I'll kick off this article with an admission that will cause some to snort in derision and dismiss anything I ever say about Nintendo in the future; those that have seen my occasional forum posts or followed our Reddit AMA last year may already have an inkling into what's coming. The DSi was my first dedicated gaming handheld.
I've been a gamer my whole life, or about 25-26 out of 30 years of it, but until I was in my twenties (yikes!) they were all games on the TV or a monitor - my household always had a current gen home console in my formative years, but also a rocking PC; a top of the range PC cost a lot of money in the early to late '90s, too. My parents spent crazy amounts of money - when I look back now - on ZX Spectrum games, then Mega Drive / Genesis games, and certainly on PC games and hardware. There was lots of gaming, but portables were a luxury I never had. Then my brother bought a Nintendo 64 with the first pay cheque from his first job. Games mattered in the household.
Nevertheless, by all means break out the pitch forks, open that petition to have me sacked as editor of Nintendo Life, do what you need to do. I've spent the past 6-7 years playing catch up and tackling as many older portable experiences as I can, but I was particularly late to the party.
Yet my gaming life has changed since I discovered the joys of Nintendo portables, and with the New Nintendo 3DS my sentiment and devotion to handheld gaming is only getting stronger. I currently have (and enjoy) a Wii U, PS4 and a pretty powerful PC set up, accumulated both to scratch gaming itches and in an attempt to keep up with trends and the evolving gaming scene, but much of my spare time is still spent on the 3DS. I couldn't wait to buy the Ambassador 3DS in the UK when I was lucky enough to be included, just because I'd always wanted the smaller white model since the Japanese reveal and it meant I could have it early - I could have probably waited and traded in my red XL for a New model at a retailer, yet I can't bear to part with the older system. It's tucked away safely, in storage not out of neglect, but because I love the thing too much to give it away. It's the same feeling of dedication I remember having towards my favourite toys as a kid.
It's not just about hardware design, but there's a special connection, I feel, when you play a truly great game on a portable. I'm currently playing through The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D, and have earmarked Shantae and the Pirate's Curse as my next game. I could get WayForward's release on Wii U, but why on Earth would I do that? I much prefer playing games like that on my 3DS, and though I bought Shovel Knight for both Nintendo systems it's all about the portable version, with my save sitting incomplete on the HD console. If anything Yacht Club Games' brilliant title should be easier to play on a big screen, but the experience - to me - is more satisfying on a portable. There are occasions, to be balanced, where I'd rather play a certain game on Wii U - Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is brilliant, but if it was on the HD system with a better camera and online voice chat, it could well have been a 10 rather than a 9 in my review; market realities (especially in Japan) made that a portable game just like most of its predecessors; not, I suspect, a design choice.
Portable gaming, though, is still unique. I have family members that weren't big gamers absolutely fall in love with the DS and then 3DS, and it's Nintendo's design and expertise that helps deliver this. Everything feels geared towards fun gaming with its portables, and the titles served up are so often such a lovely match for the hardware. Every portable Nintendo's ever released has been comprised of technology that was out-of-date on arrival - in terms of power - yet the package works as a whole. It's frankly miraculous that the 3DS family has passed 50 million units in this climate, and that 9 million sales in a year is deemed a major disappointment - it may end as Nintendo's lowest-selling portable to date, but considering the odds it's been a triumph.
With the New model it's taken me no time at all to become enamoured with it, to carefully keep it clean and safely enclosed in its case on the go, and it's often my go-to system when weary and in need of a diversion. It's hardware that I've connected to, and it means something to me, even down to simple pleasures such as clearing out StreetPass hits. With home consoles and PC I don't really care one jot about the individual boxes I own, just the content on the hard drive - if those systems met an accident my only concern would be retrieving my download content, and I'd shed no tears over the box itself. The only exception is the Wind Waker GamePad I have, but it still doesn't command the same affection as my portable systems - if I broke or lost one of my portables it'd feel like a far greater loss.
Why is this? I think part of it is simply down to tactility and the personal nature of portable gaming. When you play a game on a TV or monitor it's open to the room, it's entertainment that's shared with anyone else in the vicinity. When you're playing a portable, 9 times out of 10 - aside from occasional local multiplayer - it's just you and the game, with the controls and screens perfectly in sync and drawing you in. The screens are smaller, headphones are often in, and it simply dominates our attention. A device like the 3DS is different from a phone, too, in that it's not receiving calls, flashing email notifications or any other form of distraction - it's just you and your game. Oh, and 3DS games are just downright better than smartphone titles - in my opinion - on the whole.
It's not just about integrated controls - like with my consoles, I have a lesser sense of attachment or loyalty to any of my console pads, retro or new. It's that inevitable intimacy of portable gaming that draws me in.
I know some of my fellow Nintendo Life writers have similar feelings, and also others that would say I'm talking utter nonsense. My instinct, though, is that millions of gamers have similar feelings about portable gaming, specifically Nintendo handhelds. They don't always know why, but a dedicated portable from Nintendo has that irresistible allure; it's that which gives me confidence for Nintendo's future in the portable space. Not only is it the biggest market in Japan, making the sector's role in the company's plans inevitable, but it seems to be the one area that never lets Nintendo down. Ignoring the Virtual Boy, every single Nintendo portable - helped by its power to iterate and sell new models within a generation - has outsold its equivalent big N home consoles; the numbers speak for themselves.
I'll end with a recent anecdote. My parents told me that they headed over to their local GAME here in the UK at midnight on 13th February for my Mum to pick up a New system, to try each out as they were still undecided on which model to get - lucky that they did, as stock (outside of pre-orders) was so low they'd have missed out later in the day. Another man was there, probably mid-20s, also eyeing up the New Nintendo 3DS without a pre-order. For the past number of years, he said, he'd mainly played games on Xbox 360 and PS3, and hadn't owned a Nintendo portable for a decade. Yet he simply felt the need to go back, to play 'fun' games on a Nintendo handheld; that's an audience that the big N can continue to win over again and again.
After a gap of a decade he went to a midnight launch and walked out with a New Nintendo 3DS XL and a copy of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. That, I suggest, is the almost undefinable allure of Nintendo portable gaming.
Comments 96
Yes!
