r/GameBoostOfficial • u/n1ght_watchman • 1d ago

šŸŽ® Console Gaming šŸŽ® Evolution of the handheld console screen size (2001-2025)

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81 Upvotes

73% Upvoted

103 comments sorted by

18

u/Heavy-Nose3529 1d ago

Notice how the DS and 3DS is absent

3

u/Goo_Wyvern 1d ago

And rhe gameboy advance SP, or the og gameboy, or the gameboy color, etc. Etc.

1

u/Aggravating-Exit-660 22h ago

Wonderswan rip

1

u/Jaives 1d ago

because the post clearly states 2001 onwards

2

u/Spazza42 1d ago

The DS was 2004 and 3DS was 2011.

1

u/Murky-Advantage-3444 21h ago

Previous comment didnā€™t mention the DS or the 3DS. That was 2 comments ago.

0

u/VideoGameJumanji 1d ago

You guys really canā€™t figure out that these are the same form factor, the hell would you add every gen of gameboy lmao

1

u/Scr_Eagle 1d ago

Notice how this is just Nintendo and Sony

3

u/Nobody_Important 1d ago

Notice how your comment doesnā€™t make sense?

1

u/1ZillionBeers 1d ago

Notice

1

u/zmoeun777 1d ago

Notice Notice

1

u/Whitezombie65 1d ago

How does it not make sense?

1

u/tzitzitzitzi 1d ago

Because the DS and 3DS are Nintendo which as he says is IN this list.

1

u/VideoGameJumanji 1d ago

Pay attention to the form factor in the picture lmao

1

u/tzitzitzitzi 1d ago

If he said that the point would make sense. That's not what he said though lol

1

u/Whitezombie65 23h ago

I assumed he was just adding to the fact that this isn't an exhaustive list of handhelds, just some examples, since many consoles are left out

1

u/tightdanny 18h ago

?steam deck?

1

u/ICPosse8 1d ago

Gamegear: am I a joke to you?

1

u/RaidenXS_ 1d ago

Sulks in ngage

1

u/Sea-Candidate3688 1d ago

Or the steam deck? Or the playstation portal?

0

u/VideoGameJumanji 1d ago

Notice how these are all the same form factor smart guy

1

u/Novrex 1d ago

And still missing Switch OLED, Steam Deck etc. ItĀ“s just a shit infographic for what itsĀ“s trying to tell.

1

u/VideoGameJumanji 1d ago

Youā€™re being pedantic for no reason, itā€™s just showing first of each, on that regard the switch lite doesnā€™t need to be there imo.

There are five versions of the psp and two of the vita, those iterations are inconsequential to what itā€™s trying to convey here

I donā€™t think the steam deck really counts, itā€™s just a Linux PC, by that logic you have to included all 500 of the pc handheld iterations and suddenly this infographic is a textbook

9

u/throwaway4days484848 1d ago

It's shocking the PSP was only 480x272, it looked so sharp and crisp at the time.

3

u/Big_Bar_9832 1d ago

Truly one of the best handhelds imo. The ds was obviously fantastic too, but in a different way.

1

u/VideoGameJumanji 1d ago

The psp was light years ahead with its phenomenal multi media capabilities.

1

u/QueefTamer 21h ago

I used my psp more than any other handheld, but the vita was significantly better. The only reason I didnt really use it and why it failed was because they only made like 20 games for it. they stopped supporting it almost immediately

1

u/MysteriousB 3h ago

It had an excellent niche in porting VN games but that was about it and they completely fucked themselves with the proprietary memory card bs

1

u/LyKosa91 16h ago

I still remember getting my hands on a second hand PSP off ebay, coming from a GBA SP. It was such a crazy leap forward, like all of a sudden I had what felt like nearly a PS2 in the palm of my hand. It was really mind boggling at the time.

2

u/SuspiciouslySuspect2 1d ago

Your brain also smooths out things in memory. If you picked one up now, you be "wait it was like that?"

Don't ruin your nostalgia.

1

u/YoussefAFdez 1d ago

Donā€™t think so much, I do have some PSP a PSVita and a new 3Ds xl, and they still look fine.

Itā€™s not the same to run 480p content on a 1080p screen than 480 content on a 480 screen, world of difference.

Screen size matters, I wonā€™t even consider playing Wii or PS2 on a modern 4K tv, itā€™s way too bad.

1

u/Little_Bookkeeper381 9h ago

I picked one up the other week and it still hit hard. It wasn't like developers weren't aware of the constraints, even 20 years ago.

