Handhelds or Consoles?

[Grazza]

I bought a PS3 the other day. At first I was wowed - I've no complaints at all - but now I'm back playing Etrian Odyssey II on the DS!

 

So it got me thinking - do you prefer handhelds or consoles?

 

Back in the day, I loved home consoles, all the way from the Mega Drive to the GameCube, but after that generation there hasn't been one that grabbed me in the same way. It's not that there's anything wrong with them, it's just that I haven't played anything on them recently that's wowed me. I'd even go as far as saying that Twilight Princess on GameCube (going by release date) was the last thing I played that was anything close. There are some PS2 games I loved from the same era, but that's about it.

 

In the meantime, handhelds have got better and better. I remember I actually didn't like the DS at first, as it seemed so weak and low-res, but a stellar software catalogue later - Dragon Quest IX, Etrian Odyssey - it actually provided experiences I enjoyed more than this console generation.

 

Then the 3DS was released and there was no going back. Good graphics and controls, fairly decent resolution, functions such as photo-viewing and web-browsing (which is primitive now, but does suit handhelds very much)... Handhelds are now at a point where I feel they can deliver games at a level which I felt was the optimum (ie. the "GameCube" type level).

 

With Nintendo merging their console and handheld divisions, I honestly wouldn't mind it if their next console and handheld played exactly the same games, with you simply choosing the one that suits you most.

 

So, which do you prefer?

[khilafah]

both equal for me..

 

its all about software for me and I just wanna play good games. I do love the freedom handhelds give me though, I took my DS and now take my 3DS everywhere. Spend hours playing it commuting and on lunch breaks etc.

 

With Nintendo merging their console and handheld divisions, I honestly wouldn't mind it if their next console and handheld played exactly the same games, with you simply choosing the one that suits you most.

 

I dont want to see this. Nintendo should always have different products they play different games.

[Aneres11]

Nice thread Grazza - a very interesting topic of conversation this one!

 

For me, it's handhelds.

Growing up I would have said home consoles all the way - I never had a GameBoy and the only GB game I owned was Pokemon Blue due to the link up with my N64 and Pokemon Stadium!

 

That all changed with the DS though. The DS was my first 'proper' handheld console - and I absolutely loved it and still love it to this day. It goes down as my favourite console ever (yep, even above the N64 and all the other home consoles out there) and its purely down to the experience that console gave me that was unlike anything else.

 

I guess it's rare for a Nintendo fan to have never played a NES, or SNES, and his first 2d Mario experience to be NSMB on the DS? Well that's me! So all those wonderful memories most Ninty gamers have of their childhoods being filled with those brilliant original Mario SNES games - was Sonic for me instead, and Mario never really featured until the N64!

 

When I got my DS I was introduced to this style of game and I was pretty much blown away. Of course, now I have caught up on what I missed all those years ago through VC titles etc, but in 2006 I was amazed at the joy this little plastic device was giving me.

I like to consider myself a pretty experienced gamer, having played games since 3 years old on all the Sega systems, the N64, GC, Wii, 360 and PS3 - but it was only the DS that gave me a unique experience.

 

Elite Beat Agents can't be done on the PS/360 now can it?!

I know that works both ways, and Halo can't be done on a handheld to the same effect as a home console, but the DS hardware was genius in how it opened developers minds to produce gaming experiences that were new and not really seen before.

 

I found myself always buying DS games, and amassing a pretty huge library of games that I would rank as among my favourite titles now. Games like Hotel Dusk, Phoenix Wright, Elite Beat Agents etc are all genius games that brought me so many hours of fun. They also stick in my mind much more than other games that are even more critically acclaimed on the home consoles. I guess that's why for me handheld gaming pips it.

 

I also love the portability of the handheld. Being able to game on the go, or in bed at night or even on the toilet - should you so wish! It's all good.

 

The one thing I don't want to see though is as technology moves on and we get more powerful systems, the handheld becoming a handheld 'home' console - if that makes sense? So basically a portable PS360 experience. As nice as it is to be able to play home console style games in handheld format I would rather see unique experiences that cannot be done on a home console on a handheld device.

I think that's where Nintendo get it right, thankfully.

 

So yeah, handhelds for me! Pretty much a DS appreciation post ha, but when I think handheld that is the absolute ultimate. Nothing matched it, don't think anything ever will.

[Magnus]

If only we could all go back to 2003, when games were actually good.

 

 

I play games on whatever I feel like playing games on. Sometimes I'll go through a period when I'm really into handheld games, then I'll play nothing but PC games for a month. It really just depends on what I feel like playing at the time. Sometimes I'll play a more ambitious game on a home console/PC and go through something I can play in short bursts on a handheld at the same time.

