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[Imbarkus]

I'd kind of like a discussion on Dedicated Portable Gaming Devices in general, as a concept and a product regardless of the manufacturer/vendor.

Do you use them once a day? Once a week? When you fly? At home?
How did you start using them? As a kid? In a house with one TV?
Do they mean anything to you?

-----------------

Here are some of my stories:

My first DPGD was the Atari Lynx. Jeremy Parish just did a write-up on the Lynx over at usgamer.net, and retrogamer.net just did one too. It's the 25 year anniversary of the Lynx, I guess. Fuck.

I got the Lynx just before my dorm year at college instead of the Gameboy, and it was a huge mistake. Flashy colors, stereo sound, and hardware scaling suckered me at first, but didn't make up for a total of two dozen games to choose from, and being tethered to the wall in my dorm room via power adaptor while my roommate cleaned out the infected boil hole in his back that he got from not washing his bedding all semester.

On the plus side:
• I got to enjoy and master the hands-down best version of California Games. I'm as Good as James!
• Blue Lightning for Lynx was a better version of Afterburner than any that Sega put out for home consoles.
• The Lynx ports of Roadblasters, Hydra, Xybots, and S.T.U.N. Runner were amazingly the only decent home ports.
• Vertical screen Klax.
• Chip's Challenge and Crystal Mines 2 turned out to be the bust puzzle games I ever played (You can buy a stright-up port of Crystal Mines 2 for the DS here, though it looks like they're back-ordered right now: http://songbird-productions.com/catalog.shtml)

The minus side? Mostly Gauntlet 3. Featuring:
• Password saves that are useless since they spawn you at a level with none of the items that you collected, that you need to survive, forcing you to PLAY THROUGH THE ENTIRE GAME IN ONE SITTING.
• A limited inventory that FILLS UP WITH EACH POT OF GOLD YOU PICK UP. Seriously, you spend half the game dropping gold to pick up a potion to use the potion to pick up the gold again. There's even an entire level where the only obstacle is all the gold in your way which you have to pick up and laboriously move to the other side of the level, a dozen pots at a time, to proceed.
• Totally needless vertical orientation of the Lynx. The map area on screen WAS FUCKING SQUARE, with other little squares on the bottom for inventory and the useless "First Person View." There was NO REASON I had to hold that Lynx vertical for five hours to beat this game.
• Enemies that, when they die, have to slowly shrink away into oblivion to show off the hardware scaling capabilities of the Lynx, making the act of killing bad guys a GRUELING SLOG OF PUSHING UP AGAINST A SCALING EFFECT YOU CAN'T SHOOT THROUGH.
• The character class of NERD, who THROWS BOOKS as his projectile. What the hell? Nerds value books.

On the eve of the release of the new Gauntlet, I think it's important to revisit this digital torture device. It would make great charity marathon streaming material in emulation.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this mixed bag result steered me clear of portables for like 10 years.

-------------

Seeing as I am just a couple of days from my 20 year wedding anniversary, I remember fondly our mutual decision to celebrate our 10th anniversary as a "Pokemon Anniversary" (her idea I swear) in that we both bought Gameboy Colors and Red and Blue (and later Yellow, and Silver and Gold, and so on...).

Our kids, who were six and eight at the time, got into it too. Oh boy the Gameboys. We had Blob lights and big magnifying lighted enclosures with additional speakers. But we all ended up settling on the Worm light I think. In this case, the DPGD's never really left the house much. Their portability had more to do with moving from the couch to the kitchen, to bedrooms when friends were over, etc.

Busting out our Perfect Books strategy guides we all got out there and proceeded to Catch 'Em All!... or at least a pretty reasonable selection of 'em, as a family. An N64 hooked to the main TV completed the picture with Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2 and Pokemon Snap, plus lots of animated Pokemon on all the video tapes that we bought (ug).

As a family, we have a very encyclopedic knowledge of the original 151, but it all gets a bit hazy after that. The kids, possibly as a function of not having cable TV in their rooms, continued on with more dedication than I did. Looking back, it's amazing how much Pokemon I had in my life for how little original Pokemon I played. I beat... Blue... I think?

The twentieth anniversary of our wedding will not be Pokemon related (sorry Nintendo).

