what do you want from your next handheld gaming system?

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Lounge' started by Papa Deuce, May 10, 2017.

  1. Papa Deuce

    Papa Deuce Well-Known Member

    May 15, 2013
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    I have the first gen PSP. I never bought any other handheld - though I was given a 3DX, that I never play.

    I don't even know what the best system even has right now, but I know I want it to be leaps and bounds better than the 1st gen PSP.

    What do you want in your next handheld system? ( That is realistic )
     
  2. klink

    klink 👮 Spam Police 🚓

    Jul 22, 2013
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    Bacially just a Switch minus the dock with better battery life.
     
  3. OrangutanKungfu

    OrangutanKungfu Well-Known Member

    Dec 29, 2015
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    Love the Nintendo Switch. There's only a small games library at the moment, as it is just a couple of months old, but it deserves to take over from the Vita as the best grown-up handheld. The screen is great, most importantly the controls are brilliant, and it already has a couple of stone-cold classics in Zelda and Mario Kart. Probably play on TV and as a handheld half and half, but it's definitely great as a handheld.
     
  4. crunc

    crunc Well-Known Member

    Aug 11, 2008
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    Vita is great, but it needs all the buttons (L2/R3, R2/R3) and, well, it's pretty much dead now except in Japan. Good existing library, though. Switch has all the buttons, but it's also significantly larger. I want to get a Switch at some point but no funds for it, and not much in the library of that yet anyway.
     
  5. TrueBlou

    TrueBlou Well-Known Member
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    Mar 20, 2014
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    The Switch has basically nailed everything I want from a portable system.
    But looking to a theoretical next system, I'd be happy if they just added analog triggers and upped the power. Not that I'm unhappy with what Switch is capable of, every time I play Mario Kart or Zelda I get this little voice in my head that says, holy hell this is on a handheld.

    Sure it's not as pocketable as my 3DS or even my Vita, but it's worth the extra bulk for the awesome screen and the amazing games.
     
  6. Taeles

    Taeles Well-Known Member
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    Aug 5, 2011
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    Hmm.

    Vita-2 with PS4 ish graphics, no back panel touch screen and full complete cross buy/platform/play/save game support with the PS4. Oh and r2/l2 triggers.
     
  7. Anonomation

    Anonomation 👮 Spam Police 🚓

    Full set of controls and specs to rival at least last gen consoles
     
  8. TrueBlou

    TrueBlou Well-Known Member
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    Mar 20, 2014
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    So, wouldn't that be the Switch then? It's certainly got a full compliment of controls and from a technical standpoint it seems to be more powerful than the Wii U when docked. Which itself was at least on par with the PS3/Xbox 360.

    In its undocked handheld mode it's power level would seem to be about on par, if not slightly better than Wii U. It has no problem handling Mario Kart at the same resolution as Wii U and Zelda, even with better effects. I have to admit as a handheld system the Switch has blown me away, it's definitely one of my all time favourite systems already.

    Indeed if you read many of the unbiased in depth articles, eurogamer/digital foundry and so on, there are many developers and industry experts who say the Wii U had the edge over those systems, sadly only Nintendo made any real use of its capabilities. So it bodes well for some quality portable gaming from Switch. Actually, there already is.
     
  9. ndnNinja

    ndnNinja Member

    Apr 6, 2017
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    Longer battery life would be the best
     
  10. crunc

    crunc Well-Known Member

    Aug 11, 2008
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    Switch has the specs and controls. But Nintendo needs to show that they can actually get solid 3rd party support and much better online (they sure haven't shown that with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe from what I'm reading - sounds like the online is just like the Wii U version). Plus friend codes again? Ugh. I do want that new Mario game.
     
  11. TrueBlou

    TrueBlou Well-Known Member
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    Yeah third party support would be nice, I think they've a better chance with Switch than they had with Wii U. I don't care too much, I buy Nintendo for Nintendo ip, but I sure wouldn't complain if more third party games appears. In fact I'd be delighted, more people might buy the system which is better for us all.

    Online really does need to improve, hopefully they'll have it sorted out by the time they actually release the official service and start charging for it.
    Mario Kart online isn't the best to be fair, not the worst I've ever seen but still, needs work for sure.

    Friend codes though are thankfully and finally not actually needed. They're still present and accounted for but at least now they are only one option. We don't need to use them at all anymore and that's set to improve further when the full service launches. They've promised the social side will be more what we're accustomed to.
     
  12. crunc

    crunc Well-Known Member

    Aug 11, 2008
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    They aren't required? I see people sharing friend codes instead of usernames for Switch. Why would they do that if FCs aren't required? Maybe I'm just confused. Very possible. :)
     
  13. TrueBlou

    TrueBlou Well-Known Member
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    At the moment they're still the quickest easiest way for people you already know to connect with you. We're waiting on Nintendo releasing their app for iOS and Android which will bring full online matchmaking, chat, lobby and so on, without friend codes,

    Supposedly around the same time they'll be adding similar functionality to the Switch itself.

