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Portables (Games)

The GBA's Last Stand 138

Posted by Zonk from the cue-taps dept.
1up.com has a feature up examining the possible end of days for the Game Boy Advance. From the article: "...it would seem the end is nigh. Sony's PlayStation Portable offers PS2 level power and a beautiful screen next to GBA's humble, Super NES-quality experience. And Nintendo seems be placing its hopes on its quirky but successful two-screened DS. Rumors of a next-generation Game Boy system were crushed at E3 2005 with the unveiling of Game Boy Micro, a revised GBA selling on its stylish, compact design and beautiful (but minuscule) screen."
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The GBA's Last Stand More

The GBA's Last Stand

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  • Obligatory fanboy comment (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Blackwulf ( 34848 ) on Friday July 15, 2005 @12:33PM (#13074904) Homepage
    If being on it's "last stand" means by being the best selling handheld gaming device in the world (which the GBA is) then I would think Nintendo would want to be on it's "last stand" for quite some time.
  • The NeoGeo Pocket Color should have killed it. N-Gage should have killed it. Its predecessors should have been killed by the Game Gear, Lynx and Nomad -- which was a freaking portable Sega Genesis.

    But the Gameboy Advance is so cheap, and has so many games for it, that it might not die quickly. The DS, remember, has GBA compatibility, which lessens the pressure on developers to switch to the DS. Every DS sold effectively increases the Advance's user base, which may work against Nintendo the same way the
    • ...which may work against Nintendo the same way the Atari 5200's 2600 compatibility worked against it.

      I believe you're referring to the 7800 here. The 5200 did support 2600 games. However, you needed to buy a cartridge adapter as well as use 2600 controllers. This setup ended up costing about as much as a 2600.
    • who said the taco was going to kill it?
  • Gee, imagine that. They put out their next gen handheld and make it backward compatible... Of course the old ones gonna be phased out, its to be expected.

  • Still a chance (Score:1, Insightful)

    by Apreche ( 239272 )
    There is still a chance that the mystery controller for the revolution will BE the new gameboy. I made that prediction months ago. And it is still not beyond the realm of possibility. But my guess is as good as yours. Unless you work for Nintendo that is.
    • i really think it'd be neat if they released a cart or firmware update to make the DS the new controller...
      • Not enough buttons.
        • oh come on, i think no analogue stick is a better indication. The thing has plenty of buttons (6, plus a + pad), not to mention the touch screen, which could serve as several "vertual" buttons. In all seriousness i think it's possible but not likely.
      • While they could certainly have an adaptor/update for connectivity similar to the GBA/Gamecube deal, I don't see the DS being practical for the actual everyday controller.

        First off, it's a bit too expensive. I'm not going to buy an extra DS just so I can play two player games. And I'm certainly not buying four of them. Unless the price drops to twenty-thirty bucks, and I don't see Nintendo making much money that way.

        Second, the lack of an analog control would be very annoying to me. The touch screen is on
      • i really think it'd be neat if they released a cart or firmware update to make the DS the new controller...

        If it had an analog stick (well, actually two), I'd think that would be great too.

        But touch screen isn't as good as analog for many scenarios (although better for some -- such as aiming in a FPS).
    • Q: Will Revolution feature screens on the console or the controller?

      A: No. At a June 2004 analyst briefing in Japan, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said, "We have no intention of making a two-screen console akin to the [Nintendo] DS."

      http://cube.ign.com/articles/522/522559p2.html [ign.com]
    • There is still a chance that the mystery controller for the revolution will BE the new gameboy.

      No analog stick, no analog shoulder buttons, not enough normal buttons, not a chance of being the mystery controller.

      • Yes. Because as we all know, more buttons make for better games which are easier to learn especially for Nintendo's traditional audience of families and adolescents.

        Seriously though I don't think the new GB will be the controller but primarily because of the relative cost of it, not because of the amount of buttons it has.
        • Yes. Because as we all know, more buttons make for better games which are easier to learn especially for Nintendo's traditional audience of families and adolescents.

          Nope. But the GBA has a grand total of two buttons and two shoulder buttons. More buttons != better games, but 4 buttons != adequate.

          • 4 buttons != adequate indeed, 1 button would be better ;)

            Seriously though, why would 4 buttons be inadequate? I know all the hardcore kiddies like their Quakes to require atleast the full 100+ key keyboard and a mouse but the big marketplace for Nintendo (families, children) prefer simplicity and easy-to-use (not requiring to RTFM) above quantity of buttons.