-----------

Maybe five years ago or so, I got a lot of GBA and DS play when I rode the bus to work, which I did for a couple of years, three hours total a day. I could even still ride the bus to work but it costs me an extra hour plus out of each day compared to driving, and I just... don't anymore.

When I did, man I caught up on some classics: finally had my chance to play through all the original Marios, since I never had an NES, in their "Advance" versions. Also GBA Donkey Kong and Mario Vs. Donkey Kong. Metal Gear Solid: Ghost Babel. WarioWare. Sonic Advance games were cool. Sonic Rush games were cool. Played some weird DS stuff like Trace Memory, Lost in Blue, Contact. Played through Resident Evil again on Resident Evil: Deadly Silence.

I would take an audio splitter cord and combine my GBA audio with my old silver iPod audio so I could listen to podcasts and game audio at the same time. I was kind of a production, me pulling all my cords out of my backpack to set myself up after settling in for the long ride.

But it was also a very lonely gaming experience, so unlike the Pokemon festival from before.

-----------

Now, I need that hour, each day. I pipe the podcasts in through the car stereo on the hour to and hour back each day. No game playing occurs.

And when I'm home, well, I like to play on the big TV. And now everyone has an iOS device, or their own computer, or a Blu-Ray player for Netflix etc. I have a Vita, and it is beautiful and I love it, but my 4GB card bums me out, and I don't use it. I turn it on and check out remote play for my PS3, which is only a few titles, and laggy, and bums me out.

I'm about to get on a plane in a couple of hours, and I'm just going to bring my phone and a laptop. Every time I pack a portable device, I just worry about it in transit (packed or carry-on), and never play it.

Recently the kids had a spark of reinterest in Pokemon. My son has a 3DS and so does his cousin, and I think they are keeping up with the releases. My daughter jumped into SoulSilver a bit, then back out, we have a bunch of old DS's around. My wife just found her DS Lite, the thing had been lost for five years.

I unpacked my Atari Lynx the other week because we were packing up for a move, and immediately cursed myself from years earlier: the stupid idiot version of myself who packed it away with batteries in it. The batteries leaked and now I have buttons on the Lynx that won't work.

Everything in life falls apart, unless you keep it intentionally together. My marriage is an example of the later. My Lynx became an example of the former. It was a beautiful Lynx 1, previously well-maintained and kept in a fucking silk sock for storage. I have the plastic sun shield, most of the games with books (no boxes), etc. All packed away, forgotten. Portable only insofar as it goes in a plastic bin and moves every time I have to move.

I guess the place for Dedicated Portable Gaming Devices in my life is sort of gone, now. I don't feel sad, really, because my life is very full. But the thought of that now-broken Lynx makes me feel very wistful, and older in a way that isn't about being tired or afraid of losing vitality, but is about feeling a bit more wiser and more understanding of the meta--letting things fall apart and knowing it is the natural order of things to pick and choose what I keep in my life and maintain.

Wow. Sorry, got a bit misty there. Happy trails, fine DPGD's. You served me well.

 

[outunderthestars]

Excellent post!

I find myself buying portable systems and never playing them these days. I miss portable games that were smaller and more distinct games. Now days most portable games just seem like watered down versions of console games. This makes me just want to play them on a TV, rather than a portable. I still find myself buying Vita and 3DS games only to never actually play them.

I guess I like the memories of portable systems more than I actually like playing them. Now days, when I travel, I am more likely to use an ereader or tablet.

 

[maxcriden]

I'd kind of like a discussion on Dedicated Portable Gaming Devices in general, as a concept and a product regardless of the manufacturer/vendor.

Do you use them once a day? Once a week? When you fly? At home?
How did you start using them? As a kid? In a house with one TV?
Do they mean anything to you?

I use them daily, usually in the evening when my wife is studying. That way I can hang with her in the bedroom and have something to do beyond browsing GAF. When we occasionally travel by plane, I do bring a DS or 3DS with me to use on the plane. I did play them extensively as a kid and teen, and they mean a lot to me. I love the handheld gaming experience and how it differs from the more bombastic console gaming experience. These are typically quieter, smaller adventures, and at the very least better suited to a pick-up-and-play game philosophy.