[Rummy]

Over the long run of my entire life, I'd say handhelds have actually got the most playtime for me maybe. Variety of reasons, my sister bought games for the gameboy, I could only play games at weekends(hence sneaking the gameboy was easy) - I'd go to family stuff where there was no one my age to really socialise with so I'd take the gameboy to play there and on journeys etc. Handhelds are just easier, really. You can play somewhere comfortable, they're a bit more portable now gameswise(pick up and play/sleep/good save functions). I sometimes feel less inclined to play a console cos I have to actually sit down where it is and stuff. I used to also have the issue of sharing the TV, but that's not (currently) a problem now. In the past month or two, my 3DS hasn't seen much time at all because I started re-reading His Dark Materials which backseated it. I casual PC game a little now too, as I spend so much time on my PC/tinternets.

 

So really...it depends! Fluctuates really, but in the long run - it's handhelds.

 

(I voted both equal though because...well, I like both equally )

[Serebii]

I like them both, but I don't like how the handhelds are just becoming portable home game consoles. I liked the differentiation between portable and console game styles. However, this is why the PSP and Vita don't do well, because they're trying to just do a portable home console.

[nekunando]

If only we could all go back to 2003, when games were actually good..

 

You almost sound like me..

[Ville]

This poll lacks one more option, PC.

[Rummy]

This poll lacks one more option, PC.

 

I grouped that in with console gaming, personally. What's the real difference/distinction?

[The Peeps]

There was a phase where I liked both equally but now handhelds just don't seem to have any games that interest me anymore. I'm looking forward to Luigi's Mansion but that's about it for the 3DS. I used to spend about as much time on my gameboy as I did on my N64/GC (at the time) but since the end of the gamecube, handhelds just haven't done it for me.

[Pit-Jr]

I have both a 3DS and Vita but i really can't justify playing them. Within 20 minutes my hands are cramping up and im thinking ''I'd rather be on my couch playing this on the big screen with a comfy controller''

 

So yeah, consoles all the way

[Magnus]

You almost sound like me..

Woohoohoo

Woohoohoo

 

Nando just hit the wall

He never had it all

Screw the 360

It just makes him angry

Games used to be so cool

Back in primary school

He used to love his toys

What happened to GameBoys?

 

He was gonna play a Zelda

That had an open world

He was gonna play a shooter

That didn't make him hurl

His flame red 3DS just tends to cause him stress

Looks at his average life

And nothing has been alright since

 

Lost Woods, Wet-Dry World

Way before Wii Music

There was Turok, F-Zero

Good graphics still in 2D Mario

His two friends on N-E

They tell him that it can't be

But he thinks that life was great

In 19, 19, 1998

 

Woohoohoo

(1998)

Woohoohoo

 

He's played all the classics

He knows every secret

He's played the Mirror Cup

And he's kicked Bowser's butt

He watched how Sonic ran

Not a big PlayStation fan

He even briefly

Searched for Luigi

 

Where's the console without a gimmick?

And why does everything have HD graphics?

When did Sonic become annoying?

Whatever happened to Sonic, Sonic 2

(And maybe Sonic 3)

 

Lost Woods, Wet-Dry World

Way before Wii Music

There was Turok, F-Zero

Good graphics still in 2D Mario

His two friends on N-E

They tell him that it can't be

But he thinks that life was great

In 19, 19, 1998

 

He hates time, this is so lame

Why is anything good now a retro game? (Retro game)

And who's Iwata? Where's Yamauchi?

Please make this stop

Stop

Stop

And bring back

 

Lost Woods, Wet-Dry World

Way before Wii Music

There was Turok, F-Zero

Good graphics still in 2D Mario

His two friends on N-E

They tell him that it can't be

But he thinks that life was great

In 1998

 

Woohoohoo

 

Lost Woods, Wet-Dry World

Way before Wii Music

There was Turok, F-Zero

Good graphics still in 2D Mario

His two friends on N-E

They tell him that it can't be

But he thinks that life was great

In 19, 19, 1998

Edited March 2, 2013 by Magnus

[Dcubed]

I like both as much as each other. Handhelds and consoles both have different sets of requirements and both offer distinctly different types of experiences. Even when when ignoring control differences, there are many games that fit one form of play better than the other. Pick up and play titles often work better on handhelds, while games that ask for longer play sessions usually work better on consoles.

 

Stuff like Metal Gear Solid 2 or 3 just feels out of place on a handheld, while a game like Tetris works better on a handheld than a console.

 

And even when you have a game that works equally as well on both like the NSMB games, each form of play has their own sets of benefits (console = larger and higher fidelity screen/sound, handheld = portability and convenience + glasses-free 3D in the 3DS' case)

 

Really, both have just as much to offer as the other - and it gets even more interesting when you throw in the unique controls and other hardware qualities of each machine!

