Go anywhere you want with itJul 07 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Classic Console Games
The Bottom Line Handheld systems are great for travel, and for places where there is no place to play a set top console. Keep the batteries handy.
Handheld consoles are a great innovation of an active, fun-loving, leisurely society. People are on the go, and have different needs. Some people, like me, hate long, BORING car trips. The Gameboy Advance would help me, if I had the money to buy it. Handheld consoles have their advantages. 1. Portability. By fitting in the palms of your hands, you can take them anywhere, at any time. All you have to do is find the power to run it. 2. Weight. With its small weight, compared to set top consoles (requiring a "medium" to view, such as a TV or projector), you can take it just about anywhere. 3. Size of cartridges. Cartridges are very small, compared to set top consoles. They should fit in the palm of your hand. 4. Price. Handhelds are cheaper than set top consoles (I'm using U.S. prices). A PlayStation 2 came out costing $299. The X-Box, I heard, will be similar. The Dreamcast was $199, and the Gamecube is scheduled to be around $199. The Gameboy Advance, which came out about a month ago, cost $99. I see sales of them as low as $89 (ex. K-Mart). The cartridges even currently sell slightly cheaper than the CDs the set top consoles are using now. Handheld consoles have their disadvantages, too. 1. Viewing screen. Due to their small size, the viewing screen is small. Some [medical] professionals might call this a blessing, because large screens tend to hurt the eye more. You can't use a big-screen many of us are accustomed to. 2. Batteries. For the most part, hanheld systems require standard batteries. Systems such as the Gameboy series (original, Color, and Advanced) and the one by Sega (I forget the name) use AA batteries. You can use an outlet, or a special battery, but they tend to cost extra. Batteries are NOT cheap, especially if you buy a lot. 3. Graphics. Due to decreased space, the graphics suffer some. 32 bits for a handheld simply does not match up to 128 bits of power for a Sega Dreamcast, Playstation 2, X-Box, or Gamecube. 4. "Extras." Set top consoles these days tend to have extra features handhelds don't. Multiplayer is new to handhelds, but have gone to new heights in set top consoles. Internet gaming has arrived in the newest set top consoles. THE GAMEBOY ADVANCE CAN CONNECT AS A CONTROLLER TO THE [NOT YET RELEASED] GAMECUBE. 5. Lighting. Set top consoles have their light controlled by a TV, or other "medium" which displays what's going on. If you don't like it, you can use your [TV] remote to change the color, brightness, sharpness, and other attributes to the TV. Handhelds these days still need to be played in sunlight, which is harder to manipulate. The Gameboy Advance has created a special light (I forget its name), which should help. All in all, handheld systems are not as advanced as set top consoles, but that might change in the future.  |
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