Back in the good old days, there was a question that couldn't be answered: Should I buy a N64 or a PS1!
That answer remains even today, still unanswered! But, I've got an answer to it, and that is: "N64 vs. PS1... Heck, I bought both." Without further delaying, the is the review!
The N64 was my first console. Two weeks later, I bought a PS1. For a good gaming experience, you almost have to have both. They're like salt and pepper. The PS1 does what the N64 doesn't, and vice versa.
The Graphics: Much better than the PS1. Crisp, clear 3D that flows. However, Nintendo's use of cartridges rather than CDs made for some repetition. With the PS1, you didn't really have to worry about how many different graphics you have due to the large amount that the discs hold. The N64 could have more details, but more tiling in the textures. Still, if there is a game out for both systems I would always recommend the N64 version. For example: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. I have it for the N64, and have played it for PS1. In the PS1 version, everything looked pixilated. Some of that may be because I have compared it to the N64 version, but it almost got in the way of playing.
The Games: Some people say that the PS1 owners missed out on N64 games. Others say N64 owners missed out on PS1 games. I bought both. With an N64, you miss out on Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy VII, Xenogears, and Spyro to name a few. With a PS1, you miss out on Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Goldeneye, Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart 64, and many more. What's more, there were different companies working for each side. Squaresoft, Capcom, and Enix were working on the PS1, while Rare, Nintendo, and Hal were making games for the N64. There were so many classics for each side, you can't really draw a line.
The Genres: The N64 often seemed limited in this area. It had a good deal of 3D Platformer/Adventure games, racing games, sports games, but maybe two fighters and RPGs (Zelda was an action RPG, not turn-based). Some games the N64 had that the PS1 didn't were First Person Shooters and some simulation games (e.g. Pilotwings 64). However, the PS1 had all of the RPGs and fighting games. Final Fantasy, Xenogears, Legend of Dragoon, Tekken, and Marvel vs. Capcom were a few. They shared racing games, 3D platformer/adventure games, and sports games.
Miscellaneous: The PS1 used CDs while the N64 used cartridges. Here are some advantages to each:
Cartridges: Do not scratch, No load times, Smaller
CDs: More space, Compatible with later systems, Cheaper
In my opinion, the PS1 just looked cooler. It was kind of old school, being gray and boxy. The N64 looked cool too, but not as cool. Some N64 games rely on memory paks, while some just save in-cartridge. To use a rumble pak, you have to take out the memory pak and put it in. With the PS1, you only needed one memory card, which would hold a lot. I have two N64 memory paks because my first one filled up. Then again, I have 15 N64 games vs. six PS1 games (for now, because can't find them, to rare).
The PS1 controllers didn't have the analog stick like the N64 until later. When they did, the controllers were a little better. Two analog sticks, one D-Pad, with vibration built in. The moving parts were in the controller handles, which felt more natural than the heavy rumble pak of the N64. However, the N64 had the Z button, which was like a trigger. It also had the C-Pad, which usually controlled the camera (the L and R buttons on the PS1 did that). I'm not sure why they put a D-Pad on the N64 controller. The only game that uses it exclusively instead of the analog stick is Kirby 64.
Wrapping it up: There were some great games for each system. I got them instead of a PS2, Xbox or GameCube because the games are still awesome and cost half as much. So, call me wishy-washy, but I think they're equal.
Will History Repeat Itself like it did with there predecessor?
All eyes seem to be on Nintendo these days – and after an E3 press conference that baffled as much as it impressed, it's easy to understand why. It seems, in fact, like Nintendo is playing out its cards in much the same way it did back in 2005. Rather than focusing on Wii U, however, the more interesting topic right now is that of the upcoming 3DS versus PS Vita battle. On first glance, it could appear to be DS-versus-PSP all over again, but I'm here to tell you that's a long way from being the case.
Sony has, traditionally, gone for that "aspirational" gaming dollar, courting gamers with hardware that has been tremendously powerful - with a price that packs about as much wallop. While the PS3 and PSP are both successful, long-time market warhorses, they still took a beating from Nintendo's Wii and DS systems.
