Does anyone else struggle to get into handheld gaming?

[JJH]

As a Switch owner since launch I find myself never taking it out of the dock. I've tried playing around my house, but just would rather play on our TV if I had some free time to game. I've even tried taking the Switch on some travel trips for work in 2019, but I couldn't stay immersed with the games (no BT support for headphones really hurts here) and just couldn't find the joycons comfortable.

I've owned the DS and PSP in the past, but I've only played a few games on each. I just find it hard to be immersed in the type of games I want to play on smaller screens and generally don't find them comfortable. This also applies for streaming via remote play from PS5/XSX.

I have no issues consuming other media whether shows or a movie on my iPhone or iPad and would generally like to carry one device if I'm out and about.

Anyone else feel the same?

 

[solidr]

As a Switch owner since launch I find myself never puting on the dock.
100% handheld since day one

 

[@TheFriendlyBro]

Back when I started my job, the hour and a bit long train journey to work with the Switch was great.

But because of COVID and WFH, I've barely touched it now. A bit sad as it quickly became my favourite way to play games and tune out whilst on the tube.

Guess I'll go back to it in a couple of years once this government gets its act together.

 

[skeezx]

yes but not so much an indictment on handheld gaming itself, rather in the modern world there's just so much outside noise

big screen/in front of a monitor it's much easier to get into "gamer mode". but that's me, i have the attention span of a gnat

 

[JJH]

yes but not so much an indictment on handheld gaming itself, rather in the modern world there's just so much outside noise

big screen/in front of a monitor it's much easier to get into "gamer mode". but that's me, i have the attention span of a gnat

Click to shrink...

Same. I find it easier to listen to an audio book or podcast that doesn't require my full attention as a game might.

 

[eraFROMAN]

Nah, mobile (and that includes my phone, I finished DQ1-4 on it,) is the only way I can finish RPGs. Probably a holdover from being a kid with a Game Boy and Pokémon Red!

 

[SirNinja]

Have the opposite "problem": post-Switch & phone+Kishi, I struggle to get back into console+TV gaming. My Switch is almost never in the dock and Game Pass Cloud is convenient as hell.

 

[mute]

I don't travel much (even in the normal world) or have a commute or anything to bring a portable with, but what really got me to play them more was having kids, being able to start/stop games easily without freeing up a tv, being able to in any room of the house, those sorts of things.

 

[Deleted member 59109]

I can't get into it all. I pretty much only play on console, the only handheld games I like are Link Between Worlds and OoT 3D tbh

 

[LostCauseUnite!]

Have you tried doing tabletop? It's like a half-step while being under handheld umbrella

 

[molnizzle]

Yes. My brain cannot comprehend it. Handheld gaming sucks. If someone else was consistently using my TV then I would buy another TV. Life is too short to play video games bunched over a tiny little screen with uncomfortable ergonomics that hurt your hands. I've tried to force it over the years but I'm done now. I just don't get it. My Switch has been played undocked maybe a handful of times and they were all shitty experiences.

 

[4859]

Yes. My brain cannot comprehend it. Handheld gaming sucks. If someone else was consistently using my TV then I would buy another TV. Life is too short to play video games bunched over a tiny little screen with uncomfortable ergonomics that hurt your hands. I've tried to force it over the years but I'm done now. I just don't get it. My Switch has been played undocked maybe a handful of times and they were all shitty experiences.

Click to shrink...

Quick get a camera and give this man a gba micro. I want to capture the raw element of pure disgust, I shall name the peice 'Ugh', shit will end up in the smithsonian.

 

[Adder7806]

I don't even play games on my phone. Portable gaming just isn't for me.

 

[HylianMaster2020]

Gaming laptops great, game on the go easily.

 

[Prine]

Me. It will always feel like a lesser experience. Need the big TV + Atmos/surround sound. Also need to lay back on the couch, and just enjoy the experience. Keeping my hands up, or have my body restricted for optimal grip+control with handheld will always be a bad way to game.

If I'm out and about, I don't like the distraction of strangers around me, which hampers the experience.

Switch is 100% docked.

 

[texhnolyze]

Struggle is not the right word for me, but I can't play handheld for too long. If I'm sitting normally with my hands rested on my lap, then I'll have to bend my head downward to see the screen. But if I lift the device upward, it'll be to tiring in a long session. There's also playing on the bed, but it's the worst. It's mostly because the Switch is heavier than your regular handhelds and phones.

 

[Lord Azrael]

Can't say that's the case for me. Especially since I love playing lying in bed

 

[Jeronimo]

Nope, for one I only play some game genres on portable. To me handhelds are mostly secondary systems for hanging out with family nearby without taking over the TV.

Also, when I'm relaxing in bed for a few minutes before sleeping, I don't even want the bright 80" TV, surround experience. It's a different vibe.

 

[DJwest]

The switch solved that problem for me. It might not be as powerful as the PS4 or xbox but it's powerful enough to give a portable console experience imo

 

[Scruffy8642]

I think the only problem with the Switch (and even 3DS) is that it's powerful enough to run full fledged games that normally wouldn't have been possible before. But most people don't really want to play those sorts of games handheld because they don't benefit from it, It's handy to have the option though.

But when it comes to games that have been big on handhelds in the past like RPGs or pixel games like indies that don't benefit much from being hooked up to a TV, portability really shines. The pick up and play experiences. Like being able to just start up an RPG, do a few battles here and there and put it down again is great. It's the only way I can even be bothered to play the genre these days.

It's also a big reason I think the Vita failed. They were trying to make it into a proper console but handheld, but when playing stuff like Uncharted or Killzone, all you're thinking is how you want to hook it up to a TV. They ditched all their simpler PSP series that really suited the handheld and focused entirely on big budget console-like experiences that just don't feel great in handheld.

TLDR: The average person probably won't see the benefit off playing AAA games on a handheld.

 

[Yuntu]

I cant into portable games because I cant immersed in them.

I am just simply less focused when I am not playing a game on my TV. It doesnt work.

 

[astro]

I find i don't play my Vita much unless I'm out of the house, and due to covid that hasn't happened anywhere nearly as often as it used to. And even then I usually have other things to do like read a book and socialize so it's been gathering dust.

I bought it not that long ago to play psone classics, and just started MGS1 and Vagrant Story. When I have time to game at home, I almost always want to do it on my PC.

 

[ProtossX]

Uh no I play a crapton of Gameboy in the 90's Game Gear, GBC, GBA SP, and 3DS and switch lite im playing them a ton and I doubt im alone.