As much as I play my 3DS, I think that there are people still playing their handhelds around the world, so my vote is no.

How I wish I had your job, Crazy Li. At least it sounds like it would be fun.

As for your question, I have to agree with others that because of iOS and Android, that the handheld market has taken a hit. Because, as I have been told oh-so-brusquely, "Why would I wanna pay $300-something for games on the go when my phone does the same thing?" Despite my arguments that Nintendo's and Sony's handhelds far surpass the quality of what the iPhone can dish out, it's hard to deny the appeal of phone gaming to the casual consumer, who's mostly only looking for something to pass the time until their bus comes. Especially with a lower price tag.

That said, there IS still a market for handhelds. Mostly for the hardcore crowd or the fanboys, but so long as there's Pokémon, Nintendo will still have a future in handhelds. And so long as my GBA still works, I'll still play it on the long car rides to and from my parents' place.

So I guess my answer is: no. At least not yet. But it may not be too far off.

On a side note, if Nintendo ever made a Pokémon MMO for the PC, they'd pretty much have a license to print money.

No, I don't think handheld gaming systems are dead. Lots of people around the world still use handheld like the Nintendo DS, PSP, Phone etc. 

The Vita hasn't even been out for a year yet. Many people wait for the price to drop, better games to be released, and many other reasons to not buy a system early. Couple that with the recession that we're in, and it's no wonder these aren't selling. Also, I just can't see portability going out of style.

If anything is going to die, it will be home consoles.

Well, I actually think handhelds are generally getting weaker, I don't think handheld gaming will die, but we can't ignore that there is a possibility for it happening. Many years ago everyone I knew owned a DS. Kids, teens, grownups, like, the DS was huge here. I really loved my DS lite and thought there were so many amazing games for it, and the fact that it could play GBA games was also a thing that I loved. When I got a DSi I must admit that I really enjoyed it as well, Flipnote Studio was a real fun time killer. But, when I got a 3DS this summer I wasn't really that exited about it. I really like it, it's still cool, but I just don't have the same feeling as I had with my DS and DSi. There aren't really any amazing games on it yet, sure, there are good games, but I want amazing 3DS exclusive games. A Super Smash Bros game would be awesome on the 3DS. If they released a true sequel to Super Mario 64 it would probably boost the 3DS sales like crazy. As mentioned earlier in the thread, a Pokemon game would most likely make the 3DS much more popular. It almost seems like game creators aren't taking full advantage of the 3DS's capabilities either. Resident Evil Revelations for example was such a pretty game, and there should be more ones like that. Also, nobody I know has a 3DS which makes it kinda lonely to own one. I also brought my 3DS with me to first school day with Streetpass on and I met nobody. Which is really sad because there are almost 2000 students at my school. Nobody here in Norway seem to be hyped about the 3DS and they are even less hyped about the Vita. It's really sad, but neither the Vita or the 3DS have been out for that long so there is still hope!

Not at all! In my house we have 1 ds lite 2 dsi's xl 2 3ds's 1 gameboy advanced 1 ipod if that counts so in all I don't think handheld gaming devices are at all dead but the reason gaming devices aren't being sold is because they are so expensive! That's why sales are down

I enjoy handheld games more than the current generation consoles' games. Why? The Wii is dead (which I own, but the idea of downloading classics for a few dollars each was awesome), 60 dollars is expensive for a game, I am pretty sure on-disc DLC is common (why pay more for what you already have?), and the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games are always the same. Other than horror and shooters (especially first-person), there isn't much. Though the 3DS library sucks (but it is a little better than launch), the DS library and the eShop have a wide variety of genres to choose from AND although I'm not a person for remakes, many on the 3/DS are outstandingly created (I'm not just talking about Ocarina of Time) and are worth buying.

In a world where the iOS and Android OS reign triumphant nowadays, it's easy to imagine that handheld gaming consoles themselves are not doing so well.

And it's almost as if it's socially unacceptable to have handheld consoles in public for whatever reason.

I like to think that there's hope for it, but with the fact that the tiny and thoughtless games are what grabs attention, and that nobody thinks having a 3DS or a Vita is cool, but rather intensely profound to even use them in public, it's hard to imagine that anybody would go back to the day where everybody just kicked back with a game of Pokemon or Mario Land and enjoyed it with everybody, when there's games like Temple Run and Fruit Ninja that do the same thing, but take less time, you really don't need it.

