smartphone era and handhelds being sold still
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When the smartphone was first introduced, it started becoming common more and more as the days passed. Those who were not sure of how to navigate it eventually got the hang of it. As smartphones became more common, it almost seemed like the era of gaming handhelds was fading. However, that was not to be as Nintendo decided to release some robust handheld consoles over the years.

That said, now in 2024, is the era of handheld consoles coming to an end as smartphones drive more power behind their gadgets? Can it said that people are shifting towards smartphones for gaming rather than Nintendo consoles. While that may be true on a few fronts, we know that the purchase of handheld consoles is more than ever, especially retro ones.

gaming in other domains than just nintendo handhelds
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The Smartphone Era Dominating

One of the things that puts smartphones ahead of gaming handhelds is the diverse functionality of them. You can not only use them for gaming but for a plethora of features, including social media, entertainment, calling, photography and much more. Additionally, there are smartphones being released which are being made for the prime purpose of gaming. They may cost higher than a handheld Nintendo console but they also provide higher functonality.

That does not mean, however, that Nintendo is slowing down in its race either. It has released more variants of the Nintendo Switch and has even improved upon it in many. Other than that, the games that Nintendo offers are exclusive to the console only and people want to play them. The loyalty in Nintendo fans stays strong but smartphone gaming can be considered as an affordable alternative.

smartphone and handheld gaming against Nintendo
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Pokémon, Mario or PUBG?

When the world was trapped away in covid during a long time, people had few options to entertain themselves and pass the time by. Smartphone gaming is what took off during that time the most, and people fell in love with it. While it can be said that handheld consoles may not be going anywhere, it is not the prime source of handheld gaming now.

Smartphones have started to rule that domain with affordable phones that can handle quite a lot of high-end games. We can expect even more smartphone releases in the future that might compete with higher end consoles too! Additionally, most of the widely played games on smartphones are free of cost whereas handheld console games are expensive.

Stay tuned for more from Brandsynario!