            • why would 4 buttons be inadequate?

              Even if you can't imagine a game that needs more than four buttons, it's obvious that this would finally kill cross-platform games on the Cube. Nintendo can't afford that.

              The Cube did it quite right: One main button (A), one secondary button (B), two tertiary buttons (X, Y), two analog shoulder buttons and one "make it compatible with N64"-button (Z).

              Then you have the two analog sticks (most 3D games need these, one for steering the character and one for camera movem

    • The DS has two screens and with the touch pad you can use it as psuedo mouse for FPS games way better than any D-Pad could. It took a bit getting used to, but I can play any FPS game on the DS like Golden Eye or the Metroid demo just as good as I could on a computer with a mouse and WASD (or least it feels like it) when I use the stylus pen to aim and left side controller to move and then the left index to shoot.

      I guess they could make another single wireless game boy with a single screen with a touch pad,
    • I doubt it, that would be a ergonomic nightmare. Why clutter a controller with a screen when you look all the time at the TV anyway? Why wreak the ergonomics by designing a flat portable thing, when you could also design one with good grip? Beside from that Nintendo already said that the DS will have Revolution connectivity features, so if there is a game that would make use of a screen at the controller, it could use the DS, no need for GBA2.

  • They should have replaced the Game Boy Advance when they released the Nintendo DS. The DS is superior in feel and functionality with the one exception being that you can't use it as a controller connected to a GameCube. If they had build in that one capability, there would have been a clear replacement for the GBA rather than what Nintendo was saying was simply an complementary track of development.
    • As I've pointed out before, you can see Nintendo keeps a pretty strict schedual to platform upgrades.

      It's 5 years per console, and 10 years per handheld, with some form of experimental system launched in between.

      Check here [gamezero.com] to see the chart.
      • I don't think there's any particular pattern with the handhelds.. I mean, you can hardly count Game & Watch titles as something along the same lines as the Game Boy, and even still three points on a graph doesn't make a pattern. It's by no means inevitable that GB3 will be in 2010.
    • They should have replaced the Game Boy Advance when they released the Nintendo DS. The DS is superior in feel and functionality with the one exception being that you can't use it as a controller connected to a GameCube.


      Not quite. The DS has a significantly smaller main screen, and the second touch screen doesn't really make up for that.

      I own a GBA:SP, and feel no desire to "upgrade" to a DS.
      • So a better upgrade for the GBA:SP is.... the Micro? Now THAT is a significantly smaller screen.
        • I don't see any decent upgrade for the GBA:SP on the market right now.

          • I don't see any decent upgrade for the GBA:SP on the market right now.

            Some would claim that if you can still find a 1.50 unit, and you're in Japan or North America[1], the upgrade for the GBA SP is the SonyP SP with a GBA emulator installed. And yes, you can still play half of Luminesweeper [jk0.org] if you ditch your GBA for a PSP; you just can't play game right (the Minesweeper portion) on 1.51 or newer.

            [1] Sony has donated the European market to Nintendo.

          • Personally, when I'm not using my GB Player and my Hori pad, I tend to play GBA games on the DS simply because it's more comfortable in my hands. The SP's vertial alignment is too cramped for my hands and I'm still tempted to get an original GBA with the AfterBurner in it.

            Already I tend to reach for the older GBA for use as a GCN controller.
      • "The DS has a significantly smaller main screen, and the second touch screen doesn't really make up for that."
        Compared to what? Both of the DS's screens are the same size, and they're each actually a tiny bit bigger than a GBA screen. They're also both a slightly higher resolution, causing GBA games to have a small border around them. That might be the reason they seem smaller to you. GBA games are displayed on a smaller scale physically, but at the exact same resolution.
      • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • And then what would I play my back-catalog of GBC and 4-color GB games on? In order to fit the GBA and DS hardware into the same shell, they clipped out the GBC hardware, so if my DS were to "replace" my GBA all I could play Final Fantasy Adventure on is my GP Player on my GCN.

      IMO, what the GBA Micro will have on the DS is the fact that the GBA Micro will play Super Mario Land.
  • But how it will be priced? I hope - very competitively, perhaps I'll finally afford some not-shitty portable console.

    Also I hope it will be durable, built to last for years (I don't see myslef needing better graphics than GBA offers when on the go - I want simple, quick & fun games; and besides in place I live, and in settings in which I'd use GB, it's better not to use PSP...)

