At this point, handhelds or consoles?

[Allspice]

Both (or all three, if we're counting PCs too), but if I had to choose one I'd say I slightly favor handhelds. My 3DS probably gets the most play, followed by my PC and PS3 tied at second and my 360 third.
I'm getting a Vita for Christmas, so that will probably also sit with the PC and PS3 as my second most used gaming device. Seriously $180 for a Vita plus The Walking Dead, Uncharted and Sly Cooper? Yes, please! That's less than I paid for my 3DS alone. I was going to pick up a Wii U this Christmas but I couldn't pass up that Vita bundle at that price.

 

[tippy2k2]

If for any other reason than the 3DS gives me freaking hand cramps. Who designed this thing?!!?

One thing I always buy for my handhelds are grips. For the 3DS series, I highly recommend these:

3DS [http://www.amazon.com/Nintendo-3DS-Comfort-Grip-Transparent-Black/dp/B004LQRENK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386900777&sr=8-1&keywords=3ds+dreamgear] | 3DS XL [http://www.amazon.com/DreamGEAR-Nintendo-3DS-XL-Comfort-Grip/dp/B008XHCLFO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386900771&sr=8-1&keywords=3ds+xl+dreamgear]

The one for the 3DS XL made holding it night and day for me.

I have a regular 3DS (and I hate the 3DS XL for reasons I am about to complain about):

Does that skin thing bulk it up a lot? That picture makes it look like it adds a good inch to each side of the 3DS. These handhelds are losing the portable part as it is; adding that much to it will make it awfully difficult to fit in my pocket. Is that a bad picture or does it add that much bulk to the system?

 

[Folksoul]

My two preferred genres are platformers and rpgs. Between the PS3,Wii/WiiU and 3DS I've got all my bases covered.

Nintendo has the platformer market almost monopolized. Sony has the superior version of the Mass effect trilogy and freakin' Nintendo has the superior port of Deus Ex: Human revolution. With "Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem," "X," and the ZeldaU:subtitle-TBA is apparently going to be the gameplay equivalent of Zelda meets Skyrim!?

Aside from the Mario and Sonic games that were just released, my WiiU hasn't been used much compared to the 3DS or PS3. That may change...

 

[Exhuminator]

Does that skin thing bulk it up a lot?

It bulks it up a bit yes, probably more than you'll want for your pocket. Unless you have a really big pocket.

 

[Something Amyss]

I buy both for pretty much the same reason: games I can't get on PC or my phone.

If there was an Android version of Pokémon, I'd probably never buy a Nintendo handheld again.

...Okay, slight exaggeration, but still.

 

[Snotnarok]

I've been ignoring consoles for a while for the most part minus the must play PS3 exclusive, however I've racked up a larger collection of PSP, PSV games and a decent collection of 3DS and pretty big collection of GBA games......by big I mean like 38 games not like ...500 or whatever.

The handheld games are where you have to go if you want more classic styled stuff, want older style RPGs? Well PSP,DS, Vita is kinda the way to go. I do find it funny how many RPG fans go and say that PSP has no games when it has the biggest potential for RPGs in the handheld world, a lot of original PSP jRPGs and then PSOne games work with it to top it off.

 

[Lightknight]

If I had to pick only one or the other, it'd be consoles. Bigger, more involved games. Better multiplayer (by far). And great media support.

I really only use my PSP, GB Advance, DS, Vita when I'm going on a plane trip. When I was a kid I used them much more when going from college class to college class and whatnot but as an adult I find the time for gaming when I'm not home to be nearly null. So, if I'm at home, why not console?

 

[Someone Depressing]

Actually, the Ps Vita is more powerfully, in audio, visuals, and graphics, than the PS3. Not the PS4, though. Fun fact.

But I'd pick handhelds. It's looking up a lot, particuarly with the brain-meltingly awful looking 3DS and the, why the hell haven't developers released much on it yet Ps Vita... and they're both surpisingly good.

 

[Seieko Pherdo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgk-lA12FBk

You know there was no reason why you couldn't just say, "Why not both?"

That aside my two cents is the same thing as above. I have a 3DS/Vita/Playstation 3 and they all serve me quite nicely. But in the end the the real question what games do I really like, and what consoles do they appear on. Sometimes I want to sit down a play Persona 4 for another 100 hours or take down a flying zombie dragon by myself. The big consoles can do things the smaller ones can't but at the same time the handhelds don't spend forever updating. You can put a game in, and just go while consoles are trying to be bigger computer/tv things. Needless to say nothing I want is on the ps4 that I can't get with the ps3. Though it really all depends on what you're into.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I have a healthy mix of both and as of right now, given my work schedule and other obligations and, whatnot I find I have more time to get involved with my DS/3DS games than I do with my Wii U, PS3, SNES, etc games. Sad but true...once we get into January I'll likely have more time. Handhelds are just more convenient at for me at the moment and I loves me some JRPGs.

 

[sextus the crazy]

My 3DS has been supporting my way more than any console. Although, in console's defense, I've been using a gaming PC, which is sort of like a console at this point. Still, nothing coming out for consoles really interests me these days (I can't think of the last AAA game I bought in the past two years). The 3DS library is much more interesting to me, if only because actually has good JRPGs.

 

[GonzoGamer]

I would propose that the handhelds are the only real "consoles" anymore. The ps4 & xbone are just PCs with bad firmware and a monthly fee.

 

[SteveTR]

It might just be me, but I always had this feeling that handhelds generally have games that are unique in some way. For example, the main Pokémon games only come out for the handhelds. Also, handheld games tend to be more oldschool, and since I'm an oldschool type of gamer, I appreciate this a lot. So, handhelds for me.