What is the future of handheld gaming systems in your eyes?

[pasc]

Simple. The future is the past *pulls out gba*

 

[Stwert]

I've never been an IOS guy. I've only ever used android. It's refreshing to hear you can now use a controller. I remember on older Android devices, we could connect a wii mote. I liked that but then they disabled that capability. I haven't tried recently but maybe it's possible again.

As far as stadia and streaming, I cannot get behind that if it means I can't have my own physical copy or digital copy of games I buy. Also I want my game saves stored locally, not in the cloud. Just in case I want to modify or hack them. Don't want to cheat online but if I want to on single player games, I want that option.

I agree with you about nintendo. I like what they're doing but I have a feeling @FAST6191 would disagree lol.

I’m the same, as a rule of thumb i like to own my products, I’ve been collecting for about 40 years, I’d like it to continue.

It will, for quite a few years yet, but even I recognise that it’s dying, the industry wants to move away from that and they are. Even games we’re buying physically now are going to, in years to come, Miss out on all of the valuable patches and content added post-release. We simply won’t be able to download that material one day.

I don’t really see me going digital, certainly not in a buying games individually way. A streaming service such as PlayStation Now or Xbox Game Pass I could cope with, because I don’t feel as if I’m paying for, or buying any one game. But that’s about it, I don’t even buy games from any of the digital stores now, unless it’s a relatively inexpensive one which isn’t getting a physical release, even then i still grumble to myself.

Oh, and there’s always going to be people who don’t like certain games, products or companies. Such is life, we don’t all like the same things, thank god. It doesn’t make us wrong or them right, it’s just personal preference.

 

[FAST6191]

I agree with you about nintendo. I like what they're doing but I have a feeling @FAST6191 would disagree lol.

Trouble is I really liked the GBA, I really liked the DS. Most of what made the DS great went before the end of the DS, and was all but gone during the 3ds.
While I was never much into Nintendo during the 16 bit era I also had a NES, and despite it being an ancillary console I did actually like some of the N64 (you would have struggled to experience the games of the day on it but it had enough to have its charms), and the gamecube did OK (and still does - https://gbatemp.net/threads/so-i-got-my-gamecube-out-and-was-playing-it-lately.533900/ ). As either they have since departed from that, or maybe the market moved on and they did not adapt, then I can't sing their praises.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Systems like the Switch are the future of handhelds. No more having dumbed down versions of games for handhelds like we are so used to, that honestly always annoyed me. And being able to play your games on a big screen and then continue playing them on the go is just awesome. Not that there's any reason you couldn't play any handheld game on a big screen if they would just put TV out on their damn handhelds. The Switch just kind of perfects it by having the controls detach.

If given the choice between the Switch version of a game and any other version, I'll almost always pick the Switch version just for the portability, and I know a lot of other people who agree. That says a lot about the Switch and kind of explains why it's as popular as it is.

The DS and 3DS were good systems, packed with games, but I never felt the second screen added much to the game that couldn't be done just as well by having a button mapped to access those secondary features. Few games actually depended on the second screen as a gameplay element, so I doubt we'll see that style of handheld return, though I liked the clamshell form factor. It also made it difficult to port games to, so most of the DS and 3DS games were exclusives (not that that's necessarily a bad thing as they still had tons of games), but more importantly, it made TV out much harder to accomplish.

Whatever handheld Nintendo comes out with next I expect it to have TV out, even if it's not heavily marketed as a hybrid like the Switch is. There's just no reason not to have TV out, it barely adds anything to the cost.

 

[FAST6191]

Systems like the Switch are the future of handhelds. No more having dumbed down versions of games for handhelds like we are so used to

Are you expecting a big jump in battery tech and semiconductor efficiency or for mains powered options to hit some kind of technical limit that allows portable devices to catch up to them?

 

[spotanjo3]

I would love to see Sony develop a brand new handheld to PS Vita successor. I hop they learn their lesson and improve the next one.

 

[Superbronx]

I’m the same, as a rule of thumb i like to own my products, I’ve been collecting for about 40 years, I’d like it to continue.

It will, for quite a few years yet, but even I recognise that it’s dying, the industry wants to move away from that and they are. Even games we’re buying physically now are going to, in years to come, Miss out on all of the valuable patches and content added post-release. We simply won’t be able to download that material one day.

I don’t really see me going digital, certainly not in a buying games individually way. A streaming service such as PlayStation Now or Xbox Game Pass I could cope with, because I don’t feel as if I’m paying for, or buying any one game. But that’s about it, I don’t even buy games from any of the digital stores now, unless it’s a relatively inexpensive one which isn’t getting a physical release, even then i still grumble to myself.

Oh, and there’s always going to be people who don’t like certain games, products or companies. Such is life, we don’t all like the same things, thank god. It doesn’t make us wrong or them right, it’s just personal preference.

I rarely buy any digital games either and yes I think your right, physical copies are on the way out.

I don't ever get games through steam for my pc but I DO like GOG.