I really wanted an excuse to dig this out :P .
The key differences? While Sony was imbuing its products with glitzy "status symbol" elements, making them luxury items, Nintendo focused on new gaming experiences and undercut them at the registers with an everyman price-tag. Nintendo, incidentally, cleaned up.
It would seem the tables have turned, however, and Sony is betting the bank on selling PlayStation Vita (or PS Vita, as it's now known), its PSP successor, at a loss for the next three years. That's a dangerous and cheeky move. It's a Sony move, the kind of play that a company makes when it knows the market is ready for an upset and its brand is ready for the same. Unlike Nintendo, which has stated in the past that it will never again create hardware and sell it at a loss, Sony is aiming to sell so many units that it more than absorbs that cost – and makes a killing in the process too.
Sony and Nintendo are now in the same price bracket for handheld hardware, and the capabilities tend to favour Sony. Vita's just a powerful system. It doesn't have the 3D flashiness of the 3DS - and nobody can discount the continued appeal of Nintendo's core franchises. However, for the first time in a long while, Sony is actually leading the charge with hardware that gives developers more tools to play with.
In this visual metaphor, Sony is a police officer. The PS Vita is battering ram. Nintendo is peering through the window.
Sony didn't just squeeze through the crack - it blew the door off its hinges. Nintendo has, traditionally, been a hardware disruptor. The approach with the DS (as with Wii and Wii U) has been to provide gamers with a new input experience - and developers with the tools to craft forward-thinking games and apps that differentiate its products from the competition. 3DS does not go far beyond the boundaries established by the DS - and in fact, it could be argued that the 3D display actually makes the unit less holistic in design than its predecessor: the 3D display, after all, makes it harder to smoothly implement touch and motion controls - and it gobbles up battery life. Regardless, in taking a smaller step forward, Nintendo left the door open to Sony.
Sony has, in effect, trumped the DS' touch capabilities, matched the 3DS augmented reality functionality, introduced a world of possibility for interoperability between PS3 and Vita, and surpassed its communication potential with 3G network compatibility (in the premium model). This is a device that truly offers flexibility to developers and gamers. 3DS' StreetPass and SpotPass are great features, but limited in range. And, incidentally, Vita has 'Near', which operates on a similar premise. Without a Wi-Fi network, the 3DS' online infrastructure is significantly hampered. Without processing power in line with PS Vita, developers are once again tasked with creating software that cannot be ported easily and must be developed from scratch. Sony has given developers more to play with, basically and written off handheld 3D effects in the same stroke. That's bold and competitively wise. These are moves that hold the potential to turn the tables on the DS brand in a big way.
Of course, many of you are probably thinking "well gee, but the PSP was far more powerful than the DS was, and it still got pummelled for a long time". True, but the PSP was a traditional console experience in your pocket, whereas the DS was disruptive and new. This battle is fundamentally different. Vita is the more disruptive, interesting device. Plus, as mentioned above, the price was a huge factor. The market dictates value, that's a major thing to remember.
With PS Vita coming in at a similar price to 3DS regionally, Sony is aggressively targeting the comparison shopper. And if you stick these two systems side-by-side, spec sheet and all, it's clear which device is going to look superior on paper. Then there's the lingering question of games. The 3DS' on-shelf range has barely grown since release. Good thing Nintendo kick-started its Virtual Console service on the platform before things got really dire. Still, there was a decided lack of fresh 3DS content on display at Nintendo's press event –and while sequels to major franchises are probably still easy bank, the calendar year ahead is painfully quiet. Sony, meanwhile, again underlined its aggressive strategy, showing off Uncharted: The Golden Abyss to appease the hardcore market and a number of terrific, sophisticated games from its stable of franchises available at or near launch. The message was clear: we have the hardware and the games - not just the promise of content to come. It's not all doom and gloom for Nintendo, of course. Brand loyalty goes a long way. 3DS is family-friendly, appealing and approachable. It has a mass-market design to it that the whole DS range has maintained. Arguably, PS Vita looks more mature, but that brings with it certain barriers and factors of intimidation and complexity. Nintendo is a thought leader in family entertainment. Sony leads in the luxury market. If Sony can crack through that shell with PS Vita's price tag, power and raw potential, and developers continue to support it too, Nintendo may have a serious, even critical, fight on its hands.
