What is your Opinion on Portable Gaming?

Hello everyone! :)

I have a question for you all relating to portable gaming. I want to know how you feel about playing video games when you're out and about. The question came to me when I had a conversation with someone online. I mentioned that I enjoy playing video games during my lunch break, to which they replied that such a thing is a problem and "A bit sad".

Do you feel at all embarrassed or anxious when you play video games in public? Do you like playing games on the go? Or, do you enjoy playing portable consoles at home? Why?! :O

There is so much pondering to be done regarding portable gaming, especially in the era of mobile phones! Dedicated portable gaming has evolved too and I wonder if these changes have had any effect on your perception of playing games on the go.

When we consider now how close portable gaming devices are able to replicate a home console experience with devices like the PS Vita and 3DS and streaming games to your mobile phone; For those who prefer home console gaming, does the idea of playing larger scale games on the go interest you? If not, why?

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I personally like to play portable games on the go. It is only rather recent however that I would play them in public since getting over anxieties that it was perceived as an odd thing to do. I started to take notice that in truth, people barely pay any attention to you. Personally, I find it can be very enjoyable, especially when I decide to eat out for lunch or take long bus journeys home. I never had a problem with portable consoles though. I didn't mind playing them at home and the lowering of performance compared to home console gaming doesn't bother me since I generally enjoy the interactive experience over the visual fidelity.

It's a shame, that an entire market of games went away or is gimped compared to its heyday.

That said I wasn't always biggest fan of that stuff, I never enjoyed playing games on the go. If I'm out, I'm not playing a game, and when inside my house I'd like to play something on my TV or Monitor. Which is why I dug the Supergameboy thing you could put in your snes when I was a kid. Pretty rad. Even Nintendo's stuff, I'd rather play majority of their console counterparts than their handheld ones. Advance Wars was more the exception than the rule. And that had more to do with Battallion Wars straight up sucking.

For some reason in western culture it is "childish" or uncool to play games in public. That's why I think phone and tablet gaming has taken off. Now people can play games and it just looks like they are texting or using their device.

@jg4xchamp:

I hear this one a lot. People prefer the comfort of a larger screen than the smaller one offered by portable devices. Generally speaking though, there are numerous types of games that I think just work better on a portable device. Puzzle titles like Tetris, Picross or even simulation games like Animal Crossing lend themselves really well to short play sessions on public transport or on lunch.

@Star67:

It seems to be a cultural thing too. Video games themselves went through ruminations of whether it was appropriate for adults but that stigma seemed to lift, especially with the introduction of the Playstation brand. Yet, portable gaming hasn't seemed to shake off this stigma in Western Culture yet.

No interest.

I prefer it

@quadknight:

Any chance you might elaborate on why? :)

@charizard1605:

Are there particular reasons why you prefer it?

I like it, sometimes its more comfortable to mong out on the sofa/bed playing a game on a small screen... much like reading a book.

Mmm to me they never worked better. What's there to work better? As long as I can see what I need to see clearly, and I can sit comfortably, I'm good. So I'd be more than fine with Picross on a gamepad.

I enjoy playing on the go, and with how amazing 3DS was it made it fun. I never thought i could play home console games on the go due to how long the play sessions were, but even the long ones are easy to deal with thanks to sleep mode. I agree once you get over your fear of the possibility of others seeing you play games, you get to find out how much fun there is to have.

I think mobile gaming has really opened the world up to handheld gaming, even if its took a bunch of it customers. Mobile gaming has opened way more people up to not only gaming in general, but portable gaming also. I also enjoy handheld gaming at the house and cant wait to have both. Having a 3DS and Wii U was fun enough, i cant imagine having a one shoe fits all.

No real reason, I've just changed over time. I used to be really into portable gaming when I was younger but as I grew older I just lost interest. Now the most portable gaming I do is when I play Sonic on my phone when I'm in line at the groceries. It just doesn't have the appeal for me like it used to and I don't know why.

@MBirdy88:

I know exactly how you feel. There's something really comforting about lying in bed with a portable device and just enjoying your own space. Like you, it's the same way I feel about reading in bed. I think it's because the space of attention is exclusive to the area around you. You're not looking across the room at a tv but focusing your attention on a more local area... maybe?

I don't care for it myself. I have a Vita, but rarely use it. I rarely play games on my phone either. I like to play in front of a nice monitor or big screen TV with some good headphones or surround setup. I don't really have the desire to game when I am out and about.

