Is handheld gaming underrated?

[BrawlMan]

Mobile gaming is really the only worthwhile direction for portable gaming to take. People should not have to lug multiple mobile devices around with them. Nearly everyone has a good general-purpose computing device with them already in the shape of a smartphone. Now we just need storage and processing power of smartphones to continue improving as they have been. There should be no reason at all to carry a phone, a DS, a PSP, and whatever other gaming device you might want to add when you can just install all your games on your phone and only have one physical device to deal with.

I'm more likely to take my 3DS than my phone. Plus phone gaming is well...there is no phone gaming. Plus just as fast food hasn't toppled the restaurant business, neither will "mobile gaming" topple actual portable gaming devices. Plus Pok?mon.

Amen to that. Mobile gaming will never replace handheld gaming. Too many ads, microtransactions, and "fee" to pay elements to get me interested. Anyone remember the Ouya? That dedicated console to mobile games that was supposed to set the world on fire. It didn't do dick. I have memories of everyone hyping it up like would have its own market. The console failed just after 3-4 months. That's shorter than the Virtual Boy. Mobile gaming may not be dead, but it sure as hell not going to replace haneld games; especially ones made by Nintendo.

 

[Saelune]

I hate handheld gaming even more than console gaming. So many games limited by inferior hardware and tiny screens.

Have fun lugging your desktop in a car and playing that.

If I did want to play on the go, I'd emulate old games. But I don't. I'd rather play those games on an adequately sized screen.

...have fun lugging around your desktop? Fail to see how emulating games makes your PC portable. And screen size is relative to how close it is. My TV is way bigger than my computer screen, but I'm also farther away from it. When I play on my 3DS its even closer to my face than my computer would be. But you're the one missing out not me.

Because I don't need a desktop to emulate 16 bit games. I could probably even emulate N64 games on a phone, but I haven't cared enough about portable gaming to research that. I'd still rather have an adequately sized screen than squint at one a few inches from my face. It's more immersive and relaxing. Missing out? I hate the fact that my favorite Castlevania is really pixelated and that MGS changed to "Tactical Espionage Operations" because of the PSP.

Since I don't go out much, a lot of my 3DS playing is in bed before going to sleep. Very relaxing for me. Also what do you mean about MGS? The Tactical line changes based on which game. Only portable MGS I played was the PS3 version of Peace Walker, but I really liked that game.

 

[Igor-Rowan]

I think Mobile can't fully replace handheld gaming, because mobiles nowadays only have a touchscreen, so the games on it must be a variation or combination of tap, drag, swipe and turn the phone, the 3DS and the vita have touchsreens plus a full set of buttons the developers can work with.

Also I think the 3DS is the future of the games from NES to pre-Gamecube era, games that have a substantial amount of content, but not enough to justify a full price console release nowadays (A Link Between Worlds and the 3D remakes of the Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask prove that). With the success of the PSP, I don't think Sony will fully abandon the handheld market because of the Vita (just port the PS1 and 2 games to it and swim in money, come on that's not rocket science), especially with their exclusives under their belt.

 

[CaitSeith]

Mobile gaming is really the only worthwhile direction for portable gaming to take. People should not have to lug multiple mobile devices around with them. Nearly everyone has a good general-purpose computing device with them already in the shape of a smartphone. Now we just need storage and processing power of smartphones to continue improving as they have been. There should be no reason at all to carry a phone, a DS, a PSP, and whatever other gaming device you might want to add when you can just install all your games on your phone and only have one physical device to deal with.

I'm more likely to take my 3DS than my phone. Plus phone gaming is well...there is no phone gaming. Plus just as fast food hasn't toppled the restaurant business, neither will "mobile gaming" topple actual portable gaming devices. Plus Pok?mon.

Amen to that. Mobile gaming will never replace handheld gaming. Too many ads, microtransactions, and "fee" to pay elements to get me interested. Anyone remember the Ouya? That dedicated console to mobile games that was supposed to set the world on fire. It didn't do dick. I have memories of everyone hyping it up like would have its own market. The console failed just after 3-4 months. That's shorter than the Virtual Boy. Mobile gaming may not be dead, but it sure as hell not going to replace haneld games; especially ones made by Nintendo.

The Ouya was a home console that used Android as its main platform. Being capable of playing mobile games on TV wasn't its main goal. And it didn't last only 3-4 months. It was released in 2013 and discontinued in 2015 (about 2 years). Please, get your facts right.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

I don't know if it's underrated but it definitely resides in its own space separate from the consoles or PC. I view the latter two as an experience in which you can relax either at your desk or on your couch and enjoy a game, while a handheld resides exclusively in the on-the-go realm. If I'm at home and want to be engaged with a game I don't want to be huddled over a handheld system. Plus, there just aren't that many times in my life now that I'm an adult where I feel the need for a video game to keep me entertained for long periods of time while I'm not at home. My old gameboys and PSP got a lot of use in the car but if I'm spending hours going somewhere now odds are I'm driving. a good podcast and a book/comic will get me through a flight of any moderate length.

