Exactly. His point about a pear shaped iphone was unironically completely right. Even if its not the most perfect or popular option, it should be an available option. Now you can only get what mastercorp has deemed to be the most streamlined, capital efficient option. And only a couple choices on shelves because "the sheep purchase faster when given fewer choices" Before the corps had it all figured out, it seemed like you could get pretty much any option imaginable. A thousand different devices in a million shapes, sizes, and colors. That's how it should be, always, for the consumer, because variety is the spice of life.
@mind-of-neo I don't think you realize how badly it would feel using a pear shaped phone that experience sounds miserable and I'm sure all the curves and such is just asking for the screen to break. That's stupid
I carry around a ps vita every day, it has a great mp3 player, modding capabilities, and has great games for it too. It may have not sold well, but it is an amazing piece of hardware that is basically a ps3 in your pocket.
It's not just handhelds, either. While the technical possibilities have grown, the standardisation of games (and the platforms they're on) has narrowed them down at least as much.
@@PretendingToBeAHuman I started to play Tekken 7 on my PS4 and when I realised that I had to pay in order to unlock all the players I went back to retro games.
What went wrong is that companies always focused on the most graphics and fps possible and gave up on handhelds. But the public never said they didnt want a handheld: that is why devices like the Steam Deck are insanely successful, because people still, in fact, want a good handheld.
I miss old Nintendo handhelds....I thought that we would get a cool combination of the best qualities of both Handheld and Console Nintendo with the Switch, but we only really got the best qualities of console nintendo with barely any of the best qualities of their handheld side. Hopefully the Switch 2 changes that
I don't think the Switch brings the best of console Nintendo at all. Aside from the hybrid-portable aspect it is arguably their least interesting and unique console ever. Like you'd expect from a compromise, you end up with something that doesn't excel in any one direction.
It's more of the _worst_ of both sides, since it's "portable" but it's too big and clunky and too uncomfortable to consistently use handheld because of the Joycons' poor form factor (and the completely flat tablet build), and it's also a "home console" but it's WAY too weak specs-wise and it's permanently underclocked for battery purposes, so any home console games you play on it are just going to be the worst possible versions of themselves. And even most first party releases made FOR it are often heavily compromised with horrible performance issues (Pokemon being the shining example of it). ...And the Joycons have such horrendous build quality that they drift and crumble into pieces if you look at them funny. Even the PRO CONTROLLER has drift issues. I just completely gave up on my Switch after a few years, it does not offer anything unique that you can't do a thousand times better with emulation and a third party controller.
As a person who owned and loved her Sega game gear back in the day and now Happily owns both a Nintendo Switch and a Legion GO gaming handheld, portable doesn’t mean pocket sized. I can’t pack up my desktop computer and take it to a cafe, I can with my legion GO even if it has a little bag and I bring along a little Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Heck, I can even take it to someone else’s house and be playing on their TV or monitor quite easily by carrying it and two cables. I can take it on vacation and be set up gaming on the hotel TV. While I get your point, even as a kid when I picked the Game Gear over the newly released and much more popular Nintendo GameBoy, people argued it was ‘less portable’ and no, it wasn’t. I could still take it, unlike my sega genesis, to say grandma’s house and pull out a game when I got bored. The greater screen detail was worth the trade off of carrying a wall plug along with the game gear. I still don’t regret the experience of it over the gameboy. While I get your point (I eventually owned a Game Boy Advanced as well), portable and pocketsized are two different things so yes, even if you usually port it out the house with a lunchbag sized carrier, unlike a PC or a games console, it is portable. Its really a matter of whats valuable to you in your port-ability. And I have always been a fan of the greater screen real estate and resolution for the games that I play. My ‘heavy’ ol Legion GO handheld was the best purchase I made in 2024 for how much I play with it. BTW, the thing that has eliminated pocket sized handhelds is most kids have cellphones now which means kids have access to downsized games on mobile. Mobile games are what killed the pocket handheld. Leading to beefy handhelds like the Switch, Steamdeck, etc. which are more like downsized PCs mostly targeted at adults (the Switch is borderline).
New Nintendo 3ds XL is such an awesome handheld. Have many games in n mine from Atari, sega, nes,snes, n64 even ps1 GBA and of course OG GAMEBOY and GBC. All on one device not sure if I even mentioned everything but ya we need a new definitive handheld for the 2020’s.
The smaller New Nintendo 3DS is even better in my opinion simply thanks to its customizable faceplates. Combine that with the built in themes, and you've got the most personal handheld the world has ever seen.
For people who are familiar with emulation and miss handheld consoles some good names to know are Anbernic, Analogue, Retroid, Ampown, Pow Kiddy, and SjGam. They exist, they're just for enthusiasts. There's also the Chromatic which is literally just a Game Boy Color with modern hardware. It runs Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges. Analogue does the same thing and runs almost all cartridges with the right adapter. There's also the Playdate that has original small games that don't have a lot of content crammed in. I understand that these are not as mainstream as the Switch or the pc handhelds which is why I'm bringing attention to it. More people should know about this.
@earendurvoneinzbern7585 I don't think an Odin device is practical for someone who wants a modern GameBoy replacement. Maybe psp as none of the current small Linux handhelds are the best for that.
The New Nintendo 3DS is honestly peak quirky handheld. My entire DS/3DS game library, Animal Crossing Amiibo cards, the screwdriver, styluses and charger cord all fit on one case that fits in my purse, along with one of my DS/3DS, it's absolutely the most travel friendly gaming system.
