Good. I hate handhelds but want to play the games released on them. The Switch setup is perfect, I'll never play my Switch off the dock but I can play all those games I would missed otherwise on my big ass tv instead of some 6 inch screen.
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RIP to the dedicated handheld
- Thread starter Deleted member 4461
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OP
OP
Nah, even included, the point stands. I think the post I quoted above your captures it pretty well.
Switch really just provides "console experiences" on the go. Nothing is really meant to be on a handheld - it just happens to be on a portable console.
There were tons of unique titles specifically for handhelds that required a bit of creativity or use of system features. Some were shit, others were amazing.
But the Switch is really just "and by the way, you can also play this anywhere."
I feel that as a hybrid, the Switch is the worst of both (handheld and console) worlds, so I don't use it much anymore. Expensive games that look and feel worse than on other systems when docked, yet have fonts and UIs clearly not designed for handheld mode. -_-
On top on feeling cheap and fragile to hold and being too big to carry around.
Good thing my 3DS and Vita still work...
On top on feeling cheap and fragile to hold and being too big to carry around.
Good thing my 3DS and Vita still work...
If Nintendo made another one it would sell, but I do like the hybrid approach more, with phones being so good now.
I've been playing my Vita a ton lately, and it's still a great piece of tech. I think I'll be tackling my backlog on it for the foreseeable future - it's a great system, even now.
I guess you are talking about 3DS features? They were never an integral part of the handheld experience for me and surely they weren't for anybody else before the 3DS was released.
Not to mention that the quirky handheld games that were usually exclusive to handhelds have largely been replaced by tons of excellent indie games that release weekly (some of them Switch exclusive too).
Nah, the Switch is fine imo. I play mine 99% handheld or just flat out use my Lite and it's great. Plus we get the added bonus of the games being bigger than the usual 3DS game.
Only thing it's missing are the media apps and things like playtime tracker.
Only thing it's missing are the media apps and things like playtime tracker.
I don't see much difference from late 3ds to the Switch. The DS had many unique experiences, but most of those franchises didn't carry over or had much less successful entries on the 3ds, with most of the later software being very traditional. The mobile explosion didn't kill handheld gaming, but it seemed to kill the market for that kind of game.
The Switch is getting games like Pokemon, Octopath Traveller, Bravely Default, Link's Awakening, MH Rise/Stories 2 which certainly would have gone to the 3ds' successor.
I find the Switch to be very uncomfortable to play handheld, so I never do. It's a console for me.
I have a 350M and I find that thing to be very uncomfortable as well.
So really for me, RIP to handhelds designed for hands to use.
I have a 350M and I find that thing to be very uncomfortable as well.
So really for me, RIP to handhelds designed for hands to use.
Would you mind listing some of the handheld-only games you're talking about? Looking at the both of the DS' libraries... there's not a huge difference in terms of variety of games?
The only games I don't really see being made anymore are stuff like Warioware, but tbh I don't even know if that's a platform thing as much of an audience thing. Mobile games have effectively made those kinds of time-waster games irrelevant.
While I think the Switch and its hybrid approach is good, I do agree its not a good handheld. The 3DS was much better at being a pure dedicated handheld device.
I play my Switch in handheld mode 100% of the time, but the problem is the 3DS was much better at being a handheld than the Switch will ever be. The problem is the Switch is just too big and doesn't fit in your pocket, and it also has no way to protect the front like the 3DS clamshell. Even the Switch Lite is too big to easily carry around. I also miss street pass.
I play my Switch in handheld mode 100% of the time, but the problem is the 3DS was much better at being a handheld than the Switch will ever be. The problem is the Switch is just too big and doesn't fit in your pocket, and it also has no way to protect the front like the 3DS clamshell. Even the Switch Lite is too big to easily carry around. I also miss street pass.
What I miss the most are the exclusive games. Sure the Switch gets a bunch of first party and third party support but older handheld consoles used to get some pretty amazing exclusives that were built from the ground up for the console. Those days are behind us for good reason of course, since Switch is an HD console the games are expensive to produce so exclusives make less sense. Still, I miss the PSP/DS/3DS exclusives.
For me the biggest loss is the end of major companies making 2D pixel art games. The DS was sorta the last time that happened (with a few games on 3DS, though most of the 2D ones were still polygonal).
I'm glad we got the GBA and DS, though. Sorta extended that SNES/Genesis golden era a few more years.
