received a positive reception but faced significant challenges in the market, including stiff competition from mobile gaming platforms and the Nintendo 3DS, high costs of proprietary memory cards, and a lack of sustained third-party developer support. Sony discontinued the production of the PS Vita in March 2019, marking the end of its lifecycle. Despite its commercial struggles, the PS Vita remains beloved by a dedicated fanbase and is remembered for its unique contributions to handheld gaming.

Nintendo Switch

As we enter the hybrid era, handheld gaming has evolved even further, blurring the lines between portable and home consoles.

The Nintendo Switch, released in 2017, is the ultimate hybrid. When docked and connected to a TV, it functions as a home console and as a portable handheld device, offering the flexibility to play games anywhere. This hybrid functionality marked a significant shift in the gaming industry, blending the convenience of handheld gaming with the power and experience of traditional home consoles.

In 2019, the Switch lineup expanded with the introduction of the Switch Lite, accompanied by a quality-of-life update for the console. The new Switch Lite is a smaller, more streamlined variant designed exclusively for handheld play, and it cannot connect to a TV.

In 2021, Nintendo again expanded the Switch lineup with a new Nintendo Switch OLED model. This model features a vibrant 7-inch OLED screen compared to the original Switch's 6.2-inch display, enhanced audio, and a more adjustable kickstand. It also offers 64GB of internal storage and a dock with a built-in wired LAN port, delivering an upgraded gaming experience while remaining compatible with existing Switch accessories.

Steam Deck

In 2022, Valve released the Steam Deck, a handheld gaming device designed to bring the extensive Steam library to a portable format. It is powered by a custom AMD APU combining a Zen 2 and RDNA 2, delivering impressive performance for running AAA titles smoothly. The device features a 7-inch touchscreen with a 1280x800 resolution and offers storage options of 64GB eMMC, 256GB NVMe SSD, and 512GB high-speed NVMe SSD, with expandable storage via a microSD card slot.

The Steam Deck offers versatile controls and a touchscreen interface for easy navigation. It runs on SteamOS 3.0 and provides access to the Steam library and community features. It also allows for the installation of other operating systems and third-party software.

The Steam Deck is not just portable; it can also be connected to an external monitor or TV with an optional dock, serving as a home gaming console or productivity device. Its versatility, top-notch hardware, and comprehensive game selection make it an enticing option for gamers who want to enjoy PC gaming on the go or in various settings.

Sony

Sony has continued to innovate in the realm of handheld gaming, recently enhancing the experience with Sony Remote Play and introducing the PlayStation Portal.

Sony Remote Play is a feature that allows users to stream and play their PlayStation games on various devices over a Wi-Fi or mobile data connection. It is compatible with PS4 and PS5 consoles and can be used on smartphones, tablets, PCs, and Macs through the Remote Play app. This feature provides flexibility by enabling gamers to access their game library and continue playing without being tethered to their console. This capability extends the gaming experience beyond the confines of the living room, enabling players to enjoy their games on the go or in different locations within their home.

The PlayStation Portal, released by Sony in late 2023, is a handheld device crafted to enhance the PlayStation Remote Play experience. It allows you to access your games over your home Wi-Fi without requiring a TV, offering gamers a convenient and immersive way to enjoy their PS5 games away from their main console setup.

Mobile Gaming

Let's not forget about the impact of smartphones. With the rise of powerful mobile devices and app stores, gaming on phones and tablets has become a significant part of the handheld gaming landscape. Titles like "Angry Birds," "Pokémon GO," and "Fortnite" have shown that mobile gaming is a force to be reckoned with.

From the simple crossword puzzles in newspapers and magazines to the beeps and boops of the Game & Watch series, portable gaming has come a long way. Each step in this journey has brought us closer to the dream of gaming anytime, anywhere. Today, with powerful handheld consoles and smartphones delivering immersive experiences, the landscape of portable gaming has never been more exciting. As technology advances, the future looks even brighter for gamers on the go, promising even more freedom, connectivity, and innovation in the gaming world.

Emulator Handhelds

In recent years, the release of powerful emulator handhelds has revolutionised portable gaming, allowing players to experience games from various eras. These handhelds provide a convenient way for gamers to carry vast libraries of retro games, catering to the nostalgia of older players and introducing younger generations to the rich history of video games. This accessibility ensures seamless access to timeless classics and plays a crucial role in maintaining the legacy of retro gaming. 

Stay Retro!

David - My Retro Game Hub

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