i am handheld

Free WiFi for 3DS at Major Airports

2011-12-13T11:58:00.000-08:00

Contributed By Guest Blogger: Ryan Franklin

There’s no better place to play around with your 3DS than at an airport, while you’re waiting for your delayed flight. Until recently, however, you weren’t able to connect wirelessly to the Internet on your 3DS at any major airport. This was a major buzz kill if you wanted to play some multi-player online games or download new stuff to your 3DS. Fortunately, Nintendo and Boingo just announced today that you are now able to connect to WiFi connections at 42 major North American airports. And you’ll be able to do this for free! This means that you’ll have endless opportunities to do just about anything you want to on our favorite handheld console while you wait for your plane.

Nintendo hasn’t released an official list with the names of the 3DS WiFi compatible airports. MTV.com reports that New York JFK, Houston George Bush Intercontinental, and Chicago O’Hare airports will all be offering WiFi services for 3DS. If you want to see whether your 3DS will be able to connect to WiFi at an airport near you, you can find out on Nintendo.com’s hotspot locator. This locator provides you with a chance to discover all of the 3DS WiFi hotspots near you, including those that may be at your local airport.

As 3DS consoles become more popular, we can only hope that we’ll be able to use them to connect to free WiFi networks all over the place. Perhaps Nintendo will release a statement soon about being able to access WiFi connections at Greyhound bus stations or train stations. Until then, we can only hope that we’ll be able to connect to the Internet from our 3DS consoles at more places like coffee shops and grocery stores.

Author’s Bio: Ryan is a guest post writer on the subjects of handheld gaming consoles, technology, and finding Dell coupons for deals. In his spare time, he writes for the Blog Content Guild.

First year with the 3DS good for gamers and what does this mean for the Vita?

2011-12-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

With the anniversary of the 3DS coming up soon I was lamenting the lack of titles worth playing available for the 3DS.

“I can count them on two hands and they are all remakes!”, I sorrowfully spoke. After carefully and scientifically tallying the titles worth playing using the objective ‘my opinion’ method I had to concede that just over half of the games so far are remakes. Still, I concluded, this has to be worse than the first year for the DS. The answer may surprise you. Although only three of the worthwhile games for the 3DS so far could be called new it was not far behind the original DS’s four offerings. Once you consider the totals including remakes the situation begins to look much nicer.

3DS games worth playing since launch: 8

DS games worth playing year one: 5

So why the initially poor perception of this first year?

A few things come to mind. First off it is hard to think of the system as having anything new to offer when more than half of the great games are remakes. This is compounded by the fact that Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 were only recently released and that once you look outside of a small must play games the 3DS has almost nothing game wise to offer.

So why haven’t we gotten more awesome games that are closer to the console experience like Nintendo promised?

There are a few likely factors here. The hardware doesn’t support easy ports of console games. This is an issue spec wise as well as the nature of the hardware. With only a single analog stick many console game types do not work on the 3DS. Perhaps the new thumb stick accessory will address this but I for one am not holding my breath. The other major factor is that development budgets for portable games are shrinking with the new expected low price point of the mobile market. I’d argue that the depth and playablity offered by the likes of Super Mario 3D Land justifies the price difference of $39.99 compared to the best iPhone platformer which likely has the price point of .99-2.99. This is becoming a hard pill for many consumers to swallow. The end result seems to be that we are getting mobile quality games on the 3DS at the 39.99 price point. This theory would explain the markedly large quality gap between the top tier 3DS games and the rest of the pack. Ugh!

So what does this have to do with the Vita?

The Vita has a hard road ahead. They have to do what Nintendo has so far failed to do and that is to create a software lineup that really offers a console experience on the go. The full priced Vita games must be full experiences even is this means relegating some decent size releases to the status of download only PS Vita Minis. Also first party support has to be stronger than Nintendo’s support for the 3DS to lure gamers away from both the 3DS and their cell phones. This means releasing handheld games made with a console budget at console quality. Can this be done? I sure hope so, and based on what I have seen so far I think the Vita is enough of a powerhouse and well designed machine to pull a console experience on a portable off. Even if they don’t I’ll still be happy with a pretty excellent first year of games on the 3DS.

Must play 3DS remakes so far

Legend of Zelda :Ocarina of Time

Kirby’s Adventure

Dead or Alive Dimensions

Rayman 3D

Star Fox 64 3D

3DS New fun titles so far

Super Mario 3D Land

Mario Kart 7

Ghost Recon Shadow Wars

Must play DS remakes worth playing Year One

Super Mario 64

DS New Fun titles Year One

Wario Ware Touched

Advance Wars: Dual Strike

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

Mario Kart DS

3DS $170 Now at Walmart.

2011-08-09T14:27:00.000-07:00

Although I don't usually like to shill for Walmart they appear to be dropping prices in a way that may for some be too good to pass up. If you were waiting until after August 12 1st to pick up a 3DS you might want to act now. Joystiq is reporting that at some Walmart stores the 3DS has prematurely dropped it's price from $250 to $170 allowing cunning consumers to get the low post August 12th price AND the 20 free games only available to "ambassadors". Act now and you can get the best of both worlds.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/09/psa-nintendo-3ds-available-at-walmart-for-170-today-get-your/

Hyperkin Supaboy Coming Soon

2011-08-09T12:38:00.000-07:00

Hyperkin, makers of all manner of retro hardware will apparently be releasing a portable SNES called the Supaboy. If they maintain their current track record I expect it will be a quite serviceable unit, if a bit rough around the edges.

Here are the details from their website/press release:

The SupaBoy will play original SNES cartridges on a built-in 3.5” LCD screen and is designed to emulate an original SNES controller including a D-pad and buttons on the front as well as right and left shoulder buttons. Hyperkin has even included two front loading ports that are compatible with full-size SNES controllers and video/audio out, allowing up to two players to play the SupaBoy on a regular TV screen. How supa’ cool is that!

SupaBoy will be compatible with multiple SNES titles including: Super Mario™ RPG, Starfox™, Super Mario™ World, Donkey Kong™ Country, Zelda™, Noah’s Ark 3D™, Aerobiz™ and others.

“The SupaBoy is by far one of the coolest products we’ve developed,” stated Steven Mar, Hyperkin’s Business Director. “Not only does it look similar to an original SNES controller, it’s also compatible with original SNES cartridges. You can even run it through your TV to play it with a friend!” Mar continued: “The SupaBoy is going to blow people away.”

Normal details:

Screen size (diagonal): 3.5 inches
5.5 Hours battery life (tested only once without sound)
Measures: 8.5 x 4 x 1.5 inches
Weight: 11.5 ounces
Stereo sound
AV Out
Headphone jack
Adjustable volume control

Key details:

Innovative cartridge lock feature
Two seven-pin controller ports
Tested compatible original hardware:
1. Nintendo SNES controller
2. Nintendo Super Scope
3. Super Multitap
4. Nintendo Mario Paint Mouse
In short – everything we’ve plugged into the controller ports has worked
Cartridge Compatibility
1. Compatible with Japanese Super Famicom Cartridges
2. Tested, Confirmed as Working
  1. Super Mario RPG
  2. Starfox
  3. Super Mario World
  4. Donkey Kong Country
  5. Zelda
  6. Noah’s Ark 3D
  7. Aerobiz

Turbo Express Pure Sentimentality

2011-08-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

As far as unboxing videos go this video has the highest production values ever. It is also perhaps the most sentimental gaming video ever, rivaling a wincing viewing of "The Wizard" one might have today. It also lets the viewer see the Turbo Express at a level of detail hardly ever achieved. This video was created by Aaron Nanto for, I believe, the folks at PC Engine FX who have a very slick site about all things Turbo Grafx 16.

3DS Pricedrop

2011-07-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

Overnight Nintendo cut the price of the 3DS by 32%. Dropping the price from $250 to a highly affordable $170. This is undoubted in reaction to sluggish sales and the cancellation or delay of lots of games. It's not a total bust for early adopters, who will receive 20 free downloadable games consisting of 10 NES and 10 GBA games. If this gamble pays off and the 3DS is widely adopted and developers begin to support the hardware with worthwhile games, Nintendo could have another winner this handheld generation. Check out the video from Nintendo 3DS Blog below.

Beautiful Gamecube Portable

2011-07-27T13:27:00.000-07:00

I recently picked up a Gamecube, an LCD and a battery which not only causes a horrible buzzing noise but also only runs for a few minutes before running out of juice. I am sorely attempted to attempt to further portableize it but have a realistic assessment of my abilities. Suffice to say I am crafty as long as the end result does not need to be functional. This is quite the opposite of an amazing modder known as techknotts. His most recent creation is a portable Gamecube and it is fantastic! Check out the video below.

Braggadocio and all that

2011-07-26T16:55:00.000-07:00

I rarely write very much about myself on this blog but I just inexplicably got a Twitter follow from the founder/CEO of Destructoid. This is totally exciting since he is an industry dude whom I have never met so I am assuming that it must somehow be related to this blog. The alternative is that somehow my professional reputation caught his attention which seems doubly unlikely since I have not worked on a lot of high profile projects. It's almost enough to make me think about actually using Twitter again. Here's a question, if I did start using Twitter would you be interested in following me for some game related micro blogging? Use the comments or send me an e-mail and let me know.

Push-Cars for iOS

2011-07-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

Francisco over at RLS Games recently sent me a press release for their somewhat recently released Push-Cars. Here is a Ctrl+C Ctrl+V from the press release.

Features:
* 45+45 Challenging levels based on authentic American cities maps.
* Incredibly easy to play. But surprisingly challenging.
* Retina display graphics and HD version exclusively for iPad
* 9 Different cars with different behaviour.
* Unique achievements with game center integration.
* Exclusive music theme by Edu Quindós, available to purchase via the game in iTunes.
* Unique puzzle gameplay.
* Game Center, Facebook and Twitter integration.

Language Support:
* US English and Spanish
Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad
* iOS 3.0 or later
* 54 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Push-Cars is only $0.99 USD (equivalent amounts in other currencies)
Push-Cars HD is only $1.99 USD (equivalent amounts in other currencies)
and they are available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games
category.
Push-Cars was made available on June the 28th, and now its first 45 levels are free for
a limited period of time.

I've spent a bit of time with the game and it is an entertaining little action puzzler. Action because the object of the game is both to cause and avoid causing crashes. Check out their launch trailer below.

Space Invaders Arcade Cabinet Portable

2011-07-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I am wowed about people making full sized consoles smaller. This time I am wowed about someone making an already portable game machine massively cooler. Using a GBA SP one clever modder made a Space Invaders cabinet suitable for mice. The cabinet is 7″ tall, 3.5″ wide and 4.5″ deep and 100 awesome.

To answer Technabob's question, yes this does classify as a portable handheld

Playstation Vita

2011-07-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

Despite this video, I am super hyped about the Playstation Vita.

The nD, a $10 handheld coming in 2012?

2011-07-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a truly strange piece of potential gaming hardware that could be very cool if it does not turn out to be vaporware and can hit the targeted price point. It is called the nD, as in, an indi game system. The nD is targeting a 2012 release and a $10 - $20 price point. If this is not wild enough it is the brainchild of Robert Pelloni the eccentric programmer of "Bob's Game". Perhaps eccentric does not adequately describe Robert Pelloni but, I'll let yuu [sic] judge for yourself. I'll post more about this if the system turns out to be legit but at this point am very skeptical that the system, or the much delayed Bob's Game will ever see the light of day. Best of luck to Robert, after many delays the Pandora, one of the only current indi game system on the market, made it so who is to say the nD won't either?

Check out the promo video below.

Find out more at http://the-nd.com/

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

2011-06-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

I recently dropped by my local Sony store to check out the Sony Xperia Play. It is a really nice piece of gear that, if I didn’t already have an iPhone and Viewsonic G-Tablet would undoubtedly be adopting. The screen looks great and it seems just a bit more sluggish than my G-Tab which is running Vegan, a better version of the Android OS than comes installed on the G-Tabs.

Going off on a bit of a tangent, Android, the operating system which the Xperia Play uses, has a very open market which is much less curated than the Apple App Store. This results in a lot of junk but also a lot more options for someone that likes to tinker. For example, I picked up a Zeemote and was able to get it to function with my G-tab which greatly improves some gaming experiences with the device. This is positively impossible on my iPhone because of the tight reigns Apple keeps on the device. That said much less on Android just works, a problem that I expect that Sony is trying to address with the Play. I didn’t spend much time in the App store on the Play but did verify that it is accessible. Additionally Sony appears to have a curated list of games that are optimized for the Play available on the device which is very cool. If the device is supported in this way with both an open market and a curated experience available this could be very cool for consumers.

I spent most of my time with the Xperia Play checking out the hardware and installed games and must say that the addition of real controls makes a huge difference for traditional console style games. The buttons and plus pad are small and springy but feel up to Sony quality. The plus pad appears to be 4 separate buttons which seems a bit chintzy to me but feels high quality and useable enough that I did not care during my time with the device. The analog pads, I am not sure exactly what to call them, worked but felt like they would take a bit of getting used to. They were far preferable to on screen control pads used in many iOS and Android games which is what counts. Sure any old Android or iPhone can rock Angry Birds but I have not been able to play more than a few minutes of most console type titles, such as Dead Space or Battlefield, on my iPhone. A couple exceptions are a couple of Gameloft titles specifically Nova and Backstab both of which I enjoyed but have not finished. I believe that the Play can offer a superior console experience on a cell-phone to any previous cell.

My main concern is potential lack of support for the Play’s control scheme and the upcoming release of the Playstation Vita which could leave the Play in the lurch if it is not widely adopted. All in all I wish it the best of luck and would easily pick up a low priced non cell-phone version of the Play if it was available.

The inevitable and much delayed 3DS post.

2011-06-30T13:56:00.000-07:00

It has been quite a while since I’ve posted largely because of being a very busy bee at work and home for quite a while. Also my NDA at work has prohibited sharing any information about upcoming or currently released systems. They are all announced or on shelves so I am totally free to type about the 3DS and Vita to my heart’s content.

