Spectrum #31: Order these handhelds by release — the solution
The Spectrum puzzle from September 14, 2026: six things on one hidden scale, earliest to latest, with every figure and where the checks were best spent.
The puzzle
Order these handhelds by release, earliest at the top and latest at the bottom. The board opened in this order:
- PSP
- Game Boy Advance
- Game Boy
- Game Gear
- Nintendo DS
- Steam Deck
Steam Deck was already in place; PSP opened 4 places from home.
The walkthrough
The ends first. Game Boy is the earliest of the six at 1989 and Steam Deck the latest at 2022. Anchor those and the middle four are what is left to place.
Where the scale splits. The widest gap is between PSP (2005) and Steam Deck (2022) — 17 years apart. Everything above that line belongs on the earliest side and everything below it on the latest side, so sorting the six into those two groups is most of the puzzle.
The closest call. Nintendo DS (2004) and PSP (2005) are only 1 year apart — the pair that is a coin flip without the figures, and the place to spend a check: a check locks whatever is already right and leaves only the wrong tiles to swap.
The answer
| # | Earliest to Latest | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Game Boy | 1989 |
| 2 | Game Gear | 1991 |
| 3 | Game Boy Advance | 2001 |
| 4 | Nintendo DS | 2004 |
| 5 | PSP | 2005 |
| 6 | Steam Deck | 2022 |
Previous: Spectrum #30 (Sun, Sep 13) · Next: Spectrum #32 (Tue, Sep 15)
About Spectrum
Spectrum is Noggin’s daily ordering puzzle: six things, one hidden scale, three checks. Tiles in the right place lock green; the figures turn over when the board is done. How to play Spectrum, or play today’s.