GameGear
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Game Gear mod has five-inch screen, rechargable batteries, two pounds worth of memories
Are Nintendo and Sony's portable gaming offerings not doing anything for you? Yearn for the days of Hedgehog-based adventure? You're not alone -- though, unless you're as crafty as "lovablechevy," you're going to have to settle for whatever you can find on eBay or in a dusty shoebox under a bed at your parents' house. The modder resurrected a Game Gear with a custom case created using the beloved Sega portable, a Master Gear converter, a screen from a PS One, and assorted other bits and pieces. The franken-portable can play Game Gear and Master System titles, has a rechargeable battery, and weighs a hefty two-plus pounds. Video after the break and lots more jealousy-inducing images in the Source link below.
Nintendo GDC keynote roundup: Netflix and free AT&T WiFi coming to 3DS this summer!
We survived the keynote address here at GDC 2011, where Satoru Iwata and Reggie Fils-Aime just got done revealing a veritable cornucopia of info about the 3DS. On the video content front, the 3DS will get Netflix this summer along with the ability to pause a video on your handheld and continue watching on your Wii -- though we presume you may recommence your cinematic experience on an XBox or PS3 too. The addition of Netflix wasn't the only announcement by Iwata, however. Get the rest after the break.
Modded Game Gear becomes portable home for N64 (video)
It may or may not actually be the most compact Nintendo 64 we've ever seen, but even if it's holding down the second spot, you can't knock the ingenuity here. Crafted by one Evil Nod, the self-proclaimed N Gear 64 is little more than an N64 console tucked, shoved and crammed inside a Sega Game Gear enclosure. Best of all, the modder somehow stuffed an N64 controller in there too, yet still left all of the original markings for nostalgia's sake. Head on past the jump for a video of it in action, or tap that source link to learn more about the build process. Riveting stuff, we tell ya. [Thanks, Alon]
Atari 2600 stuffed into Game Gear, Sega Nomad seen casting envious glances
Oh sure, there's bound to be some protrusion when shoving a retro console into a gaming handheld, but inelegant styling was a way of life for Sega back in the mid-90s. Modder Chris Koopa has achieved the impossible by stuffing an Atari 2600 (or the important parts, anyway) along with 40 games into a hacked up Game Gear and enabling it to operate for nearly a full workday with just five AA batteries. And yeah, there's totally a 2600 cartridge slot to allow for playback of original titles. You know you're oddly interested in seeing more, so tap the read link for a few shots from the rear / side.[Via technabob]
Ten handhelds that suffered a fate far worse than ours
We're pretty sure that no one calls the PSP a failure anymore. In fact, over the past few months, as more and more games release on our handheld, we've seen less and less flame comments from rabid DS fans -- maybe they realized that two handhelds can happily coexist?Courtesy of GamePro, here's a list of the ten worst selling handhelds of all time. Thankfully, Sony's PSP is nowhere close to being on the list: Gizmondo (<25,000 sold) Zodiac (<200,000) Game.com (<300,000) Lynx (<500,000) Nomad (1 million) NEC Turbo Express (1.5 million) Neo-Geo Pocket (2 million) GBA Micro (2.5 million) N-Gage (3 million) Game Gear (11 million) PSP has sold at least twice the amount of the Game Gear, and with the redesign coming out later this year, the system will sell plenty more. (Too bad the Neo-Geo Pocket didn't do as well ...)[Via digg]
The golden age of ninjas
We won't look down on you if Tecmo's announcement for Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword was the first time you'd ever heard of ninjas sneaking onto a handheld console. The stealthy assasins carry out their orders so efficiently and silently, most people aren't even aware of a ninja's presence until they see their own blood on the wall sprayed from an expert slash across their necks. Modojo has a lengthy feature tracking portable appearances by ninjas like Shinobi and Goemon, following their shuriken-throwing adventures from the Game Boy all the way up to the Nintendo DS. Our favorite game from the bunch is Ninja Five-O, a Bionic Commando-esque side scroller that was released for the GBA. If there's one thing terrorists fear, it's ninja cops swinging through their defenses!
PSP at the top of handheld evolution
We know that the PSP is powerful. But how powerful is it compared to handhelds before it? A lot more, as seen by Pocket Gamer's recent analysis of handheld systems. PSP's 333MHz of processing power knocks makes the rest of the chart seem miniscule in comparison.Pocket Gamer's feature is certainly an eye-opener. Of particular note is a fascinating diagram of screen sizes, overlaying each other. The PSP's wide screen LCD far exceeds the size of its nearest competitor, the Nomad. Even with such impressive statistics, the system remains one of the lightest handhelds created, and doesn't stand out as disproportionately larger than the others. This is a must-read feature for any PSP fan.