3DS would be a pretty big letdown but, man oh man, does Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time look and play nice. Seriously, I have no regrets paying over $300 just to play LoZ:OoT. The 3D effect is kind of obnoxious and makes objects in the far distance look really jaggy since the pixels per inch are not on the level of OLED or Retina.

Quick explanation: The 3DS has 133.28 PPI while the iPhone 4 has 326 PPI that means that the pixels on the 3DS are nearly three times as large and thus easier to see at the correct viewing distance. I believe that this is more important and contributes more to the jaggedness of the graphics than the resolution. If someone has a better explanation I’d love to hear it. Also I would love to hear what a band called “Parallax Barrier” would sound like. I bet they would be totally metal.

Turn off the 3D and LoZ:OoT is delicious! In 2D the graphic overhaul looks several steps up from the Nintendo 64 version and is graphically on the level with some PSP games. The controls sometimes feel a bit outdated, this is because, gameplay wise, LoZ:OoT is over a decade old. The controls are as true to the original as they can be with a single exception and have held up very well. The exception is a nice idea, motion controls. In first person perspective you can use the 3DS as more or less a viewfinder into Hyrule. I quickly turned off the new motion controls because I refuse to blow into microphones or wave my 3DS around while riding the bus additionally it is near impossible for me to maintain the 3D effect and move the 3DS. Yes as much as I just badmouthed the 3D effect I play with it on a bit less than half the time. I’ll also note that the 3D effect makes games like Pilot Wings (which is way too short) and Ridge Racer (which is way too Ridge Racer). They are not system sellers but are totally worthwhile because of the 3D effect that enhances solid gameplay.

The only other improvement is having the inventory always available on the bottom screen and this is totally key. I’m currently on the water temple which was notoriously tedious but can quickly swap my Iron Boots right on the touch screen. Awesome!

There is no reason for me to go on at additional length about LoZ:OoT since the critics are all correct. It is an excellent game that has stood the test of time. It is not the only N64 rerelease, the underrated Rayman 3D also was a launch window game that I very much enjoyed and thought looked great. I’d really love to see more N64 rereleases although with the panning from the critics that Rayman and Splinter Cell 3D received I doubt we will see many more full retro rereleases in the near future unless Star Fox 3D is a big success. That said here is my top 5 N64 3DS rerelease wish list.

Golden Eye 007 – Not some lame-o update but the original Rare game with some updated graphics, audio, animations, single cart 4 player MP, and Wi-Fi MP. I know the AI is dumber than a box of rocks but the level design is perfect, please oh please rerelease this. The reason this edges out Perfect Dark is because Perfect Dark recently was rereleased on XBLA and the inclusion of Odd Job, this single best character in all of competitive multiplayer.

Conker’s Bad Fur Day – This game is beautiful and foully hilarious with very solid platforming, excellent level design, and a bizarreness that only a few Rare games achieved. I would also accept a sequel titled “Command and Conker” but only if it was released by Doublefine and delivered the gameplay promised on the box art of Conker Live & Reloaded.

Super Smash Bros – Every review of Punchtime Explosion mentions Smash Brothers. This is because everyone wants Smash Brothers on the 3DS. This is also the first, and one of only three games not developed by Rare on my list. A sequel is also somewhat likely to actually be released on the 3DS which is just fine with me since the gist of the game has not changed too much since it’s inception.

Space Station Silicon Valley – This game is difficult to explain but is at it’s heart a puzzle game about possessing robots. It was published by DMA designs, who would later become Rockstar North. The most similar portable game would be The 3rd Birthday, a happy tale about the destruction of NYC and horrible monsters spouting gouts of blood and gore. The main character Aya can jump into allies bodies just like Evo, the main character in Space Station Silicon Valley. On second thought Space Station Silicon Valley is nothing like The Third Birthday, except for the ally possession, and more like Portal, a puzzle game about a psychotic robot… Erm no… ignore everything except the first sentence.

Pokemon Snap – Ok in 3D with motion controls this game would be awesome! I could totally snap the hell outta some Pokemons! No seriously I love me some Pokemon Snap! I worked as a freelance photographer many many years ago and if it was more like Pokemon Snap and less like photographing community college graduations I would still be doing it today. The mere addition of Pester Balls to a graduation ceremony might have been enough to keep me going.

And my honorable mentions

Diddy Kong Racing – This was knocked off the list because I just found out that it was rereleased on the DS. I may need to pick this up. Sure Mario Kart 3D will have parasailing but Diddy Kong Racing had airplanes, hovercrafts and go-carts. Sure it will never be as famous as Mario Kart but Diddy Kong Racing 64 is arguably a better game than Mario Kart 64. In all seriousness I play Diddy Kong Racing just as often as I play Mario Kart Wii because it is just that good.

Banjo Kazooie, Jet Force Gemini , and all the other Rare games released on the N64 – I have been playing thru Banjo Tooie HD on my 360 from XBLA and Banjo Kazooie on my N64 and along with Jet Force Gemini, I’d buy these games again for the 3DS. This lists almost all the Rare released N64 games. Although I have no fond memories of them I suspect that a Double Pak of Mickey’s Speedway USA and Killer Instinct Gold would sell like hotcakes.

Game Gear 64

2010-11-10T13:05:00.000-08:00

I want a portable N64 so much and this one is amazing! Serously, some of the best hacking of this kind I have ever seen! Don't believe me check out the video.

This raises the question, when is a manufacturer in China or Korea going to start selling a portable N64? Please somebody hear my prayer and mass manufacture something this wonderful!

Caanoo!!!

2010-11-05T15:22:00.000-07:00

Read a review here or here, watch the video bellow, or just yell it at the top of your lungs. Caanoo!!! These are the same people who made the legendary GP2X so I'm sure it is a decent peice of equipment.

Pandora reviewed at Pocket Gamer.

2010-11-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

Pocket Gamer has a review of the Pandora. I'm glad to see Pandora getting a bit of coverage from pretty high profile portable gaming news source. However $349 is a bit hard to justify for a portable system that is less powerful than an iPhone 4, costs as much as a netbook, and may take months to years to arrive if you preorder from the second batch right now.

If the price drops and software compatibility increases I will totally snag one of these things until then I am predicting a 3DS or PSP2 will be my next major portable gaming purchase.

Check out the review here.

Let’s get Cool!

2010-11-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

I am reluctant to admit it but the LetCool N350JP actually looks kind of awesome. Based upon the appearance of the UI I’d guess it probably has basically the same guts and software as the Dingoo, which isn’t a bad thing. The stupid and fantastic twist of the system is a pair of tiny controllers for some portable 2 player gaming.

Chinavision describes the Letcool as follows

“One portable game station to rule them all. The LetCool N350JP multi-platform handheld gaming entertainment station is now available for the public to enjoy! This next gen portable gaming systems is actually the third generation in recent portable game emulator advancement. In 2008 there was the Gemei X760, in 2009 the Dingoo A320, and now in 2010 we have the Letcool N350JP - the pinnacle in portable gaming and entertainment systems.”

Default Gaming Console Modes
- 3D Games (20 games included plus download even more from www.70game.com)
- GBA (Nintendo Game Boy Advance - 32bit)
- NES (Nintendo Entertainment System - 8bit)
- SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System - 16bit)
- Sega Genesis (Sega Mega-Drive - 16-bit)
- GB & GBC (Game Boy and Game Boy Color)
- Future Downloadable Gaming Consoles

Bellow is one of the few decent short videos that actually show a lot of the LetCool N350JP’s basic functionality in action.

Hail to the Gameking

2010-11-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

Ashens.com, home to lots of amusing PCP reviews, (PCP a game device not angel dust) has an excellent video of games for the Gameking accompanied by the back of the box description. Very funny!

Flee The Android!

2010-11-02T10:19:00.000-07:00

Press releases are always good for some information and this particular one is doubly handheld worthy. A little game called Flee that you can play on your portable Android device that looks and acts just like a classic handheld Game & Watch.

"We are a couple of bedroom-development enthusiasts and we're glad to announce our first self-published videogame, for Android devices: Flee

http://fleeaway.com

With Flee, we tried to recreate the feeling of playing an LCD handheld from the 80s (like the Game&Watch series from Nintendo); but we didn't want to just emulate: we created from scratch a new and original game that added an updated gameplay and contemporary game design. You can read about the game design decisions behind Flee on our blog: http://frugalgames.com

Features:

- A faithful recreation of vintage handheld technology. It gets dirtier the more you use it. The effect when pressing the screen is also simulated.
- Mode A: control your car across 30 levels
- Mode B: you control the obstacles while the car moves on its own! Save the bunnies in 18 devilish levels
- Mode A + Mode A Turbo + Mode B + Mode B Turbo = 96 levels
- Global scoreboard
- Eclectic 20 songs soundtrack from the public domain and creative commons licensed works

- High quality manual inside the game

Requirements:

- Android 1.6 or later

- Screen resolution of 480x320 or bigger. Recommended: 800x480/854x480

The game costs 1€ on the Android Market, and a 'Lite' version is in the works."

They have offered i am handheld a review copy which I am unable to use however if there are any Android users willing to write a review for this blog I will see what I can do about getting you a review copy.

This is not the ODROID you are looking for.

2010-10-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, maybe it is...

When I first blogged about the ODROID I merely observed how much it looked like a Wonderswan. This time I am blogging about it to make a Star Wars joke. Laugh it up fuzzball.

Also Wikipedia, the source of all truth and light, is listing it as an upcoming portable game system which makes it worthy of a second look. I have my doubts about how this will stand up against Nintendo and Sony's upcoming game systems however it does appear to be a somewhat decent, full featured Android powered PMP.

Take a look at the link bellow for more information.

http://www.hardkernel.com/productsodroid.php

Welcome to the Jungle Watch it bring you to your sha na na na na na na na knees, knees

2010-10-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

Oh man, Panasonic has done it again, and I am having flashes of 3DO. Sure other gaming blogs can report on the 3DS and PSP2 but I'm going to let you know about the Jungle. It is a "a new mobile device concept designed specifically for online gamers" made by Panasonic, a company renowned in gaming circles for it's monumentally unsuccessful gaming platforms. Mind you I would love to see them flourish and am ready to be proven wrong. If I am able to get my paws on one I'll give my impressions of the unit. Until then enjoy the video bellow.

Find out more at the Jungle website

Netflix Streaming on DS Rumor

2010-03-09T13:46:00.000-08:00

By far the best recent Nintendo DS rumor is one from Kotaku that speculates that Netflix is coming to the Nintendo DS. Read the full story at the link bellow.

Link!

Dingoo fixed.

2010-02-09T22:34:00.000-08:00

Dingoo has finally had firmware released for it that fixes an issue that would not allow the Y and B buttons to function correctly together. This made some games completely unplayable. I downloaded the update tonight and it worked like a charm. It makes this little handheld 100% more desirable. See the link bellow for the firmware or take a look at a video review from ashens.com pilfered from Youtube.

http://www.dingoo-digital.com/downloads/firmwares/official-dingoo-digital-china-a320-120-firmware

Portable SNES arrives at last

2010-02-02T13:25:00.000-08:00

At last Yobo, the maker of gray market gaming junk has come out with the FC 16 Go, a portable SNES that looks more then anything like an original Nintendo DS but chunkier. It is avalable online for $49.99 and up. You can snag one at the website bellow.

http://www.video-game-central.com/snes-fc-16-go-portable-super-nintendo.html

DSi 2 Speculation

2010-01-06T10:50:00.000-08:00

It has been a while wow, the last post was about the DSi LL and already little details about the successor of the DSi are spilling out. Check it out at the link bellow...

http://kotaku.com/5441242/report-new-zelda-out-by-end-of-2010-first-ds-successor-details

DSi Extra Large Announced

2009-10-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

Nintendo announced the DSi LL today. The DSi LL, also referred to as the XL due to it’s extra large size, is launching in Japan on November 21 and Europe in the first quarter of 2010. It will be retailing for ¥20,000, $220 US, in Japan and is expected to be at a higher price point once it makes it to the west.

Here is some early info.

Screen Size:
4.2 inches

Hardware Size:
(across) 161mm
(front to back) 94.4mm
(thickness) 21.2mm Touch Pen Size
(short pen) 96mm
(long pen) 129.3mm

Weight (including Battery Pack, short Touch Pen):
314g

Charging Time:
3 hours

Battery Life:
(Lowest Brightness): 13~17 hours
(Second Lowest Brightness): 11~14 hours
(Middle Brightness): 9~11 hours
(Second Highest Brightness): 6~8 hours
(Highest Brightness): 4~5 hours

Supported Software:
Nintendo DS, DSi, DSiWare

Input Outport Slots:
DS Card Slot, SD Memory Card Slot, AC Adaptor, Headphones, Mic

Watara Supervision Photographed in the Wild.

2009-10-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

Came across a Watara Supervision at a thrift shop in Seattle. This is a particular system that I have never seen in a shop. I got mine on E-Bay. The screen had a black mark on it that looked like it could have been a busted LCD, the casing, screen, and hinge however were in near mint condition. There was a mysterious cartridge taped to the back of the system. I snapped a couple blurry photos with my iPhone.

PSP Go clone!

2009-10-09T20:55:00.000-07:00

PSP Go Knockoff... It looks so PSP-Go-Tastic at a fraction of the price! ... and quality.

http://chinagrabber.com/4-3-slide-panel-retro-gamer-game-mp5-player-w-camera-mp4---pxp-2000.aspx

This is not the new Wonderswan.

2009-10-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

This is not the new Wonderswan, instead this is the upcoming $250 Android based ODROID. I must say I am very skeptical about that particular device at that price tag. Now if a new Wonderswan was being made I would be very excited. Frankly the resemblance is uncanny.

Find out more at...
http://www.hardkernel.com/feature.html2958390/

Famiclones with Gamecube?

