Handheld consoles in public

I never use my 3ds or vita in public. Just feels weird.

I did find it weird at first but then realized that I would most likely never see those people often enough to care and that I'm not bothering anyone, just keeping to myself. Its really all in the confidence.

Nowadays I don't do much mobile gaming out in public, but that's more because I commute by car. Back when I was in school as a commuter student on the train, you better believe I played my DS with no shame. The way I see it, gaming is now so ubiquitous that you'd have to be really petty to judge anyone with a Vita on the subway. I say keep doing your thing and don't let others shame you.

I go to bars with friends and we play 3DS games together.

I don't own one, but when I borrowed my friend's Vita to play Danganronpa 1 and 2 I mostly played them on my commute to and from uni. So the 2nd option, I guess.

I don't care what people think in regards to handhelds. I get the feeling that people that judge the most are always the ones playing the latest time killers on their phones. I mainly avoid handhelds 'cause they give my eyes quite a workout.

I play my 3DS at work on my break and lunch and I don't care. Few years ago I would've been embarressed considering I'm playing pokemon and stuff, but who cares? If I enjoy it I'm going to do it.

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My Vita was my go to when I was at school on some sort of break with nothing to do, but now I'll most likely use my Surface 3 to kill time with the few games it can run. No concerns either way.

If I have a game I'm into, I totally will drag my 3DS around everywhere and play it whenever I have a spare moment.

To be honest I feel like a lot people are typically so engrossed in their phones, they don't have the care (or the place) to judge you. Do what you enjoy.

who cares what the fuck others think, as long as it's not getting in the way of others.

Once you come to the realization that random people on the bus don't care about you at all, you'll be a much happier person. Think about how much time you'd spend thinking about someone playing a game on the bus.

It's probably less widely social acceptable to play a 3DS/Vita once you're past college/university age, since on some level the Game Boy and DS have always been the cheaper alternative that you can give to a kid if you don't want to buy him a console, though that whole paradigm got upended by smartphones and now kids just get handmedown smartphones and tablets to play Angry Birds or whatever on.

Like, if I saw a 45-year-old dude playing a 3DS or Vita in public it might be atypical, but if he's owning it, then more power to him. I mean, Vinny has talked about playing handheld games while taking public transit in San Francisco and/or New York City, and he's a legit dude; OP, just pretend you're as cool as Vinny. This also makes me wonder if the "handhelds are for kids" thing might gradually change, seeing as there is a legion of Pokemon players out there in their 20s-30s right now that seemingly have no intention of not buying the next Pokemon on whatever platform it appears.

All of this may be a moot point when the NX is some kind magical Willy Wonka jack of all trades console/handheld/blender.

I don't play handhelds in general to be honest (they're available with a bunch of games though if I wanted to, as I helped buy the 3DS for my brother, and bought him the Vita for his birthday last year), so I don't play in public, but if you're wondering if I worry about it, no, other than some thief trying to steal it maybe. That said, I'm rarely in public in that way, so I don't have to worry about that either. I couldn't care less if someone saw me playing a handheld, nor do I think they'd care beyond the 'hm, he's playing a game of some sort' kind of deal. I used to do events at work, where I'd sit there for some hours, and I thought about bringing a handheld to play a game, but I never did. That's about as close as I'd get to playing a handheld in public. The last time I played a handheld was relatively recently, and that was Golden Abyss on the Vita, the day four came out! That was a good game. Before that, I didn't play any of the other Vita games; it was my first time. As for what's next, maybe 3DS' Dream Drop Distance since I'm going through the KH games right now (though I'll probably wait for the remaster PS4 version).

I felt weird when I'd play games on the train into work when I just got out of college. Then I realised it was childish to be that self conscious, why should anyone's option matter? If anyone even cares. ( They don't) I'm a grown ass man, I'll do as I please.

I'm a pretty self conscious person in general, but I'll play my 3DS or Vita on the bus with no shame. I see many other grown ass people playing their handhelds on the bus too. That's valuable gaming time, take advantage of it.

Voted that it felt weird though I do use my Vita sometimes in public, just when on ferry or plane though. For me it is less about having people see me play games or whatever but doing so when I am in a tight space with others like a bus. Not to say a plane isn't tight sometimes but at that point you are sitting beside each other for hours at a time often so whatever.

I also barely use handhelds in general so I am not a great judge of that. Most cases where I would think of using a handheld I am cool just using my phone, only other times are longer periods like I mentioned before.

While i haven't done it recently, I used to put lots of time into my hour-plus commutes before I had a car. Never had a problem with it, and actually have had some little neat social experiences with it from simple "What game is that?" to "Hey, want to hunt a Kut-Ku with us?"

If i'm going somewhere i like to go as light as possible so i usually just take my phone and bank/id card. And most of the time you can't see shit on those screens anyway because of glare. It just isn't worth it.

If it's being self aware and perhaps being scared of people seeing you as childish that's the issue, then allow me to present this C.S. Lewis quote:

“When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty, I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”

I'm in my late thirties myself, and while I don't own a handheld there are plenty of "things for kids" that I openly enjoy, including reading fairy tales, playing video games and watching Fraggle Rock. No shame in that.

I fairly regularly see people with Vita's, PSP's and 3DS's on trains and buses, and don't find it weird.

I rarely bring mine with me because of the convenience factor and the fact that I rarely commute long enough for it to make sense.

This could not be more true. Another example is being embarrassed of your parents. Adults don't feel that way, and teenagers eventually need to grow out of that sort of thing. Many years ago, it took me a while to come to that realization.

As far as games go, I'm in my 30s, and I don't ever hide the fact that I play video games anymore. I don't talk about games to non-gamers or whatever, but I'll gladly admit to playing video games if the subject comes up.

