Handheld gaming in 2023: A look at the mobile gaming market this year

From Asus ROG Ally to PlayStation Portal, and to iPhone gaming, this year, was probably the best year for mobile gamers. For long, we have been looking for handheld gaming devices like the PSP and we somewhat got it last year with the Steam Deck. However, that wasn’t easily accessible. This year, though, that changed. The mobile gaming market received several players, as aforementioned, and they paved a sustainable path for handhelds.

Unfortunately, not all handhelds made it to India, but those that did, in whichever way, were received well.

Options this year

Indian gamers enjoyed playing on the officially available ROG Ally and the Steam Deck OLED. There’s also the Nintendo Switch, which is unofficially selling in India, but is pretty popular amongst a niche audience.

One device that we didn’t receive this year was the PlayStation Portable. The PS Portable, however, isn’t a full-fledged handheld gaming device, but rather an extension of a PS5. But it can still be used as a portable console, provided that your PS5 is turned on at home and you have a solid internet connection.

Then, probably the most hyped device for mobile gaming, the iPhone 15 Pro, was an astonishing release for gamers. Although this year, we only saw the Resident Evil 4 Remake on the phone, it has indeed raised the bar for smartphone gaming. Sans actual PC-level hardware, the phone managed to offer a stable performance, with frames reaching 60.

While these were some of the mainstream gaming devices, there were a couple of other handhelds released globally.

Last year, the handhelds emerged into the market, this year, we saw a handful of options, and next year, expect a few more devices. This is only going to benefit the consumers on the receiving end.

With the slow and steady success of handhelds, we also expect big players like Nintendo to enter India. PlayStation as well, might bring the PS Portable in the country later.

Why Mobile gaming is succeeding and will continue to succeed

One of the primary reasons why there’s a frenzy over mobile or handheld gaming is the portability factor. You can game anytime anywhere with handheld game consoles, making them ever so convenient.

Furthermore, with standalone handheld devices like Rog Ally and Steam Deck, we get to play AAA titles. So high graphics games, check.

Handhelds are more than just traditional gaming devices. Handhelds can also allow you to browse the internet and watch videos for entertainment. Then there’s also the dockability factor, which means when you are at a comfortable place, you can dock the handheld to a bigger display for an immersive experience.

While there are limitations to handheld gaming devices, their merits are probably enough for avid gamers to invest in them. Having said that, I expect handheld gaming devices to continue to be popular in 2024 and the year after.

Have you invested in any of the handheld gaming devices this year? Do let us know.