2009-09-25T13:42:00.001-07:00

One of our readers writes,

"Hey man, I've been trying to figure this out for some time, and you seem very knowledgeable on the subject. Do any of the GBA Famiclones (such as the Time Machine SP, or the Handy Famieight) have the physical ability to plug into the Gameboy Player port on the Gamecube?"

I have no idea myself since I have neither a Gamecube or a Gameboy Player however, I suspect not. It looks like the GBA game cards plug directly into the Gameboy Player. The Handy Famieight does have RCA out as do other portable famiclones such as the FC Mobile and newer B/Retro-Bit Retromini-X so those might be options if your end desire is to play your NES games on your TV.

Anyone have any suggestions for 'networking' a famiclone with a Gamecube or which one would work best?

Retromini-X available at Play N Trade

2009-09-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

This news is only really exciting if you live near a Play N Trade, possibly just a very specific Play N Trade at 11308 NE 124th St, Kirkland, WA. Play N Trade has a decent selection of new and used games from NES carts all the way up thru PS3. I have picked up a couple Dreamcast games and a VMU there at highly reasonable prices. Though not as well stocked as Pink Godzilla in the classic game department they have a more diverse selection when it comes to new used games for an English speaking market. Currently they have a system called the Retromini-X, manufactured by a company called B/Retro-Bit, in stock. The system plays NES games off of cart in a handheld form with the option to hook it up to the television. I can't vouch for the quality however for $49.99 without shipping this could be a good deal.

iPhone coverage at PAX.

2009-09-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

Touch Arcade was at PAX and has some decent coverage of all things iPhone at PAX. Check it out at the link bellow.

http://toucharcade.com/2009/09/06/pax-09-touching-a-new-generation-how-the-iphone-has-changed-portable-gaming-panel-and-new-games-detailed/#more-18445

Love letter to the Sega Nomad

2009-09-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

One of my fave gaming sites, Kotaku, had people at PAX. One if them, Mike Fahey, bought a Sega Nomad and spent a couple paragraphs waxing poetic.

http://kotaku.com/5353401/the-triumphant-return-of-my-sega-nomad

Excalibur Space Invaders and Frogger Mini Arcade Cabinets.

2009-08-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

Since I featured some fringe systems that are not for sale earlier today I thought it would be nice to feature something still available for consumption.

Amazon still has a couple Excalibur Space Invaders and Frogger Arcade systems left for sale. Sure they are not as cool as the classic LED mini cabinets but they do still have a nice retro modern look.

They feature.

• Color LCD screen
• Mini arcade joystick
• Authentic retro graphics
• Requires two "AA" batteries (not included)
• The classic video game Frogger in the 1980s portable tabletop console!
• Arcade Hit Classic
• Authentic classic arcade game play and sounds
• Great for the entire family!

Available at the links bellow.

Space Invaders
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VL4WKC

Frogger
http://www.amazon.com/Excalibur-Frogger-Mini-Arcade-Game/dp/B000EPU5SI/ref=pd_sim_t_1

Things you can do with a Lazer Doodle

2009-08-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

OMG! I want both of these! These two Lazer Doodle mods are amazing!

Fantastic!

Amazing!

Did I mention I am totally coveting both of those!

PSP Go disassembled

2009-08-27T09:59:00.000-07:00

Level Up a overseas website disassembled a PSP Go and published the results. Kind of cool if you want to see that the insides of a PSP Go look like and don't want to disassemble one your self. The English language site Gizmodo has a nice gallery of pics. Check it out at the link bellow.

http://gizmodo.com/5346229/psp-go-sliced-in-thin-waffles-of-crispy-silicon-scrumptiousness

SP2 Now This is Just Silly

2009-08-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

On sale at my favorite site for crazy gray market game consoles is the Designer 2.4" LCD Portable Handheld Game Console + Media Player (Dark Blue) otherwise known as the SP2. Naturally is looks like an Nintendo Gameboy Advance SP.

According to Deal Extreme...

- Screen: 2.4" color TFT LCD
- Support NES/SFC/GBC/NEO/GEO/GBA games, hundred games built in
- Expansion slots: MicroSD/TF card
- Support movie play: RM/RMVB/AVI
- Support music play: MP3/WMA
- Support photo play: JPG/BMP/GIF
- Support voice recording (Built-in MIC)
- USB port allow connecting to PC for fast data transmission
- Language: Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, English
- Built-in rechargeable battery
- Power adaptor: 2-pin flat plug, input AC 110~240V 50/60Hz 4W, output DC 5.0V
- Package includes:
- 1* game console
- 1* power adaptor
- 1* USB cable
- 1* earphone
- 1* user manual (English)

Get yours today for $73.15 at the link bellow.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.26462

Navy Patrol: Coastal Defense available at the app store soon.

2009-08-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

I hadn't even heard of "Navy Patrol: Coastal Defense" until Joe Bayen, a CEO at ICS Mobile e-mailed me. My initial thought was "oh great another tower defense game, just what the iPhone needs." Dutifully I watched the promo video bellow and ended up being very interested. The game appears to have all the regular Tower Defense gameplay plus some pared down RTS mechanics. The video bellow becomes interesting and new at about the half way point if you want to judge for yourself.

The RTS elements appear to include experince points, skill trees and, some degree of unit targeting. I'll post a followup once the game is released. It looks like this could be the game to reinvigorate what is rapidly becoming a very tired genre on the iPhone.

More info at the website bellow...
http://www.navypatrolcd.com

Robotube Games Reviews Entex Adventure Vision

2009-08-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

Bellow is an excellent high quality review of the Entex Adventure Vision from Robotube Games.

Check out Robotube Games at the link bellow

http://robotubegames.com/

Sony Now Shilling for Nintendo?

2009-08-16T01:14:00.000-07:00

Go to http://www.pspgo.co.uk/ right now and you are in for a delicious treat. The page currently looks like this.
Rumor has it that Sony refused to buy the site from a registrant in China so the owner cloned Nintendo's site. Hilarious!

UPDATE: Looks like the DSi page is down :(. Still it was funny while it was up.

iPhone games with Bluetooth game controller possible but not supported :(

2009-08-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

I really want to enjoy playing Resident Evil 4 on my iPhone but get frustrated by my giant thumbs covering the screen. Even though Bluetooth is supported on the iPhone, Bluetooth game controllers are not. One industrious hacker has managed to make an external controller a reality with the Zeemote JS-1. Simply AWESOME. Come on Apple add bluetooth game controller support!

Video bellow.

Double Lawsuit System released for iPhone.

2009-08-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

In some sort of bizarre handheld gaming convergence a company called ZM2 has released an app for the iPhone that emulates the Nintendo DS. Not the games but the physical object and front end. I am counting the seconds before it is pulled when Apple gets a friendly call from Nintendo. It is available NOW from the app store, though probably not for much longer.

Check out the devs website bellow.
http://www.zm2dev.com/

UPDATE:
Video currently does not play and looks like this...

GBA SP Time Machine: insert "Back to the Future" reference here

2009-08-12T14:42:00.000-07:00

Another Famicom to GBA SP adaptor is on the market this time called the "GBA SP Time Machine". For the low price of $39 you can own one. No idea if it is any good but I suspect it is not. Still if you have a lot of Famicom carts, a GBA SP and need a way to to play them on the go, the price is right.

According to the vendor...

"GBA SP Time Machine
1. Play your 8bits Japanese Famicom carts on your GBA SP
2. Built-in speaker, earphone jack
3. GBA game cart and Japanese Famicom carts can plug into it simultaneously
4. Compatible with Japanese Famicom carts only
5. GBA SP console and cartridge are not included

Now you can play your Japanese Famicom carts directly on GBA SP without any emulator. A Time Machine which allows you to play 8 bits Japanese Famicom carts on your GBA has been developed!!! The Time Machine looks like a TV Tuner adaptor but, of course it is smaller than the TV Tuner. Japanese Famicom carts are plugged in at the back of the unit, while the Time Machine sits underneath the GBA SP. 4 AA size batteries are needed for this unit. It only compatible with GBA SP and Japanese NES cartridges. It is easy to use. Just plug it into the GBA SP and you will have fun of 8bits old games. It could be a great product for the Famicom fans who still have their Japanese Famicom carts.
GBA SP console and cartridge are not included"

Get yours at the link bellow.
http://www.superufo.com/product_html/GameBoy_Advance_GBA_SP_Time_Machine.html

Treasure Grab Available in the App Store Now.

2009-07-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

Mikko Karvonen, a producer at Universomo was nice enough to send me a press release for their new iPhone game Treasure Grab

According to the Mikko the game allows you to,

“Take control of a young thief named Alya Loot and prove yourself by stealing the most precious heirlooms of four decadent nobles. Explore the mansions, pick locks, trick guards, and grab everything that has not been nailed down – and most of what has been. Show your skills and maximize the spoils by making the most out of the 7 Trickster Spirit powers, including disguise and invisibility.”

The art, audio and, writing are all quite excellent and the on screen controls are as well done as on screen controls for the iPhone can be done, with an invisible virtual joy stick appearing anywhere the player touches on screen. Mikko describes the game very accurately using the, “it’s like _______ meets _______” analogy.

“The main inspirations for the game were, as strange combination as it might sound, Thief and Pac-Man. The team set out to create a game of breaking, entering and looting, inspired by Thief series on PC, but wanted to transform it into something lighter, more fast-paced, and better suited for mobile environment.”

Most importantly the game is a lot of fun and well worth the $2.99 price.

It is available at the app store at the link bellow.

itms://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=315773541&mt=8&ign-impt=clickRef%3Dcom.apple.jingle.app.store.xml.MXAutoSourcedGenrePage-US-Lockup_r2c1&partnerId=30&siteID=CMWzV4SDlTs-ONCpskKkpOx.Z0K4_PG7wA&ign-mscache=1

PXP-900, The Most Realistic Looking PSP Since the PSP

2009-07-21T23:58:00.000-07:00

Another awesome looking clone system for you, according to Technabob this one is called the PXP-900. Why do I say awesome looking? Because it looks almost exactly like a PSP. This Portable Media Player has scores of features including video and audio playback. The one that interests us most is it’s gaming abilities. Well, even though it looks like a PSP it is not one. I’d give specs but the couple sites that sell the things lit it differently. What they do more or less agree on are the supported game formats that include, NES, Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Genesis, and possibly SNES and GBA.

Pick it up for $59.46 as the 4.3" LCD Game Console Style MP4 PMP Player with TV-Out and 300KP Camera (2GB with TF Slot) at the link bellow.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.24819

More info is available at Technabob.
http://technabob.com/blog/2009/04/29/pxp-900-handheld-game-system-looks-like-psp/

Atari Lynx review

2009-07-18T13:05:00.000-07:00

An amusing and insightful review of the Atari Lynx reviewed by TolstoyKafkaEvsky courtesy of YouTube. Check it out bellow.

Game Gear Video Review

2009-07-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

Old Skool Gam3r reviews the Game Gear on YouTube. He has a very nice system new in the box. Some of it is silly but still worth a look.

Tiger Telematics Gizmondo CNET Review.

2009-07-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

Way back in 2005 CNET reviewed the Gizmondo giving it 2 1/2 out of 5 stars. Take a trip back in time by clicking the link bellow and relive the mediocrity of the Gizmondo all over again.

http://reviews.cnet.com/pdas/tiger-telematics-gizmondo/4505-3127_7-30923780.html?tag=rb_content%3brb_mtx

Holy Lawsuit Batman this is Not a GBA SP!

2009-07-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

Deal Extreme is currently offering some very dodgy imitation systems. The most fascinating is listed as Designer 3.3" LCD Portable Handheld Game Console with 92 Built-in Games (Smalt) [sic]. For the low price of $57.29 you can be the owner of the system that on paper sounds like another crummy NES clone.

Screen: 3.3" TFT, 160*240, up to 32,000 colors
Built-in 92 games
Expansion Slots Total: 1 game cartridge slot
Power adaptor: 2-pin flat plug, input AC 80~240V 50/60Hz 4W, output DC 5.2V 320mA
Rechargeable battery: Li-ion 3.7~3.8V

Dig a little deeper and you soon discover that it is a GBA clone copying the basic design almost entirely, sans the Nintendo logo but, including GBA Games. The unconfirmed game list has a lot of padding but is reported to include several great games including 3 versions of Pokemon, Advance Wars, Bomberman Story, Double Dragon Advance, Contra Advance Alien Wars, Final Fight One, Mario Cart Advance, Metal Slug Advance, R-Type 3rd Lightning, Mario Advance, Mario Advance 4 and, Tetris World.

The aspect ratio of the screen is reported to be a bit off, the quality of the system to be shoddier then the real thing and, some users have noted slowdown which is unsurprising. I can’t recommend this system to anyone but it looks really cool as a curiosity.

Buy one and find out more info at the link bellow.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.25221

A more in depth review is available at Assembler Games who's YouTube video is included in this post.

http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/showthread.php?p=354902

Portable XBox Rumor Given Teeth By Xbox Exec

2009-07-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday website Kikizo published an interview with Xbox executive Shane Kim. Lots of regular console gaming information was exchanged as well as some tidbits that give a bit more clout to the portable Xbox rumors that periodically spring up on the internet. Frankly, I'll believe it when it comes to market. Check out the juicy bits at the link bellow.

http://games.kikizo.com/news/200907/portable-xbox-a-matter-of-when.asp

Wiz in action

2009-07-16T13:53:00.000-07:00

Video of GP2X Wiz in action courtesy of Youtube and Think Geek.

Think Geek has the unit for sale for $179.99 at the link bellow

http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/retro-gaming/bfc7/

Adventure Vision!

2009-07-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

Another system for the obscure game console file is the Entex Adventure Vision, a portable system from 1982 that had only 4 games released for it in it’s brief life.

Here are the specs:

CPU: Intel 8048 running @ 733 KHz
Audio: National Semiconductor COP411L @ 52.6 KHz
Controls: 4 direction joystick and 8 buttons
Graphics: 150x40 Black and Red

And a complete games list:

Defender
Super Cobra
Turtles
Spaces Force

Check out http://www.adventurevision.com/ for more then you ever needed to know about this rare gem.

