Dedicated Handheld's....no future in sight?

[LiquidEvilGaming]

All technology evolves and becomes obsolete with time (except perhaps Model M's but that's another topic).  That said Nintendo finds itself in a difficult position with a failing Wii-U and the AMiibo craze finally dying down the 3DS is the companies only real money maker at the time being.  Do you think Nintendo will include a handheld aspect to the NX making the 3ds Obsolete or perhaps release a new handheld in a year or so putting the 3DS to pasture risking the largest install base they have to rely on right now to sell games to?

Personally i'm not really sure which direction they will take...or which would be smarter at this point.   The market for dedicated handhelds isn't what it used to be even with the successful 3DS and now it's dwindled even further still with the mobile gaming market thriving....were i to venture a guess i think Nintendo will.

Continue the 3DS as long as it's profitable and it will be Nintendos last Dedicated Stand alone handheld (pay close attention to the wording here)

The NX will have a handheld component largely dependent on the NX console and won't be a true "dedicated handheld" in the normal sense.  But it will be enough to satisfy the remaining handheld market without having to risk a dedicated handheld given the markets current shift toward Mobile gaming.

Sony on the other hand i think it's abundantly clear after the Vita will never try another handheld going forward.

And really no other players exist in the handheld space to speak of.


So ultimately i think the 3DS may indeed be the very last true dedicated Handheld gaming device we ever see.


Your thoughts?

[tp4tissue]

I've noticed year after year that the outside has gotten more quiet,  entire summers, no one playing outside..

Since no one is really going anywhere anymore.. 

I think it's mostly the way of the console.. and desktops..



Especially since, large tvs to play games on used to be expensive, but now they're cheap, so the console experience is much better even for kids of low income families..

Everyone can afford a 50 inch tv nowadays with those Changhong models selling at $200..


Once you play games on a 50 inch,, staring into a tiny 3 inch is just stupid..



The only reason people put up with their cell phones, is because they're trying to get laid..


There's really no other reason for the younger generation to use the cellphone so much..

[noisyturtle]

I think you will see a similar integration of media devices in the mobile market, just as we have with this generation of consoles. They will become less and less dedicated game playing machines, and more portable media hubs.

Personally I don't care, I still bring my Neo Geo Pocket Color with me on every vacation 

[SBJ]

So ultimately i think the 3DS may indeed be the very last true dedicated Handheld gaming device we ever see.

I miss my 3DS, but it got broken in the move :/

[davkol]

Meanwhile, Dragonbox Pyra…

[mauri]

So ultimately i think the 3DS may indeed be the very last true dedicated Handheld gaming device we ever see.

I miss my 3DS, but it got broken in the move :/

The original 3ds are dirt cheap now. Nintendo sells refurbed ones too.

[SBJ]

So ultimately i think the 3DS may indeed be the very last true dedicated Handheld gaming device we ever see.

I miss my 3DS, but it got broken in the move :/

The original 3ds are dirt cheap now. Nintendo sells refurbed ones too.

Thank you for the tip, sir!
OMW to buy a 3DS.  )

[mauri]

So ultimately i think the 3DS may indeed be the very last true dedicated Handheld gaming device we ever see.

I miss my 3DS, but it got broken in the move :/

The original 3ds are dirt cheap now. Nintendo sells refurbed ones too.

Thank you for the tip, sir!
OMW to buy a 3DS.  )

Bought one for myself a month or so back just to play pokemon. Got zelda too and it's been pretty awesome. Haven't had a handheld since game boy pocket and pokemon yellow&gold. Pretty stoked for the new Sun & Moon Pokemon too.

[romevi]

The 3DS is one of my favorite consoles. I had the regular Zelda XL edition, and just upgraded to the New 3DS XL Zelda edition. Can't get enough.

[LiquidEvilGaming]

The 3DS is one of my favorite consoles. I had the regular Zelda XL edition, and just upgraded to the New 3DS XL Zelda edition. Can't get enough.

While i define consoles and handhelds as two different categories the 3DS is the only non PC gaming device i give a damn about this generation (THough i prefer the 2DS for numerous reasons)  as it actually has lots of exclusives worth playing. 

That said the topic is more about the future and how much of a downward spiral handhelds are in financially with mobile gaming dominating at moment.  Really the biggest hope i have for handhelds continuing to exist is Japan as without the massive support they give handhelds there i'm not sure how handhelds would be doing.

[mauri]

The 3DS is one of my favorite consoles. I had the regular Zelda XL edition, and just upgraded to the New 3DS XL Zelda edition. Can't get enough.

oh **** that zelda 3ds looked cash, actually pre-ordered it but cancelled when i sobered up. got some *****in majoras mask face plates instead.

[Marizen]

If Nintendo made a handheld that could stream to a console to be played on a TV I'd be all over that ****.

It would be playable on a big screen, while also being portable when you need it to be. As far as dual-screen layout, they could make it so that both screens show on your TV, but side-by-side instead of top and bottom.

As far as strictly dedicated handhelds go, it's not worth the money to me any more. I'd rather just use an emulator to play old-school Pokemon or something for the rare occasions that I'm traveling and have time to sit down and play video games for more than a couple minutes.

[Maave]

Dedicated handhelds are waning but I don't think the 3DS will be the last one. Maybe one more. For the most part smartphones have taken over peoples pockets and the games have all migrated there. I hope the next evolution of handhelds is hardware controls on smartphones. Phone hardware is phenomenal compare to a few years ago, the spec wars gave us really good hardware. There have been a few attempts at controller attachments but none kicked off for various reasons: too clunky, fast phone update cycle, low game compatibility. Here's hoping.

Meanwhile, Dragonbox Pyra…

Thick as a brick with already-outdated specs. I love the idea and the control layout but it's not feasible as a layman's console. Of course that's not who they're marketing to, the Pyra is going to be a hobbyist device.

[davkol]

Meanwhile, Dragonbox Pyra…

Thick as a brick with already-outdated specs. I love the idea and the control layout but it's not feasible as a layman's console. Of course that's not who they're marketing to, the Pyra is going to be a hobbyist device.

Two things.

First, handheld is just a form factor. Generally speaking, it has nothing to do with gaming. My first handheld computer was Palm Pilot III. I usually don't use my Nokia N800 or OpenPandora for gaming either.

Second, I don't participate in the "specification" rat race. OpenPandora/Pyra has software support, that remains essentially unmatched AFAIK. It's not a dumb device targeted at "consumers".

[Maave]

Two things.

First, handheld is just a form factor. Generally speaking, it has nothing to do with gaming. My first handheld computer was Palm Pilot III. I usually don't use my Nokia N800 or OpenPandora for gaming either.

Second, I don't participate in the "specification" rat race. OpenPandora/Pyra has software support, that remains essentially unmatched AFAIK. It's not a dumb device targeted at "consumers".

Yup, I get it. I love the idea of the OpenPandora and Pyra. The thread was geared towards commercial handheld games so I gave my opinion from that perspective.