Turns out having 1 device that can do everything sucks ass. I love having unique devices with their own purposes. I got a Tamagotchi connection reissue for christmas and it's been more fun than any doomscrooling or bullshit my phone offers me. I've rediscovered my 3ds for the 10th time and why it's awesome. The PSP Go and Gameboy Micro are my dream devices tho. Theyre so slim and cute and can go with you anywhere! There's also just something so endearing and awesome about social technology up until the mid 2010s when smartphones became really good. The 3ds was a lot of Gen Z's introduction to the internet and it had some awesome features. The attention to detail and unnecesarry but awesome features are something totally lost now. Who needs social stuff built in to a Switch when you're probably pausing it every 10 minutes to check your phone. And a last though when you bring up price of Pokemon Red and Blue. I have a switch lite that I've only bought like 4 download play games and 1 cartridge game for. I cannot imagine spending $60 on a 6 year old re-release of a 10 year old game. The used market isn't much better either with Animal Crossing being $45-50 used. It's a combination of their strict pricing and so many games being bought digitally that there's more buyer than sellers on the used market. And the worst part is that digital publishers follow Nintendo and will be keeping their games at like $20-30 while the steam, xbox, and playstation ports are like $5. My Switch Lite is a paperweight because there's no option for me. Compare that to the 3ds which was $40 max a game, and regularly sold awesome retro games for $5 and under. There was something for everyone at a budget price point on the 3ds. But everytime I open the laggy ass switch eshop i just end up feeling anxious about money and disappointed
Having 1 device is way less bothersome for this exact reason For Gaming just buy a PC and run emulators But the switch been having banging exclusives this year
The problem with any device that promises do "do everything" is that it'll never be particularly great at any of it. The smartphone is a perfect example.
The thing is that most gamers are casual; the do everything phone is simply good enough. Simply bringing a second device in addition to the phone feels excessive. The real tragedy is that phone games have potential, but the money is in F2P skinner boxes and that line of thinking has infected AAA releases with loot boxes. In a way Pokemon GO is closer in spirit to the original RBY bringing about a second Pokemania boom as the barrier to entry was low, brought in a novel concept that couldn't have been done on any other hardware, innovative, pocket portable and thrived on social interaction before becoming old news for most people.
i dont mind the switch's form factor tbh but i also use a lot of public transportation and also carry a backpack most of the time so bringing around a big switch case never bothered me. I also missed out on the DS generation the last fully portable console i owned was a GBA SP back in the day
I was literally just thinking about this topic the other day! Thank you for another great video dude. Also, I've been watching your videos for a couple months and share them with the five people I know at every opportunity. Keep doing this thing! 😁
Size is a major reason I do retro handhelds. I got tired of having to plan whether I was carrying my Switch with me today. I stick my Miyoo in a pocket and go. The pluses even do multiplayer. Size also makes a difference as to whether I'll whip it out while waiting for something. I do miss streetpass, though.
I thought I was the only one who thought this. I miss the portable gaming era. I grew up with the GameBoy Advance, Nintendo DS Lite, DSi, and 3DS when I was a kid. The excitement of going to GameStop to purchase new games was so magical. Countless wonderful memories of playing games on road trips, the school bus or simply at home. Smart phone and tablet app games lack the same functionality and magic of handheld games. App games are much smaller in scale and don’t have any buttons to push, making the gameplay more stilted and limited. Handheld gaming was awesome because it was like playing home consoles on the go. I really hope that one day the handheld gaming era makes a comeback, because this app era just isn’t the same.
My favorite gaming purchase from 2024 was not the PS5 Pro, or any of the normal games I bought. It was the Anbernic RG35XXSP. I put more hours into that than any other gaming device this year. I forgot just how magical it is to have a proper, pocketable handheld with good battery life.
@@zeta_noir fair enough. Dunno why anyone would insist on a brand new unboxed one, when you can get a near mint/lightly used one for less than 50$, but to each their own I guess.
Anbernic RG406v owner here. It is my first console *ever*, and I'm loving every minute with it. Anbernic is excellent, and their products do a lot to reignite the love for games.
my friend got me a psvita for my birthday about a year ago and i think since then i've really fallen in love with handheld gaming all over again. i've had a 3ds for a while that i carried around but for some reason i didn't appreciate it as a handheld until i got a vita (although i still get a ton of use out of it and it's super fun), but getting the vita (and playing persona 4 any time i wanted) was what really made it click. as a result, i now look at my switch with annoyance. it's a lovely console and i adore it to death and i'm crazy excited for the switch 2, but i just wish it was more portable. a switch is nowhere near as easy to just whip out unless i have a significant amount of downtime, compared to a handheld where i can whip it out whenever i have, like, 5 minutes to kill, whereas i feel like i need at least 10 minutes with a switch.
it's crazy how the only pocketable handhelds on the market are semi-illegal emulator boxes. I really want to design my own ds-like handheld, and call me delusional, but I have the skills and knowledge (and credentials and tools) to potentially do it. Something with a focus on indie games, probably quite a bit less or around the same power of the switch, but with dual matching touch screens. I know it seems impossible, but look at the success of things like the playdate and even analogue pocket. Leaving this on a video with 12k views is crazy lol. Edit: I'm going to make a prototype with a raspberry pi in a couple months, we'll see what happens after that.
I sold my switch oled last year and bought a ps vita. Haven’t touched my steam deck since and now I’m thinking of selling it too. I just realized why we have so many mobile games today. It’s because they were trying to emulate handheld consoles for the past decade or so. And yet video game companies have now moved to not so portable handheld devices. I’m loving how my ps vita is so portable. I think we should go back to actual portable handhelds or at least companies should make variants of 5 inch screens.
I have a switch lite with the flip case on it. It’s still an iPad mini with shoulders on it and no web browser, but it’s easier to carry around than a full size switch.
I recently hacked my 3ds and I feel like reliving the era all over again. I can't believe how fun this console is and I regret so much I didn't hack it earlier. Playing the games I never had or finishing old games feels so much fun i can barely have any work done.
