Why don't new handhelds particularly look good?

>>713960230 (OP)
The Vita needed to look good to compensate for other failings, such as a sparce library.

The metal ring on the back does nothing but add cost to make it look better. Is it worth it for the consumer?

>>713960230 (OP)
Because nintendo made a brick that is called the switch and since everyone copies nintendo they followed. And now the switch 2 has doomed us for another get of similar fucking handhelds.

>>713960504
?
>>713960230 (OP)
Explain how this looks different from the switch on an aesthetic level

>>713960489
The stick drift on the switch does nothing but add cost. Is it worth it for the consumer?
>>713961080
easier to hold and my hands dont get cramped playing games that dont primarily use the left stick for 90% of actions. also pocketable and looks pretty.
also psp was y2k futurism while vita was frutigro aero(whatever its called) futurism. it looks sleek and looks like its made out of marble and glass and cobalt. while switch looks like the most mundane bitch basic chinkware unassuming design ever. at least switch 1 had blue and red color pallete, the new one is just the most meh chinkheld design with all black color. there is zero memorable design points for the switch 2. they really made it the normiest simplest flattest corpo design ever.

>>713960230 (OP)
I think switch looks good but switch 2 is generic.

>>713961889
>Smaller console doesn't cramp my hands
wot?

>>713960230 (OP)
garbage UI, and shitty touch pad back buttons, but otherwise i enjoy it

>>713962241
hands get cramped when you have to stretch your fingers too wide or bring them too close for long periods.
holding the 190gram vita with three fingers in optimal places allows you to play all games without cramping it. its as comfortable as a 3ds. though 3ds xl is even more comfortable.

>>713960489
>Zoomer doesn't know about the popularity of keitai straps in the 00s

You must be 18 to post here, nephew.

>>713960489
A nigga who don't know about fashion is a nigga who ain't ever gonna get any, y'hear?
You gotta be AESTHETIC, son. Every item on yo person's gotta look good. From yo handheld to yo phone, yo wallet, yo earbuds, all that shit gotta look nice if you want to stick it in their holes, you get me?

>>713962445
No offence anon but this sounds like bullshit because you want to complain about new thing

>>713960230 (OP)
Lack of talent + late stage capitalism scraping every nickel of profit out of everything.

>>713961080
Small enough to fit into the pocket. Sleek, unlike the switch that is just a fucking square. It's far more comfy to hold a vita and psp then it is a switch because of that. There's places on the back to rest your fingers and a back touch screen on the vita. Wasn't used much at all but was a nice idea. WAY better touchscreen that also feels a lot nicer to touch. The entire way the buttons, dpad, joysticks and shoulder buttons blend into the design and isn't in your way at all.
and the way the colors blend make it look cool. The switch is quite seriously a flat, square screen attached to a flat scare device that you attach cheap looking very small controllers too. And I'll be goddamned if every other fucking company didn't just copy that same bland square design and toss in the laziest fucking looking ass controller design on the sides.

i wish i knew what happened to my psp all i have left of it is the metal case for it did anyone else have this thing?

>>713963050
I think you might just have small and weak hands anon
Also pocketable handheld is probably the only legitimate complaint, however I imagine you're better off waiting for the inevitable lite for that
To your last point, the vita 2000 in OP is literally the same design as the switch 2, you just sound spiteful

The PSP was genuinely way ahead of its time. Fucking thing had practically PS2 graphics on a handheld in 2005. Meanwhile this ugly piece of shit was out 5 months earlier and could barely put out N64 graphics.

>>713963294
nintendo had the correct idea with 3DS
make a xl version for those who arent kids anymore.
sony on the other hand was trying to follow the trend of smart phones of making it thinner and making hand grips smaller, and vita slim has much worse ergonomics because of it. which is a shame because vita phat holdsw very nicely in the hands.

>>713962689
Who cares if main handheld demographic are fat guys in cargo shorts and fedoras?

>>713963526
this looked as good as prime on gamecube with some artifacting and noise added on top, same with psp versions of ps2 games.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dibxeM3zNWY
everyone was just smart enough to make games intended for the system instead of trying to mimick the tv console.
this is a handheld console. that is a tv console. the two do not mesh well.