I like playing on handhelds, but I never do it while I'm actually out. I'm either way too focused/stressed out over what I'm doing for the day, or I want to give myself time to relax. Gaming is just something I can only really enjoy while I'm at home.

I haven been playing portable games since 1995 when my old man got me my first ever Gameboy along with Tetris and I been gaming handhelds since like forever and I still do when heading to work. I been a Nintendo handheld fanboy all my life, I love there handhelds, I never felt embarrass playing it anywhere I go, that never came to my mind, no one never ask me why other then what games I'm playing it on.

Overall I find Nintendo makes the best of the best handhelds in the world, I have own every handhelds that Nintendo makes and never miss out cause I do a lot of traveling when taking a bus to work as I park my car and riding the bus/train, I game on my handhelds that is 3DS with over 15 digital games.

I also own other handhelds not made by Nintendo. PSP & Sega Game Gear.

Edit: Nothing personal but I really hate Mobile gaming.

Yup pretty much.

Only now you can get full blown console-game experience moving forward with the switch (you kinda could with the Wii U ... but range was a massive issue.

I imagine if the Switch is any sort of success, there will be a "Switch XL" with better hardware in the future.

Good times.

There are a lot of gems on portable consoles. If I get the option to play it on portable I usually do

@jg4xchamp:

I think it's to do with reasons both interior and exterior to game design. It has more to do with the allotted time dedicated to the hobby in habitual life. When people think a 'home console game', this is often associated with games played in play sessions of around 30 minutes at minimum. Larger games with tasks that require a greater length of time to complete.

When you think of Tetris, a Tetris board or Picross puzzle can be completed very quickly. This sort of game is a perfect fit for a short trip on public transport or during a lunch break because numerous rounds/puzzles can be played in a shorter span of time. Animal Crossing is similar in this way. I think the general consensus is that Animal Crossing works better as a portable game because people have busy schedules. With Animal Crossing's dedication to the real world clock, there are people who work all day and may only be able to play during the day when they are on a lunch break or traveling, meaning morning and midday can still be experienced.

@quadknight:

Do you think it might have anything to do with the scale? Or maybe just your expectations of a game changed? Like, maybe as you got older you began to value immersion more which is something the power that home consoles can dedicated to animation and graphical fidelity can do better.

@MBirdy88:

Yep. I liked that about the Wii U too but it was a shame it wasn't fully portable or even portable within a household. I could only get one room out of my gamepad before it shut out.

I do not care about hand held at all. If I travel or on the road, I prefer to read books or watch shows that I miss.. I mainly games at home with consoles and occasion PC that hook up to my TV.

@ni6htmare01:

I'm like you but slightly different. :P

I can read and play video games but not watch tv or movies on the go. This is because I don't really use my mobile phone as a multi-media device so I have nothing to watch them on. Whereas I rarely leave the house without my Kindle and 3DS.

Have no interest in it, why play on a tiny little screen with weak hardware when i can play consoles on a TV or PC with amazing sound.

@jumpaction:

Perfect for on the go and it always has its uses. I like portable gaming for when people are hogging the shit outta the tv. There's always a use for portable gaming.

@aroxx_ab:

Would you consider making exceptions to the rule to play video games on a long flight, for example?

@killered3:

I know what you mean. Games are one of my favorite past times and being able to enjoy them anywhere is always a plus in my book.

I really enjoy handhelds and I play them pretty much daily.

After the train wreck of the PSV, I'll never buy myself another handheld.

Nope, but i had considered to pick up a soundbook i could listening to with headphones or be sleeping:D

@aroxx_ab: You can do that with your phone. I listen to book and podcast with my 3DS too.

@aroxx_ab:

I know a lot of people who love audiobooks. I think they're pretty great on devices like phones, tablets and laptops for flights. Personally, I prefer reading than listening to a book. I tend to lose my concentration when I am listening to a book vs. reading one. That is always a good alternative to portable gaming though.

I don't actually play games on the go, other than when I was young and on road trips or plane flights (I still occasionally play my Vita on planes and would play a Switch, but I don't travel often). I normally play my portable devices at home while watching a movie or TV show or something of that nature.

I appreciate portability, but it's not a significant concern to me.

We're all human so I understand. But no, I don't feel anxious or embarrassed when using a portable game system. I try to never let any other human being's opinion have that kind of impact on me living my life. I have nothing to justify to others or need to live up to from them. They're only human beings, no better than me.

