How we measure handhelds

Every drawing on HandheldShapes starts from three published numbers: width, height and thickness in millimetres. Everything else, from the outline to the side view, is fitted to those numbers so that all 297 handhelds share one true scale.

Where the numbers come from

1. The maker’s own spec page or manual. This is always preferred.
2. Trusted spec databases that list sources, cross-checked against each other.
3. Retail listings and reviews that measured the device, when the maker publishes nothing.

Each device page lists the sources it uses. Width is measured across the device as you hold it to play; for vertical handhelds that is the short side. Clamshells are measured closed, as makers publish them. Thickness is the figure the maker gives, which is sometimes the body and sometimes the deepest point at the grips; the side view shows which. Weights are the maker’s, and a few budget handhelds with no published weight say so instead of guessing.

How the outlines are drawn

205 of the 297 outlines are traced from official front-on product images. A script finds the device’s edge, then stretches the trace to the published width and height. If an image is shot at an angle the trace comes out with the wrong proportions, and it is rejected rather than used. The traced screen area is kept too, so screens sit where they really are.

The other handhelds use a shape template for their family: a slab, a PC handheld with grips, a Switch-style console with detachable controllers, a vertical Game Boy-style body or a clamshell. Those pages say the outline is approximate. Their width and height are still exact; only the curves are simplified.

Sticks, buttons and touchpads are placed by reading them off the same product images (262 handhelds so far). They help you see where your thumbs go, but treat their exact positions as a guide.

What is estimated

• Side views: for 15 handhelds the stick height and grip depth come from maker drawings and renders. For the rest they are estimated from handhelds of the same type, and the page says so.
• Open clamshells: makers publish only the closed size, so the open lid is drawn as tall as the closed device.
• Launch prices are the base model in US dollars at release, not today’s price.

How accurate is it?

Published dimensions are usually right to within a millimetre, and that is the scale everything is drawn at. Traced outlines follow the real silhouette closely; template outlines can be a few millimetres off in the corners and grips. For the most exact on-screen comparison, use Actual size on the comparer and calibrate it once by holding a bank card against your screen.

Corrections and updates

The catalog is checked whenever a new handheld is announced, and new devices are added once their dimensions are published. If a number looks wrong, tell us with a source and it will be fixed, usually within a day or two.