40+ Year Old Resetters: Do you play portables?

[TheDeep1974]

I was never a fan of portable gaming, but due a recent lifestyle change, portable gaming fits the bill. Obviously I'm looking into getting a Switch. Thing is, since a few months I am having problems with my vision when it comes to reading or looking at objects which are a few inches away from my nose (I'm turning 43 soon). I guess time is ripe for me to get my eyes checked, and most probably will end up with a second set of glasses (I already have one for long distance).

So, mature Resetters, how do you deal with portable gaming? Do you use reading glasses? Or you gave up on portable? Should I invest in a set of glasses with progressive lenses? Any ideas will be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[shadowhaxor]

I really never was a fan of portable gaming. Sure, there's been a few games throughout my gaming career that I've played on portable as I was forced to. Exclusive stuffs, which is why I'm still pissed that Metroid: Samus Returns is a 3DS exclusive game. And despite owning a Switch, that's used by me 95% of the time docked. Of course, when I go on long trips (E3, SDCC), I have no choice.

I have zero issues seeing the screen, getting closed to 41. I'm sure that's going to happen and I'll eventually need glasses ;)

 

[Possumowner]

I'm in the same boat as you,same age,eyes going.Im gonna get them checked out,currently play my Switch in portable mode as I can't see the TV as clear as I should.Ive tried reading glasses but they weren't strong enough for me.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

Totally not the intended audience of this thread, but wouldn't this basically be no different from reading books?

Both my parents have gotten contacts where one contacts corrects near vision, and the other contact corrects far vision. It lets them see both near and far without having separate sets of glasses or limiting their field of view. Apparently your brain gets used to it after a while.

 

[Tonguer]

It's funny you bring this up. I just got out my (regular) 3DS two days ago and thought 'wow, I don't remember this being so small when I played it for hours...'

I do spend plenty of time on my phone screen (6S Plus), but it's getting to be that anything smaller is a stretch.

 

[Kowpucky]

Nope. .... never have and probably never will

 

[TheDeep1974]

I don't read at all, probably just my phone. I find that removing my (long distance) glasses helps a lot, but I suspect I will need to get reading glasses soon. I don't wear contacts, but there are lenses for glasses which have the bottom half for reading and the central and top for long distance.

 

[Xenman]

41 yr old here, never owned a portable. Never really been into portable or mobile games. Though I was tempted by the Switch as I've never had a Nintendo since the N64 but I couldn't justify it with my wife due to having PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

 

[Sanctuary]

There are many games on the portables that I'd really want to play but never will. Primarily because of the screen size. The PSP was somewhat of an exception since it had a video out, but it seemed random per TV on whether or not you could actually get it full screen, or just a small square in the middle of it. The Switch is actually probably going to be the first exception to this rule for me, although I'll still mostly be playing it docked, and only as a portable when out of town on a trip.

The first and last portable that I personally owned was a Gameboy in '89, which I returned after beating Castlevania.

edit: It's never been about my vision either. I just turned 44 and my vision still checks out as 20/20 (so I'm hoping that I can make it to at least 50 before needing glasses /figners crossed). I simply don't want to play on a screen that is only a few inches, when I could have been playing on a 25'' (and now 55'' or greater).

 

[Dambrosi]

Nearly-44 year old here. I have a Switch, but I hardly ever use it in portable mode. I only play portables when I have no other choice (exclusive games, travelling, etc). Everything else is on the big TV.

Someone (I wanna say Sony?) recently released special PlayStation glasses that reduce the amount of blue light that enters the eyes, supposedly greatly reducing eye strain. I can't say how effective they are, though, or whether buying a pair of cheap sunglasses would do the trick just as well.

 

[Deleted member 9486]

I'm not quite there yet, turn 39 in a couple of weeks.

I've never really been that interested in portables. Gameboy got some use as a kid before I got a small TV for my room to game on. I played a fair amount on the GBA and DS, but that was mostly as it was before the indie rush and was the main place to get 2D games. I had a 3DS and Vita, but they were under used as I just wasn't very intersested in 3D games on a small screen since I really only game at home and have a mancave with a TV I don't share (another equal sized TV in the media room for the fiance and us to watch things together). Switch is moslty used docked as well, but gets more portable use than Vita/3DS did since I can at least play the same games vs. having to make time for a separate library.

