Do people feel the end is approaching for dedicated handhelds?

Dark_Angel

Dark_Angel

Dark_Angel

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And no, I don't mean now...

BUT, I do mean in several years time.

IGN and several sites are mentioning sony are in trouble with the Vita with less than stellar sales, which follows after the 3ds.

Many are blaming devices such as tablets and smart phones which gives people a "quick fix".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bLf...xt=C357d40aUDOEgsToPDskLA-qW4-PUup_mffAYbRSoq kind of a quick summary of the whole affair.

http://uk.vita.ign.com/articles/121/1215557p1.html an IGN article...

I think Sony will recover this generation - but I do wonder if there will be room on the market for a follow up system if the trend for the stronger cell and android devices continues?
 
Its already happening. The Vita looks too powerful for a hand held. Its like a full on console in your hands. Might be a turn off if you just want to jump in and out of games during your lunch break. I think the vita will fail big time judging by how the 3ds did.

I just want to carry around one device in my pocket that can do everything that I need it to do when away from home.
 
I, like a lot of people, have a tablet and a iPhone but really don't like playing games on either! I can't be doing with having no button feedback or tactile controls it just feels wrong.
 
Tablets are crap for gaming though, until hardware inputs are common place they won't ever fully replace consoles for gamers.
 
Kreeeee said:
Tablets are crap for gaming though, until hardware inputs are common place they won't ever fully replace consoles for gamers.
Click to expand...

Think he meant handheld consoles:confused:

I'd say yes , iPhones /android games are great for what a handheld games needs to do grab the attention for x mins and then put down and pick back up when ready
 
Kreeeee said:
Tablets are crap for gaming though, until hardware inputs are common place they won't ever fully replace consoles for gamers.
Click to expand...

This.

If you're a non-gamer who wants to play angry birds for 10 mins while waiting for a bus then sure, a mobile is fine. If you actually enjoy playing proper games, than phone/tablet interfaces are useless!

(In fact I just bought a PSP because I got fed up with trying to play FF7 on my touch screen phone :p)
 
Think for the vast amount of people a smartphone game is good enough when they have a chance to 'mobile game' - the experience you get with a proper portable isnt multiple folds better for those precious few moments...

Very hard to persuade enough people to not accept more than just 'good enough' in those circumstances...

ps3ud0 :cool:
 
I'd say yes! I own a 3DS but only because I'm a Nintendo fan & I wanted to play games such as Mario land, Zelda, Mario kart etc.. There aren't any Vita games that are making me want to part with my cash!

I downloaded GTA3 for my iPhone 4S the other day and I can't believe how good it is! Graphics / controls etc are excellent and it was only £1.99. Give it another year or so and there'll be very little need for stand alone handhelds.
 
divaboy said:
Think he meant handheld consoles:confused:

I'd say yes , iPhones /android games are great for what a handheld games needs to do grab the attention for x mins and then put down and pick back up when ready
Click to expand...

I know he meant handheld consoles, I assumed anyone reading my post would understand that I meant handheld consoles due to the context of the thread.
 
Twentyone said:
Yes and no. Out for the adult market, but it will continue for the kids.
Click to expand...

I don't know about that. An iPod touch is £169, a Nintendo 3DS is £149. iPod touch games are mostly 69p, 3DS games are mostly £30. iPod touch games can be synced across to 5 different devices, 3DS games are limited to a single device at a time.

I know which one I'd give to my kids.

I agree about the lack of hardware controls for hardcore gamers. However, I find it a lot less of a problem on tablets than smartphones; your thumb covers up a lot less of the screen on a tablet. Games like Galaxy on Fire 2 are very playable on the iPad.
 
dedicated being the key word.

Unfortunately the mass consumer market swamps the words dedicated and gamers.

Thing is sony/nintendo et'al have to shift these units in hundreds and thousands/millions for them to be any form of qualified success.

Very little these days gets made for the dedicated, i can only think the vita makes a showing because sony hope the vita makes the same waves in the japanese consumer mainframe as the psp did.

Personaly i have little interest in the vita much for the same reason as the 3ds, happy with the psp/ds. While there's room for improvement in both those systems, the actual games i play on both don't realy improve much swapping up.
 