 

[MrT-Tar]

I regularly use mine and always have since I first got a gameboy in 2000. When I was a child I used handhelds interchangeably with my PC and home consoles. If I felt like playing Pokemon I would play on my GBC/A, if Age of Empires II or Super Smash Bros Melee, PC and GC respectively. The exception to this rule being train/plane journeys.

However, recently this has changed. I did an undergraduate degree in London and now work in the city. My 3DS and PSP get a lot of usage on public transport, commuting to uni and now work is a perfect time for handheld gaming and actually reduces any urges or temptations to game during my free time as I've already played moderate amounts throughout the week. This worked wonders during revision.

My greatest handheld gaming memory has to be the October 2011 Zelda concert in London. The 3DS was still in its 'doomed phase', and there was another month before Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land hit; but I remember being shocked how many of the other attendees had a 3DS. If got just under 300 streetpass hits that evening and had some intense Dead or Alive matches with the fans sitting in front of me. Even though the attendees were by no means representative of the UK gaming population, I was amazing at the level of 3DS ownership. Handheld gaming also acted as a medium for use to enjoy and celebrate our shared interests and hobbies.

 

[loaf of bread]

Ive been having a hard time getting around to playing games on my portable system recently. I don't know why but the motivation to play just hasn't been there like it is on consoles.

 

[SillyEskimo]

I have a Vita and a 3DSXL. I have 5 games for the 3DS and about 20 for the Vita thanks to PS+.

I never take them anywhere. They sit next to my PC in my office charging at all times. I almost never play them. When I do, it's usually sitting at my desk while playing World of WarCraft. (I play them while waiting on ques) Occasionally, I will play one when I go to bed a little early and put a bad Netflix movie on the TV while I play. However, an ipad is almost always my first choice for that same situation.

I take them with me on vacations and play them at night when my kids go to bed. That has been the most consistent use my portables have ever gotten.

My handhelds have never been a primary choice for gaming. I have a triple screen uber PC, all the consoles connected to 70" TVs, and hundreds of games to play across them all. Handhelds do fill their niche for me though, and I'm happy to own them.

Even my kids never want to play with them, which I think is weird. They have ipods with MineCraft though, so everything else in the handheld gaming world doesn't even show on their radar.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

I have about 10-12 hours of train commute per week, and have had for the past twelve years.

During that time I've blasted through games on the gba, ds, psp and 3ds, as well as emulation on my pandora (though that's not really "dedicated"). My Vita arrives this month.

Before that it wasn't much, as I couldn't take my gb/gbc to school and batteries were a hassle anyway.

Basically, I used them sparingly when I was young due to better experiences being available on home consoles/pc, and only got them out when there was a cool exclusive (Links Awakening, Dragon Warrior Monsters, etc) - and now I'm older they're my primary gaming experience because I don't have the same amount of time for home consoles I used to, I don't like steam and handheld games have gotten to the point where the experience can be every bit as complex as console games.

 

[AJTsuki]

Being a middle aged gamer, the only portable game device I played as a kid were those Mattel sports games with the red lights. Video games for me in college were either at the arcade or on PC. It wasn't until the mid-90's and there were kids around me with Game Boys that I even took notice. Since then though, I've always had a Nintendo handheld around, partly for my amusement and partly for a way to hang out and have fun with family. 20 years on now, I have quite the collection of devices and games. I reach for my 3DS 4 or 5 times a week. I have a GBA SP near my my workspace which I use to relax playing a little Wario, or Advance Wars, or Dr. Mario. I also have a DSi XL still dedicated to my rare but regular bursts of JRPG interest, often when I travel. I've stuck with Nintendo devices because that it what the young people in my life have used over the years.

I tried to cultivate a similar love of games on my phone, but it's just not the same.

 

[Imbarkus]

I'm starting to think Nintendo and Sony should subsidize mass transit in the U.S.

Either that or DPGD will get a slim window of opportunity when the Google Robot Cars come out, before we get Big Screen TVs adapted for Robot Car use.

 

[Funyarinpa]

I currently use the only working DPGD I have, my 3DS, once in several days.