>>713963526
>practically PS2 graphics
nah i remember thinking how ugly games looked on the psp except for ratchet and clank which did look like a ps2 game

>>713963294
>Small
Yeah I'm not a fat fuck, that's true
>Weak
It's not that considering the deck is the most comfortable about of all of them to hold and it's by far the heaviest. The reason the deck is so comfy to hold is again because they give not only a place for your fingers to rest but nearly your entire hand. It perfectly forms to it. Unlike the switch that's seriously just like holding a brick.
>Op pic is same as switch
Use your eyes, it's oval shaped making it sleek. And idk which model mine is but there are little indents in the back where your fingers can rest which makes SO much difference. The switch is just fully solid, like a brick.

a reminder

>>713963741
At least Persona 3 Portable looked like Persona 3 when you take screenshots of it.

>>713963704
The DS was held back by a lack of at least one thumbstick. Controlling movement with the stylus was absolute AIDS.

>>713963806
explain

>>713963806
only autists came across this issue.
most people pulled their hair out when the charger failed for the 12th time that year and gave up buying chargers and threw the console out.
only autists who like the psp too much stuck with it long enough for the battery to bloat up.

>>713960489
man i regret trading my OG psp for a guitar. what was i thinking?

>>713963765
Being fat doesn't make your hands bigger anon, it makes them fatter

>>713963864
I blame Nintendo (of course). Nintendo games sold despite the shitty controls, while 3rd party games sold in spite of them. A feature to a Nintendo game is a frustration to anyone else.

>>713963806
All batteries are susceptible to this if they're constantly charged to full. I had a laptop battery swell after only having it for 4 years because it's always plugged in.

>>713963890
>@grok explain

>>713960230 (OP)
Why did Sony forgo making two extra shoulder buttons when they knew that they were going to be putting advanced games on the Vita? The back touchpad seems like an alright concept but that doesn't excuse the lack of two extra shoulder buttons. That really limited what they could do with the thing.

this was a straight up scam

>>713963890
the early PSPs had issues with batteries that wouldn't really be seen until years later.

>>713964056
>PSPs
All lithium batteries have this problem

>>713964056
>early psps
thats an issue with all lithium batteries.
if you leave them full, they will degrade over time, and if you leave them empty, they will spoil and bloat and explode over time.
so remember to charge the battery to half and then take it out of the device for long term storage.
dont know why this helps, maybe it leaves room for electrons to move around by making it half + and half -, kinda like yin and yang circle

>>713964138
All litihium batteries aren't 20 years old.

why are psps so expensive on ebay also i had no idea it had a docking system similar to the switch

>>713963931
Fatter is bigger. Man one of my best friends used to be a fat fuck until he started working out. He had full on sausage fingers. Now that he's jacked they are still big not nearly as much.

>>713964204
Zoomers think it's cool, I'm not making this up. It has become some sort of fashion thing

>>713964194
They don't need to be, the DS and GBA SP was also susceptible to this

>>713963806
aren't psp batteries like 10 bucks tops and most already come with the jailbreak built iin?

>>713964239
Yes anon, being fatter doesn't mean your hands grow, in fact being fatter would make it harder to hold

>>713964315
you don't use jailbreak batteries to play the console

>>713964345
They do grow outwards. This has to be a troll do you not know how fat works?

>>713964296
Also 20 years old

>>713964403
Do you somehow think being fat means your hands can grab more?
WTF are you even arguing anon

>>713960230 (OP)
cuz retards keep buying fuckhuge tablets

>>713964445
You're the one who brought it up, you implied my hands were too small and I agreed I'm not fat. Fat makes them bigger that's just a fact man idk what to tell you.

>>713964443
The age is irrelevant anon, all lithium batteries can become pillows

>>713961080
Switch is globohomo soulless 2010s flat and sterile, PSVita has a based aryan glossy futuristic style from the late 2000s-early 2010s

>>713964558
Especially if 20 years old

>>713964529
How would you feel if you didn't eat breakfast this morning

>>713964612
misquote I'm guessing

whats the best psp model to buy

>>713964604
>Fingerprint magnets are better design
I have both systems and I really liked Vita, but the hate you people are giving the switch because it's new and Nintendo is pretty dumb

>>713962526
Wut? He's talking about the metal ring on the back

>>713964713
2000 in my opinion, fixes all the button issues and arguably has the best screen

>>713963918
Probably something along the lines of
>"oh, THIS will get me pussy"

>>713960296
>vita's library
Not an issue in 2025. You can literally play gta trilogy and ocarina of time on it

