Anybody prefer handhelds over consoles ?

richymcdermott

For the last couple of months i have been playing more of my 3ds and playstation vita than my playstation 3 and wii u.

Before christmas came along my playstation was gathering dust for the most part and I do not know whether or not its due to a dreadful 2013 for the most part or that I am shifting focus and seeing there is fresh experience and experimentation on handhelds that home consoles tend not to take due to higher budgets.

In reality the last wow experience I had with consoles was in 2011 with dark souls.

Not to say I will never purchase home consoles again , I am very much waiting for games worth buying for the playstation 4 but I can see myself playing very few games this generation than last generation.


Is there anyone out there like myself who thinks the same ? Or am I the only one ?:p

johnny_ultimate

Do I think handhelds are in a fantastic place at the moment? Absolutely, and anyone would be doing themselves a disservice to not be keeping track of the many great games out there.

But 'prefer'? Nope. I use my handhelds a whole lot, but I still find sitting in front of a TV with a controller a superior experience. Take RPGs for example. Now, a good JRPG is great for whiling away those bus journeys, but I'd love to see more I can enjoy on the big screen with lavish production values too. Bravely Default is a fantastic game, but part of me does feel its inevitably low-res presentation is doing a slight disservice to an artstyle that would truly sing on a HDTV. Smaller budgets have their benefits, but I do miss the days of the big home console JRPGs (perhaps a reason I was more forgiving of Ni no Kuni, and so genuinely delighted that Persona 5 is going to be on home consoles).

I spend many, many hours on my 3DS with a near endless stream of games to keep me occupied, and I'm already slightly overwhelmed by the amount of great games waiting for me when I finally get a Vita (sooner rather than later, it's looking like). They're a godsend when commuting. But in terms of comfort, technical fidelity and immersion I still feel I prefer home consoles, and there's quite a few great handheld games where I'd opt for a console version if the option was available. Not that any of that matters when I find myself engrossed in Fire Emblem or Link Between Worlds, mind.

Deano7788

I don't really prefer one over the other, to be honest, I tend to split my time between the 2.

That said there will be times where I become completely absorbed in a game and completely forget about my other systems. Again, though, that could be on any format. Last year for instance, it happened with Fire Emblem, Pokemon and Tearaway, but also Pikmin 3, Mario 3D World and Last of Us.

Retr0gamer

I much prefer handhelds lately. Especially for RPGs, being on a portable format is far more conductive than on a home console. Maybe it just suits my life style more at the moment but I feel that you have to invest a lot of time when you sit down to a console, while with a portable with quicksaving and suspend modes I'm far more willing to pick up a portable game.

As for not being as graphically nice, the dull as ditch water Ni No Kuni shows that graphics aren't anything and playing the persona games on PSP and Vita makes me think that they are more at home there.

imitation

They have a nice niche, its very easy to pick up and play the vita for 10 minutes and just suspend, its something console games miss, and often times its just the ticket when you don't want to spend a minimum of 30 minutes on a console game that has checkpoints to make progress.

The graphics and sticks on the Vita are really well done as well, i found it a real improvement on the PSP, which wasn't a bad console in its own right.

When thats said though, you can't beat a big screen, a couch and a wireless controller sometimes though.

deathrider

I'm not sure if I'd say I prefer my handhelds to my home consoles, but I certainly love them. I've been a big fan of the DS for years, and recently got a 3DS and PSP, so they're getting played to bits at the moment. They're convient because the missus can watch a bit of tv or whatever while I play my game. I can also pick it up for five minutes, hit a battle/level/mission/whathaveya and put it back down again at the drop of a hat, which is incredibly (excuse the pun) handy. They're monster little machines and I love them. But I also love the console I have hooked up to my TV. I don't think I prefer either one over the other, instead I just prefer certain games on each campared to other games on each.

