|
Post by Ex on May 19, 2022 15:06:14 GMT -5
By "portable" I mean any kind of electronic portable gaming device.
Do you still play games on portable(s) lately?
If you used to play them often, but not as much (or at all) now, why?
Which portable(s) do you play most often?
Where do you prefer to play portable games if at home? Do you play portable games outside the home (where)?
What do you like and not like about portable games compared to console games? Do you think the golden age of portable gaming has passed us?
I'll come back with my own answers later.
|
|
|
Post by Sarge on May 19, 2022 15:56:46 GMT -5
Do you still play games on portable(s) lately?
Yes. Obviously I picked up the Steam Deck, so that's back in the rotation. I also occasionally play my GBA SP, and I suspect I'm going to be modding my Vita very soon so that might be joining the list. Before recently, I played a lot of 3DS, but I have barely touched it in the last few years.
If you used to play them often, but not as much (or at all) now, why?
I think it's a combination of things. Lack of time, watching too many videos at bedtime, already played a ton of what I wanted to finish, and so forth.
Which portable(s) do you play most often?
Right now it's the Deck, but before that it was the 3DS and GBA SP. I do play some Switch portably, but not a ton - I generally prefer that docked.
Where do you prefer to play portable games if at home?
It's pretty much always in bed. If I'm elsewhere I'm usually upright, so I play on a larger screen, unless it's a system-exclusive.
Do you play portable games outside the home (where)?
Very rarely. Generally when I travel, but I've learned that, by and large, I don't actually spend much time playing while I'm traveling. I think it's usually that whenever I am traveling, I'm pretty busy so when I hit the hotel room, I'd rather have passive entertainment to wind down.
What do you like and not like about portable games compared to console games?
The big advantage is obviously that you can free yourself from a fixed display. The freedom to play anywhere is really useful, and there are times when traveling where I do want a portable. The PSP was a godsend back in 2008 when I flew to England and the in-flight entertainment went down.
Do you think the golden age of portable gaming has passed us?
The golden age? Probably. Portable gaming used to be a unique space where you'd get titles that were completely different from their console brethren. Now, with both the Switch and Steam Deck, you can play Nintendo's fare, PC games, and indie titles pretty much anywhere, docked or otherwise. So the experiences are more "console gaming on the go". Not that some games don't optimize really well for portable play, but it's just different now that Nintendo has merged their handheld and console into one. (And honestly, it was something that had to be done, especially in the face of mobile phones and tablets increasingly gobbling up the dedicated portable space.)
As for the aforementioned mobile games... I find in almost all cases they are a poor substitute for Nintendo's (or in the day, Sony's) offerings.
|
|
|
Post by paulofthewest on May 19, 2022 17:04:45 GMT -5
Do you still play games on portable(s) lately?
Yes, I actually play my switch in handheld more than on the big screen.
If you used to play them often, but not as much (or at all) now, why?
I definitely play portable more now than when I was younger. I didn't play the original GameBoy (never had one.) I did get the GBA, but didn't purchase many games for it. I did/do have a decent library for my 3DS, but I've probably sunk more hours into my Switch than 3DS.
The Vita is the newest (to me) portable system I have and I enjoy it.
Which portable(s) do you play most often?
Switch, 3DS, Vita in that order.
Where do you prefer to play portable games if at home?
Couch or bed.
Do you play portable games outside the home (where)?
Nope.
What do you like and not like about portable games compared to console games?I love the all-in-one/easy of use of portable systems. I don't like that they are easier to lose. Especially that 3DS, it keeps showing up in kid's rooms...
Do you think the golden age of portable gaming has passed us?
I think a golden age has passed us with the GameBoy area. Then came stupid phone apps era (which we are kind still in.) Now we are in new one with Switch and beginnings of Steam Deck.
|
|
|
Post by Xeogred on May 19, 2022 18:43:19 GMT -5
Gonna write up my dark past about handheld gaming for the 10th time, here for this thread and safe keeping henceforth, haha...
So I loved videogames in the 90's. You were an outcast nerd for having such a hobby back then and most parents thought it was a stupid waste of time, the amazing chiptunes hurt their ears or won't legit music, etc. So of course my parents would never in a million years back then entertain the idea of me being able to play videogames everywhere I walked. I was banned from owning any handheld.