My story, as a relatively young member of the forums, starts around 2005-2006, I think. In my preschool, all of my friends had a GBA SP. I remember, 10 little kids, sitting in a classroom (without desks etc of course) playing Sonic Advance- taking turns or watching a friend who had gotten unusually far into the game. I eventually persuaded my parents to buy me one. I remember I bought a red SP, as well as the SMB3 remake and Sonic Advance 1.

I've had a blast with those games, to the point that at this moment probably my favorite (not Limited Edition)console is a red GBA SP. It's the epitome of my childhood. I love it.

The later events include giving away the Sonic cartridge to a friend, being stuck at the fifth level of SMB3 for two-three years because I couldn't figure out how to enter the upside-down pipe at the end of the level, impatiently waiting for the GBA to charge and finally losing my GBA in second grade when my sister(who was 4 at the time), who used to have a fascination with flushing my belongings down the toilet, tried to flush my beloved GBA. We recovered it, but it never worked again.

I bought a DS Phat later that year with Nintendogs and Actionloop. At that point, I've had significantly lower childhood memories because nothing held that uniquely wonderful charm of Mario.

Fast forward to 8th grade, 2 years ago. At this point, I have around 7 DS games and my only remaining GBA cart is SMB3. I remember looking up online guides and realizing both of my SMB3 cartridges (I'd accidentally made my dad buy me another one) were probably bootleg.

Regardless, I actually played it that year extensively.
One of those days, I finished it.
I finished the game, for the first time, on the cartridge I'd bought as a preschooler, for my red GBA SP, 9 years ago.

Fast forward to 2014, and I buy a 3DS at the beginning of the year with Mario 3D Land. I found it to be quite enjoyable, but nothing too amazing.

The second "AAA" game I bought was Virtue's Last Reward.
It absolutely blew my mind, and dethroned Portal 2 to become my favorite game. I loved the story, I loved the twists, I loved everything about that game.

I then bought Fire Emblem Awakening. I didn't like the game, because apparently I'm either to stupid for SRPG's or the game just isn't for me. I got it in March.
I finished the main campaign in August. That's proof of how little it hooked me.

I bought Ace Attorney Dual Destinies a few days ago, and it's underwhelming. Not as good as I expected it to be. Maybe it'll get better, who knows...

I worked a summer job to buy a Vita, and I'm looking forward to that: Money's stashed away, I await "Adventure Mega Pack" bundle to launch in Europe. I've wanted a Vita since its launch, and now we'll see if it lives up to expectations.

By the way, I like handhelds more than consoles. There's a certain charm to playing something within your hands, anywhere and anytime.

 

[2+2=5]

I had a transparent Gameboy with only 3 games, for various reasons Gameboy didn't hook me.

After lots of years i bought a PSP(i was undecided between a Wii and a DS but at the last second i chose a PSP! Lol XD ) that made me a handheld gamer, playing on home consoles or pc is really unbearable to me, handheld gaming is too comfortable.

I bought Vita at d1, i have hundreds of games and i play every single day with it and i'm totally happy with it, screw the haters.

I have no intention of buying a PS4, XB1, Wiiu or gaming pc.

 

[Radnom]

I use a fair amount of public transport, and I've found that portable gaming is a great way to get some extra gaming into my schedule. I much prefer Dedicated Portable Gaming Devices over, say, phone gaming mostly because I much prefer physical controls to a touch screen. I've also found the games are often better, or at least closer to my personal preferences.

I have a 3DS, a DS Lite and two Vitas, all of which get probably equal amounts of play. The current handheld consoles are both fantastic devices. I especially hope the Vita picks up, or at least doesn't drop off, because it really is the best handheld I've ever used. I wonder if Sony could do a 'New Vita' similar to Nintendo, and release a slight update with better specs and L2/R2 buttons, to help with PS4 remote play?

 

[Imbarkus]

I didn't give the PSP it's proper due for my bus time. I had good fun with Silent Hill: Origins and The Silent Hill Experience, Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel, the Darkstalkers that was on it, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops.

But I did buy a lot more games for it than I actually played. And load times were a bummer on the bus. I been thinking about getting one to crack for old emulators.

If Apple put on a iPhone with a D-Pad and two buttons on it, this debate would be done for me, though.