Obviously there is no correct view on whether it is better to have a dedicated handheld or a phone/tablet because it is a personal preference. Kids always want to use the phones, I reach for the traditional remote.
As far as all the “hub-bub” about Base 3, I am happy Lionel made the investment to develop it and tie together their different systems, some of which I suspect (i.e. LionChief) may have had more take up by serious enthusiasts than anyone expected. I hope to see continued developments of DCS that were discussed here several months ago, as it is good for the hobby.
Quick anecdote: at York happened to see a seller with the Lionel remote control set from the late 1940s or so. While I remember reading in Hollander’s book that the technology wasn’t ready to deliver on the concept, it shows that during its hey day Lionel Corporation was innovating with new ways to control the trains. Then we went into a period from the 1950s into basically the 1990s where there was no real fundamental change in how to operate trains. So to see continued innovation around remote control systems is fine by me, even if I am not a a buyer for each permutation.
