Resentment towards handheld gaming devices

[Sunnyvale]

Last I checked, all the kiddies were going crazy over Space Invaders, Sunnyvale420. It's gotten so bad, in fact, that I've heard that trying to play Halo or Call or Duty online is more like walking through a ghost town than an actual battle field. It really saddens me to see first-person shooters going to waste like that but what can you do? The kids these day, eh?

Oh, man! And I sold my copy to buy a Pokemon game for my daughter :-/

Guess I need to stand a bit closer to the pulse, eh?

[The 1 2 P]

My main probelm with current gen handhelds is that they are now treading on console prices, both for systems and games. 3DS games are only $10 cheaper than Wii games, the system cost more than the Wii and the Vita cost more than the Wii and 4gb 360. The reason I never buy handhelds anywhere near launch or their first few years of existence is because they have become too cost-prohibited to me. But when I find them for cheap(like the $20 Psp I found over the summer) I am all over them.

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

My main probelm with current gen handhelds is that they are now treading on console prices, both for systems and games. 3DS games are only $10 cheaper than Wii games, the system cost more than the Wii and the Vita cost more than the Wii and 4gb 360. The reason I never buy handhelds anywhere near launch or their first few years of existence is because they have become too cost-prohibited to me. But when I find them for cheap(like the $20 Psp I found over the summer) I am all over them.

This is my biggest gripe as well. I like "small," but I also like the prices to be small as well. I want to buy Mario Kart 7 and Mario 3D Land, but for the same price I can purchase a new console game. I know the Mario game is good, but I suspect it doesn't quite look like Mario Galaxy.

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

How close do you people usually sit to your TV when you play games? Try this experiment. Sit where you usually sit to play games on a TV. Take a handheld and hold it at the normal distance you would to play it, but have its screen appear next to the TV screen. Compare the 2 relative sizes from your point of view. Now tell me that hand held screens are really that much smaller. It's all relative...unless you sit as close to your TV as you hold a handheld that is.

This is a great point. I never thought of it that way.

[Kid Ice]

How close do you people usually sit to your TV when you play games? Try this experiment. Sit where you usually sit to play games on a TV. Take a handheld and hold it at the normal distance you would to play it, but have its screen appear next to the TV screen. Compare the 2 relative sizes from your point of view. Now tell me that hand held screens are really that much smaller. It's all relative...unless you sit as close to your TV as you hold a handheld that is.


Yeah playing a game on a small screen is exactly like playing one on a big screen if you hold the game close enough to your face.

The other day my family asked me to take them to the movies, so I set up four chairs directly in front of our 27 in. TV and said "welcome to the world's largest movie theater!"

We all sat with our faces three inches from the screen. It was just like being in a huge theater. Then I put my face directly in front of my daughter's face and said she can tell everyone at school her daddy is a giant.

[Kid Ice]

My main probelm with current gen handhelds is that they are now treading on console prices, both for systems and games. 3DS games are only $10 cheaper than Wii games, the system cost more than the Wii and the Vita cost more than the Wii and 4gb 360. The reason I never buy handhelds anywhere near launch or their first few years of existence is because they have become too cost-prohibited to me. But when I find them for cheap(like the $20 Psp I found over the summer) I am all over them.

The answer is obvious Sony.... price the new system at $20.

[The 1 2 P]

Perhaps $20 is too low. But they could totally break even if they charged $23.19 for it.

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

Yeah playing a game on a small screen is exactly like playing one on a big screen if you hold the game close enough to your face.

The other day my family asked me to take them to the movies, so I set up four chairs directly in front of our 27 in. TV and said "welcome to the world's largest movie theater!"

We all sat with our faces three inches from the screen. It was just like being in a huge theater. Then I put my face directly in front of my daughter's face and said she can tell everyone at school her daddy is a giant.

I understand your counterpoint, but if you hold the handheld at a reasonable distance it's still comparable in size to watching a TV at a reasonable distance. I just tried the experiment with my DSi, and any one of its screens are roughly the same size as my 40" TV. It doesn't mean the experience is the same of course, but JB143 is right, it's all relative.

[bluenote]

I much prefer portable gaming. I'm 36, married with a 2 year old daughter, so the days of spending hours playing a console video game are over. Portable gaming is perfect for me. (and I think for a lot of adults who are busy with kids, job, other responsibilities). I can play a portable game for an hour on the couch after my daughter goes to bed, and I'm fine. I don't have the time anymore to play large console games. Portable gaming offers quick gaming fixes without huge time committments.

Plus, I love the personal aspect of playing portable games. You are staring at your own little screen, with headphones on. I don't know, it feels more personal. More fun to me.

Also, all the handhelds now have such a huge back catalogue and compilations. I can play 2600 games, all the most popular NES and SNES games (GBA ports), arcade compilations, new style games (via Vita and 3DS) etc. All without digging out my old consoles.

For me, I love portable gaming. I much prefer it to console gaming.

[nothingisttrue]

http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/08/27/in-defense-of-terrib.html