I wonder if I can get away with reviewing it like this. Probably not. Might be fun to stick with it though. *Voices-in-the-head kinda thing*.
The Game Boy Micro, then, is Nintendo's answer to...
Hang on. Why the hell have they made this? The GBA SP, which is being quietly relaunched right now with a brighter screen, costs just a few quid more and - particularly given the screen change - is simply a better toy. The Micro is a very small Game Boy Advance with a very bright screen, it has a headphone socket, which you can't get on the SP without a silly little adapter, and the directional pad and buttons are spongier, which is a pleasant alteration. But the SP plays my old copy of Pokemon Yellow and the Micro doesn't, and you have to pay extra to use your old link cables. Do they honestly expect me to pay 80-100 euro for this?
Well, now we come to it, no - they don't. I can if I want - that's if I want a very small handheld with a very bright screen and the option of collectible interchangeable faceplates - but I'm not really expected to. As Satoru Iwata said at the Tokyo Game Show, the GB Micro is part of Nintendo's three-pronged strategy to expand the gaming populace, to attract disillusioned gamers back into the fold, and to keep the hardcore happy. Specifically, it's targeting people who don't necessarily want a bulky (or, in the SP's case, bulky-ish) handheld, but might be interested if it looked good, slotted into a jeans pocket and had lots of fun little games. The faceplate stuff adds some value there and, to a lesser extent, satisfies those elements of the hardcore with plenty of disposable income - the sort of folks who saw the Famicom (NES) faceplate and thought, "Crikey, I'm sold."
In other words, it is the answer, in a sense, but not to a question that we're asking. Those of you who want one don't need to see a score - you were probably convinced by the first photographs and testimonials, and as much as you might lament the need to pay extra for peripherals that allow link-up and wireless play, they're not factors that'll weigh into your thought process when you reach the till. And, let's be honest, the people who don't play games or gave up on games a while ago because things were becoming more and more adventitious with each iteration aren't reading this website.
Still, we can at least ask ourselves this: Is the Game Boy Micro good enough to do what it sets out to do?
Look back to the introduction, and you'll see that I described the GBA SP as "a better toy", a term I didn't apply to the Micro. That wasn't actually deliberate, it just came out that way; but it's certainly a distinction worth emphasising. The Micro looks very sharp - the stylish lines that curve inward atop and below the screen, lending definition to the shiny and reflective faceplates; the metallic glint of the shoulder buttons, which depress in the centre rather than at the edge; the initial glow of the Start and Select buttons when you fire it up; the rather chic-y lowercase "b" and "a" buttons; it's a unit rather than a toy. It may be light to the point of implying flimsiness (an unfair implication, as it goes), and the games may be colourful - largely drawn from the annals of 8- and 16-bit software - but aesthetically it's treading on ground closer to Sony's PlayStation Portable or Apple's iEverything devices than anything Nintendo's released. It's a bit like the Panasonic Q of the Game Boy line - like the Q, which was just a shiny GameCube with DVD playback, you've no real reason to buy it, but you do kind of want one.
It's not as stylish as the PSP, but it's definitely quite gorgeous and it's very robust compared to Sony's model. I've dropped the Micro from a height of around a metre and it was fine. If it spills out of your jeans it'll probably be fine unless someone steps on it - and while the faceplate may scratch it can be snapped off and replaced (see the pic). It also has five brightness settings accessed through a digital audio/brightness-adjust button on the side, so you don't have to cane the battery too hard unless you need to - and that's a rechargeable laptop-style battery, too, which lasts for absolutely hours.
