Why don't most handheld games have instant saves?

[+Warwagon MVC]

Why don't most PSP and DS games have Instant saves. The purpose of the DS and the PSP are that they are portable so you can play on you go. Or for a quick gaming fix. You also have to be aware that your battery on the go could die. Though still a lot of these games only have "Save Rooms", or save after so many levels completed.

The new Super Mario bros only lefts you save after you have defeated the small castle in each level.

Zelda the phantom hour glass is a little better, it lets you save anywhere in the game, but you still have to start at the beginning of a castle. Even if you saved anywhere in the castle.

Castlevania only lets you save in save rooms.

I think you should be able to click start and then "Save". But thats just me.

Edited October 4, 2008 by warwagon

[aussiefloyd_fan]

or any grand theft auto series for psp you have to drive to a safe house and run to the little diskette and save...

I agree needs to be start -save...

[StealMySoda]

I had this problem with super mario bros. As you said they need to be more portable.

[imek]

Not quite the same thing, but with DS games, just closed the lid, and the console will go into a sleep mode, allowing you to resume exactly from where you were just opening the lid again. Battery usage on this is quite low too, have left it running as such for days.

[+Warwagon MVC]

Not quite the same thing, but with DS games, just closed the lid, and the console will go into a sleep mode, allowing you to resume exactly from where you were just opening the lid again. Battery usage on this is quite low too, have left it running as such for days.

True, but what if the battery dies while your on the go?

[LightIdea]

Thats one of the reasons why I modded both my DS and PSP.

On my DS, I have a quick save option by pressing the left and right shoulders and pressing start, pressing left and right and select restores :D

On my PSP, There are a couple of plugins that allow you to quick save :)

[Rudy]

I think portable games should allow a "one time save" where you can save but you have to stop playing....and once you load the save it's gone

that and the regular save system they already have

[Blaine]

just a thought, but some games may put you back at an entrance or "safe spot" in a particular level. I can think of a few instances where I have saved a buggy game and the particular spot I was in somehow became bugged. Then every time I tried to reload my saved spot, the game would glitch up and freeze. Then I was screwed and had to start over by deleting the save.

[Coldgunner]

PSP has a pretty good sleep mode, before the battery dies it puts itself into sleep mode to give the user ample time to plug in a charger. PSP sleep mode lasts days. I guess DS is much the same.

My PSP is perpetually in sleep mode and I only ever turn off fully to change settings on the cfw or I am anticipating a long trip which will need the extra charge.

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

Ridiculous really, but the lack on on-board storage on the DS kinda prohibits it.

But my modchip allows it again :)

[+Warwagon MVC]

Ridiculous really, but the lack on on-board storage on the DS kinda prohibits it.

But my modchip allows it again :)

Well i'm not asking to do save save save save, I wouldn't mind it it just used the same spot on the card to keep saving. I don't need 20 different points.

[Olemus]

Usually when my batterys dying i just suspend it by closing the lid and it usually survives long enough for me to get it home and charging (a few hours) but I can see your point

[Michael Lacey]

Some games do it for the challenge factor; personally I don't think you should ever have to repeat previous victories in order to progress further, but that's another discussion.

All games, portable or not, should have Start>Save, and it's a state save that resumes you exactly where you left off.