käsikonsoleista

Käsikonsoleista, often translated as handheld consoles or portable gaming devices, are electronic gaming systems designed for mobile use. Unlike stationary home consoles, they are self-contained units that do not require a television or external power source for operation, featuring built-in screens, controls, and power supplies.

The concept of portable gaming has a long history, with early examples like Mattel's Electronic Football in the late 1970s. However, the modern era of handheld consoles truly began with the release of Nintendo's Game Boy in 1989. This device revolutionized the market with its interchangeable cartridges, long battery life, and a library of popular games, establishing many of the core features still found in handhelds today.

Following the Game Boy's success, competitors emerged. Sega released the Game Gear, and Atari had its Lynx. While these devices offered color screens, they generally struggled to match the Game Boy's battery efficiency and market dominance.

The late 1990s and early 2000s saw advancements with the Game Boy Color and later the Game Boy Advance, introducing color graphics and more powerful processors. Sony entered the market with its PlayStation Portable (PSP), which offered multimedia capabilities beyond gaming, and Nintendo countered with the Nintendo DS, featuring a dual-screen design and touchscreen input.

More recently, the Nintendo 3DS offered glasses-free stereoscopic 3D. The Nintendo Switch, while also capable of connecting to a television for home console play, functions as a hybrid device, with its detachable Joy-Con controllers enabling seamless transition between handheld and docked modes. Other devices, like the Steam Deck, have emerged focusing on PC gaming on the go. These devices continue to evolve, offering increasingly sophisticated gaming experiences in a portable format.