In other words, yes, it's probably going to appeal to the people that Nintendo are targeting with it. It lacks a suspend mode, the peripherals cost extra, and it's also worth noting that the sound from the built-in speaker is pretty tinny; but what it lacks there it makes up for with its elegance, convenience and robustness. Tell your friends - and if you happen to buy one because you can't help yourself, I won't judge you.
*Cos, well, it's really, really shiny, isn't it?*
Here are some pics to compare to other portable consoles and some other things.
The GB Micro and it's GBA-playing brothers. The system is stacked on top of a GBA SP to best show the scale.
The entire GB Micro is actually smaller than just the screen on the PSP.
With its brighter screen and bigger buttons, it may be a hard choice in deciding which system to play GBA games on.
Comparing Micro to a standard cellphone and a pack of gum... It's a good thing our vending machine didn't have jumbo gum packs!
Many people know about the classic Game Boy, heck, many of you might have one or two of these lime-green-screened titans sitting in the back of your closet, collecting dust. A lot of people know about the Game Boy Pocket, the pint-sized wonder that really did fit in your pocket. But, not too many people know about the Game Boy Light, which was released in 1998. Not to be confused with the Light Boy attachment for the big grey brick, this final iteration of the classic Game Boy line was doomed to relative obscurity by the (then) new Game Boy Color. Due to the public's ever-increasing demand for a portable game system with a color screen, demand for this system was, how shall I say... nonexistent.
But, more than 13 years later, I acquired one of these wondrous little machines to enjoy, then analyze and review. So, without further ado, let's get started!
The Game Boy Light was the final iteration of the classic Game Boy line, and possibly the best. Similar in size and weight to the Game Boy Pocket, this version sported a backlit screen, the first of its kind, Nintendo would not implement this feature again until the Game Boy Advance SP (see my review), which was released in 2003. This version uses standard AA batteries, as opposed to the smaller AAA batteries used in the Game Boy Pocket. This system came in only two colors: gold and silver.
The player only had to flip the power switch from ON to LIGHT to turn on the Indiglo-style backlight. When in use, the battery life was shortened, as is the case with any system with a lit screen. To turn it off, the player simply had to flip the power switch back to the ON position. Due to being doomed to obscurity by the Game Boy Color, Nintendo made relatively few of these systems. Because of this, anyone searching for one of these systems will have to pay upwards of 70 euro to import one; and that's the going rate for a used one! New systems can go for as high as 150-200 euro! Regardless, people find ways to obtain one of these lost legends. I'm glad I still got mine!
What you're about to read is something about that's really, really OLD! Older than you, probably?
That's the Atari 2600! Considered the great-granddaddy of video game consoles, the Atari 2600 was the first to significantly penetrate the home market. The system got off to a slow start upon its release in 1977, but its popularity soared with the release of faithful arcade translations like Space Invaders and Asteroids. By the beginning of the 80's, the 2600 was a legitimate phenomenon, making Atari one of the most recognized brand names in the world. The system offered several practical innovations, including removable cartridges, detachable controllers, different types of controllers, and the ability to select game "variations" from a single cartridge. Although many technically-superior consoles were released during the 80's, the Atari 2600 remained in production in one form or another long after most of its competitors had folded, all the way up until 1991.
2600 Jr. or Atari 2600 Slim
Wood Veneer
Darth Vader
The Atari 2600 was practical in design, with an easy-to-access cartridge slot and a series of silver switches across the front. The system went through several incarnations during its lifetime, but the original version with six switches and a distinctive fake wood facade is the most sought-after by collectors. The second version, which is the most common, raised the controller ports on the back (making them easier to reach), and difficulty switches on the back as well (making them harder to reach). The console's third iteration replaced the wood-grain with a solid black strip labeled with a white "Atari 2600" insignia. The final version had a slim, compact design not much larger than a VHS tape. It was produced in modest quantities from the mid-80s until the end of the system's lifetime. Built like tanks, Atari 2600's are highly durable, and it's not hard to find one in good working condition. Compared to newer consoles like the NES, the system has aged extremely well.