Trouble is I really liked the GBA, I really liked the DS. Most of what made the DS great went before the end of the DS, and was all but gone during the 3ds.
While I was never much into Nintendo during the 16 bit era I also had a NES, and despite it being an ancillary console I did actually like some of the N64 (you would have struggled to experience the games of the day on it but it had enough to have its charms), and the gamecube did OK (and still does - https://gbatemp.net/threads/so-i-got-my-gamecube-out-and-was-playing-it-lately.533900/ ). As either they have since departed from that, or maybe the market moved on and they did not adapt, then I can't sing their praises.

Even though I like nintendo and the switch, I can definitely agree with you that it's not as good as the GBA was/is.

I like the NES but I think it's more of a nostalgia thing for me. I really enjoyed the SNES vs Genesis days. I guess there weren't a lot of top quality or innovative games on them but I was a huge RPG fan and the SNES had many. I wanted to play them all lol. Also I was a huge Link fan and I was so excited to play The legend of Zelda.

Genesis didn't have a lot of RPG games but I loved the dungeon crawler Shining in the darkness and the Shining force games were fun. I also played a lot of Sonic the hedgehog.

N64? I didn't play a lot but I loved Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart.

 

[Pleng]

I'm wondering just how far into bed Nintendo and Microsoft would get considering all the rumours around at the moment.

What if Nintendo looked after the portable/hybrid systems, and Microsoft did the power systems, and games from both Nintendo and Microsoft, and third parties were designed to be used in up to 3 modes... Handheld and Docked, supported by the next Nintendo system, and Power, supported by the next Microsoft system.

Unlikely I guess, as that would essentially mean you'd be able to play Nintendo games without having to buy a Nintendo system. But if both companies are serving different markets there wouldn't be too much toe-treading and such a team up would be very hard for Sony to complete with.

 

[Taleweaver]

Reading the replies, I think I'll make quite some enemies here. Oh, well...if so: so be it.


Let's look at the numbers, guys: the mobile market has surpassed 50% of the total revenue on electronic games in 2018. And that's not much of a surprise, considering everyone and their dog has one, as well as their technological possibilities actually grow each year. It's no wonder companies put "gaming smartphones" on the market. It's no wonder either that google, microsoft and ubisoft jump on the bandwagon of streaming (heck...microsoft even puts their own new console away as an afterthought).

Yes, I've heard the "but it's full of trash/microtransations!!!" arguments before. And I think it's part of the same argument, and not so much caused by the platform as by the persons making these claims. There are certainly games that are either, but that goes for all gaming mediums. And yes, there are some notorious "pay to win" apps out there, but so are very decent games...that aren't free. That is what I think is the problem: gamers trying out free stuff and then generalize that to every game in the app store.

...but as the numbers show, these complaints form a minority (if even that, considering they're not customers to begin with). The majority happily plays games on their phone.

There is one "but", though: buttons. Perhaps the complaints about mobile games don't so much stem from either their build quality or payment methods but the input. Like computer gamers dish the lack of mouse on consoles, both gaming groups can now dish mobile from not having tactile input at all. The touchscreen is opening up an entirely different way of interactions, but on screen buttons simply are not the same. And the difference in name already implies this difference: what's the difference between a handheld and a mobile device but the (lack of) buttons, really?

And that brings me to my own vision for the future: the merging of handhelds and mobile. The N-gage wasn't so much a bad product as far too early for its time. And sony discontinued the xperia play way too soon for its potential.

The problem down the road is one of culture, strangely enough. Nintendo had the opportunity to create a gaming phone for years now. Since they haven't, I'm thinking they just going to overlook the market. So in the end, I think it'll be up to other players (google? Sony? Perhaps even GPD?) to really kick this off.

It's too early to tell how popular game streaming will become under 5G. Perhaps not now but in the future, but I see it happen that there'll be phones with hardware hardly more advanced than today allow to game literally anywhere but in a solid bunker.

 

[Shubshub]

As long as the sales are there, Nintendo will continue to make Handheld Video Game Consoles.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Are you expecting a big jump in battery tech and semiconductor efficiency or for mains powered options to hit some kind of technical limit that allows portable devices to catch up to them?

Yes, yes, and probably not. New battery technologies are in development, and the die size of CPUs is constantly shrinking and making them more efficient.
I don't think I ever said I expected portable devices to catch up to home consoles though. My comment was specifically about handhelds.

 

[Stwert]

Yes, yes, and probably not. New battery technologies are in development, and the die size of CPUs is constantly shrinking and making them more efficient.
I don't think I ever said I expected portable devices to catch up to home consoles though. My comment was specifically about handhelds.

The trouble with new battery technology, a subject close to my heart, is that nothing that could provide a significant energy density increase for portable devices is even remotely on the horizon.
There’s still many years of R&D to be done before any are at a viable level and even then they won’t be cost effective for many more years.

I really wish it were different, better batteries can’t come soon enough for me. But I’ll probably be old, well, really old, before they show up. By which time I probably won’t care, I’ll just be sitting staring at the TV, soiling my nappy and drinking Horlicks

 

[The Real Jdbye]

The trouble with new battery technology, a subject close to my heart, is that nothing that could provide a significant energy density increase for portable devices is even remotely on the horizon.
There’s still many years of R&D to be done before any are at a viable level and even then they won’t be cost effective for many more years.