The 3DS XL was my first dedicated handheld. I haven't really played a phone game since.
I share the same sentiments with you Thomas. I'm 23, I only got my first portable (DS Lite) at 19. I came in very late in my time, so I'm playing a lot of catch up.
Imagine my pain when my mother, upon us having got my New 3DS XL, tries to grab it by the top hinge, and my stepfather shakes it a bit as a test. Wanted to punch a wall.
Imagine my pain when my mother, upon us having got my New 3DS XL, tries to grab it by the top hinge, and my stepfather shakes it a bit as a test. Wanted to punch a wall.
I feel for you man, my first Game Boy was incredible experience, tetris and later Pokémon are one of the many things that got me stick to Nintendo Handhelds until this day.
I remeber the pre Game boy, early 80s portable games, Spitball Sparky, Grandstand Scramble and all that. When the Game boy launched, I was very impressed, but sold it to buy a Game Gear, then didnt get another hand held until the GBA.
I liked the DS lite a lot, 3DS less so even thought I bought it at launch, Ive not bought a retail game in over a year. The GBA SP is perhaps my favourite, I have the classic NES edition, psp was a good system too.
I wish I could have bought one. But until I get the opportunity to buy the regular sized N3DS, I'm quite happy with the 3DS I got at its launch.
But I feel your sentiments about keeping your old handhelds. I still have my GameBoy Pocket, Color, Advance, and Advance SP. Never got the DS. Used my brother's for that.
Been playing on handhelds since the gameboy color, but I never really liked to play on them until the GBA SP. The clamshell design, rechargeable battery, and backlit screen made it SOOOO much more accessible.
While I was younger, I had both a SNES and Gameboy - good times! But I 'grew up' and forgot about games until I stumbled on my old gameboy in my mother's attic. When I plugged in the batteries and replayed Zelda, I realised that growing up was a mistake!
The 3ds (and I've bought a second hand ds to play gba games on) fits in so well with my life, in a way that a full console cannot, but it gives a far richer experience compared to the Flappy Bird clones on mobile phones. My original 3ds really is one of my best purchases, and I've had many hours of great gaming from this fun little machine. And yes, I still switch on my old gameboy from time to time!
Dedicated Handheld consoles will always matter to me. I enjoy smartphone games for a quick distraction, but they come nowhere near the quality or depth of a good 3DS or Vita game. Having physical buttons makes a world of difference.
The only time I'll ever be without a dedicated handheld is if they stop making them.
I can still remeber how excited I was to get the original Gameboy at its launch, and how upset I was that my sister got Super Mario Land as well (I had to wait for my birthday before I could get anything but the Tetris pack in). I still have my original grey brick, & I still every now & again have an urge to play Zelda on it instead of the GB Pocket or Color.
Think we bond to hand held because (usually) they are exclusive to you. Everything you do on it is about you and only you, even when you personally own an home console its shared with the room.the PC's can have the same bond as your upgrading but its split focus between gaming, work and media combined with potential sharing lessens the bond. I think its this connection that keeps pokemon strictly on handhelds.
I remember when I was 9 I received my first console. It was a Gameboy Color with Pokemon Blue and Tetris. Handheld Nintendo consoles will always be my favorite. I still feel like a kid whenever I crack open my 3ds.
My first handheld was a GBC. Well it was really my brother's. My REAL first handheld was a GBA, and I've been in love with Nintendo's handhelds ever since. There's something so fun and unique about them. The 3DS is indisputably my favorite handheld of all time, heck my favorite console ever. Its game library rivals and I would argue exceeds that of the SNES.
There can be no doubt. Nintendo may not rule the home console front, but they are king where handhelds are concerned.
I'm just now getting back into handhelds the past few years. I never realized how much I missed portable gaming until I got my 3DS XL, as the last portable I had was an Advanced SP. I even went back and picked up a DSi to try and catch up on what I missed.
Part of the allure for me is that life had gotten extremely hectic for me the past few years, so a lot of my gaming habits have taken a hit. Portable gaming has become my quick, easy fix. It so happens it's pretty darn fun!
@ThomasBW84 I'm not sure about you, but even the Wii U almost has that portable allure to me. I don't know if it's because I'm skewing more towards portable lately, but in my solo play time when I get to game at home, I play my Wii U off-TV almost exclusively. Obviously I can't in situations where I need both screens.
So who else here is old enough to have started their handheld video game playing days w/ 1 of these?
Spent an amazing amount of hours staring at little red lines way back when.
Since then I've owned a GBA for about 3 months and a PSP for a day, I've always been a fan of large(r) screens. Guess that's what happens when you start wearing glasses full time in the 5th grade and grow up the son of a tv repairman.
As attached as I was to that football game I can easily imagine people feeling a special bond to modern handheld consoles. The phrase "Mine, mine it's all mine" comes to mind as @abe_hikura alluded to.
My earliest experiences in handheld gaming goes back to the old LED/LCD games (i.e. Game & Watch and Mattel/Coleco LED games) before there were Game Boys. But I didn't go back to handhelds until the DS Lite came out. I certainly fell in love with the DS, because it brought back old-school gaming that I missed out on when there was a sea of FPS and racing games in my then-current library. It made me fall in love with Nintendo again. When the 3DS came out with its Virtual Console Game Boy titles, I realized what I had missed out on. So, for the last 4 years, my favorite thing to do on the weekends is to go to retrogaming stores and flea markets and buy these 20+ year old little cartridges for cheap. My current GB/GBC/GBA collection reached 400 last weekend. Handhelds rule!
I started off with "Thriller House" a Game and Watch style game, and then got "Octopus" a Nintendo G&W. My first grey brick GameBoy carried me until GBA which I got at launch (and couldn't pay the rent because I had spent the money on the GBA). I resisted DS's charms as long as I could (being able to borrow a friend's for long periods helped) but got a Fire Emblem 3ds xl when it came out.
I have always felt what the article describes, that connection and affection for the portable consoles.
My first handheld was probably the GBA. Hooked on every Nintendo handheld ever since, except the N3DS, which I will still own at some point.
