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Handheld Gamers: How old are you?

myownsummermyownsummer Registered User regular
edited June 2010 in Games and Technology
So I'm 25 and have a PSP, DS and an iPhone. I rarely ever use them for portable gaming unless I'm going on a flight somewhere.

Is it finally accepted that both kids and hardcore gaming adults can share the same console?
Exhibit A: MGS: Peace Walker spot

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myownsummer on
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Posts

  • Cameron_TalleyCameron_Talley Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    27. I play DS games, but at home. Rarely do I do any traveling where I'm not the one driving and thus can play a game.

    I think the DS is an Everyman Console. Not just for kids. Not just for adults. Something for everyone.

    Cameron_Talley on
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  • cloudeaglecloudeagle Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    ...did you really just cite Sony's dumbass "don't play kiddie games" kiddie as evidence that adults are allowed to own handhelds? Really?

    People our age have had handhelds since the days of the Gameboy. No shame in it.

    Edit: Hm. You started the "who is Marcus Rivers" thread too. Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

    cloudeagle on
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  • myownsummermyownsummer Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    cloudeagle wrote: »
    ...did you really just cite Sony's dumbass "don't play kiddie games" kiddie as evidence that adults are allowed to own handhelds? Really?

    People our age have had handhelds since the days of the Gameboy. No shame in it.

    Not that we aren't allowed to own handhelds, but that we've got 30-40 hour AAA franchise titles appearing now (MGS: PW, any of the GTA titles, FF Tactics). These types of titles are much more comparable to a console experience than a traditional handheld experience.

    myownsummer on
    rosievp6.jpg
  • OpiumOpium regular
    edited June 2010
    cloudeagle wrote: »
    ...did you really just cite Sony's dumbass "don't play kiddie games" kiddie as evidence that adults are allowed to own handhelds? Really?

    People our age have had handhelds since the days of the Gameboy. No shame in it.

    Not that we aren't allowed to own handhelds, but that we've got 30-40 hour AAA franchise titles appearing now (MGS: PW, any of the GTA titles, FF Tactics). These types of titles are much more comparable to a console experience than a traditional handheld experience.

    Welcome to 1994, what took you so long?

    Opium on
  • TheKoolEagleTheKoolEagle Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    i'm 24 and my ds comes with me on pretty much any trip that is longer then an hour and I am not driving.

    I also play my iphone in the bathroom all the time. then my legs go numb D:

    but generally i don't play my handheld stuff otherwise

    TheKoolEagle on
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  • cloudeaglecloudeagle Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    cloudeagle wrote: »
    ...did you really just cite Sony's dumbass "don't play kiddie games" kiddie as evidence that adults are allowed to own handhelds? Really?

    People our age have had handhelds since the days of the Gameboy. No shame in it.

    Not that we aren't allowed to own handhelds, but that we've got 30-40 hour AAA franchise titles appearing now (MGS: PW, any of the GTA titles, FF Tactics). These types of titles are much more comparable to a console experience than a traditional handheld experience.

    That response sounds remarkably like a press release. Hmmm.

    cloudeagle on
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  • TalkcTalkc Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    24 years old. Handhelds are my favorite consoles. Always have been.

    Talkc on
  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I've spent much MUCH longer than 30-40 hours on various Pokemon titles, and if we're going by sales figures I'm pretty sure they'd qualify as AAA titles.

    edit: 24 years old.

    KalTorak on
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I'm 25 and I own a DS and play it lovingly. I don't own an iPhone because I'm 1) poor and 2) not interested in the tech at the moment. I also don't own a PSP because it doesn't have many games out for it that interest me. In fact, most of the things on it that do interest me are remakes or ports (the one game that isn't is a dungeon crawling RPG that Atlus put out).

    Handhelds have always been acceptable for adults to play.

    Henroid on
  • RainbowDespairRainbowDespair Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    People were still playing B&W games on portable devices in 1994. Cool though Link's Awakening and Final Fantasy Adventure were, they were a far cry from the experiences that people were getting on the SNES & Genesis at the time.