  • Uh? What? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by cowscows ( 103644 ) on Friday July 15, 2005 @12:39PM (#13074988) Journal
    Yes, once again, the gameboy is being challenged by a more powerful system. It obviously stands no chance, because how could a weaker piece of hardware compare. We'll just ignore the game gear and lynx and all that.

    Oh, and rumors of a next gen gameboy have been CRUSHED! No next gen handheld announcement at E3 2005! Nintendo's last chance ever to announce something new! It'll be impossible now!

    Yes, the introduction of the Micro clearly indicates that even Nintendo is submitting to the GBA being close to the end. The huge collection of GBA games at Target show just how dire the situation is.

    Make no mistake, the GBA is about to die, and Nintendo is going to die with it. So is Japan, the global economy, and several species of lizards. It's tragic.

    I dunno, the article, to me at least, seems to be pointing out all the ways that the GBA is still alive and well. I don't think the /. editor, the article submitter, or whoever gave the article its title bothered to read it all that well.

    • Re:Uh? What? (Score:3, Funny)

      by wed128 ( 722152 )
      not to mention why would they release another handheld so soon after releasing the DS...it seems like nobody can compete on the handheld market (the PSP is too high end to directly compete, even with the DS). I guess Nintendo wants to compete with themselves just for the challenge.
      • Such a silly article. The Game Boy line is doomed. Here it ends. There will never be another Game Boy. Ignore the fact that the DS is currently in 1st place for handheld console sales, thanks to the quirky, original titles that made the game boy popular. Or that the DS plays GBA / GB games and is, by all account, the successor to the Game Boy line. Or that the DS really stands for "A Bloody Game Boy with Dual Screens"

        Yup. The Game Boy line is done for. Pity that.

    • My wife and I visted my parents in the UAE this winter, and I was looking for a portable gaming solution, just to get me through the flights. We're flying coach for about 30 hours, so no recharge possibilities existed.

      Older GBAs were the only ones with replenishable power supplies. Took along a boatload of AAs, and happily wasted tens of hours with Mario Golf Advance and Advance Wars. Turned out that I only had to change batteries once the entire two week trip.

      Let's see your nextgen portables do that,
    • What is with all the alarmist slashdot editorilizing since forever? I think the slashdot editors need to get real jobs and get grounded than come back and post stories with a more wary eye.
    • Shhhh! Stop debunking their FUD! You're ruining it for everyone!

  • misleading article summary (Score:3, Informative)

    by fireduck ( 197000 ) on Friday July 15, 2005 @12:47PM (#13075072)
    The quote listed in the summary really has little to do with the content of the actual article. (Indeed, the first page has little to do with the rest of the article.) While the first page does seem to predict the end of the GBA, the rest of article is 5 pages of reviews/previews/hopes for upcoming GBA games. The final paragraph of the article reads: The Game Boy line is reaching the end of its road, at least for this generation. But between the Micro, the DS' backwards-compatibility and a slow trickle of quality software, there should be enough kick left in the system to keep the name alive until Nintendo chooses to unveil the Game Boy's true successor.

    Clearly they are not predicting the demise of the GBA, rather the eventual end of that particular piece of hardware but the continuing support of the codebase.

  • Yea for Doom Prophets (Score:5, Insightful)

    by alvinrod ( 889928 ) on Friday July 15, 2005 @12:54PM (#13075157)
    Why does everyone keep predicting the downfall and ultimate death of Nintendo's systems, both console and handheld?

    Right now, the DS is outselling the PS2 in Japan [gamespot.com]. Sure it's not a "GameBoy" in the purest sense, but it still plays GBA games and has a fairly similar design aside from the extra, touch-sensative screen.

    A new online publication, The Escapist, has a column about the downfall of Nintendo [escapistmagazine.com]. It seems like everyone is always jumping on Nintendo's back dispite that they're remaining profitable dispite losing market share.

    Personally, I don't think the Gameboy is dead, it's just waiting for a while before a new version comes out. Because the DS is capable of displaying graphics on par with an N64, what would any gameboy released now have to offer? The same N64 graphics without the extra screen? Nintendo could probably produce something with the same kind of power as the PSP, but why bother? It would be more expensive (because Nintendo can't afford to sell at a loss) and wouldn't improve the quality of games any.

