End Console Racism! Handhelds are Consoles too!

[radishhead]

In all this talk for the new "King" of videogame consoles, even the mention of handhelds is strongly looked down upon. 

"Handhelds? They can't hold a candle to the greatness that is the home console market!"

I, on the other hand, declare not only that handheld consoles are just as valid an entertainment device as their TV-based counterparts, they're actually superior gaming machines!

#1: We're portable!

- Tired of having to turn on your TV, turn on your console, put in a disk and do the same thing in reverse every time you want to play a game? Fear not! Handheld consoles can be turned on and off quickly and easily, allowing for instand access to the games you love. 

- Portability also means that you're no longer restricted to the boring sofa-based gameplay. You can play in bed, on the toilet or even outside! Gaming has never felt so social.

#2: We have games for the thinking man!

- Sure, shooters will probably always be superior on the TV or PC, but who needs those when there are better genres done better on handhelds? 

- We have fantastic RPGs such as TWEWY and Pokemon that can last hundreds of hours - not bad for a cartridge that is usually cheaper to buy than what you put in those huge machines under your TV!

- For the intelligent gamer, handhelds are also a fantastic location for turn-based strategy such as Fire Emblem and Advance Wars. This is without mentioning the wide variety of puzzle games, including the fantastic Professor Layton series.

#3: We can have sweet graphics too!

- The Vita has visuals almost on-par with that of the 360 and PS3 in places, and on a very nice screen. Anybody who suggests that handheld gamers are instantly stuck with inferior visuals couldn't be more wrong.

- Besides, who said that brute power was the best way forward anyway? Why does Wind Waker still look fantastic whereas Final Fantasy 7 looks dated and ugly? It's all about the art style. Handhelds encourage developers to think differently about how they present their games, helping handhelds to become home to games that will look fantastic for years to come. Will the manga style of TWEWY ever look less brilliant? I doubt it.

 

So please, join me handheld gamers against the home console elitism! HANDHELDS ARE CONSOLES TOO!