My first gaming console was a DS Lite. I liked it a lot, played so many games on it. However the 3DS was the first console to steal my heart. I just got a New 3DS XL, Majoras Mask Edition, my third 3DS in total. The first one was a pretty random buy. I heard the reviews and thought I didn't need one, but got one as a comfort after a having an unusual hard day. That was in October 2011. Almost every day since then I've been playing on my 3DS before I go to sleep. I always bring it with me. I have a scary amount of the 3DS library, most of them in boxed copies. I got my sister a 3DS XL a few years ago and yesterday I gave my boyfriend a New 3DS XL as a Valentines Day gift. I can only hope he'll like it as much as I do.
@rjejr
I had SOCCER. That goes back to the early 80's.
@rjejr I am. And a few years ago my worthless brother got one for my other worthless brother for Christmas, who took it home with him after letting me play for like 5 minutes.
My history with dedicated gaming handhelds is pretty odd. My first handheld was a Sega Nomad. That was the only handheld I actually owned until I bought a GBA SP around 2004-2006. Then I began to dive into handheld gaming with the GBA SP, DS, and PSP. It honestly changed me as a gamer and introduced me to countless amazing games.
I now probably play on handhelds more than ever even though I still game on consoles a lot. Long live portable gaming!
Console were always my bread and butter, but when I got my first job doing construction in which we constantly traveled out of state and stayed in motels for sometimes weeks at a time I became a portable man. Game Boy Advance was my first foray. Then I deployed overseas in the mid 00's and the DS became my choice of gaming. Every since them portables pretty much replaced home consoles to me. I play them far more. I take my 3DS with me everywhere and I love the games on it. I still like console games but I don't nearly play them as much as I should.
I think part of the feelings of attachment to a portable system is that you can take it with you and play anywhere. It's a more personal, intimate even, experience.
My first was a Gameboy with Pokemon Yellow, i used so many batteries, but they were cheap at the time, like one dollar for a packet of double AA's, so it;s okay.
Have had every Nintendo handheld from Gameboy right up to 3ds. Still remember getting original for Christmas morning with Super Mario Land and Tennis. I still have original game and watch systems, Gameboy, GBC, GBA,etc. GBA my favorite hand held system of all time. Nintendo just equals fun gaming for me. And virtual console, lookout!! Never stop gaming!
@Shoxir GBA SP (with the bright screen) is still Nintendo's best designed hardware: perfect size, almost indestructible, immense battery life, endless top quality titles. I have several of them - my Zelda one with the bright screen being my fave!
@rjejr Ahhh memories
@rjejr I'm not quite old enough but my older brother was big into gaming. He had all kinds of those LED games (that he has since passed down to me). It was one of my first gaming memories. That and the Sega Master System he brought home from South Korea.
My 2DS is great, but I remember when I got a Gameboy Advance a while back. Staying up late playing FireRed and Emerald along with Yoshi's Island. Good times and now they have emulators
I agree, I love handheld gaming now. It just fits in well with my life. And I agree with the sentiment that it's the intimacy that draws me in-- the portability is only a small part of it. Heck, I play my 3DS XL (now New 3DS XL) and Vita more at home than I do on the go. Even at home, when I can play Wii U or PS4 games, I often turn on a handheld.
I consider myself to be mainly a home console gamer. Specifically Wii U. But despite this clear ratio of Wii U to 3DS gaming, (and keep in mind, I rarely ever touch my 3DS at all) I still love the thing more then my Wii U. If something happened to my consoles, I would be moreso distraught at the loss of my 3DS then my Wii U. It's odd, but I think you are right. It's more personal, it's more... me. And though I'm the only person who gets to touch my Wii U in my household, it still wouldn't be as much of a loss to me. I think I'd only be upset at the loss of money, not the console itself. I do want a New 3DS, and I'll get one soon as I can, but my 3DS isn't going to be exchanged for it. It's not even going to be handed off to someone else. It's going to sit in my room with the rest of my unused consoles as yet another staple in my gaming world. And because I've spent so much time personalizing it and making it something I can just smile at every now and again, I pick it up once in a blue moon just because I can't resist.
I'm not even a fan of the Zelda series, but I bought that Majora's Mask 3DS theme just because it looks so frikkin cool! That's the allure portable NIntendo consoles have!
With me still owning a launch 3DS my interest in the console has waned a little bit over the years but with my New 3DS arriving in the mail tomorrow I have a feeling my handheld addiction will be in effect once again! I just wanted a 3DS that could relatively keep up with my Wii U's Miiverse and Internet Browser and this looks like it will do that nicely! If you are like me and own both current gen Nintendo systems then you likely will have more games this year than you have time to play, at least that is how it is for me! Owning a Nintendo handheld is a must.
@nostalgianinja Wow, we were about the same age. Honestly, I dreamed of having a Gameboy since I was a kid. <3
I have been a Nintendo handheld fan since the original Gameboy. I was lured away by the Game Gear and the Lynx but came back when the Gameboy Color was released, and have had every portable Nintendo system ever since. Again I did stray to try out the PSP and the Vita but they just didn't have the compelling games that the Nintendo portables brought to the table. In the end I have just learned that when it comes to portables, Nintendo is where it is at.
And I totally agree about the phone and tablet market. There are some fine games out there for iOS and Android but there are always the distractions of all the notifications going on in the background. When I kick back and game on the couch I want to GAME, not get interrupted by a work email or a Facebook message.
This article's title insulted the feelings of my PSP.
Actually, I feel attachment to ALL my consoles. I always feel satisfied when I look at them, or turn them on. I have all my GameCubes and wiis still.
Man... now that i think about it, i have actually owned virtually every Nintendo handheld since the GameBoy. Might have missed one model here (Advance SP, one of the Color's maybe, and an original DS model perhaps) but Nintendo's handhelds are just the best.
Nothing else can you play so comfortably in your bed.
I have a personal attachment to all types of gaming machines I own, but for each in their own way. Chilling on the couch with headphones on playing your favorite game on a handheld is a great way to spend your night if you ask me.
Christmas 1989 was when I first got the GameBoy with Tetris and Super Mario Land. The handheld was a amazing when I first tried it.I'm glad Nintendo is still king of handhelds after all these years
Great article! It was a pleasure to read it! It could totally relate in this love story towards portable Nintendo systems except that in my case it started with the first game boy. I then owned every different portable systems with only 2 exceptions (game boy pocket and DSi). But I've never worshiped a system as much as the 3DS family. Just bought my third one, the beautiful Majora's Mask edition.