I'm glad we got the GBA and DS, though. Sorta extended that SNES/Genesis golden era a few more years.
I'm not really bothered. People talk about pocketability, but I can count the amount of times I did that with a GBA or DS on two hands. Most of the time it's just using it in bed or in a different room, or taking it on road trips/flights and holidays. Switch manages all those things perfectly, and then if I get to a good part and want it back on the TV, I can do so in seconds. It's truly fantastic and the flexibility it allows means I'm gaming a hell of a lot more than I was without necessarily losing more time. I can experience each part of a game in the mode that I think feels best at the time. Playing console or handheld only stuff now feels annoyingly restricting.
Come join us over here
Retro Portables are Neat Retro - Tech
I got my RG351P today as well. Have Ark OS running on it and it seems to run everything. Only problem I have run into ist that CPS2 games won't launch. Throws me directly back into the menu. Anyone know what the problem might be?www.resetera.com
This right here.
We've come full circle. It used to be "handheld games are not real console games" and now it seems it has become "console games cannot be real handheld games."
I still play handhelds for 90% or more of my game time. I play mostly Vita, 3DS, and PSP Go (and now an iphone with a Backbone controller and a Retroid Pocket 2). However, I also play a ton of Switch, almost exclusively in handheld mode.
I also work with kids, many of which have Switches and the vast majority of them are playing them out and about.
I do live in Asia, so I think things are somewhat different here.
Regarding the "nothing meant to be on a handheld" comment. As someone who has always played handhelds, I can say that all I ever cared about was playing games. Furthermore, the games that did seem like they were trying to be "handheld games" in this way were also the ones that I didn't care for. It seems like those experiences went on to become mobile games, and good riddance. Again, maybe I'm the weirdo, but I feel that what we've got now is exactly what I'd always hoped for, and the kids I see playing Switches seem to think the same.
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OP
OP
Nah, phones really haven't done anything with that. There are people looking at traditional RPGs sideways now because of cost (hi Octopath), where they would have thrived on a handheld.
Anyways, I'm not hating on the Switch, just pointing out key differences between it & a dedicated handheld system.
Finally, I would not use kids as an example of anything. They'd play every and anything for the most part
The Switch Lite is probably the last thing we'll have to a portable and even then it's not a "true" handheld, meaning many Switch games are not made with the Switch Lite in mind, so many games will suffer from tiny UI and text. One of the main reasons I don't even use my Switch Lite is because of how hard it is to see things on it, IMO.
I disagree with this... The reason why is, there are various games I personally don't play in portable mode because I feel like they're more "console" games... But it's such a small part of the Switch library.
Also, I think handheld games were in general getting to a point where they were pretty much the same as their console counterparts, anyway... Mario 3D Land, the Star Fox 64 and N64 Zelda remakes, Kid Icarus: Uprising... Those 3DS games were barely "handheld" games IMO and would be much better served on a platform like the Switch.
But I agree with you that there are some Switch games that feel like "console games", but just happen to be on a portable. I specifically don't (can't?) play those games in portable mode, e.g. BotW, Mario Odyssey, Splatoon, etc... Though there are also several Switch games where I do the opposite and rarely play them in console mode, e.g. Puyo Tetris, Tetris 99, Picross S, Box Boy, Golf Story, Thumper, etc...
But there's also a third category of games, games that are great in either mode for me... Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, Pokemon, Mario & Rabbids, Link's Awakening, Mario U, Kirby, Clubhouse Games, and so many indie games and retro games... I would say that the vast majority of the Switch library fits here for me. A game like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe may have been a Wii U console game, but on Switch in handheld mode it feels just as much of a portable game to me as MK DS and 7.
Basically, IMO there's plenty of Switch games tailored for portable play, and the majority of the library is great in either mode.
Pulled out my 3DS to play some Fire Emblem the other day and man I do miss the dual-screen. It was just so convenient for text-heavy games like RPGs and adventure games where you can have all of the UI on the bottom screen and leave the top screen unobscured. Loved it. Baby come back.
But for dedicated handhelds, I picked up a retro emulator (Anbernic RG351P) and little thing rocks. Been really enjoying that too.
But for dedicated handhelds, I picked up a retro emulator (Anbernic RG351P) and little thing rocks. Been really enjoying that too.
I really miss handhelds that can fit in your pocket and have good support. 3DS and Vita were pushing the size to the limit, but with a Switch it's not even close to possible. :(
StreetPass was pretty neat, seems like a relic now.