I really wish it were different, better batteries can’t come soon enough for me. But I’ll probably be old, well, really old, before they show up. By which time I probably won’t care, I’ll just be sitting staring at the TV, soiling my naps and drinking Horlicks

Yup, I don't expect it for another 10+ years. I don't feel like I actually need better battery technology on handhelds, because powerbanks work quite well and I'm usually near an outlet anyway. But for smartwatches on the other hand, 2 day battery life is just not enough. I need at least a week, I'm the kind that never takes my watch off and when I do it feels like part of me is missing, so unless long range wireless charging becomes commonplace so I can charge a smartwatch just by being in my home, for example while I sleep at night, I'm not getting one. I had a Pebble and after 6 months the battery would not even last a day (it only lasted 4 days when it was new - not the advertised week, so that was a disappointment)

 

[Stwert]

Yup, I don't expect it for another 10+ years. I don't feel like I actually need better battery technology on handhelds, because powerbanks work quite well and I'm usually near an outlet anyway. But for smartwatches on the other hand, 2 day battery life is just not enough. I need at least a week, I'm the kind that never takes my watch off and when I do it feels like part of me is missing, so unless long range wireless charging becomes commonplace so I can charge a smartwatch just by being in my home, for example while I sleep at night, I'm not getting one. I had a Pebble and after 6 months the battery would not even last a day (it only lasted 4 days when it was new - not the advertised week, so that was a disappointment)

Yeah I’m the same with my watch, I take it off at night to charge it, but i always feel nakit without it, well, I am, I’m in bed, but you know what I mean

Thankfully true wireless charging will be with us a lot sooner than significantly better batteries, now that’sa technology I’m really looking forward to.

 

[Dax_Fame]

Hybrid consoles, exclusive quality first party titles as well as a nice offering of third party titles.

Essentially what Nintendo is doing right now with the Switch but technology moves fast. There will be some major hurdles ahead if Nintendo wants to keep up but they are doing great with what they have for now and I am very hopeful.

We'll see what they may have in-store with the rumored hardware upgrade. A beefed up Switch will last quite a few more years. Devs also seem willing to work with Nintendo this time around to get titles on their limited hardware... probably because it's far less of a nightmare to port to and it's a wildly successful platform.

Support what you believe in $$$!

 

[mesakagi]

the 3ds (which I consider a failure in many regards

could you please elaborate as im curious as to why you think this

 

[Stwert]

Hybrid consoles, exclusive quality first party titles as well as a nice offering of third party titles.

Essentially what Nintendo is doing right now with the Switch but technology moves fast. There will be some major hurdles ahead if Nintendo wants to keep up but they are doing great with what they have for now and I am very hopeful.

We'll see what they may have in-store with the rumored hardware upgrade. A beefed up Switch will last quite a few more years. Devs also seem willing to work with Nintendo this time around to get titles on their limited hardware... probably because it's far less of a nightmare to port to and it's a wildly successful platform.

Support what you believe in $$$!

There’s definitely scope for improvement. The latest iPad Pro is as capable as an Xbox One S, so if Nintendo’s next Switch caught up to, or exceeded that kind of performance it would make the lives of developers easier. With the scalable engines in use now they can do a half decent job with the Switch, getting some more power under the hood would only mean good things.

 

[Dax_Fame]

There’s definitely scope for improvement. The latest iPad Pro is as capable as an Xbox One S, so if Nintendo’s next Switch caught up to, or exceeded that kind of performance it would make the lives of developers easier. With the scalable engines in use now they can do a half decent job with the Switch, getting some more power under the hood would only mean good things.

With what is available now they could give the Switch a considerable boost! But it is a fine line.. If they make it too much better it will isolate the original hardware owners and essentially be a new system all together. I personally wouldn't mind this for the sake of better hardware but I'm sure there would be a lot of annoyed parents and cheapskates out there that would make this a bad decision from a PR standpoint. One could only hope.

 

[Stwert]

With what is available now they could give the Switch a considerable boost! But it is a fine line.. If they make it too much better it will isolate the original hardware owners and essentially be a new system all together. I personally wouldn't mind this for the sake of better hardware but I'm sure there would be a lot of annoyed parents and cheapskates out there that would make this a bad decision from a PR standpoint. One could only hope.

I dare say that’s very true just now, but a mid-generation upgrade could, and being Nintendo, probably will happen. Sony and Microsoft have already softened the blow, having released their own mid-cycle upgrades, so people are more attuned to it now.

 

[duwen]

I hope that we will see more dedicated handheld systems from the major console manufacturers in the future.
It's hard to predict whether we will see anything from Sony again, but if I had to take a longshot at the direction a new handheld Nintendo system would take... I could imagine them creating a 'digital download only' virtual console device, possibly supplemented with DSiWare/WiiWare/Indie style games - and, tbh, I'd be fine with them doing something like that; a close to complete backlog of 6+ generations of Nintendo software available to legitimately download on a pocketsized device ...of course, maybe they'll just go mobile.