 

[Hero of Lime]

Based on responses here, people seem far more down on handhelds than they need to be. And I would argue there are games that work better as handheld games instead of being playable on consoles. Playing a main series Pokemon game are they are now would be weird on consoles. If they changed the game to be more properly played on a TV, I guess it could work.

Had the 3DS not been a great system, I would be worried about the future of handhelds, but it's still successful. It does the job well, which justifies its existence. I like my 3DS more than my modern consoles, based on how much more I play it compared to them.

Problem is, anyone who does not play Nintendo games, or like Nintendo will just dismiss handhelds since they either got burned on a Vita, or think that handheld games are still "lesser" experience than console games. Back in the old days, that was true, but not anymore.

 

[Saelune]

I hate handheld gaming even more than console gaming. So many games limited by inferior hardware and tiny screens.

Have fun lugging your desktop in a car and playing that.

If I did want to play on the go, I'd emulate old games. But I don't. I'd rather play those games on an adequately sized screen.

...have fun lugging around your desktop? Fail to see how emulating games makes your PC portable. And screen size is relative to how close it is. My TV is way bigger than my computer screen, but I'm also farther away from it. When I play on my 3DS its even closer to my face than my computer would be. But you're the one missing out not me.

Because I don't need a desktop to emulate 16 bit games. I could probably even emulate N64 games on a phone, but I haven't cared enough about portable gaming to research that. I'd still rather have an adequately sized screen than squint at one a few inches from my face. It's more immersive and relaxing. Missing out? I hate the fact that my favorite Castlevania is really pixelated and that MGS changed to "Tactical Espionage Operations" because of the PSP.

Since I don't go out much, a lot of my 3DS playing is in bed before going to sleep. Very relaxing for me. Also what do you mean about MGS? The Tactical line changes based on which game. Only portable MGS I played was the PS3 version of Peace Walker, but I really liked that game.

Peace Walker divided the adventure into little missions and introduced base management and extractions, because people apparently like to grind on the go. MGSV continued to build off that. I thought it killed the story, the pacing and the procure on sight survival aspect. It also replaced memorable boss battles with frustratingly lengthy vehicle or battalion battles in which you could get killed from a single shell. I preferred the way the old games were structured.

I liked Peace Walker, but it was presented as a side game... even though the plot was very important. That said, MGSV clearly tried to combine traditional MGS style with Peace Walker and it failed miserably. MGSV should have been more like the older main titles and not open world either.

 

[Igor-Rowan]

Had the 3DS not been a great system, I would be worried about the future of handhelds, but it's still successful. It does the job well, which justifies its existence. I like my 3DS more than my modern consoles, based on how much more I play it compared to them.

Problem is, anyone who does not play Nintendo games, or like Nintendo will just dismiss handhelds since they either got burned on a Vita, or think that handheld games are still "lesser" experience than console games. Back in the old days, that was true, but not anymore.

The threat to handheld gaming is mobile gaming, since it's required nowadays everyone has a phone. And that gaming genre I'm not really accepting as it is fairly limited, and while handhelds had in mind short gaming sections, mobile gaming aims for ever shorter gaming sections since the inputs are so limited, you can't get away with having complex controls with a touchscreen, and the games that do have it are the ones like Clash Royale or Candy Crush Sellout, they're infamous for a reason.

I just hope that with the success of Fire Emblem, Monster Hunter and the Zelda games, handheld gaming won't be an aftertought anymore. And the 3DS features backwards compatibility, that should be a standard in consoles.

 

[BrawlMan]

Mobile gaming is really the only worthwhile direction for portable gaming to take. People should not have to lug multiple mobile devices around with them. Nearly everyone has a good general-purpose computing device with them already in the shape of a smartphone. Now we just need storage and processing power of smartphones to continue improving as they have been. There should be no reason at all to carry a phone, a DS, a PSP, and whatever other gaming device you might want to add when you can just install all your games on your phone and only have one physical device to deal with.

I'm more likely to take my 3DS than my phone. Plus phone gaming is well...there is no phone gaming. Plus just as fast food hasn't toppled the restaurant business, neither will "mobile gaming" topple actual portable gaming devices. Plus Pok?mon.

Amen to that. Mobile gaming will never replace handheld gaming. Too many ads, microtransactions, and "fee" to pay elements to get me interested. Anyone remember the Ouya? That dedicated console to mobile games that was supposed to set the world on fire. It didn't do dick. I have memories of everyone hyping it up like would have its own market. The console failed just after 3-4 months. That's shorter than the Virtual Boy. Mobile gaming may not be dead, but it sure as hell not going to replace haneld games; especially ones made by Nintendo.

