What's up with the media talking like handhelds are being replaced?

Estil

Lately I've noticed some in the mostly non-gaming media speculating about how having games on the touch screen phones/tablets may make dedicated gaming handhelds like the (3)DS or PSP (Vita) no longer neccesary.



In the famous words of Judge Judy, BALONEY.



Seriously, I have nothing against the touchscreen phones/tablets being able to offer games and whatnot, but I just think to suggest they can completely replace the DS/PSP is pushing it.  Now just as a disclaimer I have no interest in owning a touch screen phone/tablet (me and my wife are both disabled and homebodies who don't go much of anywhere so we couldn't really use it on the go like most others could) but I would imagine that they have very very few in the way of exclusives and aren't most of the games just generic, quick play sorts of deals?  Whereas the DS/PSP, just like the consoles, each have all kinds of key exclusives and games from all different genres, including those big 40-50 hour+ quest sorts of games.  Not to mention that while you can build a nice collection of game cartridges or discs from the consoles/handhelds, you can't really do that with a phone or tablet.



All I'm trying to say to these media jokers is this; I have nothing whatsoever against offering mostly generic quick games on the touch screen phones/tablets, but there will always be the need for dedicated consoles/handhelds.



In the famous words of Bill O'Reilly, where am I wrong?

ankermane

Out of curiosity, how are you both disabled if you don't mind me asking? What happened?

farmerdwight

You need to think of the future. At this point, cell phones have their place and hand helds have theirs. As cell phones continue to improve and become more capable gaming platforms, it's not at all implausible that they will become serious rivals to hand helds. You may care about having a physical game to put on your shelf but others don't like myself. My personal preference is to just have my cell phone for convenience for simple games on the go and I'd rather sit at home on my butt to play a more complicated game on a more capable console or computer than playing a watered down version on a handheld.

ankermane

And yes, you're right I believe; there will always be a market for games on dedicated handhelds, the question is though, how much of a market? I think that's what they're trying to get at. Like, say, five years ago, the gaming on the go market was solely in Nintendo and Sony's hands. They had that market on lock down. Nowadays, with technology, that is not the case. Games are made cheaper and faster on other hardware, and it's sucking away Nintendo and Sony's market. If they were a 100% before, hypothetically speaking, maybe now they're only 70%? How much more of the well will be depleted though in the future? Will it one day be 50/50? Will that be a viable market for a console dedicated handheld? What about 40/60? Evolution on a business scale. Somethings going to have to evolve in order to survive.

nrslam

For under $100, I got a 7" Android tablet with a large and ever-growing selection of free games and emulators. Sure, there's plenty of titles exclusive to the dedicated handhelds, but this tablet has a (relatively) huge touchscreen, a real web browser, email client, and tons of other apps. In a strictly bang for the buck comparison, it wins hands down over a dedicated device.

gutsman004

Originally posted by: nrslam



For under $100, I got a 7" Android tablet with a large and ever-growing selection of free games and emulators. Sure, there's plenty of titles exclusive to the dedicated handhelds, but this tablet has a (relatively) huge touchscreen, a real web browser, email client, and tons of other apps. In a strictly bang for the buck comparison, it wins hands down over a dedicated device.

 

 I think this is what the media is hinting at. Handhelds are great,but a lot smart phones and tablets can do so many different things and do them well. I do think at some point there may be some sort of complete integration of the two....like for example...a Nintendo/Motorola 3DS tablet. Just a thought.

Metal Wolf Chaos

Originally posted by: gutsman004

Originally posted by: nrslam



For under $100, I got a 7" Android tablet with a large and ever-growing selection of free games and emulators. Sure, there's plenty of titles exclusive to the dedicated handhelds, but this tablet has a (relatively) huge touchscreen, a real web browser, email client, and tons of other apps. In a strictly bang for the buck comparison, it wins hands down over a dedicated device.

 

 I think this is what the media is hinting at. Handhelds are great,but a lot smart phones and tablets can do so many different things and do them well. I do think at some point there may be some sort of complete integration of the two....like for example...a Nintendo/Motorola 3DS tablet. Just a thought.

What about the PS VITA that is 3g? I think integration between the two has already started.

Estil

Originally posted by: ankermane



Out of curiosity, how are you both disabled if you don't mind me asking? What happened?