Feel exactly the same way. Me though, I owned a Gameboy and GameGear as a kid, then in my teens I got a GBA SP, later the launch model DS, and finally the launch model 3DS.
I have since bought a DSi XL, a 3DS XL, and as of Thursday night, a new3DS XL.
I feel a connection with this new3DS XL like I haven't felt with any handheld before (save perhaps my Fire Emblem Awakening edition original 3DS, and probably the MH4U edition new3DS XL when it arrives tomorrow, simply because I'm such a huge fan of those particular games)). It's sexy, it's got awesome 3D finally, the Cstick rocks, the speed is so much faster, Amiibo support, and most importantly I'm playing Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate on it, and I love MH.
I think that's what does it right there. When you play a few games you absolutely love on the handheld. MH4U alone is doing that for me. Majora's Mask doesn't hurt either, or the soon to be released Code Name STEAM and Xenoblade. This is one heck of a handheld- gotta love it.
Great write-up Tom. I've owned every Nintendo handheld since the Gameboy Color and haven't looked back since. Nintendo's handhelds will always be king of portable gaming and there have been some handheld Nintendo titles that just as good if not better than console counterparts and console games in general.
I've had personal connections with all of my Nintendo consoles, but I feel like the 3DS and Wii U have the strongest bond compared to all of my other consoles. There's more games I love playing, a lot of features outside of the games itself, and it always feels very enjoyable whenever I have my speakers plugged into my 3DS for those long hour sessions of gaming.
Nintendo portables - and portable gaming in general - hold a special place in my gaming heart. I owned the original Game Boy, bought when it was $89.99 new at a local Toys R Us. It came bundled with Tetris, so it was my first (and only) game for a long time. That Game Boy was my constant companion. Although, as the years wore on, I became envious of those who owned Game Gear and Nomad systems.
I've owned at one point nearly Nintendo portable and iteration (Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Color, GBA SP, NDS, DSi, now 3DS/New3DS). I had a PSP in my college years, but none of the games really did it for me and I sold it after a couple of years (although Sony has finally got my attention with the Vita). I play almost zero "phone/tablet games" because most of the quality titles on-the-go are on 3DS and Vita. Now as a full-time working stiff and parent, most of my gaming is done outside the home. That is why I see the importance of Nintendo tightly integrating console and portable because many of us who grew up with Nintendo are working full-time with families. It's simply more convenient to do gaming during work lunch instead of late at night, tired, after the wife and kid(s) go to bed.
My best friend bought the New 3DS XL. I went to his house yesterday to play Smash, and I do say I liked the quality of the system. I do not like the button placements though.
Nintendo handhelds have always been quite special to me.
After my family got a Gamecube for Christmas 2003, I got a Game Boy Advance a few days later. It may have run on batteries and had a dim screen, but I loved it. For Christmas 2008, I got a used Game Boy Advance SP and fell in love with that little guy too.
I got a DSi for Christmas 2009 and quickly made use of it. No longer would I have to borrow my younger brother's DS Lite.
Then in 2011, I got the 3DS the day it launched. I have put well over a thousand hours into the system (I think it is around 1700 hours). Unfortunately, I wasn't smart with the protective case I bought, so the system has scuffs that will likely be there forever. I love my 3DS, and will keep it as long as it is in one piece.
Steal my car, its insured, even if i lose a couple hundred bucks in the process.
Steal my phone, i'll just buy another on sale.
Throw 10% of my Facebook friends into a volcano, i might not notice.
Steal my 2DS, or before it, my 3DS, my DSlite, my DSphat, my GBAmicro.......
i'll beat your entire genetic line to hades with your own arm.
Excellent piece, Tom, I completely agree.
To me, portable gaming is particularly special because it travels around with me in life. I'll play through a game and months later, when I'm replaying it, I'm suddenly reminded of the events that were surrounding me the last time I played it.
I'll be playing through Pokemon Platinum and be reminded of the time I battled with a friend as we sat in the waiting room of a hospital, playing the games to distract ourselves from the fact that his mom had just had a heart attack. I'll play through Metroid Fusion and be reminded of the six hour car ride to my grandpa's house over the Christmas that I got it. I'll play through Super Mario 3D World and be reminded of my first year in high school.
It's the portable games that I bind to memories of specific "eras" in my life and it's through replaying games that I'm occasionally reminded of things gone by. Life's an endless fantasy, eh?
The DS lite was my first gaming system, and I played it so much. I continued to play on it even when I got a Wii. Now I have a New 3DS and Wii U, and I play my 3DS far more than my Wii U. I always get more attached to handhelds than console
I've always considered myself as a handheld gamer. I started out with the GameBoy Color when I was five when the GameBoy Color was first released. My parents got me both Pokemon Red & Blue to play, to this day it's still my favorite series to play.
The first home console I got was the thin PS2(which I still have). I got quite a few games and some Play Station games as well. A couple fav Star Wars: Battlefront 2, Jak series, and The Legend of Dragoon. A few years ago I was given my Great Aunt's NES regardless how old it was I played the crap out of it and I still have it. The first Nintendo console I bought myself was the Wii U.
However I stuck by Nintendo's handheld systems, they really do have a special connection. My GameBoy Color, I played the crap out of it. Unfortunately I was careless with it one morning and broke the screen, I was devastated cause I couldn't see what it was playing. I tried saving up for the GameBoy Advance but was a little short when it actually came out. Luckily my mom went out and bought it for me after seeing how hard I tried saving for it. From there on I made sure to take better care of my stuff. That GameBoy Advance was tough it survived a great deal of punishment from my sister(don't know how many times she threw it down the stairs "plain wooden stairs"). I continued by getting the SP but held off from getting the bulky DS and got the DS Lite. Unfortunately at the time I had to sell things in order to buy it. Something that I still regret about doing, I sold both my GameBoy Advance and SP. At the time I thought the DS Lite could play GBC games and I was angry to find out it couldn't. I plan to buy a working SP again along with Pokemon Red/Blue and Silver/Gold to be able to play some of my old favorites again. I've kept my old DS Lite and have bought another one to do trades and such. I've got the 3DS, 3DS XL and soon the New 3DS XL it's coming in the mail either tomorrow or Tuesday.
