Handheld

Back in the very early days of home computers, onscreen imagery was a bit rubbish so text-based adventure games ruled the gaming roost. The Ink Console is aiming to rekindle this retro vibe by combining an e-reader with a gaming platform.

The Nintendo Switch is a nifty concept, but arguably underpowered and lacking in game variety. Valve is now having a crack at it with the Steam Deck, a handheld gaming console that can play your existing Steam library on the go or on a big screen.

Imagine if you crossed a handheld gaming system with a Rubik's Cube. What you'd get is CubiOs Inc's WowCube, which is currently an honoree in the CES 2021 Innovation Awards.

Analogue's latest release, the Pocket, plays host to games for all the classic portables you can shake a pixelated stick at: Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance, Sega Game Gear, Atari Lynx, Neo Geo Pocket Color – "and more."

The Evercade is a handheld games console dedicated to retro classics, playable on the go or on a TV. And pre-orders have now opened up.

Lyra is a handheld games console with a twist. It doesn't come with any games, you put it together yourself (or pay extra to not) and it can double as a personal computer and a Raspberry Pi testbed. It's a quirky offering that could appeal to the classic console fan who loves to tinker.

The Vuze XR camera from HumanEyes Technologies not only allows social media sharers, life loggers and travelers to capture memories in all-around 360° goodness, but can also transform into a 3D camera at the touch of a button.​

The history of portable games machines is festooned with joy. But for every success there are many others which do not evoke the same happy remembrances – or indeed any remembrances at all. And with good reason: they were spectacularly bad and/or unsuccessful. Here are 10 such prodigious flops.

​Back in early 2013, Blackmagic announced a compact Super 16 video camera for movie-makers on a budget. The company says that customers have been asking for a higher resolution version ever since, and has again chosen the NAB show in Las Vegas to launch the 2018 Pocket Cinema Camera 4K.​

Adding a third dimension to sketches with a 3D printing pen can bring a whole new layer of fun to doodling. While other pens have a single extruder nozzle, Scribbler clearly believes that two heads are better than one, and has launched a dual nozzle 3D printing pen called the Duo on Kickstarter.​​

​While most of the Nintendo buzz lately has focused on the Switch, the company hasn’t completely dropped its other portable gaming line. The New Nintendo 2DS XL sports a larger screen and better processor than the existing 2DS, a clamshell design, extra thumbstick and built-in Amiibo functionality.

Despite predictions of the death of dedicated handheld gaming consoles, a new contender is throwing its hat into the portable ring, with an enticing claim of allowing gamers to play full PC games on the go.