    I'm 29 and this is the first generation where I've really enjoyed portable gaming and not just for its portable nature. I'm not a huge fan of the DS, but the PSP is a strong contender for my favorite system and I'm really looking forward to the 3DS.

    RainbowDespair on
  • Cameron_TalleyCameron_Talley Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    cloudeagle wrote: »
    ...did you really just cite Sony's dumbass "don't play kiddie games" kiddie as evidence that adults are allowed to own handhelds? Really?

    People our age have had handhelds since the days of the Gameboy. No shame in it.

    Not that we aren't allowed to own handhelds, but that we've got 30-40 hour AAA franchise titles appearing now (MGS: PW, any of the GTA titles, FF Tactics). These types of titles are much more comparable to a console experience than a traditional handheld experience.

    Link's Awakening is just as long as Link to the Past.

    There have been console-like titles on handhelds for years now.

    Cameron_Talley on
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  • Brainiac 8Brainiac 8 Don't call me Shirley... Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I'm thirty, and I have a DSi.

    I own many games for it, will buy a 3DS at launch, and play my handheld as much as I do my consoles.

    I don't use them for just travel or anything, but pretty much when I feel like playing one of the games on my DSi. My current obsession is Mega Man Zero Collection.

    Oh, and I pretty much clock several hundred hours into each Pokemon generation. :P

    Brainiac 8 on
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  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    People were still playing B&W games on portable devices in 1994. Cool though Link's Awakening and Final Fantasy Adventure were, they were a far cry from the experiences that people were getting on the SNES & Genesis at the time.

    I'm 29 and this is the first generation where I've really enjoyed portable gaming and not just for its portable nature. I'm not a huge fan of the DS, but the PSP is a strong contender for my favorite system and I'm really looking forward to the 3DS.

    Oh wow, you're older than I thought you were Rainbow. I thought you were my age or a couple years younger for some reason. Maybe it was the Osaka avatar.

    Henroid on
  • SirUltimosSirUltimos Don't talk, Rusty. Just paint. Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I'm 22 in November. I own a DS, a PSP, and an iPod Touch. The iPod is almost strictly for music, however, with the occasional web browsing and instant messaging. I also own 37 DS games, and whenever I'm not driving I take it with me.

    SirUltimos on
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I don't own handheld games to have a portable gaming option, by the way. When I'm going somewhere, I usually have something to do. So I don't need to be distracted from it. And no bus ride I've been on has been long enough to need it, nor have they been long enough to play something and make notable progress before having to stop.

    Good games come out for handheld devices. So I get the handheld devices to have access to those games. I still play them on my free time at home, as I would a console.

    Henroid on
  • JarsJars Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I'm 25, and the only next gen thing I own is a DS lite. I take it pretty much everywhere where I might want to use it and play on it all the time in public. I have a gba too and like 15 games for that as well, but I just use the ds for them. With only 1 screen the ds battery can go for like 16 hours. I'm just as likely to be playing it while I sit on the couch at home as well.

    Jars on
  • LoveIsUnityLoveIsUnity Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I'm 25, and I have a DS and a PSP. It's the first time I've owned a portable since the original Gameboy. Even though I own both a DS and a PSP, I still don't find myself using my portables outside of the house. I always have a book with me, and I'm more inclined to read than play a game if I'm on a train or sitting around. I mainly use my portables when my partner is using our TV and I want to passively watch what she's playing while playing something else. This may also be because I frequently forget to charge them and need to sit close to an outlet while the batteries recharge.

    LoveIsUnity on
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  • Brainiac 8Brainiac 8 Don't call me Shirley... Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Henroid wrote: »
    I don't own handheld games to have a portable gaming option, by the way. When I'm going somewhere, I usually have something to do. So I don't need to be distracted from it. And no bus ride I've been on has been long enough to need it, nor have they been long enough to play something and make notable progress before having to stop.

    Good games come out for handheld devices. So I get the handheld devices to have access to those games. I still play them on my free time at home, as I would a console.