One strength of the 2600 is its ability to support third-party controllers. The standard Atari joystick was cheap and prone to breakage, but several other companies stepped in to produce quality alternatives. One limitation of the Atari 2600 joysticks is their single button configuration, although certain games came up with imaginative ways to overcome this. In addition to joysticks, analog "paddle" controllers were shipped with the early systems, providing unique precision control and also allowing for four-player simultaneous play. The paddles do however have a tendency to get "shaky" over time, but this problem can be remedied with cleaning and oil.
As a pioneer in removable games, Atari designed their cartridges perfectly. Compact, handsome, and nearly indestructible, the games easily stack and have an easy-to-read label on their outer edge. Since the cartridges were large enough to display artwork on the front, Atari plastered its games with artistic mosaics that tended to belie the actual content of the game. Activision took the opposite approach with its labels, displaying the actual pixelated graphics from the game. Third-party companies experimented with a number of cartridge designs, and you can often identify the manufacturer of most Atari 2600 games by simply looking at the cartridge color and shape. Atari 2600 cartridges were sold in cheap but attractive boxes. Most games, especially those from Atari, feature elaborate artwork across the front. The back usually displays a screenshot with a brief description of the game. Most boxes made by Atari and Activision were printed in an array of attractive colors. There wasn't any apparent rhyme or reason behind the colors used, the boxes definitely look nice lining a shelf.
The amount of fun, inexpensive titles in the 2600 library easily compensates for the substantial number of "duds". Atari's initial set of games (pre-1980) tended to be very rudimentary, but as the newer, arcade-style games demanded richer visuals and sound effects, the quality of 2600 games improved. In 1980 a group of ex-Atari employees formed Activision, the first third-party software company. Activision carved out a sizeable chunk out of Atari's market by producing some of the best titles for the system, including Pitfall, River Raid, and Kaboom. Inspired by Activision's success, other companies, both established and new, jumped into the fray with their own lines of games. The resulting glut, combined with a general lowering of quality, ultimately led to a dramatic video game "crash" in 1983, from which few video game companies survived. Early Atari 2600 titles were primitive and blocky, but the system's flexible architecture provided programmers with the freedom to develop special techniques to squeeze more and more out of the system. Thanks to Activision and other innovative third-party developers pushing the envelope, Atari 2600 games gradually became more sophisticated, with high-resolution graphics, flicker-free sprites and impressive special effects. And ike the graphics, developers gradually learned how to harness the system's sound capabilities, eventually producing games with realistic sound effects and even harmonized music.
Due to its massive popularity and remarkable lifespan, the Atari 2600 is an ideal system for collectors. Literally hundreds of titles were produced for the system, including an extensive list of legitimate classics including Adventure, Space Invaders, Missile Command, Battlezone, Asteroids, and Frogger. Fortunately, the best titles are cheap and easy to find, and all instruction manuals are available online. The cartridges work like new after a proper cleaning, although the condition of the label may vary. Most games are easy to play and provide timeless fun.
In the late 90s, Nintendo struck gold. Fuzzy, yellow, electricity-producing gold, to be precise.
In the shape of that accursed Pikachu and his other revolting little friends, Nintendo received the lifesaver it was looking for. Struggling with its ridiculously outclassed N64 games and shoddy Game Boy titles, many thought that Nintendo was done for. However, when the Pokemon craze hit the U.S. of A., the game versions caught on like wildfire and the company enjoyed having its two Gameboy titles Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue at the top of the charts. Then, after taking advantage of the impressionable youth and hoping to squeeze every ounce of moo-juice out of this humongous cash cow, the company came out with multiple sequels, the first of which was Pokemon Yellow.
This game is a masterpiece of an RPG. It's pretty much either Pokemon Red or Blue, only you have little Pikachu following you everywhere, like in the TV show. But that doesn't make it unexciting. All controls and battle systems are similar. Same goes with sound and graphics.
