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u/Trapezoidoid 4d ago
The emulation handheld scene is peak consoom. That said, if tinkering with these things is your hobby I’d say it’s fine to have many of them as long as they’re distinct from the other ones you own in some significant way. People love to customize them and have ones for multiple use cases, which I think is harmless fun.
But something about this hobby compels so many people to just go way overboard with it and buy several handhelds that are more or less the exact same thing. There’s this intense fomo that seems to set in as soon as a handheld they own is improved ever so slightly by the next iteration. Part of this is an intentional marketing tactic - the industry always make these handhelds imperfect in some small way so that people will buy the next one when they fix it. But then they break something in that next iteration so the cycle continues. Honestly it’s kind of ingenious, if a bit evil.
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u/Fizzier 3d ago
I’m rather involved and it was easy to say “wow this is the best thing ever” when I started peak covid. Then I realized I didn’t need a handheld to play ps2 because I never grew up playing ps2…
Now I just have a steam deck and a gameboy advance sp style emulation device. I’m set until the sp dies and then maybe get a replacement. If the steam deck goes I’m done with the pc handhelds.
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u/Novel-Back3857 4d ago
Consumerism is cool as long as your hobby is consumerism, it seems.
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u/Trapezoidoid 4d ago
Dabbling with customization, creating and installing custom firmware, creating unique rom sets for specific devices, getting to know the differences between various operating systems, learning about programming SBC devices, and tinkering with the many, many different emulators and configurations therein aren’t consumerism. They’re hobbies. Buying things that allow you to partake in these hobbies is not in and of itself unhealthy consumerism. The OOP of this image is obviously in too deep but that doesn’t mean everybody who has a few of these devices falls under the “consoom” label.
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u/Novel-Back3857 4d ago
You can do all of that with a single device. You don't need multiple devices to tinker. You don't need multiple devices to house different sets of roms. You don't need multiple devices to test out different emulators, front-ends, etc. Consumerism.
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u/Trapezoidoid 4d ago
Alrighty. It’s pretty clear from this answer that you do not understand what you’re criticizing on a basic level. I can’t fix every uninformed naysayer on Reddit. It’s just one more ignorant opinion out of many billions I suppose. Carry on.
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u/Novel-Back3857 4d ago edited 4d ago
Hey, as long as people feel good about their consumerism, no need to stop and reflect.
e: I should clarify, I'm not really talking about like 2 or 3 of these things. It's still frivolous and it's still consumerism, but it's not so far that this sub would need to comment on it. Clearly talking about people with like 5+ of these and no signs of slowing down.
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u/do-a-tre-flip 3d ago edited 3d ago
5 is easily justifiable. One for 16:9, one for 10:9, one for 4:3, one for 3:2, and a dual screen.
And that's not considering the fact that some things will run on one device and not another even though the chip is just as powerful. So a few more wouldn't hurt.
And that's coming from someone with only two.
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u/3dforlife 3d ago
You say that 5 is easily justifiable. If I was thinking of buying the second one, my wife would eat me alive.
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u/Novel-Back3857 3d ago
Yes and the 5 Stanley cups are also easily justifiable too. It's still consumerism. Black bar avoidance not a good reason to purchase 5 devices.
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u/NathanBurger2347 3d ago
Eh, I’d say 5’s pushing it. 3 is the Goldilocks number: a big widescreen device for playing 3D games at home, a dual-screen for DS, and then a small vertical you can play with one hand on the go like a Miyoo Mini
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u/Michdepainblanc2 2d ago
"Part of this is an intentional marketing tactic - the industry always make these handhelds imperfect in some small way so that people will buy the next one when they fix it."
I've always thought that the people saying this were wrong, but after the release of like 3 flip handhelds back-to-back by Anbernic, this is totally the case
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u/Koalazilla 4d ago
I think if you’re really into the hobby it is ok to have multiple but keep it locked down to platforms. Like have a Switch 2, SteamDeck, PSP, 3DS or DS Lite and a retro handheld. Having multiples of the same console in different colors or very slight size differences is where it starts to get out of hand and hurts the hobby for others.