Meggy Jr RBG: Niche Homebrew Gaming to the Max

2009-07-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

This actually may be the most obscure handheld featured here. The Meggy Jr RGB is a kit based handheld from evilmadscientist.com. It is “designed as a platform to develop handheld pixel games.”

The kit features very basic specs.

Display: 8x8 RGB LED matrix display.
Controls: six buttons.
CPU: ATmega168 microcontroller.

Despite the simplicity of the system one clever programmer, Steven Read, ported Donkey Kong to the system in the form of “Super Monkey Kong”.

Check out Evil Mad Scientist and Super Monkey Kong at the links bellow.

http://www.stevenread.com/node/577

http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/meggyjr

Enviro-Bear 2019 for iPhone, review at Touch Arcade

2009-07-10T13:56:00.000-07:00

According to Touch Arcade, Enviro-Bear 2019 is “the best bear driving simulator in the App Store” I downloaded it, played it, and realized that Touch Arcade’s hilarious and accurate review said all that needs to be said about the game. I am a bit in love with this bizarre and wonderfully terrible game. Check out the link after the video bellow.

http://toucharcade.com/2009/07/10/enviro-bear-2010-the-best-bear-driving-simulator-in-the-app-store/

Wiz Unboxing at Pocketgamer

2009-07-08T13:34:00.000-07:00

Check out a bit about the unboxing of the GP2X Wiz over at Pocketgamer at the link bellow. I has some very nice pictures.

http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/Various/GP2X+Wiz/feature.asp?c=14279

Watara Supervision: Info Sheet and Video Featurette

2009-07-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

The Watara Supervision is a stinker of a system that was only innovative in that it was the first hinged handheld system. Released in 1992, it attempted to compete with the Game Boy, which was first released in 1989, by offering a very low price system. This was crazy even at the time. Nintendo was way too entrenched and nobody would make games for this unknown system. On paper it had slightly better specs. The games however were generally terrible

Watara Supervision Specs:
1992 Price: $49.95
CPU : 8-bit VLSI
Screen: 2.37" x 2.37" 160 pixels by 160 pixels 25600 pixels 4 tone grayscale
Power: 4 AA Batteries
Audio: Speaker with built-in Headphone jack

Gameboy Specs:
1992 Price: $59.95
CPU : Custom 8-bit Sharp LR35902 core at 4.19 MHz
Screen: 1.8" x 1.75" 160 × 144 pixels 23040 pixels with 2-bit 4 shades of green to dark green
Power: 4 AA Batteries
Audio: Mono Speaker with built-in stereo Headphone jack
Dimensions: 90 mm (W) x 148 mm (H) x 32 mm (D) / 3.5" x 5.8" 1.3" (in)

Though it is best known with it's unique hinged design there were at least 11 different design variations with slightly different branding such as the Quickshot Supervision and the GB-2000 which lacks the hinge

Released games for the Watara Supervision:

Bust/Cross (2-in-1)
Hash Block/Eagle Plan (2-in-1)
Classic Casino (3-in-1)
Cave Wonders (4-in-1)
Lucky Jacky (4-in-1)
Alien
Balloon Fight
Block Buster
Box Carrier
Brain Power
Bubble World
Carrier
Challenger Tank
Chimera
Chinese Checkers
Climber
Crystball
Dancing Block
Delta Hero
Devil Paradise
Dream World
Eagle Plan
Earth Defender
Fatal Craft
Final Combat
Galactic Crusader
Galaxy Fighter
Grand Prix
Happy Pairs
Happy Race
Hash Block
Hero Kid
Hero Hawk
Honey Bee
Jade Legend
Jaguar Bomber
John Adventure
Journey To The West
Juggler
Kabi-Island
Kitchen War
Kung-Fu Street
Linear Racing
Ma Jong
Magnicross
Matta Blatta
Olympic Trials
P-52 Sea Battle
Pacboy and Mouse
Pacific Battle
Penguin Hideout
Police Bust
Popo Team
Pyramid
Recycle Design
Scaffolder
Soccer Champ
Sonny X'Press
Space Fighter
Sssnake
Super Block
Super Pang
Super Kong
Tasac 2010
Tennis Pro '92
Thunder Shooting
Treasure Hunter
Untouchable
Witty Cat

Bellow is a typically silly video of me opening a sealed copy of Pyramid for the Watara Supervision.

Zero Punctuation Reviews GTA Chinatown Wars.

2009-06-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

Zero Punctuation does hilarious and somewhat foul video reviews. Check out the review for GTA Chinatown Wars.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/657-Grand-Theft-Auto-Chinatown-Wars

PSX on the iPhone 3GS.

2009-06-30T13:56:00.000-07:00

This is currently more proof of concept, and undoubtedly violates both Apple's terms of service and Sony's licencing. However, the folks over at ZodTTD have gotten a mostly playable PSX Emu running on the iPhone 3GS. Yeah it is a bit slow but... This is mostly exciting because of the implication for the level of games that should be possible on the system should a developer spend the time and effort on a AAA title. Check out the video bellow.

More info at the link bellow.
http://www.zodttd.com/blog/

Sega Retro: Another Genesis Clone

2009-06-28T00:46:00.000-07:00

It seems like almost Daily a new Sega Clone is released. Today it is from a company called Blaze which has released a portable game system called the Sega Retro. Despite the rather absurd claim that it is the "world's 1st Sega Megadrive handheld console", it looks like a decent system at the reasonable price of £29.99. Check out the promotional video and link bellow.

http://www.blazeeurope.com/sega/sega-megadrive-handheld/prod_3.html

The King is dead, long live the King...

2009-06-26T23:38:00.000-07:00

According to the internet there is no longer any need for the Sega Nomad. A company called Innex is allegedly releasing a system called the Retrogen. It is, if it exists, a region free portable Sega Genesis. The price $50. It seems to have been at E3 so let's hope it is real. Not much info right now since the site that is selling it is down but hopefully it will be back up soon. Check the link bellow.

http://store.videogamecentral.com/sega-genesis-portable-retrogen.html

PSP Go: “the first constantly evolving network device that Sony has put into the market.”

2009-06-26T13:51:00.000-07:00

MCV recently interviewed Andrew House, the President of SCEE. He had some interesting things to say about the new PSP Go, which he refers to as, “the first constantly evolving network device that Sony has put into the market.”

He touches on the place that the PSP Go has keeping Sony on the forward edge of the handheld gaming market as well as reiterating the promise of a 10 year life cycle for the PSP. He also addresses the rather hefty price tag along the way and does some typical Sony flag waving. All in all it is a worthwhile little read if you are interested in the PSP Go. Check out the full story bellow.

http://www.mcvuk.com/features/499/House-Proud

High Dynamic Range Lying DSi review

2009-06-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

I have not seen many compelling reasons to get a DSi, It does have slightly larger screens which I like but other then that it seems like not a big enough difference to write home about. Nayan Ramachandran over at High Dynamic Range Lying feels a bit different and offers a few reasons that the Dsi has more to offer then the DS. Check out the full story at the link.

http://www.hdrlying.com/imported-data/2009/1/15/nintendo-dsi-artstyle-aquario-and-made-in-wario.html

Ghostwire... I guess ghosts are the new zombies?

2009-06-23T22:27:00.000-07:00

It looks like people are at least trying new things with the DSi hardware although this just seems a bit silly... Silly but kind of cool in a spooky campy way.

Conny PDC100: it has 100 games! That is why it has the number one hundred in it’s name.

2009-06-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

Another cheap, poor quality, multi-game handheld has become available. This one is called the Conny PDC100. It appears to have a collection of completely original games which does not bode well for these type bargain handhelds. Here are the official specs.

Model: Conny PDC100
2.5-inch 16-bit color TFT LCD display.
TV-out support.
100 games built-in.
16 x puzzles
17 x actions
20 x mini games
20 x shooters
17 x racing games
10 x luck-based games
Powered by 3 x AA batteries.

It is available thru Deal Extreme for the low (but probably far to high) price $65.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.20215
Let me know what you think if you have one of these.

Definitive Gameboy Timeline.

2009-06-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

I published a brief handheld gaming timeline quite a while ago but it does not begin to compare to the less inclusive but very slick timeline at Gizmodo. Check it out at the link. http://gizmodo.com/5222211/the-definitive-game-boy-timeline

Here is the less impressive, slightly updated, and more inclusive timeline from i am handheld.

1979
Milton Bradley releases the first cartridge-based handheld video game system MicroVision. Nothing much happens in portable gaming for the next 10 years.

1989
Nintendo releases the Game Boy system. It's boxy has a lousy screen and is ugly as hell but everyone loves it.
Tetris is arguably the most important handheld game ever. It is released for the Game boy which sells like crazy.
Atari Lynx is the first color handheld video game system but it does not have Tetris and eats batteries. System will hang around for years wishing it found Tetris first.

1990
Sega releases the Game Gear in Japan.
Turbo Express is released which plays TG 16 carts.

1991
Europe and US get Game Gear.
Japan gets Parodius on the Gameboy, while US gets boring old R-Type.

1992
Watura Supervision is released along with games like Recycle Design and, Untouchable which perfectly describe the game system.
25 million Gameboys have been sold.

1993
Mega Duck & Cougar Boy game systems are released in Europe. US suffers from never receiving these systems.
Zelda first appears on a handheld.

1994
94 is a slow year in handheld gaming due to "Grunge". Only game released is "Stop That Roach!" on the Gameboy.

1995
Nintendo releases Virtual Boy. It's totally 3D! Gamers develop a collective migraine.
Game Axe is released which is a pirate handheld Famicom player. Thanks to NES on a chip technology spawns many imitators.
Sega Nomad released. Genesis heads now have excuse to lug their Genesis cartridge collection around with them. System only fits in duffle bags.

1996
Neo Geo Pocket is released in awesome black and white!

1997
Tiger Electronics releases game.com. Someone better have gotten fired!
Sega stops supporting Game Gear format.

1998
Nintendo releases Game Boy Color.
Sony PocketStation is a mem card and a portable game!
Pokemon invade the Gameboy and millions of parents have no idea what the hell their children are talking about.
Games are still being released for the Lynx. Lynx users are like "In your face Nintendo!"

1999
SNK totally copies Nintendo and releases Neo-Geo Pocket Color. Metal slug now fits in your pocket as well as some awesome fighting games.

2000
Wonderswan is released. A couple nerds want it to come out in the US but nobody cares about their needs.
Majesco re-releases the Game Gear. It is called Game Gear Core System.
Neo Geo Pocket releases another Metal slug game then gives up when GBA appears on the horizon.

2001
Nintendo releases the Game Boy Advance handheld system.
Advance Wars, Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, F-Zero, and others are released for GBA. GBA is looking good.
GP32 is released, only a few nerds care. Homebrewers rock.

2002
Wonderswan Crystal is even more beautiful than it’s predecessor. It has a great library of RPGs but all are in japanesse.
GBA gets Zelda and Metroid, bathes in the blood of defeated game systems.

2003
Nokia releases the N-Gage It’s a phone and a game system. Casual gamers don't care. Hardcore gamers care even less.
Puzzle Bobble VS is releases for N-Gage. This game should be impossible to do a bad version of but somehow manages to get an average score of 22%.
Tapwave releases the Zodiac, it's a PDA made for games.
Timetap releases Gameking, China throws a party.
Game Theory Admiral is released which plays famicom games. Nintendo does not seem to care.
Nintendo counters with GBA SP and all the other systems fail.

2004
N-Gage QD is released and still sucks, just not as badly, not nearly as bad as the Gizmondo which would have almost been ok if it was a cell phone and is released next year.
Leisure Suit Larry: Pocket Party is cancled. This is possibly the final nail in the failing N-Gage's coffin. The world breathes a sigh of relief as a game called "Pocket Party" will not be played in public.
Wonderswan stops getting games. Still none in English.
Nintendo releases the Nintendo DS, and Pokemon Mini. This duel strike knocks all other mo-fos out.

2005
Sony releases PSP and handhelds are finally legitimized.
Gizmondo is released, Sticky Balls makes gamers snicker, Colors is canceled and Erickson crashes his Enzo. The End!
EZ Mini is released.
Also released is the GP2X which makes the GP32 nerds screamgasm with delight.
Nintendo can't stop itself and releases a lite version of the GBA SP, and Gameboy micro.

2006
The Nintendo DS Lite ups the sex appeal of Nintendo. Handheld games have officially exploded. Girls, casual gamers, your parents, and jocks officially play video games and carry them around in their pockets.
OneStation brings probably illegal games to savy importers at low prices.

2007
PlayStation Portable Slim & Lite are released.
iPhone releases.

2008
Pandora is scheduled to release but does not.

2009
DSi is released, PSP Go is announced, Wiz and Dingoo are released, Pandora looks more like vaporware.

Hyperkin FC Mobile II for sale now.

2009-06-17T23:10:00.000-07:00

Although I have not had the opportunity to use the FC Mobile II I have in the past recommended the original FC Mobile. It appears that the FC Mobile II is the original plus a TV out and wireless controllers. All in all it looks to be a decent, possibly a bit poorly made but better thought out, take on the NOC crammed in a handheld.

Bellow is the rather dry product announcement from snagged from YouTube.

Hyperkin FC Mobile II for sale now on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027EUDKO

Open Pandora Project Prototype demo.

2009-06-17T20:35:00.000-07:00

The Open Pandora project did preorders way back last autumn but has yet to see the light of day. Recently a very cool video of the unit was released tantalizing the public with footage of the awesome prototype Linux handheld. Only time will tell if it will evaporate taking both the preorder money and Linux heads’ hopes with it or eventually release becoming the must have portable emu gaming device. Check out the video bellow.

More info at http://openpandora.org/

DS game Scribblenauts wins best in show at E3.