You should be familiar with the premise by now, so we'll skip the banter and cut to the chase: What's new? Not a lot, though the differences are clearly noticeable. In many ways this feels like a slightly updated version of the original, with a few surprises here and there to keep long-time fans interested. Pikachu is given to you at the very start of the game. Oak even goes to the trouble of capturing it for you, and your rival, Gary, starts his Pokemon-collecting spree with Eevee instead of Squirtle, Bulbasaur, or Charmander. Dungeon layouts have been slightly altered, and different Pokemon are now found in new places than you would expect. For the visually conscious, new character portraits for each and every creature are a welcome sight. Full Game Boy Color support is noticeably lacking - I had to wait for Gold and Silver, which had it - but on a Super Game Boy this looks fantastic. Good to see that niche version of the world's most popular handheld still being supported so well.
The modifications are mostly made to resemble the animated series as closely as possible. Encounters with Team Rocket now pit you against those lovable rogues Jesse and James, and Pikachu follows you around on the screen instead of staying inside his Pokeball. As this is the Special Pikachu Edition, everyone's favorite electric mouse stars heavily. When you're not out catching 'em all, you can check on Pikachu's condition - a close-up view of him is always available, and his facial expressions indicate whether or not you need to spend some more quality time with him. Pikachu is at his happiest when he's sent into battle and kept well taken care of with potions.
Oh, and before I forget, he even stars in a surfing minigame for no apparent reason, just if you're border. But to unlock this minigame, you have to trade Pikachu, via the control pack of the N64 in the Pokemon Stadium game, where Pikachu can learn the move Surf, because if he doesn't know Surf, you can't play the minigame, and there is no other way (except hacking) for Pikachu to learn it!
Overall, Yellow is just a stopgap that helped us wait for the real sequels - Gold/Silver. Thankfully, the new challenges were enough to fill the hole - but only just. Good thing for Nintendo that Pikachu is so darn cute....
Let’s see a show of hands, how many of you think of kids when you hear someone mention a Game Boy?
It’s true that these handheld game machines from Nintendo are primarily marketed towards children. But guess what? Adults can love them too! I know I do. Having owned the original Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket and Game Boy Color, I was extremely interested when I first read the news about the Game Boy Advance SP. It finally included the features I’d been waiting years for.
Ok, now here are the hardware specifications:
CPU: 32-Bit RISC with embedded memory
Memory: 32 Kbyte + 96 Kbyte VRAM (in CPU), 256 Kbyte WRAM (external of CPU)
Screen: 2.9in diagonal, reflective TFT color front lit LCD, 240 x 160 pixels
capable of displaying 32,768 simultaneous colors in bitmap mode
Size: (closed) 3.3 x 3.23 x 0.96 in.
Weight: 142 grams
Power: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery, 10 hours continuous play with light on, 18 hours with light off, 3 hours recharging time.
Are you wondering what the "SP" in the name stands for? It stands for special. Though the performance is exactly the same as that of the original Game Boy Advance, the new Game Boy Advance SP has a compact folding design, rechargeable batteries and finally a back light for the display! Other than these three changes, this new unit has the same functionality as the regular Advance unit. Both can play the entire library of Game Boy games.
Physically, the SP reminds me of an original Game Boy that has been folded in half. It has a boxy shape with rolled edges. Available in Platinum or Cobalt case colors. I chose Platinum. When closed the unit is very small. Small enough to easily fit in a pocket or bag. The case is very solid. The game cartridge slot is at the bottom front of the unit. Game Boy Advance carts fit flush with the front of the casing. Older original carts stick out about 3.2 cm. Although this looks awkward, the carts don’t get in the way of your hands as you hold and play with the unit.