    Unfortunately the actual online service proper doesn't launch until about November. Until then it's free but sparse and a bit cr ap.

    It'll all come together in the end to be the sort of system we expect, we've just got a few months wait.
    In the meantime we're at the mercy of the developers and how they implement their online for their games. Some will be shockingly bad some pretty good.

    On the whole I think Nintendo launched Switch when they did to avoid going head to head with Scorpio. Fair enough, I get that, trouble is not all of the Switch's features and functionality are finished yet.
    So it's a work in progress for a bit.
     
  14. imdakine1

    imdakine1 Well-Known Member

    Aug 23, 2011
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    I have had many handheld gaming devices including:

    Gameboy
    Gameboy advance
    Atari lynx
    Original psp
    New 3ds regular not xl
    Switch

    I love the Switch and agree better battery life would be awesome. My initial thought was it was a strange size and not what consider handheld as o had the same issue with the Nintendo xl as I got the new 3ds instead.

    I only got the Switch because I had to play BOTW! Now I love the Switch but wonder if it was smaller if it would be as good or not? I believe the size of the new 3ds not xl is almost the perfect size.
     
  15. TrueBlou

    TrueBlou Well-Known Member
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    Mar 20, 2014
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    I'm like you I've had, well still got, 17 handheld systems not counting my Game & Watch's. I totally agree that battery life if the number one thing they need to improve on. But it's the age old battle between form factor and function.

    Would we like the Switch as much if it had twice the battery life but was three times thicker and heavier?
    One day battery technology will improve, until then I'm using a 27,000mah external battery pack when I need to. Works a treat and it's surprisingly compact.

    I don't mind the form factor but I'm used to carrying a big laptop or tablet with me anyway, so it doesn't bother me. I'd hate to loose the screen though, as nice as a 3DS XL sized device with a higher resolution screen would be (actually I'd probably buy it for my collection) I like the bigger size of the Switch screen, it's just more comfortable to view.

    But we're all different, thankfully, and I suppose that's why Nintendo do so many different revisions and form factors over the life of their handhelds. It's not just to rake in the cash, it's to appeal to those who haven't yet purchased.
    One thing we can be absolutely certain of is that somewhere down the line, probably next year, there will be a revised Switch.
     
  16. sobriquet

    sobriquet Well-Known Member
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    Jul 30, 2015
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    For me the iPhone plus size is the perfect portable gaming device. The only thing holding it back is Apple's lack of interest in gaming. If Apple opened a video game division I'm fairly confident something really awesome would come from it. Imagine the iPhone gamers edition where R&D is focused on gearing it towards gaming needs instead of privacy and security. A portable gaming device that can make phone calls instead of the other way around.
     
  17. Teknikal

    Teknikal Well-Known Member

    Oct 26, 2010
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    I think the Vita would have been a perfect portable if it didn't use those unreliable and overpriced Sony memory cards and if Sony actually supported it. Unfortunately it's put me off ever buying whatever replaces it.

    I admit I really liked the look of the switch until I discovered it didn't work with bluetooth headphones to me that was a deal breaker.
     
  18. TrueBlou

    TrueBlou Well-Known Member
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    Mar 20, 2014
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    The iPhone, especially the Plus models, are great gaming devices with a lot of untapped potential.
    I have no doubt that if Apple decided to throw its hat in the ring they could make an amazing device.

    Trouble is, for a device focused primarily on gaming you are going to have to put proper, physical controls on there. Nobody in their right mind wants a console with only a touch interface, it's far, far too limiting.

    By the time you've added on the extra bulk that the physical controls need, you're going to look odd holding it up to your head. There's always Bluetooth I suppose, but still.

    Not to mention the battery life, which isn't going to be great. If you run graphically demanding games on your iPhone now it eats through the battery. Never mind what would happen to it if it had to run games like BOTW. That just wouldn't be suitable enough battery life to cope with being a proper gaming device and a phone that's got to see you through a day of calls, messages, web browsing and so on and so on.

    It would definitely be a great device in theory. But until the technology catches up to a point where it could be a reality, theory is all it's going to be unfortunately.
     
  19. TrueBlou

    TrueBlou Well-Known Member
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    Mar 20, 2014
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    Well the good news is that while it doesn't support Bluetooth headphones at the moment, it will.
    Nintendo's own Yoshiaki Koizumi confirmed that support for Bluetooth headphones is definitely coming in a future software update.

    Should have been there from the start, but at least it's coming.
     
  20. Teknikal

    Teknikal Well-Known Member

    Oct 26, 2010
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    I'll wait to see how it works out but it blows my mind a modern portable media device didn't support it, I still love the idea of playing skyrim on the go though.
     

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