Submitted 1 year ago by Jezebelley@lemmy.zip to games@lemmy.world
every time one of these idiots predicts that gaming will change forever, it’s just gaming expands into new areas and the market size grows. it’s not the future, hell handhelds are nothing new, it’s barely even a new thing.
it is bringing in a lot of users though
34 years after one of the most popular handhelds was released “these things are the future of gaming!!1!.”
I think the distinction is that starting with the Switch, handheld gaming has been a different experience. Sure, you could play Super Mario World on you Game Boy Advance on the go, but that was a decade after the game had been released. Now, you get the modern Mario game on your handheld, and it is the exact same game and the exact same time as the console release. It is a large shift in gaming.
Now, I would argue that this is a step back, as the experience that works best on a a handheld isn’t the best for a home console/PC. That isn’t the point of this article though. The point is that short of some performance loss, the on the go experience is nearly identical to the at home experience.
eh, it’s the exact same game because they put a video out on a handheld. No one thinks of the switch in the same world as a ps5/xboxwhatever - it fits in that same place that handhelds have always lived.
it’s a very good handheld, with a video out. It’s not the diametric shift that is proposed.
I think that handhelds are having a bit of a renaissance but I think ultimately they will fade in popularity
PC handhelds are too big, heavy, and have bad battery life. I see mobile phones with telescopic controls like backbone/kishi or switch like joycon controls ultimately winning out. Console quality games are starting to be ported to iPhone and I’m sure android is not far behind. Emulation and cloud streaming are just getting better and better. Handhelds aren’t going to replace home consoles and PCs though, just supplement it, as it’s a device everyone already has
PC handhelds are too big, heavy, and have bad battery life
I generally agree, but if ARM chips next year don’t disappoint then it won’t be the case for long. It’ll take time until x86 games play nice on them but when they do we can expect PC handhelds similar to Android ones. Reasonably sized and with a great battery life. Handhelds have a good future.
Isn’t it the GPU that drains the battery, why would a new CPU, help with that.
Handhelds are severely power limited, even if they get really good there will always be a desktop/console version of the hardware with better performance
Yeah but I can’t lug my tower around on a train, now can I?
Handhelds are very performant. They achieve high enough framerates with a low power demand. They sacrifice fidelity. Something which most people are happy to exchange for the portability.
They are far too convenient. Considering the price for a “medium long termn” game pc, the cost of energy, the lack of portability ecc. Is clearly more convenient to have a console and a medium spec Desk/pc portable for work. Ofk you sacrifice graphic quality but to be honest i already played most of my games in 1080p on my old desktop. With the console and a “dock” solution you and up playing the same kind of game on your monitor and you also have the full portability. OFK with an AAA game your battery run out quickly but any Casual Indy games runs for hour and are perfect to play on small screen.
I definitely hope the trend continues, though not necessarily replacing consoles as an entity. I’ve an Aya Neo 2021 (first gen) and it’s been amazing. I have a hard time staying in one place and actually committing to sitting down at a console / desktop to play games, I don’t like gaming on laptops too much, and the Switch has a limited library; so a handheld PC specifically made for gaming has been fantastic. It’s so nice to just pick up and be able to play whereever, and I’m very glad to see that it seems like handheld PCs are here to stay
Handheld PC games have been such a “game changer” for me too. I love Nintendo and the Switch but like you said the library was a bit limited. Alongside, the storage and the types of games too.
I’m in bed and playing Ori. I haven’t bought a TV for my bedroom yet and sitting at a desk to play some games feels more cumbersome.
I really like that Steam has really changed things. It really brings PC games to a console-like experience.
From that artsy article graphic, at first I thought the ROG Ally was smaller than the Switch. Not so, it seems.
Funny thing is, this isn’t the first time this has been attempted. I remember Razer putting out a gaming tablet back in the Windows 8 days. Most of the concern I have for people buying these is interface - Steam has done a lot to alleviate concerns of a desktop environment in a game boy, including offering community tools to fill the gaps.
The ROG Ally is enormous. I had a chance to handle one in person – it’s closer to the size of the Steam Deck, and it’s like five times the thickness of the Switch.
If anything it’s really incredible the Switch is as small as it is.
Especially since it was something of a mobile powerhouse when it first launched.
Steam’s big picture does a lot to remediate some of the challenges of working with a controller in a desktop environment. The ROG Ally additionally has switchable modes between desktop and gamepad and it allows for mouse movement with the thumbsticks and stuff in addition to the touch screen.
It also has this app called Armory Crate SE which is basically an Asus-branded game launcher like GeForce Experience where you can fine tune settings on each game.
No they’re not. They’re what I use when my kid is using the tv, and it’s what my kid uses when we’re away from home and the tv. Handheld gaming will always be a side distraction to consoles and PC gaming.
I don’t know. Handhelds are nice for travel, but they can hardly match the raw power of a dedicated home console.
I’m not sure. I honestly don’t find a huge appeal to them, but I’m not often in a situation where I have a large amount of time to kill outside of my home.
A steam deck would be nice, but I realize I’d probably do what I do with my switch, which is use it once every few months.
As long as desktops are a thing I can’t see myself using a handheld. I can see it replacing gaming laptops though, and those may soon be a thing of the past.
I owned every Nintendo handheld since the original Gameboy. They were so convenient to just be able to play anywhere. I could be laying in bed or on the sofa. Put it in your pocket or toss it into a bag to carry with you.
However, I don’t really feel like the switch has really captured that same sense of portability. It’s large and bulky and heavy. It feels uncomfortable for me to play the same ways I used to play the older handhelds. It also feels more fragile, so I’m hesitant to just toss it in a bag. I ended up just using it as a normal console 99% of the time.
Maybe it’s just me being older, but I feel like the switch didn’t give us the best of both worlds, it just compromised and gave us a worse version of a handheld and a worse version of a console.
I agree with you I never or at least almost never play switch handheld. But my 6 year old would definitely disagree as he’s the complete opposite
I almost exclusively play the switch in handheld. If I’m playing on the tv I’m playing on the PlayStation (once 4 now 5). But i still agree that it’s not that comfortable to play in long sessions, but I be also prefer to jump on and off games anyway so it only hits me when I’m either sat in an awkward position or a game has really grabbed me.
my ideal pc is one where I can dock it to an external GPU seamlessly. the price also has to make sense
Those exist but it’s expensive.
Yes the steam deck is a dream console for me especially having Linux on it.
baronvonj@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Dockable handhelds.
brihuang95@sopuli.xyz 1 year ago
you really have to give it to Nintendo to produce a console that can be handheld, easily shared with other players, and dockable so you can play it on the big screen. what a versatile system
lobut@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
I always felt Nintendo was rather innovative or at least took risks. Shoulder buttons with the SNES controller. The thumbstick and rumblepack with the N64. Wireless with the wavebird on the GameCube. Motion controls with the Wii. Touch screen with the DS and WiiU.
A lot of these are common sense now but at the times they were introduced they were awesome.
Sabin10@lemmy.world 1 year ago
And hopefully higher clocks and/or more cores when docked or on AC. I lov love my steam deck but would love it more if it could manage 1080p when docked without the performance tanking.
baronvonj@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Oh man that’s disappointing.
CharlesReed@kbin.social 1 year ago
Yeah, more often than not when I'm playing on my Switch, it's docked and hooked up to a monitor. Sometimes that little screen is not enough for me.