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Forums - Gaming Discussion - Why are handhelds often seen as inferior or not as important as home consoles?

vivster on 29 July 2016
pokoko said:
vivster said:

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.

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.

As someone who has played about 100 times more hours on mobile than on PS4 this gen I still regard dedicated handhelds as the worst gaming medium. Buying a handheld to play games on the go is like buying a second living room TV to play console games.



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torok on 29 July 2016
hershel_layton said:

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

I know they are, just like prequels also are. But Mario Kart DS is inferior do Mario Kart Wii and MK 7 is inferior to MK8. That's the reality of handhelds, the power difference makes them lose features that will be available on the home console versions.

A simple example: MK 7 supports 8 players online. MK 8 supports 12, 50% more. So they are seen as inferior because most games indeed are.



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Cloudman on 29 July 2016

Well, technically they are more inferior than consoles in terms of power and size, but yeah, that doesn't make them bad at all. They're just as great and viable as their console counterparts with the maneuverability. Some people prefer console more so because of.... well, preference, and size. They need that bigger size and visuals. It's not really a matter of being inferior. People can claim that it's the graphical power, but we got a handheld that delivered on just that, and that didn't do well. So it's not really a matter of power that makes them 'inferior', but preference.

I love playing both and switch on the fly depending on the game. Others though... just don't like them as much as console.



 

              

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oniyide on 29 July 2016
hershel_layton said:
torok said:

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.

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

how many of those were recycled?



oniyide on 29 July 2016

not to mention the fact that western devs were never really big on supporting portables, even at its most popular. And they are the ones who are kinda running the gaming show now so there is that.



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0D0 on 29 July 2016
craighopkins said:
daredevil.shark said:

Inferior in terms of power. Obviously.
Inferior in terms of users demographic. Kids toy (general assumption).
Inferior in terms of games value. Not AAA games like home consoles.

I would add lack of a big screen and surround sound with great bass. A big screen allows multiple people in the room to be immersed into the experience and surround sound makes it more immersive too

All this.

This topic can be closed now :)



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hershel_layton on 29 July 2016
oniyide said:
hershel_layton said:

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

how many of those were recycled?

8 recycled, 8 new. Just like every other game.

 

Consoles will typically have better games, that's for sure. However, we shouldn't count handhelds out.



 

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JRPGfan on 29 July 2016

"Why are handhelds often seen as inferior or not as important as home consoles?"

Because of the games that are usually sold on them are smaller budget type games.... smaller overall.

Generally that means the gameing experiance is too, some of that is due to the graphics/sound/screen ect being clearly inferior.



Anfebious on 29 July 2016

They are seen as inferior because they don't bring the same experience that home consoles do. A very stupid line of thought if you ask me.

One isn't superior to the other, they are just different experiences.

Or that's what a stupid Nintendo fan would say, lol! Handheld consoles don't exist.



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S.Peelman on 29 July 2016

I don't know.

One of my favorite games of all time is a handheld game, and it sh*ts on all but a few console or computer games out there. Moreover, the best games of the 8th gen have far and wide, in my opinion, been handheld games. I guess some people are just blinded by all those awesome console-pixels for the most part.