2009-06-16T13:40:00.000-07:00

IGN, Gamespot, and Gamespy have all named Scribblenauts best in show at E3. This is significant because no handheld game has ever taken the honor (Although the PSP did take the Critic’s choice award in 2004). I am super jazzed about this game. The basic game is a typical collect the stars to finish the level format however, that is where the similarities end. The player can write almost any kid safe noun on the bottom screen and the actual object will appear in game. Every previewer has a story about some awesome, hilarious, or unexpected, happening demoing the game. Including traveling thru time, summoning God and, riding dinosaurs. Bellow is the rather hokie game trailer

More Scribblenauts coverage at the links.
http://kotaku.com/5291395/portable-game-beats-console-games-for-the-first-time-ever
http://ds.ign.com/articles/991/991132p1.html

I Am Handheld Recommends: Final Fantasy VII on the PSP.

2009-06-16T00:10:00.000-07:00

Final Fantasy VII is arguably one of the greatest RPGs of all time. For rhe last 12 years, it could only be played on a home console but that has all changed since the PlayStation Store recently made the title available for the low price of $9.99. This is a must own for PSP owners. It has a great story, memorable characters and, fantastic art style that mixes hand drawn backgrounds, clever animated backdrops, with simple blocky character design. The deep magic and combat system is sure to please any RPG aficionado while the slowly opening world and typically convoluted J-RPG plot will engage even the most jaded gamer.

As LeVar Burton used to say, “You don’t have to take my word for it.” Check out the Metacritc reviews bellow or visit the PlayStation Store now to purchase.

http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/psx/finalfantasy7

http://www.us.playstation.com/PSN/Store

PSP Go!

2009-06-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

The big portable gaming announcement of E3 this year was the PSP Go. In case you missed it, PSP Go is the up and coming UMD free PlayStation Portable from Sony. Slated for a Fall 2009 release at a rather hefty $249 price point, the PSP Go is intended to initially exist alongside the older UMD running PSPs. It will be interesting to see just how well this works. A lot of conjecture has been flying about what exactly the PSP Go will be. Here is what Sony says.

More hype at the Playstation website bellow.
http://www.us.playstation.com/PSP/Systems/pspgo.html

Dingoo Pocket Retro Game Emulator

2009-06-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

Think Geek is selling (it has units on back order) a unit called the Pocket Retro Game Emulator for $99. It looks pretty cool weighing in at about the size and form factor of a Gameboy Micro. It is also the most reasonably priced handheld emulator I have seen that appears to handle systems as modern as SNES and Neo-Geo nearly perfectly. Unlike some other systems that require lots of tinkering/hacking with questionable results the Pocket Retro Game Emulator has built in emulators for a handful of classic systems. As anyone who has picked up a GP2X can attest hacking becomes tiresome.

Think Geek offers Free UPS Ground shipping for all orders over $75 if you enter the code SHINY during checkout.

Get yours at http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/retro-gaming/bd6f/
or it appears to be available as the Dingoo A-320 at Deal Extreme http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.23032

Super Mario 3 is Best when You Can Rewind.

2008-10-19T22:55:00.000-07:00

This week sit back and enjoy a relaxing video blog, otherwise known as a "vlog". In it I ponder the age old question, "What portable platform is best for playing Super Mario 3?"

Field Runner: Another Tower Defense Game.

2008-10-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago I criticized the iPhone for being a difficult platform to develop for. While this is true, there are some very good iPhone games. One such iPhone game, which I am totally addicted to, is Fieldrunners. Fieldrunners is a tower defense game of which there are many variations.

A single game of Fieldrunners has 100 ‘rounds’ of play over 3 levels of difficulty. The playing field is very simple and open as opposed to some tower defense games which offer more diverse selections of varied maps. The goal of Fieldrunners is to stop enemies from crossing the map by building towers which shoot at them as they pass. The Enemies consist of either fast weak enemies such as basic infantry or slower more powerful enemies like giant tank-like robots. All of the enemies except the flying helicopters must navigate around the player’s towers. If any enemy makes it across the map they reduce the player’s health by 1. However, if an enemy is defeated the player earns money to buy or upgrade towers. If the player loses all 20 health the game is over. The towers have varied abilities and costs. There are Gatling Towers which are inexpensive and have a short range, Goo Towers that slow enemies, long range more expensive Missile Towers, and Tesla Towers that are expensive but do massive damage. The game-play is very simple but quite addictive . The essential experience is very similar to Desktop Tower Defense which can be experienced at http://www.towerdefence.net/games-19-Desktop_TD.php.

While it is true there are many free options for tower defense games, $4.99 is still a pretty sweet price point to be able to play tower defense on your iPhone. The designers have thoughtfully optimized the controls for the iPhone so that control is fluid, intuitive, and easy to understand with a very minimal but clear HUD. The graphics in general look good if a bit reminiscent of Team Fortress 2. I am pretty sure the Heavy is one of the enemies in Field Runners This version of tower defense is faster and easier to play then in any mouse driven version. All in all very excellent!

Handheld Gaming in the Future.

2008-10-05T21:15:00.000-07:00

So what does the near future hold for handheld gamers? Here are just a few of the up and coming options for pocket gamers.

Nintendo is releasing a new version of the DS called the DSi. The unit is presumably being called the DSi for two reasons. First it is as close as Nintendo would dare to get to naming their machine the iDS. Secondly it has two cameras--get it, DS eye? The camera on the outside of the DSi will be a reasonable 3 megapixels, with the second camera that points at the user weighing in at 0.3 megapixels. The DSi will be 12% thinner than the existing model with two slightly larger screens. It will have built-in memory and a SD memory-card slot to play songs, store photos, and play games downloaded from the Nintendo store. Unfortunately the DSi will no longer play GBA titles. Also, all information seems to indicate that the system will have essentially the same processing power and functionality outside of the addition of the cameras. The DSi will go on sale in Japan for around $180 in November or December, the UK next spring, but it won't come to the U.S. until well into 2009.

More adventurous gamers might want to order the Pandora http://openpandora.org/ a Linux-based handheld gaming device. The Pandora is about the same size of a DS Lite and has a similar clamshell design on the outside. Inside the Pandora is quite different. The Pandora has an awesome set of features: WiFi, USB, a 4.3-inch 800x480 touch-screen, lithium-ion battery, QWERTY keyboard, a directional pad, and two analog nubs. It aims to be “the most powerful handheld in the world both in terms of raw CPU power and 3D graphics capability.” With a TI OMAP3530 with PowerVR SGX GPU processor and 128MB DDR SDRAM and 256MB internal flash memory this may be true. In layman’s terms the system should be about as powerful as a Nintendo Gamecube and due to its open source nature will invariably be the home to Nintendo 64 and PS1 emulation. The unit retails for $329.99 but is already sold out for preorders and no new units will be available until 2009. Cautious gamers might want to take a wait and see approach. Truly lunatic gamers will want to not only buy a Pandora but also pick up the Wiz.

The Wiz http://www.gp2xstore.com/ is another Linux based game system. The details are also quite interesting: a 533MHZ Arm 9 processor with 3D acceleration, 64MB of Ram, 1GB internal memory, USB, a SD card slot, a 2000mAh Lithium Polymer battery and a touchscreen. The Wiz does not appear to be nearly as capable a device as Pandora but should be quite capable of emulation up to the Super Nintendo and possibly the PS1. It is a direct predecessor of the very capable GP2X and, besides a rather questionable looking dual directional pad set of controls on the front of the unit, it should be very nice. Not too much information is available even though it is available for preorder right now for $179.99.

Owners of the PSP or DS certainly don’t need to rush out and get any of these units however it is really cool to see both the Big N and some smaller companies keeping handheld gaming moving forward with serious interesting new systems aimed at all different types of consumers. I hope that consumers step up and support this type of innovation to advance the fringes of what portable gaming has to offer. Hopefully I’ll be able to get my hands on the units in the future for full reviews. Until then, happy gaming!

Tapwave Zodiac 2 Awesome yet Obsolete… Awesolete!

2008-09-28T19:10:00.000-07:00

The Tapwave Zodiac is a gaming optimized PDA running a modified version of Palm OS that was originally sold between 2003 and 2005. It came in two different models: the Tapwave Zodiac which had 32MB of internal RAM, was priced at $299, and came in Slate gray; and the Tapwave Zodiac 2 which had 128MB of internal RAM, was priced at $399, and came in charcoal grey. Other than the above noted differences they were identical. For quite a while it was my absolute favorite handheld gaming device.

The device itself feels solid with a nice weight and metal case. It has a touch screen, an analogue control stick on the left, four buttons organized in a circle on the right, right and left shoulder buttons as well as power, home, and function buttons. The Zodiac feels good to play when it is working perfectly however the analogue has a tendency to slip out of true, at least on my unit. This does not happen often, maybe once every week or two and is simple to recalibrate, but is still a negative. Software is read off SD cards that are inserted in one of two slots on the top of the unit. All in all, the unit feels very nice and high quality. The screen does not get nearly as bright as the DS lite, iPhone, or PSP and at full brightness reduces the already poor battery life to approximately three hours.

The Tapwave Zodiac had a tiny library of officially licensed games, but it had a strong homebrew community that invested a lot of work bringing quality games to the system. Many of the games available were in the form of emulation. Homebrewers were able to bring NES, Genesis, arcade, and even barely functional PlayStation 1 games to the Zodiac. As far as official games went Doom II, Duke Nukem 3D, Tony Hawk 4 and a couple racing games makes up the majority of official notable Tapwave games.

Tony Hawk 4 on the Zodiac is not a full blown version of the game but is very similar to Tony Hawk 4 on the GBA. The game uses a ¾ isometric view for the world but manages to capture the feel of the main fully 3D pre-Underground era of Tony Hawk skating games. There are some true 3D gaming experiences available on the Zodiac such as Doom II. Even though the Zodiac has an analogue control stick Doom is best played with a mouse and keyboard or Dual analogue sticks. Doom II has not aged well. The 2D sprite based enemies in a 3D world are quaint and the AI feels nonexistent to a gamer used to modern FPS console experiences. It seems developers did not quite know what to do with the device. The best official games on the system are the few casual games available such as Solitaire or the Fun Pak i.e. games that have a traditional mouse and keyboard or palm game design.

The strength of the system truly lies in its strong homebrew community which have brought many classic systems to the unit thru emulation. This could be a major draw however there are many better options for classic gaming enthusiasts that want to play classic games on the go. A great option for the classic gamer on the go is the GP2X which can be found at a lower price point then the Zodiac. The GP2X has better feeling controls and has a wider range of software with in general higher degrees of compatibility. Adventurous iPhone and PSP owners can jailbreak or install custom firmware in order to run unsupported homebrew. There are even special cards available for the DS that allow users to run downloaded software.

The other advantage of the system is that it is a fully functional PDA. Again this is overshadowed by newer systems such as the iPhone or the Blackberry which have similar core functionality as well as superior connectivity and media functionality. All in all the Tapwave Zodiac is, despite a rather critical review, a very cool system that unfortunately is currently overpriced, has little unique software, and has superior options available. The Zodiac is a curiosity that will be remembered by few but is a worthy platform for old school game enthusiasts and handheld game collectors.

Scores:

Screen: 7/10 The screen is not quite as bright or crisp as the newest generation of handhelds however the 480x320 resolution still looks quite sharp.

Sound: 8/10 The machine is quite capable of MP3 quality sound. The system itself sounds a bit tiny with the internal speakers however the headphones sound great.

Controls: 7/10. Touch screen is responsive and buttons are springy. The only problem is that the analogue controller tends to slip out of true. This can be minor to quite annoying depending on how much it happens. In general it does not happen often and can be quickly addressed by recalibrating the control stick.

Availability: 5/10 It can be found online but one would be hard pressed to find one at a thrift or resale shop. You would be better off searching for another device that might be easier to find.

Price: 5/10 It is possible to find online for as low as $225.00 however the GP2X which is a similar and frankly superior gaming device can be found for $179.99. As a PDA it is a bit of a relic already, cell phones or PDA devices that offer a greater degree of connectivity are better choices.

Library: 8/10 Though the official library of games is quite modest, the homebrew community was quite active for the unit. It is capable of running NES, Genesis, and older systems’ games at full speed. SNES games run a bit slowly or at full speed with no sound. Newer systems’ games are generally impossible to run.

Overall: 7/10 This was an excellent choice at the time however it is too expensive and has too many flaws to justify the purchase of one unless you can find one under the $100 price point. The battery life is very short, the analogue controls sometimes slip out of true, and there are other systems that have similar libraries available.

What I’m Playing on Vacation: Casual Game Mini Reviews.

2008-09-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

When I left for vacation I brought two bags, one full of clothes and toiletries and the other packed with books and electronics. Portable gaming machines do not take up a huge amount of space but maximizing your gaming oomph and minimizing the amount of gear that has to be lugged around is a concern. Additionally I have not had a lot of time to sit down with a more involved game so most of my vacation gaming has been distinctly casual. In my opinion a lot of casual games are of the lowest quality. With that in mind this is the best of what I have been playing on vacation and what I would recommend for your casual game playing.

Line Rider iPhone:

I have been looking forward to Line Rider making its way to the iPhone since I saw some of the fantastic videos of the original flash version on YouTube. The game has caused enough of a splash to be ported both to the DS and iPhone. The game is barely a game in its original and iPhone form. Upon load the player is presented with a screen that is blank other than having a few drawing tools. There is no point or goal other then to draw a downhill course for a guy on a toboggan to sled down. The simplicity and creativity allowed are wonderful. With all the versions players can share their courses with other players which is very cool. It is pretty easy to pick up and put down and the game appears to auto save whenever the program is exited. The only gripe I have is that it is difficult to draw precisely with a finger on the tiny iPhone screen. Watch the video below and be amazed.

