Console Gaming vs Handheld Gaming Preference Among 2026 Players
21% of players worldwide name a console or handheld as their favorite gaming device, the same share as PC, according to the ESA’s 2025 global survey. In US retail, Nintendo’s hybrid Switch 2 led hardware sales through August 2026, and PS5 took September. This guide tracks console gaming vs handheld gaming preference through survey data, Nintendo and Sony shipments, Circana’s monthly US sales, 2026 price increases and portable play among PS5 owners.
Console Gaming vs Handheld Gaming Preference
Favorite Device Data: Console vs Handheld Gaming Preference in the ESA Survey
The ESA asks players to name one favorite device and groups game consoles with handhelds in a single answer. No major survey separates handheld preference from home console preference.
Mobile leads at 55% worldwide. Computer or laptop and game console/handheld tie at 21% each.
The 2025 Global Video Games Report surveyed 24,216 active players across 21 countries. US respondents gave almost the same split.
| Favorite device | Global players | US players |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile | 55% | 54% |
| Computer or laptop | 21% | 22% |
| Game console/handheld | 21% | 21% |
| VR headset/device | 2% | Not reported |
| Other dedicated game hardware | 1% | Not reported |
Source: ESA, 2025 Global Video Games Report, 2025 survey of players 16+
Splits inside the handheld category, such as Switch against Steam Deck, sit in this handheld console market share breakdown.
Console and handheld preference by gender
Men choose console/handheld and computer or laptop at 27% each. Women pick console/handheld (21%) ahead of computer or laptop (15%), with 64% choosing mobile.
Source: ESA, 2025 Global Video Games Report, favorite device by gender, 2025
Switch 2 Reached 23.68 Million Units by June 30, 2026
Nintendo’s hybrid passed GameCube’s lifetime total of 21.74 million in about 13 months. Shipments in the April to June 2026 quarter fell 34.4% year on year to 3.82 million units.
| Switch 2 metric | Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware units, lifetime | 23.68 million | To June 30, 2026 |
| Hardware units, quarter | 3.82 million | April to June 2026 |
| Software units, lifetime | 58.17 million | To June 30, 2026 |
| Mario Kart World units | 15.39 million | To June 30, 2026 |
| Hardware forecast | 16.5 million | April 2026 to March 2027 |
Source: Nintendo, results for the quarter ended June 30, 2026
Sony shipped 1.6 million PS5 units in the same quarter, down from 2.5 million a year earlier. Lifetime PS5 shipments reached 95.3 million.
Source: Sony, Q1 FY2026 results, quarter ended June 30, 2026
US hardware leaders by month in 2026
Switch 2 sold 5.9 million US units in its first 12 months, second only to Game Boy Advance’s 6.5 million since Circana tracking began in 1995. The monthly lead changed hands after list prices rose.
| Period (2026) | Unit sales leader | Dollar sales leader |
|---|---|---|
| May | Switch 2 | Switch 2 |
| July | Switch 2 | PS5 |
| August | Switch 2 | Switch 2 |
| Year to date through August | Switch 2 | Switch 2 |
| September | PS5 | PS5 |
Source: Circana Retail Tracking Service, US, May to September 2026
How Did 2026 Price Hikes Change Console vs Handheld Gaming Preference?
Sony moved first on April 2. PS5 went from $549.99 to $649.99, PS5 Pro from $749.99 to $899.99 and PlayStation Portal from $199.99 to $249.99.
Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Blog, March 27, 2026
Microsoft raised Xbox Series X (1TB disc) from $649.99 to $799.99 and Series S (512GB) from $399.99 to $499.99 on August 1. It cited memory and storage costs that had risen more than 2.5 times.
Source: Microsoft, Xbox Wire, June 25, 2026
Nintendo lifted the Switch 2 from $449.99 to $499.99 on September 1, 2026.
Source: Nintendo, Switch 2 US price revision, 2026
Circana’s average price paid shows what buyers actually spent. In September 2026, the PS5 average climbed to $646 and Xbox Series to $663, while Switch 2 moved from $486 to $498.
| Platform | Unit sales vs Sept 2025 | Dollar sales vs Sept 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 5 | +22% | +43% |
| Switch 2 | -14% | -12% |
| Xbox Series | -27% | -2% |
Source: Circana Retail Tracking Service, US, September 2026 (August 30 to October 3)
Total US hardware units fell 3% that month. Circana’s Mat Piscatella credited Marvel’s Wolverine for PlayStation’s gains.
Earlier months ran the other way for the home consoles. Through August 2026, Xbox hardware units were down 33% and PlayStation units down 25%, with average prices paid of $529 and $597.
Source: Circana, US, 2026 year to date through August
August hardware units dropped 15% to 559,000, the lowest August since 2013. The average price paid set an August record of $541, up from $476.
