Did handheld gaming just die?

[munx13]

So both Sony and Nintendo have had their handhelds out on the market for around a year now, but I still struggle to find any good games or features on both systems.

All I see are a couple of good exclusive titles, the rest being ports of yearly sports games, overpriced phone games and shovelware with next to no announcements of anything worthwhile.

Am I missing something here or did Sony and Nintendo really gave up on this?

 

[Terminate421]

No.

Why do you think the 3DS XL was released?

Also this in about 2 weeks:

As for sony, they're being dumbasses when it comes to what they release right now. No games = no profit.

 

[veloper]

Maybe Nintendo and Sony could have done more to attract more developers, but it could also be that smartphones and tablets really will become the future of handheld gaming, so exit portable consoles.
A hardware vendor can only stimulate game publishers to develop on their hardware with extra money. They won't come, if they don't want to.

 

[Jailbird408]

Well, I'm currently addicted to LBP for PS Vita... so no.
Temple Run is fun and all, but you need buttons to have a good gaming experience on the go. Handheld gaming will never die. When smartphones eventually do take the hint and incorporate analog sticks into their design, we'll just call their games handheld games.
If it sounds like my stance on this issue is all over the place, that's because it is.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Smartphones and tablets are /definitely/ the future of handheld gaming. I mean, I'm a hardcore gamer, and ever since I got a smartphone even I don't carry around my DS anymore. The games on the DS are better, but the DS is so darned bulky by comparison that I may as well just throw my phone in my pocket and go. As a bonus, I'm not limited to videogames on my phone, as the extensive collection of e-books, e-comics, and music on my SD card will attest.

If I'm going this route, what does that say for people who don't treat gaming as a major hobby?

Edit: On the other hand, you basically described the pre-GBA handheld market. People forget how crappy the vast majority of games on the old 8-bit handhelds were. The hits didn't even come close to outnumbering the misses until the GBA.

 

[ohnoitsabear]

Actually, the 3DS is pretty popular. Just because there's nothing on it that interests you doesn't mean it isn't successful.

The PS Vita, on the other hand, is pretty much a failure, but I think that's less to do with handheld gaming dying and more to do with Sony really fucking it up. What Sony really needed to do is make some handheld focused IPs. Instead, they just have variations of games people are already playing on the PS3, which are simply more fun to play on a console.

 

[Ando85]

I don't think so. I think if we wait around for a few years there will be a much greater library of games. I remember I didn't get a DS or a PSP until it had been out many years. There simply wasn't enough games for me to warrant a purchase.

Nowadays my backlog and what I have been mostly playing is DS and PSP games. I will most likely eventually get a Vita and a 3DS, but not til some price drops and a huge library of great games.

 

[Lilani]

So both Sony and Nintendo have had their handhelds out on the market for around a year now, but I still struggle to find any good games or features on both systems.

All I see are a couple of good exclusive titles, the rest being ports of yearly sports games, overpriced phone games and shovelware with next to no announcements of anything worthwhile.

Am I missing something here or did Sony and Nintendo really gave up on this?

As far as consoles they haven't died just yet, Nintendo isn't doing too bad with the 3DS. In fact, they recently released a new model. However, I would argue a considerable amount of the market has shifted to the Android and iOS (though I have a feeling hell will freeze over before the gaming community actually decides to accept those as legitimate gaming platforms).

 

[Tdoodle]

Last month New Super Mario Bros 2 was the second biggest selling game in the US while Kingdom Hearts was third. Both of these were 3DS exclusive titles, the rest were all multiplatform. Black 2/White 2 come out in a few weeks as well, if it does half as well as it did in Japan (1.6 million shifted in the opening weekend) it'll be right up there in the top 10 too. So yeah, not dead at all.

Source: http://gamasutra.com/view/news/177274/Darksiders_Mario_sequels_lead_as_US_retail_sales_continue_to_decline.php#.UF39go2PUSU

http://gamasutra.com/view/news/172999/Pokemon_Black_and_White_2_sells_16M_in_opening_Japanese_weekend.php#.UF3-Wo2PUSV

 

[StBishop]

Handheld gaming is bigger than ever. It just looks different. All of the cool shit is happening on phones bro.

Come to the other side. We have touch screens.

 

[InfernalGrape]

i'll buy Vita for GRAVITY DAZE and SACRIFICE, i think, but currently i'm iOS man, though i play many ports from NDS and PC on it hehe

ps
BIG problem of iOS\Android is that there is no separate store for "little fun" projects and "big or serious" projects

 

[Applejack]

Handheld gaming is bigger than ever. It just looks different. All of the cool shit is happening on phones bro.

Come to the other side. We have touch screens.

I don't like phones as game consoles. Uses too much battery and you get calls while playing and a touch screen can never replace a d pad and real buttons. In 5 years I'm guessing it will be a lot better though.

 

[Sean Hollyman]

No.

Why do you think the 3DS XL was released?

Also this in about 2 weeks:

As for sony, they're being dumbasses when it comes to what they release right now. No games = no profit.

How well do you think B/W2 will sell? It's a day 1 buy from me, but I know a lot of people didn't like Gen V.

 

[TeletubbiesGolfGun]

Handheld gaming is bigger than ever. It just looks different. All of the cool shit is happening on phones bro.

Come to the other side. We have touch screens.

I don't like phones as game consoles. Uses too much battery and you get calls while playing and a touch screen can never replace a d pad and real buttons. In 5 years I'm guessing it will be a lot better though.

exactly, there is a reason why i don't want to combine my phone with my handheld, not to mention handheld are BUILT to be played on, phones are not, i want something that can play games and have a dedicated battery for it.

seriously, i have 3-4 pockets, i don't need to have everything crammed onto one device..especially a shitty touch screen device, at that.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well the market has shifted, Nintendo and Sony stick to the old lockdown/huge prices model that isn't appealing anymore, the only people I know that still bought the new ones are die hard brand loyalists.

Meanwhile phones are versatile and open to all, while they most certainly aren't up there with the games they do offer enough for people to get their fill.

 

[Terminate421]

No.

Why do you think the 3DS XL was released?

Also this in about 2 weeks:

As for sony, they're being dumbasses when it comes to what they release right now. No games = no profit.

How well do you think B/W2 will sell? It's a day 1 buy from me, but I know a lot of people didn't like Gen V.

The day a pokemon game doesn't make a good sales number is the day the world ends.

Don't forget, while there are many adult trainers still out there (such as myself) there are still young aspiring trainers just walking out the front door.

 

[Sean Hollyman]

No.

Why do you think the 3DS XL was released?

Also this in about 2 weeks:

As for sony, they're being dumbasses when it comes to what they release right now. No games = no profit.

How well do you think B/W2 will sell? It's a day 1 buy from me, but I know a lot of people didn't like Gen V.

The day a pokemon game doesn't make a good sales number is the day the world ends.

Don't forget, while there are many adult trainers still out there (such as myself) there are still young aspiring trainers just walking out the front door.

Mmmyeah I know what you're saiyan. But with so many other games out there now like Call of Duty and shit they don't always get as much attention.

Speaking of which, I want to start competetive battling but I have no idea where to begin..

 

[kortin]

People actually 'game' on smartphones? I've always seen it as a "play for a minute then delete the app because all of the games designed on smartphones are shit".

But yeah, REAL handheld gaming is far from dead. Pokemon Black and White 2 are coming out, Kingdom Hearts 3D is AMAZING, and the Nintendo store on the 3DS is large enough. It's still early, rumors have been buzzing around about nintendo making Majora's Mask 3D, and all that.