LONG story.

Ipsylos

As long as there is a Japan in this world, the dedicated portable gaming market will always be alive.

marvelus10

I think portables with HDMI output will sink the dedicated home console market, and I think this will happen within the lifespan of the next generation of consoles too. Nintendo almost has the right idea with the WiiU they just need to drop the console part and keep the tablet part, utilize the wireless connectivity to smart TV's and such. I understand the need for the WiiU console at the moment due to not everyone having a smart TV but its still a relatively new gimmick.

Tanooki

Two words, and since you quoted Bill O'Reilly it's easy 'media sensationalism'



The media will latch onto some catchy story, some hot rumor, some buzz, or stuff a company will dangle at them to do mutual back scratching. With phones now capable of doing what the 3DS and Vita can do, uninformed media can write really hot pieces of how your phone can do all what the 3DS/Vita can do and all the other features the phone has too so as more people get new phones the handheld market will drop dead. Conveniently for the many of those bs stories I've read something highly common on all of them other than that last statement is the blatant omission of tactile control (d-pad, stick, buttons) being essential for the proper function of many of the truly popular genres. Sure a racing game can benefit from the analog 'finger' or twist control, but who here thinks Street Fighter IV works best on iOS and worse on the 3DS? How about the Battle Kid 2 demo on iOS vs the NES ROM format for the old hardware? You never see the argument really made unless it's an article debunking or harassing the media for their selective journalism.

Warped

I can't bring myself to play any "handheld phone" where I place the screen against my face smearing it with my body juices. The tablet and phone market HAS taken away customers from the handheld market, the customers who get a buzz running their fingers across a screen and being content with that. When technology will improve, and it will, then they will be a bigger threat.

Ipsylos

Yea it has taken consumers away, but they, like any casual gamer, will just play whatever keeps them occupied before the next thing they have to do in their daily schedule. Those same consumers are the ones who barely buy any software for the systems they buy for, so essentially the dedicated gaming market is just losing the casual gamers who aren't dedicated and enthusiastic about the 3DS or PS Vita. Sure IOS crap is fun and all for a time waster, but it's no Zelda or Disgaea.

standigz

Handheld games need buttons, a touch screen doesn't cut it. The thing is most people don't care about 3ds/psv, they just want games, they don't care what kind of games. So you have dedicated gamers going for the hanheld and everyone else going for the crappy cell phone game.



If millions buy a game for 5 dollars and maybe 100k people buy a game for 50 dollars what will be more profitable? (consider shipping, stocking, packaging, etc)

cradelit

I've replaced my handhelds with my phone and I'm much happier. Serious games at home, casual timekilling games on the go has always been how I play, now it's easier.

dra600n

You know the PSP/Vita and 3DS/DS aren't grabbing as much of the market when you have major franchises hopping on the phone/tablet platforms. FF1, 2j, 3j, 4, and I think 5 are all available on iOS, some GTA titles, Call of Duty games, etc., are all appearing on there. I don't think if they weren't selling well, Squeenix wouldn't have released that many titles (at $15 a pop) for these touch screen devices. Didn't Nintendo also make a statement how the smartphones are taking a good chunk of their demographics?



Handheld gaming requires buttons, sure, but you can easily have on screen buttons for the games, which many have.

rickrollcollector

Well I collect games for fun...but when it comes to serious games I play Star Craft II and there's no way in the world cellphones will adapt RTS on touchscreen.

pegboy

Gaming on a touchscreen phone sucks.

Wasbi

Originally posted by: pegboy



Gaming on a touchscreen phone sucks.

quoted for truth.



I don't think a touch screen phone has any beef on the handheld consoles, but as stated before, it's just selective journalism.

There will always be more reasons why a gaming console trumps your new age phone.

eCockpit

Originally posted by: iGerik

Originally posted by: pegboy



Gaming on a touchscreen phone sucks.

quoted for truth.



I don't think a touch screen phone has any beef on the handheld consoles, but as stated before, it's just selective journalism.

There will always be more reasons why a gaming console trumps your new age phone.

