About handheld gamey things....?

[Ttaskmaster]

I've been having a serious sense of humour failure over mobile/smartphone games lately and have come to the conclusion that it's the touchscreen/lack of proper buttons. I've had a GameBoy Pocket before (still got it in a drawer, actually) and that was fine... but it's B&W LCD and I only ever got 2 games for it.

What's a good handheld gaming thing, these days?

1/. Is/was the GameBoy Advace SP any good? They seem quite cheap nowadays and I believe they can play all the older GB cartridges, too? I understand I want the AGS101, for the better screen?

2/. I was debating getting a 3DS as well, maybe the XL. No idea if it's all still running though - Can you still download games for it?
Is the 3DS family any better than the DS or 2DS?

I know even less about SEGA devices.... are they any good?


I have literally no idea about this stuff any more!!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Isn't the Nintendo Switch the latest "must have" mobile gaming console??

[Ttaskmaster]

Isn't the Nintendo Switch the latest "must have" mobile gaming console??

Yup.... that's why I'm looking at smaller, cheaper options!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Yup.... that's why I'm looking at smaller, cheaper options!

Playstation Vita??

There is also this:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SEGA-MEGA...-/182433691971

[Bagnaj97]

2/. I was debating getting a 3DS as well, maybe the XL. No idea if it's all still running though - Can you still download games for it?
Is the 3DS family any better than the DS or 2DS?

The 3DS is still very much alive, with new games coming out. That said it is getting on a bit now so how long that'll continue I don't know.
I've got a Switch and it's great, I use it vastly more as a handheld than docked but that's handheld generally around the house. It's too big to pocket, but easily thrown in a bag.

[scaryjim]

Don't discount Android as a portable gaming platform - there's a variety of Bluetooth controllers out there that hold your phone and turn it into a "proper" handheld gaming device, and there's also a few (particularly Chinese) companies that make dedicated Android gaming devices, of which JXD are probably the best known - www.jxd.hk is the corporate site, and www.jxdofficial.com is their online store.

I've bought direct from them a few years ago; iirc they originally only dispatched one of the two consoles I bought, but I had no issues contacting their customer services to resolve the problem. The hardware is as good as the price suggests I got a couple of devices, one of which worked absolutely fine, and one of which is good apart from the touchscreen, which is, let's say, rather erratic in where it registers the touch. OTOH since I only use it to launch console emulators, which can easily be done with the console controls, it's not an issue for my usage.

It looks like they don't stock the old Android devices any more (Only the very expensive latest version which is > $300), but there's a number of "multi-function" consoles which look to be near identical to the one I've got, and I do wonder if they're still Android under the hood but without access to app stores etc, so they've been reskinned to "hide" the underlying OS. Anyway, they're pretty cheap and if you can wait, come with free (slow) shipping. Might be worth a shot for ~ $40....

[Ttaskmaster]

Playstation Vita??

Dunno... it's a bit big, and I quite like clamshell designs that protect the screen(s).
Also, it depends to some extent what games are available for it, I suppose...

there's a variety of Bluetooth controllers out there that hold your phone and turn it into a "proper" handheld gaming device

They're a bit bulky and very different from what I had in mind.
The GBA SP appeals mainly from the very pocketable form factor.

there's also a few (particularly Chinese) companies that make dedicated Android gaming devices, of which JXD are probably the best known

I quite like a couple of the retro ones they do - A bit like the Gameboy Mini... will consider whether they offer much in the way of cartridge support - EZ-Flash IV, or something?

The hardware is as good as the price suggests

Oh.... right...... less interested, now....

I did consider the emulator approach as well as some larger 'portable' gaming devices, but TBH if I were going down that route in any big way, I might as well consider sommat like the GPD-Win 2....!

But yeah, basic idea was something small, cheap and whimsical.
Still debating whether a 3DS-XL type thing would be much use, or whether I'll be better off staying toward the GBA-SP side of things....

[scaryjim]

... Still debating whether a 3DS-XL type thing would be much use, or whether I'll be better off staying toward the GBA-SP side of things....

I used to have a DS Lite way back in the day and it was a really enjoyable console to use. They're pretty cheap pre-owned, and take GBA cartridges as well as DS game cards, so there's a pretty wide library of titles to choose from. I'm not sure a 3DS will gain you much over a DS Lite unless there's specific 3DS games you want to play...?

[Ttaskmaster]

I'm not sure a 3DS will gain you much over a DS Lite unless there's specific 3DS games you want to play...?

Mainly just bigger screen, maybe better quality components?
I do like 3D stuff, so would probably play a fair few titles, if the 3D is any good?

I also heard you can download older GB games and play them on the DS family?

[Zak33]

Switch is a thing of staggering beauty.

[Ttaskmaster]

Switch is a thing of staggering beauty.

And also size, if not weight too... No deal.
Switch is off the cards until it fits in my pocket!

[Butcher]

Mainly just bigger screen, maybe better quality components?
I do like 3D stuff, so would probably play a fair few titles, if the 3D is any good?

I also heard you can download older GB games and play them on the DS family?

There are many different machines here you're asking about:

DS [Lite] - The original DS system. Does 3d rendering (sort of), also 2d. Low Res (256x192). Back compat with GBA carts.

3DS - The successor to the DS. Does 3d (properly), also does stereoscopic (switchable). High Res (400x240). Back compat with DS. Official emu for GBA. Note: 3DS games are NOT compatible with DS or DS Lite.

2DS - A 3DS with the stereoscopic screen replaced with a standard LCD.

"New" 3DS / 2DS - a souped up version of the 3DS with a much faster processor (runs at 804 MHz rather than 268).

Personally I would recommend a 3DS or 2DS as you don't limit yourself to only DS games and older that way. I'm not a fan of the stereoscopic and it makes some games run slower or worse quality, so I'd say the 2DS is a better bet. The "new" version is a definite improvement over the original model.

[Ttaskmaster]

"New" 3DS / 2DS - a souped up version of the 3DS with a much faster processor (runs at 804 MHz rather than 268).

Yeah, I'm thinking a "New" 3DS-XL, if I go that far... Based on remarks and reviews of the TN vs IPS screens across earlier versions, I'd obviously want the best one.

But that's the conundrum - Will this be that much better? Will a GBA-SP be enough?
TBH, if I can find them cheap enough, I might even get both and see what takes me...

[Dareos]

Got most things.

Vita - fun system but horrible interface

3DS - little too small for my liking, loads of titles

Switch - got 400 hours of xenoblade logged,. Amazing bit of kit.

[Butcher]

3DS - little too small for my liking, loads of titles

The XL is definitely nicer to use in that respect.

[scaryjim]

... Will a GBA-SP be enough? ...

tbh I don't really see why you'd choose a GBA-SP over a DS Lite, given the DS Lite will play all the GBA games as well as the DS ones. Plus afaict you'll pay more for a GBA SP than for a DS Lite.

Sounds a lot like the real choice is DS Lite vs 3DS-XL, based on what you're currently considering...