On the back of the unit is the AC adapter and External Extension connectors. The AC adapter connector also doubles as the headphone jack. Yeah, it doesn’t look like any stereo jack that I’ve ever seen either! Unfortunately, to use the Game Boy Advance SP with headphones, you’re going to have to purchase an adapter
separately. This adapter will give you a 3.5mm jack that any standard set of earphones can plug into. There is a caveat, you won’t be able to charge the batteries and listen through headphones at the same time. The External Extension connector allows you to use a link cable to link Game Boy units for multiplayer games, or interact with a GameCube. On the "shoulders" of the SP are 2 spring loaded Left and Right buttons. These buttons do different things depending on the game cartridge loaded in the slot. One cool feature that I discovered when using the SP with old original Game Boy games is that pressing these buttons changes the display from regular to wide screen format. It stretches the image to fill the screen. Older games were only 160 x 144 pixels. Look at the pics!
Normal Mode
Wide Screen Mode
Opening the cover reveals the screen, buttons and speaker grill. Although the screen isn’t held closed with a latch, it will not fall open on its own, even if you shake the unit when it is upside down. When opened, the screen folds backapproximately 140 degrees which is a great viewing angle for playing games. Sound-wise, the front speaker is loud enough in most situations. For noisy environments though, you’re going to want earphones… The button layout is pretty much classic Game Boy. The 4 way navigation pad is on the left and the A / B buttons are directly across from it. Above these buttons is the screen light toggle and below them are the Select and Start buttons. Playing games on the SP is great. The unit is comfortable to hold, and the buttons have very good tactile feedback, and are easy to press. The frontlit display is the best new feature of the SP as far as I’m concerned. Now you can enjoy playing games in any lighting condition. You don’t need an overhead light to allow you to see the screen like you had to have with the Game Boy Color and original Advance units. The new front light makes the screen as bright as playing with an unlit screen in a bright room… if that makes any sense. The only thing I wish is that the light was just a little brighter and that there was a way to adjust the brightness / contrast. The only display adjustment that you have available to you now, is On or Off. The display on the SP isn’t as bright as a, for example, a PDA on its brightest setting. It’s about as half as bright. Playing outside in the direct sunlight is great too! In bright sunlight, you can use the light toggle button to turn off the light to save your batteries.
I love this little game machine. I can put it in my bag, and have it with me anytime I’m in the mood to role some RGG with Pokemon, or battle some bosses with Dragon Ball Z. Not having to buy batteries for it, is a real plus as well! Should you buy the Game Boy Advance SP? If you already have the Advance and don’t mind not having a lighted screen, then I would say no to upgrading. But, if you don’t have a Game Boy unit at all, and are looking to buy one, then definitely get this one! It’s compact, fun and not just for kids!
The Games: Some people say that the PS1 owners missed out on N64 games. Others say N64 owners missed out on PS1 games. I bought both. With an N64, you miss out on Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy VII, Xenogears, and Spyro to name a few. With a PS1, you miss out on Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Goldeneye, Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart 64, and many more. What's more, there were different companies working for each side. Squaresoft, Capcom, and Enix were working on the PS1, while Rare, Nintendo, and Hal were making games for the N64. There were so many classics for each side, you can't really draw a line.
The Genres: The N64 often seemed limited in this area. It had a good deal of 3D Platformer/Adventure games, racing games, sports games, but maybe two fighters and RPGs (Zelda was an action RPG, not turn-based). Some games the N64 had that the PS1 didn't were First Person Shooters and some simulation games (e.g. Pilotwings 64). However, the PS1 had all of the RPGs and fighting games. Final Fantasy, Xenogears, Legend of Dragoon, Tekken, and Marvel vs. Capcom were a few. They shared racing games, 3D platformer/adventure games, and sports games.
Miscellaneous: The PS1 used CDs while the N64 used cartridges. Here are some advantages to each:
The PS1 controllers didn't have the analog stick like the N64 until later. When they did, the controllers were a little better. Two analog sticks, one D-Pad, with vibration built in. The moving parts were in the controller handles, which felt more natural than the heavy rumble pak of the N64. However, the N64 had the Z button, which was like a trigger. It also had the C-Pad, which usually controlled the camera (the L and R buttons on the PS1 did that). I'm not sure why they put a D-Pad on the N64 controller. The only game that uses it exclusively instead of the analog stick is Kirby 64.