>>713960230 (OP)
handhelds then had to be very portable. they were people's entertainment companion devices. phones sucked for entertainment, they were just phones, and a dedicated device was needed for on the go games.

now we have the everything slab. phone, endless apps, games, music, movies, all on one device. this means that handhelds have to be something different now: they need to be a bigger screen, far more powerful, and generally speaking need a different operating system to make sense.

therefore, we have fuckoff huge pc "portables" and the switch/switch 2. big screens, different operating system from the everything slab, and because they're big they end up looking like weird overgrown tablets. it has to be this way, because screen size is the main advantage over a phone to the average person.

it sucks. rp5, odin 2 mini, and the endless game boy ripoff platforms are the only true handhelds out right now. no first party games, no first party developer, it's just android or linux and you have to make everything work. or, buy another pc in a weird semi-laptop form factor.

>>713964781
whats wrong with the 3000 and psp go

>>713960296
lol
lmao even

>>713964870
3000 has terrible ghosting from what I remember and the Go is just the wrong aspect ratio with uncomfortable controls

>>713964893

>>713964558
Yes, 20-year-old lithium batteries are significantly more prone to pillowing due to cumulative degradation:

Anode Swelling: Aged anodes thicken irreversibly (>7% vs. ~3.4% in new batteries), deforming internal structure.

Material Fatigue: Electrolyte decomposition creates gas; separator brittleness increases pressure vulnerability.

Loss of Flexibility: Anodes stiffen by 15-20%, reducing stress absorption.

Extended Damage: Decades of overcharging, temperature swings, and inactivity accelerate gas buildup and internal shorts.

Newer batteries resist pillowing better through:

Thicker separators (≥24µm) and robust electrode coatings

Automated defect detection during manufacturing

Advanced battery management systems preventing overstress

Critical Risk: Bulging in old batteries often signals jellyroll stratification, increasing internal resistance by 200-300% and risking catastrophic failure. Replace immediately if casing deformation occurs.

Key Insight: Aging directly correlates with pillowing severity—studies show 40-60% greater thickness expansion in aged vs. new batteries under identical conditions.

>>713964913
what about psp street

>>713964893
Now remove all the japanese VN slop and take a pic again.

>>713965107
No idea
>>713965097
I literally had to replace my "new" 3DS battery due to swelling, anything that is on contant charge to 100% is more susceptible to swelling than age

>>713961080
>Explain how this looks different from the switch on an aesthetic level
ok

>switch
solid black interface features, which are small, and red/blue on either side of the console. it's very thin and flat, with no contouring at all. it's deeply utilitarian in its design: make something that accomplishes the features of a handheld with no real style in mind. there's no lanyard loops or other greebling/countours whatsoever. it's frankly uncomfortably thin, and heavy as a handheld. also very big: much larger than a PSP or Vita. lastly, puerile red and blue color scheme evocative of a fischer price toy.

>vita
clear interface features with printing on them. one color for the whole device feels right, and you can pick from simple shades to bright colors. multiple loops to put a lanyard on. it's rounded on the back, thick relative to its overall size, and has clear branding and labeling printed on it. iirc, the back is also well textured, and has a simple design and indentation to it. playstation logo displayed in one of the clear keys. it's still a very flat design, and it's also utilitarian, but it has a far more consistent theme and the clear buttons add a lot of interest. lanyard loops add texture to the look while also being functional.

>>713965217
thanks for your input anyway

>>713963806
Ironically, it happened to my 3ds before it happened to my psp
Piece of shit console, hated the 3ds

>>713965217
>I literally had to replace my "new" 3DS battery due to swelling, anything that is on contant charge to 100% is more susceptible to swelling than age

All batteries—including lithium-ion and other modern types—are susceptible to swelling due to factors like overcharging, high temperatures, physical damage, and natural aging. Swelling happens when internal chemical reactions produce gases that build up inside the battery, causing it to expand.

A 20-year-old battery is MUCH MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO SWELLING than a new battery. Over time, repeated charge cycles and material degradation weaken battery structures, making older batteries far more likely to experience swelling and failure. Aging leads to irreversible chemical changes and gas buildup, raising the risk of dangerous expansion.

Newer batteries can also swell, but this is much rarer. Modern batteries are designed with advanced safety features and higher-quality materials that help prevent swelling, but it is still possible if exposed to extreme conditions or poor usage habits. In summary, all batteries can swell, but 20-year-old batteries are much more susceptible to swelling than their newer counterparts.

