26 replies to this topic

[bergbros]

We had previous threads on the best system. I have four portables and tried a few more and here is my ranking of the best portables. I base ny list on hardware, portability and quality of game library:

1. Gameboy Advance SP- Not a perfect system but the best out there. Finally an internal lighting system but still no dimmer control and inexcusably no standard headphone jack. The sound is still not loud enough. But, it has the hugest library out there with its backward compatibility and it is the really the only truly portable system around with an internal light. Multiplayer can be done many times with only one game cartridge. The design is elegant too.

2. Sega Nomad- A portable Genesis. The library is huge and prices are incredibly cheap, the controls are great ad it is backlit with a dimmer system. Sound is awesome. What is great is that it can be hooked to a TV and become a Console system. Unfortunately, the portability of the system is limited by its size and power requirements. Multiplayer is limited as well. That is why it can't get the #1 spot.

3. Atari Lynx- Fantastic stereo sound with the headphones. A great back lit screen with dimmer controls. Multiplayer is potentially greater than the SP with up to 8 players through the comlynx cable but each player has to have the same game for it to work. Portability is hampered by its size and energy requirements. Still, the accessories are cool and the battery life can be really increased by the battery pack. The library is limited and it lacks good fighters and sports games. Games are really cheap. Still, it has some of the definitive arcade translations found on any portable and indeed any system. Try Klax, Rampart, Road blasters and Xenophobe to see what I mean.

4. NEO GEO Pocket- Probably the longest battery life and greatest controls of any system. Not back lit but has vibrant colors. Good sound and really portable. Games are good but it is a limited library heavily slanted to fighters. Games are really expensive for a discontinued system. This why I put it behind the Lynx.

5. Turbo Pocket- A TV tuner (!) and plays the console games. Unfortunately really expensive and games in limited quantity.

Tthe reat of the pack are the Wonderswan, Sega Game Gear, Game.Com and Virtual Boy in that order.

[JB]

Virtual Boy?
What's the definition of portable here? Anything that uses batteries, anything with a built-in screen, or just anything that claims to be portable?

[Rhindle The Red]

Well, technically, anything is portable these days. With battery packs, attachable screens, etc., even the GameCube, XBOX and PS2 are portable.

That's the problem with the VB. It's not really a console (it has a built-in screen), but it's not a hand-held. I guess the best is to use intention. The VB was intended to be portable, the GameCube was not.

Here's my ranking (only systems I have experience with and excluding LCD systems):

[list]Game Boy Advance
[*]Neo Geo Pocket Color
[*]Lynx
[*]Game Boy Color
[*]Virtual Boy
[*]Neo Geo Pocket
[*]WonderSwan
[*]Game Boy Pocket
[*]Game Boy
[*]Nomad
[*]Game Gear
[*]game.com
[*]Dreamcast VMU
[*]SuperVision
[*]Microvision
[list]

[ROBOTRON]

Nomad was my fav.

Turbo express runs a close second,
Game Gear
Neo Pocket

[JB]

Rhindle The Red said:

Well, technically, anything is portable these days.  With battery packs, attachable screens, etc., even the GameCube, XBOX and PS2 are portable.

That's the problem with the VB.  It's not really a console (it has a built-in screen), but it's not a hand-held.  I guess the best is to use intention.  The VB was intended to be portable, the GameCube was not.

I think GCE claimed the Vectrex was portable. It had a built-in screen and a carry handle, anyways.
I certainly wouldn't label it as such though. Thing's heavy.
And needs a good flat surface to play on. And an AC jack.




Anyways...
I love the NGPC. It's the best portable, in my mind(which pretty much requires a portable to be a handheld).

[DeV0]

Neo geo pocket colour is my fave

GBA, Not much better then a lynx or a pc engine gt. It was a bit late i think, Still an excellent hand held.

[AtariDude]

I have only had an Atari Lynx and a GBA. I like the Lynx's larger screen but I like the games on the GBA. If only I could combine the best of both worlds, then I would have a really cool portable.

[JB]

AtariDude said:

I have only had an Atari Lynx and a GBA. I like the Lynx's larger screen but I like the games on the GBA. If only I could combine the best of both worlds, then I would have a really cool portable.

I sense a home mod in the making.

[Agent X]

Here's my list:

[list]Lynx
[*]Game Boy Advance
[*]Nomad
[*]TurboExpress
[*]Game Boy Color
[*]Game Gear
[*]Game Boy
[*]Neo-Geo Pocket Color
[*]Neo-Geo Pocket
[*]WonderSwan
[*]Virtual Boy
[*]Game.Com
[*]Supervision
[*]Microvision[list]

Lynx still has the top spot because of its game library. It's incredibly diverse, and also has an abnormally high ratio of good-to-bad games (only the Atari 5200 and Vectrex are in this league).

The GBA has a chance of knocking the Lynx off of its perch at some point in the future if they can improve the quality of the software offerings. The hardware is fine, but the overall software library is disappointing, just as it has been with Nintendo's earlier handhelds (which have had some of the lowest ratios of good-to-bad games). It's still worth keeping around for classic game compilations (most of which are excellent), along with the three or four other good games that come out for it each year.

