The DS and PSP may be duking it out in today's market, but the portable games console's history goes back further than these two models.
Mattel Auto Race - 1979
The first known handheld games device came from toy manufacturer Mattel. There was no "console" as such - Auto Race was the only game consumers could play on a device that borrowed design elements from the then-still-futuristic calculator.
Nintendo Game & Watch - 1980
The influence of Nintendo's Game & Watch - which introduced Mario and other classic characters to a generation - is still being felt today. The "console" (again, one game a device) introduced the now standard D-pad control - as found on PSP.
Nintendo Game Boy - 1989
Handheld gaming's true grand-daddy. The robust original was the real classic, but Nintendo launched three subsequent iterations: Game Boy Pocket (1996), the Japan-only Game Boy Light (1997), and Game Boy Colour (1998). The combined collection sold just shy of 200 million units worldwide.
Atari Lynx - 1989
Although it had far more under its hood than Nintendo's system, the Lynx's higher price point and poor software line-up soon saw it killed off. Many believe that if it was launched earlier, it could have put up a stronger fight - and changed the course of gaming history.
SEGA Game Gear - 1991
Another pretender to Game Boy's throne, Sega's colour system suffered from poor battery life and like the Lynx before it, proved no real threat to Nintendo's dominance.
SNK Neo Geo handheld - 1999
A critic's darling but never a commercial success, the powerful portable sister of SNK's Neo Geo home console is something of a collector's item to this day.
Nintendo GameBoy Advance - 2001
The first true successor to the Game Boy family, this little beauty single-handedly kept Nintendo in the black as its Gamecube failed dismally to defeat Sony's PlayStation 2 in the home console race.