>>713960489
>>713965227
>psp
meant to look edgy. still has those nice clear keys, and clear shoulder buttons look very nice. the bar shape has a consistent silhouette, but is filled in with different features: clear shoulder buttons on the top, lanyard loop on lower left, charging and 3.5mm aux on bottom right. nice indicator lights are small but bright. pleasant tactile buttons along the bottom are handy, but small enough to be unobtrusive. the UMD tray has a shiny fake-chrome ring, showing not only that it's where the disc goes, but adding a very nice detail and contrast to the rest of the handheld's body. there's slight contouring on the back, which is tactile, but also looks nice. PSP is very clearly displayed front and back, along with sony and playstation logos. it's a chunkier, almost more aggressive/edgy design than the Vita, but is very much in the same vein. for the time, it was perfect.

the main differences between vita/psp and switch are the consistent colors, contouring, and detail. there is *zero* detail on the switch. it is not at all pleasant to look at. it just kind of is itself, a means to get to the games. PSP and Vita are design statements in and of themselves, you know what kind of games it would have just by looking at it.

>>713964840
>and you have to make everything work
Imagine not being capable of finding fullsets and copying them to the right places.

>>713965540

>>713960296
>a sparce library
Your mom has a sparce arse.

>>713965683
it is trivial, yes, but it doesn't matter because that shouldn't be the handheld experience. i don't want to have to open up retroarch and fuck around at all when i just want to play a game. i don't even particularly enjoy the idea of a frontend, because it's still something that has to be configured. it's an immersion break: i am setting this up to work how i need it. i was shipped a device that has no inherent ecosystem, it is what i made it. no two of these devices will work or look the same, where handhelds used to be uniform.

i'm not saying it makes newer handhelds unusable, i love my rp5 and it's served my quite well. i just don't enjoy how it feels more like my pc than a true console where everything "just works". the most you'd ever have to do with a DS is set the time and colors. the most you'd ever have to do with a PSP/Vita is load in a disc or memory stick, or if you really wanted to, softmod/cfw but it was in *no way* required. modern android/linux handhelds require you to do most of the heavy lifting unless you just intend to use android apps, but then, it's just a phone with built in controller.

>switch lite is the only portable console in 2025
It's grim

bro, your Chinese retro handheld

Is PRO still the best PSP CFW?

>>713965107
>buttons on the bottom are more annoying to use
>no internet (you think you won't need it but you will)
>plastic

>>713964204
it makes for a decent emulation device

>>713960230 (OP)
America became the primary market

>>713963526
ever so thankful that me and my brother got to play Gran Turismo together in our PSP. Collecting all those cars was so nice.

>>713963806
phew the bat is good on my vita.

>>713968848
You're going to blow your cock off

>>713964893
Otome heaven.

>>713964893
>Touhou double focus
Absolute ass jank nightmare
On a different note, Why did Momodora reverie and Hollow knight dodge the Vita?

>>713968979
oh fuck

>>713963227
I had that for the gba sp. The inside always smelled weird, like new car smell but bad.

>>713968979
nah its alright
dont have photo atm but i added a flat edge and saw no bulge

>>713965540
And that's why Sony does what Nintendon't!
Woo!

>>713960230 (OP)
>you'll never experience tfw opening up a white Japanese PSP on Christmas Day of 2004 that your dad brought back for you on his business trip ever again
thanks dad

>>713960504
Switch and Switch 2 are hybrids, not handhelds

>>713971265
They're handhelds with a fucking HDMI port you giga retard
For it to be a hybrid system, then the dock would have needed to include extra hardware in it kinda like the N64 memory expansion pack. But nope, the dock is literally just a charger with HDMI support that flips the handheld/docked flag value

>>713960230 (OP)
The switch to minimalism and huge pricing that influenced the choice of materials have played a role.

>>713971497
And then you go and say only Switch 2 in portable mode should be compared with Deck because docked mode is unfair lol

>>713970339
My dad came back from a business trip in China and gave everyone something except me, then after saying that was all he had he pulled out the PSP.
Also bought a game we couldn't figure out since it was in Chinese, clerk said language could be changed but we didn't find the option. Wouldn't have helped me much since I'm ESL and was ~8 at the time anyway. Realized years later after getting MHFU that it was a Monster Hunter game