A Nintendo DS Lite, the best-selling handheld console of all time and second overall
A handheld game console, or simply handheld console, is a small, portable self-contained video game console with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers.[1] Handheld game consoles are smaller than home video game consoles and contain the console, screen, speakers, and controls in one unit, allowing players to carry them and play them at any time or place.[2][3]
In 1976, Mattel introduced the first handheld electronic game with the release of Auto Race.[4] Later, several companies—including Coleco and Milton Bradley—made their own single-game, lightweight table-top or handheld electronic game devices.[5] The first commercial successful handheld console was Merlin from 1978 which sold more than 5 million units.[6] The first handheld game console with interchangeable cartridges is the Milton Bradley Microvision in 1979.[7]
Nintendo is credited with popularizing the handheld console concept with the release of the Game Boy in 1989[3] and continues to dominate the handheld console market.[8][9] The first internet-enabled handheld console and the first with a touchscreen was the Game.com released by Tiger Electronics in 1997.[10] The Nintendo DS, released in 2004, introduced touchscreen controls and wireless online gaming to a wider audience, becoming the best-selling handheld console with over 150 million units sold worldwide.[11]
^D 4.1 - Standards and technology monitoring report [revised version] Archived June 30, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. University of Maribor. Sixth Framework Programme (European Community). April 24, 2007. p. 20.
^Li, Frederick W. B. Computer Games. Archived July 14, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Durham University. Retrieved December 19, 2008. p. 4.
^ abSteinbock, Dan; Johnny L. Wilson (January 28, 2007). The Mobile Revolution. Kogan Page. p. 150. ISBN 978-0-7494-4850-9.
^Loguidice, Bill; Matt Barton (August 15, 2008). "A History of Gaming Platforms: Mattel Intellivision". Gamasutra. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
^Demaria, Rusel; Johnny L. Wilson (2002). High Score! The Illustrated History of Video games. McGraw-Hill. pp. 31–32. ISBN 978-0-07-222428-3.
^"Merlin, the Electronic Wizard - Game Console - Computing History". www.computinghistory.org.uk. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
^East, Tom (November 11, 2009). "History Of Nintendo: Game Boy". Official Nintendo Magazine. Archived from the original on November 10, 2014. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
^Patsuris, Penelope (June 7, 2004). "Sony PSP Vs. Nintendo DS". Forbes.
^Hutsko, Joe (March 25, 2000). "88 Million and Counting; Nintendo Remains King of the Handheld Game Players". The New York Times. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
^"30 Years of Handheld Game Systems". PCWorld. December 6, 2009. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
^McFerran, Damien (May 19, 2017). "Retrospective: The Awkward Birth of the DS, Nintendo's Most Successful System". Nintendo Life. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
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