It's because they are the secondary devices for the companies. If you look at history for Sega, Sony and Nintendo, you will see that while the handhelds have some exclusive games, a great portion of their library is made of inferior versions of console franchises, spin-offs, prequels and so on. PSP received God of War prequels, Vita got an Uncharted prequel, 3DS gets inferior Mario Kart and Mario games.

The design of the machines itself shows that they won't push any boundary. Hell, we only got twin analog sticks THIS gen and only on Vita. This is standard on home consoles since the PS2. New 3DS brough 4 shoulder buttons, again: this is on home consoles since the PS1!!! Still waiting for triggers.

The way people see handhelds is only a reflex of how the gaming companies treated this devices. If Eurogamer is correct and NX is indeed an hybrid, then we will get the first handheld that will be a first class citizen in the gaming world instead of a spin-off/prequel/inferior version/rehash machine.

Don't get me wrong, I love portables. But if I had to chose between a home console and a handheld, home console is the way to go. I myself only got a handheld this gen and, if I had to chose only one, neither the 3DS or the Vita, or even both combined, could replace the PS4. Gaming only on a handheld means losing 80% of the good games.

It boils down to who supports the console. In Nintendo's case, 3DS is being supported more than the VITA, thus it has outsold it in Software and Hardware several times over. Thus is the case for a console like 3DS vs. the PS4. Both have achieved astounding success but people will say PS4 is superior to 3DS even though quite frankly, I think this comparison (not directed to the OP but to the internet) is quite left field in general.

Handhelds and Consoles have a totally different premise...or else they'd be the same thing. Comparing Handhelds to Consoles is like comparing Laptops to Desktops. A Desktop is usually stationed at home or work and is capable of greater specs via upgrading. You can EASILY and MANUALLY install extra RAM, GPUs, CPUs, Mother Boards, etc. And that's because of the form factors of Desktops and the fact that they must be plugged into a power supply to do what they do.

Laptops, you're sacrificing power for portability. But the tradeoff is you can get what you need done on the go. Now I'm not saying that Laptops can't be as powerful as Desktops...it's just going to be a hella lot more expensive due to the chips, circuitry, and engineering needed to do so.

TECHNICALLY they are Superior. But that doesn't mean they should be looked down upon, nor have they in the past. Cough, I don't think I need to bring this up but DS outsold Nintendo's own Wii, PSP, Xbox 360, AND PS3. And currently 3DS is doing the same thing. Just because it's inferior doesn't mean they aren't as important as home consoles because people buy handheld hardware and software in droves. I only bring up sales to cement the fact that handhelds are indeed important.

And we can't say they are wrong. More power makes possible to create more intricate games and worlds. PS2/Xbox allowed the rich GTA San Andreas world, PS360 allowed huge multiplayer battles on Battlefield. On this gen, we already have increased player counts on MP games. Games like Arkham Knight could use the extra power to allow the speed of the batmobile, Mortal Kombat got better X-rays, Uncharted got larger areas and so on.

The forum gamers hivemind doesn't consider it high quality. Their opinions are generally not even their own most of the time but just something they pick up over the years, vicariously.

You really don't see the reason? I guess you have never seen any trailer for a console game ever then. Looks like you need to study more to crack this mystery.

Because you generally can't get as immersed in handheld games as you can with console games.

Lol- Mario kart DS and 7 were both full fledged titles. 16 tracks like all the other ones.

That's just how it works. Worse hardware, less buttons, smaller screen, short play sessions, smaller memory (so smaller games). Like, there's no reason why handhelds should be better than home consoles.

If 2 of the same games are built up from the ground, one on 3DS, the other on Wii U, the Wii U version will be better on multiple ways. If they dont let the handheld version hold the home consolve version back (as in, not letting "giving the same experience through all platforms" limit the console version), it shall always be better. But alas, developers WANT to give everyone the same experience...

That's your hivemind speaking.  You actually like handheld games more, you just don't know it.  You should ignore what forums tell you and listen to what forums tell you.

Power, hardware, and being at home are the main reasons. Also perception also affects how people view handhelds. However, I think we shouldn't sell handhelds short. For what they're worth, they provided great gaming experiences. As for those who said they're mostly used for spinoffs and such, say that to Kid Icarus Uprising, the Fire Emblem games like Fates, Blazing Sword, and Awakening, Animal Crossing New Leaf, A Link Between Worlds, Mario Kart 7, and of course, possibly the greatest example Pokemon.

Sometimes, franchises like Pokemon are experienced in ways they couldn't be done on home consoles and provide a unique novelty that allowed them to be what they are today. Pokemon personifies the essence of handheld gaming, the ability to play on the go through your adventures catching Pokemon and beating trainers, meeting friends along the way sharing the same passion, and using link cables or online to trade or battle. Besides being great games, the main line games are selling well because they provide that personified handheld experience. Sure some could say that a home console Pokemon main line game could be even greater, but it almost defeats the novelty of what Pokemon originally began as and still is to this day. You saw a few trailers of Pokemon showing kids and grown ups alike going out and meeting people through these games. It's no duh on why they are able to remain consistent sellers and become the second best selling not franchise of all time.

So in the end, handhelds are not on home console level in terms of power and such. But they can provide unique features that can't be replicated on home consoles. Games like Pokemon wouldn't be what they are today if they did not get their start on a handheld. Of course, that's not as common as we would like, but with a little sense of imagination, creativity, and commitment, devs can create unique handheld experiences.