Nintendo DS Lite

(Handheld game consoles)

"Ah, the Nintendo DS. What more could one say? I’m going to try and rate this as objectively as possible. Since the new DS lite is essentially the same as the old I’m considering them both in this review. First off, this is by no means an adult gaming device. Anyone who is upset because it does not have TV out HD capabilities is playing with the wrong toy. You have to look at this product as it were geared towards children and the younger crowd. (I consider myself apart of that being born in the late 80’s.) It would be like trying get a 6 year old to invest his rolls of coin into investments. It’s just not practical and he would not understand its purpose. Just as many adults who purchase the DS and feel that they have been ripped off. Well that’s just the thing. Like I said, one has to see this as a youth oriented device.

Anyways, now that we’ve cleared that up let talk about the DS itself.

Graphics
Game play
Price
Feature set.

Graphics: Not great and it definitely would not be able to compete with the PSP, but If I remember correctly Edge magazine’s top 100 games off all time features more games from the 2D era than anything else. Actually, out of the top ten 4 were 2 dimensional and the number 3 and 1 spot went to Mario 64 and Ocarina of time. Both these games were some of the first in the 3D world. So looking at it from that perspective, I’d say that graphics are outweighed by game play presentation and storyline. Plus new Super Mario bros is just plain goodness in a cartridge.

Gameplay: Lets talk about Mario 64… The original Mario 64 relied heavily on the N64's analog joystick, so Mario 64 DS gives you a few different control options that attempt to emulate the control in different ways. By default, the game is configured to let you play without using the system's touch screen. The D pad is used for movement, and the buttons are used for jumping, ducking, attacking, and running. While you can also use the touch screen for running, the other two control modes are somewhat better suited for use with the touch screen, letting you shuffle the buttons around a bit to give you more control over your character. I think the methods incorporated for movement in this game are superb and could not have been mapped much better. This seems to go for all games. Most games that require the use of the touchpad and stylist are focus more on tactical elements rather than speed, which results in a more enjoyable game experience if you’re not too quick with the stick. One issue I did encounter was after the touch screen got a bit scratched up it was not as sensitive. Plus those little stylists are so easy to loose.

Price: Can’t beat it. For 130 dollars you’re not going to find a cheaper way to entertain yourself on the go. The games are not too expensive either. Although, 40 bucks is pretty steep for anyone under 12.

Feature set: I’d say for something as simple as a “Gameboy” it has a lot to offer. It has Wifi which can be a lot of fun with friends. Try playing Mario kart with 7 other people on their DS’s and you’ll know what I mean.
Also the chat feature is neat if you have friends that have DS’s as well.
And a big bonus is the backwards compatibility with GBA games. There is a little cartridge spot to put old games in. Some of my favourite Mario games are still playable on the go cause of this.

Other than that there are not a lot of features. But I wouldn’t expect it to. Like I said before, If you’re looking for a portable media center this is not it. The DS is a fun handheld (strictly related to gaming) that can keep me entertained for hours on end."

Review date: 16 Apr, 2008

Sony PlayStation Portable

(Handheld game consoles)

"Okay, I’m going to rate this product the old fashion way. Let’s assume it is not hacked because rating a product on its hack-ability is as useless as rating my coffee machine on the bases that I could install custom firmware on it and make its do more than coffee. What I’m trying to say is that you can hack almost everything so for now were just going to look at its ground level potential.

Moving on …

The PSP in my opinion is probably the most versatile portable device available in today’s market. If you stack up the feature set alone it likely out ways every other product in and out of its category.

Number 1 feature: Obviously it’s primary use is for gaming.
Number 2: Video player
Number 3: Audio player
Number 4: photo viewer
Number 5: a multitude of online capabilities
Number 6: removable storage ect ect…
Number 7: with the PSP Slim you have Skype

Alright, having said those things you could potentially have the best portable device (in terms of entertainment ever). If you think about it, you would never need anther MP3, video, or photo viewer. This of course comes at a price for memory capacity. However, in theory you could purchase a 64 GB memory stick pro duo (which in actuality is not far from being released) and have your entire music photo and video collection on the go. Would that not be the best? Unfortunately even the 32GB memory sticks are 600 dollars. So it will be a little while before you go running out to get a 64GB. Although on the bright side, storage capacity is climbing exponentially in comparison to how much space music and video takes up. Even having music ripped at the highest losses quality you could still fit it all on one of the available audio player out there.

Gaming, I’m not going to even talk about that. Its pretty dam good and there is a lot of fun titles out there. And to be honest, until someone else comes out with another gaming device, this one is the only one besides the DS, which I will not try and make a comparison. They are like apples and oranges.