Shoutout to the PS Vita for being a better PSP and one of the most underrated portable gaming consoles. I only wish it had more PSX/PSP games, and It's just a shame Sony dropped the ball so hard with it.
emulator handhelds are in! i really like the miyoo mini plus and i just got a retro pocket 5. i like the miyoo because while running custom firmware you can run all kinds of quirky apps. it really feels like a unique gadget
The Nintendo DS was a golden handheld console, even my mother had a DSi XL and I destroyed it by throwing it in a washing machine. Don't worry, it'll get repaired in the near future after my mother discovered a store that can repair these consoles.
Now you can't even play a game you own on more than one profile. I've seen someone buy a game 3 times so 3 people could play on the same family console.
Appreciate the vid, the gameboy SP brings back great memories. But if they made a new switch with the fun menu types the 3DS and Wii had I would be super happy
I'm all confused by this video when you got things like the Steam deck, the legion go, the switch, the Odin 2 family, the Rog Ally. The fun is seeing what amazing games you can run in these devices and not having to be tied down to a specific brand of games.
I think handhelds fell from grace when it came to charging the battery. Current gen handhelds don't have removable batteries (which wear out faster than their predecessors), and have fragile charging ports (they really should have an additional port).
Anbernic is so close to getting us back to some place special with handheld gaming. A few more features added to their devices and we're all set. Back up off my 4-Chan Dungeon, son. Those ceiling-high anime DVD box towers didn't stack themselves. Also, yes, I think those stains are removable, and no, I don't need to explain how they got there.
1) The Switch hasn't really harmed portability enough to the point of being impossible to carry since carrying cases exist and they're not really hard to take so I don't see how it would be inconvenient 2) You can't just say that Nintendo has released "the least interesting games ever" because it's quite completely the opposite. You don't become one of the best selling videogame consoles of all time if the games were uninteresting (because they weren't) they've made some of the best games this generation that easily match those of the GameCube and Wii days, many fans consider their modern entries the best in their respective franchises and even newcomers loved them enough to become new fans of them which has also made smaller franchises actually succeed with this system compared to every other Nintendo console that came before it 3) Just because the Switch doesn't have another screen or apps that most people really use, doesn't really make the system bad or uninteresting, a console means absolutely nothing at all if there are no games let alone good ones and the Switch has many good games, the library is full of original entries and not mostly Wii U ports that some people think it is. 4) How can you ignore the massive impact that Switch genuinely had in the industry by having not only a game changing concept that still bothers me that people aren't appreciating enough for how seamless it is, but also it has changed handheld gaming forever and we wouldn't have the other modern handhelds that we have now if it wasn't for the Switch's impact in the industry. I mean no offense, but you were kind of ignorant with this video and disregarding the good that modern handheld gaming has.
It’s time you all discovered the wonderful world of portable emulators! There are tons of offerings! Load up your entire retro library and live like the good ol’ days!
There isn’t a major handheld device that I did not own back in their time. Gameboy, GB color, GB advance, DS, 3DS, PSP, Vita. I have rocked them all. & they all offer watered down stripped down ports of real games. Some ppl might appreciate the gimmicks but I want to play real games. I waited 30 damn years so I could play real games on a handheld device instead of stripped down versions, full of compromises. No, I do not miss what existed before the age of portable PCs. But you can still obtain real handhelds, even pocketable ones. They run retro stuff. You can get them preloaded. You can get them for $40. It’s kinda cool that you can fit a psp in your pocket, but this prehistoric era of gaming is right where it deserves to be-dead & buried.
I still have a red PSP. It’s a later model version I imported from China. It’s crazy how small it is & what it still does at that size. Don’t get me wrong. Nothing like that exists today unless it’s basically running retro & mostly pre psp era retro, but the games are compromised. Like Temu versions of real games. thats the sad world we once lived in. Cheap knock offs of premium console games sold at the same price as a console game. Like the psp port of midnight club Los Angeles. smh. 30% the game 100% the price.
- guy whos no fun like he said portable consoles were cool because they had their own niche, if you wanted to play real games then obviously just get a pc or home console
9:02 i have a phone holder that I use specifically so I can play the switch as if it was docked because my grandma doesn't want the dock installed to the TV even temporarily so I'll never be able to enjoy not having to worry about battery unless I use the phone holder method with a phone holder that has space for the cable to go through
Good video. Saw your mall one and enjoyed that too. For DS it was PDA like a Palm PDA then slim and fancy/cameras and eshop like Apple did. While past handhelds were game systems unless say the Workboy add-on to the Gameboy or something. PSP is more Sony type of each time fitting in with a tech look. Nomad/Game Gear are big but make sense due to parts of the time. Also Nomad Genesis on the go. Turbo Express Turbo Grafx in the go. Both same game carts/cards too. Before Switch. Microvision like calculators or electric or mechanical toys of the era I think. Tapwave Zodiac/Gizmondo are PDA or Pocket PCs of OS or design. Atari Lynx and Wonderswan I think are great multi button direction systems 3DS it varies of cough smartphone New 2DS XL or fair dual screen/dual clap shell sides of DS with like PS4 thicker and different layers, it works but more on 3DS systems then PS4 I find. Of course looks, trends, featuryall different of ideas but looks and fitting in DS/Wii to get them back on track. While others fit prior times I guess or fit that kind of hardware look then 200/d flashy. While Wii U was last of that I guess not just of Iwata era either. Switch feels like a safe console design but with its still Wii like aspects to it and new stuff. I mean HD Rumble, Impulse triggers Xbox One. Entertainment system focus as well even besides GBA slot or GBA MP3 player the Playyan. That or other stuff.