Check it out for free online at http://linerider.com/

Mawasunda Nintendo DS:

Mawasunda is a Japanese only mini game collection from Taito similar to Wario Ware for the Nintendo DS. The game does have a lot of Japanese which makes the game more challenging and interesting for a non-Japanese speaker. The games fall into 3 categories (Power, Technique, or Brain) and use what the games refers to as the MawasunderPAD which is a portion of the bottom screen that is rotated to play the mini games. Games have goals such as raising and lowering elevators or cracking safes in addition to slightly more outlandish goals such as keeping people upright on the subway or preparing food. Perhaps directly attempting to cash in on Wario Ware there are bits of vintage games included such as Arkanoid. None of the Mini Games feel quite as absurdist as the ones included in a Wario Ware Game however the sense of style that the game has somewhat makes up for the lack of over-the-topness. The gimmicky MawasunderPAD does get old after a bit however there are alternate controls for lots of the games. The biggest difference seems to be the amount of time spent playing the individual games. While Wario Ware mini games are very fast Mawasunda has a much more leisurely feel. It is not the perfect mini game collection but is a fun worthwhile diversion.

Puzzloop iPhone:

Puzzloop for the iPhone is a touch version of the flash game Puzzloop which people may know as Zuma or Luxor. It is the first of the match three games that have pieces that are on a spiral track around the center piece thrower. The game is really easy to play on the iPhone due to responsive controls and a generally well designed UI. I rarely find my finger covering important gameplay elements or accidentally touching the menu button which is a concern for almost all iPhone Games. The Puzzloop clone Zuma can be played at http://www.popcap.com/games/free/zuma and will give you a pretty good idea of what Puzzloop is all about.

Clubhouse Games Nintendo DS:

Clubhouse Games has something around 50 classic board and card games including solitaire, mahjong, and chess. They are all easy to play, with a good UI, decent AI as well as the option to play multiplayer either thru Local Wireless or Nintendo WFC. These are classics thru and thru. Value has been added by having a couple bonus modes that include Mission and Stamp. Stamp mode sends the player thru all the games one after another and Mission sets players up with specific goals to complete during play. For instance in the Bullshit Mission (the Clubhouse Games refers to the game as “I Doubt It”) the player must “Accurately call Cheater! (Bullshit) 5 times before anyone else wins.” Nothing groundbreaking however it does extend game-play.

Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters? PSP:

Honestly the PSP does not really have many quality casual style games and since the DS and iPhone are excellent platforms for casual gaming I had a bit of difficulty naming a quality PSP game. Lumines and Echochrome, neither of which I have played, may be the entire list of quality casual games for the PSP. I’d like to open up the comments for any opinions on what are some good casual games on the PSP. Come on lurkers, don’t be afraid to speak up. Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters is the only PSP game I’ve played for the PSP while on vacation. On the subject of vacation, check out what the 5-0 drive in the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. This should more then make up for the lack of casual games on the PSP…

Where are all the Awesome iPhone Games?

2008-09-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

The iPhone is gaining popularity as a gaming device. In fact, it has been reported that Sega has said that it's just as powerful as the Dreamcast. This is potentially very exciting for iPhone owners. The Dreamcast is of the same generation as the Playstation 2 or original Xbox. To give another example EA was reported to have said that the iPhone exceeds the Nintendo DS in terms of processing power.

Undoubtedly the iPhone has plenty of muscle. Games such as Super Monkey Ball and Crash Kart Racing have proven that the device is capable of decent 3D gaming. The device is also presumably quite capable of online gaming since it has rather robust connectivity options. This begs the question, where are all the awesome iPhone games? I don’t want to be overly critical of the games available for the iPhone since there are several quality games available. That said, outside of a small handful of games, the iPhone library does not begin to deliver the quality of games available on either the Dreamcast or DS to which the iPhone has been compared. Why is this?

The iPhone has a great screen. It is capable of being very bright, has excellent resolution and is quite responsive as an interface. In addition, it can recognize more than one touch at once. Outside of the screen as user interface the iPhone and has tilt control and the as of yet unused (as far as I am aware) camera and GPS. This all sounds good on paper and works wonderfully as an interface for the iPhone as a media device however there are some problems with the iPhone as gaming device. Games for iPhone wisely, as a rule, seem to have abandoned attempting to recreate the console controller on the iPhone. Without the tactile responsiveness of real buttons, virtual buttons or joysticks on the iPhone screen don’t give enough feedback for a traditional console type experience. Additionally any buttons take up screen space that ideally will be used for graphics. Successful iPhone games that have a console feel, such as Crash Kart and Super Monkey Ball, use the accelerometer for a primary user interface. Crash Kart has a general area that the player can touch to activate a power slide and steering is done by tilting the iPhone. In Bomberman Touch, the player touches the side of the screen to move, replacing the traditional joystick control. Using touch zones rather then buttons frees up space for graphics when some elements of the user interface are not being used.

Most designers appear to have entirely focused on more casual games with a mouse inspired user interface. Many of them work quite well. Most of the card, mahjong, and board type games translate quite decently. A key problem with casual games on the iPhone is that since the screen is so small it may be difficult to accurately touch a specific piece in a game of mahjong or solitaire. This is a minor gripe for games that are rather straight ports of classic board or card games whose rules dictate a specific piece layout. Additionally many of these games do not offer much more than any number of free to play online flash games or time wasters.

When the mouse control scheme is used for more action oriented type games things can become problematic since the act of moving your finger or tapping obscures a considerable portion of the screen. I have not yet found this particularly problematic with any of the games I’ve played on the iPhone. However, I did find it to be quite difficult with a painting program, Brushes. So difficult, in fact, that I ordered a stylus. Ultimately user interface design for the iPhone games is in its infancy. There has been rumor of peripherals being developed for the iPhone such as the Belkin Joypod and iControlpad which, if released, will turn your iPhone into something akin to a PSP. This may bring a greater variety of games to the iPhone, but it could balkanize the iPhone gaming library as different games receive different levels of support for peripherals. I personally would prefer to see designers rise to the challenge of designing for the iPhone. The system offers new and interesting opportunities and challenges for game design. Truthfully there are many more challenges for game makers on the iPhone. However with creativity and persistence interesting and exciting new games can be made.

The second reason for the lack of quality games seems due to the fact that as a true multimedia device any game must be more engaging than any movie, piece of music, Youtube video, and the internet (pornography included). Not only does a developer have to compete for an end users time but they must compete for the end users space on their iPhone. This means that even a big concept game needs to be relatively small in size. These concerns create quite a bit of risk for an iPhone developer. Even if there are solid numbers on the install base for the iPhone I don’t think there is a clear idea of what sort of attach rate games will ultimately have on the iPhone. This fact, along with size concerns, may relegate the iPhone to the position of a strictly casual gaming machine. This is unfortunate since the possibilities for a device with such an interesting set of technical assets is very wide. Beyond simply what is possible graphics and processing wise, the iPhone could be used for some very innovative stuff. Imagine a game that tracks players in the real world thru GPS to allow players to gain points for finding or occupying specific locations or an “enhanced reality game” that would allow a virtual avatar to interact with the real world thru a combination of motion control and the camera. These are by no means new ideas however the iPhone actually is a popular and capable enough device to make such gaming pipe dreams a reality.

The final challenge and perhaps most significant reason that great games have not found their way to the app store is largely a financial one. The iPhone apps store in many ways resembles the Wild West where anything goes. Apple, it seems, does not in any way filter the content that makes its way onto the iPhone nor, it appears do they enforce any type of pricing structure. This may initially seem beneficial to the consumer however in reality it is not. As an example, if a user searches for “Cowbell” in the apps they will come up with several results with a price point ranging from a few dollars to free. This level of granularity seems intuitively like a good thing. If a potential consumer wants a simple cowbell they can opt for the free app. If, in the unlikely event that they want a fully featured musical instrument, that option is available to them. The reality of the situation is a bit different. The task of adding value over a similar free app is very difficult. This makes developing for the iPhone quite risky. Development costs even for a small app can be quite high and since Apple does not appear to have any pricing structure there is no guarantee that a competitor may not offer a similar app at a much lower cost. In order for great games to make their way to the iPhone consumers must speak with their money. This means being willing to pay a premium price for high quality offerings. The flip side of the coin is that Apple needs to enforce a pricing structure for content and figure out a way to act as gatekeepers in a way that is both fair and maintains a minimum standard of quality. This does raise the bar for the aspiring bedroom developer and will block a segment of would-be iPhone programmers from having their apps see the light of day, but I think it would ultimately increase the quality of software available. I have no problem with Apple allowing free apps, but the large number of similar low quality, cheaply made games in the app store seem to have created a gaming ghetto where only low quality free or cheap games can survive. A more proactive model is needed, such as the Xbox Live Store which Microsoft heavily monitors and will go so far as to enforce prices for content offered. This would inevitably increase prices in the apps store but would also hopefully inspire game makers to take chances and develop some bigger concept games. This may be a moot point if the game development community has written the iPhone off as a casual only device.

I’m going to forgo any sort of scoring for the iPhone and instead take a wait and see approach. Hopefully games such as Line Rider, Vay, and Spore Origins will prove that a wide range of game types can successfully sell on the iPhone. Hopefully consumers will demand more than the tired casual games and sloppy racers. Hopefully good iPhone games such as Super Monkey Ball and (the admittedly casual) Bubble Bash are getting supported. Until then I’ll be patiently waiting for all the good iPhone games.

PAX Special Report.

2008-08-30T19:08:00.000-07:00

Went to PAX today, which was quite fun. PAX, for the uninitiated, is the Penny Arcade eXpo, one of the biggest video game conventions in the US. I can tell we are close when I spot a little kid, maybe 7 or 8 that has what appears to be a fox tail hopping down the sidewalk. “Future cosplayer of America,” I say. I know that gaming has become much more widespread, but there are an awful lot of the stereotypical chubby, nerd glasses-wearing, socially awkward, acne-pocked gamers in the crowd. There are a lot of these people. Thousands. It was held at the Seattle Convention Center and had a high enough attendance that the main lot filled up and my partner Sara and I had to park in “Freeway Parking” which is aptly named due to the fact that it is under the freeway. Some poor guy has the job of sitting in the entrance of the parking garage with the constant roar of traffic overhead.

We wander around looking for the area to buy passes and end up being approached by a couple Asian guys who offer us scalped tickets at a discount. We get tickets and I lead us boldly into a room that I believe is the Exhibit Hall but is in fact, according to the event map, the “Line Up Room”. This is very accurate since the room is one giant queue. I’m not sure what is being lined up for. We leave the line up room and I skulk over to the information desk to ask for directions to the Exhibit Hall specifically asking how I get to my company’s booth. Sara all the while has been trying to explain to me where things are and what we were almost in line for. The guy at the Info booth gives us directions. “Did that make sense to you,” I ask Sara. I am suffering from overstimulation and we have not even reached the truly crazy areas. The Event is bedlam. There were actually enough guys dressed up as the Joker to fill up an asylum. There were also quite a few Stormtroopers and at least one Power Ranger. Sara says to me “Do you want to get a picture with the Stormtrooper?”

“No I want to get a picture of people taking pictures of the Stormtrooper,” I respond.

“Aren’t you kind of short for a Stormtrooper,” she says.

“I wonder how many times he has heard that today,” I reply.

My girlfriend is a total Star Wars nerd. [Editor’s note: there was also a really tall Darth Vader].

Walking towards the main exhibition area I spot the Mini Bosses booth completely unmanned by the Mini Bosses. The Mini Bosses are a video game music cover band. “When I was in The Post (an indi rock band) I got a copy of their demo from the guys at Secretly Canadian (an indi rock label). This was before they were even a blip.” Nobody really cares about this story when I tell some random dude that is near their unmanned booth. “They haven’t been here all day,” he says, “they are off playing games.”

The exhibition hall is packed full of nerds. There are also many stages where people play Rock Karaoke Band Hero Revolution with various amounts of aptitude while people watch on with various amounts of enthusiasm. I find the human zoo almost as compelling as the games. [Editor’s note: the Editor’s brother noted that the Wall Street Journal estimated PAX attendance this year at 50,000. That’s a lot of nerds.] I snap some pics with my iPhone and realize that nobody is going to pay any attention to the iPhone. When I am out and about I often end up talking with other iPhone users but with so many nerds with so many gadgets I am entirely invisible.

We wander thru the exhibition hall and I snap blurry pictures of people playing music games, swing by the company’s booth, and track down some projects I’ve worked on to see if people are enjoying them. I stop at a booth selling NES carts for $3 each and several classic consoles as well as one of the table top Pac Man games from the 80s that look like a tiny arcade machine. I price it but it is a little high for the condition it is in. I think I should take another picture but get distracted and snap more blurry shots of people playing another music game.

We pass the Mega 64 booth just as the Mega 64 guys are going to give a talk so I click a picture of their empty booth. “All the booths I am really interested are empty,“ I lament. This is not really true. I think I’m a bit overwhelmed and feeling slightly agoraphobic. “Let’s get out of this area,” I say, then promptly am distracted by the Mercenaries II demo area and stare glassy eyed as some guy climbs up a tower in the game and assassinates several Cubans. ”This guy needs to blow some stuff up; he’s not making it look very exciting,” I whisper to Sara. She is palpably bored staring off toward the Lord of the Rings MMO demo booth. This is probably one of the few places where there is a healthy outlet for the borderline sociopathic urge to see more grandiose displays of carnage. I grab her hand and we head out toward the sky bridge.

“Do you want to meet Will Weaton,” I ask?

“Ohhhhhh, I love his blog,” she squeals and we start toward the back of the line.

“Are you in line to see Will Weaton I ask a girl dressed as what I believe is a Naruto ninja.

“Yeah, I think the end of the line is over there," she says pointing to the other side of the sky bridge. Once we get there we are informed that the line is closed but perhaps due to just how expertly Sara can act crestfallen the line supervisor lets us in line when we wander by a few minutes later while we are trying to find a quiet spot to call Sara’s brother.

“Meet us in front of the Exhibition Hall in the line to meet Will Weaton,” we say.

“Who is Will Weaton?” He asks.

“Wesley Crusher from Star Trek,” Sara response with an implied duh.

In unison we volunteer by way of explanation “He has a really great blog.”