Online capabilities: Well assuming you have a decent wireless router and you have configured it correctly, I could not complain. My brother an I always play Socom online together and it’s pretty freaking sweet. One gripe I do have with the online part is related to the internet access. For some reason I find that my PSP caches way too much and has trouble loading some WebPages. Don’t know if anyone else has this issue.

Removable storage: Well that all depends on how big a memory stick you own. I have an 8 GB. It’s nice to have my info on to go.

As for Skype… Don’t have much to say here because I don’t use it. However, the PSP Scene seems to be pretty hyped about it for the most part.

So overall this little device is astounding. I don’t really see many downsides besides the rather expensive memory sticks. Also for a price like 160 dollars you can't go wrong."

Review date: 16 Apr, 2008

Sony PlayStation 3 40GB

(Game consoles)

"I recently purchased the 40GB model. It doesn't have the backwards compatibility (which was a shock), but you don't by a PS3 to play PS2 games in my opionin. So far i'm very impressed with is versitality. I installed windows XP onto it and its bascially my desktop computer right now, with the exception that its attached to a 52 inch DLP :). So now I own a ridiculously over powered PC and a sweet decent console. Hey what more could you ask for? All I know is that the 360 can't do that, and they are windows :P"

Review date: 16 Apr, 2008

Apple iPhone (16GB)

(Mobile phones)

"Every so often a new piece of technology comes along and we (and by we I mean the large portion of 13-25 year-old demographic) marvel at is beauty. In the 80’s there was the video game revolution. In the 90’s it was the cellular telephone; the real cell phone, not the gigantic magnum PI seen in the early portable phone days... And on October 23rd of 2001, there was what could be one of the most revolutionary pieces of portable electronics ever seen. Yes, I’m referring to the iPod. Even as I write this review, the iPod has become such a mega star in the handheld world that spell check knows what it is. Now my following comments may be sacrilege to some, but I assure you I’m not a total iPod hater; rather a frustrated consumer being led astray by Apple’s perpetual lack of attention to consumer criticism. This issue is not as prevalent with the older iPod models, as it’s expected that every product has to grow and mature. The problem seems to lie with the newer releases. Okay, so before all the iPod Fan boy’s out there burn me at the virtual steak, let me redeem myself by staying that, yes the iphone is wonderfully crafted piece of hardware. Don’t’ get me wrong it’s gorgeous, sleek and trim. Who wouldn’t want that? I suppose the average user would. I However, fall into I different category, along with many others (and websites, who shall remain unnamed). The iPhone just seems to have lost sight of its roots. It no longer appears to be about quality but more so about quantity. Take my brother for example. Does he care about quality? No, of course not he’s fourteen. I wouldn’t expect him too. Having an iPhone is no longer having a music player. It’s now a social status. Luckily I convinced him to buy a Samsung. I personally don’t need a device that plays music, watches video and photo, doubles as a phone, can cook meals for me and in the odd chance that the pilot’s weather systems is down, can confidently guide him through take. (You all heard that story). And speaking of a multitude of features, what happened to the focus on music? I think I’ve waited a better part of the decade for a dedicated equalizer. Seriously apple, would it be that difficult to slap on a 5 band parametric EQ? Probably not, but Steve Jobs is too busy flaunting he newest portable MacGyver to notice that this little after though has caused more question about the iPod prioritys than anything else. And speaking of Apple’s prioraty’s… Where did they conjur up this notion that the we need our iPods to be phones..? Read the following.

According to a new Jupiter research study, "a combination of disinterest and unnecessary hurdles" is currently stopping most mobile phone users from using mobile music downloads.
Out of the 1800 respondents, two thirds (a bit over 66 percent) said there was nothing the carriers could do to make them want to buy music on their phones while 28 percent said they were interested in ring tones. The remaining 14 percent were interested in purchasing full tracks.
Besides price issues, those polled were also frustrated by the inaccessibility of the music, with many finding it very hard to find or download using a phone. Many also complained about ridiculous DRM restrictions on the music as well as the quality.

Seems a little riduculos if you ask me. At a monsterous price of 500 plus the monthly rate, I can’t imagine what teenager is going to want that on their shoulders. Although, I’ll give the Apple one score in the “W” colume. Amoung all the other Portable music players out there, Apple is the only and I repeat ONLY manufacture to actually bases song to storage capacity accuratly. We all know you can’t fit 10 000 songs on an 8Gb card (*Ahem* new music phones ). Apple needs to foucus on the music a bit more in there newer releases. I don’t care if all the features stay, but lets try and recreate that magical music player we all fell in love with back in the day. And for the love of all that is good, PUT AN EQUALIZER IN."

Review date: 16 Apr, 2008