if we are honest we can now do those things with our phones with all the social media platforms and because everyone has good internet now, when those handhelds came out those things were still new and not everyone had the phones that we all have now, but now everyone has a phone like that, and the fact that the handhelds are much larger hasn't changed the fact that you don't need a TV or separate screen, so you can still play it anywhere. now the games are the only unique thing for those handhelds, even though those handhelds had great games, the Switch also has an amazing selection or games, debatable even better, so no the Switch doesn't suck
The Switch 2 should have a 2560x720 3D screen and go back to giving us something still new and exciting. Imagine all the Wii U/Switch level of graphics like Link's Awakening or Super Mario RPG but now with the screen and processing power to make it feel like an actual tiny world in your pocket. Nintendo's current art style would be so good if in proper 3D. The great thing is it's actually LESS pixels to do 720p 3D than it does to fill out a 1080p screen at full res. Which would be more unique and attention grabbing? A slightly higher resolution Pikmin sequel, or a Pikmin game where they look like they're actually there running around? Let's be honest; there is no point in a Switch 2 without a hook. Hell, this entire video is about that fact. I say, lets finally fully realize glasses free 3D gaming on the go. Also, plug-in controller into the bottom instead of joycons to bring back the clamshell design with no bottom screen so we can actually have controls that don't hurt and cramp the hands when you press the A button.
I get it but am grateful the Deck is what it is. Other than Pictochat i never liked forced touch screen stuff in DS games. Wether it's a handheld or console/PC I just want to press buttons. I'm ok with the size for ergonomics, and bite sized games exist on all marketplaces.
i have a 3ds i bought on release. it still works perfectly, yeah the battery isnt great but it was great back then! theres no drift, the buttons arent sticking and the screens are just as bright. i sometimes i stick my 3ds in my tiny women's pocket to play with and im in UNIVERSITY now
glad someone says it the switch is NOT a replacement for the ds line and i wish they still sold either the old ones or the lineup continued cuz it was such a good console and concept thats just gone now you can buy them secondhand but the thought that one day there'll probably be none available or they'll be sold for too much sucks to think about
"Pokemon is so much better with two screens" yeah, to me the switch games are literally not real pokemon games, they are AT BEST side games a la pokemon snap, but way lower quality. Main series pokemon ended with Ultra sun and ultra moon.
The switch games moved backward to the quality of life of the game boy games, but the game boy games were actually better made. They had heart despite real technological limitations when dual screens hadn't been thought of yet. There may have been fewer bugs in the infamously bug-ridden pokemon red and blue than in "scarlet and violet."
Considering how much power we can slot into modern handheld consoles, it seems like they’re leaving so much on the table. There’s examples out there right now in the steamdeck and third party retro handhelds from ambernic, retroid, and ayn. You could put so much in such a small package these days. We could have a new pocketable console from a major console manufacturer but they’re COWARDS AND WONT GIVE IT TO US
IDK about this. Switch is completely fine for me as a portable game console. Planning to buy Switch 2 when it comes out along with the Pokemon and Fire Emblem game that comes with it.
@jw6588 LOL. If PSP is so cool, where is it now? In the dustbin of history, as the discontinued failure that it is. Meanwhile, Switch is the most successful console Nintendo ever had and will have a 2nd version soon.
I miss how gadgety everything used to be. My sister had a Sidekick back in the day and I still think it’s peak phone design.
Physical keyboard phones were something else man
cause there're only few companies that make the chip, soc and os of all tech we have. Devs are stuck on what's on the market.
Exactly. His point about a pear shaped iphone was unironically completely right. Even if its not the most perfect or popular option, it should be an available option. Now you can only get what mastercorp has deemed to be the most streamlined, capital efficient option. And only a couple choices on shelves because "the sheep purchase faster when given fewer choices" Before the corps had it all figured out, it seemed like you could get pretty much any option imaginable. A thousand different devices in a million shapes, sizes, and colors. That's how it should be, always, for the consumer, because variety is the spice of life.
@mind-of-neo I don't think you realize how badly it would feel using a pear shaped phone that experience sounds miserable and I'm sure all the curves and such is just asking for the screen to break.
That's stupid
right? tech feels so homogenized compared to how irt did before. no whimsy.
I carry around a ps vita every day, it has a great mp3 player, modding capabilities, and has great games for it too. It may have not sold well, but it is an amazing piece of hardware that is basically a ps3 in your pocket.
Yeah, I'm still playing my Vita on a fairly constant basis.
Moded vitas are so underrated
im thinking about getting a vita off ebay just to mod when im done with modded 3ds
But it's Sony
Still play mine regularly and it's always with me when I travel.
It's not just handhelds, either. While the technical possibilities have grown, the standardisation of games (and the platforms they're on) has narrowed them down at least as much.
I'm watching this on a PS Vita
Shoutout to Anbernic for carrying the handheld market with 12 retro handhelds released in 2024. Their RG35xxsp was just amazing.
Yeah Anbernic are beasting it it right now.
I spend more time playing on my Anbernic and Retroid handhelds than I do my Switch these days.
@@PretendingToBeAHuman I started to play Tekken 7 on my PS4 and when I realised that I had to pay in order to unlock all the players I went back to retro games.
I love my anbernic rg406v
What went wrong is that companies always focused on the most graphics and fps possible and gave up on handhelds. But the public never said they didnt want a handheld: that is why devices like the Steam Deck are insanely successful, because people still, in fact, want a good handheld.
I miss old Nintendo handhelds....I thought that we would get a cool combination of the best qualities of both Handheld and Console Nintendo with the Switch, but we only really got the best qualities of console nintendo with barely any of the best qualities of their handheld side. Hopefully the Switch 2 changes that
I don't think the Switch brings the best of console Nintendo at all. Aside from the hybrid-portable aspect it is arguably their least interesting and unique console ever. Like you'd expect from a compromise, you end up with something that doesn't excel in any one direction.
I think the switch brought the worst of both sides
It's more of the _worst_ of both sides, since it's "portable" but it's too big and clunky and too uncomfortable to consistently use handheld because of the Joycons' poor form factor (and the completely flat tablet build), and it's also a "home console" but it's WAY too weak specs-wise and it's permanently underclocked for battery purposes, so any home console games you play on it are just going to be the worst possible versions of themselves.
