Is handheld gaming dying

[Bleep Bloop]

I quite along time ago bought a nintendo DS and PSP but looked them quite recently and realised I had spent very little time on eaither and that for the price I paid for them could have got a real console I would have accually cared about.

now new versions will soon be available at ridiculous prices I felt this question needed to be asked

 

[Souplex]

I was under the impression that it was getting stronger.

 

[SargentToughie]

The short answer: Hell to the naw

the longer answer: If anything the opposite is happening and handheld gaming is growing, because better graphics and more quality of a game are able to be crammed down into pocket sized form. I was going through a list of games that I was looking forward to getting, and I found that more of them were for handheld systems than the consoles.

the statistics: the PSP and the DS series actually sell more games than most of the consoles, there's some evidence for you

 

[-Seraph-]

So...because you did not find them to be of much worth it is assumed that they are dying out? In all honesty though, HELL NO. Hand held gaming has been around for 15-20 years? and still going srtong. When both handhelds have outsold the next gen consoles on their own, then there is no reason to believe that they are going away.

 

[L3m0n_L1m3]

Handheld consoles aren't dying... They just aren't as recognized as regular consoles.

 

[cainx10a]

And the PSP is getting so many decent games, too bad mine I traded mine in, and all of my UMDs for an x360 and halo3 (hey, it's worth it).

But yeah, you can't say anything bad about the line up of PSP games this year. Dissidia, and the newly released Disgaea 2. More are going to be released with the PSPGo, Grand Turismo, Little Big Planet.

Handhelds is going strong. Now if only the iPhone would shut up about being a 'competitor'.

 

[DrDeath3191]

No. As long as good games keep coming for my DS, I'll keep playing it.

 

[Heart of Darkness]

The DS alone has sold over a hundred million units worldwide. Yes, handheld gaming is dying.

EDIT: Whoops, read the number wrong.
EDIT2: Christ, I need to do accurate research before posting numbers. >.<

 

[ColonelDiscussion]

The answer is whatever you think it is.

Yay for being philosophical.

 

[Daedalus1942]

I quite along time ago bought a nintendo DS and PSP but looked them quite recently and realised I had spent very little time on eaither and that for the price I paid for them could have got a real console I would have accually cared about.

now new versions will soon be available at ridiculous prices I felt this question needed to be asked

I got bored of my DS ages ago, i have like 9 games i should finish, but I cbf... I hate the touch screen now. so much.
as for my psp, I can't stop playing Portable ops, monsters hunter 2 and valkyrie profile.

 

[Contun]

Personally I've been neglecting my DS which used to be adored...

Now my computer receives all the attention it wants, but lately I've been giving my DS some attention...

 

[Merteg]

I played my DS for a week or two.

Now I occasionally buy a game and beat it in a day.

They just need better games. I think I might get an RPG simply so I can actually spend time playing it.

 

[Hexenwolf]

I played my DS for a week or two.

Now I occasionally buy a game and beat it in a day.

They just need better games. I think I might get an RPG simply so I can actually spend time playing it.

Get Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, that'll last you a while. I know it's actually a GBA game, but that just means it's cheaper.

 

[Merteg]

I played my DS for a week or two.

Now I occasionally buy a game and beat it in a day.

They just need better games. I think I might get an RPG simply so I can actually spend time playing it.

Get Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, that'll last you a while. I know it's actually a GBA game, but that just means it's cheaper.

I already owned, beat, and rebeat, that game.

 

[Arehexes]

I quite along time ago bought a nintendo DS and PSP but looked them quite recently and realised I had spent very little time on eaither and that for the price I paid for them could have got a real console I would have accually cared about.

now new versions will soon be available at ridiculous prices I felt this question needed to be asked

Just because you don't like them doesn't mean they are dying, I play mine more then my console(disgaea 2 i love thee)

 

[quack35]

Scribblenauts will come out and handheld gaming will be reborn in a glorious pillar of flame.

 

[itsnotyouitsme]

Yes it is. Most everyone i know, even me, uses their DS or PSP to play music or videos rather then actually play a game on it. So handhelds are turning into mp3 players.

 

[WeirdNeville]

I'm honestly not flaming but....

I use my iPhone as a portable games device. To me it's a massive resurgence in gaming as a mobile, avaiable thing. I don't think a handheld gaming device should seek to emulate full featured consoles, although the PSP is more than capable of N64/PS1.5 equivalency in that respect. I can simply grab 5 minutes and play some little game and the nput it down again. It's the ideal mobile gaming platform. Simple, always with you, no external media and online all the time.

I had a PSP, but it was too fussy to put videos on and the sound was too quiet and besides a few good games I wasn't playing that much so I ebayed it. As a 30 year old I feel stupid sitting on a train playing virtua tennis, but I can get away with 5 minutes on "FlightControl" or battleships or Xplane or Worms.

In short, I don't think mobile gaming, be it through phones or dedicated devices has ever been more widespread. It's a massive growth industry and will continue to be.

 

[yossarian787]

Personally...

I have an XBox 360 and a Wii, as well as a PS2 (who doesn't own a PS2?). When I'm at home, I play them all, and I enjoy it. However, I'm at school right now, and in a tiny dorm room. There's no room for a TV, even a small one, and console gaming systems.

Enter the handhelds. They're perfect for the college environment, and wherever and whenever else you happen to be not either at home or actively engaged in something else. With the DS and the PSP, it is extremely easy to put down a game at a moment's notice, and pick it up later, right where you left off. They may lack the sparkly graphics or huge games of the consoles, but, for me at least, their convenience more than makes up for it.

Many of the games for the PSP and the DS are just remakes of older console games. Some may take this as a sign that portable systems are dying; they aren't getting good, NEW content. I argue that this is simply good business practice. Portables can't compete with consoles for graphics or sheer quantity of game-play, because they lack the hardware. However, they CAN compete with the consoles of last generation. It's a sure money-maker to re-release games for previous consoles in portable form, and that is happening more and more frequently.

Personally, I couldn't be happier; this gives me the chance to pick up games I missed the first time around (such as Chrono Trigger, Fire Emblem, and Final Fantasy Tactics), and gives me more access to games I already know I love (such as Disgaea 1 and 2). I don't yet have the recently released Disgaea 2 for the PSP, but I will as soon as I can find $30. Which is another point in favor of handhelds; the games tend to be at least $20 cheaper.