The Ouya was a home console that used Android as its main platform. Being capable of playing mobile games on TV wasn't its main goal. And it didn't last only 3-4 months. It was released in 2013 and discontinued in 2015 (about 2 years). Please, get your facts right.

It still didn't do shit. No need to get smart about it. But thank you for the extra info.

 

[baddude1337]

I wouldn't say underrated but dedicated gaming handhelds have certainly lost a huge chunk of the market to mobile gaming. I myself do own a 3ds and PSP, but I tend to do most of my out of home gaming via my Nvidia K1 tablet, for which I have a PS1, PSP, Snes and N64 emulator with literally hundreds of games for, alongside a controller. I also have an Iphone, though I don't play games on that much any more. I haven't touched either of the actual consoles for months.

I would agree on the sentiment of it not being complete replaced. Let's be honest, the vast majority of mobile titles are awful free to play games with skewed economies that are no fun to play at all. There are very few original or even decent titles outside of ports. Most and unless you have a controller (which I do for my tablet, but not my phone) then it's just awkward to use. Android gets to be a bit more open, thanks to things like emulators and homebrew ports (Brutal Doom and Half Life 1 on the go FTW), but the game selection is still incredibly small.

The fact most people these days have a smartphone, it's easier to just play some random game on that for half an hour, instead of buy a dedicated gaming device.

 

[MythicMatt]

*Looks at 3DS*
Man, when did I last play games with this? ...Probably around when I beat LoZ:OoT 3D.
All I've been using it for since is music. I enjoy a random selection of rock, metal, JPop and whatever it is that Gorillaz do while playing the XBox.

But then, I haven't really kept up with new DS games, due to all my money being focused on Steam and XBox games. I'm not sure I missed much really, but that's the core of the topic. I haven't really seen much point in interrupting my music listening so I can throw on a game I'll probably stop caring about quickly. If only I knew where the GBA-SP charge wires were...

 

[BrawlMan]

*Looks at 3DS*
Man, when did I last play games with this? ...Probably around when I beat LoZ:OoT 3D.
All I've been using it for since is music. I enjoy a random selection of rock, metal, JPop and whatever it is that Gorillaz do while playing the XBox.

But then, I haven't really kept up with new DS games, due to all my money being focused on Steam and XBox games. I'm not sure I missed much really, but that's the core of the topic. I haven't really seen much point in interrupting my music listening so I can throw on a game I'll probably stop caring about quickly. If only I knew where the GBA-SP charge wires were...

I always kept my GBS-SP charge cable in a (plastic zip-loc) bag with the handheld itself. If you lost yours. you might be able to find some spares on Amazon for a decent price.

 

[ThereIsNoSanta]

I would even be willing to play these games at low res on a big tv if that were more widely possible. Especially the RPGs. The tiny screen is just a downside.

Even Ace Attorney would be better on my computer monitor. Portability isn't that big of an upside for people who don't use public transportation every day. I mean, for adults anyway.

 

[Fractral]

While at University I game almost exclusively on my 3DS and PSV. They're both great little handhelds in their own ways, and I'd much rather have them than a console. But they're certainly better at some genre's than others- RPG in particular are better on handhelds, in my experience.
Plus, for some reason I have a lot more tolerance for playing a game on handheld than on PC. So a game like Monster Hunter would probably bore me on PC, but I've put hundreds of hours into it on my 3DS.
Anyway, I don't think they're going anywhere soon. Like console and mobile gaming they have their place in the market, and there's always people who like them.

 

[Qizx]

I hate handheld gaming even more than console gaming. So many games limited by inferior hardware and tiny screens.

Have fun lugging your desktop in a car and playing that.

If I did want to play on the go, I'd emulate old games. But I don't. I'd rather play those games on an adequately sized screen.

...have fun lugging around your desktop? Fail to see how emulating games makes your PC portable. And screen size is relative to how close it is. My TV is way bigger than my computer screen, but I'm also farther away from it. When I play on my 3DS its even closer to my face than my computer would be. But you're the one missing out not me.

Because I don't need a desktop to emulate 16 bit games. I could probably even emulate N64 games on a phone, but I haven't cared enough about portable gaming to research that. I'd still rather have an adequately sized screen than squint at one a few inches from my face. It's more immersive and relaxing. Missing out? I hate the fact that my favorite Castlevania is really pixelated and that MGS changed to "Tactical Espionage Operations" because of the PSP.

You seem to adamantly hate handheld gaming, which I don't quite get.

My first experience with gaming was the old brick gameboy.