And even most first party releases made FOR it are often heavily compromised with horrible performance issues (Pokemon being the shining example of it).
...And the Joycons have such horrendous build quality that they drift and crumble into pieces if you look at them funny.
Even the PRO CONTROLLER has drift issues.
I just completely gave up on my Switch after a few years, it does not offer anything unique that you can't do a thousand times better with emulation and a third party controller.
My GBA is in my pocket right now at the doctors office
Still walkin’ with that DS in 2025
Just picked up a DS Lite from Ebay.
As a person who owned and loved her Sega game gear back in the day and now Happily owns both a Nintendo Switch and a Legion GO gaming handheld, portable doesn’t mean pocket sized. I can’t pack up my desktop computer and take it to a cafe, I can with my legion GO even if it has a little bag and I bring along a little Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Heck, I can even take it to someone else’s house and be playing on their TV or monitor quite easily by carrying it and two cables. I can take it on vacation and be set up gaming on the hotel TV. While I get your point, even as a kid when I picked the Game Gear over the newly released and much more popular Nintendo GameBoy, people argued it was ‘less portable’ and no, it wasn’t. I could still take it, unlike my sega genesis, to say grandma’s house and pull out a game when I got bored. The greater screen detail was worth the trade off of carrying a wall plug along with the game gear. I still don’t regret the experience of it over the gameboy.
While I get your point (I eventually owned a Game Boy Advanced as well), portable and pocketsized are two different things so yes, even if you usually port it out the house with a lunchbag sized carrier, unlike a PC or a games console, it is portable. Its really a matter of whats valuable to you in your port-ability. And I have always been a fan of the greater screen real estate and resolution for the games that I play. My ‘heavy’ ol Legion GO handheld was the best purchase I made in 2024 for how much I play with it.
BTW, the thing that has eliminated pocket sized handhelds is most kids have cellphones now which means kids have access to downsized games on mobile. Mobile games are what killed the pocket handheld. Leading to beefy handhelds like the Switch, Steamdeck, etc. which are more like downsized PCs mostly targeted at adults (the Switch is borderline).
I feel the same way. Bring back small handhelds! I bought a Gameboy color a few months ago and it’s been so fun
That's why I bought the switch lite. I wanted just one unit to game on, it feels more structurally sound with the controllers built into it
New Nintendo 3ds XL is such an awesome handheld. Have many games in n mine from Atari, sega, nes,snes, n64 even ps1 GBA and of course OG GAMEBOY and GBC. All on one device not sure if I even mentioned everything but ya we need a new definitive handheld for the 2020’s.
The smaller New Nintendo 3DS is even better in my opinion simply thanks to its customizable faceplates. Combine that with the built in themes, and you've got the most personal handheld the world has ever seen.
For people who are familiar with emulation and miss handheld consoles some good names to know are Anbernic, Analogue, Retroid, Ampown, Pow Kiddy, and SjGam.
They exist, they're just for enthusiasts.
There's also the Chromatic which is literally just a Game Boy Color with modern hardware. It runs Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges. Analogue does the same thing and runs almost all cartridges with the right adapter.
There's also the Playdate that has original small games that don't have a lot of content crammed in.
I understand that these are not as mainstream as the Switch or the pc handhelds which is why I'm bringing attention to it. More people should know about this.
The Odins are good to, but very pricey.
@earendurvoneinzbern7585 I don't think an Odin device is practical for someone who wants a modern GameBoy replacement. Maybe psp as none of the current small Linux handhelds are the best for that.
@@OBGat Fair enough, I'm just greedy.
A regular phone is good enough for any game that came out before 2014
@@iamsheel Maybe a separate phone and a controller as most people who would buy these devices would not want to use their main phone for this
I love the Playdate for being a funky, weird, gimmicky device that's clearly not made for everyone. We don't have many of those products anymore
Loved the text and your delivery of it! Great video, subbed!
The New Nintendo 3DS is honestly peak quirky handheld. My entire DS/3DS game library, Animal Crossing Amiibo cards, the screwdriver, styluses and charger cord all fit on one case that fits in my purse, along with one of my DS/3DS, it's absolutely the most travel friendly gaming system.
Turns out having 1 device that can do everything sucks ass. I love having unique devices with their own purposes. I got a Tamagotchi connection reissue for christmas and it's been more fun than any doomscrooling or bullshit my phone offers me. I've rediscovered my 3ds for the 10th time and why it's awesome. The PSP Go and Gameboy Micro are my dream devices tho. Theyre so slim and cute and can go with you anywhere!
There's also just something so endearing and awesome about social technology up until the mid 2010s when smartphones became really good. The 3ds was a lot of Gen Z's introduction to the internet and it had some awesome features. The attention to detail and unnecesarry but awesome features are something totally lost now. Who needs social stuff built in to a Switch when you're probably pausing it every 10 minutes to check your phone.
And a last though when you bring up price of Pokemon Red and Blue. I have a switch lite that I've only bought like 4 download play games and 1 cartridge game for. I cannot imagine spending $60 on a 6 year old re-release of a 10 year old game. The used market isn't much better either with Animal Crossing being $45-50 used. It's a combination of their strict pricing and so many games being bought digitally that there's more buyer than sellers on the used market. And the worst part is that digital publishers follow Nintendo and will be keeping their games at like $20-30 while the steam, xbox, and playstation ports are like $5. My Switch Lite is a paperweight because there's no option for me. Compare that to the 3ds which was $40 max a game, and regularly sold awesome retro games for $5 and under. There was something for everyone at a budget price point on the 3ds. But everytime I open the laggy ass switch eshop i just end up feeling anxious about money and disappointed
Having 1 device is way less bothersome for this exact reason
For Gaming just buy a PC and run emulators
But the switch been having banging exclusives this year
The problem with any device that promises do "do everything" is that it'll never be particularly great at any of it. The smartphone is a perfect example.
