Nintendo Sony Sega and the Rest – The Handheld Console the Past Present and Future

Executive Summary by David J Hunter

handheld nintendo ds

The true origins of the handheld gaming market began with the release of Nintendo’s Game Boy, sure the Microvision console arrived some 10 years previous, however the Game Boy was the first handheld console do gain international success. This article will track the evolution of the hand held console, from Nintendo’s humble Game Boy to the latest Sony installment with the PSP Slim and Light. The console was well designed, sturdy and bulky yet portable, certainly not as susceptible to faults unlike its futuristic predecessor the Nintendo DS. The 8 bit Game Boy system was joined soon by the Atari Lynx, a somewhat failed effort in comparison to Nintendo’s global success.

In 1995 the Sega Gamegear became perhaps the most accomplished challenge towards Nintendo’s Game Boy, with the Gamegear’s colour screen and accessories such as television tuner it presented a significant threat to the mantel of ‘most successful hand held console’ at the time held by Nintendo. A battle of in game characters developed between Mario (Nintendo) and Sonic (Sega) a fierce rivalry that continues to this day.

Other handheld consoles saturated the market place, SNK’s Neo Geo the Game.Com the most notable. Despite Nintendo releasing the Game Boy pocket prior to the Color it was the ability to play games such as Pokemon in colour that truly promoted the console.

Both the Sony PSP as well as the Nintendo DS were released in 2005 to overwhelming international success, both boasted the latest in handheld technology. The DS slots in the gap left by the Sony PSP, whilst the PSP perhaps targets the serious to hardcore gamer, the DS seems to target the whole family, all ages, and all level of gaming ability. With the Nintendo DS’s user friendly interface and variety of software the console simply flew of freshly stocked shelves of retail outlets.

As for the features of handhelds I can only guess how far the big players will go (Sony, Nintendo, Sega), Virtual Reality seems to be the holy grail of gaming technology!

Check out other information on Nintendo Games Wii