    This is truth.

    I still play my DS on trips and such, but I play it alot at home just like any of my consoles.

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  • kaleeditykaleedity Sometimes science is more art than science Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I'm 24. I do not carry any handheld platforms, unless you count the work blackberry that I don't care to game on. I was burned by the rapid releases of some of the previous gameboy generations and stopped buying them as I found myself never playing my gameboy sp or advance or color much. I do carry an nvidia ion netbook that's pretty powerful, though, with a large number of appropriate games installed. I'd use it at home if I didn't have a decent desktop, but it's also important for the travel that my job requires.

    I am likely to start carrying a 3DS.

    kaleedity on
  • UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Kind of creepy how most everybody here is 24-26. I mean, me too. How does that work out?

    Handheld games were just as good as console games (and better) even on the Gameboy, which was nearly as powerful as a NES.

    UncleSporky on
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  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Brainiac 8 wrote: »
    Henroid wrote: »
    I don't own handheld games to have a portable gaming option, by the way. When I'm going somewhere, I usually have something to do. So I don't need to be distracted from it. And no bus ride I've been on has been long enough to need it, nor have they been long enough to play something and make notable progress before having to stop.

    Good games come out for handheld devices. So I get the handheld devices to have access to those games. I still play them on my free time at home, as I would a console.


    This is truth.

    I still play my DS on trips and such, but I play it alot at home just like any of my consoles.

    I don't take my DS on trips or when I go out to eat or whatever. It doesn't feel right, and I'd much rather focus on eating rather than pick up the DS, play a minute, set it down, eat a minute, repeat.

    I guess what I was trying to say in that post above is that I don't really dig the whole "ON THE GO!" thing our society currently craves. So I might be an atypical adult when it comes to my playing video games. But I'm also not a mouth-breathing goose by changing my cellphone wallpaper (which, by the way, is a dumb fucking feature) while driving, or needing to check my twitter while dining or grocery shopping, etc.

    When I'm out, I'm doing things and staying focused. Technology is a big part of my leisure time, but when it comes to doing things that need to be done or going out to do other activities for my free time, I don't need technology as a backup or support to it.

    Henroid on
  • RainbowDespairRainbowDespair Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Henroid wrote: »
    People were still playing B&W games on portable devices in 1994. Cool though Link's Awakening and Final Fantasy Adventure were, they were a far cry from the experiences that people were getting on the SNES & Genesis at the time.

    I'm 29 and this is the first generation where I've really enjoyed portable gaming and not just for its portable nature. I'm not a huge fan of the DS, but the PSP is a strong contender for my favorite system and I'm really looking forward to the 3DS.

    Oh wow, you're older than I thought you were Rainbow. I thought you were my age or a couple years younger for some reason. Maybe it was the Osaka avatar.

    Ah, Osaka. My favorite Azumanga Daioh character. I was introduced to the series when I was in college via a friend who had a few of the fansubs back when it was only available in Japan. Picked up the official releases of the manga and anime when they finally showed up in the US. The manga rocks and the anime isn't bad either (my daughter likes the anime a lot more than I do). Haven't watched much anime or read much anime recently though - seems like it's all just the same derivative otaku-bait.

    RainbowDespair on
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    You have a daughter?

    I feel out of touch with my community! D:

    Henroid on
  • TetraNitroCubaneTetraNitroCubane Not Angry... Just VERY Disappointed...Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    cloudeagle wrote: »
    cloudeagle wrote: »
    ...did you really just cite Sony's dumbass "don't play kiddie games" kiddie as evidence that adults are allowed to own handhelds? Really?

    People our age have had handhelds since the days of the Gameboy. No shame in it.

    Not that we aren't allowed to own handhelds, but that we've got 30-40 hour AAA franchise titles appearing now (MGS: PW, any of the GTA titles, FF Tactics). These types of titles are much more comparable to a console experience than a traditional handheld experience.

    That response sounds remarkably like a press release. Hmmm.