When I was 14, I was on a bus trip to play a basketball game for school, and I packed in my bag a mix-tape of ACDC songs. I sat down, and then looked at my bag and stared...I could not get enough courage to put on my headphones when nobody around me did so. Then a fellow teammate sat down in the seat behind me, turned on his headphones, and all of a sudden, everyone could hear ACDC's song 'Big Gun' because he had his headphones on full blast! I laughed at my insecurity for a good while. I was a teenager, though, so I still couldn't get the courage to put my own headphones on, but it did make me think differently about that kind of thing.

When it comes to games, I'll bring my 3DS when I'm waiting at the doctor's office or the dentist and on airplanes when I'm traveling. I almost played Mega Man 1 to completion on the 3DS on my round trip adventures a couple of years ago. The thing that I do is I bring some headphones with me so that the sound doesn't directly disturb my neighbors when I'm traveling, and I see people all the time doing something with electronics. On one planeflight, the guy in the seat next to me was watching the HD streaming of a golf tournament, and I thought that was awesome, because I got the impression he didn't care one iota what others thought about it.

I think it's terribly embarassing, but I still did it all the time when I had time to kill on public transportation. At some point, my own entertainment is worth more than the imagined respect of strangers on the bus.

I stopped driving to work and started taking public transit specifically so I could play handheld games on transit, it frees up 3 hours a day for me to work through my backlog. I see a ton of other people on the bus/train up here in Portland playing portable games. Actually more often than not it's a psp, gba, or DS lite. I have seen a couple 3DS' though, never a vita.

I don't do it that often, but if I'm going to be in a waiting room or something I'll bring a handheld along.

I don't mind handheld games, I played a lot of Sid Meir's Pirates on PSP. But, playing game on the road is not my top priority. I would rather surf the web, listen to a audiobook, or watch Netflix on my smartphone on a communte.

I simply do not understand why any gamer would feel ANY shame about playing a game on a handheld. Playing games on smartphones is so damn common, or just pulling out your smartphone on a bus, plane, train or boat is current western social reality. Grandmother pull out smartphones! Business people pull out smartphones! Mothers, teachers, grocery clerk pull out smartphones during breaks.

What part of the country is looking down on people playing Cookie Clicker or Farmville (...if that is even popular anymore)? I cannot imagine what backwater, Stepford-wife suburban nightmare it is that people are live in where they THINK people look down on gaming?

In fact, I don't think ANYONE has ever said, "Oh you play video games" in a derogatory way since 1994 to me. I have older people who don't really get video games, but they look confused like if I said I was part of a Badmitten Leauge. Three times a year I show all the women librarians I work with the games I have been playing at our staff meeting. They show off books they are reading, and I show off games as a special treat. They are always fascinated, for instance, they loved seeing Uncharted 3, Assassins' Creed Black Flag, Life Is Strange, Cart Life, and Papers Please.

I've occasionally seen people playing a Vita or 3DS in public. I honestly don't think other people care all that much and as long as you're not hurting anyone, it's not worth changing your habits to impress random commuters or whatever. If you wanna play Monster Hunter in public, go for it.

I wish I brought my 3DS with me more but it is so goddamn bulky that it is really inconvenient. As it stands I only bring it with me on plane trips and places where I know I will get a lot of street passes like conventions and hobby/comic book stores. That said I see quite a few kids playing with a 2DS whenever I am in a waiting room.

I'm not embarrassed by playing a 3DS and even traded my fair share of Pokemon with complete strangers in airports. The weirdest being the time I traded a Larvitar for an Aron with a guy in his 50s wearing a really nice business suit.

Short of carrying my 3DS in my pocket, I have no way of carrying a handheld around with me.

I've only brought my 3DS when I know I'll be getting those wonderful street passes en masse. Otherwise I only buy portable gaming devices for the games, not for the convenience.

I never actually bring my handhelds anywhere ever. Pretty much just on very long train/plane rides. Though I don't especially mind using one in public if I happen to have it. The "worst" experience I've had is just kids hanging over my shoulder or talking to me, which isn't so bad. Kinda distracting from the game at that point, but I think I can take that trade off for a random social encounter.

It's the same thing as someone playing with their phone, there's nothing weird about it.

Last time I tried taking a handheld out somewhere other than school I nearly got robbed so no, I don't do that anymore.

I don't own one but if I did I would play it wherever/whenever I wanted to. I mean, many people are playing on their smartphones or tablets every place I go so if it's not weird for them then it wouldn't be weird for me either.

I carry my Vita and 3DS when I used to travel to work and would have no problem playing either one on the train. I don't see it as being any different to staring at a mobile phone and I don't use my mobile phone at all.

Maybe I'm weird, but I feel super uncomfortable playing a portable game system other than my Iphone in public. I keep that stuff behind closed doors like an adult.

I personally don't give a flying f what others think, and I'm on my 40's. I play my Tezuka Gameboy out and about all the time, I play my Sony Xperia X hooked up to a cradle and PS4 controller. My only concern is boredom and the having to stare at a few spots on the floor while on public transport.

Where is the "handheld is the sexiest accessory there is?" option?
Thanks for making this thread, I've been envious of all the cool handheld people I've seen while commuting - I read this while being downtown, got curious about what a DS3 cost nowadays, checked out a nearby store online and it turns out they had one DS3 left for 80 dollars! Ran over there and went: one ice white DS3 and Monster Hunter please! Probably should have waited for MH generations but I've been itching about that game since "teach me monster hunter Jason".

The console is way cooler than I thought as well, took a 3D pic of my girlfriends boobs! But still haven't figured out how to make it my background picture...

I use my vita on my commute to and from work. Ive used it while waiting on friends to arrive in bars or cinemas too.