As for vision, I'm just starting to have some issues with my close vision. My far vision has always been shit. Thankfully I mostly read on Kindle and iPad so being able to increase font size will help stave off reading glasses for a while. I do have a couple pairs of the weakest strenght at home and office for when I need to read something with small print on paper though.

 

[TheDeep1974]

Nearly-44 year old here. I have a Switch, but I hardly ever use it in portable mode. I only play portables when I have no other choice (exclusive games, travelling, etc). Everything else is on the big TV.

Someone (I wanna say Sony?) recently released special PlayStation glasses that reduce the amount of blue light that enters the eyes, supposedly greatly reducing eye strain. I can't say how effective they are, though, or whether buying a pair of cheap sunglasses would do the trick just as well.

Click to shrink...

Say you want to play Switch in portable mode. How do you handle it? Reading glasses?

 

[Travo]

I've had a portable system since the Gameboy days. I hated waiting in the back of the car for a glimmer of light so that I could see and play. The Switch is perfect for my family, especially long trips. I have a car charger which charges slowly but still helps with the battery. The only thing is since the Switch is $300, I don't let my kids hold it until we get into the vehicle.

I've worn glasses and contacts since I was a teen so it's not a terrible burden. Maybe you can find something to magnify the screen?

 

[Kaeden]

I'd have an issue when I was wearing my contacts but since I went to wearing glasses full-time I don't have a problem any longer. I simply take them off to be able to play up close if necessary but usually I can play with them on just fine.

40 is definitely the magical age where eyesight starts to become worse up close and with many of us staring at a computer monitor for hours per day, it's not gonna get any better.

 

[iamsgod]

Well, I play exclusively on portables now because I keep on moving around

 

[HighFive]

Portable gaming is now what i seem to enjoy more. And my Switch fit perfectly that need. I dont have the same peoblem as you, in fsct its reverse, seeing a bit blurry further but close its better. The Switch screen is high quality.

 

[Alwayscrazybacon]

43 here, just this evening I was putting time in on Animal Crossing New Leaf on my 3DS XL. Portable gaming is great especially when you cant take over the main TV or lock yourself away to game. Family needs me.

 

[Dambrosi]

Say you want to play Switch in portable mode. How do you handle it? Reading glasses?

Click to shrink...

Oh no, don't get me wrong, my eyesight hasn't degenerated that far just yet. I don't actually need glasses right now, though I suppose I will in the future.

Besides, that lovely big screen is worlds better than any portable before it, besides the Vita 1's OLED screen (which was still smaller, AFAIR). And I never had any problems with the Vita's screen.

 

[Fularu]

Yes I do.

More than my consoles by a good margin

 

[Sanctuary]

Maybe you can find something to magnify the screen?

Click to shrink...

LOL, I actually tried one these:

God that thing was clunky.

Besides, that lovely big screen is worlds better than any portable before it, besides the Vita 1's OLED screen (which was still smaller, AFAIR). And I never had any problems with the Vita's screen.

Click to shrink...

Similar with movies, the bigger the screen, the better. Immersion is a major factor for my enjoyment.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

40 years old.

Etrian Odyssey V.

Nuff said.

 

[gilko79]

I'm not quite there yet, either (38 next week) but I was just talking to a friend who is 41 and he prefers his Switch in portable mode as opposed to it docked. He and his wife just had twins (they started late), so it makes more since for him to play on the go as he moves around the house taking care of their needs. He doesn't wear glasses and still has decent eyesight despite the fact he's behind a computer screen everyday working as a programmer.

I really should invite him to this forum. He'd blend in well with this crowd.

 

[smash_robot]

No, not for a decade or so. My portable "gaming" now-a-days is solitaire on my tablet while the missus watches the news.

Also my eyes just can't do it anymore as I really struggle to focus on close things now-a-days. I'm hoping nintendo do a telly only switch at some point.

 

[Sanctuary]

I'm hoping nintendo do a telly only switch at some point.

Click to shrink...

Can't you just leave it docked? Or are you just thinking of a more elegant solution that's basically just a box like a typical console that won't be quite as fragile?

