Handhelds and the Loss of Connectivity

[@ichatchase]

Streetpass was the bomb, man. I miss it so much.

[@couchmoba]

Same, honestly want to bring back the habit of just carrying it for the streetpasses again.

[@fluffy_tail4365]

Kbash sent me here, very good video, got yourself a sub. I never had the luxury of knowing many people with GBA or DSes (south europe pain), but I understand the overall sentiments since I loved couch coop and going to the only arcade in my small city

[@Plutoniumcube]

With so much vague pontification about the loss of Nintendo’s quirkiness with the 3DS/Wii U to the Switch, I thank you for this very clear, resonant, and unique take on the matter. I recall playing multiplayer Mario Kart DS with my friends in person in high school, which itself corresponded with the early years of the Switch, simply because the game and console attuned itself very well to a social setting. I think part of the death of this sort of sociality that you speak of comes with the design of portable electronic devices themselves nowadays. The Switch is kind of just a giant tablet with some controllers slapped onto it, and so is the Steam Deck, and so are a lot of the portable PC handhelds nowadays, and so are phones if you choose to game on them. That’s great for the existence of powerful home-console quality experiences, but it means that the more intimate and personal niche of devices like the DS, iPod, or even early mobile phones like the T-Mobile sidekick, with their small form factors and simple and specialized user experiences that facilitate this sociality you speak of, don’t really exist. The thing that troubles me is if this type of device can and should exist today for any reason other than nostalgia. Sure, there are a lot of emulation handhelds which aim the form factor, but I think you have to have the backing of a company like Nintendo with the full hardware-software experience to bring back that idea. It would be hard to pull off Streetpass Mii Plaza as a phone app as well as the 3DS. Given what we see leaked of he Nintendo Switch’s successor, it seems like they will not go in that direction, but I still hold out hope.

[@couchmoba]

While unlikely, it certainly should be possible to incorporate social features that may require a tapping of the consoles together for NFC transfer, passing by in relatively close proximity for Bluetooth, or utilizing WiFi for internet in a fashion similar to Geocaching or Pokemon GO where sharing locations occasionally with another user permits an asymmetric social interaction that's local and communal by proximity. It's definitely risky to assume software developers abilities at indie and third party companies, but also I believe many of the hardware requirements are present on existing mobile devices. The bigger question is "if this type of device can and should exist today for any reason other than nostalgia," which only really works as a niche platform marketed to population dense areas for video game enthusiasts. But even then, Geocaching is beloved and enjoyed by many and Pokemon GO obtained fame in considerable part because of its ability to forge new connections online and in person. So, I do believe there is a market for localized, communal, portable devices-and perhaps the gaming part is left behind to maintain something the majority of our culture continues to abandon. Idk if that makes sense but I try.

[@Plutoniumcube]

The hardware certainly exists for the most part for something like Streetpass on an objective level on mobile phones. I guess the ordeal is that phone are so heterogenous in terms of makes and user groups that it is difficult to grow a platform like that. On the DS, there were niche features on games like Pokémon Black and White with its survey system that sort of resemble Streetpass, but didn’t quite have the appeal of being on every system and therefore did not work as elegantly. I think succeeding DS/3DS social features on Switch or mobile phone like devices has that sort of hurdle of elegance to a degree, but I’d love to be proven wrong. I think a big part of why things like DS download play and Streetpass are so fondly remembered is because people on those systems were strongly “nudged” to make use of it. A Switch or a mobile phone can theoretically do something like Streetpass, but that’s because those consoles can theoretically do anything. That’s where I think the grim question of “why?” comes in. That said, I think there are answers that do come up on phones especially, ones that take advantage of the new affordances of those media. Pokémon GO is a great example of taking advantage of GPS, and I would even go so far as to say that Among Us and Jackbox take up the mantle of the DS Download Play experience, and augment it with an extreme flexibility of control interfaces. I think there’s going to be some growing pains with every electronic device being a Jack of all trades, master of none, but there is hope.

[@sanctumsys]

yeah, overall the switch does feel like a step back to me, especially in social features. you hit the nail on the head here and it's part of why i barely use it an offline way to simply download parts of a game to other systems easily to play a race in mario kart or something was and is just unfathomably cool to me, and it's a big part of why the original DS and 3DS appealed to me so much in the first place. not having to own multiple copies of a game to play it multiplayer is such an integral part of gaming in general to me whether it's on a console or a handheld, and taking it away from handhelds just feels like losing a bit of important parity when it comes to being able to take a video game anywhere. it's a concession to make that was already solved it's also simply the most comfortable option for some things. there's a DS puyo puyo game that supports eight players at once and i can say from experience crowding eight players around a single TV for anything (my go-to example is smash wii u) can kind of suck, even if you have a big TV. if everyone has their own handheld system everyone has a perfect viewing angle without sacrificing basically anything in the process i think this is a big part of why i feel like the switch is lacking. it's got local play but i feel like i've never once ended up in a situation where i wanted to bring my switch to a friend's house and play a switch game, or detach the joy-cons for impromptu local play (that was useful once or twice during a power outage but crowding even two people around that tiny screen sucks when our 3DSes with perfect viewing angles are already right there) also, squarenic's soundtrack on this is great