We all wish we could just go back to the time where portable game consoles weren't criticized and demeaned like they are today, so that everybody would just have their games and enjoy it.

I'm all for games like Game Dev Story and Infinity Blade though, and they're way cheaper than games such as Mario 3D Land or even the soon to come Luigi's Mansion 2.

People are more money conscious and picky about what they used to do.

They're definitely not. I agree with you that the PS Vita is struggling, but in terms of sales and demand, the 3DS has a lot going for it. It's selling well and there's always new great games coming out for it. Lots of great franchises are making their way towards the 3DS, not to mention the cool remakes. The Vita just doesn't have many good games out there for it..I'm more of a 3DS fan myself. But no, handhelds are still very much here I'd say.

I may come off as rude here, and I apologize in advance, but people who have something called "taste" in games would prefer handhelds over the cheap poorly made iPhone games like Angry Birds. So hopefully the true gamers will put an end to this stupid iPhone gaming.

To be honest, Yes I think some handhelds are dead. I hear people playing other consoles instead of handhelds. I know that everyone voted "no" but I said "yes" to stand up for my self.

I LOVE MY 3DS XL!!! FAVORITE 3DS GAME: Paper Mario Sticker Star!!!!!

Usually console sales are slow in the beginning, especially for handhelds. Not everyone has 300 bucks to spend on that stuff. Sales pick up a little when price drops begin. Also many people are saving up for consoles. I don't think handhelds are dead, but they might not be as popular as they used to be. After all they are more expensive then they should be.

Handhelds are defiantly not dead. Although to me, the games i've seen so far for both 3ds and vita, they both don't look like they are really worth buying, at this time anyway.

Yes, they are most certainly dead. The 3DS is giving kids seizures while the PS Vita makes people rather have seizures than play it.

Perhaps to a good majority of older people. However, I am still a big fan of handheld games, such as the DS or the Game Boy Advanced. I usually either play Harvest Moon, Pokemon, or Rune Factory (two or three) I love how you can carry them in your bag or purse, and use them pretty much everywhere. You can play your handheld system on the train, while your mom or dad is driving somewhere, and tell your parents but you can play them in school They are very handy for a boring situation, and will waste enough time if you are waiting for something. Its much easier to carry a DS or something similar around, rather then a computer. The DS battery last for a very long time, and I don't know for you guys, but my computers battery only lasts about twenty minutes without charging it in the wall. I love handhelds, and always will. I switch back and fourth between them and my computer.

I disagree, handhelds are certainly not dead. Many people buy the 3ds. You make a good point though.



           Peace.

No, at least I hope not. I admit, for the longest time I haven't played or shown real interest in handheld games; they were just there for when I had nothing better to do. (ironic, considering that's what video game were originally intended for) but with the upcoming Wii U and with the increasing interest in 3ds I think we'll see a revival, though I doubt we'll see the same interest like when the days of the GBA.

What's the PS Vita?
Or maybe the Nintendo 3DS?

Sorry, I've been under a rock for quite a while, so I wouldn't exactly know, Nya~.

Erm, jokes aside, they don't really seem dead at all. Of course, people won't be talking about them much at all, being we're on a planet filled with iOS/Apple morons, but then again, in a sense, you could consider those a type of Handheld Gaming thing or whatever, just a very complex and far from the roots one.

But of course, we've had the PS-Go which did sorta the same thing, and some models of the Vita allow 3G connection (That you have to pay monthly for, cough), so then again, it kinda isn't going too far away.

Between the Vita and the 3DS, it' kinda obvious which one is talked about more, and that's the 3DS. If anything, mostly because it's not only a Nintendo system, and Nintendo is pretty much at the top (In every aspect besides quality), but also because the PS Vita really doesn't have any games that are very exclusive or special to it, and most games that would seem to be that way end up also being ported to the PS3. Of course, they can always do a cross-play unlock thing, like they did with Street Fighter x Tekken (If you buy it for the PS3 and the PS Vita, you can unlock the Vita exclusive characters on the PS3 and play with them on story mode and online), but it appears they've done it with Street Fighter x Tekken only.

In the end, we just have to really wait for them to release some really good exclusive games for the handheld systems to stop appearing "dead", and between the two, reviewing history, it seems like the only one that can do that is the 3DS, and the game to help it do so is another generic rehashed Pokemon game, Nya~.