It's been a week since I wiped Windows 11 from my Lenovo Legion Go handheld and replaced it with the first official version of SteamOS for handhelds other than the Steam Deck.

When video games came to smartphones, the gaming press and forums were filled with doomsayers, spelling the end of dedicated handheld systems. Products like the Nintendo 3DS and Sony PSP were the last of their kind, we were told. Why buy a handheld when you can just whip out the phone you already have?

Too many great Nintendo DS games have been forgotten. With the Switch 2 adding a GameCube virtual console and making use of a touchscreen and motion controls, now seems like the perfect time to break out some of Nintendo's handheld classics.

My earliest childhood memories are of me sitting on the floor holding a controller in my tiny hands as I look up at the TV playing something on the SNES or Sega Genesis. Gaming has always been a core component of my life and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

You might think those little Linux emulation handhelds are limited to playing SNES and PS1 games, but you can effectively turn them into a tiny (and very limited) Steam Deck using PC Ports.

All people have a little of that completionist streak in us, which is why games have things like trophies, collectibles, and checklists you can tick off. For some people, however, that urge borders on an obsession. They need to find every secret, see all the content in a video game, and get those platinum trophies or maximum gamerscore rewards.

I've been an avid gamer all my life, once dedicating entire days to the virtual world. As a busy adult, I don't get such opportunities often. There's always something to do. And yet, it turns out that traveling is actually the prime time to game, and it could be for you as well.