What do you think is the WORST handheld ever released?
- Thread starter Dean
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I guarantee you he clearly never had a Game Boy as a kid. The eyes of an adult are far less forgiving than a kid's. You really have to have "been there" to understand why the Game Boy was great.
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I was there and never liked the Gameboy. I have perfectly good eyes and never got over the calculator screen.
Untill today, I still don't get why it was so popular.
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Did you play a better handheld first by any chance?
XeroShinobi
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Yes, I was. I had way more experience with the Game Boy than the Game Gear too. I didn't touch the Gear until the late 90s. I'm not a huge fan of either of them to be honest, but the Game Gear is the lesser of the two evils. I much rather play GBA/DS/3DS if I'm going to sit down and play a handheld.
You are literally describing your nostalgia bias. You thought it was fine as a kid, so it objectively can't be that bad, right? If it looks bad compared to the Game Gear now, it looked bad compared to the Game Gear then. They weren't released that far apart. You're making it seem like they were in two different generations.
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For people asking about the Wonderswan/Color, there are actually quite a few good games that are completely playable for non-English speakers. Problem is, some are really expensive. But you could still import a WSC and a handful of great games for dirt cheap on eBay.
Golden Axe, Rock Man and Forte: Challenger from the Future, Gunpey, Gunpey EX, Space Invaders, Judgement Silversword, Guilty Gear Petit, Guilty Gear Petit 2, Pocket Fighter, Rhyme Rider Kerorican, Makai-Mura (WS exclusive Ghosts n Goblins), Digimon Frontier: Battle Spirit, Digimon Tamers: Battle Spirit, Final Lap Special, Mr Driller, Klonoa: Moonlight Museum, Rockman EXE WS, SD Gundam: Operation UC, Tetris, Ultraman, One Piece: Swan Colosseum, Kinnikuman Nisei: Dream Tag Match, Beatmania, Buffers Evolution, Crazy Climber, Digimon Adventure: Anode and Cathode Tamer Veedramon Version, Fire Pro Wrestling, Puyo Puyo, Puzzle Bobble ... Not all of those are great, but I own them all and they're all playable without Japanese knowledge (as long as you don't mind missing out on story segments in some games).
If you dig the Wonderswan Color I recommend tracking down a SwanCrystal. The screen is way, way better. Comparable in quality to the NGPC's, maybe better.
Golden Axe, Rock Man and Forte: Challenger from the Future, Gunpey, Gunpey EX, Space Invaders, Judgement Silversword, Guilty Gear Petit, Guilty Gear Petit 2, Pocket Fighter, Rhyme Rider Kerorican, Makai-Mura (WS exclusive Ghosts n Goblins), Digimon Frontier: Battle Spirit, Digimon Tamers: Battle Spirit, Final Lap Special, Mr Driller, Klonoa: Moonlight Museum, Rockman EXE WS, SD Gundam: Operation UC, Tetris, Ultraman, One Piece: Swan Colosseum, Kinnikuman Nisei: Dream Tag Match, Beatmania, Buffers Evolution, Crazy Climber, Digimon Adventure: Anode and Cathode Tamer Veedramon Version, Fire Pro Wrestling, Puyo Puyo, Puzzle Bobble ... Not all of those are great, but I own them all and they're all playable without Japanese knowledge (as long as you don't mind missing out on story segments in some games).
If you dig the Wonderswan Color I recommend tracking down a SwanCrystal. The screen is way, way better. Comparable in quality to the NGPC's, maybe better.
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I have a fully functioning Game Boy still and I can easily tell you its screen is exactly the same as it was 20 years ago. With that said, the screen is still playable. I beat the final boss in Donkey Kong '94 on an original Game Boy a little while ago. It's only unplayable if your eyes have gotten worse over the years (or if you've become a picture quality snob).
I never said he must have played a Game Gear first. Where did you get that from? The GG screen is similar to the GB screen in lack of quality, therefore is also playable. I'm just not a fan of that ancient backlighting. I'd rather go with the original GB.
Thanks for the suggestions. I guess it's easy to get lost in the masses of licensed Japanese games.
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It was a deal breaker because when people were indoors they were playing their NES, which also featured an AC power adapter.
MuppeT
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At that time people had 1 Tv unit at home... and it was battle for it. Game Gear was awesome ... and is truly underrated... mostly by people that didn't have it at the time.
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I love my Game Gear and Lynx, but when I was a kid I don't think I ever played my Game Gear on batteries after the first day. My dad saw that it drained 6 AAs in less than four hours, and from that point on it was AC adapter or nothing.
On the other hand, my Game Boy and copies of SML2 and/or Pokemon Red were almost always in my pocket.
On the other hand, my Game Boy and copies of SML2 and/or Pokemon Red were almost always in my pocket.