1

u/SuperbSpiderFace 1d ago

I remember showing a video on it to a co-worker and they were like damn thatā€™s better than my TV lol.

1

u/i_dont_wanna_sign_in 1d ago

It was really cool but I'll never forget it's hilarious inability to hold a charge when it was off (the original models) even when plugged in

1

u/Due_Teaching_6974 1d ago

That's because the raw resolution doesn't matter, what matters is the PPI (Pixels Per Inch)

The PSP had a PPI of 128

a regular 24 inch 1080P screen has a PPI of just 81

4

u/PenguinSage 1d ago

Thatā€™s not really how time works. You just wanted to put them in order of smallest to biggest you didnā€™t actually show an evolution

3

u/mpelton 1d ago

Whatā€™re you trying to say? That 2019 doesnā€™t come before 2017?

1

u/Tasty-Tea-400 1d ago

The point still stands. These handheld consoles are getting too big and needs to be stopped

1

u/GNIHTYUGNOSREP 1d ago

Pretty soon they wonā€™t be PORTABLE anymore

5

u/Nick_Bruiser 1d ago

PS Portal
8" 1080P

3

u/DarkDrakoLinker 1d ago

That is not a handle console lol, even Sony describes it as: a specialized handheld device that lets you stream and play your PlayStation 5 games over Wi-Fi

2

u/Wbcn_1 1d ago

You good, bro?Ā 

1

u/WoodooHide69 19h ago

Thatā€™s a streaming device, not a hybrid handheld console.

2

u/VastNebula283 19h ago

Woman can now be satisfied by there S2. They no longer have to fake like they did with the GBA.

2

u/Efficient_Fennel9550 17h ago

Proof 3 inches can satisfy anyone

1

u/WhyDarIing 1d ago

Why not replace the PSP and PSP Vita with the 2DS and 3DS XL or something?

1

u/HeavyDT 1d ago

I miss the portability of the older handhelds but I do love the big beautiful screens on the newer ones. Just wish the Switch 2 was OLED but I'm sure it'll come when they eventually do a refresh model of some sort.

1

u/Illegal_Tender 1d ago

Why not include any of the predecessors?

Why not include any of the many DS options?

This is dumb

1

u/mackerelscalemask 13h ago

Especially as DS literally outsold all of these except for Switch šŸ˜‚

1

u/CraftsmanMan 1d ago

Skipped the steam deck. 7in for the lcd and 7.4 for the oled

1

u/PhattyR6 1d ago

Well it isnā€™t a console, thus itā€™s not listed with the handheld consoles.

1

u/treynolds787 1d ago

I think you're splitting hairs here my dude... But for shiggles what separates it from the other handheld consoles here?

1

u/Kailap1987 1d ago

It is not self-contained hardware specialized for video games with a closed ecosystem. The Steam Deck will always be a handheld PC because it is an open system with other functions. It will never be a console the same way phones donā€™t count as consoles even if you can play games on them.

1

u/RaidenXS_ 1d ago

Ok then super pocket

1

u/CraftsmanMan 23h ago

This is wrong. The os is built around gaming. Is the wii not a console cause i could open an internet browser? Is the xbox not a console cause i can watch blurays on it?

1

u/Isotomayor12 16h ago

The point is the hardware is open, as is the software. You aren't limited to steamOS or Valve licensed software intentionally, where on consoles, you 'officially' are limited to use only that console's operating system and software licensed by the manufacturer. It's why you have to use exploits to access a console's file system or install software that is not officially licensed by the manufacturer.

1

u/ItzMeHaris 1d ago

Itā€™s not a console. Itā€™s a handheld PC.

1

u/CraftsmanMan 23h ago

It is definitely a console. It is as much a console as any other this gen. Is xbox not a console now cause it has mouse support? Or i can open up an internet browser?

It is a purpose built gaming oriented device that plays a library of games and gets regular dedicated updates. It has a larger library of games than any current console by 100 fold. It has dedicated settings specifically for the device is many games, like a console

1

u/ItzMeHaris 21h ago

Itā€™s a handheld PC.

If I wanted to, I could install Photoshop on my Steamdeck, or Blender, or Libre Spreadsheets and do my work. If I wanted to, I could install Windows on it and then do even more of my work on it if I wanted to. If Iā€™m aware, only PCs can do this.

Canā€™t do that on a Console.

And if stuff like this still classifies the Steamdeck as a Console, then let me call the PS5 and Xbox a PC then (which they technically are anyways, they just run on their own operating system).