The handhelds have always been my preferred gaming system because you can take them anywhere. Home consoles are still great but the handhelds have always been special to me. When I was little it was always the thing I had with me during the car ride during vacation or simply going around town. It's just an all around great system to have.
@Captain_Gonru - I think after that football game I got into beer and heavy metal music, changed cliques from geeks to freaks, and became a closeted console gamer. A part of that feeling may still reside within my subconscious.
@Kroisos - Well now you know what to ask for next Christmas. Maybe all your worthless brothers can chip in and get it for you
@shredmeister - Don't remember the soccer one, though I doubt anybody in my neighborhood would have had a soccer one anyway way back then, but my wife says she had the baseball one. She was an odd girl growing up.
I miss my big gray brick from 89'. It was the first system I ever beat a game on, and it lasted me well into the Game Boy Color release up to when I replaced her with a GBA SP, which was promptly stolen less than a year after I got it. My old brick would still be with me but over the years I started literally losing pieces of it, starting with the battery pack, then the contrast knob, before one day the whole system was missing.
My current Handheld group that goes with me everywhere is my 3DS XL which I will retire as soon as I find it feasible to drop another $200 on a new console, my backup DSLite and a fully loaded 'hacked' PSP that I only ever touch when I have an itch to play Star Wars Battlefront 2, EDFPortable or GTA.
I feel the same way though in that I do NOT want to trade in my red and black 3DS XL toward a 'new' 3DS. I get attached to things like handhelds and vehicles, so I always shed a few tears when they are gone, and often regret having replaced them later on down the road. On the other hand I have gone through four PS2's and when they break or get stolen, I just get frustrated that I can't use the machine, not that I had a personal connection to it, so I get it. It also helps that the current range of handhelds has so many limited edition designs and colors, (and the N3DS has those faceplates for even more personality) we are only getting more and more personal with our handhelds.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who beams at my shiny red and black 3DS XL along a line of others well worn blacks and blues and mario editions and zelda editions all lined up on a table and sharing streetpass with each other with a blinking green orchestra as their owners look on with a small glint of satisfaction in their eyes that they are a part of the chorus. We all have our color, and dealer be damned if they don't have that color when I come in to buy it.
@rjejr how do you attach pictures to the comments? I tried to add a picture of my first portable game system which is probably at least as old as your football game. It was called "Scramble" by Tommy Tronic. It was a little spaceship game that took like 6 d cell batteries to run for a day. After that though I purchased every nintendo handheld from the original gameboy all the way to new 3ds xl last week.
80s-era gamer here. Played a number of LCD handheld games before eventually getting a Game Gear. It never really captured my attention the way home consoles did, so I didn't get another handheld until the GBA, which I bought on eBay late in the life cycle. It was so good, I shortly thereafter got a GBA SP, then pretty much every handheld released after that. So I missed out on the early Game Boy generations (original, pocket, color).
I can say that in all my handheld systems ever owned, my two favorites have been my blue GBA SP (so much Fire Emblem!) and my black launch era 3DS. This past Friday I put the black 3DS into retirement (and it looks amazing considering I took it with me everywhere and never put a case on it; the serial numbers literally rubbed off) in favor of a red New 3DS XL. (definitely would have gotten the standard New 3DS in white if it existed in the U.S.)
The new one is pretty, and I like it a lot, but the back plate got pretty badly scratched within two days of having it. Not sure how. It's also very big, and less conducive to throwing in your pocket to go out and get Streetpass hits. I ordered the Zelda themed protective case for it from Club Nintendo, but who knows when that will ship. Clearly I need to find a way to protect it in the meantime.
Either way, the point is that the 3DS has been an absolute monster of a system, with a ton of incredible games. As an "ambassador," I have a bunch of VC games on my system I haven't even played yet. The system also has THREE (count 'em) fully 3D Zelda games, plus an incredible Zelda VC catalog, and can play the DS era Zelda games, making it perhaps the most Zelda-accessible system ever made. That's really all you need to know, but there's so much more available. I'm going to go ahead and put down a marker that the 3DS is Nintendo's best ever gaming system. (Historically, I have always given that title to the SNES, but I think the 3DS has finally taken the lead, in my book).
My first handheld was the GameBoy Advance when I was around 5.
@Ps4all
[img]link-to--your-picture-here[+img]
Replace the + sign above with /.
Anyway, after the first gameboy with Tetris and Mario 25 years or so ago, the New Nintendo 3DS will be my first dedicated handheld console. I hope it'll arrive early this morning since it should have been delivered last Friday/Saturday. Nice read @ThomasBW84.
I have owned every iteration of Nintendo handhelds, and enjoyed them all. Except the micro, that is. A 3DS has not been in my hand a single day since I got it, whether it be original or XL. I was even hospitalized and was woke up 1/2 an hour to go over the next surgery, and I insisted I clear my street pass as my light was green, before they put me back under. Boy, that sounds kinda weird. I probably need some help.
@earthboundlink That's funny you mention the "Zelda accessibility" of the 3ds. I was just thinking that this evening- you can literally play every Zelda game ever released up to windwaker. LOZ being possibly my favorite franchise in all of gaming makes the 3ds very near and dear to my heart.
@@edit@@
I forgot-no link to the past.
@BensonUii Thank you!
. That was my first portable.
If you are a die hard Nintendo handheld collector's then you must have had at least all of these (except for the 1DS) in your retro gaming collection.