    A while ago I read an article that theorized Nintendo's next handheld would be a portable GameCube. I think this was in a magazine so you'll have to forgive me for not being able to link it. If Nintendo waits 2 or 3 years until the price to produce the hardware at a reasonable price and with a small enouch size to allow it to be portable, then this could work out really well. Add in the fact that the chip companies are starting to focus more on lowering power consumption instead of ramping up the the clock speed, and such a unit might have a decent battery life.

    My main question is, why is the media so obsessed with the graphical capabilities of consoles? Sure pretty graphics can make a game that's wonderful to look at, but if it's not fun to play, what's the point of buying it? As this article [gamespot.com] points out, 3D isn't always better.

    I still play a lot of GB and GBA games because they're fun and give me something to do on road trips. Not to mention that the batteries last quite a bit longer than either the PSP (4-6 hours) or the DS (6-10 hours). Not to mention the fact that a GBA game will cost anywhere from $20-$35, while DS games usually cost $30-$35 and PSP games cost $45-$50. I think the GameBoy offers a fun, affordable, and long-lasting experience that no other console or handheld will ever be able to match.

    • I read the escapist article as well and I think the author was really trying to point out how the general public is only ruining things for themselves. When all the Nintendo bashers finally have their way they will be left with generic FPS, madden and GTA 10000. I thought it was a good article in that it showed how sad things have become...people care more about pretty colors and shiny textures these days. I'm glad Nintendo takes chances and is constantly coming up with fresh ideas. Of course Nintendo ma
    • [quote]Right now, the DS is outselling the PS2 in Japan [gamespot.com]. Sure it's not a "GameBoy" in the purest sense, but it still plays GBA games and has a fairly similar design aside from the extra, touch-sensative screen.[/quote]

      I wouldn't call this a fair comparison. PS2 isn't portable. PS2 was launched *much* earlier than the DS. That's two arguements right there that I feel make the comparison invalid.

      DS vs PSP *is* a fair comparison, and IIRC, The numbers are even better for the DS. :)
    • My PSP is awesome, but ultimately it's a toy. I really bought it to see what it could do. It can do alot, play games, movies, music, carry files. It looks good and everyone asks about it. But when i sit at home or on car trips, I take the GBA, simply put its a better gaming device than the PSP is. Thinking about this makes me think about buying a DS to carry with my PSP.

    • Re:Yea for Doom Prophets (Score:4, Insightful)

      by sm4kxd ( 683513 ) on Friday July 15, 2005 @02:30PM (#13076216)
      (because Nintendo can't afford to sell at a loss).

      Let's clarify that:
      Nintendo doesnt NEED to sell it at a loss. Read this [nintendoinsider.com] and this [nintendoinsider.com]. Don't discount them for being hosted at 'nintendoinsider.com' either, they are quite factual and honest.

      Here's a few clips: In the final corner, Nintendo has it much better. When the system wars began, Nintendo GameCube was actually making money for each system sold, as Nintendo didn't bother with all the extra non-gaming functions of its competitors, like DVD movie playback. The system was still making Nintendo money at $150, and it wasn't until its $99 price tag that it was estimated Nintendo was losing money - but only in the single digits.

      The same goes with Nintendo DS; Nintendo has done everything possible to keep manufacturing costs down and to make a profit with each system sold. For instance, the Nintendo DS doesn't play GB and GBC games primarily because this would cost more money. Nikkei Electronics Asia also has a very interesting article on the cost control features of the Nintendo DS.

      ...

      Next, we have Sony; unlike Microsoft, its games division was profitable during the most recent fiscal year. Overall, revenues were at 729.8 billion yen, or approximately $6.76 billion. Its operating profit was 43.2 billion yen, or $400 million. Still, that's over a $6 billion drop going from revenue to operating profit, and a 36.1% drop from the previous fiscal year. One of the prime instigators, says GameSpot? The PlayStation Portable launch.

      And finally, we have Nintendo. Even with three systems in its hands, including a recent launch of the Nintendo DS, Nintendo's operating profit increased by 3.6% in the new fiscal year to 111.5 billion yen, or $1.03 billion. Its revenue was also 515.3 billion yen, or $4.77 billion, meaning a $3.74 billion drop from revenue to operating profit, compared to Sony's $6.36 billion drop. Quite simply, Nintendo's conservative business principles have allowed the company to turn respectable operating profits. No drop because of the DS launch or even less GCN sales here.

      It's not that Nintendo can't afford to do anything, it's that they know how to make/spend money effeiciently. Through the fiscal year quoted in those articles, Nintendo (who makes JUST video games and consoles) actually made more profit than Sony AS A COMPANY (TV's, computers, other major electronics, the ps2 and the psp). I doubt that's something new for Nintendo. While they are no Microsoft, they can definately afford to do quite a bit.

