By Andrew Liszewski
Created by Flickr user ‘CRTdrone‘ this, um, original mod allows the original Game Boy to play all Game Boy, Game Boy Color and of course Game Boy Advance games. I guess it’s not really my place to ask “why?” since mods like this have become rather popular as of late, and it does result in the Game Boy gaining a rechargeable battery, but I’d like to know where the GBA’s rather integral shoulder buttons have ended up?
[ Flickr - CRTdrone ] VIA [ Tiny Cartridge ]
Short version: Nintendo’s new DSi XL is aimed squarely at the older generation of casual gamers. People that appreciate something that’s a little easier to read. The people who wear their reading glasses while they sit down for their morning glass of fiber and read their copy of the AARP Journal. And heaven help me, I like it.
Features:
Pros:
Cons:
I like Nintendo’s portable gaming consoles. I had a Game Boy, Game Boy Color, DS phat, and a DS Lite, but I never saw the point in the DSi. So when Nintendo sent me a DSi XL to review, I was pleasantly surprised by the functionality. Would I buy a DSi XL to replace my DS Lite? Probably not – but I do like the DSi XL, and would recommend it to someone looking to get into portable gaming.
Build quality is as you would expect it to be. Nintendo knows these things are going to be knocked around, and build them so they can take it. The unit I was sent is the bronze color, with the majority of the device having a matte finish. The top of the cover, however, is glossy and picks up finger prints. Not fingerprints like you’d see on a PSP but they are present.
I’m not going to reinvent the wheel here as far as reviewing the DSi functionality. Yeah, it’s a DSi, only bigger. It’s designed for the older crowd that play those little $10 blackjack games from Radio Shack, and if they market it properly it’ll be huge. I have large hands. I like the DSi XL because I like the larger form factor, and the larger screens. My wife isn’t as much of a fan. She’s got smaller hands and found that the DSi XL made her left hand start to cramp after playing Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for about 30 minutes. I saw another review mention issues with screen clarity. I definitely didn’t notice this issue. I love playing RTS games like Civilization Revolution, and if the screen was fuzzy I’d definitely notice it. The screen was crisp and clear, and it didn’t feel like the games were designed for a smaller display at all, which was one of the things I was concerned about when I first read about the DSi XL.
Should you buy a DSi XL? Sure, if you don’t already have a DSi. I’d just suggest that you check one out at your local game shoppe first to be sure that the size won’t be an issue. Is it a reasonable upgrade from the DS or DS Lite? Absolutely. Should you buy one for your mom for Mother’s Day? Only if you are a huge geek and you’re sure she’ll like it.
By Andrew Liszewski
Looking like a cross between a Sidekick, a PSP Go and a portable DVD player, the JXD V3 doesn’t seem like it’s made up its mind when it comes to what it’s good at, so I guess it’s just decided to be a jack of all trades… master of some? The 4.3 inch TFT LCD display has a resolution of 480×272 pixels, though it’s able to play back video files including RMVB, RM, AVI, VOB, DAT, MPG, FLV, 3GP, MP4, ASF and WMVs up to 1280×720 in size. When it comes to music it plays nice with MP3, WMA, WAV, AMR, AAC, FLAC and APE files, and there’s even an FM radio in there for some local content.
You’ll also notice a couple of 4-way directional pads which are important since the JXD V3 also plays Game Boy, Game Boy Color, NES and other game file formats including flash SWF files, and they’ve even gone to the trouble of including a PSP-like flat analog stick. You’d think it would stop there, but you’ll also find a 5.0MP camera crammed in there that can capture 30fps VGA videos to its 8GB of internal flash memory. On top of all that there’s even TV in and out capabilities turning this into a portable gaming console, all for just $112 from Ownta.com.
[ JXD V3 Foldable Game MP4 Player with 5.0MP Camera ] VIA [ Akihabara News ]
If you were a hardware manufacturer and your new phone was a ROMist’s delight you’d be all like “Our phone plays Doom and totally plays Super Mario Bros. 3.” Right? You’d be bragging from here to Scranton.
Well, Nokia tried to do that with the new N900 and got in huge trouble with Nintendo. They showed a video of an SNES emulator running on the device with this voiceover.
“There’s already a bunch of great retro gaming emulator apps available for you to download,” says the video, which shows buttons that appear to open emulators for systems including Nintendo’s Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, NES and SNES.
Ummm, right. Good choice. Nintendo is probably going to totally sue them out of business now. You know they should have just shown Altered Beast on a Genesis emulator and been done with it.
Portable gaming emulators: Can there be too many on the market? I submit, “No.” The more the merrier, as they say. Here’s a new arrival from Chinavasion that looks like it might have a decent D-pad and well-placed buttons. The “Gemei x760+” is priced at $81 and comes with built-in support for Game Boy Advance, Neo Geo, and CAPCOM arcade systems with other systems available for download.
Those systems include: NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and “many more available for download on the internet,” according to the product page. I have no idea how you actually install these emulators on the device but hopefully it’s an easy process.
There’s 4GB of onboard memory, which can be expanded via SD cards up to 16GB. Screen size is 3 inches with a 320×240 resolution and everything’s powered by a 400MHz processor. Other features include TV output, video and audio playback, and promised battery life of “7 hours run time of mixed media usage.” I’d expect that just playing games would shorten that number, although the 1700mAh lithium-ion battery is pretty decent as far as capacity goes.
Gemei X760+ Multi Platform Portable Gaming Entertainment System [Chinavasion]
By Andrew Liszewski
Back in the day you could buy a special cartridge for your Super Nintendo known as the ‘Super Game Boy‘ that allowed you to play Game Boy titles on your TV. But apparently someone felt that using the Super Nintendo’s controller for a Game Boy game was just too confusing, which led to the creation of this bizarre accessory known as the Super Gameboy Commander. Eagle-eyed readers will notice that it has the same button layout as the Game Boy did, with a few extra ones allowing you to also play Super Nintendo (or Super Famicom) titles with it.
I find it hard to believe that anyone using the Super Game Boy would be jamming Tetris pieces in the wrong places because they were confused by the SNES’s control pad, and I find it even harder to believe that there would still be a market for this thing today. But believe it or not, NCSX is selling them brand new in their original boxes for $19.90.
[ Super Gameboy Commander for Super Famicom ] VIA [ Tiny Cartridge ]