Sorry, iPad, kids still like their handheld consoles more than you

It may feel like everywhere you look a baby is playing on an iPad (or is that just my me?), but the truth is that kids are still far more likely to have a Nintendo 3DS or a PlayStation Vita.

According to a study by market-research company The NPD Group, children ages 4 to 14 still spend most of their consumer-electronics time with dedicated gaming machines. Media tablets, however, experienced the highest rate of growth from 2011 to 2012, with a 13 percent boost this year compared to 3 percent in the previous period.

[JeffGrubb]

Babies having babies who are playing on iPads. I tell you. Honey boo boo child save us all!

[badz149]

he just love the colors and sounds and not to forget the simplistic control of games on those devices! not sure if he understands them though. but when I start turning on my PS3, he'll come running and grab a controller as I think my 51" display is too much for any tablet to compete with and even when I just want to play on my Vita, he'll forget about the tablets and sit on my lap watching me playing (most of the time he takes it away from me after like 5 minutes though)! believe it or not, his main usage for my Tab at the moment is to watch cartoons in the car when we're going places! lol and I'm thinking this kid knows what he needs and what he wants already!

back on topic, tablet gaming most of the time...SUCKS! and this is from someone who really love Angry Birds, Bejewelled Blitz and Where's my Water!

[Jdoki]

Tablet gaming sucks? You're entitled to your opinion, and maybe you just don't like particular genres where the iPad is strong... but to say it sucks is a bit steep!

If you like strategy games, Outwitters is an awesome game that has no downside to playing the free version.

There's a tonne of amazing board games (Forbidden Isle. Ticket to Ride. Elder Signs. Plus loads of others, some of which are very tough).

Card games work extremely well on iPad (Dominion is out soon, Shadow Era is good, Assassins Creed Recollections is interesting, Fairway Solitaire is fun).

RPG's work pretty well (Bards Tale, ChronoTrigger).

Phoenix HD is one of the best shmups I have played in a long time (also free to get started)

Sure, many racing, FPS and TPS games don't work so well... But Sonic All Star Racers is pretty good. Real Racing 2 works far better than I expected. Trigger Fist is getting some good scores, but not tried it yet.

I'm gaming a lot on iPad, and it has few downsides. Especially as most games are really cheap.

[roblef]

It's only a matter of time. I sat with my kids playing a WoW clone on an iPad 3, an iPhone 4 and an older iPad 1 this weekend and we had a blast. Also? Those devices do more than play games. WIN.

[chasegarcia]

as of right now they mostly only have simple games like angry birds. so a handheld is still relevant. I still hit agree though because their presence has been felt.

[ExPresident]

Magic the Gathering is far beyond Angry Birds. So are many other games that are supported on the iPad. That being said you can't play an FPS for crap on a tablet without a controller and therefor a tablet will never replace that.

[CommonSenseGamer]

Get over the angry birds thing already. If that's all you think is on touch display devices then you're missing out on some good gaming.

[Reverent]

@commonsensegamer, missing out on what exactly?

I have yet to find even a single game on my smartphone to hold me over for even an hour. Zenonia was half decent, but WAY to simple for me (I like to consider myself as a deep RPG gamer). All of the gameloft games are cheap, overpriced knock-offs, and in reality, they aren't even that fun to play. Modern Combat is just something to hold me over until I cam get home to play Battlefield... And to be honest, I hardly even actually play it... I'm usually just on my phone's web browser when I'm not home to play a serious game.

Trust me, no one is missing out on any "good" games by not playing with a mobile device.

[victorGma21]

@CommonSenseGamer
Some good gaming without physical buttons? No thanks.

But Ipad is good for casual gaming.

[Jdoki]

@ Reverent

See my post above for a list of decent games in various genres. Could list many more that have soaked up many many hours of my time. It all depends on what genres you like. RPG's are a little underwhelming right now, but they are definitely a genre that doesn't rely on a controller and could work very well on iPad.

[clrlite]

I'll stick with my laptop that has more RAM than many tablets have hard drive space.

The new Ipad would need about 4 times more Ram to run my audio software smoothly.

Try running your favorite game on max settings on a "tablet", yeah....

They are fun, but should not be considered replacements for much more powerful machines or handhelds which have different things to offer.

Also, 3DS and Vita provide portable games/experiences you cant get anywhere else.

[Reverent]

Thank you^

[Unexpecta]

I laugh at you fake touch gamers.

[jukins]

maybe its the traditional gamer in me but tablet/smartphone games are download- play- delete all in a 30 min time frame for me.

[PersonaCat]

I'm usually not the type to get all fanboyish when it comes to games and all, but really? Tablets aren't worth a damn compared to console, pc, or handheld games. I seriously have to laugh at people who say that phone games give console games a run for their money. People who believe that games like Dead Trigger can compete with other shooters are on some crazy drugs. If you're a casual gamer that's fine, but don't believe your Ipad can compete with any form of real gaming.

[Dogswithguns]

Touching is good... no?

[imXify]

Every kid I see on the street has their little DSs <3

[nevin1]

I think most parents will rather buy thier babies 3DS over expensive tablets.

Or am I missing somthing?

[MasterCornholio]

Plus the 3DS has a bunch of kiddie franchises that the little ones love.

If I were a parent I would buy my Son a 3DSXL with Mario Kart and Pokemon. Now that's a great gift for your kids.

XperiaRay

[CShadow]

Nintendo rules all mini games.

[schlanz]

Tablet and phone gaming is getting much better with each passing year. Never mind the fact that they are pretty sick retro/arcade emulators when set up right with HDMI and a Bluetooth controller.

Maybe its just me but people are to quick to dismiss tablets and damn them to an eternity of casual schlep. They have great potential and IMO they will transform from a good platform to an excellent one within 5 years. And physical controls aren't an impossibility mind you.