MuppeT
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I was tricking my parents into thinking I was sleeping... then as they go to bed I played my game gear in bed till I was hardly keeping my eyes open (not on batteries ofc) Such nice memories. Never did I play the gameboy... it just looked like from the stone age compared to the GG
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Game Boy has a much larger and more diverse library. There are tons of ways to play Game Boy games in this era (GB, GB Pocket, GB Color, GB Advance, GBA SP, Super Game Boy, Game Boy Player, emulator) that there's no reason not to check out its library. You don't have to stare at that monochrome green blurrovision screen anymore. Stuff like SML 1 and 2, Wario Land 1-3, Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow/Gold/Silver/Crystal, Donkey Kong, Mega Man 1-6, DKC/DK Land series, Metroid II, Kirby series, Tetris, Castlevania II, Mega Man Xtreme 1 and 2, Harvest Moon series, Link's Awakening/DX, Zelda Oracle of Ages/Seasons, Bomberman series, Lufia III, Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Metal Gear Ghost Babel, Shantae, SMB Deluxe, etc are amazing games.
I didn't throw away my Saturn when I got the Dreamcast. Older systems still have their appeal if the game library is there.
I didn't throw away my Saturn when I got the Dreamcast. Older systems still have their appeal if the game library is there.
XeroShinobi
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Or, you know, you're playing it outside and the dynamic lighting conditions make the details on the screen virtually invisible. That's a problem on the Game Gear as well, but it's nowhere as bad. The Game Boy's screen is perfectly visible with specific, ideally controlled, lighting. But it still looks like a turd. There were better alternatives very shortly after its release. Nintendo chose to use greatly outdated hardware, and it definitely affected my enjoyment of the product.
Phyeir
My only regret is that I have... Boneitis!
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Worst handheld is Game.com, from a playability standpoint.
From a business standpoint, and I realize this system game out after the pole above, but it's the Gizmondo. Why anyone would think releasing a system that is so expensive it needs a forced advertising system (called Smart Adds) to be even potentially economically viable is insane to me, both from the standpoint of consumers wanting it or that advertisers would hop on board without an established brand behind it to make it worth the dollars.
Least with mobile gaming today, people deal with ads to either pay little to nothing in short burst or a tiny banner. The Gizmondo, after paying $229 for the system and then retail for a game expected you to watch 30 second adverts to keep playing the system any given day. Sure, there was the $400 base unit without, but at that point, you could get a DS for $199 or a PSP for $250.
The library was small and mostly consisted of titles that could be better had elsewhere too boot.
From a business standpoint, and I realize this system game out after the pole above, but it's the Gizmondo. Why anyone would think releasing a system that is so expensive it needs a forced advertising system (called Smart Adds) to be even potentially economically viable is insane to me, both from the standpoint of consumers wanting it or that advertisers would hop on board without an established brand behind it to make it worth the dollars.
Least with mobile gaming today, people deal with ads to either pay little to nothing in short burst or a tiny banner. The Gizmondo, after paying $229 for the system and then retail for a game expected you to watch 30 second adverts to keep playing the system any given day. Sure, there was the $400 base unit without, but at that point, you could get a DS for $199 or a PSP for $250.
The library was small and mostly consisted of titles that could be better had elsewhere too boot.
XeroShinobi
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I don't know why any company would try to compete against Nintendo with a mostly dedicated gaming handheld after Gameboy Adanvance. It would only be viable with superior hardware at a better price, AND a strong software lineup on launch. Nintendo's control of that market is staggering. It might as well be a monopoly.
The Vita has an exponentially higher price to performance ratio, but without a large amount of established portable franchises to support it, it never stood a chance. It's just way to niche compared to the nearly universal appeal of the 3DS.
The Vita has an exponentially higher price to performance ratio, but without a large amount of established portable franchises to support it, it never stood a chance. It's just way to niche compared to the nearly universal appeal of the 3DS.
XeroShinobi
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Game Boy Advance*
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XeroShinobi
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How the hell is that a thing? That's too stupid for words. It disables if the TV isn't connected to the internet, right? RIGHT?
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When Nintendo released the Game Boy, they could release it on the quality of hardware they did because the alternative for everyone at the time was to play nothing. Playing something rather than nothing definitely affected everyone older than 25's enjoyment of the product.
XeroShinobi
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It is a well known fact that Nintendo intentionally used outdated hardware to keep the cost low and to guarantee a decent profit on every unit sold even at launch. The Game Boy wasn't the only way to play handheld in '89. The Game & Watch handhelds had already been around for a long time, and to be honest, the early Game Boy line up wasn't exactly a huge step up from some of the better G&W games. By the time the Game Boy had a respectable line up, the Game Gear was already out.
But let me guess; my objective facts don't matter because I was an infant in '89. You guys are hilarious. The Game Boy hardware was always outdated. Always. No ifs, ands, or buts. Just because they were the first to shove this outdated hardware into a handheld is not a technical achievement.
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Answer my questions
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I hope he does, because when he responds he says even more stupid shit.
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They chose that hardware for battery life and inexpensiveness to manufacture.
Gameboy (1989):
10 to 30 hours of battery life
$90 retail price
Turbo Express (1990):
3 hours battery life
$250 retail
Lynx (1989):
4ish hours battery life
$190 retail
Game Gear (1991):
5 hours battery life (that's being generous)
$150
The Gameboy was far less expensive, far better battery life (anywhere from easily double to quadruple the competition) and of course had Nintendo's IPs and franchises. Plus it had Tetris.
It had the battery life, the price and the games that kids at the time wanted. It's no wonder it cleaned the clock of everyone else.
I'm honestly not sure what you are trying to argue.
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