I'm not going to count the Dreamcast VMU, but if I did, it would rank between Virtual Boy and Game.Com.

[Ze_ro]

I'm too lazy to give any reasons or descriptions like I usually do, so here's my list:

1. Gameboy Advance
2. Lynx
3. Nomad
4. Everything else.

--Zero

[King Atari]

I don't know, probably The GBA SP, though I'm intrigued by that Nomad, just may have to pick one of those suckers up.

[Osbo]

well back in the day I used to have a casio watch with a chopper video game, it was my favorite ever!! (I was like 10) After a bunch of years I've got me a Gameboy color over eBay, didn't like it so I sold it back... then came the Gameboy Advance and it was ok (I had it for like 2 years) And couple of months ago I've brought a GameBoy SP, with it's pretty cool with the light, so I have to go with the SP

Osbo

[spongebue]

I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet: the gp32

The features it has are incredible. Once the genny emulator comes out I gotta get one.

[Mustangarrett]

spongebue said:

I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet: the gp32

The features it has are incredible.  Once the genny emulator comes out I gotta get one.

They are majorly cool, yet a wee bit on the expensive side.

[AtariDude]

How does everyone feel about the new Sony portable? Do you think it will take away market share from Nintendo or do you think Nintendo has a virtual lock on the portable business?

[AtariDude]

If anyone is interested, there is a handheld game museum. Here is the link:

http://users2.ev1.ne...1138/index.html

[Pocket]

GP32 is the best one for me, period.

Then the Lynx, PC Engine GT, GBA SP, Neo geo Pocket Color, etc

[Pocket]

spongebue said:

I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet: the gp32

The features it has are incredible.  Once the genny emulator comes out I gotta get one.

There are so many emulators avaible, you can buy one now !

[JB]

AtariDude said:

How does everyone feel about the new Sony portable? Do you think it will take away market share from Nintendo or do you think Nintendo has a virtual lock on the portable business?

I think Sony's is more an embarassing joke than a viable market product.

[cryptik76]

I only have a few of the handheld systems, but here they are in my opinion:

1. Game Boy Advance SP - It has a terrible ratio of good-to-bad software, since many games are directed primarily at the casual gamers and children. However, there are also a number of truly excellent portable games on the system, including Wario War, Advance Wars, the new Castlevania games, Metroid Fusion, etc. Plus it's still a rush for me to be able to play decent first-person shooters on the system as well, like Doom and Wolfenstein 3D.

2. Atari Lynx - Until the Game Boy Advance gets Roadblasters, Rampage, Klax, A.P.B., or Rampart, there's no way I'll ever not have a use for my Atari Lynx. The Lynx has its share of poor titles, but it also has a lot of great games as well, including some excellent arcade ports like the ones above. I'm not particularly fond of the size and chunkiness of the Lynx, but it's a cool system to have.

3. Neo Geo Pocket Color - Great fighting games. I don't have a lot of experience with the NGPC since I only have a few games for mine, but I like that little joystick instead of a d-pad.

4. Sega Game Gear - Chunky, with bad battery life and lots o' screen blurring. But it has some really good Sonic the Hedgehog games (Sonic Chaos, Sonic Triple Trouble, etc.).

[bergbros]

Admitedly I know little of the GP32 but it seems it is not produced in mass quantity. I don't know any games for it. Now, I have been hearing alot of stuff about the Nokia Ngage and it looks like a cool system that will potentially defeat the GBA SP. It's got some awesome hardware and there is more variety on the controls. Its initial library is small. I need some input on this one.

[JB]

bergbros said:

Admitedly I know little of the GP32 but it seems it is not produced in mass quantity.  I don't know any games for it.  Now, I have been hearing alot of stuff about the Nokia Ngage and it looks like a cool system that will potentially defeat the GBA SP.  It's got some awesome hardware and there is more variety on the controls.  Its initial library is small.  I need some input on this one.

The NGage is a joke.
I refuse to acknowledge any system that you have to remove the batteries to change the game(actually the media, so you can't even have a flash card with MP3s loaded and then change to a game without removing the batteries).

[cryptik76]

bergbros said:

Now, I have been hearing alot of stuff about the Nokia Ngage and it looks like a cool system that will potentially defeat the GBA SP.  It's got some awesome hardware and there is more variety on the controls.  Its initial library is small.  I need some input on this one.

The Ngage will "potentially" defeat the GBA, if by "potentially" you mean, "If Nokia lowers the price by about $200 and actually gets decent original software instead of a bunch of ports of games previously seen on other systems." Even then, the design flaws in the Ngage will probably keep it from gaining anything but a small following.

The Ngage is in sore need of killer apps, which should have been available at launch, since I strongly doubt that ANYONE will pay $300 for the system just so they can play a stripped-down port of Red Faction or Rayman.

[tantone56]

in my opinion game boy advance sp is the best handheld cause its small has great graphics and a backlight......Also I think that sega game gear is the worst because of its bulky size but what do you expect from something made about 10 years ago.

[Pocket]

bergbros said:

Admitedly I know little of the GP32 but it seems it is not produced in mass quantity.  I don't know any games for it.  

In fact, it is. The GP32 will be released in Europe in a few months