The best…portable gaming consoles

Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo’s portable console might be—for now—the best gaming platform available. Its library of games has “filled out at last,” and great graphics give all games “extra punch.”

$170, nintendo.com

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Source: CNET.com

PlayStation Vita

The latest edition of Sony’s handheld is becoming “the go-to portable platform” for games from third-party producers. Sony now features such indies at the Vita’s online store.

$250, sony.com

Source: CNET.com

Nvidia Shield

Android’s operating system is powering a new generation of consoles. Nvidia’s entry, due out this month, will offer a 720p screen and the largest game library of any device in its class.

$299, shield.nvidia.com

Source: Wired

GameStick

Plug the Android-powered GameStick into your TV’s HDMI port and grab the controller: An onscreen storefront will let you play games downloaded over Wi-Fi. Available Aug. 26.

$80, amazon.com

Source: Popular Science

Ouya

The quirky Ouya is a hacker’s delight. It instantly supports 200 indie games accessed by Wi-Fi. Better yet, it opens up a universe of knockoff versions of big-name titles.

$100, bestbuy.com

Source: The New York Times