 

[Reinhard]

I only use my Switch, I used to own a Vita and 3DS and barely used them because I drive everywhere since public transportation sucks in Texas and everything is so spread out. At least with the Switch, I find myself using the portable mode to keep playing in bed after doing so on the TV. I never really felt like playing the other portable systems, whereas the Switch just feels like I'm continuing a game with off TV play.

I haven't had any eye strain issues with the larger screen size of the Switch. I had Lasik surgery years ago, but nothing wrong with my near vision yet, just some astigmatism that needs to be corrected for my far vision.

 

[Nausetsunrise]

53 here and have been using reading glasses for about a year. I don't own a 3ds anymore but would definitely be needing them for that. I've been nearsighted ( can't see distance) since I was a kid and now can't read or see anything closer than 18 inches from face. I'm now one of those people who have to have a cheap pair of reading glasses hanging from my shirt collar all the time now, LOL.Also I sit three feet away from 55 inch TV for PS4 gaming. It ain't easy gettin' old.

 

[Unaha-Closp]

No - last one I played was Persona 4 Golden. Sitting in the same place I placed Persona 4 so it being portable was a hinderance really. Playing on the go just never appealed to me - I take my Kindle with me so if I do have to kill some time whilst out of the house I read my Kindle.

 

[famousmortimer]

Yeah i use my switch as a portable. I don't have vision issues yet. I don't do it as much as I thought I would though. Maybe it's a young man's game.

 

[rbanke]

I turned 40 this year and while my close up vision hasn't changed (yet), I find it takes a long time to focus on things far away after reading or looking at a screen for a long time which is annoying. Despite owning almost every portable ever made, I don't like portable gaming so it's more likely to affect me reading than anything else when my vision starts to go. Try picking up some reading glasses and seeing how that goes and maybe trying out some progressive lenses if it seems ok.

 

[Twenty Three]

I have gone the other way. Played on the Game Boy and PSP in my teens and twenties, but don't touch portable gaming except the odd game of Vice City or Darkest Dungeon on my ipad on a long flight. I'd rather play a narrative focused game on the big screen.

Thing is, I am not sure if portable gaming is a thing anymore. I can't think of any firm that actually invests in the tech, other than hybrids (like Switch). I don't think it's an age thing, but a societal one, where phones have rendered mobile platforms redundant.

 

[hanmik]

42 years old.. Own a Vita and Switch..
Eysight is bad, use -7 contact lenses, but have been since I wad 18..lol

No problems with portable gaming, just played some hours of Super Mario Odyssey in handheld mode..love it.

 

[bucklam66]

Almost exclusively portable, with having children just go straight to sleep mode and don't have to worry about lost progress etc, also playing mainly JRPG and srpgs helps too..playing EOV now

 

[Syncro]

I don't play portables any more.

In recent years I've owned a Vita, PSP and 3DS and going way back owned a Lynx and a Gameboy.

Most of these ended up gathering dust as I've always owned consoles at the same time. I think I've always felt like I was getting a cut down experience in my hands when I would rather playing on a big screen with a controller.

I've never felt my eyesight has been one of the things preventing me from enjoying it though, I'm just one of these guys where portable gaming never clicked for me.

 

[User Tron]

47 here. I play my switch most time portable. As strange as it sounds preparing my TV setup is taking up too much time. After a hard day playing in bed is far more enjoyable.

 

[Shatty McKracken]

43 here. I've purchased a lot of portables in my life, but never really been into them. I own a Switch but play it almost exclusively docked.

I just don't find myself in a lot of situations where I need portable gaming. I don't live in a busy metro area so I don't have public transportation to get me around. I don't really go on any long trips outside of a family vacation once a year.

 

[weblaus]

43 - sure, because I don't see why I should limit myself to consoles when there's exlusive portable stuff (mainly on 3DS these days) or games that fit portable systems much better (like Visual Novels, hard to read one on the 55'' TV in bed).

That said, I feel Switch is a little bit too big to be a proper handheld and the games with good graphics deserve to be played on a big screen, so that one's usually attached to the TV unless it's something like Piczle Lines DX or VOEZ and Deemo who use touchscreen features.