One Christmas an aunt and uncle randomly got me a Black Gameboy Pocket. I wasn't even allowed to open it in front of all my family. It was some awkward weird argument on the side and my dad took the box hostage. I once found it buried in my parents closet, but yeah. I bet my dad might laugh at this story now because it was so selfish of him and my aunt and uncle wasted probably 100 bucks or whatever for that present. I got to use it once, on a vacation road trip. I somehow had Link's Awakening and some shmup.
My dad was hands off about most things in life when I turned 18, but I still had to earn it. So I eventually bought my own DS and that was the first handheld I could use freely. It must have been around then when I finally got that GB Pocket too and I still have it stored away. Cute little thing. I was always envious of kids with the GBA SP, it was so easy to sneak into classes and stuff. But by the GBA era, I was well versed in emulation, so I could hit up some stuff that way at least.
So hopefully that sums up that me and handheld gaming were and never will be a love story. But at this point it's kind of a humorous story to look back on and half a lifetime ago, so oh well. I had tons of friends that had Gameboy's, Game Gear, etc so I always got to see them in passing at least.
Do you still play games on portable(s) lately? - Usually only once a year thesedays, I'll get a game or two in on my nice Samus 3DS XL.
If you used to play them often, but not as much (or at all) now, why? - See above. My other excuse is that an old neck injury doesn't make it ideal for me to be hunched over looking down at a small screen for hours.
Which portable(s) do you play most often? - The DS and 3DS have been the ones I used most. I had an early PSP model and hated the d-pad so much I never really want to touch it.
Where do you prefer to play portable games if at home? - At my desks.
Do you play portable games outside the home (where)? - Never.
What do you like and not like about portable games compared to console games? - I'll be fair here, in the era of crazy multi-tasking, my 3DS is cool to have if I want to play a game while a show or something is playing on a big screen in the background.
- The bad, playing on a small screen just isn't as fun or immersive for the most part.
Do you think the golden age of portable gaming has passed us? - From my perspective, if we exclude phones, then yes I think it's probably done and maybe forever with the likes of Nintendo doing a hybrid console and ditching their pure-handheld Gameboy line. On the flip side with the Switch, Steamdeck, powerful phones, etc, like most things in our insane civilization now, people certainly have all the options and opportunities in the world to do handheld gaming in alternative ways now. But the era of a simple Gameboy, slapping a cartridge in and going straight to your game... yeah, probably dead forever. RIP.
-
Now if you read all that, the irony is that in 2022 my mom seems like a social media/FB addict on her phone and my dad loves his tablets. But yeah, no Gameboy's for me in the 90's.
I think gaming on phones completely sucks, but maybe my handheld past here kind of gives me that bias. That said, we've all seen the shovelware and crap games that pollute phones, so that doesn't inspire much confidence in it either way. I know there's cool attachable devices for controllers and stuff now, but yeah. I'm never going to care about "hardcore" gaming on my phones. Puzzle Bobble clones are the only thing I might get hooked on sometimes.
|
|
|
Post by Ex on May 19, 2022 20:44:13 GMT -5
One more question to add to the mix:
Do you normally listen to your portable(s) using headphones or via the built-in speakers?
|
|
|
Post by Sarge on May 19, 2022 23:13:48 GMT -5
Built-in speakers for me, almost always. There are times where I like to try the headphones, but if I'm not working, I don't tend to like headphones on. (I do use headphones at work a ton, but I'm just listening to music there.)
