A handheld game console, or simply handheld console, is a small, portable self-contained video game console with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are smaller than home video game consoles and contain the console, screen, speakers, and controls in one unit, allowing people to carry them and play them at any time or place.
The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, and is the first handheld installment in the PlayStation line of consoles. As a seventh generation console, the PSP competed with the Nintendo DS.
Over one hundred video games based on the Star Wars franchise have been released, dating back to some of the earliest home consoles. Some are based directly on films while others rely heavily on the Star Wars Expanded Universe.
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is a 2005 action-adventure game developed in a collaboration between Rockstar Leeds and Rockstar North, and published by Rockstar Games. The ninth installment in the Grand Theft Auto series, it was initially released as a PlayStation Portable exclusive in October 2005. A port for the PlayStation 2 was later released in June 2006. At the time of release, the recommended retail price of the PS2 port was around half the price of the PSP version, because the PS2 version does not feature the custom soundtrack ripping capability of the PSP version. Ports for iOS, Android and Fire OS devices were also released in December 2015, February 2016, and March 2016, respectively.
Ape Escape Academy, also known as Ape Academy in Europe and Piposaru Academia: Dossari! Sarugē Daizenshū in Japan, is a game for the PlayStation Portable system that consists of a collection of 47 mini-games, many of which borrow from elements of Ape Escape 2. The game was first released in Japan and later in Europe and North America. By utilizing the PSP's Wi-Fi capabilities, up to 4 players can play at a time.
Vanpool, Inc. was an independent Japanese video game, music software, computer software and toy developer. Its employees include Taro Kudou and Kazuyuki Kurashima, both of whom worked for the independent game developer Love-de-Lic. The company shut down on May 31, 2023.
Remote Play is a feature of Sony video game consoles that allow the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 to transmit video and audio output to another device; previously this could only be a PlayStation Portable or PlayStation Vita. In 2014, it was expanded to include the use of PlayStation TV, Xperia smartphones and tablets, and PlayStation Now. In 2016, it was expanded to Microsoft Windows PCs and macOS. In 2019, support for Android and iOS devices was eventually added. Support for remote play of PlayStation 5 games to other devices was added in November 2020 just prior to the new console's launch.
Star Soldier is a series of scrolling shooters mainly developed by Hudson Soft. Konami has owned the rights to the series since their absorption of Hudson Soft in 2012. The first game, named Star Soldier, appeared on the MSX and NES in 1986, and the series has continued on various gaming systems. Star Soldier itself has received enhanced remakes for both the GameCube and PlayStation 2 in 2003, and a different remake for the PlayStation Portable in 2005, while the latest installment of the series was released on the Wii as a WiiWare game in 2008. In addition, Super Star Soldier, Final Soldier, Soldier Blade and Star Parodier have been re-released on the Wii's Virtual Console and on the Japanese PC Engine's Best Collection lineup for the PSP. The Star Soldier games are best known for their distinctive music, unique weapon power-ups, and a special time attack high score mode called "Caravan Mode".
The seventh generation of home video game consoles began on November 22, 2005, with the release of Microsoft's Xbox 360 home console. This was followed by the release of Sony's PlayStation 3 on November 17, 2006, and Nintendo's Wii on November 19, 2006. Each new console introduced new technologies. The Xbox 360 offered games rendered natively at high-definition video (HD) resolutions, the PlayStation 3 offered HD movie playback via a built-in 3D Blu-ray Disc player, and the Wii focused on integrating controllers with movement sensors as well as joysticks. Some Wii controllers could be moved about to control in-game actions, which enabled players to simulate real-world actions through movement during gameplay. By this generation, video game consoles had become an important part of the global IT infrastructure; it is estimated that video game consoles represented 25% of the world's general-purpose computational power in 2007.
