The first console I played was a handheld, the Sega GameGear, which belonged to my dad. I only was able to play one game though, which was Sonic 2. It has definitely contributed to my love of handhelds. There's something very comforting in portability, though, I'm very happy we've since moved away from needing 6 AA batteries to operate a handheld.. which were quickly drained in the GameGear. Despite being my first console to play, the Game Boy Color was my first handheld love. It far surpassed any expectation I had based on my experience with the GameGear. It was portable, better battery life (and less batteries!), and lets face it.. it looked a lot cooler. Sleek design, cool colors, and much smaller than the GameGear.