@todesziege depends on the device
The thing is that most gamers are casual; the do everything phone is simply good enough. Simply bringing a second device in addition to the phone feels excessive. The real tragedy is that phone games have potential, but the money is in F2P skinner boxes and that line of thinking has infected AAA releases with loot boxes. In a way Pokemon GO is closer in spirit to the original RBY bringing about a second Pokemania boom as the barrier to entry was low, brought in a novel concept that couldn't have been done on any other hardware, innovative, pocket portable and thrived on social interaction before becoming old news for most people.
@@murderman8578 It doesn't really. There are always tradeoffs.
i dont mind the switch's form factor tbh but i also use a lot of public transportation and also carry a backpack most of the time so bringing around a big switch case never bothered me. I also missed out on the DS generation the last fully portable console i owned was a GBA SP back in the day
I was literally just thinking about this topic the other day! Thank you for another great video dude. Also, I've been watching your videos for a couple months and share them with the five people I know at every opportunity. Keep doing this thing! 😁
Size is a major reason I do retro handhelds. I got tired of having to plan whether I was carrying my Switch with me today. I stick my Miyoo in a pocket and go. The pluses even do multiplayer.
Size also makes a difference as to whether I'll whip it out while waiting for something.
I do miss streetpass, though.
I thought I was the only one who thought this. I miss the portable gaming era. I grew up with the GameBoy Advance, Nintendo DS Lite, DSi, and 3DS when I was a kid. The excitement of going to GameStop to purchase new games was so magical. Countless wonderful memories of playing games on road trips, the school bus or simply at home. Smart phone and tablet app games lack the same functionality and magic of handheld games. App games are much smaller in scale and don’t have any buttons to push, making the gameplay more stilted and limited. Handheld gaming was awesome because it was like playing home consoles on the go. I really hope that one day the handheld gaming era makes a comeback, because this app era just isn’t the same.
I paid $40 for my Miyoo Mini Plus and that thing has been more played than my deck.
Nice video, subscribed!
My favorite gaming purchase from 2024 was not the PS5 Pro, or any of the normal games I bought. It was the Anbernic RG35XXSP.
I put more hours into that than any other gaming device this year. I forgot just how magical it is to have a proper, pocketable handheld with good battery life.
You are quickly becoming my fav UA-cam channel
Thank you for not holding a lav mic and opting for a mic that's supposed to be hold.
But funny weird handheld mic. I really hated that trend where they used super tiny versions of handheld mics.
I hate how Ebay and Etsy shoot up for like, millions of dollars now for DSes and Lites.
Bro a second hand DS lite is like 40$
@@invictusgaming7998 he probably means a new one. Prices are ridiculous and hella scalpy
@@zeta_noir fair enough. Dunno why anyone would insist on a brand new unboxed one, when you can get a near mint/lightly used one for less than 50$, but to each their own I guess.
Anbernic RG406v owner here. It is my first console *ever*, and I'm loving every minute with it. Anbernic is excellent, and their products do a lot to reignite the love for games.
The limited tech made devs more creative, and I'm worried we won't have another true handheld ever again.
my friend got me a psvita for my birthday about a year ago and i think since then i've really fallen in love with handheld gaming all over again. i've had a 3ds for a while that i carried around but for some reason i didn't appreciate it as a handheld until i got a vita (although i still get a ton of use out of it and it's super fun), but getting the vita (and playing persona 4 any time i wanted) was what really made it click.
as a result, i now look at my switch with annoyance. it's a lovely console and i adore it to death and i'm crazy excited for the switch 2, but i just wish it was more portable. a switch is nowhere near as easy to just whip out unless i have a significant amount of downtime, compared to a handheld where i can whip it out whenever i have, like, 5 minutes to kill, whereas i feel like i need at least 10 minutes with a switch.
The having to charge joycons in order to play with people drives me insane every single time.
I'm glad I found this channel already as I know it's going to blow up!
It's like watching a stand up comedian talk about video games. 😄
Just earned a new subscriber. I couldn't agree more. Just picked up a DS Lite from Ebay.
Bro the first minute of this video really hooked me I’m happy you made this video
...then along came Anbernic! They are just so convenient! I never leave the house without one in my pocket!
Such a good video, I’ve been wishing that we had some true portable consoles again
You are right but these days the limitations that made them try to innovate back then don't exist anymore.
7:14 complete exploration of that one fantasy universe created in 1948 by someone who died like 30 years ago.
it's crazy how the only pocketable handhelds on the market are semi-illegal emulator boxes. I really want to design my own ds-like handheld, and call me delusional, but I have the skills and knowledge (and credentials and tools) to potentially do it. Something with a focus on indie games, probably quite a bit less or around the same power of the switch, but with dual matching touch screens. I know it seems impossible, but look at the success of things like the playdate and even analogue pocket. Leaving this on a video with 12k views is crazy lol.
Edit: I'm going to make a prototype with a raspberry pi in a couple months, we'll see what happens after that.
7:38 fly ain’t even been in shot the whole video
Totally agree. I really miss creativity of this industry from pre-Switch era.
This was a crazy video to watch on my smart Samsung fridge
completely anti-portable
My first contact with a Nintendo product: Donkey Kong II (Game & Watch).
So, I highly appreciate your thoughts.
3:07 is that a really old pic of the mc from scot pilgrem vs the world?
I sold my switch oled last year and bought a ps vita. Haven’t touched my steam deck since and now I’m thinking of selling it too. I just realized why we have so many mobile games today. It’s because they were trying to emulate handheld consoles for the past decade or so. And yet video game companies have now moved to not so portable handheld devices. I’m loving how my ps vita is so portable. I think we should go back to actual portable handhelds or at least companies should make variants of 5 inch screens.
I am proud to admit I was a ds kid
I'm a game boy kid. Had a Gane Gear too. Upgraded every generation up to the 3ds.
