Portable Gaming Devices

It turns out the camping place where I stay for the first two nights has some WiFi. This means that I can theoretically do a couple of updates.

Being on the road always makes you more aware of portable devices and their limitations. I was considering not taking any gaming devices with me. But with the iPhone, it became almost inevitable anyway. So now I have the following systems with me:

• NDS XL: One of the most important reasons for taking an NDS is simply the amazing battery life. The DS can go for an astonishingly long time without the need for recharging. Plus it has a quite wide library of games. We have favorite titles for both – my non-gamer girlfriend and me. The new NDS XL may be slightly less portable due to it’s size but it’s still Ok for camping. The only problem I found with all of Nintendo devices are the connectors. Each DS System use a different AC connector. Charging via USB is impossible. Getting a car AC adapter is silly too – it will become outdated as soon as a new system comes out. Still, it’s a solid choice for portable gaming.

• GBA Micro: Whenever I’m on the road I end up with the Micro in my pocket. It has a long battery life and it’s really, really tiny so it almost makes no difference if you take it or not. I still have some backlog items for the GBA too, I hope I will be able to get at least one of them finished. I just wished you could recharge it via USB.

• iPhone: I wanted to take the iPhone with me anyway. Mobile internet + GPS capabilities make it almost a non-brainier. I’m really shocked by how useful the device can be. It’s almost the ultimate portable device. I find it hard to imagine functions that could be added. You can use it as a GPS navigator, you can communicate with it in any way possible, it plays music – using earphones or simply with the built-in speaker, it takes photos and then it gives you the internet to look up anything you might have questions about. And yes it plays games.

  I’m especially looking forward for some quality time with Spider and Plants vs. Zombies. I also got me some Diner Dash for the trip. The game is addictive as always although the screen could be a little big bigger. And then there is the obligatory Carcassonne and Words With Friends but that’s a given at this point.

  The thing that is really unfortunate with the iPhone is the poor battery life. After an hour or two of playing, my iPhone is often already halfway ready for being recharged. On the other hand, the fact that you I charge it up via USB is a huge win. This means I can easily charge it up in the car for example.

What I DIDN’T take with me was the PSP. It seems to combine all the disadvantages of portables devices in one. It has a very cumbersome AC adapter and it has poor battery life. The games of the old model are also amazingly un-portable. The UMD’s seem too fragile to just throw them in a bag. I can do without it.

So far the weather is so great that I hardly ever play. But supposedly, there will be some rain next Tuesday. Let’s see how useful those gaming devices will turn out when it really comes down to it.

P.S.: The purchase of Diner Dash is valid since I finished the first 5 games from my backlog list! Yay!