Source: Circana, US, August 2026
Shoppers weighing a cheaper route can compare refurbished and used console prices against new hardware.
How players say they react to higher costs
Asked about potential cost increases, 38% of US consumers said they would buy fewer full-price games at launch. 34% would wait longer for sales, and 27% would play more free-to-play games.
Source: Circana, Future of Video Games report, cited in Circana’s 2026 forecast, February 2026
Microsoft’s push toward streaming is tracked in this cloud versus installed play comparison.
Handheld Play Inside the Home Console Base
PlayStation Portal streams PS5 games rather than running them locally. By the end of 2025, 7% of US PS5 owners had bought one, up from just over 5% in Circana’s September 2025 report.
Source: Circana Retail Tracking Service, US, end of 2025
Each Circana reading is logged in this Portal attach-rate history.
Docked play shows up in accessory data. Circana named the Switch 2 Pro Controller the best-selling US accessory of 2025, bought by 24% of Switch 2 owners.
Source: Circana, US, full-year 2025
At the performance end, 13% of US PS5 purchases in 2025 were Pro models, as covered in these PS5 Pro sales figures.
Source: Circana, US, full-year 2025
Switch 2 specs in handheld and docked modes
| Specification | Nintendo figure |
|---|---|
| Weight with Joy-Con 2 | Approx. 534 g |
| Handheld screen | 7.9-inch LCD, 1920×1080, HDR10, VRR up to 120 Hz |
| Docked output | Up to 4K at 60 Hz, or 1440p at 120 Hz |
| Battery | 5,220 mAh |
| Battery life | Approx. 2 to 6.5 hours, varies by game |
| Charging time | Approx. 3 hours in sleep mode |
Source: Nintendo, Switch 2 system specifications, 2025
Console Gaming Preference by Genre and Family Play
US console players lean toward action titles, per the ESA’s 2026 report. Puzzle leads on mobile (66%) and PC (60%) but trails three genres on console.
| Genre | Share of US console players |
|---|---|
| Action | 66% |
| Shooter | 60% |
| Arcade | 60% |
Source: ESA, 2026 Essential Facts, YouGov survey of 13,545 US respondents, February 11-25, 2026
Mobile is the most-played device across all age groups at 80%. PC and console play is more common among Gen Alpha, Gen Z and Millennials.
75% of US parents play video games each week. Of those, 81% play with their children, and 52% do so at least weekly.
Source: ESA, 2026 Essential Facts, February 2026 survey
Households that also play together offline can browse these family co-op board games.
Outlook: Nintendo’s 16.5 Million Forecast and the GTA VI Window
Nintendo kept its forecast of 16.5 million Switch 2 units for the year ending March 2027. The console shipped 19.86 million units in its launch fiscal year.
Source: Nintendo, fiscal year results to March 31, 2026 and Q1 FY2027 results
Circana’s February 2026 forecast said Grand Theft Auto VI launches in November with the highest purchase intent Circana has recorded. It projected US spending of $62.8 billion in 2026, against $60.7 billion in 2025.
Through September 2026, US year-to-date spending stood at $41.0 billion, 3% behind 2025’s pace.
Source: Circana, 2026 forecast (February 2026) and US September 2026 report
PlayStation counted 125 million monthly active users in June 2026, up from 123 million a year earlier. Account trends across platforms sit in this PSN and Xbox network data.
Source: Sony, Q1 FY2026 results, June 2026
FAQs
Do more people prefer console gaming or handheld gaming?
Surveys do not separate the two. The ESA’s 2025 global survey groups consoles with handhelds, and 21% of players chose that category as their favorite device, level with PC and behind mobile at 55%.
Is the Nintendo Switch 2 a handheld or a home console?
Both. It weighs about 534 g with Joy-Con 2 attached, uses a 7.9-inch 1080p screen in handheld mode and outputs up to 4K at 60 Hz docked. Nintendo shipped 23.68 million units by June 30, 2026.
Why are console sales down in 2026?
Lower volume coincided with higher prices. US hardware units fell 15% in August 2026 to 559,000, the lowest August since 2013, while the average price paid reached an August record of $541, per Circana.
What percentage of PS5 owners have a PlayStation Portal?
7% of US PS5 owners had bought a PlayStation Portal by the end of 2025, according to Circana. Sony has not published a Portal unit total.
What does Reddit say about console vs handheld gaming preference?
No representative Reddit figure exists, since subreddit polls are self-selected. The ESA’s survey of 24,216 players across 21 countries puts console/handheld as the favorite device for 21% of players.
Sources
https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/sales/hard_soft/index.html
https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/IR/library/presen/er/pdf/26q1_supplement.pdf
