Everyone loves to play video games at home. A nice big 4K television accompanied by the latest consoles and a spacious sofa to share with your friends is perhaps the perfect environment for gamers. However, you might be a PC gamer, so a triple-monitor setup with a powerful gaming PC might be your idea of a fun night in. However, despite all of the expensive setups we invest money into for gaming at home, what about portable gaming?

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Handheld Gaming Consoles

If you remember the days of the Game Boy, then you’ll be glad to know that video game developers are still innovating and creating handheld consoles. For instance, the latest Nintendo console, the Nintendo Switch, is a new flagship gaming console that can also act as a portable gaming device. The unit consists of a screen and two control pads that clip onto the sides of the console itself. This means it can be hooked up to a TV but also act as a portable gaming device to take with you wherever you go.

This versatility makes it an excellent candidate for your next gaming console purchase. Sadly, the lineup of launch games is a little disappointing. Hopefully, the future will bring many more games that are convenient and fun to play in a handheld form factor.

However, that doesn’t mean older handhelds aren’t being supported. The Nintendo 3DS is still as popular as ever and, although the 3D mechanic turned into a marketing gimmick that had limited functionality in games, the lineup of games is as strong as ever and the price of the 3DS is getting cheaper by the year. If you don’t mind your handheld console being a little bulkier, the 2DS is a cheaper alternative to the 3DS and plays all of the same games.

Mobile Gaming

The alternate option is something that you probably already use on a regular basis—a smartphone! Although far more expensive than a gaming console, they are also much more convenient because they are smaller and you can use them for things other than gaming. For instance, you could use it to browse the internet, make phone calls, send and receive messages and listen to music, making it an all-in-one portable entertainment device.

The choice of games is also very enticing. You can check here if you want a great list of gambling games to get those money-on-the-line thrills wherever you are, or you can check a gaming website such as IGN or GameSpot for reviews of the latest big-name mobile games. There are also a lot of freemium games on mobile devices, meaning you can get a lot of entertainment for free and chose to pay for additional items or levels if you enjoy the game.

Sadly, a mobile phone is far more expensive than a handheld gaming device. If you already have a phone, you can enjoy some great mobile games but you’ll probably need an updated model if you want to play the latest 3D games and action-oriented titles. There are also some exclusive games for the traditional handhelds such as the Playstation Vita and Nintendo 3DS that might convince you to spend the cash on a portable gaming console.