 

[Alpolio]

I have both a Vita and a 3DS. But I hardly ever touch them. And once I get a Switch, I'm 100% sure that I'll play it docked all the time -- with a pro controller. I just prefer having it on a large TV.

 

[blinky]

Nope. No interest whatsoever. Even if I used mass transit (I don't -- I live in a rural town), I would rather just read a magazine or book if I'm travelling.

 

[Herb Alpert]

I'm kind of cheating because I am 38 only, but I love portable gaming. I play a lot during commuting or in bed. I couldn't put as much time into gaming if I wasn't able to do so.

 

[meppi64]

Absolutely!
41 here.
The first portable that I played was the MB Microvision


It was technically my sister's but I played way more on it then she ever did. ;)

Spitball Sparky was the next one I can remember playing. Again, not my own system, but someone I knew.



Finally at 8 years of age, I got my very own portable. Popeye Game & Watch which my mom bought me for easter since I loved the arcade game so much.
Those sounds are still etched into my brain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_MXERCw1-Y

Over the years I bought pretty much every portable that came out, at least in Japan.
Right now I'm rocking a 3DS, Vita and Switch.

 

[the_kaotek1]

My eyes are going, but it's for reading. I keep putting off getting glasses, even though I know I'm being stupid.

I'm very close to picking up a switch, my only problem is they are a bit pricey where I live.

In the past I've had various potable devices, but rarely used them on the go (apart from my various Gameboys)

This was my first handheld:

 

[Badgerst]

45+ here. No- just tons of Hearthstone on an ipad and my PS4.

Not enough time in the day.

 

[Powerofthecloud]

I have not necessarily had an issue with viewing the portable devices as I am nearsighted (as of now...), but holding portables have been the bane of my existence for the past 20 years until the Switch. Never could get a comfortable grip or mod for the ds/3ds/psp/vita or at least comfortable and would stay in place as well for me. I am now finding the Switch to be my sweet spot for comfortable portable game play. I am finding I do enjoy the flexibility that I prefer playing in portable mode anywhere in the house opposed to on a big screen.

 

[Hollywood Hitman]

38 here so hopefully that counts hah.

For me I'll play them but i prefer to play on my huge gaming setup. I have a 4k 140" projector and gaming is godly on it, absolutely godly... So I prefer to play there when I am gaming but handheld gaming is great as well and I have put plenty of time on my handheld over the years.

I love that switch has a dock, I just want all these excellent 3ds games to start coming to switch now t

 

[skintBeastwood]

44 and I bought a PS Vita a couple of years ago and found it difficult to use, so sold it to someone who would benefit from it more.
My eyesight is pretty poor so that is the main reason. I struggle with games on my mobile phone too. If I bought a Switch I would probably not use it in the portable mode often.

I have good memories of using my Sega Game Gear and Nintendo Gameboy when they came out.

 

[Lurcharound]

Nein. Not really an age thing though I've simply never clicked with portable gaming.

I tend to end up trying again and again so get most devices but it never feels fun.

Unless I'm playing on a really big screen it's not for me.

 

[Gabriel]

46 and I have 2 Vitas. Never been a huge fan of portable gaming but it was nice on trips. I don't need bifocals/reading glasses yet so I don't have issues with the small screens. Yet.

Now that smartphones are so advanced it is unlikely I'll ever buy a new dedicated portable. If I buy a Switch it will be docked 100% of the time.

 

[Ogami Itto]

Thinking of buying a switch, would that count? I had a psp, 3ds, and vita but not anymore, I have an iPad now.

 

[Twenty Three]

My eyes are going, but it's for reading. I keep putting off getting glasses, even though I know I'm being stupid.

I'm very close to picking up a switch, my only problem is they are a bit pricey where I live.

In the past I've had various potable devices, but rarely used them on the go (apart from my various Gameboys)

This was my first handheld:

Click to shrink...

That is a thing of beauty. Looks like the spaceship from Battle of the Planets.

 

[ChrisD]

My 53 YO Uncle just bought a New3DSXL this year. He still has to use glasses to see the screen well enough, though.

However, he even has to use glasses for his Galaxy S8. And seen as how he uses that thing all the time, I guess having to use glasses for a portable game system doesn't feel like a real roadblock. With that said, his complaints are more to do with ergonomics than the screen size.