Agreed with both of you! I personally also agree with casual gamers wanting just "quick fixes" and actual gamers wanting, well, games.  I personally believe the two are almost entirely different animals.  Angry Birds =/= Halo

Estil

Originally posted by: dra600n



You know the PSP/Vita and 3DS/DS aren't grabbing as much of the market when you have major franchises hopping on the phone/tablet platforms. FF1, 2j, 3j, 4, and I think 5 are all available on iOS, some GTA titles, Call of Duty games, etc., are all appearing on there.

But are they exclusive games?  The exclusives are what truly make a console/handheld and without at least some key exclusive games, the touch screen phones/tablets got NOTHING on the true consoles/handhelds.

Estil

And guess what I just found out? You know that Angry Birds game everyone seems to love on those tablets/phones? You can forget about it being exclusive...you can get the first three on the DS.

VGS_Br81zad

Originally posted by: Estil



And guess what I just found out? You know that Angry Birds game everyone seems to love on those tablets/phones? You can forget about it being exclusive...you can get the first three on the DS.

lol, shit, you can get those on ps3, as well as Bejeweled and some of those other "phone" titles

fox

Why haul around a dedicated game system, camera, laptop, mp3 player, and cell phone when you can get a smart phone that does all of the above?



Why spend $150-$250 and then games at $40 a pop when you can just buy 40 games for $1 each?

sodamancer

You know how gameboys were popular enough amongst old women in the nineties that they decided to release a sewing machine with a bundled instruction manual on a gameboy cart? Phones own that Market now. Grandma can make/receive calls and play Tetris/candy crush/angry birds.

Tanooki

Fox perhaps because a catch all system may catch all but it never catches all anywhere near as well as something dedicated to a task, so I mean if someone is fine with a swiss army system of mediocrity then that'll do. And really, you think there are any $1 games out there on a touch phone/tablet that can rival the quality of a dedicated handheld game? I doubt it.



Oh and Angry Birds Trilogy is on the 3DS too! http://www.amazon.com/Angry-Birds-Trilogy-nintendo-3ds/dp/B008J16AQK

Outrider

The old media doesn't know jack shit about video games or technology.



All they do is check the internet news feed every morning and repeat it in front of a camera.

dra600n

Originally posted by: Br81zad

Originally posted by: Estil



And guess what I just found out? You know that Angry Birds game everyone seems to love on those tablets/phones? You can forget about it being exclusive...you can get the first three on the DS.

lol, shit, you can get those on ps3, as well as Bejeweled and some of those other "phone" titles

To be fair, Bejeweled was on the PC before smart phones.

VGS_Br81zad

Originally posted by: dra600n

Originally posted by: Br81zad

Originally posted by: Estil



And guess what I just found out? You know that Angry Birds game everyone seems to love on those tablets/phones? You can forget about it being exclusive...you can get the first three on the DS.

lol, shit, you can get those on ps3, as well as Bejeweled and some of those other "phone" titles

To be fair, Bejeweled was on the PC before smart phones.

True. I can only remember back to the 2nd version, I don't remember seeing the original at all

Estil

Originally posted by: fox



Why haul around a dedicated game system, camera, laptop, mp3 player, and cell phone when you can get a smart phone that does all of the above?



Why spend $150-$250 and then games at $40 a pop when you can just buy 40 games for $1 each?

I didn't say anything about a camera, laptop, mp3 player, and cell phone.  And maybe I prefer quality over quanity.  And where is this 40 games for $1 you speak of?\



And do you guys see the point I'm making?  It's cliche to say "it's all about the games" but more specically, it's all about the exclusive games.  After all, what's the point of having three major consoles and two major handhelds if each doesn't have its fair share of exclusive titles?  Even as far back to the very first console war, Atari 2600 vs Intellivision, it was like that.  Sure the Intellivision had more realistic sports action (isn't that also how the Genesis competed against the NES in its pre-Sonic "what Nintendon't" days?), but the Atari and later the NES had a gigantic library to choose from from all different genres that no other console offered. 



And you know that expression "killer app"?  Well, if these touch screen phones/tablets are supposed to make dedicated handhelds obsolete and unneccesary, well...where's the beef?

Estil

When he asked this hypothetical question, this would be like asking my Bostonian wife why is she bothering with keeping up with the Boston Red Sox when there's the Pawtucket Red Sox, the Portland Sea Dogs, the Salem Red Sox, or even the Gulf Coast League Red Sox...aren't those just as good?  



And how are you supposed to use buttons on touchscreen phone/tablet games?