|
|
|
Post by Ex on May 20, 2022 11:29:25 GMT -5
Do you still play games on portable(s) lately?Yes. I'm a good ways into a 3DS JRPG right now actually. My first portable was a Nintendo Game Boy back in 1989. The most recent true portable I've bought is the Sony Vita. I have bought Android portables designed for retro game emulation fairly recently as well. My all time favorite portable game device is the Nintendo DS Lite. Specifically the Cobalt / Black model as it has the best screen (long story). If you used to play them often, but not as much (or at all) now, why?The most fervently I played portables was during the DS/PSP era. I consider that time period the "golden era" of portable gaming. That is because the hardware was powerful enough to provide innovative experiences, while at the same time being esoteric enough to draw in loads of exclusives. Mobile gaming hadn't quite reached portable gaming device capabilities yet, so the DS/PSP libraries were bolstered by more third party developers as a result. Which portable(s) do you play most often?These days it's the 3DS and Vita, as I have very large libraries for both and have hardly scratched the surface there. I do still enjoy on occasion DS and PSP games I missed in the past (mostly JRPGs/SRPGs in that regard). Where do you prefer to play portable games if at home?I always play in a recliner. Either the recliner in the living room, or the recliner in my dork cave (dedicated gaming room). Back when I was a bachelor I would play portables in bed. But I can't do that now because my wife likes total darkness in the room when she sleeps. As I only play video games late at night (typically between 11PM-1AM) that's when she's sleeping, so it's a recliner for me. Do you play portable games outside the home (where)?I've never done that, even when I was a kid and had a Game Boy and Game Gear. As a kid I was probably too worried about somebody stealing my portables. As an adult, it's just not practical for the life I live. I don't have long commutes on subways or buses for example. I've given up on bringing portables on trips, because by the time I'm in the hotel room I'm always too tired to want to play a video game. I usually end up watching TV or reading a book. That's if I'm by myself, if I'm with other people we're usually busy interacting in the hotel room so I'm not gaming anyway. What do you like and not like about portable games compared to console games?What I do like about true portable games... generally they are designed to be played in short bursts. Meaning you can make tangible progress in just a few minutes. Smaller levels, more frequent save points, truncated level designs and so on. And these games tend to not be super long in general. JRPGs can be, but there's a lot of exclusive JRPGs/SRPGs that stay under the 20 hour mark on portables as well. There's the pick-up-and-play aspect too. Most portables have the ability to go into a sleep mode easily and then resume right back to the game where you left off. True portables tend to have a lot of exclusives as well, and because the cost of production was lower than console, portable game developers were willing to do more innovative game concepts more often. The DS especially with its unique hardware design bolstered innovative game concepts readily. I also enjoy how self-contained a portable is. The screen is what it is, don't have to worry about calibrating its fidelity, the controller is built right into the device, it's its own little world. I like that I can play a portable anywhere of course, not tethered to an entertainment center's location. Console games have the edge on graphics. So regarding graphical prowess yeah portables can't compete in that regard. Or at least not from the Vita backwards. Every portable device in its actual day, was not exceeding contemporary consoles of its time, when it comes to graphical capability. I suppose that holds true even today with the Switch and Deck. Do you think the golden age of portable gaming has passed us?I do think the golden age of true, dedicated portable gaming devices has passed us. As I said earlier, the DS/PSP era was the apex in my view. Then came smartphones that were equally as powerful, and then hybrid portable/console devices, and now we're seeing more portable PC gaming devices as well. The thing is, the more powerful the portable gaming device becomes, the more likely it won't have exclusives. Rather you see (sometimes watered down) ports of games that are also available on console or desktop PC. This means the modern games on those devices weren't designed with the same principles as a true portable game would be. Do you normally listen to your portable(s) using headphones or via the built-in speakers?Almost always with headphones (or earbuds rather). Firstly because the music sounds so much richer and cleaner through headphones compared to the tinny speakers in portables (and you can actually get bass!). Second because battery life lasts longer than using the built-in speakers. This is the brand of earbuds I've used for years for all my portables: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003EM800S/They do a decent job of blocking external noise as well.
|
|
|
Post by paulofthewest on May 20, 2022 16:19:51 GMT -5
I use earbuds as well, it just sounds better to me.
Interesting read guys.
|
|
|
Post by Ex on May 23, 2022 1:25:37 GMT -5
This is the most recent portable I purchased: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08MT78MNP/I bought it back in March of 2021. Shame they are already gone as it's a great emulation portable. Edit: You can still buy new ones on eBay but at double the price they were last year. There's a chance I may cave later this year and buy a Switch Lite to support the Front Mission remakes legitimately.
|
|
|
Post by Xeogred on May 23, 2022 9:04:40 GMT -5
This is the most recent portable I purchased: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08MT78MNP/I bought it back in March of 2021. Shame they are already gone as it's a great emulation portable. Edit: You can still buy new ones on eBay but at double the price they were last year. There's a chance I may cave later this year and buy a Switch Lite to support the Front Mission remakes legitimately. That looks neat. I really do want a Steamdeck someday.
I really like the look of the remakes. Even though I've beaten FM1, I might be tempted to double dip. But I'm so glad FM2 is getting a better version now. Trying to play that one earlier this year for a minute was a mess... and really, I don't think it looks very good graphically either. Glad this miracle happened.
|
|