I've arrived at the conclusion that I want all my single-player games to be portable from here on out.
Maybe I should mediate that a bit; there's certainly at least a little room in my life for consoles. But I feel like there's a standard that needs to be met: the game design must justify the console placement—such as by being designed around the Wii Remote or needing, from a gameplay perspective, the increased resolution and power that only a console can realistically provide today. Or, perhaps, some online feature that needs a constantly connected system.
Beyond that, though, the advantages of the portable form factor and the sensibilities it brings are just too compelling to pass up, no matter how pretty the cutscenes might get.
I'm 31 years old now, have a full-time job, a sometimes-involved hobby in N-Sider, a house to keep up, and two kids. Even if I merge exercise and game time (which is a great idea, if you can do it), it's still just so inconvenient to cave to the console's demand that I both negotiate the TV time with the family and then settle in myself with nothing else going on around me that I find myself, having started with an idea to play a game, end up having lost sight of the fun I thought said game might have been in the first place.
No such problem exists with portable gaming, in most cases. The only thing I need to deal with is whether my attention is needed; with small children, this is of course more often the case than not, but a DS with a deep and involved game is still something I can get into while they're rewatching their favorite video for the umpteenth time—and put it down, quickly, when I am needed.
The great bit is that DS, today, has most of the compelling experiences that interest me. I don't think it's a stretch to say that the PlayStation 2 of this generation, and accordingly, there's a plethora of satisfying experiences to be had—the price point is just the icing on the cake. (It helps, I'm sure, that the cost of entry is much lower for developers and publishers on DS, enabling more experimentation, less derivation, and even just revivals of game styles that wouldn't fly anywhere else.) And I can get into each and every one of them anytime, anywhere, provided my battery has enough charge to get me through whatever I'm doing.
Would I improve on the portable today? Absolutely; like I said, there are some experiences that just don't work there today. Games designed around things like the Wii Remote, for example, may never make it; but higher resolution and more power—provided they doesn't mess with already-developed portable sensibilities like sleep mode—could enable experiences on portables that we don't get today. I'd happily upgrade for that.
In the meantime, I'm sorry, consoles. We had a good run for awhile, but there's just nothing all that great that compels me to devote hundreds of hours sitting in front of you anymore. You're nice for a party or for some special kind of fun I can't get anywhere else, and who knows what the future holds? But, for the meat and potatoes of gaming, you're just asking too much and not giving enough.
Beyond that, though, the advantages of the portable form factor and the sensibilities it brings are just too compelling to pass up, no matter how pretty the cutscenes might get.
I'm 31 years old now, have a full-time job, a sometimes-involved hobby in N-Sider, a house to keep up, and two kids. Even if I merge exercise and game time (which is a great idea, if you can do it), it's still just so inconvenient to cave to the console's demand that I both negotiate the TV time with the family and then settle in myself with nothing else going on around me that I find myself, having started with an idea to play a game, end up having lost sight of the fun I thought said game might have been in the first place.
No such problem exists with portable gaming, in most cases. The only thing I need to deal with is whether my attention is needed; with small children, this is of course more often the case than not, but a DS with a deep and involved game is still something I can get into while they're rewatching their favorite video for the umpteenth time—and put it down, quickly, when I am needed.
The great bit is that DS, today, has most of the compelling experiences that interest me. I don't think it's a stretch to say that the PlayStation 2 of this generation, and accordingly, there's a plethora of satisfying experiences to be had—the price point is just the icing on the cake. (It helps, I'm sure, that the cost of entry is much lower for developers and publishers on DS, enabling more experimentation, less derivation, and even just revivals of game styles that wouldn't fly anywhere else.) And I can get into each and every one of them anytime, anywhere, provided my battery has enough charge to get me through whatever I'm doing.
Would I improve on the portable today? Absolutely; like I said, there are some experiences that just don't work there today. Games designed around things like the Wii Remote, for example, may never make it; but higher resolution and more power—provided they doesn't mess with already-developed portable sensibilities like sleep mode—could enable experiences on portables that we don't get today. I'd happily upgrade for that.
In the meantime, I'm sorry, consoles. We had a good run for awhile, but there's just nothing all that great that compels me to devote hundreds of hours sitting in front of you anymore. You're nice for a party or for some special kind of fun I can't get anywhere else, and who knows what the future holds? But, for the meat and potatoes of gaming, you're just asking too much and not giving enough.