Sensory Sweep Studios was an American developer of video games. The studio was located in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Exient Entertainment is an independent video game developer and publisher based in the United Kingdom and Malta. Developing for handheld, mobile, console, VR and PC platforms, Exient grew a name for designing and developing popular series' games to portable systems. It is known for its ports of various games in the Madden NFL, FIFA, Need for Speed, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour series for Electronic Arts and for developing numerous titles in the Angry Birds series. The company was incorporated in 2000 and began operations in January 2001.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is a 2009 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar Leeds in conjunction with Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. The game was released for the Nintendo DS in March 2009, PlayStation Portable in October 2009, iOS in January 2010, and Android and Fire OS devices in December 2014. It is the thirteenth game in the Grand Theft Auto series and a follow-up to Grand Theft Auto IV, and is the first instalment to be released for handheld consoles since 2006's Vice City Stories. Set within modern-day Liberty City, the single-player story follows young Triad member Huang Lee and his efforts to recover a sword gifted by his late father after it is stolen from him, while inadvertently becoming caught in a power struggle amongst Liberty City's Triads.
JellyCar is the first in a series of 2D driving and side scrolling platform games developed by Tim FitzRandolph and released under the pseudonym Walaber. Initially released independently through Xbox Live Indie Games and later ported to devices using Apple's iOS operating system, JellyCar requires players to drive a car across a two-dimensional landscape while maintaining balance by means of accelerometers. The game features soft body physics that give it its distinctive gameplay and style. JellyCar's success led FitzRandolph's employer at the time, Disney Interactive Studios, to pick up the series and release two sequels for multiple platforms. As of December 8, 2022, FitzRandolph, now an independent developer, has released a new sequel, JellyCar Worlds, with permission from Disney.
Iron Man 2 is an action-adventure video game loosely based on the 2010 movie of the same name. It was released in Europe on April 30, 2010, and in North America on May 4 for Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Wii, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Portable. Published by Sega, the game was developed by Sega Studios San Francisco for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Griptonite Games for Nintendo DS, High Voltage Software for Wii and PlayStation Portable, and by Gameloft for iOS and BlackBerry PlayBook. A Microsoft Windows version was planned, but it was cancelled.
Edge is a puzzle-platform game developed by Mobigame for PC and iOS devices. The objective is to guide a rolling cube through maze-like levels and reach the goal. Originally released on the App Store in December 2008, it has been removed and re-added to the store multiple times due to a trademark dispute with Tim Langdell of Edge Games, concerning the use of the word "Edge" in the title. This had caused the game to be briefly released as Edge by Mobigame and Edgy, before ultimately returning to the App Store under its original name in January 2010. The game was released on multiple platforms including mobile phones, PlayStation Portable, Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Android, Wii U, and Nintendo 3DS. It was released on Steam in August 2011 by publisher Two Tribes.
Toy Story 3 is a 2010 platform game developed by Avalanche Software and published by Disney Interactive Studios. The game is based on the 2010 film of the same name. It was released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and Microsoft Windows. The game was ported to OS X by TransGaming. A Nintendo DS version was developed by n-Space, while Disney Mobile Studios developed and published an iOS game based on the film. Another version was developed by Asobo Studio and released for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable.
Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter is a first-person shooter video game and the fifth installment in the Carnivores series. The game was initially developed by Tatem Games and released for iOS in 2010, as an enhanced port of the original 1998 Carnivores game. Later that year, Tatem Games' version was ported by Beatshapers to the PlayStation 3 (PS3) and PlayStation Portable (PSP), as a PlayStation Minis. Tatem Games then brought its iOS port to Android in 2012.
Majesco Entertainment Company is an American video game publisher and distributor based in Hazlet, New Jersey. The company was founded as Majesco Sales in Edison, New Jersey in 1986, and was a privately held company until acquiring operation-less company ConnectivCorp in a reverse merger takeover, becoming its subsidiary and thus a public company on December 5, 2003. ConnectivCorp later changed its name to Majesco Holdings Inc. on April 13, 2004.
