Which handheld?

Ames

Thanks everyone. I do have a tablet somewhere, but I can't remember the last time I used it. I have my laptop for most internet stuff, and my phone for everything else. I'm not keen on touch screen games though, I'm too clumsy with them. I can't even browse MSE without accidentally reporting posts as spam! And the few platform/RP games I've tried I haven't been able to figure out how to play.

It was a good suggestion, I just don't think it'd work.

Plus I want something as a halfway step towards getting a 'proper' console to see if I actually use it, but not too much.

donnajunkie

Bigphil1474 wrote: »

I'd second missbiggles suggestion. We've got a 3DS in our house (somewhere) - the kids wanted one. Unfortunately, the kids spend more time on my tablet than on the 3DS. Personally, I prefer playing free games via Android apps than paying for games for the 3DS. I've got a Sony Xperia tablet, but the Kindle Fire, or Tesco Hudl look pretty good, and when you add in the cost of games, the value for money definitely swings in favour of an Android tablet (or Apple if you are that way inclined).

i personally wouldnt go for a cheap and nasty tablet as you pay for it in poor quality and will often be frustrated. if you have kids that have a habit of breaking things you might consider a cheap one. otherwise i wouldnt bother.
while the apple ipad is very good and you would be happy with it an android tablet is better as its less restrictive. ipads dont have slots for sd cards but android tablets do. if you were to decide to go the tablet route i would recommend the samsung tab s2. its more pricey than a nintendo 3ds though.

donnajunkie

Ames wrote: »

Thanks everyone. I do have a tablet somewhere, but I can't remember the last time I used it. I have my laptop for most internet stuff, and my phone for everything else. I'm not keen on touch screen games though, I'm too clumsy with them. I can't even browse MSE without accidentally reporting posts as spam! And the few platform/RP games I've tried I haven't been able to figure out how to play.

It was a good suggestion, I just don't think it'd work.

Plus I want something as a halfway step towards getting a 'proper' console to see if I actually use it, but not too much.

if you just arent sure about wanting a regular home console then i wouldnt worry too much about that factor. i would just think about which games i want to play the most and what my friends have then get the console that fits what i want, whether that be a nintendo 3ds or a ps4 or a xbox one. having said all that if you prefer puzzle games and like mario games then the nintendo 3ds is the obvious choice.

missbiggles1

donnajunkie wrote: »

i personally wouldnt go for a cheap and nasty tablet as you pay for it in poor quality and will often be frustrated. if you have kids that have a habit of breaking things you might consider a cheap one. otherwise i wouldnt bother.
while the apple ipad is very good and you would be happy with it an android tablet is better as its less restrictive. ipads dont have slots for sd cards but android tablets do. if you were to decide to go the tablet route i would recommend the samsung tab s2. its more pricey than a nintendo 3ds though.

Kindle Fires are by no means "cheap and nasty" and not all of us have the income you do to invest in expensive gadgetry.;)

donnajunkie

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Kindle Fires are by no means "cheap and nasty" and not all of us have the income you do to invest in expensive gadgetry.;)

perhaps i am wrong but i thought they were known to be not that reliable. what is the spec like? anything with less than 16gb internally should be avoided as over time it will quickly fill up. yes you can get a sd card but with every app a section of it has to be stored on the internal memory, sometimes all of it depending on the app. my dad had issues related to this with his phone that only has 8gb. you are right not everyone can afford something that costs more.

Ames

My tablet is a Samsung Galaxy, a few years old. I got it free with my last phone, there happened to be a cashback deal with over £100 cash plus the tablet. As I said though, I'm not keen on touchscreen because I have chunky fingers and they're a bit twisted so I can find it difficult depending on the screen.

I can't comment on a kindle because I have a Kobo (£30 and does me fine, I don't want a backlit eReader).

I don't have friends to play with (that sounds odd to be writing at 35 years old), but I'd like some of the Lord of the Rings type games. I have a habit of getting too 'addicted' to things like that though, so I want something cheaper as a test first. Plus I can't afford a 'proper' console yet, I'd need to deliberately save for it.

Although my mouse does keep hovering over a second hand master system 2 on eBay...

Johnmcl7

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Kindle Fires are by no means "cheap and nasty" and not all of us have the income you do to invest in expensive gadgetry.;)

Definitely, I think they're decent devices even ignoring the low price and some of them have some really pretty screens on them. They are more restrictive than a standard Android device and for some people that's not what they want which is fair enough (myself included) but the Kindle ecosystem is well designed and Amazon knows their customer base well. The Kindle Fires have a huge number of high ratings and many of my friends have them and very pleased with them.

Johnmcl7

Ames wrote: »

My tablet is a Samsung Galaxy, a few years old. I got it free with my last phone, there happened to be a cashback deal with over £100 cash plus the tablet. As I said though, I'm not keen on touchscreen because I have chunky fingers and they're a bit twisted so I can find it difficult depending on the screen.

I can't comment on a kindle because I have a Kobo (£30 and does me fine, I don't want a backlit eReader).

I don't have friends to play with (that sounds odd to be writing at 35 years old), but I'd like some of the Lord of the Rings type games. I have a habit of getting too 'addicted' to things like that though, so I want something cheaper as a test first. Plus I can't afford a 'proper' console yet, I'd need to deliberately save for it.

Although my mouse does keep hovering over a second hand master system 2 on eBay...

Master system?! You Sega scum, I'm not helping you any more...although I was a Nintendo fanboy, I do miss Sega as a games powerhouse.

When you say a Lord of the Rings type game, what do you mean? There are some RPG games for the 3DS including a couple of Zelda games although the 3DS isn't great for graphics, the PS Vita is stronger on that regard. There's obviously many great gaming resources particularly video reviews where you can see what the game looks like in action which may help you make a choice.

John

Bigphil1474

Going off handhelds for a sec, you could try picking up a second hand PS3 - loads of games to be picked up dirt cheap. I sold my old PS3 recently for £75 with about 20 games. Most of the payday lender type shop places have rows and rows of second hand PS3 games for a couple of quid, and it'll give you an idea of whether you'd like a console or not. There's still plenty of people playing online on PS3, and there's no online subscription like the PS4 has. Some of the games may look old hat when compared to the PS4 but still stand up as being great on their own. There are some fantastic games to be played, especially if you haven't played them before. Skyrim was one of my favourites - fantasy RPG with dragons.

Ames

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

Master system?! You Sega scum, I'm not helping you any more...although I was a Nintendo fanboy, I do miss Sega as a games powerhouse.

When you say a Lord of the Rings type game, what do you mean? There are some RPG games for the 3DS including a couple of Zelda games although the 3DS isn't great for graphics, the PS Vita is stronger on that regard. There's obviously many great gaming resources particularly video reviews where you can see what the game looks like in action which may help you make a choice.

John

I suppose I mean fantasy quest type games, but ones that can be played on your own. I guess I said LOTR because the adverts for those games stuck in my head.

Bigphil1474 wrote: »

Going off handhelds for a sec, you could try picking up a second hand PS3 - loads of games to be picked up dirt cheap. I sold my old PS3 recently for £75 with about 20 games. Most of the payday lender type shop places have rows and rows of second hand PS3 games for a couple of quid, and it'll give you an idea of whether you'd like a console or not. There's still plenty of people playing online on PS3, and there's no online subscription like the PS4 has. Some of the games may look old hat when compared to the PS4 but still stand up as being great on their own. There are some fantastic games to be played, especially if you haven't played them before. Skyrim was one of my favourites - fantasy RPG with dragons.

I didn't realise they were so cheap. I also assumed that people would keep their games when they upgraded the console so getting games for the older models would be difficult.