    Hmmmm. Previous post history indicates recommending someone purchase a PSP Go. Very hmmmmm indeed.

    TetraNitroCubane on
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Oh shit guys, Sony operatives have infiltrated our Utopian forum!

    Edit - By the way TNC, your sig with that post is fucking incredible.

    Henroid on
  • RainbowDespairRainbowDespair Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Handheld games were just as good as console games (and better) even on the Gameboy, which was nearly as powerful as a NES.

    Except for the whole 4 colors thing and oh by the way, they're all shades of ugly.

    There were a few really good games on the Gameboy (Tetris, Link's Awakening, FFA, Mario vs. DK), but I'd say on the whole, the library was drastically worse than its console contemporaries.

    As for my portable system useage, I use it mostly at home and partially when I'm out and about waiting for things (like at the laundromat).

    Oh and I have 3 daughters actually. :)

    RainbowDespair on
  • TetraNitroCubaneTetraNitroCubane Not Angry... Just VERY Disappointed...Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Henroid wrote: »
    Oh shit guys, Sony operatives have infiltrated our Utopian forum!

    Edit - By the way TNC, your sig with that post is fucking incredible.

    Man the giant enemy crabs! This is an historically accurate emergency! And I didn't even notice the lineup of post and sig. Looks like science is working overtime 8-)

    Seriously, though, on the topic of the OP: I don't see how age has anything to do with acceptance of portable gaming. I've loved it since the inception of the pea-green gameboy, and let's just say I'm dangerously close to exiting the "target demographic" range.

    Interesting, I seem to get the most use out of my portable gaming consoles while I'm still at home though. Even if games like Peace Walker are broken up into chunks for on the go play, something in my head wants to sit down and play the game for an hour or two, instead of ten-minute bursts.

    TetraNitroCubane on
  • SipexSipex Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    So the OP is a sony marketing dev trying to figure out the core audience then?

    I dunno, either way, 24, own a DS lite (my wife has a DSi). We own 20+ games together and will be getting a 3DS.

    I bring my DS everywhere. Good cure for a little boredom. I also play it at home.

    Sipex on
  • Brainiac 8Brainiac 8 Don't call me Shirley... Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Henroid wrote: »
    I don't take my DS on trips or when I go out to eat or whatever. It doesn't feel right, and I'd much rather focus on eating rather than pick up the DS, play a minute, set it down, eat a minute, repeat.

    I guess what I was trying to say in that post above is that I don't really dig the whole "ON THE GO!" thing our society currently craves. So I might be an atypical adult when it comes to my playing video games. But I'm also not a mouth-breathing goose by changing my cellphone wallpaper (which, by the way, is a dumb fucking feature) while driving, or needing to check my twitter while dining or grocery shopping, etc.

    When I'm out, I'm doing things and staying focused. Technology is a big part of my leisure time, but when it comes to doing things that need to be done or going out to do other activities for my free time, I don't need technology as a backup or support to it.

    No no, if my wife, kids, and I go out for an evening, I don't take it with me. But if we are on a long trip, my wife and I usually take turns driving...and that's when I play my game. :P

    But for the most part, I was agreeing that the games are just as good as what you find on a console, so I'll sit at home on my relax time and play my DS as much as I would my Wii or 360. Heck my daughter loves to sit at home when she has nothing else going on and play the DS.

    Brainiac 8 on
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  • myownsummermyownsummer Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    cloudeagle wrote: »
    cloudeagle wrote: »
    ...did you really just cite Sony's dumbass "don't play kiddie games" kiddie as evidence that adults are allowed to own handhelds? Really?

    People our age have had handhelds since the days of the Gameboy. No shame in it.

    Not that we aren't allowed to own handhelds, but that we've got 30-40 hour AAA franchise titles appearing now (MGS: PW, any of the GTA titles, FF Tactics). These types of titles are much more comparable to a console experience than a traditional handheld experience.

    That response sounds remarkably like a press release. Hmmm.

    Hmmmm. Previous post history indicates recommending someone purchase a PSP Go. Very hmmmmm indeed.