I see the point in handheld portables, but think the point is a bit useless for most people's reality.

If I'm out of the house, the 3 most likely scenarios are:

I'm driving (so can't play games)

At work (so can't play games)

At some place where I'm probably already doing something, hence I went to that place. (so won't be playing games...)

Therefore the only time I may wish to have such a device is on a plane. Which is why I don't blow wonga on something that will get used hardly at all. Perhaps I am a rare case, or perhaps there are many people like me, which may be why they aren't selling well.

Can only really see kids sitting about the house playing kids games on their nintendo thingy really.
 
Tunney said:
I don't know about that. An iPod touch is £169, a Nintendo 3DS is £149. iPod touch games are mostly 69p, 3DS games are mostly £30. iPod touch games can be synced across to 5 different devices, 3DS games are limited to a single device at a time.

I know which one I'd give to my kids.
Click to expand...
See, personally I'd sooner pay <£100 for an mp3 player that doesn't have a million extra bells and whistles, or an apple logo, and then have a dedicated handheld as well. Yes it's an extra item, but it's hardly going to break my back.
 
Dark_Angel said:
And no, I don't mean now...

BUT, I do mean in several years time.

IGN and several sites are mentioning sony are in trouble with the Vita with less than stellar sales, which follows after the 3ds.

Many are blaming devices such as tablets and smart phones which gives people a "quick fix".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bLf...xt=C357d40aUDOEgsToPDskLA-qW4-PUup_mffAYbRSoq kind of a quick summary of the whole affair.

http://uk.vita.ign.com/articles/121/1215557p1.html an IGN article...

I think Sony will recover this generation - but I do wonder if there will be room on the market for a follow up system if the trend for the stronger cell and android devices continues?
Click to expand...

Isn't the 3DS back on the way back up though? If it's the same IGN article I read, since the release of the Mario games in Japan, the 3DS is "printing money" a la DS now.

I've been very impressed with the quality of the games on Android, particularly Contract Killer and a few others. But they lack depth and you're constantly aware of the need for micro-transactions. Or, you put up with advertisement. I won't buy a game for a phone because the touch controls are not good enough.

Vita looks the part, but it's too expensive for my liking. (ie: something I probably won't use every day).
 
Tunney said:
I don't know about that. An iPod touch is £169, a Nintendo 3DS is £149. iPod touch games are mostly 69p, 3DS games are mostly £30. iPod touch games can be synced across to 5 different devices, 3DS games are limited to a single device at a time.

I know which one I'd give to my kids.

I agree about the lack of hardware controls for hardcore gamers. However, I find it a lot less of a problem on tablets than smartphones; your thumb covers up a lot less of the screen on a tablet. Games like Galaxy on Fire 2 are very playable on the iPad.
Click to expand...

Well maybe if you look at it from the money side of things it obviously going to be cheaper in the end. But I personally can never see myself replace handheld gaming with games on a phone where everything is touch screen based.
 
Im really not sure, but if I had to bet Id say yes..
I have had an android for years and dont game on it. My current phone is a tegra chipset, so I have tried a few games, and tbh, a couple were seriously impressive, but they hammer battery life, so I don't touch them any more.
By the time I get home, Im just as likely to fire up the PC to play games rather than a handheld.
I have never owned a DS, never will, but strangely enough, I find the Vita tempting, but purely for wipeout, as it is probably one of my favourite all time games, so maybe as long as any handheld has a good lineup, people will buy them?
 
3DS will bounce back as soon as the good 3DS exclusive begin to arrive like Resident Evil: Revelations. Most of the games that have came out so far have been ports or near enough ports like Mario Kart 7/Zelda/Mario 3DS or have been tripe/average such as Splinter Cell and Asphalt 3D and the starting price was a tad on the high side but that has been lowered since release. It's basically the PS3 all over again and that turned out fine so I can't see why the 3DS won't when the good games arrive.
 
The Vita looks ideal for me. The xbox and PC gaming are a bit antisocial for me these days. I have 3 hours a day on train/bus that the PSP/DS really make less miserable.

Top graphics and a decent control system in a handheld really appeal to me.
As long as the save system is good, I'm happy to have a complicated game that requires a decent amount of time put into it.

Touchscreen only gaming is a bit depressing for me.
 
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