Now I stick to GBA and the Game Boy libraries. All I really need.
I have a switch lite with the flip case on it. It’s still an iPad mini with shoulders on it and no web browser, but it’s easier to carry around than a full size switch.
I recently hacked my 3ds and I feel like reliving the era all over again. I can't believe how fun this console is and I regret so much I didn't hack it earlier. Playing the games I never had or finishing old games feels so much fun i can barely have any work done.
When the chainsmokers find your channel, they're not gonna be happy
Shoutout to the PS Vita for being a better PSP and one of the most underrated portable gaming consoles.
I only wish it had more PSX/PSP games, and It's just a shame Sony dropped the ball so hard with it.
emulator handhelds are in! i really like the miyoo mini plus and i just got a retro pocket 5. i like the miyoo because while running custom firmware you can run all kinds of quirky apps. it really feels like a unique gadget
The Nintendo DS was a golden handheld console, even my mother had a DSi XL and I destroyed it by throwing it in a washing machine. Don't worry, it'll get repaired in the near future after my mother discovered a store that can repair these consoles.
Now you can't even play a game you own on more than one profile. I've seen someone buy a game 3 times so 3 people could play on the same family console.
It is kinda weird that the Switch’s gimmicks, “two controllers for your portable console” and “portable console that docks” clash with each other
i spot tatsuro 👌 good taste
Appreciate the vid, the gameboy SP brings back great memories. But if they made a new switch with the fun menu types the 3DS and Wii had I would be super happy
Bro needs to play Castlevania Dominus collection and Mario Kart Live
Tatsuro Yamashita vinyl 👌 nice taste dude
I'm all confused by this video when you got things like the Steam deck, the legion go, the switch, the Odin 2 family, the Rog Ally. The fun is seeing what amazing games you can run in these devices and not having to be tied down to a specific brand of games.
i think he’s talking about smaller handhelds
Nice video !
I think handhelds fell from grace when it came to charging the battery. Current gen handhelds don't have removable batteries (which wear out faster than their predecessors), and have fragile charging ports (they really should have an additional port).
Anbernic is so close to getting us back to some place special with handheld gaming. A few more features added to their devices and we're all set.
Back up off my 4-Chan Dungeon, son. Those ceiling-high anime DVD box towers didn't stack themselves. Also, yes, I think those stains are removable, and no, I don't need to explain how they got there.
1) The Switch hasn't really harmed portability enough to the point of being impossible to carry since carrying cases exist and they're not really hard to take so I don't see how it would be inconvenient
2) You can't just say that Nintendo has released "the least interesting games ever" because it's quite completely the opposite. You don't become one of the best selling videogame consoles of all time if the games were uninteresting (because they weren't) they've made some of the best games this generation that easily match those of the GameCube and Wii days, many fans consider their modern entries the best in their respective franchises and even newcomers loved them enough to become new fans of them which has also made smaller franchises actually succeed with this system compared to every other Nintendo console that came before it
3) Just because the Switch doesn't have another screen or apps that most people really use, doesn't really make the system bad or uninteresting, a console means absolutely nothing at all if there are no games let alone good ones and the Switch has many good games, the library is full of original entries and not mostly Wii U ports that some people think it is.
4) How can you ignore the massive impact that Switch genuinely had in the industry by having not only a game changing concept that still bothers me that people aren't appreciating enough for how seamless it is, but also it has changed handheld gaming forever and we wouldn't have the other modern handhelds that we have now if it wasn't for the Switch's impact in the industry.
I mean no offense, but you were kind of ignorant with this video and disregarding the good that modern handheld gaming has.
It’s time you all discovered the wonderful world of portable emulators! There are tons of offerings! Load up your entire retro library and live like the good ol’ days!
I love my Rg35 SP! I keep it in my pocket all the time and been grinding old pokemon games
There isn’t a major handheld device that I did not own back in their time. Gameboy, GB color, GB advance, DS, 3DS, PSP, Vita. I have rocked them all. & they all offer watered down stripped down ports of real games. Some ppl might appreciate the gimmicks but I want to play real games. I waited 30 damn years so I could play real games on a handheld device instead of stripped down versions, full of compromises. No, I do not miss what existed before the age of portable PCs. But you can still obtain real handhelds, even pocketable ones. They run retro stuff. You can get them preloaded. You can get them for $40. It’s kinda cool that you can fit a psp in your pocket, but this prehistoric era of gaming is right where it deserves to be-dead & buried.
I still have a red PSP. It’s a later model version I imported from China. It’s crazy how small it is & what it still does at that size. Don’t get me wrong. Nothing like that exists today unless it’s basically running retro & mostly pre psp era retro, but the games are compromised. Like Temu versions of real games. thats the sad world we once lived in. Cheap knock offs of premium console games sold at the same price as a console game. Like the psp port of midnight club Los Angeles. smh. 30% the game 100% the price.
- guy whos no fun
like he said portable consoles were cool because they had their own niche, if you wanted to play real games then obviously just get a pc or home console
PictoChat and Download Play single handedly saved the world from WW3 but you guys aren't ready for that conversation
9:02 i have a phone holder that I use specifically so I can play the switch as if it was docked because my grandma doesn't want the dock installed to the TV even temporarily so I'll never be able to enjoy not having to worry about battery unless I use the phone holder method with a phone holder that has space for the cable to go through
The og DS and PSP were great. Lot of cool games on those machines.
This video was so good I watched it twice 👏
Switch light does literally exist (Ik the battery sucks)
Omg I loved Loco Roco! Thanks for reminding me! I need to get my hands on a PSP and play it again.
Honestly, handhelds in general "never" died. There's a handheld that sold extremely well in every generation.
When pokemon blue released, I played it and still do on super game boy. A home console.
