RIP PSP

Handhelds were amazing, everyone wanted one or had one. Lets have a blast to the past and see the hand held history.
The PSP flew off the shelves in March 2005. Everyone wanted one, and why not? You could take your favorite characters around with you wherever you went, the ghost of Sparta could accompany you on the bus; who wouldn't want that? Great games like Ratchet and Clank:size matters, God of War:chins of Olympus and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker all were fan favorites. People even stormed the stores to get their hands on a DS in March 2005. The dual screens gave players more to see on a handheld. The new touchscreen was a great addition to the handheld, and everyone loved being able to use their fingers to play.

Now in the present we have the PSP Vita and 3DS, and considering the past you would have expected them to do great! However the smart phones have completely dominated the handheld gaming world. Games like Angry birds and Fruit Ninja have become house hold names. If you haven't played Angry Birds you've definitely heard of it. First I'll talk about the 3DS.

 It's 3D without glasses feature was a big selling point, the idea of playing games in 3D and seeing it without glasses really excited me! However I think the thought that crossed my mind crossed everyone's mind, "doesn't my phone have better games than this?" The 3D was a gimmick, and unfortunately for Nintendo it wasn't a good one. People got chronic headaches from the 3D, so most people didn't even use the 3D function on their 3DS. Now Sony has made the mistake of not learning from their competitors Nintendo. The Handheld age is dying, however I feel that the Vita is on the right lines. I really don't want to see the hand held die. The Vita is more like a real console, and I think that could probably be the best way to go. The dual analogue sticks let the you play like a real console. As technology increases the Smart Phones will have to step down from games and step up in music and 4G internet. That is when Sony or Microsoft should burst out with a great handheld. Something that has great 3G and great games. Why not Nintendo? Because the last thing that would help revive handhelds is another Zelda game. Don't get me wrong the Vita and 3DS are both good handhelds, they have just come out at the wrong time.

Handhelds really are a great form of gaming, so we really should try keep them alive. Personally I don't think Smart Phones will dominate handheld gaming for much longer. So please Microsoft, Sony, get designing as I really think that a handheld in a years time will do extremely well.