[@couchmoba]

Yeah I do recall playing Smash and it was miserable to share screens. The far better experience was when we both owned the games. Plus I found a lot of cool hidden gems via download play and seeing what others were up to on Streetpass and genuinely found niche titles I'd grow to love through it. I'm glad you saw the concession of just lugging around more controllers and splitting up a screen as a method to inclusivity but also had the perfect example to present why it's dysfunctional. 8 way split screen on the Switch or a large TV feels awful period. I just desperately wish the Switch cared about bringing people together, but after MiiVerse and local multiplayer features being removed it's evident their focus has pivoted. Even the direct's feel hollow compared to the community surrounding Reggie for 7th and 8th gen presentations when Nintendo was far more experimental with their presentations. Despite all the problems with the eight gen, it was peak and I miss Reggie. Also thanks for mentioning Nick, he'll appreciate it! Sorry if my thoughts are scrambled but I just really love this series of innovations that made Nintendo ownership feel special and communal and I'm sad to see it go.

[@weaselhatgaming1010]

Dude, DS download play was the best. I was very privileged to be one of the oldest kids on my public school bus, right at the start of the 3ds lifecycle. The release of the 3ds meant that ds prices tanked, 8 kids on the bus had ds's, and I had a single mario kart chip. On average, 5 of those kids would show up, and sometimes we'd have competitions where the winner got to host the next day or on the return trip home. I cherish those days I want to make a similar technology using bluetooth le mesh, but don't really have the time or resources to explore the pre-existing bluetooth mesh plugins on the unity store. That said, I believe we can revive this kind of functionality for the devices we already have in our pockets. Funny enough, if I remember right, OG mario kart DS was ~55 MB. If that's true, roughly a minute of a emulator on bluetooth LE connection COULD send over the full game file.

[@rockguitarist931]

Its weird that the Switch can be played in handheld mode but there isn't an emphasis on face-to-face connectivity for co-op matches with your friends, they are falling into the AAA gaming trap and now everything has a premium price tag so it feels authentic or something...

[@lpfan4491]

It straight up has less social features than the Wii and WiiU. The only new thing that was a step forward was integration to post your screenshots on external social media and that is undersupported hard. It was only compatible with Twitter and Facebook and after Elon decided to make it way to expensive, now it's only Facebook.(That is not putting any blame on Nintendo for not wanting to pay a small fortune, the point is moreso that if Facebook also decided to do shenanagans, the entire feature would clearly be gone. They never really tried to partner up with any other place to find a replacement or even expand.)

[@couchmoba]

Yeah it's a culture issue at Nintendo, not just a handheld problem, evident by MiiVerse's removal and lack of replacement alone. Seriously hurts to see; I wish we still had a Nintendo platform to upload comments, reviews, replays, and screenshots to with the Switch-but again another missed opportunity by Nintendo.

[@tommar]

My idea of a way the switch could streetpass (given its size does make a lot less pocketable) is made have it built into the joycon so you can get passes with just thst then load them onto the switch when you connect it again. Sadly I don't think download play can ever come back due to how big most modern games are(some games that like club House games that do let you play with someone who doesn't own the game, still requires the player without the game downloads the demo before hand)

[@couchmoba]

That's honestly genius and makes a ton of sense. I just wish that's what they did. As for losing download play, it probably is just a product of games getting to big to quickly and easily be sent over Ad Hoc. Still I wish there was more a general attempt with anything to give local gaming more love. Thanks for the watch!

[@lpfan4491]

I don't think there actually is anything blocking download play's return besides the lack for demand. You only need to include a shell of the game with downscaled and removed graphics to keep the size low, which is really what most GBA and DS games that had it did anyways. The large bulk of modern games being massive are the assets afterall.

[@therealjaystone2344]

I remember when the 3ds have their own download play but it felt limited unlike the ds. The only game I can play via download play is Mario kart 7.

[@willisilikefood9492]

That thumbnail 😭

[@cancioneirocantoneiro]

engaging with the connectivity

[@artless3438]

KBash sent me! This looks good

[@couchmoba]

What a king, but fr he's my main inspiration for all of KZbin. I grew up watching a lot of creators and all have inspired me in some shape or form but Kbash is who pushed me to really start and improve.

[@rikustorm13]

Yeah... the Switch is fun but I don't take it anywhere :(

[@HatsuneMiku-hh1cn]

What game is playing around 3:50? Thanks!

[@couchmoba]

Copying a previous reply: Rune Factory 3 Special, A remastered DS game for Switch. I couldn't get handheld footage easy or even find it so I got creative and used what I had and could make quickly and easily. I personally prefer RF4 but RF3 is still very good.

[@HatsuneMiku-hh1cn]

@ thank you!

[@theinternetofficer6594]

3:05 what game?

[@couchmoba]

Rune Factory 3 Special, A remastered DS game for Switch. I couldn't get handheld footage easy or even find it so I got creative and used what I had and could make quickly and easily. I personally prefer RF4 but RF3 is still very good.