We stand in line until an officialish looking guy in a PAX shirt tells us that Will is done and we won’t get to have him sign anything.

“Could I just tell him how much I like his blog?” Sara asks.

“No, he is tired and needs to go back to his hotel, or play some games or something,” we are informed.

Perhaps inspired by all this blog talk I decide to go to the panel on how to get people to go to your gaming blog. Sara and her brother decide to meet me afterwards and head back into the Expedition Hall while I go to the Walrus Theatre which turns out being the corner of the atrium where the escalators are located. I learn there that most successful gaming blogs have several posts DAILY and they stress that you have to have regular posts and that you can’t skip posts just because you are busy. I turn red with shame. The power point demonstration is one of the most obscene, absurdist, displays of information sharing I have experienced using a Microsoft Office product. A man is panties is chosen from the audience to wear a robot head and strike a pose whenever anyone says Destructoid since members of the panel are all bloggers on Destructoid.com. Somewhere on the internet are NSFW pictures of a man in red panties wearing a robot head.

I met back up with Sara and her brother at the ITT Tech booth. That is right ITT Tech has a booth at PAX. I find out that they played Guitar Hero and Sara who does not play videogames played it and enjoyed it. “I need photographic evidence!” I exclaim. We push thru the crowd back towards Activision’s small collection of Guitar Hero stages. Sara explains that ITT tech was hosting some sort of murder mystery crime solving contest but it was not actually any fun and involved a lot of work. I almost say something disparaging about ITT Tech but then felt sorry for them since they are almost within a stone’s throw of both Nintendo and Sega. It must have been like being a chimpanzee on prom night, to coin a new phrase. By the time they were able to take the stage for a rendering of Pat Benatar ‘s "Heartbreaker" I had the opportunity to hear both Jimi Hendrix and Aerosmith butchered by people armed with their tiny plastic axes.

“I am done,” declared Sara.

“Agreed,” I agreed.

In the car Sara told me about how her brother talked to the exhibitors and that when one of them offered that she try out a game she coolly replied, “I don’t play games.” I’m sure they were thinking “Then why the ass are you here?” As I tucked Sara into bed to return to the computer to finish this distinctly handheld free entry (I didn’t even make it to the handheld lounge) she says “I had a really good time at PAX,” and it was true. If you are a gamer PAX is totally awesome, if not it can still be a lot of fun. It is really strange and somewhat overwhelming however the energy there is really good. It is really about a bunch of people getting together to share what they are passionate about. Sure there are a lot of companies with dollar signs in their eyes but it still has a positive vibe. If you have not gone before but have thought about it go as soon as possible. PAX is becoming really huge and may soon lose the feeling of community that makes it unique.

Korg DS-10.

2008-08-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

I obtained a copy of the Korg DS-10 sequencer synth software for the Nintendo DS. This software is not currently available in the US however, since the DS is region free, the Japanese version plays fine on any DS. I have not yet fully explored what it can do however it is very easy to use out of the box. Rather then writing about the software I decided to just video it in use.

Starting out with the default pattern it is very easy to build up and experiment around with the sequencer. I played this thru the external speakers that my music equipment is hooked up to however the video camera itself is pretty low quality. It does show more or less how easy it is to use.

Once you have recorded a few sequences you can string them together into a song. Keeping things video game themed I call the following "Mario Variations". This was recorded directly from the DS speakers.

For under $70 this is well worth importing. It qualifies as a musical instrument rather then a game or toy. Very cool! I totally want to start a musical group that performs entirely on DS. Along with Jam Session and homebrew programs like Protein and Nitro Tracker it's totally doable. Surely there are enough DS armed music nerds in the Seattle area to start this group? Who is with me?

Mid Week Links: Secret Heroes of the Internet Edition.

2008-08-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

Who is Reirom?

Says my source, "He's a Brazillian guy named Reirom. He just posts in gaming forums. He doesn't have his own site or anything. There's not much info about him on the interwebs. He's most known for leaking Halo 2 onto the interwebs before it was released."

Bellow is Reirom goodness.

Check out his game reviews here.

http://www.forgotten-gamer.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=107697&st=0

Need more?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC8Xf6cPdwM

Unfortunately there is not a whole lot more then this...

http://stackmaster.tripod.com/reirom.html

He totally needs his own review website! Hell, he needs to review handheld games for iamhandheld!

Five simple things for which all handheld games should strive.

2008-08-03T22:10:00.000-07:00

Though i am handheld is primarily concerned with providing reviews of hardware and software on a variety of handheld systems, on occasion it’s useful to discuss what in general makes a quality handheld game. Some older systems were not capable of having some features discussed here and are somewhat exempt due to age. The question of age also tends to dictate the expectations of game design. What was acceptable design ten years ago may not be considered good design today. Additionally, in order to have a useful discussion of game design in general terms, a certain familiarity with the systems discussed is needed. To that end, I will attempt to limit my discussion to current generation systems and games.

This week I’ll focus on five simple elements that can make or break a game. These are very general and most of them can be applied across the board to the majority of games and systems that are on the market today.

Short Bursts of Game-play:

Short bursts of game-play are desirable for a very simple reason: handheld games are often played when a person only has a few minutes to play. Not all handheld games have to follow the rule of short bursts of game-play. However, unless there is a compelling reason not to have short play sessions, as a rule, handheld games should strive for this. Games that simply and seamlessly enforce short play sessions are fairly common, but some do it better than others. There are several ways to accomplish enforced short bursts. One of the most direct tactics is to have games that have levels with a specific duration such as the music game Elite Beat Agents on the Nintendo DS. Since all levels are put to music, the length of a single level in Elite Beat Agents is generally going to be close to 3 minutes, the length of a typical pop song. Slightly less effective are timed or stage based games that encourage fast completion such as any of the Sonic games. An interesting subset of handheld games are the micro game-play games that have short stages and encourage quick play such as Wario Ware on the DS and WTF on PSP. It is not impossible to create a short burst styled game that has great depth and a non rushed feel, such as Picross, but some game styles simply cannot fit into the quick play mode. Games such as Syphon Filter, while stage based, encourage the player to work their way slowly thru levels. Most RPGs are by their nature time-sinks and often encourage extended play sessions. For these type of games design concessions do not need to be made if the developers offer a quicksave feature.

Quicksave:

There is nothing worse then the lack of a quick-save feature on a handheld game that is not designed with short play sessions in mind. As mentioned before, handheld gaming is theoretically going to happen on the bus or in the car during the few minutes of downtime people frequently encounter. Often I find that my DS has run out of batteries after a day in sleep mode or I’ve wanted to watch a video on my PSP but realized I had left it in hold mode. Lack of some type of quick-save is nearly inexcusable on a handheld. There are several quick save options available to designers and at least one of the options should be included in every handheld game. The first and simplest, from a player perspective, is a save anywhere quick save option. Put simply the player can press “pause” at any point in time, save, and at a later point in time, power their system back on and begin at the exact point at which they saved. With some game designs this can create undesired consequences allowing players to retry tricky parts of the game with no punishment. This can effect enjoyability, challenge, and, in some cases, replayablity. The classic Super Mario Brothers 3 ran into this problem when it was ported onto the GBA. In the original the player could only save at specified points such as after finishing a castle. If they used all their lives before the next save point they would get a game over screen and could continue at the last save point. In order to preserve the old school game play Super Mario Brothers 3 used a slightly more complex type of quick save option. Super Mario Brothers 3 has a regular save at the specified points from the console original and a true quick save at any other point. The player is allowed to save and quit their game at any time, but they may load their quick save only one time, which prevents the player from being reloading their save from any point.

Considerably less acceptable is an automatic stage or checkpoint based quick save that happens automatically after completing a stage. It can be as simple as when the player finishes a stage or whenever a player completes an objective. A particularly good model for this type saving are any of Valve’s console games such as Half Life or Portal which automatically save whenever the player makes significant forward progress. This type of saving assures a player that they can turn off their handheld and not lose any significant progress. Auto saving this way can be fairly discreet and have minimal game impact but will often not save frequently enough for the very short session that can be typical on a portable system.

Design for the system:

Designing a game for a specific system may seem fairly obvious, but my experience is that this is not always the case. This is primarily an issue in the case of games that have the primary sku on a more powerful system or a system with differing control options. In many instances games get ported to handhelds without adequate concessions being made for the system. Games such as Call of Duty DS or Metal of Honor on PSP are somewhat decent despite the system they are on. The PSP does not have a second analog control stick and yet fairly straight ports of Playstation 2 first-person shooters are fairly common. The DS suffers from being one of the less powerful systems to frequently receive ports of high profile console games it cannot do justice. Racing games such as Burnout Legends that require very fast 3D processing simply do not work on the DS. Very realistic games such as Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory look so low poly and poorly textured as to look simply awful. The DS can do 3D quite decently as has been shown by Mario 64 DS, but this is because the models and environments are cartoony and can therefore look good with a lower poly count and very simple textures.

The second part of designing for the system is aimed squarely at the Nintendo DS. The DS has the touch screen which offers unique gaming opportunities. Fantastic first-party games such as Metroid Prime Hunters and Legend of Zelda on the DS manage to use the touch screen excellently as the primary user interface. Using the touch screen in similar ways as a mouse is used on PC games can create very intuitive gaming experiences. This model is useful however it does not take into account the tactile experience of stylus based play. The iPhone holds the potential to change the way that user interfaces in gaming are thought about in an even more dynamic way. We have not seen the effects of the iPhone yet however the fact that the only user interface is the touch screen means that the game designers will be forced to make very conscious decisions about how a game is controlled.

Portable games can be fantastic when games are designed with the limitations and possibilities of the system in mind.

Leave the gimmicks:

The flip side of the touch screen is the fact that many games include unnecessary and flow breaking touch screen sections. Switching between traditional plus pad and stylus control always breaks game flow. There is no convenient way to hold a stylus and use a traditional control scheme comfortably. The only thing I dislike more than unnecessary stylus controlled portions thrown into games is the rarer random microphone sections. Portable games are in general played in public and I in general refuse to play games with microphone support.

Design Big:

Handheld games often suffer from tepid design or are shovel-ware. Others are quite often so small and stripped down as to feel insubstantial. Games such as Grand Theft Auto Vice City Stories, God of War, and Daxter show that full, complex, big, and compelling games can be brought to handheld systems. Games such as Final Fantasy IV, and Advance War: Days of Ruin have proven that even the less powerful DS can play host to some deep and compelling game-play and storylines. Final Fantasy Tactics A1 is an excellent game with some terrible writing and a throw away plot. It feels as though, if it had been designed on a home console, the story would have been dealt with a bit more thoughtfully. This is quite the opposite with the somewhat similar Jeanne d’Arc. Jeanne d’Arc has a similar quality of game-play but has an epic plot that makes the entire experience bigger. In many cases it is little things such as writing or music that seem to be overlooked. Games need not be epic in order to be designed big. Even simple games can have big design. Space Invaders Extreme, Loco Roco, and Tetris DS are excellent examples. They are all very simple games at their core but are given a full, big presentation with thoughtful game-play and attention to detail. Just because a game is handheld it can be complex, thoughtful, beautiful, exciting, or innovative. In some ways big design can be equated with a game having a unique and clear vision.

None of these five things will alone result in a good game. However, many games that have these shared elements are highly playable and stand out as excellent games. I would venture to guess that even games that nail all five elements can still end up bad games. Ultimately what matters is whether the game is fun.

Handheld Photo Shoot.

2008-07-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

After the taking the photo of the Game.com last week I was feeling inspired not to write this week but instead take some artsy pictures. (Click the photos to view full size.)

N Gage

Pokemon Mini

Donkey Kong

Gameboy

Gameboy Color

Game.Com

GBA SP

Atari Lynx

VG Pocket

Sega Game Gear

Neo Geo Pocket Color

GBA

Coleco Sonic Handheld

Mattel Classic Basketball

Pocketfami

Gameboy Micro

Mid-Week Links Fashionably Late Mayhem Edition:

2008-07-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

War!
http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/playstation-2-component-incites-african-war/1231745

Violence!
http://news.filefront.com/violence-causes-games/

Murder!
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/04/60minutes/main678261.shtml

Discussion!

Game.com Pocket Pro, Lights Out: When Good Games Come to Bad Systems.

2008-07-20T20:25:00.001-07:00

Sometimes a game system comes around that is so easy to trash on that mocking it is like kickboxing a six year old, easy and funny but ultimately unsatisfying. The Tiger Game.com is one such system. Everyone, if they have even heard of the Game.com, already knows that the system sucks. Even the marginally better Game.com Pocket Pro is such a miserable excuse for a system that playing it is, in general, an exercise in self loathing. The challenge is to actually say something nice about the Game.com.

The Game.com (pronounced game com) Pocket Pro is the smaller lighter version of the Game.com which was released in 1997. The Game.com was on of the 10 worst-selling Handhelds of all time and for good reason. Though it had a touch screen years before the Nintendo DS, decent controls, and was the first handheld to offer online connectivity it did not have much else to offer. The screen quality was very poor and the library of games was small with the best titles being only somewhat enjoyable and the worst being about as fun as being repeatedly bitten in the scrotum by a cete of angry badgers. One of the few bright spots was the game that came bundled with the Game.com, Lights Out.

Lights Out on the Game.com is played on a 6 X 6 grid that begins with a number of dark and light squares. Other versions of the game typically use a 5 X 5 grid and some even use larger grids or even arrangements of hexagons. The object of the game is to turn all the “lights out”. The control scheme on the Game.com is simple, when a square is tapped, the tapped square and all the directly adjacent squares change from on to off or off to on. There is a silly amount of math that has gone into creating strategies for playing the game. Apparently the easier to understand strategies are good enough to ensure victory but are not optimal solutions, which allows the game to retain it’s enjoyment even if you learn the basic solutions.