Only correct and factual opinions in this video
I missed handheld devices
Still upsetting nintendo shut down the 3ds shop when nintendo said the switch isn't replacing the 3ds
Good video. Saw your mall one and enjoyed that too. For DS it was PDA like a Palm PDA then slim and fancy/cameras and eshop like Apple did. While past handhelds were game systems unless say the Workboy add-on to the Gameboy or something.
PSP is more Sony type of each time fitting in with a tech look.
Nomad/Game Gear are big but make sense due to parts of the time. Also Nomad Genesis on the go.
Turbo Express Turbo Grafx in the go. Both same game carts/cards too. Before Switch.
Microvision like calculators or electric or mechanical toys of the era I think.
Tapwave Zodiac/Gizmondo are PDA or Pocket PCs of OS or design.
Atari Lynx and Wonderswan I think are great multi button direction systems
3DS it varies of cough smartphone New 2DS XL or fair dual screen/dual clap shell sides of DS with like PS4 thicker and different layers, it works but more on 3DS systems then PS4 I find.
Of course looks, trends, featuryall different of ideas but looks and fitting in DS/Wii to get them back on track. While others fit prior times I guess or fit that kind of hardware look then 200/d flashy.
While Wii U was last of that I guess not just of Iwata era either.
Switch feels like a safe console design but with its still Wii like aspects to it and new stuff. I mean HD Rumble, Impulse triggers Xbox One.
Entertainment system focus as well even besides GBA slot or GBA MP3 player the Playyan.
That or other stuff.
bro I brought my original gameboy to 8th grade every day last year and EVERYONE was begging me to play Tetris and super Mario land
Lol some of the hater energy in these comments is hilarious.
Just make your own video with the opposite conclusion then bros 😅
Saying the switch isnt a unique hand held console is actually psycho
if we are honest we can now do those things with our phones with all the social media platforms and because everyone has good internet now, when those handhelds came out those things were still new and not everyone had the phones that we all have now, but now everyone has a phone like that, and the fact that the handhelds are much larger hasn't changed the fact that you don't need a TV or separate screen, so you can still play it anywhere.
now the games are the only unique thing for those handhelds, even though those handhelds had great games, the Switch also has an amazing selection or games, debatable even better, so no the Switch doesn't suck
I have considered getting 3ds, but I usually carry around a chonker of an android handheld. Gamecube and, Ps2 emulation is wild!
The Switch 2 should have a 2560x720 3D screen and go back to giving us something still new and exciting. Imagine all the Wii U/Switch level of graphics like Link's Awakening or Super Mario RPG but now with the screen and processing power to make it feel like an actual tiny world in your pocket. Nintendo's current art style would be so good if in proper 3D. The great thing is it's actually LESS pixels to do 720p 3D than it does to fill out a 1080p screen at full res. Which would be more unique and attention grabbing? A slightly higher resolution Pikmin sequel, or a Pikmin game where they look like they're actually there running around? Let's be honest; there is no point in a Switch 2 without a hook. Hell, this entire video is about that fact. I say, lets finally fully realize glasses free 3D gaming on the go. Also, plug-in controller into the bottom instead of joycons to bring back the clamshell design with no bottom screen so we can actually have controls that don't hurt and cramp the hands when you press the A button.
I get it but am grateful the Deck is what it is. Other than Pictochat i never liked forced touch screen stuff in DS games. Wether it's a handheld or console/PC I just want to press buttons. I'm ok with the size for ergonomics, and bite sized games exist on all marketplaces.
The switch is so cool and unique what do you mean 😢
i have a 3ds i bought on release. it still works perfectly, yeah the battery isnt great but it was great back then! theres no drift, the buttons arent sticking and the screens are just as bright. i sometimes i stick my 3ds in my tiny women's pocket to play with and im in UNIVERSITY now
glad someone says it the switch is NOT a replacement for the ds line and i wish they still sold either the old ones or the lineup continued cuz it was such a good console and concept thats just gone now
you can buy them secondhand but the thought that one day there'll probably be none available or they'll be sold for too much sucks to think about
I think you might be interested in the Panic Playdate.
Also I have a switch game that ONLY uses the touchscreen; pudding monsters. Lol
The switch is half as fun as the 3ds but it DOES have metal slug and samurai shodown and dark souls and marvel vs capcom and wireless controllers...
"Pokemon is so much better with two screens" yeah, to me the switch games are literally not real pokemon games, they are AT BEST side games a la pokemon snap, but way lower quality. Main series pokemon ended with Ultra sun and ultra moon.
The switch games moved backward to the quality of life of the game boy games, but the game boy games were actually better made. They had heart despite real technological limitations when dual screens hadn't been thought of yet. There may have been fewer bugs in the infamously bug-ridden pokemon red and blue than in "scarlet and violet."
cool soundcloud send loops bro
If you think about the switch is a sequel to the Wii Because now it has sold many Gems now
I love the switch and 3ds and new 2ds XL
This guy is silly
This guy has heard of the Switch lite right?
I miss clam shells.
my brother plays retro bowl on the switch with the touch pad
Considering how much power we can slot into modern handheld consoles, it seems like they’re leaving so much on the table. There’s examples out there right now in the steamdeck and third party retro handhelds from ambernic, retroid, and ayn. You could put so much in such a small package these days. We could have a new pocketable console from a major console manufacturer but they’re COWARDS AND WONT GIVE IT TO US
its fun and disappointing at once. thatks for video!
IDK about this. Switch is completely fine for me as a portable game console. Planning to buy Switch 2 when it comes out along with the Pokemon and Fire Emblem game that comes with it.
I'd rather have another souped up 3DS than a Switch. The Switch is just a less cool PSP, aside from it's improved specs and second analog stick.
@jw6588 LOL. If PSP is so cool, where is it now? In the dustbin of history, as the discontinued failure that it is. Meanwhile, Switch is the most successful console Nintendo ever had and will have a 2nd version soon.