I used to live in Queens when the 3DS was popular and it was always cool to take my 3DS to grab a coffee and come back to my apartment and see I had like 5 people I StreetPassed with. lol
I think the Switch Lite is very much a dedicated handheld. The reason there aren't more auxiliary features on it is BECAUSE there are smartphones everywhere now. Nintendo knows it's a waste of time to put those things in there when everybody already has a smartphone with those features (though I think they still should have more media stuff for those who use the Switch as a console on their TV). I would prefer it to be more like a Vita personally, but I understand why it's more dedicated to gaming in a time when everyone has smartphones, most of which probably have better screens than the Switch anyway.
I used to be a handheld gamer only, but I don't think I mind too much. Though I still love portable gaming. What's awesome about tech right now is I can remote play my PS4, Xbox One and Steam games on PC from my phone anywhere I go and it runs pretty damn well. Connect a proper controller to my phone and I'm good to go.
Edit: oh and Switch is a just plain awesome concept
Edit: oh and Switch is a just plain awesome concept
I'll miss them and agree with you OP, there's somethings they can't recreate on the switch however I understand that another console and another handheld by nintendo wouldn't have worked because of smart devices.
Switch provides an answer of having a portable gaming system for real games as well as at home and it clicked with people and became a hit. Another console without that would've failed even if not as bad as Wii U and another handheld would have done worse than 3DS. What we can hope for is more handheld like games, sadly we haven't seen many and the few (brain. Age) have failed.
Switch provides an answer of having a portable gaming system for real games as well as at home and it clicked with people and became a hit. Another console without that would've failed even if not as bad as Wii U and another handheld would have done worse than 3DS. What we can hope for is more handheld like games, sadly we haven't seen many and the few (brain. Age) have failed.
I'm playing Paper Mario in handheld and everything is just a bit too small. Also I miss the 3D because it made it easier to notice details and stuff. Or maybe I'm going blind...
Yeah the Switch /Lite is portable but different than a regular handheld system, which I'll miss the option of having. Its nice to have a system you can close up and slide in a pocket verses needing a case and planning a bit more before taking it out. Even if I wanted to really play games on my phone for some reason, I would need to take a controller with me and if thats the case I would just take an actual game system that would fit in a pocket.
Good riddance. Ever since the Super Game Boy, I've wondered how the hell any device could exist that didn't let me play with a controller and TV.
If they're finally, FINALLY gone for good, the world is a much better place.
If they're finally, FINALLY gone for good, the world is a much better place.
It occurred to me the other day that the Switch Lite is one of the only Nintendo handhelds that isn't pocketable (the other being the OG 2DS). Even the biggest DSi/3DS models can fit in larger pockets.
In fact the Switch Lite kinda sucks all round as a portable device. Less so than the OG Switch, but still...
In fact the Switch Lite kinda sucks all round as a portable device. Less so than the OG Switch, but still...
Whenever I visited my mom for more than a couple of days I used to bring an entire console setup with me and then ask for a TV. Now I can just grab my console from a stand and take it with me, and I don't have to worry about a second screen. Personally it's been a real blessing for me.
Yeah, I agree. I think it was the wise thing to do with Switch. A niche both outside phones and regular consoles. To continue with a dedicated handheld (though I too would love one and prefer it) would likely have been a failure at this point. It will be interesting to see where they go with their next generation.
are you complaining that handheld games no longer have to compromise and can provide a full console experience on the go? What system features did the GameBoy, GBA or DS provide that the NES, SNES or Wii/Wii U couldn't match? 3DS's autostereoscopic 3D is the only handheld feature I can think of that cannot translate to a home console experience.
This is why I can't ever understand why people complain about how the 'handheld experience' is dead. It isn't dead. You can just play them on your TV if you want.
To be honest, it won't be missed. The fact that the 3DS was a success while the Vita was a failure was a suitably bullshit ending for the dedicated handheld.
A clamshell design on their next hardware would make me very happy. But I can't see it happening for many reasons.
If you want to prove a point here, this is the wrong example. Octopath Traveler sold over 1,5 million units before the Steam version was released. I'm not sure how much more you want it to "thrive" when it sold better than the team's previous JRPGs (Bravely Default and Second) on a dedicated handheld.
OP
OP
You're right; I was going off of anecdotal evidence for complaints about the graphics. I'm ecstatic it sold that well!