The Nintendo Switch is the most successful Nintendo console ever launched, a huge part of its success is because of how it is able to bring two different types of players together under the same umbrella. The Switch is the ultimate combination of Nintendo’s design philosophy when it comes to both its family of console. With such an accomplishment it makes sense that Nintendo decided to stop supporting the 3Ds. In honor of Nintendo’s final portable only handheld let us take a look at Nintendo’s handheld timeline, from the Game Boy to The New 3Ds XL and rank all the Nintendo handhelds from worst to best. Now for this list, because of the way Nintendo redesigns their handhelds, I will only count them as separate consoles if they feel different from their original, and not only if the new version has a tack on gimmick. Also honorable mention Pokemon Mini, which came out only to play pokemon games. Also, The Game and Watch portable handheld which is recognized as Nintendo’s first Handheld.
Game Boy Micro
Release Date: September 2005
The Game Boy Micro came out in 2005, it was a complete redesign of the Game Boy handheld, smaller in design which made it more portable (a design that was already fixed with the Game Boy Advance SP). The Game Boy Micro also came with the ability to switch faceplates, as a way to make it more customizable. These features were meant to gain the interest of casual fans who don’t usually play games. The reason why I considered this the worst handheld is that the Game Boy Micro does not support Game Boy and Game Boy Colors tittle, nor does it support most Game Boy Advance accessories. The Game Boy Micro was released, not out necessity, but out of a need to follow the trend of the time, which was smaller equals popular. The strangest part about this handheld’s release was that the Nintendo DS was already out at the time.
Nintendo 2Ds/ 2Ds XL
Release Date: October 2013, July 2017
The Nintendo 2Ds is a spinoff of the 3DS family of handhelds, The idea of the handheld was to make a more affordable version of the 3Ds by removing the 3D function. The handheld was also redesigned with a triangular look, meant to fit better in the pockets. The reason why this version is low on the list is because of just how unnecessary it was, the 3Ds by this point of its lifecycle was already marked down to become more affordable. As for the 3D aspect, very few 3Ds owners actually used the 3D function. Nintendo was aware of this as rarely did they actually advertise the 3D function in any game. In theory, the 2Ds is the obvious next step, but it just doesn’t do anything to justify itself. This was even more apparent with the release of 2Ds XL copying the design of the already existing 3Ds.
Game Boy/ Game Boy Pocket/ Game Boy Color
Release Date: July 1989, October 1998
The Game Boy was the ultimate game-changer for Nintendo, handheld gaming was nothing new at the time as portable handheld such as the Super Micro already existed. However, the Game Boy while not at as technical advance as other handhelds at the time, the Game Boy succeed because of its superior battery life, and the fact that is was bundled with Tetris made both the handheld and the game some of the most successful products of all time. The Game Boy Color released in 1998 as a way to allow developers the ability to use more dynamic colors since the original Game Boy could only play games in black and white. Most likely it was the Game Boy Color version that was the one that dominated most school playgrounds. The Game Boy dominated the market and it is still seen as the gold standard of Nintendo’s gaming philosophy.
Nintendo DS/ DS Lite/ DSi/ DSi XL
Release Date: November 2004, March 2006, May 2009, March 2010
The Nintendo DS line is a perfect demonstration of how Nintendo is willing to experiment with their consoles. The idea of simply adding a second screen, while simplistic, was lighting in a bottle for Nintendo. The second screen created so much room for creativity, it is impossible to imagine some of the biggest Nintendo games now if it wasn’t for the DS. Games such as Warioware Touch and Professor Layton succeed on the DS because they did not see the second screen as a gimmick, but as an extension of the gameplay. The reason why I bundled the entire family line into one entry is that the DS line was alway experimental, but never able to evolve. In other words, the Nintendo DS was Nintendo’s experimental phase where they would add anything they could think of. The design remained the same, however, it was mostly a stepping stone for the 3DS.
The original DS had a massive body, that was a pain to take around. This was fix with the redesigned DS Lite, the DSi simply added a camera, however, the best transformation of the handheld was the DSi XL which was an idea that Nintendo would use moving forward.
Game Boy Advance / Game Boy Advance SP
Release Date: June 2001, February 2003
The Game Boy Color was made out of the need from developers to have more advance software to be able to make better games. This was mostly seen with Game Boy Color’s ability for more dynamic colors. The Game Boy Advance was the first in the Game Boy family that truly felt as an evolution for the handheld. The larger pixel count, along with better sound design. The Game Boy Advance SP changed the design to become more portable, and the biggest add-on that the SP version brought was the internal light that finally gave the player the ability to use it any time, anywhere. The SP also removed the need for batteries, and instead introduced the charging cable. Despite these additions, I placed the Game Boy Advance and SP in the same spot because other than the small quality of life changes both handheld are the same in the sense of power, and what games they can play.
Nintendo 3Ds/ 3Ds XL / New Nintendo 3Ds/ New Nintendo 3Ds XL
Release Date: February 2011, August 2012, February 2015, September 2015
As I mentioned before the first Nintendo DS always felt that it on the verge of becoming something better, and that was finally realized with the 3Ds, the 3Ds took advantage of the 3D craze at the time, by giving the player the ability to experience mild 3d while playing the game. However, just like the 3D craze, this really did not age well. However, that is the only negative aspect of the handheld. The body was heavier, which meant that it was much more durable than the previous DS line. Gameplay-wise while this handheld was stronger than its predecessors and able to play bigger games, the biggest improvement was the introduction of an analog stick combined with standard arrow keys allowed for more dynamic gameplay. Despite all the innovation the handheld still had room to evolve.
Despite the new analog stick, certain games still had a hard time when it came to turning the characters and camera movement, games such as Resident Evil Revelation was notorious for this, as such Nintendo release an add-on circle pad pro as a way to solve this situation. However, a real solution wouldn’t come until 2014 with the release of the New Nintendo 3Ds. The New Nintendo 3Ds came with stronger RAM able to improve on the frame rate of the original, the addition of ZL and ZR back buttons, and the biggest improvement the addition of the pointing stick solving the turning issue. Another big feature was the addition of Amiibo support, truly connecting the 3Ds with the Wii U allowing certain things to carry over.
In a way, it is also poetic that the 3Ds is the final true handheld that Nintendo will release at it is a combination of everything they ever experimented with all in one package. And that is why the Nintendo 3Ds is the best Nintendo handheld of all time.