Which handheld?

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Lounge' started by Mene, Jul 30, 2014.

  1. Mene

    Mene <b>ACCOUNT CLOSED</b>: <em>Officially</em> Quit iO

    Mar 18, 2012
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    Hi,

    I find myself wanting a handheld games console, yes I love my ipad but I have to say I miss buttons/analogue controllers as with being disabled and having certain difficulties I find it really hard to control the camera in most rpgs.

    I know quite a bit about PC's and consoles but I've rarely even glanced at handhelds since I had a GP32 a long time ago.

    I guess my choices are 3DS/2DS, PSP, Vita or GP2X (or something else I totally missed)

    I want the device for two things mainly, RPGs and emulation.

    I love rpgs and can't resist a good one and emulation, I love playing classic games and to be able to play Mame, NES,snes, Spectrum, C64 games on a handheld would be ideal.

    So, experts. Which device is right for me?

    (Note: ideally it has to be a device sold at GAME as I'll be trading in a mammoth pile of hardware and games to fund it.)

    Thanks for any advice :)
     
  2. JCman7

    JCman7 Well-Known Member

    Jul 6, 2009
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    3DS for the win! So many great games on that device. Mario 3D Land, Kid Icarus, Animal Crossing, Yoshis New Island, Bravely Default, New Super Mario Bros 2, Mario Kart 7, Legend of Zelda Link Between Worlds, Pokemon XorY, Kirby Triple Deluxe, Fire Emblem Awakening, Luigis Mansion Dark Moon, Monster Hunter, Professor Layton series, Mario and Luigi Dream Team and Paper Mario (both not the best but still fun RPGs), Smash Bros on the way, tons more!

    It's really a fun handheld and offers a lot for every genre you might be interested. Eshop has a lot of great stuff and you can play those classic nes titles you enjoy. Here's a nice list of virtual console games that are available http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Virtual_Console_games_for_Nintendo_3DS_(North_America)
     
  3. Mene

    Mene <b>ACCOUNT CLOSED</b>: <em>Officially</em> Quit iO

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    I'm not really into Mariokart or platform games but if there's good rpgs on that and you can run emulators with it, then I might just get one.

    Thanks :)
     
  4. ScotDamn

    ScotDamn Well-Known Member
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    #4 ScotDamn, Jul 30, 2014
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2014
    I agree with this and bought a 3DS XL because of it. The game library is just awesome. The main issue for me was I had a difficult time with the resolution on that thing. Especially being used to the retina on my phone. I ended up selling it for other reasons but I bought a Vita to re-enter the handheld world. The beauty of the Vita is having a ton of games available for download from PSX to the PSP PS2, just a ton more than I thought would be available. Lots of Indie games too like Rogue Legacy (wonderful game BTW) Definitely check out the library though before making any decisions. My first purchases on the Vita were Breath of Fire IV, Spelunky, and I got Borderlands 2 for free with the Vita purchase.

    Edit: Let me be more clear about the screen res on 3DS. I'm not a graphics whore by any means, it was just somewhat tough on the eyes as well as being less pretty. ;)
     
  5. JCman7

    JCman7 Well-Known Member

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    #5 JCman7, Jul 30, 2014
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2014
    You got the XL that's why you will notice the pixels with that thing since they don't scale the resolution. If you stick to the regular 3DS it looks great. I've never had a problem going from my ipad to it. Especially if you play in 3D all the time like myself it's awesome. I remember when I got my DS XL I hated it because it looked so awful blown up so I can relate.


    OP: Heres a small list of RPGs from metacritic http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/genre/metascore/role-playing/3ds?view=detailed
     
  6. pluto6

    pluto6 Well-Known Member

    Jun 21, 2009
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    I am not aware of any of the newer handhelds that run emulators unless they are modded. I believe that the original PSP could be modded for that purpose.

    Your iOS probably has the best ability to emulate.
     
  7. Mene

    Mene <b>ACCOUNT CLOSED</b>: <em>Officially</em> Quit iO

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    iOS is great but I'm looking for something with proper buttons or analogue sticks. :)
     
  8. S.I.D. CrAzY

    S.I.D. CrAzY Well-Known Member

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    #8 S.I.D. CrAzY, Jul 31, 2014
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2014
    Nvidia Shield is a great emulation machine, not so sure about RPG's though, unless we count the ones it can play through emulation and the few good/decent ones on Android. *Edit: Just noticed you said it would have be available at GAME, which I believe is not in the US, that would cause an issue as the Shield is not available worldwide.

    Of the options you mentioned, none are ideal for what you want.

