Handheld Gaming Is In A Weird Place | Ramblings On the Importance Of The 3DS

The last 10 or 12 years have been rough on handheld gaming, what once had an identity of its own is now mostly confined to less graphically impressive versions of Big Brother console games. More and more, I am drawn to systems like the DS and 3DS to give me the type of gaming I crave for short sessions and casual play.
#3ds #casualgames #handheldgames

[@NerdCrave]

what's your favorite handheld gaming system, and what are you using today to get the types of games you want? an analogue pocket? a handheld emulator? or are you still collecting physical for systems like the gameboy advance, DS, and 3DS?

[@coopleofnerds]

I got an analogue pocket and I love it so far. I did not do much handheld gaming growing up so an entire new library opened up for me.

[@NerdCrave]

I fell in love with handheld with the 3DS first, in about 2018, and have since went back and forth through the history of handheld consoles. I love the Gameboy Colour, GBA and the DS and 3DS so much

[@stealthor500]

This issue is where indie games are such a huge thing. I haven't found many first party games on handhelds that suit my fancy, and i recently modded an original 3ds model and i found shovel knight. Always had an interest in the game but never played it. Im a plumber but i love video games. Its so nice to eat on break and then use the rest of my time to whip out my 3ds and play something. Shovel knight has been the perfect fill-in, not just because of its design but also just simply because as you mentioned, the clamshell. It makes things so much nicer. And when i can find some gba games to play as well, ill be bringing my SP with me as well, if not still playing on my 3ds with an emulator. The clamshell is such a genius design for a pick up and play concept, i absolutely adore my switch and i still bring it with me to work but the games i enjoy on there are bigger in scale so i can only do so much in it before i have to go back to work, but there's the benefit of being able to resume right where i was when i get back home. I don't think handheld gaming would be nearly as effective as it is without nintendo's influence

[@NerdCrave]

Great story! I take mine to work most days too, there’s always 10 minutes here and there

[@user-hk7iy2vt5y]

I finally got a "New 3DS XL"! I grew up with the GBA and DS Lite, thankfully. But, I missed out on the entire 3DS era. I ordered a 3DS online and i spent the whole day trying to mod it. Now, I get to enjoy the vast library of 3DS games! I miss true handhelds. Growing up during the DS/PSP era was something else

[@NerdCrave]

Welcome to the club!

[@exotericidymnic3530]

When the Switch first released I was a little annoyed that people kept referring to it as a "handheld" console like the 3DS, it's in truth a "portable" console. The difference is that a handheld like the 3DS is convenient to bring with you, I used to carry my 3DS in my pocket everywhere I went, you can't do that with a Switch (although I have put the Switch in my pocket a few times since my pockets were barely large enough for this), it's something you put in a dedicated place (often your TV room) and bring with you to whatever place in your home that you like, or you bring with you in your backpack when out on the town, or in your luggage when traveling. These are very useful things that a Switch can do that a dedicated home console cannot, but you have to make a conscious effort to bring it with you. Also, what most of these PC handhelds don't realize is that "handheld mode" on a Switch is purely a compromise for when you have to hold the system in your hands, the console was really meant to be played in "tabletop mode" with it resting on a surface with the kickstand, and the joy-cons detached. Also it's very surprising to me that the Wii is nearly 20 years old and yet Nintendo is the only company making (nearly) good quality wireless controllers that allow for the freedom of movement of joy-cons or a wii-mote + nunchuk, given how much more comfortable it is (if only joy-cons were well made I would be able to use them).

[@NerdCrave]

Yes, big difference between portable and handheld!

[@XionSteel]

The joys of clam shell devices, it can fold up to be more protected and portable while being able to open up and be as ergonomically playable as a long body game boy. But yeah a lot of points for the ds/3ds ended up agreeing to my mindset when playing games. For handhelds i do prefer to play things for shorter periods of time, maybe around 1-2 hours and it's just as easy as closing the shell to pause the game and go back to it at any time. Its one of the best advantages of it and i'm glad its currently being kept alive in the modding scene since its simple enough to mod, there are flash carts if you wanted to setup it up for different systems. Where as with something like the steam deck, i still use it portably but not in the classical sense. I bring it to work in my backpack during slow nights where all i'm doing is monitoring stuff, i can hook it up to a monitor and play anything in my library during my 12 hour shift. I use the switch in much of the same way, but i dont like to bring it places so its a permanently docked at home and i can just load it up when i want to play something. Only with the 3ds do i play it with the intention to be portable, opening it up when i have time and closing it when i need to move. So TLDR favorites: modded 3ds for any nintendo 3ds game and below on the go, modded vita for vita games and below (playstation wise) on the go, Switch for a Nintendo home console, and the Steam deck to play my Steam library during slow work nights (and can setup to play ps2 and gamecube games if i felt like it).