    Yea, it's been an odd handheld revival kind of summer for me recently. I picked up a PSP recently (pretty much exclusively for Peace Walker) and charged up my DS for the first time in a year (Elite Beat Agents is just as good as I remembered it).

    myownsummer on
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  • Satanic JesusSatanic Jesus Hi, I'm Liam! with broken glassesRegistered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I'm 27 and my DS Lite and PSP are both my number 1 favourite gaming device (my PS2 is a close second). I never take them anywhere though, I'm paranoid thed they'd be stolen or broken or something, so I just play them at home.

    Satanic Jesus on
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  • UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Handheld games were just as good as console games (and better) even on the Gameboy, which was nearly as powerful as a NES.

    Except for the whole 4 colors thing and oh by the way, they're all shades of ugly.

    There were a few really good games on the Gameboy (Tetris, Link's Awakening, FFA, Mario vs. DK), but I'd say on the whole, the library was drastically worse than its console contemporaries.

    That's why I said nearly! :)

    Actually, the GB had a 4.19 MHz processor with 8k S-RAM and 8k video RAM. The NES only had a 1.79 MHz processor with 2k RAM and 2k video RAM (it also had a 5.37 MHz PPU though, don't know about the GB equivalent). Additionally the GB could support much larger cart sizes and didn't have to render to nearly as much screen area, so you'd think in most cases it would be able to outperform consistently.

    I suppose the main thing is that a lot of devs didn't take good advantage of the GB at all.

    UncleSporky on
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  • HtownHtown Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    cloudeagle wrote: »
    cloudeagle wrote: »
    ...did you really just cite Sony's dumbass "don't play kiddie games" kiddie as evidence that adults are allowed to own handhelds? Really?

    People our age have had handhelds since the days of the Gameboy. No shame in it.

    Not that we aren't allowed to own handhelds, but that we've got 30-40 hour AAA franchise titles appearing now (MGS: PW, any of the GTA titles, FF Tactics). These types of titles are much more comparable to a console experience than a traditional handheld experience.

    That response sounds remarkably like a press release. Hmmm.

    Hmmmm. Previous post history indicates recommending someone purchase a PSP Go. Very hmmmmm indeed.

    And this thread in the whining forum of all things, talking about a Marcus PSP ad. With no actual whining, just asking if it's the kid from Role Models in the ad.

    Htown on
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  • AlgertmanAlgertman Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    28

    I want a DSXL to replace DSLite but keep talking myself out of it

    Algertman on
  • One Thousand CablesOne Thousand Cables An absence of thought Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    21

    I've had my fat DS since the holiday season after it came out. <3 that fuckin' thing

    One Thousand Cables on
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    21

    I've had my fat DS since the holiday season after it came out. <3 that fuckin' thing

    Yeah I still have a fat DS. But man, when you see a DSi XL in person, you realize how inferior it is.

    Henroid on
  • PikaPuffPikaPuff Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    31.

    PikaPuff on
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  • RainbowDespairRainbowDespair Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I'm sure if I upgraded my DS (I have an original fat model), I would use it more often, but I can't justify an upgrade now with the 3DS just around the corner.

    RainbowDespair on
  • Big ClassyBig Classy Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    25, or near enough and I have a PSP (original) and DSlite. I have a severe anxiety disorder so I rarely go on long journeys where a handheld gaming device would be benificial. In the few times I have been on a long journey, I do indeed take the PSP with me. Actually, last time I went to my brothers' place, which is about 2 hours away, I took both of them. Ofcourse I'm always a passenger so I have that ability. As for everyday stuff like popping into town or somemthing, no I don't take them. I'm nervous enough outside that I don't need more reasons to go nuts.

    Big Classy on
  • UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I'm sure if I upgraded my DS (I have an original fat model), I would use it more often, but I can't justify an upgrade now with the 3DS just around the corner.

    As far as not using it more, do you think it's like an aesthetic thing, or like you can't stand knowing you're using an old clunker when something better is available?

    UncleSporky on
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