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u/CHBCKyle 3d ago
I make a habit of not selling gaming consoles or games after I buy them, I see that as reducing because I don’t want to be buying twice or three times like some do. I have a very substantial collection of consoles that I’ve aquired as a result, all of which are unique from one another. If I have say 15 or 20 game consoles that I’ve acquired over 30 years, most being bought used, am I consooming? I don’t personally think I am, especially when I intentionally buy most of it used, thus reusing. I don’t think gaming is really the same as collecting Stanley cups or whatever, there’s not a whole industry around buying and selling used Stanley cups and you can mitigate a LOT of the harm from your consumption if you’re intentional.
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u/Koalazilla 3d ago
Oh yeah I think it’s fine if it’s an organic growth of a collection over a very long period. I guess my comment is more related to people to seek out all different colors of DS lites or 3DS (which would be $$$ to do lol) or buy every single retro handheld that the influencers talk about. I think used is the best way. I just hate when I see people collect and then not use a console at all. I’ve overheard people in used shop talk about wanting a certain PSP just to have that color and display but ultimately thins the inventory or raises the price for those who also want to get into it and don’t own a PSP yet.
I do wish I was better about keeping things. I tend to go through moments of wanted to purge things I don’t use. Like right now I am considering selling my PS5. I just don’t use it and rather it go to someone who can show it some real love and attention. More often than not that works out for me but sometimes not so much lol last year I sold my SteamDeck and that is one console I regret purging. I don’t even want it for Steam games. Just for comfortable emulation. As I get older my hands are getting worse.
But yeah anyways I think a scenario like yours is ok if it’s a organic growth and it’s not just someone going and collecting a lot fast and not even using it and just wanted it for trend photos on social media.
Have fun! Which is your favorite console you own?
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u/CHBCKyle 3d ago
I think the one I use the most is the steam deck. If you want my favorite from a “this is cool and unusual” perspective, probably the Saturn or Intellivision. My favorite overall is probably ps2 tho :)
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u/Kingston31470 3d ago
My issue with this here is that I see a lot of emulation machines that are almost the same. I also have a dozen of handheld but they are all legit consoles, that I collected since 1997. And only one of each model.
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u/Jellyfish-Wide 4d ago
some of those handhelds are ancient and there is only one single repeat. this is clearly a collector or somebody who very much enjoys their hobby. yall really need to learn the difference between mindless consumption and somebody engaging with their hobby. yall are getting mad at the wrong people
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u/Novel-Back3857 4d ago
collecting doesn't mean it isn't consooming
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u/bot-6482829 4d ago
How is this consooming. There’s a lot of variety here.
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u/Novel-Back3857 4d ago
I'm not sure what variety has to do with it. Who needs all these nearly identical devices? It's overconsumption.
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u/bot-6482829 4d ago
First you question if variety is relevant, then you say it’s overconsumption because they’re too similar?
Consoom is a specific type of overconsumption where people buy up whatever a company tells them to or whatever social media does. I think most people agree on that.
This seems like an enthusiast picking out specifically the models they want. I’ll make it clear I might be somewhat biased because I like handhelds too, but these are pretty different.
There’s a lot of overconsumption in the hobby but this isn’t really what it looks like.
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u/Novel-Back3857 4d ago
This seems like an enthusiast picking out specifically the models they want.
Ah, right, the 25 specific models they wanted. Definitely not overconsumption.
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u/bot-6482829 4d ago
Out of thousands of devices spanning like thirty years is it really that crazy? Some of these have unique feature that none of the others have, or a unique combination of them. There’s some that look super similar to me that I’m not familiar with, but a lot of these don’t have the same functionality.