Lights out reminds me a bit of some of the fun touch controlled puzzle games on the DS such as Picross or Meteos. It is not nearly on par with either of those DS games in terms of complexity or game-play however, who is to say with some creativity that even better puzzle type games could not have been made for the Game.com. If Tiger had concentrated on making fun games rather than getting big name fast paced licenses the system might have flourished. Unfortunately none of the big name games are any fun.

Lights Out only real negative on the Game.com is the fact that the screen is difficult to see except in very bright light. Though the Pocket Pro has a front light it does no good unless the player is in pitch darkness. Since the only action in the game is switching between black and light boxes the low resolution and terrible refresh rate of the screen does not cause any severe difficulties. This is quite unlike playing Resident Evil 2 on the Game.com which is nearly identical to having a sloth of zombie Kodiak bears feast upon your liver.

Rather then subject yourself to the horror of the Game.com Pocket Pro (a system that is about as fun to play as having a parliament of amorous owls molest your feet) Lights Out is available at http://www.whitman.edu/mathematics/lights_out/.

If all the games were as enjoyable as Lights Out the system’s technical shortcomings could be overlooked however the games really make or break any system and Game.com does not have the games.

Scores:

Screen: 1/10 Screen is weakly front-lit, has a low refresh rate, and poor resolution. Most games have severe ghosting. No amount of fiddling with the contrast dial will make the screen any easier to see. All the Game.com units I have encountered have at least one line of missing pixels. System gets one point for having a functioning touch screen.

Sound: 5/10 System sounds beepie and obnoxious. This might be charming on a better all around system but on the Game.com it just adds to the suck.

Controls: 9/10. Controls are solid and feel nice and responsive. Touch screen is perfectly functional.

Availability: 5/10 It is possible to find online thru E-bay or at your local thrift shop but really why would you want to?

Analogies involving groups of animals using the correct terminology: 3/10 Could have said that Duke Nukem 3D is like being pistol whipped by a coterie of prairie dogs or Indy 500 is like being set on fire then run over by a Cooper Mini driven by a coalition of inebriated cheetah.

Price: 5/10 Any price it too much.

Library: 1/10 Out of a meager library of 20 or so games Lights Out and the built in Solitaire are the only games that are remotely enjoyable however both of these are available in other forms.

Overall: 1/10 Take a couple good ideas, combine it with lousy execution, an abysmal library, and behold you have one of the worst game systems ever.

Mid-Week Links: Handheld Edition.

2008-07-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

Mid-Week Links: Handheld Edition.

Actual portable gaming related content for midweek links this week. What a novel idea.

I only understand half of what he is saying… and yet I cannot stop watching.

Another link about handhelds! Crazy!

http://wapedia.mobi/en/Handheld_game_console

Coleco Sonic Handheld: 20 entire games!

2008-07-13T23:50:00.000-07:00

The rather vaguely labeled Coleco device is actually the Coleco Sonic Handheld which was originally available in 2006 exclusively thru Target stores in North America. It earns it’s name with the inclusion of two Sonic the Hedgehog games along with 18 other ‘classic’ 8 bit Sega Games. The games are a selection of Game Gear and Master System Games, not the much more desirable Genesis games. The game selection includes several familiar faces while not really including familiar games. As an example, I’d be willing to wager that though the majority of readers have played at least one Sonic game, very few have played the Game Gear Sonic Triple Trouble. Sonic Triple Trouble is surprisingly decent on the Coleco Sonic Handheld. The speed of the game is not quite Sonic fast and the graphics look chunky and low res however the gameplay is solid and the screen has minimal enough ghosting. Gameplay wise it is a very middling Sonic game, paling in comparison to Sonic 1, Sonic CD, or Sonic Advance but outshining games such as Sonic Riders or the other Sonic games on the Game Gear.

The biggest deficit of the system is the fact that it has the 20 games built in. For every Sonic Triple Trouble there is a Sonic Drift. You get Alex Kidd in High Tech world and Alex Kidd in Miracle World which is cool however the inclusion of Columns and Columns 2 is just befuddling since they are nearly identical games. With such a small library of games it is quite easy to review in brief all of them.

Sonic Drift 2:

Sonic Drift 2 is a shitty Mario Kart rip off that looks and plays like an 8 bit version of Mario Kart… because it is. It may have been cool in the era of Road Rash or Outrun but it has not aged at all gracefully.

Sonic Triple Trouble:

Quite decent as noted above.

Alex Kidd in High Tech World:

Alex Kidd in High Tech World is a rather RPGish affair. It has a nonsensical plot that has to do with Alex Kidd trying to get to the video arcade however he is eventually stopped by Ninja.

Quoting directly from Wikapedia since the article does it far more justice than I possibly could,

“Alex Kidd is contacted by one of his friends, who tells him a new arcade has opened in town. Alex has a map to its location, but it has been torn into 8 pieces of notebook paper. Without the map, Kidd would not be able to find the arcade in time before it closes. Alex must solve puzzles, answer questions, run errands, and do housework in order to find all of the pieces of the lost map. The house itself holds many ways to delay Alex's quest, among a set of broken stairs, a defective computer, or a rusty suit of armor. Alex's father does not take kindly to have his son loitering about in their oversized mansion. Furthermore, the main gate is closed, so Alex has to find another way to leave his house. When he finally finds the map and leave successfully, there are ninjas who are determined to end him once and for all. The arcade closes at 5:00 PM sharp.”

Alex Kidd in Miracle World

Miracle World was the first of the Alex Kidd games and is a fun nonsensical little game that was high enough quality to spawn a whole series of games that were only tied together by the main character. The video bellow shows off the varied game-play of the game but not the lower resolution of the Coleco Sonic Handheld.

Altered Beast:

If you are my age you probably remember this as one of the most awesome games ever where you turn into a fireball throwing werewolf and beat the shit out of a bunch of supernatural baddies while Boston’s eponymous album blasts from your 8 track player. All of this is possible except for the part about it being awesome and the 8 track player. Altered Beast has not aged well and the version is not even as good as the Genesis version.

Assault City:

Assault City is a crummy light gun type game played without a light gun.

Astro Warrior:

Astro Warrior is a fun little shmup. A shump is a term for a shoot them up game where the player generally flies a spaceship, robot or, airplane horizontally or vertically across a flat plain blasting enemies. I optimistically googled “hump that shump” in hopes of finding a piece of house music. Alas it has not yet been recorded. Where are C + C Music Factory when you need them?

Aztec Adventure:

Aztec Adventure: The Golden Road to Paradise has all the excitement of the Spanish conquest of South America in video game form… I don’t really get it. There is no button to spread small pox and most of the characters appear to be humans that were turned into animals.

Bomber Raid:

More shumpage only the bullets that fire from the planes are difficult to see making the whole experience a bit frustrating, unlike the Boom Chik Boom Chik of the dope drum line of the non existent Number One Summer Jam “Hump that Shump”

One of my coworkers tipped me off to the back of the box text from the Master System, "Who has Mach 6 speed, helabad weapons, and a love for wastin' dweebs in tanks? You do. It's the gnarliest fighter-bomber game ever. So hot it feels like a coin-op. Why? Two-mega power means we cram a lot more game in the cartridge. So you get more action for your money. "

Man, I totally want to play that game.

Columns:

Columns is an excellent little puzzler much like Tetris. I’ll always enjoy these casual games like Columns. Well worth playing.

Ecco II: The Tides of Time:

A game with dolphins!

Fantasy Zone

Fantasy Zone is another classic shump in the vein of Defender. Seriously though imagine the following song with “Everybody Dance Now” replaced with “Hump a Shumpy Shump Now”. Best song or greatest song?

Fantasy Zone: The Maze:

The Maze is actually not a shump at all but is a Pac Man clone. Fun Fact: Did you know that Pac Man was originally going to be called Puck Man but when it was realized just how easily the name could be altered by vandals on arcade cabinets to be quite naughty the name was changed?

Global Defense:

Back onto familiar territory Global Defense is another shump. This is actually a bit original and has a somewhat similar feel to Robotron (Geometry Wars for the kids). C + C Music Factory producer David Cole would have undoubtedly found this game inspirational had he played it.

Kung Fu Kid:

Kung Fu Kid is the first of the games included specifically to bring the total number of games up to 20. 14 games seems like such a low number I guess. Couldn’t they find 85 crummy games to include for the awesome sounding 99 games in one unit? Now that many games sounds totally awesome!

The Ninja:

The Ninja has a very exciting name. Did you know that July is National Ninja Month? Remember when you get attacked by Ninja that you heard it here first. The Ninja is not as exciting as real ninja and fortunately, far less deadly.

Penguin Land:

Penguin Land could be fun, I don’t know. I am entering the dark part of the games where fluff meets desperation and I just dropped the penguin’s egg down a very deep hole where it exploded. I don’t think I was supposed to do that and I’m getting sleepy.

Quartet:

I have promised myself that I will both write my reviews earlier and not decide to write little blurbs about all the games on a unit when I know that I won’t be able to actually force myself to play more than a couple minutes of each one. The title screen shows only two characters and I am already expecting the worse. The game is not good but is not terrible either. I keep telling myself that at least because I know that the last game is called “Snail Maze” and I am dreading it. What would C + C Music Factory do? I ask myself and push on.

Snail Maze:

Snail Maze is exactly what it promises, the player controls a snail in a maze. Fortunately it is a really fast snail since game-play is timed. Though literally the bottom of the barrel of all the possibilities that could have been included on the unit the game is enjoyable in a up after midnight on a Sunday/Monday writing a blog about video games sort of way. The cheerful music could use more backbeat and some vocals. It has actually been reviewed on You Tube. I should have spent more time looking on You Tube for game reviews and less time looking for C + C Music Factory videos.

Super Columns:

Super Columns is an excellent little puzzler much like Tetris. I’ll always enjoy these casual games like Columns. Well worth… wait one assing moment! I already played this game! Oh I see Columns and Super Columns… The last game blurb has written itself!

Scores:

Screen: 8/10 Screen is bright and crisp but resolution looks crapped up for about half the games.

Sound: 7/10 System has a headphone jack and what looks like 2 speakers however one side is fake! One point deducted for being a faking faker who fakes.

Controls: 8/10. Controls are solid

Availability: 5/10 It is quite possible to find online thru Amazon or E-bay.

Price: 7/10 Anywhere between $35 up to $99 new makes this a bit expensive for a device that has 20 and only 20 games.

Library: 5/10 20 games come built in to this unit. A few are decent many are complete trash.

Overall: 6/10 This is a somewhat decent system that is hampered by the lack of games. If you are a Alex Kidd, Shump, or Sonic fan this may be worth the price however I would recommend getting your fix elsewhere.

Mid Week Shameless Self Promotion.

2008-07-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

Started a resource for collectors on the site Squidoo it has links and videos that I have used and found informative. Enjoy!

http://www.squidoo.com/HandheldGames

i am handheld

Free WiFi for 3DS at Major Airports

First year with the 3DS good for gamers and what does this mean for the Vita?

3DS $170 Now at Walmart.

Hyperkin Supaboy Coming Soon

Turbo Express Pure Sentimentality

3DS Pricedrop

Beautiful Gamecube Portable

Braggadocio and all that

Push-Cars for iOS

Space Invaders Arcade Cabinet Portable

Playstation Vita

The nD, a $10 handheld coming in 2012?

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

The inevitable and much delayed 3DS post.

Game Gear 64

Caanoo!!!

Pandora reviewed at Pocket Gamer.

Let’s get Cool!

Hail to the Gameking

Flee The Android!

This is not the ODROID you are looking for.

Welcome to the Jungle Watch it bring you to your sha na na na na na na na knees, knees

Netflix Streaming on DS Rumor

Dingoo fixed.

Portable SNES arrives at last

DSi 2 Speculation

DSi Extra Large Announced

Watara Supervision Photographed in the Wild.

PSP Go clone!

This is not the new Wonderswan.

Famiclones with Gamecube?

Retromini-X available at Play N Trade

iPhone coverage at PAX.

Love letter to the Sega Nomad

Excalibur Space Invaders and Frogger Mini Arcade Cabinets.

Things you can do with a Lazer Doodle

PSP Go disassembled

SP2 Now This is Just Silly

Navy Patrol: Coastal Defense available at the app store soon.

Robotube Games Reviews Entex Adventure Vision

Sony Now Shilling for Nintendo?

iPhone games with Bluetooth game controller possible but not supported :(

More Pandora Videos

Double Lawsuit System released for iPhone.

GBA SP Time Machine: insert "Back to the Future" reference here

Treasure Grab Available in the App Store Now.

PXP-900, The Most Realistic Looking PSP Since the PSP

Atari Lynx review

Game Gear Video Review

Tiger Telematics Gizmondo CNET Review.

Holy Lawsuit Batman this is Not a GBA SP!

Portable XBox Rumor Given Teeth By Xbox Exec

Wiz in action

Adventure Vision!

Meggy Jr RBG: Niche Homebrew Gaming to the Max

Enviro-Bear 2019 for iPhone, review at Touch Arcade

Wiz Unboxing at Pocketgamer

Watara Supervision: Info Sheet and Video Featurette

Zero Punctuation Reviews GTA Chinatown Wars.

PSX on the iPhone 3GS.

Sega Retro: Another Genesis Clone

The King is dead, long live the King...

PSP Go: “the first constantly evolving network device that Sony has put into the market.”

High Dynamic Range Lying DSi review

Ghostwire... I guess ghosts are the new zombies?

Conny PDC100: it has 100 games! That is why it has the number one hundred in it’s name.

Definitive Gameboy Timeline.

Hyperkin FC Mobile II for sale now.

Open Pandora Project Prototype demo.

DS game Scribblenauts wins best in show at E3.

I Am Handheld Recommends: Final Fantasy VII on the PSP.

PSP Go!

Dingoo Pocket Retro Game Emulator

Top 10 video game plumbers of all time!

Super Mario 3 is Best when You Can Rewind.

Field Runner: Another Tower Defense Game.

Handheld Gaming in the Future.

Tapwave Zodiac 2 Awesome yet Obsolete… Awesolete!

What I’m Playing on Vacation: Casual Game Mini Reviews.