Game and Watch 1
Game and Watch 2
Game Boy Original
Game Boy Play It Loud! version
Game Boy Pocket
Game Boy Light
Game Boy Color
Game Boy Advance (original)
Pokemon Mini
Game Boy Advance (backlit)
Game Boy Advance SP (frontlit)
Game Boy Advance SP (backlit)
Game Boy Micro
Nintendo DS (original)
Nintendo DS Lite
Nintendo DSi
Nintendo DSi XL
Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo 3DS XL
Nintendo 2DS
Nintendo New 3DS & New 3DS XL
And just for laughs, here's the infamous 1DS too
Our family got into the gaming scene with a used NES console back in 1990, I had been playing my cousin's for years and I suppose my Mom wanted me at home more often. I laughably got a Tiger handheld (Jurassic Park in 1993, Mega Man, and I believe Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers) as my first handheld game system and it was horrible. Flashing characters, almost impossible to know what to do, with exception of Mega Man on Tiger Direct wasn't too bad. I finally got my first GameBoy in about 1993 and it was good. It sucked batteries and was hard to see at times, especially in low light forcing you to play with a lamp and tipping it slightly to use the reflective screen to see your game. Sticking with the portables I bought a used Virtual Boy with power adapter in a briefcase from Blockbuster Video for $50 in about 1997 and it was fun, but I later sold it, regrettably for about the same $50. I bought a GameBoy Color for my sister (with Camera and Printer) new for about $150, and then a GameBoy Advance for myself about a year later. I liked the games on the GameBoy Advance and it's big screen was great compared to the original GameBoy. I loved Super Mario Kart Super Circuit. I then left the country for two years in 2001 and when I returned bought a Nintendo DS on release. Playing the Metroid demo was amazing and it seemed like forever waiting for Mario Kart DS. I later sold that and bought the DS Lite, followed by the DSi and then DSi XL. The 3DS was a day one purchase for me as was the 3DS XL. I'm just waiting for my new 3DS XL MM edition to arrive in the mail.
I can agree with what you have said Thomas, there is something liberating about having a portable Nintendo console. They can be played virtually anywhere, while waiting at the auto shop, doctor's office, or catching a bus or train. Being able to have great gaming in your pocket is pretty incredible too. I remember back to the original NES and GB with the Nintendo Seal of Quality, guaranteeing the game to be free of bugs and defects. I can never really remember having a game breaking bug or issue while playing any Nintendo handhelds, just immersive gaming experiences with some of my fondest memories.
I am in the utter nonsense camp.
Nintendo really hasn't been the master lately with their 3DS bumbling. I find myself playing much fewer 3DS games now than on GB, GBA, DS, DSi... which I still keep playing. I hope Nintendo's next handheld will be a return to form after the 3DS missteps.
Always loved handhelds. Got an original Gameboy in 1991 (one of my first consoles), then had a long and fruitful relationship with a Gamegear (and an AC Adaptor, obviously). Wasn't a huge fan of the Gameboy Colour but Gameboy Advance, DS (Phat and Lite), 3DS and Vita have given me hours, nay, years of fun. Whether it was as a kid not having to use the family TV, a Student killing time between lectures or an adult on the commute and now as something to play when I'm up in the early hours with the baby they've always been a part of gaming life for me.
We had a Sega Master System growing up and I grew to love it but the first system I ever owned, all to myself, was the Origanal Gameboy with Baseball; it was love at first sight and I've never looked back. Yoshi's Island, Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Metal Gera Solid... so many great console games have defined who I am and yet, handhelds have always been the systems that really make me happy beyond compare.
Great read! Completely agree.
The DS and 3DS are definitely my all time best handhelds. My sister and Mum would play mine to the point where my Mum bought her own!
When I was a kid I used to get my Mum to kill Lanmola for me on Link to the past, and when she bought a DS I was the one helping her with Phantom Hourglass!
My sister and I shared a save on Animal Crossing WIld World when we used to live together and that was pretty great time and makes me happy looking back. I did borrow alot of bells from her though to buy a Triforce from Redd (Sorry Georgie!)
Now since I have the new 3DS I gave my Zelda 3DS to my Mum and all the 3DS Zelda games for her to play through and she's now 51 and still loving games ;D
I love handheld consoles but if this transfer process between the 3ds and new 3ds is any indication, I may never use a Nintendo handheld again. This has been an unacceptably difficult process, and it looks like I've lost all of my save data for no identifiable reason, as neither my old 3ds or new one will read any of the 20 gigs of data. I've lost 12 years of pokemon collecting, 2 years of Animal Crossing, and countless hours of other games. If this is how Nintendo rules the platform, then it's no wonder mobile is taking over the mainstream.
@retro_player_22 How can you have at least all of them? there's either all of them, or at least a certain percentage. Either way, why the hell would you own ALL of them??? why would you buy a 3DS and 3DS XL?? if you have a 3DS why would you then buy a 2DS? Well done on collating every iteration of the Gameboy into one post? but having all of them is ridiculous.
Game and Watch was before I was born leading up to me being 7, by which point the Gameboy was out. I had a Gameboy, but if I had a Gameboy why would i think Game and Watch was a good idea to buy??? Solus LCD games were terrible. I remember having an altered beast one and a Castlevania one and they were appalling.
If you plucked for every iteration of the Gameboy as they game out, how much wasted money is that? The significant upgrades were worth the investment, Gameboy => Gameboy Colour => Gameboy Advance => Gameboy Advance SP Backlit => Nintendo DS => Nintendo DS Lite => Nintendo 3DS XL => Nintendo New 3DS XL. But plucking for Gameboy Loud, Micro Advance and DSi just seems backward, you would only have looked to buy them if you never owned one of the earlier similar models.
Needless to say, dedicated mobile gaming is probably the best and strongest format going and will always have a place. If anything they will integrate more into home gaming as generations develop, allowing you to take gaming with you and expand communications. The New 3DS XL is the single best piece of mobile gaming hardware ever made, I am utterly blown away by the quality of it and sheer force of the hardware it houses. The screen is ridiculously good with 3D effects that actually surprised me, I always played with it off on 3DS on games like Street Fighter as the stability was so bad and your controls being so vigorous that moving the 3DS slightly made it impossible to play in 3D. This new screen is so stable it has to be seen to be believed. The extra control is fantastic, the interface is brilliant, the processing power and hardware spec is phenmonial for the price and the size of the hardware, a very nippy little machine with stunning graphics, Ironfall is a must play on New 3DS to exhibit that it is more than likely that we will soon see CoD and/or mobile Battlefield at some point in the next 3 years.
That's only just beginning on the software. The sheer volume of quality software on New 3DS and coming up overshadows any other format, home gaming or mobile. I'm really looking forward to the next 2 years on New 3DS, at which point I will be looking to the Nintendo 7 for home gaming and how it will marry up with New 3DS or if we will see indications toward the next Gen Nintendo Gameboy.