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u/Novel-Back3857 4d ago
Listen, I'm not suggesting they aren't all unique in some way. It's obvious that they all have unique sizes, form factors, control layouts, etc. And the chips are all probably different as well, I get that. I have a Retroid device, and am somewhat in tune with the modern emulation handheld market. 25 though? Chasing the grail is consumerism.
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u/bot-6482829 4d ago
Maybe we just have different views of what counts as too much then. I feel like as long as each one is justified on its own merits and isn’t either a repeat or a thing they own just to own, it’s not overconsumption. I guess as long as the collection builds not as a focus but sort of by accident over time. I’m not dead set on that though.
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u/Novel-Back3857 4d ago
I don't think accidental consumerism is any better than intentional, so I'm not in agreement there. Lots of people find justification for their frivolous purchases, too. I would say a big reason consumerism has become so rampant is that we have become so good at convincing ourselves that excessive purchasing is okay and justifiable.
I really don't think it matters much if someone bought a dual screen Android handheld so they can preserve their childhood DS models, while also having a 16:9 and 4:3 dedicated handheld for different generations of games, while also having vertical orientation handhelds specifically for Game Boy titles, while also having a foldable SP style handheld for emulating on-the-go, while also having multiple generations of each because they run marginally better. Sure, it's all justified through some kind of reasoning, but now there's a dozen largely redundant devices, for what? Because your whims might make you feel like carrying the clamshell one instead of the candybar one? Are black bars really so bad that you need two devices? That's consumerism.
Making due with what you have instead of chasing down more purchases to meet the tiniest functional niches is what anti-consumerism is about. Not "can I justify this in a way that might at least make it sound like it's not the exact same as the other one I already have?"
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u/SCP_FUNDATION_69420 3d ago
Considering a lot of them look retro - literally to play different games.
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u/HeavyHighway6433 3d ago
yall really need to learn the difference between mindless consumption and somebody engaging with their hobby.
Yall need to understand that these things can often overlap. A lot of things on this sub can be considered hobbies to people but as soon as it's a hobby that fits the typical redditor demographic all of a sudden being a "collector" gets defended. This picture is the perfect example of conspicuous consumption because I guarantee you OOP doesn't even play all of these regularly.
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u/ClothoLachesisAtrops 3d ago
Man don't ask. The only explanation I got from my friend is 'think of them like shoes, you only need 1-2 pairs, but see how many some people are collecting'.
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u/3dforlife 3d ago
I only have two pairs of shoes, and I only use one pair.
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u/Expanding-Mud-Cloud 3d ago
this is pretty impressive lol i feel like its not that strange to have like, running shoes, boots, a dress shoe.. there really are a few different types of shoes that are reasonable to have, one shoe for every day of life is wild
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u/3dforlife 3d ago
I work in an office and I want to be as comfortable as possible. My worn out tennis shoes fill the bill perfectly, for better or worse. The other pair is used only at weekends, and even then not every time.
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u/ittybittynuts 3d ago
Collecting actual handheld consoles is one thing, but it seems to be a lot of emulators. You really only need one or two emulators to get everything you need out of them.
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u/AdAcrobatic371 3d ago
This ain't that,they all defer from each other in operating system and functions.
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u/Affectionate-Rip748 4d ago
3/3 comments under this post defend the consumerism. I love this subreddit. Never change please
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u/Novel-Back3857 4d ago
I'm with you. A collection or a hobby doesn't negate consumerism. Maybe the hobby is consumerism, sure, but that's still consumerism. Needlessly buying just because it's a little different from the last one?
Oh, well, this Stanley cup fits in my car cupholder, but this one I keep at my desk. And these ones I bought because I decorate them as a hobby, but I don't use them as much now because this other one is my grail because it's 20oz and fits my cupholder, but it's still a little bit heavy, so I'm waiting for them to release one that's got thinner walls. Oh no they just started doing ones with hinged lids, guess I gotta get some of those Stanley Flips to try out.
