The Handheld Wars: Which to Choose?

Posted on Saturday, February 05, 2011 by Alex R. Cronk-Young

It used to be I never played handheld games. Nowadays it's much easier for me to play a handheld game than it is a console game, given my work schedule, the child, and everything else I've elected to do with my free time. It's so much easier to be able to play a game on the couch, on the can, or while walking out to the kitchen to make sure Emmy isn't making a mess than it is to confine myself upstairs for an hour or more.

Only, my PSP-1000 is broken, and my old, ugly, fat DS leaves much to be desired, and is also falling apart. So this year I want to spend my Speedway Rewards points, or maybe a small part of our tax return, on a new, shiny handheld to do my gaming on. Problem is, I can't decide. Here are the pros and cons of all the possibilities I've thought about. Feel free to help me decided by adding your own perceived pros or cons in the comments. If I agree, I'll add them. HELP!

Nintendo 3DS


Pros
Concrete price that I can manage.
Should have enough Speedway points by the time it's released.
New. Shiny.

Cons
The 3D might annoy me until I turn it off, making it pointless.
No games in launch window that I need to have.
I didn't actually buy and play a lot of DS games with my DS Fat.
$40 - $50 games is something I'd always avoid. I'd wait for them to be $20 and then forget.

Sony NGP


Pros
Newer. Shinier.
I loved my PSP because of the downloadables. $6 PS1 RPGs were great.

Cons
My 30-40 UMD games will be useless.
If it's more than $250, I'd feel like shit for paying it.

Used PSP-3000


Pros
I already have a ton of UMD games, many that I haven't played.
Cheap.
Tons of cheap UMD games I never bought.
Can still play new games put up on PSN.

Cons
Not new. Probably not shiny.

iPod Touch


Pros
Possibly cheap if I buy used old model.
Bunch of super cheap games.

Cons
I'm completely sick of having to get my current iPod fixed.
Unlike some people, I like having a full-blown game experience on a handheld.

2 Response to "The Handheld Wars: Which to Choose?"

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Matt Giguere Says....

PSP - like you said, tons of unplayed games to go through.

One thing about the iPod touch: The battery life will become atrocious. I barely use mine for games now.

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