Seeing a Return to the Gameboy and NES/64/Game---- brands would be amazing:
Gameboy DS
NES-7 / HyperNES / Nintendo7 /
Infact, future marketing campaign, use the name literally:
Nintendo 7 - Leave Luck to Heaven.
(translation of "Nintendo" to English for those who didn't already know)
To be proceeded by eye bleeding intense. fast paced, hardcore video game footage that makes you salivate and know that you are buying into something big, bad and challenging. Also hammering home that Nintendo has been around WAAAAAAY longer than your PS4.
The next generation of home gaming would be the only chane they would have to utilise that delicious little rhyming couplet, I think it has some punch too, and it puts the Nintendo name right out there and drops the now crippling Wii monicker.
Push for currently in development Next Gen Nintendo Console name and marketing to be:
Nintendo 7 - Leave Luck to Heaven!
With hardcore marketing campaign. Any thoughts???
I love handheld gaming. There's something wonderful about having everything you need to game self-contained in one little unit and I'm still legitimately impressed by it. Handhelds have the ability to be suck me into my own little world more than when gaming through the TV partly because I am less prone to distraction. I actually rarely game away from home, but it's nice to sit or lie comfortably without having to be tethered to the TV. If I need a break but can't turn the game off I can just put a handheld to sleep and not worry about wasting electric.
I've been gaming on handheld platforms since the GBC and these days find that they command more of my gaming time, on average, than any of my home consoles. I'm especially fond of the Vita but my favourite handheld of all time is the DS.
I was the same growing up. I wasn't allowed a handheld until one fateful trip to the US of A where the Atari Lynx was dirt cheap in comparison to price in the UK. I think it was practically half price, definitely less than $100. Of course, this was because it didn't sell very well. I won't say the Lynx was a terrible machine at all, I had well over 30 games for it and I look back on some of them very fondly.
I did want a Game Boy. But my parents wouldn't let me have one because it was black and white. "If it's black and white" it can't be very good. Look at this games machine with full colour and so much cheaper, it must be heaps better", they said.
I bought a Game Boy pocket eventually with my first wages. Loved it. And I've owned every single Nintendo handheld since. While I've loved every single Nintendo home console since as well, handhelds are absolutely a more intimate and personal experience that you don't get with home consoles, unless you're on your own in your house with the curtains closed, the lights off and a week booked off work.
I fear that when/if true handhelds die, I will become less of a gamer.
Loving reading all of these nostalgia tales
I will never be a mobile phone gamer, and I personally have never seen why people praise the garbage that shows up on the Android app store. I started gaming on a Sega Genesis, but I have many great memories of the first Game Boy and Game Gear.
And as the years go on, I enjoy the newest consoles, but handhelds still get more of my gaming time. It's much easier to get into the games on handhelds, and the systems themselves have more of a personal feel then a console that you share with other people.
I don't care how many articles come out about how phones are killing gaming or how Nintendo should just give up on handhelds, I'll always remain a handheld gamer.
I want real buttons, a d-pad, and an analog nub or stick when I play games. I don't want to play a "free" game that requires me to buy tons of content to even access basic features. If I'll have to do that, then I'll just stick t games that have a flat price with maybe some extra DLC that I can buy if I wish.
People can praise their phones all they want, and people can write about how mobile devices will kill off handhelds. I've been tothe Android App store, I've seen the garbage on there that tries to pass itself off as a decent game.
I love my 2DS. Not only can I play new games, but I can enjoy classics from the NES, Game Gear, and Game Boy, watch Hulu and Netflix, and discover some of the smaller gems that are in the eshop. My 2DS has more then earned its value, and I find myself playing it more then the Wii U and PS3.
I know people love to slam the 3DS for only selling 50 million, but I think people tend to underrate that audience. Many people like myself don't care for mobile games, and would rather play handheld games on hardware suited to those games.
Right now, the systems of mine that get the most use are my 2DS, PSP, and a little Sega Genesis portable. It's rather funny to consider that more games on handhelds hold my interest more then big-ticket games on home consoles and whatever garbage is being put out on the Android Marketplace.
I'll always love consoles, and I'll always have them to play the latest games. But handhelds are what I mainly play, and I love the games that end up on them.
Loved the Soapbox. I hadn't quite thought about handhelds this way before, but it's accurate. I remember the old Gameboy and Gameboy Advance, and how much I loved them and carried them around with me everywhere, playing every chance I got. And then the original DS came out and I had Super Mario 64 in my hands, and it was like nothing was limiting the handheld system in comparison to home consoles of just a few years prior. I ended up also getting a Playstation Portable (which I also liked, but the disc reader broke early on and I had no warranty, so it became a bit of a brick) and only returning to Nintendo handhelds when I bought a black 3DS about 3 years ago. (This was shortly after the Ambassador program had been going for a while, and it turned out the uses system I bought was eligible for the Ambassador games, so it was a major score!)
Shortly after that I bought a second 3DS, the Zelda Ocarina of Time special edition, so I could streetpass and play multiplayer with the first 3DS. These systems were the heart of gaming for our household for many months. I bought a third 3DS system shortly thereafter, so my son, my wife and I could all game together. Fantasy Life became a VERY popular pastime in our home.
Now I've upgraded all 3 of our 3DS systems to 3DS XLs and intend to eventually pass down the standard size models to my nieces so they can have an upgrade from their DS systems.
Wasn't my first, but I still have it.
Also, Microvision forever!!
How many of you knew that was the first CPU and cartridge-based portable system?
My first system of any kind was an original grey Game Boy, which I absolutely loved. I owned pretty much every portable Nintendo system, and I also own/owned a Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket Color, PSP and a Vita. Nintendo portable systems were the only ones I had a true relationship with, for the reasons you cite. (the one exception is the Neo Geo Pocket, which was great and the joystick was probably the best on any portable system.)
These days, even though I enjoy the Vita and some of the games, I couldn't really care less if it died on me, whereas both my Zelda 3DS systems are more important to me than I care to admit.