[@NerdCrave]

Pretty much my setup too

[@akairibbon4658]

As an adult... I'm either gaming at my gaming area and if I'm not at home I'm not playing videogames. But I never really liked handheld gaming anyways. Didn't even make sense to me when I was a little kid lol.

[@NerdCrave]

One way I use my handhelds is multitasking. Got a show on the tv and my switch or 3DS in my lap

[@MakeOrBreakSociety]

Well you know my feeling on the PSP but aside from that I agree 100% the market has a huge lack of large bite-sized games. I want more games that take 50+ hours to fully complete but can be played in 5 min chunks! However I hate the flip closed form factor so I'd like a new style GBA or PSP!

[@NerdCrave]

Perfectly legitimate opinion!

[@OreshikaIsGreat]

I never stopped taking my vita and 3ds on the go with me and surprisingly I'm still finding games to play on them, the Switch is my Nintendo home console, it's too bulky to take on the go with me, I did buy a lite aswell but surprise surprise it drifts and it was still a little too big to comfortably take on the go with me, maybe there's still time for a Switch mini?.

[@NerdCrave]

I don’t know if a switch mini would really work well with so much of the library being larger scope games

[@PandaBearJelly]

I honestly don't see an issue. There are still plenty of quick handheld games available, especially in the indy space. I love having the option for longer-form games in addition to those. I don't understand how you look at having more options as a bad thing. Regarding portability, I use a Backbone and Steamlink. Super portable, affordable and versatile combo.

[@NerdCrave]

I think you need to watch the video again. The switch is my favourite console BECAUSE it has more options. I love my Steam Deck and I play it all the time, I miss having a device I can fit in my pocket, and I miss having a device that focused more on the handheld experience, but yes it’s better with more choice

[@PandaBearJelly]

​@@NerdCrave just cary a satchel or fanny pack

[@NerdCrave]

@@PandaBearJelly thats exactly why i don’t like the larger devices

[@clydefrosch]

The vita lost out because 20fps console games just didn't cut it

[@clydefrosch]

People aren't going to pay 100 adjusted for inflation bucks for classic handheld level games anymore though.

[@NerdCrave]

They don’t need to charge $100 most indies are under 30

[@iiqulo]

It's been a couple hours since I watched the video, but I don't remember you mentioning the PSP and how it could be played on TV. Heck, the PSPGo even had a dock and you could use a PS3 controller. The Playstation TV was an absolute piece of trash when we could have easily had a dock for the Vita just like the PSP. The only reason the Switch has a chance to thrive is because mobile gaming took the route it did. Mobile phones are more than capable of murdering the Switch, but due to the environment of free games and constant "need" for updates both for hardware and software, Nintendo has been provided borrowed time to thrive.

[@NerdCrave]

The switch is really a terrible handheld. It’s too big, it’s uncomfortable to use, the joycons suck. It was revolutionary for a while, but it just emphasizes how great the DS and 3DS were as dedicated handhelds

[@iiqulo]

@@NerdCrave That's what I have always said. No one listens to me. Except for the revolutionary part. Again, the PSP did it first. The Switch just did it better. Just like Nintendo did motion control sticks first, then Sony did it better.

[@Gummibri]

Here's the thing... Handheld gaming is bigger than it's ever been. Not only are there a ridiculous amount of gaming handheld pc's coming out every other day. More importantly the biggest market in gaming is mobile devices. The issue is cost to profit which is why live service games with miceotransactions are king. Hardware is not the issue. It's software. Sadly gamers (or game players) dictate what kinds of games are popular and profitable. In turn making people the issue.

[@NerdCrave]

True sadly

[@toatastico]

Talking about some sort of handheld gaming crisis without mencioning mobile games makes no sense

[@NerdCrave]

I did mention mobile, but mobile is not a viable solution, it’s a stopgap