Handheld Game Consoles: Do You Own Handhelds and Are You Looking Forward to the Switch 2? 99 comments
Image: Nintendo
Do you own a Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, or comparable current handheld game console? What do you think of the recently announced Nintendo Switch 2? And what do you think was the best handheld console of its time? This week’s Sunday Question is all about mini handheld game consoles.
Table of Contents Do You Own Handhelds and Are You Looking Forward to the Switch 2? Handheld Consoles: Gaming on the Go Since 1989 The Community‘s Handheld PreferencesThe Top Dog: Nintendo SwitchHandheld Console Reimagined: The Steam Deck RevolutionWhat’s the Wait for the Switch 2? The best handheld console of all time Participation is expressly requestedThe last ten questions from Sunday in the overview Motivation and data usage
Handheld consoles: gaming on the go since 1989
Every gamer knows it, young and old: the Game Boy as the symbol and embodiment of the handheld game console. In 1989, after the Microvision, the Game & Watch and the Epoch Game Pocket Computer, it was not the first handheld computer of all time, but it was the first to be widely accepted. Various iterations followed until the Nintendo DS in 2004, to which Sony opposed the PlayStation Portable. The duel continued in the second round with the Nintendo 3DS and the PlayStation Vita, but the winner was actually already decided. As a result, in the era of gaming-capable smartphones, the handheld console market belonged almost entirely to Nintendo for many years, and the Switch was the next big success.
Thanks to Valve, however, there has been movement in the segment again: as a portable console with x86 architecture and adapted to common desktop operating systems, the Steam Deck represents a completely different approach to the ecosystem closed Switch from Nintendo since February 2022. And this model works: the portable gaming PC for your hands enjoys great popularity, which peaked this week with the appearance of the OLED version of the Steam Deck. But do seasoned PC veterans who prefer mouse and keyboard actually play on handheld consoles?
Community Wearable Preferences
This is what the first question of today’s Sunday Question aims to find out, which follows in the tradition of the latest Hanhdeld survey from fall 2023. Have you played on a portable console during of the last few weeks and months? And if so, which one?
Of course, the proposed answer options do not claim to be complete. If you played on a handheld that is not listed, please mention the device in the comments.
Top Dog: Nintendo Switch
With over 146 million units sold, Nintendo is the leader among modern handheld gaming consoles: Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED have combined to outsell all other gaming consoles except the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS.
Console sales comparison through November 2024 Console sales figures (in millions) Sony PlayStation 2 158.70 Nintendo DS 154.02 Nintendo Switch 146.00 Nintendo Game Boy 118.69 Sony PlayStation 4 117.19 Sony PlayStation 102 .49 Nintendo Wii 101.63 Sony PlayStation 3 87.40 Microsoft Xbox 360 85.73 Sony PlayStation Portable 82.52 Nintendo Game Boy Advanced 81.51 Nintendo 3DS 75.94 PlayStation 5 65.50 NES 61.91
Do you also own a Switch? And if so, which ones?
Portable console reinvented: the Steam Deck revolution
Valve’s Steam Deck is potentially more interesting for PC gamers because many well-known Windows games run on it. If you purchased a model, which one is it?
How excited is the wait for the Switch 2?
The now officially announced Nintendo Switch 2 can only be considered a direct competitor to the Steam Deck to a limited extent. Anyone interested in new Nintendo games will find it difficult to avoid the new console. How is the anticipation going on the Techoutil forum?
The Switch 2 has been announced, but not yet fully presented. However, more is likely already known about the console’s technology than Nintendo will ever officially reveal from the rumors and leaked details that have emerged over the past few months and years.
However, some questions remain open – and that invites speculation. Which of these claims about the Switch 2 do you think will prove true in a few months?
The best portable console of all time
Either way, the Switch 2 will have big shoes to fill – and Nintendo has yet to allay fears that this time around it’s just an evolution. But in your opinion, what have been the most innovative, most important and therefore perhaps best portable consoles to date?
Participation is expressly desired
As always, the editorial team is happy to receive well-founded and detailed reasons for your decisions in the comments to the current Sunday issue. If you personally have completely different opinions that are not covered by the answer options offered in the article surveys, you can also report them on the forum. Ideas and suggestions for adding content to current or future surveys are also welcome.
Readers who have not yet responded to the previous Sunday’s questions are encouraged to do so, as surveys always take place over a 30-day period. The only condition to participate is a free Techconseil account. There are often still exciting discussions going on on the forum, especially regarding questions from last Sunday.
The last ten Sunday questions at a glance
GeForce RTX 50 & RDNA 4: What’s your first impression of the graphics innovations? Christmas Questions: Did you upgrade in 2024 and was there any technology to celebrate? Tinkering on a DIY PC: A Blessing or a Blessing curse?Gaming PC: What manufacturer does the graphics card come from? SSD and enclosure?Mobile communications: How much does your tariff cost and which provider are you with?Audio on the desktop: Are you using headphones, speakers, headsets, or a microphone?Idle consumption: what does “idle” actually mean to you and is it relevant?20 years of Half-Life 2: Is the shooter really that good and do you still believe in part 3?RAM: From what RAM do you have, what is its speed? does it and does it have RGB?TV Setups: How big is your TV and what’s connected to it?
Motivation and use of data
The data collected within the framework of Sunday Questions is intended solely to make the mood within the community as well as the hardware and software preferences of readers and their development more visible. There is no financial or advertising context and no evaluation for market research purposes or transmission of data to third parties.
Topics: Community Gaming Nintendo Nintendo Switch Sunday question on game consoles
A lifelong video game enthusiast, Julien reviews the latest releases and explores the technologies transforming the gaming world.
