iOS Gaming vs. Nintendo

[0989382]

I’ve never been much of a big gamer. Never owned a PlayStation or Xbox And was always more into things like The Sims. When I was a kid I had a GameBoy advance and last year bought a cheap Nintendo 2DS to relive those fond memories and get into casual gaming that’s easy to put down when life needs me to be productive! (Not like my Minecraft days which sucked day after day of my life away!)

Anyway, the Nintendo is great. Quality games, even if they’re not visually impressive. A cult following. But now I’m getting to the point where I’m about to spend more money on games and am itching to buy a more expensive 3DS XL , and later on maybe a Switch - though handheld gaming is more appealing to me.

My question here is ... for those of you who are more accustomed to the world of iOS gaming and Nintendo gaming than I am, are there games for iPhone that compare without all being freemium or just puzzles?

I ask because as I use an iPhone SE. And if I buy a new Nintendo, my next iPhone will be the next SE.. but if I don’t buy a Nintendo I can buy an iPhone 8 Plus or its replacement and really invest, having my phone and gaming needs met.

Perhaps my non gaming mindset isn’t looking in the right place for quality games on iOS as is easy to find on the DS..?

 

[Mabus51]

Well since you own a 2DS there is no point in buying the 3DS. They’re the same system. Only a handful of games compare to a console. A lot of the big franchise games from Square Enix like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger are available on iOS. That’s pretty much it. Outside of that you aren’t going to find anything really worth investing in or playing on iOS. It’s pretty much generic clones or just free 2 play trash.

 

[0989382]

Well since you own a 2DS there is no point in buying the 3DS. They’re the same system. Only a handful of games compare to a console. A lot of the big franchise games from Square Enix like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger are available on iOS. That’s pretty much it. Outside of that you aren’t going to find anything really worth investing in or playing on iOS. It’s pretty much generic clones or just free 2 play trash.

The 3DS has better quality controls, better finish, 3D and the clamshell design, basically, now I'm drawn into the platform I'd be happier spending more on it as a slightly more premium experience.

Damn, so basically you're saying nope, there's nowhere near as many full featured, on par with Nintendo handheld gaming titles for iOS and when there is it's an exceptional case?

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Plenty of amazing iOS games out there to suit almost anyone.

That being said, I would in many cases prefer a Nintendo due to the physical buttons. It really depends on what genres you like to play.

 

[macduke]

I used to be a really big proponent of iOS gaming, glued to Touch Arcade during the week to see what was coming out, but I hardly do it any more. All the freemium crap and pay to win garbage turned me off to it. That and I don't have as much free time as I used to since starting a family. And for those few AAA ports that make it over to iOS, the controls are usually pretty bad. I bought a Nintendo Switch at launch last year and have been very happy with the purchase. Even my wife, who isn't really a gamer, plays on it a lot. What's nice is they have several of the best indie games that are on iOS but the controls handle much better and more are being added each week. And you won't be let down by most of Nintendo's first party titles which are top notch quality. A lot of people still have in their mind that the Switch is more of a console but it's really a portable with nearly console quality graphics that get pushed to better levels when docked. It's not going to blow you away with the graphics if you've played an Xbox One or PS4 or better but compared to a 2DS it will knock your socks off and it does have better graphics than an Xbox 360 or PS3 which is more than enough to handle Nintendo's stylized graphics and most indie games. The display quality can't match most iOS devices, but I think the overall experience is better. I hope at some point they will release a "Switch Pro" with a bigger edge-to-edge OLED display (or even a better LCD) and updated processor that can handle 1080p undocked but that is probably a couple years out at a minimum.

 

[Mabus51]

The 3DS has better quality controls, better finish, 3D and the clamshell design, basically, now I'm drawn into the platform I'd be happier spending more on it as a slightly more premium experience.

Damn, so basically you're saying nope, there's nowhere near as many full featured, on par with Nintendo handheld gaming titles for iOS and when there is it's an exceptional case?

While that maybe true over the 2DS. The 3DS is a dying platform. Most development has moved over to the Switch at this point. While there are a few games still being released for 3DS, it’s practically a dead system now. It’s been out since 2011 and the screen by today’s standards is pretty awful. Seriously you would be wasting money buying a 3DS today.

 

[hobsgrg]

Invest in a Switch, amazing held held and a vast improvement over the 2DS/3DS technically. Sadly freemium generates far more profit than a single one-off purchase price and that has ruined iOS gaming. My iPhone used to be my main handled gaming machine but ever since freemium took off it was the Vita and now the Switch.

 

[GeekishlyGreek]

Invest in a Switch, amazing held held and a vast improvement over the 2DS/3DS technically. Sadly freemium generates far more profit than a single one-off purchase price and that has ruined iOS gaming. My iPhone used to be my main handled gaming machine but ever since freemium took off it was the Vita and now the Switch.

Hands down! Though for me, I have never even considered smartphone games and console games to even be in the same league to begin with. Love my iPhone (and own a few of them), but for gaming, Nintendo wind that race hands down. To me they're not even competitors. (they're different companies, each excel at what they do, and are the best in their field)

So in the same way that I would never go to a McDonalds to get my car fixed, and would never go to a Mechanic to cook me a cheeseburger, I would never buy a console from Apple, and I would never buy a SmartPhone from Nintendo.

The best way to get the best is to go with the people who are skilled at making the thing that they have experience of making. All companies like to venture out into other things, but usually they have one thing that they just do better than everybody else, and the rest are sort of add-on side projects. (don't get me wrong, sometimes some of the side projects can be pretty decent, but usually the thing that made them famous, is the thing that they're best at).

It may differ for other people depending on tastes of what types of games they like to play, but for me, Nintendo make the best games, and Apple make the best SmartPhones. So that's what I do.