Latest Handheld Game Consoles

Video game systems, or consoles, were taken outdoor forever by Nintendo in 1989, when it released the first ever handheld game console, Game Boy. It lorded over a vast core demographic, which stuck long enough to see a colored version in 1998.

On the heels of PlayStation’s success, Sony introduced, in March 2005, PlayStation Portable (PSP), the console’s handheld version. Responding directly to the Game Boy monopoly, Sony equipped PSP with an impressive widescreen display, showing only superlative, DVD-resolution graphics. PSPs can display video, store photos, and play MP3 tracks too. Web browsers are even built into every PSP, thereby complementing its wireless capability.

PlayStation Portable has undergone major overhaul twice, in a bid to become an all-in-one entertainment gadget. A smaller, lighter version, PSP 2000, followed the first in 2007. It features more elevated keys, bigger RAM for faster loading, and an A/V port so that users can show the games, videos, and photos on the television screen. PSP 3000, which succeeded it in 2008, can be output to non-HD TV models. In fact Sony plans PSP to double as TV next year. PSP 3000 can also make Skype phone calls via an integrated microphone, which is ideal for games, too. Most of all, PSP’s screen has been made brighter and less prone to glare.

Nevertheless, Nintendo steeled itself before the original PSP came out. From the looks of the Nintendo DS, its next-generation handheld console, it was not ready to pass the baton yet.

In both the original 2004 model and the Lite version, the hallmark of the console is its dual screen. Nintendo DS flips open to reveal a singularly groundbreaking touch screen at the bottom, apart from the display on top. The DS also has a built-in microphone. One can’t browse the web with it just yet, although one can play with DS players worldwide so long as the game is Wi-Fi ready. The DS also has a port into which players can insert an entire catalog of Game Boy Advance games.

Other than that, the Nintendo DS is a heavy console (275 g) with no audio and video playback options.

In the pipelines is the Nintendo DSi, which can play music and capture photos. The subsequent makeover, Nintendo DS Lite, weighs just 217g. In contrast to its precursor, the DS Lite is available in a variety of colors.

A new player looking to slake off some of these two’s market share is GP2X by GamePark Holdings. It is notable for being a Linux device, making it, to a small extent, a computer. One could even read e-books with it. Provided they are original, GP2X can run just about all games, be it from an arcade machine or a PlayStation. On top of that, this handheld device offers audio and video playback and photo storage.

Resources for Emerging Game Consoles

Sony has big plans for PlayStation Portable.

Sony PSP Model 2000

Review of Sony PSP 3000

Top Ten Innovations in Gaming.

Nintendo DSi: Everything You Need To Know.

Review of Nintendo DS Lite.

GamePark Holdings GP2X review.