It is a miracle that handheld gaming exists today.
The massive problems it faced, and still faces today should have ended the phenomenon altogether.
While possessing the moderate advantage of portability, handhelds have always been far behind their console counterparts. Going strong for 20 years now, we ought to see why they persist. The problems faced by handhelds are immense.
The technological lag between consoles and handhelds makes handheld games far below a console gamer’s standards. The 64 was in 3D before the Gameboy had colour.
Multiplayer on handhelds is tedious, limited and annoying, with a few notable exceptions. Handhelds are obviously portable, but is that enough to sell such an inferior product?
There are a few explanationsfor their success. When people have nothing to do, they tend to fidget. It is this impulse that handhelds have tapped into, providing the ultimate timepass.
Handhelds are also cheaper, providing discount gaming. And of course, there are the very few games to implement multiplayer correctly, like Pokémon. These have turned a handheld into a personal battle station, able to battle with many using the handheld as an extension of the self, making it personal unlike a console.
So, while handhelds have major disadvantages, a few good games and sheer timepass value have ensured they are here to stay.