Devilish coming to the US after basically FOREVER
Only two years after the Japanese release date, and sixteen years after the original Game Gear release, Devilish: Ball Bounder has an American publisher.Devilish is a Breakout-style game with complex level design, and, well, devilish trappings. UFO Interactive has it listed for a US release in "Summer 2007", though EBGames says the 17th of this month.It may not matter when the thing is coming out, because apparently it's far less than perfect. Being the rabid Arkanoid fans we are, we're still intrigued, although Devilish lacks touchscreen control and we always used the analog controller for Arkanoid.
[E]mulate seven consoles in one homebrew application
Sorry for the lack of updates. Joystiq & engadget hit the scene at NYC's Wii launch party (coverage continues throughout the next few days). At the after-party at my place, we were horrified to see how pathetic the selection of Virtual Console games were (Where the heck is my Gunstar Heroes? When do Mario RPG and Super Metroid come out?). I'm glad to pay my hard-earned dollar on retro games, but damn it--I can't do that if they're not being offered right now!Interestingly, if I so chose to embrace the Dark Side, I could use [e]mulator, from homebrew developer "e". This application includes emulators for a wide variety of systems: Wonderswan, Lynx, PC Engine, Neo Geo Pocket, Game Gear, Game Boy, and Famicom (NES). If one is so inclined, they can visit the site, download the file, and use a program like WinRAR to extract the files. Don't worry, there's a very Engrish read-me that should theoretically walk you through the process.[Via PSP-Vault]
Handheld history reveals PSP's slim figure [Update 1]
Joystiq, the attention-craving parent site to PSP Fanboy, recently compared the sizes of history's greatest handhelds. When looking at the handhelds in size order, one can see that the PSP sits smack in the middle. Game Boy micro: 5.6 cubic inches Game Boy Advance SP: 9.81 cubic inches DS Lite: 12.96 cubic inches Wonderswan: 13.33 cubic inches Wonderswan Color: 14.1 cubic inches Wonderswan Crystals: 14.68 cubic inches Neo Geo Pocket Color: 17.35 cubic inches Sony PSP: 17.52 cubic inches Game Boy Advance: 17.64 cubic inches GP2X: 19.61 cubic inches DS Phat: 22.01 cubic inches Game Boy: 26.39 cubic inches Gamepark 32: 26.83 cubic inches Sega Nomad: 49.36 cubic inches Game Gear: 50.86 cubic inches Atari Lynx: 68.53 cubic inches We should be thankful that the PSP is no monstrosity like the Game Gear... Then again, I did love my Game Gear (pictured).[Thanks, Zebulunite!][Update 1: Whoa, how did that HTML glitch happen? It totally wasn't like that when I typed it. Anyways, fixed.]
Pocket Pad DAP / Game Gear handheld device
While we've seen our fair share of off-the-wall handhelds that do a dab of everything, including aplenty of overseas knockoffs that usually aren't what they claim to be, this little gadget seems to have a bit more credibility than the usual mishmashed portable. The Pocket Pad, reportedly sold through Alpha Plus, is a handheld gaming device with a button layout reminiscent of the original Game Boy, and rocks a 2.4-inch LCD that could potentially induce uncomfortable amounts of squinting while gaming. The 'Pad doubles up on the fun by providing a built-in MP3 player with 1GB of flash storage to accompany the nine internally-housed retro Sega titles, reportedly including Ecco the Dolphin and the obligatory Sonic the Hedgehog. While there's no word on whether this thing plays any other games, it does sport an SD slot in case your music library exceeds the 1GB barrier (or you just want to give your homebrew apps a try). A rather unexpected addition to the feature set is the inclusion of a TV-out jack that should enable you to pipe that button-mashing mayhem onto the big screen while at home. Deets concerning the battery life and included accessories (not to mention a warranty) are unsurprisingly missing, but if you've got money to gamble and a hankering for pocketable Sega action, the Pocket Pad will supposedly drop in October for £80 ($151).
BenQ launches a slew of Joybees
We're glad BenQ's not trimming the fat on their portable audio division the way their optical drives business got the boot this week (it was bought by LITE-ON), but a couple of their new Bluetooth-enabled Joybees are definitely hat-tipping BenQ-Siemens as possible accessories. So let's get to the players, already (clockwise from top left): the E520 (no, not that BenQ E520) with Bluetooth / call features not dissimilar from Samsung's SBH-300; their ET50 with the same Bluetooth call features, but also a data transmission profile, presumably for file swapping (so it'd probably be OBEX / FTP); the Game Boy Micro-esque EG10, which comes bundled with ten Sega Game Gear and Master System titles (like Sonic Blast and Columns) and an SD slot; and finally the E105 (no, not that E105) clip-on MP3 player. No word on when or if these'll be States-bound, so keep those fingers locked and loaded on your favorite importer.[Via The MP3 Players]