  • Quirky but successful (Score:5, Funny)

    by McCaliber ( 676473 ) on Friday July 15, 2005 @01:02PM (#13075241)
    Yes, its true, Nintendo has made a unique product which offers something new to consumers, backwards compatibility with their huge library of old titles, and the possiblity of both multimedia support (see the article's mention of the Play-Yan adapter) and PDA capabilities (it already has a touch screen, and the GameBoy had digital assistant software years ago).

    I'm sure the GameBoy will be wiped off the map any time now, right after the Macintosh (pesky unique architecture), the iPod (inability to work with millions of competing formats), and CDs (who needs an entrenched user base when you could have 5 hojillion gigs on one fingernail).

    It makes more sense to try to sell to hardcore gamers anyway, and fight for their attention from movies, mp3 players, PC titles, and pr0n; instead of the millions of children begging their parents for Pokemon. Definitely a doomed marketing strategy and business plan.

    Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta catch them all . . .
  • Hopefully Nintendo will announce the GBA's successor at next years E3 or maybe even at Spaceworld this fall? If the GBA has SNES quality graphics, and the DS has N64 quality, and the PSP has PS2 level, then the new gameboy should feature Gamecube quality graphics, if not better :P

    • Hopefully Nintendo will announce the GBA's successor at next years E3 or maybe even at Spaceworld this fall?

      Not gonna happen. The DS is still ramping up, the GBA is still selling well, and Nintendo couldn't produce hardware which could top the PSP at a lower price. A new GB would end up in a really awkward position right now. They're gonna wait until the DS has a good, solid portion of the market (so that it can remain a viable platform despite a new GB) and until they can decisively top the PSP as far

    • Yeah because the only thing it takes to produce more capable hardware at a lower price point is announcing a new generation...

    • Next year's E3?

      Next year's freaking E3?

      In case you didn't notice, it hasn't been exactly in Nintendo's habit of announcing next-generation, looking-good-on-paper, 50%-hype, 25%-science-fiction handhelds just after the worldwide rollout of their latest cutting-edge handheld.

      I'm not buying new handhelds every damn decade! =) GameCube-Mark-Two-in-Pocket will be 2010's news...

  • Cost (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Guspaz ( 556486 ) on Friday July 15, 2005 @01:13PM (#13075371)
    GBA: $50 US on ebay if you're lucky
    PSP: $299 new, still fraking expensive on eBay

    The GBA isn't going anywhere. Anybody who considers the PSP and GBA direct competitors are idiots.
  • GamePro has a feature up examining the possible end of days for the Game Boy. From the article: "...it would seem the end is nigh. Sega's Game Gear offers Genesis level power and a beautiful screen next to GB's humble, NES-quality experience. And Nintendo seems be placing its hopes on its quirky but successful Super Game Boy*. Rumors of a next-generation Game Boy system were crushed at E3 2005 with the unveiling of Game Boy Pocket**, a revised GBA selling on its stylish, compact design and beautiful (but mi

  • it would seem the end is nigh.

    Or maybe not. The GBA has some real advantages going for itself:

    • It's the last console where 2D-games are the norm and can be highly successfull. 2D-games are cheaper to produce than 3D-games, therefore it will be possible to make money with GBA games even if sales decline. The GBA will get new games for a long time to come, and everyone who wants to play real (as in "non-cellphone") 2D games will keep the GBA indefinitely. There's simply no other choice for 2D.
    • The DS ca
    • Absolutely right on all points. The only area in which the PSP is "better" than the Game Boy is in the tech specs - better resolution, faster processor. I've never played a PSP, and after seeing the games out for it I don't care to. My GBA-SP rocks.

      Their re-releases of old NES games was what cause me to buy it. I've played The Legend of Zelda (original NES) for the first time in many years and it was fun. I sitll have the ancient Tetris cartridge that I got with a Game Boy for Christmas the year it ca

  • Damn I thought it was a new dock for my GBA.

    In related news, Broadcast Networks, FM Radio, AM Radio, Compact Discs, Ozone layer, Earth all dying.

    I was tempted to put FreeBSD but, it really is dying.

  • Doom for Nintendo (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Gogo0 ( 877020 ) on Friday July 15, 2005 @02:04PM (#13075932)
    With the DS and GBA both continuing to outsell the PSP across the regions, I dont think Nintendo is worrying too much.

