godofallu said:
So I have always dismissed and ignored the handheld section of the gaming industry.
Basically speaking I like joysticks, and I am not on the go often. Why bother with a small screen when you have a 360 and a top notch pc in the same room?
Anyways I have a lot of money (plus bestbuy credit) which has been sitting in my account for years, and i've been thinking that maybe i'm missing something.
Are there any handhelds that are worth looking into? How about ones that resemble pc's with internet access and a harddrive?
Thanks to anyone who bothers to post and point me in the right direction.
Smartphones. Currently iOS has the majority of the good games, but Windows Phone 7 and Android are getting a good chunk of them as well. Plus, it's quite useful having features like a GPS or the ability to watch YouTube on the go. The smartphone option would depend on which carrier you're on, and how viable it is for you to sign a contract or alternatively just buy the phone outright. You'll definitely get the internet access part, and with phones hitting between 16GB and 32GB these days, that roughly hits the idea you have of a hard drive.
Only downside to gaming with a smartphone is you're divvying up your battery life between two functions. If you drive a car, just get a car charger and you've got no problem. Otherwise, if you're only using it when you're waiting in line for something, and playing in short bursts, it isn't a problem.
If you're planning on long term bursts, then a dedicated device is better. I wouldn't really go for a PSP given that it's a mini console, and you're getting the same types of games you play on your 360, except with a tiny screen, and only one analog stick.
DS Lite is a viable option, as it gets game types that you don't find on home consoles, so you are actually picking up something that you're otherwise missing out on. Battery life is very good on them. The reason I don't have one is because the ABXY buttons are very small and give me blisters. Ergonomics is something you're going to have to consider.
iPod touch is also quite good, and again there's a ton of game types that you just don't find anywhere else, so it would fit your interest in finding something that you're missing out on. Battery life on them is 6 hours with WiFi and Bluetooth turned off. The downside is that Apple puts out a new model each year, so if you get something brand new, 12-18 months later games start coming out that you can't run, and if you're getting the outgoing model then it's pretty much right away or 6 months later. You can also get screwed with firmware updates. When 4.0 came out I had about 3 months of not being able to play anything on my 2nd gen touch because it performed horribly. With 4.1 things are back to being playable, but it has drawbacks.
Anything else I don't think you'll be able to put your BestBuy credit towards.