CiDeRmAn

I love my handhelds and seem to spend a good deal of time on them bit that's more to do with opportunity.
If it wasn't for family time and the like it's spend a good deal more time with the regular consoles.
The games on each format are different, they have to be, my Vita and 3DS games are tailored around shorter bursts of play while the 360 and PS3 do not and can be more demanding of my time.
Also the online aspect is more pronounced on the home consoles too.

murphyebass

Pretty much all been said so far. Handhelds for commuters must be a god send. I drive everywhere so that doesn't apply to me but i do have one telly a wife and young child so of late ive played 90% of my gaming on the wii u gamepad and my vita whilst reclined on my sofa.
Realistically the days of me being able to spend an hour to 5 hours on the main console are gone so its using the alternatives which are remote play and handhelds. From what i hear the ps4 remote play works well on vita. I'm gonna take the next year to work out do i buy the ps4 or a gaming laptop. If i buy the latter thatll be me and modern consoles parting ways for now anyway. Problem is the cost. They ain't cheap.

CiDeRmAn

I have seen a massive shift in the number of hours gaming, not that long ago I was getting in 15 to 20 hours a week, that has dropped somewhat to close to 3 or , if I'm lucky.
With handhelds I can get some more time in but it generally means, unless a game on a home console is exceptional it goes barely played and into the collection.

murphyebass

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

I have seen a massive shift in the number of hours gaming, not that long ago I was getting in 15 to 20 hours a week, that has dropped somewhat to close to 3 or , if I'm lucky.
With handhelds I can get some more time in but it generally means, unless a game on a home console is exceptional it goes barely played and into the collection.

unless its a wii u game.

they really could have got a load of married 30 something year olds by marketing this part of the console.

CiDeRmAn

I have to say, as much as I love the WiiU I have never got much use of the screen only play, I prefer to get the benefits of the HD tv after waiting so long for a HD Nintendo console!

I think the predictions of an integrated handheld/home console gaming solution from Nintendo are going to right, fascinating to see what is on the way tbh, though it's a few years ago to be sure.

MadYaker

I drive for my commute so I don't really have the option of playing on long bus or train journeys. Apart from that though I just never really understood why people like handheld gaming. What advantages are there apart from portability? The graphics aren't as good, the sound isn't as good, theres no immersion because the screen is so small.

Pushtrak

MadYaker wrote: »

I drive for my commute so I don't really have the option of playing on long bus or train journeys. Apart from that though I just never really understood why people like handheld gaming. What advantages are there apart from portability? The graphics aren't as good, the sound isn't as good, theres no immersion because the screen is so small.

I'd suggest reading the posts on this thread. That has been answered.

gubbie

I'm a complete handheld junkie. I love the fact that I can play it in front of the tv, or in bed, or outside. I don't like being restricted to the one spot with console gaming

Retr0gamer

MadYaker wrote: »

I drive for my commute so I don't really have the option of playing on long bus or train journeys. Apart from that though I just never really understood why people like handheld gaming. What advantages are there apart from portability? The graphics aren't as good, the sound isn't as good, theres no immersion because the screen is so small.

Well it's not an advantage but handheld gaming is really the last bastion at the moment for many game types. Really consoles are only home to big blockbuster triple aaa titles that don't really take many risks. On the other hand the handhelds have a very low barrier of entry in terms the budget needed to make a game for it. It means its the last home of the weirder more adventurous type of games and ideas that dominated the PS 1 and 2 era that you now never see on the home consoles. Also home consoles are dominated by po faced western games and its only handheld gaming, with exceptions like ffXIII-3 and Platinum games, where you see the type of crazy Japanese games that were so prevalent until the 360/PS3 generation and their high budget requirements forced these smaller developers to handheld.

Really handheld gaming other than indie games is we're you find the far more interesting games today and I'm the type of gamer that will take interesting over solid but dull triple A schlock.

GTR63

Yeah 95% of my gaming is on handhelds, can't afford a next gen machine for a while so i'm enjoying the benefits of both. Pullblox is my latest addiction on the 3DS(haven't even started Ace Attorney Dual Destinies FFS ). I do replay a puzzle? if I pass it just to make sure it wasn't a fluke.
Playing LittleBigPlanet on my Vita too, its the best version of it imo. Pity the Vita don't get more love but I am looking forward to the God of War collection & Borderlands 2 looks like a good port.

CiDeRmAn

Pullblox/Pushblox are excellent alright.
Plus there's the vast DS games library to be played.