 

BTW, Nintendo have already said that they don't plan on merging their next console and handheld into one device - they're just going to be using the same hardware architecture (allowing them to share game code and assets - meaning that they can make games much more quickly and focus more on the actual gameplay of their games, rather than the graphics and tech side of them)

[M_rock]

About 6 years ago I would have answered consoles for sure, but now I'm not so sure anymore. I loved my gamecube oh so much and in a way it still is my favorite console. But the wii (although I enjoyed alot of great games on it!) never seemed to grab me so much. The DS however grabbed my full attention right from the start. I loved how handheld games were evolving and when I look at my total game collection, I think about 50 % of it are DS games. The DSi even improved the experience with things like a basic internet browser and of course flipnote studio. The 3DS is also very high on my list. I am totally in love with the operating system, it feels fast and really pleasant to use. I love pausing a game, googling something on the internet and resuming my game right after that!

I'm missing my 2D games a bit, but let's be honest the graphics on the 3DS are amazing! Super Mario 3D land basically looked like a portable version of the galaxy games. It is a brilliant system.

 

That being said I also really look forward to get my hands on a WiiU. I was planning to buy it with Rayman legends, or Pikmin 3, but since none of those games are available yet (sigh..) I'm holding off buying one for a while.

 

So to make a desicion, I guess nowadays I really prefer a good mix of handhelds and home consoles. I feel they both have their uses and are still very relevant even with the tons of smartphones and tablets popping up.

[Daft]

I don't care which as long as the game is good.

[MoogleViper]

I've owned my fair share of handhelds (Gameboy, Game Gear, Advance, DS) but I've very rarely used them outside of my bedroom. So you're playing a low powered machine, through a 4 inch screen, and you're sat next to your gaming PC/console, and your 23 inch HD monitor, you've got to wonder, what's the point.

 

I grouped that in with console gaming, personally. What's the real difference/distinction?

 

There are quite a few differences, but that's more for a console vs. PC debate, rather than handheld vs. non-handheld.

[Rummy]

I've owned my fair share of handhelds (Gameboy, Game Gear, Advance, DS) but I've very rarely used them outside of my bedroom. So you're playing a low powered machine, through a 4 inch screen, and you're sat next to your gaming PC/console, and your 23 inch HD monitor, you've got to wonder, what's the point.

 

 

 

There are quite a few differences, but that's more for a console vs. PC debate, rather than handheld vs. non-handheld.

 

Tbh I don't think it should be distinct from console gaming really; it used to be yeah, but PCs and PC gaming really wasn't all that common amongst the common folks etc. PC and tech is rife these days, more common even than games consoles! It used to be you had to buy a dedicate game 'console' to play games, now...well, it's more for tradition of it really.

[nekunando]

Wii Bowling for Soup: 1985

 

It may not be entirely accurate, but reading that gave me a laugh on my break in at work this evening

 

I guess 2013 isn't that bad..

[Jonnas]

Handhelds. They're more versatile, and the games are just as good.

 

Plus, it's consoles are demanding more and more of me. Better TVs, more space, more time wasted on start-up, a good internet connection for the full experience... Handhelds forgo all of that hassle.

[Kagato]

Consoles for me, i always think ill play handhelds more but when it comes down to it id much rather sit with my big screen and surround sound than a tiny screen with headphones on. Especially when the battery life on a 3DS or PSV makes them a whole lot less portable.

[Sheikah]

I would say consoles. Handhelds can be more relaxed to play due to the easy sleep mode feature of most modern handhelds. And particularly as I've been played Persona 4 on the Vita, the boundary between console and handheld has blurred. Which certainly for P4 is great, because it does it justice.

 

But, for me it's the games. Consoles are usually chosen for releasing the best games of most big hitter franchises, or the ones that have had the most effort put into them. When I think about my favourite games, the vast majority have been on consoles.

[Guy]

I definitely agree that the distinction between handheld and console games is now completely blurred. There used to be a huge difference between output on handhelds/consoles, but now the games almost look the same. Heck, some of the games are exactly the same - look at Playstation All Stars and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.

 

I actually think handheld games now often feel too "big" for handhelds. Given the choice of playing a game on a 5" screen or on a huge television with full surround sound, I know which one I'll be picking every time.

 

The option to play games on the go is more than welcome though. I genuinely like the idea of portable versions of the games I enjoy to take away on vacation/flights/road trips. I just wish the "big" games that aren't cross-platform could also be blown up on the big screen for comfortable home play like with the PSP and (I believe) the Vita.

 

Nintendo, take note!

Edited March 7, 2013 by Guy

[liger05]

All about the games for me. Whether its on a console or my 3DS I dont mind. I can easily play games on the 3DS and have no desire or wish to be able to play on a bigger screen.

Edited March 7, 2013 by liger05