I travel for work. A LOT. I can't bring my desktop, and I can't keep my laptop charged for most of the flights I take. And when I'm waiting at the terminal etc... It's nice to whip out my 3DS and play some games while I'm on the plane or airport.
And no I can't always use my phone because sometimes the battery dies, and honestly the games on 3DS are much higher quality.

EDIT: Thrall's Balls I totally forgot to talk about the topic at hand.

Yes I would say it is, I genuinely love most of the handheld games I've been playing over the years. It's convenient and often times I have as much fun if not more with it than my giant desktop. The only major downside is the games tend to be shorter, and fewer options. :/

 

[Alleged_Alec]

There are some amazing handheld games. Zero Escape series, Phoenix Wright, Ghost Trick and all of that sort of stuff is amazing. However, apart from that semi-visual novel sort of stuff, I haven't really played something interesting on my 3ds in a long time. Sure, I played the two pokemons on it, but they were more or less the same as all the other ones.

Hell, even when I go through top X lists of 3ds games, it's mostly the same old bland stuff: remastered zeldas, new mario games, ports which play better on the original consoles (looking at you, Smash Bros)... It's not interesting. Give me something cool again to use the bloody thing for.

 

[Callate]

I suspect handheld gaming will be Nintendo's salvation, if anything will. The murmurings I hear about the NX suggest to me that the next move is to make a handheld device with the power of a console that can broadcast to a television for HD goodness, but doesn't require it.

Beyond that, portable gaming (at least in Nintendo's case) has benefitted from a niche not entirely dis-similar to that of the original Wii: cheaper gaming with an interesting gimmick in the control system and an exchange of innovative design (some successful, some not so much) for pure hardware prowess. Lower barriers to entry, lower payoffs, lower expectations all the way around. The Vita (and PSP) didn't quite hit that sweet spot: the costs were still too high for both consumers and game designers, the audience to justify the investment never materialized. It was like trying to sell first-class tickets for a one-hour flight to Duluth.

I have played some absolutely wonderful games on handheld systems, and in some cases gotten to spend more time playing them because I didn't have to sit in one place for an hour or within reach of a power outlet in order to enjoy them. I really hope the handheld ecosystem continues to be an active part of the games scene. But things are very much in flux right now, and it's hard to predict what gaming is going to look like in ten years. VR could explode or be DOA. Intel just did a sweeping downsizing. Microsoft and Sony are both wondering how to prop up the underpowered consoles they only just released. We live in interesting times.

 

[IndignantMole]

I would even be willing to play these games at low res on a big tv if that were more widely possible. Especially the RPGs. The tiny screen is just a downside.

Even Ace Attorney would be better on my computer monitor. Portability isn't that big of an upside for people who don't use public transportation every day. I mean, for adults anyway.

I hate handheld gaming even more than console gaming. So many games limited by inferior hardware and tiny screens.

I guess it's just about tolerance for that stuff. Did either of you grow up playing the tiny handhelds? I did, and that' sort of why it never bugged me. I got use to it. Most of my gaming while in college has been on my 3DS.

 

[BeerTent]

Honestly, I like the idea of a hand-held, and there are some good games out there on them. But underrated? For me personally, they're overrated.

But, really... My phone just does it better. I guess I apply the same mantra I do to PC's, to phones. I want a "do everything" machine. Not a 3DS that couldn't even hold porn. I suspect the main reason why portable games get so little spotlight is because we don't have our faces in games literally every waking second we're in or out of the house.

Typically, when I'm out of the house, I just don't have time to do much more than half a game of "Ring Defense" or "Battle cats." I'd rather read up on what's important for work, check local news, or look up information for games I already own. To be, the absolute biggest problem with portable gaming is that the games I want to be portable, are PC only. And the games I do want to play portable on my phone, or otherwise, cannot be played the way I want. (Long War is not built for phones. There is no modding scene for MineCraft portable. (And the controls are atrocious.) Minecraft isn't available for 3DS.) I've emulated console games on my Tablet, and I've had a 3DS given to me for free. Both of which are collecting dust, and I'm hoping to maybe, just maybe turn a profit on that $20 tablet. Which is extremely unlikely. Both devices turned into an astronomical waste of effort and money. Maybe EB Games will give me $100 for my 3DS and games. But maybe they'll just fuck me instead.

I drive, I can't play games.
I work, I need to stay focused.
I do chores, can't put my shopping list on the 3DS.
I bike, why play games when I'm on the trail?
I party, how insulting is it when you're talking to someone, and they just pull out a vita or a phone?

When I was younger, I'd pine for one on the bus. But that's the only other time I'd have for gaming outside of my own home or LAN parties. If I'm home? I got a big machine with a very cozy chair with more, better games. Sure, the bed is cozier. But my bed is for sleeping. Sleep is something I need to be aware of.