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Neodegenerate on 24 September 2015
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Intrinsic said:
Neodegenerate said:

I don't recall needing the TV for the Wii U setup, though it has been a while.  I do remember needing the gamepad though.  Also, I can power the Wii U via a charged battery power strip without having it in a wall.  Inconvenient sure, but I can effectively play the Wii U without it being plugged into a wall and without a TV if I so choose, turning it into a "handheld" console.  Yet, it is considered a console as it should be.

I am in the "handhelds are consoles" camp as they are dedicated video game devices that require a video display.  The fact that the video display is built in shouldn't be held against the device since the underlying point of the device is to play video games.

People who use the "smart phones and ipads are the same thing" argument miss the fact that the phone and the ipad and even the computer were not created as a device to play video games.  These are multifunctional devices that exist in their own categories as they should.

The handheld vs home console thing to me plays out the same way as nascar vs plays out.  Some say because nascar is usually called a "spectator sport" it isn't a "real" sport, just like a "handheld" console isn't a "real" console.  If you need a prefix you aren't actually disqualifying the item from what it is, you are simply giving additional meaning to it.

Ok you make a sound case. And I'll concede defeat. Yes handheld consoles are consoles. Just a different type of console. I think that difference is a very big one though, and is solely responsible for why its generalized classification is so conflicting. I do not think its right to group "home" consoles and "portable/handheld" consoles together. In the same way I don't think its right to group desktop and laptops together even if they are both PCs.

They cater to different markets, different usage scenarios.....etc. And making a thread directly comparing both of them as if they were all the same thing is misleading. simple fix, compare the WiiU to the PS4 and the 3DS to the Vita. home consoles have far too little in common with handheld consoles to all be grouped in the same boat.

Funny thing is that a portable console has more in common with a smartphone than it does with a home console. And I was about to dismiss everything you said when u started by saying you don't recall needing a TV for the initial setup of a WiiU. But you went on to make a valid point, so here I am.


The bolded part I agree with completely.  A venn diagram will show some overlap between home and handheld console, but for the most part they exist to serve two different groups of people who are after the same thing via separate experiences.

The handheld having more in common with the smartphone has more to do with the same overlap effect.  Before phones were "smart" they existed as dedicated communication devices.  Before they connected to the internet, video game consoles of all varieties (handheld and home) existed solely as dedicated video game devices.  With the fact that we have apps on phones that are games, and apps on consoles that are communication/entertainment, we are entering a period of grey area in what a consumer needs to fulfill their desires on all fronts.

Hell, at this point with skype and all of that I could probably stay in touch with everyone I know via my XB1 while gaming exclusively on my ipad.