Portable gaming console pricing compared

[James]

Portable gaming console pricing compared

We compare pricing and features of the current generation mobile gaming consoles

[MOnk]

This poses the question; will anyone with a tablet device buy a dedicated mobile game console?

Three big things that tilt the gaming table towards dedicated handheld are controls, games and portability.

Touch screen controls can work well in certain situations when properly designed but a lot of the time are just not that great and often restrict the types of games that you can play. Quality games is also a massive factor, sure mobile games are cheaper and as great as World of Goo is, it's still no Legend of Zelda. Also World of Goo is probably only one of maybe 5-10 mobile games that I would actually call 'quality' where as you are looking at 50+ really good quality games on each handheld platform. Portability is a slightly trickier subject but I feel that 9"+ tablets like the iPad aren't really that portable to the point where you can carry it around with you and play it while going places. Maybe people do, so I could be wrong there.

I think the big market tablets would eat into really is the casual 'non-gamer' market, people who previously wouldn't own a home console or gaming PC and have a handheld as their gaming device they would play every now and then, or people who only really used their DS/PSP once in blue moon sitting on the couch with their gf/wife. Now those people will be happy to fill the time with jamming a few smaller games on their tablets.

If you got a lot of use out of your handheld before I don't think you would genuinely consider a tablet as a replacement.

[4ss4ssN]

In addition to the quality aspect of games I think one should also look at the exclusiveness of some games.

Both the PS Vita and 3DS have their own exclusive titles that you can't play on any other device.

I firmly believe that this holds great value when a person decides to buy a gaming handheld - if you like Mario, Zelda or Pokémon you're going to go with the 3DS. If you're into Uncharted, Wipeout or Little Big Planet you're going to get a Vita.

By the same line of thought I don't think anybody ever bought an iPad because they wanted to play Angry Birds or Draw Something?

That's where the difference comes in. If you buy a dedicated gaming handheld you have an idea of the type of gaming experience you want from the console. If you buy a cellphone or tablet you'll probably buy it for some other reason (I suppose 'being trendy' also constitutes a reason) but any games you install will probably only be on a "oh look, a new game, let's try it out" basis.

Yes - iOS and Android has put some challenge on the gaming market; but only for casual gamers.

I can't see Nintendo rolling out their next Zelda adventure on the iPad...

[TheAvenged87]

In addition to the quality aspect of games I think one should also look at the exclusiveness of some games.

Both the PS Vita and 3DS have their own exclusive titles that you can't play on any other device.

I firmly believe that this holds great value when a person decides to buy a gaming handheld - if you like Mario, Zelda or Pokémon you're going to go with the 3DS. If you're into Uncharted, Wipeout or Little Big Planet you're going to get a Vita.

By the same line of thought I don't think anybody ever bought an iPad because they wanted to play Angry Birds or Draw Something?

That's where the difference comes in. If you buy a dedicated gaming handheld you have an idea of the type of gaming experience you want from the console. If you buy a cellphone or tablet you'll probably buy it for some other reason (I suppose 'being trendy' also constitutes a reason) but any games you install will probably only be on a "oh look, a new game, let's try it out" basis.

Yes - iOS and Android has put some challenge on the gaming market; but only for casual gamers.

I can't see Nintendo rolling out their next Zelda adventure on the iPad...

I have to agree here - the Vita and 3DS will be a better buy for the core gamer group, whereas a tablet and other mobile devices is more suited to casual gamers who use their devices for other functions and not primarily gaming. Granted, a tablet can give you more versatility when it comes to functions other than gaming, but when you buy a 3DS or Vita, you know what its primary use is and what your experience will be.

Even though the Apple's handheld devices were lauded for being an awesome gaming platform, users in South Africa have limited options to play with, unless they jailbreak it, or aren't that scared of committing a little identity fraud to create a US iTunes account (read James' guide to doing this, awesomeness). I can't say the same about Android devices though, as these are fairly open. Then again, it seems to me that the gaming focus is more on iOS devices than Android devices these days.

My recommendation is that someone who is looking into buying a mobile platform in the next couple of months, should decide what they want to do with it and then research it a bit further before purchasing anything.