The Unofficial Handheld Gaming Thread - A Necromancy Attempt

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This board is called Handheld Gaming, but is pretty dead right now. Obviously, handheld gaming isn't quite the hot topic in the video game industry aside from mobile games...if that even counts.

But handheld devices still exist! Game Boy, Game Gear, GBA, PSP, DS, 3DS, etc. Heck, even making fun of the "self-proclaimed" portable Virtual Boy would be relevant. I still play handheld games sometimes and sure might talk about them even if I'm not actively playing any.

Hence, this thread! Instead of having several threads dedicated to separate games, I propose this generic thread to talk about any handheld game or thing or whatever. Kind of a dumping ground really.

And if this thread doesn't interest you, but you still want to write about handheld games or anything of the sort, please consider writing for The 'Shroom which is also a viable creative outlet.

I'll start by saying that Donkey Kong (GB), and Pokémon TCG (GBC) are some of the greatest games ever made for their respective series. Link's Awakening DX is also incredibly well done only held back by the amount of excessive pausing in later portions (but this is a minor complaint for me).

Go on just try to deny these indisputable facts! I'm sure you can't, and even if you do this board will have some sliver of life regained so I still win.
 
I started a new playthrough of Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam.
 
If it doesn't break the forum rules and involves something that was on a handheld at some point it's fair game for this thread, even if one plays it on an emulator. Cheap knock-off handhelds are also fair game.
 
Ah cool.

Of course I just realized I don't really have anything to say about that beyond 'Playing handheld games on Retroarch is awesome because you can use filters to make it look like the actual system'.

Like this is just 👌👌👌👌
Super Mario Land-220831-123052.png


Genuinely my preferred way to play handheld games nowadays.
 
People talking about Pilotwings resort recently actually made me go and give it a fresh go for a bit, and I have to agree, it is a little gem.

I wouldn't mind another game featuring Wuhu Island, really, maybe one where you can finally explore it freely. It'd be neat to get one as a light Switch affair, the kind of game that, befitting its half-handheld nature, you could just pick up and play in 10-15 minute bursts. I guess if that's asking too much though (it is a fairly big commitment for something likely to see middling success), Nintendo, there's an asset I'm sure you could reuse if you wanted to make some mobile game about walking with a two-year lifespan...
 
Since the eShop is shutting down I bought BoxBoy on the 3ds and so far it's fun! A neat little puzzle game but I don't know if I'll buy the sequels because I feel like they'd just be more of the same.
 
I would like to say how utterly small the NDS was, despite how big it felt.
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This is a view of MKDS Rainbow Road. Incredible, isn't it? It seems so small looking at it this way. But it seems so big racing on it. Magical, even. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but I'll be damned if I won't always harbor a special place in my heart for those two tiny screens.
 
Honestly, Mario Kart DS is still my favorite handheld Mario Kart (not counting the switch as a handheld). The amount of content that I got out of it as a kid with no friends was great from Mission Mode, VS. Mode, the best Battle mode for playing alone, and even just drawing a custom emblem.
 
Yes! I have to say, Mission Mode provided a decent bit of challenge for me, even to this day. It's amazing how much they packed into that little game card.

I also miss the emblem creator, but, I understand why they had to remove it.
 
I mean there are ways around abuse of the emblem creator; other racing games such as Forza have no problem implementing a custom decal creator on your vehicles. In like, online play, vehicles can just revert to the default emblems.
 
With the 3DS eShop officially closed now, it's a little sad seeing how empty it is now. Yesterday I bought some of the Persona Q and Q2 DLC. I guess I could have just pirated it afterwards but eh. Who knows when I'll get around to actually playing these games but hey, at least the eShop won't be forgotten.

Rest in peace, you little suitcase fellow
 
Honestly, I practically grew up on handheld gaming. Some personal story time from me:

It was rare that we received a home console at my house. I never personally owned a Nintendo 64, nor a Super Nintendo, and my stint with a GameCube was brief. It's only Wii-onward that I was keeping up with Nintendo home consoles. And as for Sony consoles, I had to hope my brother had them, since there was no way I was going to get them otherwise. Reaching adulthood has allowed me to get both a PS4 and PS5, and now I PC game, but it took years to get here.

Handhelds were a different story. Although I never owned a PSP, I have kept up with Nintendo's handhelds since the Gameboy Color. Would you believe it, I had three of those things, including the special edition Pikachu one. While I never had a Gameboy Advance SP, I did have the previous model and then jumped to Nintendo DS afterward. That is to say, I practically grew up on handhelds, to the point my first Sonic game was Sonic Advance.

When the Switch was announced as a hybrid, I was kind of stoked for it. It took me a while to actually get it, but now I can game the way I'm comfortable with. I'm used to gaming on the go more than I am in front of a TV because of the childhood that I had, so I'm happy with it. In fact, for a lot of games I prefer to get the Switch version even over the PC version despite the PC version being accessible to me because I know I'm more likely to play it when I can just lounge around in bed with it.

I have a fond place in my heart for handhelds and always will, I think.
 
I know it's probably weird to bring something up from the OP, considering that it was made back in November, but this line in the OP really stood out to me:

Obviously, handheld gaming isn't quite the hot topic in the video game industry aside from mobile games...if that even counts.
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Mostly because like...handheld gaming is still incredibly popular. Just look at the massive success of the Switch (sure, yeah the Switch is a hybrid and not exclusively a handheld but even still) or, while they are catering to a more niche demographic than the Switch is and obviously aren't trying to capture the Switch's market share, the Steam Deck and AyaNeo are also hot topics too.

But I can also understand what you mean by this because what I like to call 'traditional' handheld gaming is dead. What I mean by traditional handheld gaming is like the era where handhelds had their own unique hardware and the versions of games released onto handhelds were different from the versions released on home consoles and PCs because there was no way for these handhelds to run the same exact games because of the much weaker hardware.

Compare that to nowadays where a multiplatform game on Switch is just going to be the exact same game like you'd get on the other platforms, just with worse graphics because of the Switch's much weaker hardware. No one is making a special version of a game just for the Switch. And the Steam Deck and AyaNeo? Well those are literally just PCs, you're just playing a PC game in a handheld form factor.

On the one hand, it is amazing that we can play games like that on the go nowadays. But on the other hand, I kind of miss the days when handhelds were unique devices in terms of hardware and games.
 
I can definitely see what you mean. Playing things on the go is nice, but the homogenization of the handheld and console markets does seem to mean fewer games being released in general, and nothing unique for handheld play. That's not even just for the traditional handhelds, either; mobile gaming seems to be joining hands with them, too. Lots of old mobile games are no longer accessible after so many game companies decided to try their hand at making them specifically with that purpose.

It doesn't help they've cut off online access for the Nintendo 3DS, so there really is no official handheld as part of the handheld line that can play online anymore (except potentially through modding).

I like the move to being able to play big name titles on the go, for sure. One of the biggest things that holds me back from playing console games is the fact that they require a television to play, and you have to stay in one place. Still, everything has to be multiplatform and big in scale now, and there was a charm to those smaller handheld games of old.
 
I'm the lil bro. said:
It doesn't help they've cut off online access for the Nintendo 3DS, so there really is no official handheld as part of the handheld line that can play online anymore (except potentially through modding).
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No, you can still play 3DS games online just fine without softmodding your system. They shut down the eShop, yes, but not the entire online ecosystem.
 
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