A Handheld History review: A weighty tome of portable perfection
Growing up, my early experiences of gaming were almost exclusively handheld, thanks to the GameBoy that my mum bought second-hand and an assortment of other portable hardware. While I would be able to dig out the PlayStation at home later on or play the GameCube at the weekend with my dad, it was the evolutions of the GameBoy and Nintendo DS that were a constant staple in my home, and served as my introduction to gaming as a whole.
I mention this because Lost In Cult’s A Handheld History is, as it says on the cover, “A Celebration of Portable Gaming” and there can be no denying that. As it goes over the entire history of handheld consoles and the games that defined them, from the humble beginnings of the GameBoy to the Nintendo Switch that blurs the lines between the handheld and home console – it is clear that a lot of love has gone into creating this book to educate and reminisce on an often understated medium of the industry.
GGRecon Verdict
To put it plainly, A Handheld History is a book that any gamer (handheld or otherwise) should have on their shelf or coffee table. As a reference and celebration of a pivotal element of the gaming world, it tracks every essential detail you need to know from the early days of the Game & Watch to the obscure handhelds you may not have heard of.
Every page is filled to bursting with a tender look at the world of handheld gaming, from the consoles to the games themselves that defined them. As someone who grew up near-exclusively on handheld gaming, seeing the personal stories, anecdotes and a timeline of the medium played out in one unique and weighty book was enough to bring a tear to my eye. Looking back at the consoles and games that helped set me on the trajectory I’m on today, as both a writer and a gamer, I can say nothing less than it is a beautiful book that deserves nothing but overwhelming praise.
Hold my hand
Click to enlargeOn opening A Handheld History, you will quickly find that it dives deep into the intimate stories and connections these consoles have with the writers, the technology that made them revolutionary, and the games that became synonymous with them and pushed the boundaries of how games could be played.
I’ve often said that my favourite game of all time is Hotel Dusk: Room 215. A Nintendo DS game that felt more like a detective novel, and had you holding the console vertically to evoke the feeling of reading (or playing) a book. While a small detail, this level of versatility that the Nintendo DS had could only have been done with a handheld console.
These sorts of features are what you can expect to find in A Handheld History. Pieces that go in-depth about even the most minute features, but expand on them to highlight just how fundamental handheld gaming has been to the medium as a whole. Without the DS, you might not have seen the Switch. Without the PSP, you might not see Remote Play for your PS5. There is always a place for a pick-up-and-play game, and A Handheld History reminds you of that so very eloquently.
Switching things up
Click to enlargeHandheld gaming, as a whole, has always been a very personal and solitary experience. Despite the Nintendo Switch blurring the lines between the handheld and home console, it is still a way for a gamer to take some time away from the world and dive into another in the palm of their hand. There’s an intimacy with the medium that this book treasures, from the moments we can snatch in our day-to-day lives to pick up and play a game, to the moments when we would hide the GameBoy under the pillow so our parents would think we were asleep.
However, it also highlights the connectivity and community that encircles handheld gaming, from trading Pokémon to multiplayer on the PS Vita. What A Handheld History does best is celebrate these intimate moments by intertwining them with their historical relevance. How one person’s experience may have been a universal experience and collating them into one hefty reference. While some areas only receive a cursory acknowledgement, the early sections of the book that cover the evolution of handheld gaming and its roots are steeped in detail and care.
Perfectly portable
Click to enlargeWhen it comes to presentation, I did not doubt that Lost in Cult, a company that prides itself on its physical publications, would create something that could be proudly displayed on my shelf. Every page has been packed with gorgeous high-resolution images of consoles and games that are essential in celebrating handheld gaming (I never knew just how many versions of the Nintendo DS there were).
The book itself is, as I said in the title, a weighty tome with a hardcover, designed in line with Lost in Cult’s other publications so, for other avid collectors of their work, it will fit neatly alongside them.
The Verdict
Click to enlargeTo put it plainly, A Handheld History is a book that any gamer (handheld or otherwise) should have on their shelf or coffee table. As a reference and celebration of a pivotal element of the gaming world, it tracks every essential detail you need to know from the early days of the Game & Watch to the obscure handhelds you may not have heard of.
Every page is filled to bursting with a tender look at the world of handheld gaming, from the consoles to the games themselves that defined them. As someone who grew up near-exclusively on handheld gaming, seeing the personal stories, anecdotes and a timeline of the medium played out in one unique and weighty book was a joy to read. Looking back at the consoles and games that helped set me on my gaming trajectory, I can say nothing less than it is a beautiful book that deserves nothing but overwhelming praise.