Because as much as I want to use nothing but my iPhone, I can't game on it. Outside 2 tower defense games I play occasionally, I play no other games on it. I have my 3ds when I want real games on the go. I'm 32 and im not above playing "my sons" game boy when my car was getting a tune up the other day Thats better then playing candy crush like the rest of the sheep.
@rjejr Had a hand me down one, but the first one I personally owned was the Pac-Man portable game. Think giant yellow circle with a light up screen.
My first handheld console that I really dedicated my time to was a LOZ Phanthom Hourglass edition DS Lite. It was my first gaming device ever, and it's what got me into the community. I still have it to this day.
@Ps4all - "how do you attach pictures to the comments?"
Left square bracket, the letters img, right square bracket
then copy and paste the URL
then Left square bracket, forward slash, the letters img, right square bracket
It's really a pain to type it to show you w/o it actually wanting to how the photo between the 2 sets of brackets
I had the NES, and I loved it, but getting the Game Boy was what really secured my emotional attachment to gaming! I'm one of those people who has multiple Game Boy models and every iteration of the DS line, and it's something that never gets old for me.
I think for me, while the tactile connection and closeness to the screen provide a physical bond to the hardware, much of the emotional attachment is all the places I've brought my handhelds and the adventures I've had with them. Things like playing Link's Awakening on a beach as a kid (and then in front of Mt. Fuji as an adult), Wario Land in the mountains, Harvest Moon as our family drove through farmlands and snow on our way to Christmas vacation, Final Fantasy Legend II literally on the edge of a cliff. I've played Final Fantasy Dawn of Souls on a train in Japan, I've played Pokemon Sapphire in the same towns the Hoenn region is based on! (Kyushu is awesome and worth visiting)
The point to all this is that I always keep a handheld with me, not because I'm constantly bored or addicted to gaming, but because it's a chance to bring an adventure along on an adventure. That's something that consoles consistently lack. The same can be said about game music and the way they can add to our everyday adventures. So go out and do something unique with your handhelds...because you CAN.
@rjejr ha! Thank you!
Hmm, I do enjoy portable gaming, but I think I'm a bigger fan of console gaming at this time. I started with the NES as a kid, and have been playing games since.
I tend to prefer the larger TV screen and the better hardware, I feel the controllers are generally sturdier, and I like the selection of games that appear on consoles more often.
Content-wise portables are obtaining more console-like games (as many of the games I enjoy are ported to virtual console, and releases such as Zelda OOT and MM, Star Fox 64, Mario 64, Xenoblade chronicles, etc), but a fair amount of the time (15-30%) I played console games with others around, watching, or taking turns. Many of the classic games are known for their challenge / difficulty, but having others around to share/watch and be amused by the difficulty was part of the gaming experience, for me. Now that I'm older, I don't have friends around as often, so my appeal for portable gaming may increase, but some experiences are best shared, and console gaming seems the best in terms of co-op games because of the couch co-op experience.
If Nintendo does intend to focus more on portable experiences in the future over console, I hope they include the feature to port to a TV screen (with reasonable graphical resolution), and have a way to add local multiplayer that does not require extra systems/copies_of_the_game to play. That would be the optimal/ultimate gaming console, in my opinion (though the interesting motion controls of the current wii series would probably get lost).
The DS line of systems is well suited for console-like gaming experiences if they were to make the transition, as the DS in general offers a good control scheme for buttons and touch interaction, and the extra screen can help with games like RPG's which are more text heavy and require a lot of info available at any given moment. The processing power can be a hinderance compared to console, but perhaps that has changed with the 'new' line of 3DS's.
Per personal connections, I feel I've an appreciation for different aspects of different systems (i.e. N64 and Gamecube's unique controllers, uniqueness of wiiU tablet gamepad, control scheme and dual screens of DS), but I don't know if I've felt a particular connection to a given system, in spite being a fairly avid gamer. At this time, I think I tend to 'fall in love' with particular titles/games more than the systems themselves.
I agree Tom. There's just something about handhelds that makes me care about them more than consoles. If its one favorite thing I love about handhelds, I can play anywhere I want.
The only console that I deeply value is the Gamecube but that's just it. The DS, GBA and 3DS all have the games that I want and would want to get it someday. I still have lots of games that I want to play for GBA and DS. Somehow I feel satisfied whenever I play games on a portable system.
@rjejr my friends had the baseball one! played the heck outta that! A while back they reprinted a set (using double AA batteries as opposed to 9V), my brother got me baseball, and he got himself Football... Good times
@retro_player_22 why did you post game and watch twice? The second one you posted is only a different G&W... If you wanted to post all the iterations , you missed a few. To my knowledge they were all labeled Game and Watch, no versions to speak of, only different screen layouts (games were fixed to either a widescreen, two screen, vertical or standard screen) and yes, I owned quite few of those "back in the day" as it were.
3ds was good in 2013 but the ball was dropped in favor of wii u support. Last week I bought a white ds to try out some gba and ds games I missed.
@Captain_Gonru - My kids would laugh hysterically at any of those retro systems, they're spoiled.
Yeah, back then we hid our gaming so as not to be mocked, and now my kids get mocked b/c we don't play any FPS games. It's a good thing we at least own a PS3 and not just a Wii U or they would probably get laughed out of school. Well mostly the 12 year old, the 10 year old at least has his Minecraft addiction to earn him some respect. 12 is starting to get a bit old for Pokemon it seems.
i was going to comment that i disagree but then i thought, "where is my 3ds?" 30 minutes later i found my 3ds and during my hunt i realised just how right you are.
One of the things I love about a handheld is the crisp screens. While TV and computers these days have a ridiculously high density, there's still nothing like up-close seeing the dot-matrix. The one I've noticed the most has been my back-lit GBA SP. Plus, that proximity contributes to a physical closeness, that my gaming experience is entirely within my personal space "bubble". I guess what's detached me a bit has been a use of earphones, but that just trades one intimacy (proximity of speakers) or another (in-ear fusion (ha)).
Had the original 1989 gameboy as a kid and have owned every single nintendo handheld since. Something about handheld I prefer. Being able to lie in bed or sit on the settee, take to work and carry with me has always been my preference. Really hope the next nintendo handheld comes soon, switch is showing its age
Tap here to load 96 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...