@Basinboy:

Thank you! :)

I bring my iPad Mini 2 with me whenever I leave the house. It's for entertainment only and I have a couple games on it. But, I don't game unless there's a charging port or electrical outlet nearby. I usually watch videos or surf the Web with it.

Comes in handy when I'm at a mall food court, waiting for the wife n kids to get done shopping.

Yeah when i am at home i prefer reading but when travel it is easier to listening. Hard to focus on a bumpy bus ride or when you maybe not have good light.

@aroxx_ab:

I'm not so bad in buses but I can't read in a car or else I get motion sickness. Same as playing video games. For what ever reason, I can play games on a bus, tram and a plane but not a car. Light isn't an issue as my Kindle is backlit but it doesn't hurt the eyes.

Generally, I find it hard to stay focused on audiobooks. I either fall asleep or multi-task and completely ignore what I am listening to.

I could never really get into portal gaming. I wasted my money on a few handhelds in the past since I was interested in some of the exclusives that were on those handhelds and every time I would end up hating the experience. I find handhelds uncomfortable to hold and the screen is too small for me to enjoy the experience no matter how great the game on it is.

One of the reasons that I'm very excited for the Nintendo Switch is that there will no longer be Nintendo games that are exclusively handheld experiences anymore. I'll be able to play all Nintendo games on my big screen TV and with an ergonomic controller in my hands, the way I prefer to play games.

@storm_of_swords:

You're not the only one who has posted the same impressions. :/

It seems the form factor and screen size is a major drawback for a number of people.

@jumpaction:

PSP was the only thing interesting.

I'm not really in the market for portable gaming. I own a PSP and a DS, and I've found that I don't really have any good opportunities to play them when I'm out and about. When I'm at home, I'd rather play on my TV. So even with good games to play, neither really got used. I do have a decent smartphone (it's getting a bit old) that I have a couple 5 minute at a time games I play for those short opportunities. I also don't want any more things to keep charged and carry around. One of the biggest factors in the smartwatch I chose was a 5 day battery life (Pebble, and so sad there won't be the week long lasting Time 2).

Stopped playing with them a long time ago. I haven't written them off completely, I would use them again if I ever need to commute for long periods to work, or if I am in a job which requires lots of travelling....neither of which I have to deal with now. For brief boredem periods in public, waiting in lineups, etc....I surf the web with my phone to pass the time.

Ultimately it was just a lifestyle choice I made for many reasons, primarily because I enjoy immersive gaming experiences and I feel that I cannot get immersed with a small screen. Also because I play a lot of games at home, so I figured whenever I do go outside I should enjoy it as much as possible and open my eyes. It was never anything to do with being self-conscious about it in front of others or anything of the sorts, I would proudly game in public with my portable however I don't suggest you do it in dark corners where you might get jumped by some criminals....gotta use some common sense, keep a low profile if you have to game in public and always be aware of your surroundings.

Don't like it. I've never felt comfortable playing on a portable

Fvck about what somebody else thinks, I like gaming as much as I can, I carry one of my portables in my backpack every day.

It definitely has its advantages but as a whole, I prefer console style gaming. Certain games, like Advance Wars and Pokemon, definitely lend themselves well to portability.

I think the Switch looks really innovative as a portable console with the detachable controllers and other possible features so we'll have to see what is in store next week for it.

I'm not really into it. Real gaming requires the proper time, place and setup.

Portable gaming is underpowered and super-casual.

I like console gaming more, but i do enjoy handhelds.. i usually carry my DS lite with me when i leave the house

Portable gaming is highly overstated, especially in the states. I rarely see anyone just out walking or sitting on a park bench playing with a 3DS or DS. I highly doubt that would change with the Switch, no matter how Nintendo and @charizard1605 wants us to believe it.

Great when I was 10 and wasn't the one doing the driving.

What makes you say that? I think there are plenty of games on portable devices that could be considered deeper experience than games on home consoles.

It is a very rare thing to see here. Mostly because people are getting their portable gaming fix on their mobile phones.

No interest..not interested in playing games looking at tiny screen & when I am out..I am doing stuff. There's a reason I have a big screen TV. :P

@superbuuman:

Lots of people seem to feel that way. They don't like that they have to play on a smaller screen.

Love my vita. Even better once you buy the R2 L2 adapter.