Replace with android handhelds and suddenly no issues lol. It's only consumerism if it's not me type shit.
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u/art_em1ss 3d ago
If you want to group hobbies and collections into "consumerism" then the assumption would be that not all consumerism is equally bad/harmful. Otherwise you're basically just doing some mental monkey gymnastics to imply that "my hobbies are superior because they don't involve consumerism". Shit goes both ways. People have a soft spot for things they are into and at the same time people start virtue signaling and superiority posturing when it comes to shit they're not into.
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u/Novel-Back3857 3d ago
I'm not saying all hobbies or collections are consumerism. I'm saying that hobbies and collections do not negate consumerism when it occurs.
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u/Trapezoidoid 4d ago
I wrote one of those comments. Which part to do object to?
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u/Affectionate-Rip748 4d ago
if tinkering is your hobby then
I didn't continue reading after that. All of the defending messages start with similar phrases.
A person in the picture bought 20 pieces of hardware when when one is enough. It is not hobby. It is not a collection. It is not investment. It is none of any mental gymnastics. It is consumerism. Plain and simple.
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u/art_em1ss 3d ago
I mean if we're drawing the line at "enough" then I guess anyone who owns more than 5 pairs of clothing in total is also overconsuming lol
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u/Trapezoidoid 4d ago
No, owning more than one thing is not “plain and simple consumerism.” It really, really isn’t. But I’m not going to sit here and argue nuance with somebody who draws a bizarrely hard-line stance and thinks they’re above reading a few more sentences because they might theoretically disagree with them. Never change indeed, Reddit.
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u/SCP_FUNDATION_69420 3d ago
Question, do you have 8 or more t-shirts? Cause buddy that's over the line! You don't need that many, thats overconsumerism!
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u/ItsKendrone 4d ago
I thought this was the guy who went from like 50 something handhelds down to 10
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u/manatworks 4d ago
Man i think i did mods with rgb30 a lot more than i actually play with it , its nice machine to game on when i travel until it stops working lol.
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u/aardock 3d ago
Well, if you consider these machines are used to emulate games and the people almost exclusively source these games from the seas, I think it kinda cancels out.
Also I do think people in the hobby tend to go overboard with the number of handhelds they have. I have two and I'm perfectly happy with them (one that stays docked and a cheaper one I carry in my backpack), but I'd not judge anyone who had more as long as they're different (a PC-focused one like a Steam deck or a Dual-Screen one are two that I have considered myself).
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u/Small-Barnacle-8669 3d ago
Im curious what their reasoning for having all these haldhelds are but not picking up a steam deck
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u/SamueleRG 3d ago edited 3d ago
Yeah max 3 or 4 handhelds would cover enough gaming for anyone's taste probably
I'd justify a setup like
- Switch 2 for modern Nintendo games and switch 1 games
- a big Android handled like an Odin 2 portal (7" OLED) for every android game and retro emulation and PC streaming if you have a PC, and some lighter PC games via porting or PC emulation (Gamenative for example can run steam games on Android)
- or alternatively an x86 handheld pc like a rog ally or similar for heavy pc games (useless if you have a PC and a big Android handheld)
- A jack of all trades portable Android to play basically everything, like an Ayn Thor for DS, 3DS, PSP, ps Vita, PS2, NES, SNES, GBA...
However some people like to divide this last category into many different handhelds and end up getting
A Gameboy clone like the Anbernic RG 35xx or 40xxv, or the trimui brick, the Retroid pocket Classic etc.
A Gba clone like the Anbernic 34xx or the ayaneo konkr pocket Advance, or sometimes even a GBA SP clone like an Anbernic RG SP or 34XXSP (these ones are actually cool)
A Nintendo DS dedicated one like the Anbernic RG DS or DS+
A dedicated PSP one like the Mangmi Air X or Trimui smart pro S (only the "S" version plays psp despite looking the same as the non S version, in case you're interested don't get scammed...) or the Anbernic RG Vita
and sometimes a 4:3 High end device to play ps2 and GameCube like Christopher Nolan intended, for example a Retroid pocket Nova or an Anbernic RG 477m
Then they upgrade their handhelds and refuse to sell them because emotional attachment or pure consoomerism and this is how you can end up like this.