    Not to say the PSP is going to fall into oblivion like the Game Gear, Lynx, NGPC, Wonderswan, GP32, etc... (Sony will not let it), but Nintendo has taken on better hardware for years and released products when they saw fit (when the market was saturated).

    When the GBA stops selling, then Nintendo will give us a new one.

  • Don't want a PSP (Score:5, Insightful)

    by cahiha ( 873942 ) on Friday July 15, 2005 @02:17PM (#13076073)
    The PSP is a gorgeous piece of hardware. I don't want one. Really. That's not what I want to carry around and play games on.

    A portable game machine needs to look and feel simple and sturdy. Nintendo has that down a lot better than Sony.
  • I was happy that GBA released minish cap, as other 3D Zeldas have less appeal to me. Let there be a 2D Zelda on the DS!!
  • [i]"...it would seem the end is nigh. Sega's Game Gear offers Genisis level power and a beautiful screen next to Gameboy's humble, NES-quality experience. Rumors of a next-generation Game Boy system were crushed with the unveiling of Game Boy Pocket, a revised Gameboy selling on its stylish, compact design and beautiful (but minuscule) screen."[/i]
  • Netcraft says the gameboy advanved is dying.

    There... it had to be done...
  • but it really doesn't need to be.

    I love a lot of the games on it, and I don't really miss 3d graphics. In most instances, 3d distracts more than it helps (makes control and viewports 4x more complicated).

    One enhancement I would like to see is a standard wireless adapter with 802.11b support. It would be awesome to just be able to pull out a GBA near a hotspot and play some multiplayer games.

    GBA Multiplayer is relatively underutilized as it is. Building 802.11b adapters would help give multiplayer a ni
  • I find it ironic that I (and many other gamers) use my PSP primarily to play old NES and SNES games. It shows how just how popular old-school games are. I think Nintendo really dropped the ball by porting games to the classic series on GBA and charging full price for them. I think that the GBA, especially the SP, could have a lifespan as long as the original Gameboy's if Nintendo would quit with the greed and start releasing cheap older games on the GBA. I know I'd pay $5 for a NES-generation game, and $10
    • How did they drop the ball? The NES series on GBA sold/is selling like hot cakes. And they did release them cheaper than a normal game. $20 compared to $30 for new 1st party games.
    • The Nintendo Revolution will allow for downloads of many NES, SNES, and N64 games, and current speculation is that they may allow some games to be downloaded to the DS. The DS screen resolution (256x192) is a lot closer to the NES/SNES (256x224) than the GBA's was (240x160), so emulation would be a better fit for the console. The DS would even be able to emulate games that utilize the Super Scope, Zapper, and SNES mouse. Given the DS's simple download play ability, there may be a pretty good chance of this
    • This is what they're banking on with the Revolution's ROM purchases/downloads. Nintendo realizes that a lot of people download and play their old games. I do it myself with the Xbox.

      Hopefully, but perhaps not so likely, part of that console's stated DS compatiblity will involve uploading purchased ROMs. Sort of like one would do with a PC and an MP3 player. I think that would be genius; it would definately cement a purchase of the console for myself.

  • Irony Poll! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Guppy06 ( 410832 ) * on Friday July 15, 2005 @06:00PM (#13077996)
    "Sony's PlayStation Portable offers PS2 level power and a beautiful screen next to GBA's humble, Super NES-quality experience."

    Which is more ironic?
    1. The fact that I bought a PSP solely to play an SNES emulator on (and I won't buy any UMDs, for fear of firmware updates).
    2. The fact that the PSP is being outsold by the DS, where one of the main selling points is compatibility with the GBA and its SNES-esque experience.

    • 3. The fact that the only significant PSP-exclusive title (one that isn't a sequel to a PS2 title) is a falling block game, a 2D game that would be more at home on a GBA than on a 3D system. (And in fact, thanks to the homebrew community, it is at home on the GBA [jk0.org].)

  • This article which summarily claims that Nintendo is dying, is absolutely terrible. The writer does not understand video games and he doesn't understand Nintendo's current state. A lot of what he says is based on common misconceptions that a lot of you probably have. Misconception 1. Power wins portable wars. A lot of people say the PSP can't lose because WOW look at those graphics, but as someone stated earlier, look at the Sega Gamegear among others, they had better screens and graphics than Nintendo'
  • I never carry any peice of technology on me that anyone would consider killing me to possess/sell for crack.

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