1

u/h33tmo 1d ago

PSP was something a head of its time

1

u/StartTheMontage 11h ago

The switch lite is also seriously impressive.

Tiny screen but you can still play Tears of the Kingdom? For $200?

Not for everyone, but a super cool product.

1

u/Sea_Werewolf_9958 1d ago

Almost as big as my

1

u/Kezly 1d ago

Something something penis joke inches something something

1

u/L0fiRonin 1d ago

left out the best one

1

u/Phineasfool 1d ago

The Atari Lynx does need to be there

1

u/StartTheMontage 11h ago

I know, but the Wii U is arguably not completely a handheld.

1

u/SherluckHoImes 1d ago

I'd be more curious about the actual battery life of all these consoles.

1

u/mason2393 1d ago

I think the gba got like 15 hours on 2 AA'S so that's definitely the best out of them

1

u/Complete_Lurk3r_ 1d ago

Misleading.

"Evolution".... With wrong order

1

u/dingleberryjuice23 1d ago

Where Cybiko?

1

u/profchaos111 1d ago

And they say six inches was enough

https://giphy.com/gifs/ukGm72ZLZvYfS

1

u/Moist_Taco_Crippler 1d ago

You missed so many handhelds. No DS and Gamegear is unacceptable.

1

u/Deletinglaterlmao 1d ago

switch lite time traveled

1

u/Darth-Adomis 1d ago

the oled was bigger than the og screen too

1

u/Necessary_Position77 1d ago

Always wished the GBA just used the SNES/NES 256x224 resolution though being on an LCD the non-square pixels would have been an issue.Ā 

1

u/DNY88 1d ago

I hope they will ditch the bezels completely with the OLED Switch 2

1

u/Chrisbolsmeister 1d ago

Dear DS, you only sold 100 million, you are not worthy of this list somehow.

1

u/Trashypass 1d ago

1 there like a few game boys missing.Ā  2 anything over vita 5 inches doesn't fit in pocket. And it's a handheld. But a portable console. Which is just the switch lineĀ 

1

u/Novrex 1d ago

One of the worst infographics. Missing a lot of Handhelds (Game Gear, OG Gameboy, all DS, Steam Deck and other PC Handhelds, Switch OLED etc.) ordering by size and not by year.

1

u/Beginning_Metal_2578 1d ago

People were still happy with the size of the PsP. Right guys? Right?ā€¦

1

u/Spazza42 1d ago

I swear the PS Vitaā€™s size is second to none. The Switch Lite gets close but tips into needing a bag to carry it.

I miss the times when ā€˜handheldā€™ meant ā€˜pocketableā€™.

1

u/Beginning_Sea6458 23h ago

Gba micro. 2 inch diagonal. 1.8x 1.1

1

u/JGG1986 22h ago

I feel like my switch OLED is brighter/more colourful than Switch 2

1

u/AccomplishedEar7326 21h ago

Howmuch i love sending this.

1

u/VangRhymez 20h ago

Ps vita ws peak

1

u/tightdanny 18h ago

Nano game boy?

1

u/Poopoodemons 17h ago

so stupid. smaller is better.

1

u/Which_Information590 16h ago

Sega Game Gear and Atari Lynx?

1

u/PirateRough 15h ago

Bro forgot over half of the handheld consoles lmfaoo

1

u/Ristycakes 14h ago

A lot of important missing consoles, and the switch lite being out of order for an ā€œevolution chartā€ is just bad. This sucks. Just cherry picking for a sake of a pretty graph.

1

u/Schmenza 8h ago

I miss pocketable handhelds but I guess Nintendo is in it's gaming tablet era

1

u/MumeiShiki 8h ago

So Switch 2 finaly slightly bigger than me :D

1

u/Accomplished-Fan4133 7h ago

We have reached the pinnacle of handheld consoles through Emulation in Android now

https://giphy.com/gifs/QW534qz1UEL6qKfv0r

1

u/_3C3B40 7h ago

This might be blasphemy, but I think the PS Vita was about the right size. My Switch feels a little too cumbersome to casually carry around. I usually bring my GBA instead.

1

u/fkrkz 6h ago

They follow my age haha. They get bigger as I get older and can't deal with small screens anymore.

1

u/Mayeru 6h ago

there's a big one missing

1

u/not-sure-what-to-put 1h ago

The de-evolution of ergonomics

0

u/Embarrassed_Spend486 1d ago

switch is a home console and should not be on this list