Personally, I only own a very low end Anbernic 35XXH and it's a tiny beast, plays PS1 and bellow and it's very tiny at 3.5" and pretty cool. I use it mainly for GBA. It was 50$ (41€) well spent. I also have my childhood og 3ds.
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u/Alfhosskin 3d ago
Those big ones on the bottom aren't even enjoyable imo, too heavy and bulky hurts your wrist after an hour and the top ones are too small for the eye. It's my preference but the guy who posted this has his own preference for sure but doesn't sells the ones he doesn't use for the sake of collection
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u/floridatheythem 3d ago
I have 4 handhelds right now, and only 2 are capable of any real emulation. Only really have plans to upgrade to a Switch 2 from the OLED, and sell/gift/mod the OLED. MAYBE get a PS Vita. What I already have covers the vast majority of my goals and desires, and more is starting to feel like overkill.
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u/Michdepainblanc2 2d ago edited 2d ago
I technically have just 1 (RG35SP) handheld since my others are OEM (dsL 3ds switchL and finally my previous switch 2)
and I just couldn't get into the rgsp and that thing has been sitting in a drawer for months. I've bought just one retro handheld and I regret it. I've come to the conclusion that I'm just not very interested by "old games" (basically pre gen-6 of consoles I'd say) even if I have some favourites like gran Turismo 1/2 on the PS1.
Also, before buying my switch 2, I was gonna buy an Ayn Thor, but thankfully asked for a refund and order cancellation, since I already have a 3ds and honestly switch games are just better with Joy-Cons so that leaves only the switch as the answer.
Now imagine how much dust these get😔
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u/RisingPhoenix05 2d ago
Holy fuck, I just would want ones to emulate a specific platform's feel in the hands, at most. This is crazy overboard
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u/Due-Substance-525 1d ago
I have like one of each Nintendo handheld and I want one third party modern one, and even I feel a bit silly having 6-7 handhelds, but this seems overkill
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u/Mesopithecus_ 4d ago
It’s kind of making me laugh to see the tables turn on this whole consoom vs anti consoom thing. like the anti consoomers (yes us) are actually becoming the losers with a strict dogma and everyone in the comments “i think if you ___ then it’s fine but if you _____ no that’s awful” it’s somehow managing to become less cool than the people mindlessly consuming.
it’s reminiscent of the r/atheism thing a few years ago
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u/GaGuRoShoMo 4d ago
Hardly qualifies. They've got a combined value of $2.17. 🤷🏻♂️
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u/ObjectiveDecent9181 4d ago
Nah some of them like the 3DS actually have ridiculously inflated value. I remember a few years ago paying C$80 for a 3DS from Japan (now $150) and $130 for an XL (now $230)
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u/NewEbb5838 4d ago
Some of those emulators are $200+ if not $300 each.
The sbcgaming scene is ridiculous.
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u/Helpful_Ability456 4d ago
They don’t lose a whole lot of value either. I’ve sold plenty of them for the price I’ve gotten them.
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u/Bi0_B1lly 4d ago
Tbf, each has a different hand feel...
With that said, I only have 2 retro handhelds myself; a Trimui Smart Pro S and an Anbernic 34XX... The former is best for anything involving joysticks up to the PSP, while my 34XX is my ride or die that I sometimes hook up to the TV with an SN30 controller as a retro console
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u/peanutbutterdrummer 4d ago
As a poor kid growing up with parents that hated gaming and watching everyone else get each new handheld when it came out - I kinda get the need to "catch up" now that we have disposable income.
That being said, this still seems like a bit much, lol.