    3DS/Vita have the games, but not really the emulation. GP2X is outdated as hell, I remember having one years ago, not exactly known for its RPG's unless we're talking through emulation. PSP is a good emulation machine(not as good as the Shield), and can play PSP/PS1 also, so that covers you for RPG's, it's a solid option, but it's not going to get new games like the 3DS and Vita does.
     
  9. september

    september Well-Known Member

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    Maybe have a look at the GP2X Caanoo, it was released 4 years ago, 5 years after the GP2X.
     
  10. mr haptic

    mr haptic Active Member

    Jul 22, 2014
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    I've gotta Vita and a 3DS - both of which are awesome - the Vita is the better piece of hardware, the screen is beautiful and the controls the most expansive but 3DS is the best value for money as the software catalogue cannot be matched.
     
  11. Bluellama1

    Bluellama1 Well-Known Member

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    For RPGs and emulation, it's hard to beat the cheapest PSP you can find and a vita. The 3DS is great (I own both and if you can find a 3DS for a good price it's totally worth picking up), but the vita has access to the back catalog of PS1 and PSP games and a pretty great lineup of its own games, a lot of which are RPG imports from japan. The PSP can do emulation fairly well, it should cover the stuff you listed without issue.
     
  12. italodance

    italodance Well-Known Member

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    #12 italodance, Jul 31, 2014
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2014
    Vita no doubt if you are a pro gamer.
    3DS is for small kids.
    And android devices,usually there's no quality for most mobile games.

    I was exactly like you,an old iOS gamer who purchased a Vita finally.

    And Vita had a great library for FPS and RPG games.


    Did you see FFX-X2 on Vita?
    Welcome to most powerful handheld device PS Vita :)
     
  13. Mene

    Mene <b>ACCOUNT CLOSED</b>: <em>Officially</em> Quit iO

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    I stopped reading at 'pro gamer'.. Such a stupid statement.

    as for everyone else, thanks for your help.
     
  14. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

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    I would say Vita but i wouldnt dismiss the other devices specially with the silly insult above about being for kids.

    Some of my friends love the Speccy/C64 and love using their DS for emulators which work very well. Android i really like as i can have games such as Quake II/Jedi Knight etc on it, just a shame we cant have those on iOS !

    The GP2X is very good, its good for more 'basic' MAME games and it runs a lot of emulators (and is very cheap) plus you can connect to the tv.

    But if you want buttons then the PSP is probably a good bet. I must admit after jailbreaking my iphone and using a lot of emulators i'm loving it more than ever.
     
  15. Mene

    Mene <b>ACCOUNT CLOSED</b>: <em>Officially</em> Quit iO

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    Android seems like it might be a choice, looking at the Nvidia Shield as a possibility.
     
  16. Fireball926

    Fireball926 Well-Known Member

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    My brother actually is getting his new shield in today, I'll throw some impressions in here once he gets everything up and running later. According to videos and what I've read, gamecube emulation is getting there, some games like super mario sunshine and mario kart appear to run flawless but that isn't telling of other games. Shield is probably your best bet for emulators.

    As far as my pick for handheld console it's really tough. I own both a 3DS and a Vita. While the 3DS certainly has some classics in the RPG genre like pokemon, bravely default, and Fire emblem the Vita has it's own classics such as Persona 4 (which by the way is such an incredible game), Soul Sacrifice, Tales of Hearts R, and alot more.

    My suggestion, take a look at which systems RPGs you like better and just bite the bullet, though the 2DS often drops down to $99 so it might be best to pick up a vita and grab a 2DS on sale.
     
  17. S.I.D. CrAzY

    S.I.D. CrAzY Well-Known Member

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    Nvidia Shield can't play any Gamecube games flawlessly, it can stream the gamecube emulator from your PC. The Dolphin emulator on Android does not run very well on the Nvidia Shield, still needs a lot of work.
     
  18. VaroFN

    VaroFN Well-Known Member

    Sep 28, 2011
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    Between Vita and 3DS, 3DS by far, but if you're looking for a handheld with emulators, that would be between PSP and Nvidia Shield. I don't have any experience with Android devices, but the PSP has for sure very good emulators.
     
  19. Fireball926

    Fireball926 Well-Known Member

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    This is where you're wrong. The K1 can run some dolphin games like sunshine and mario kart. Just google it
     
  20. S.I.D. CrAzY

    S.I.D. CrAzY Well-Known Member

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    #20 S.I.D. CrAzY, Jul 31, 2014
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2014
    I was assuming that we were talking about the portable, not the tablet here, since Mene is asking about handhelds.

    Even if we're talking about the tablet, "flawless" is still not accurate. Unless you have a video that I haven't seen.
     

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