A tribute to other protable consoles!

Game Boy is a great handheld system, and is currently the dominating one on the market. But there are other fabulous handheld systems available, that just couldn't or currently can't compete with Game Boy's publicity and popularity. It might come to a surprise, but those systems that couldn't cut it where in some cases more advanced than Game Boy for its time on the market. If a developer of a game could make a game better on one system, but sell more copies on a less glamorous one, which system would he choose. It's quite obvious in this case. You have probably encountered most of the systems listed below but you just might be surprised at what has been released.

Neo Geo Pocket, Neo Geo Pocket Color: The Neo Geo Pocket series has made an appearance in North America, but it was taken off the market last year because it's competition dominated the market, Game Boy Color. SNK's (company) system has been a great hit in Japan and still is, but they have just released their last game, entitled Super Real Mahjong. The graphics engine and frame rendering on the Neo Geo Pocket Color is obviously superior to that of the Game Boy Color. It has a two-action-button interface, with a joystick (analogue stick) instead of a D-pad (direction-pad). Bluntly, the 30 so titles released in North America were all major hits, this system was not a disappointment at all. The Neo Geo Pocket b/w was released October 27, 1998 and lasted until March 19, 1999, with only 8 or 9 games. Shortly afterwards, they released Neo Geo Pocket Color. The system simply skyrocketed with the quality of their fighting games, bearing titles like Samurai Showdown 2 and Snk vs. Capcom: Match of the Millenium. You may be able to find a copy of NGPC in the states, but importing it from Japan or buying it at Ebay is a sure way of getting your hands on one of these nifty things! Price$50-70 US

Wonderswan, Wonderswan Color: I have no personal experience with this system, but it looks like a cool little device. I might be importing it this summer, so I'll have details then. Wonderswan and Wonderswan Color are only available in Japan. Wonderswan Color was released a year ago, as a huge hit within the country, with full color and smooth games like Final Fantasy 1 and 2. A cool thing about this system is it's two way playing methods. You can either hold the system horizontally, like a game gear, or vertically like a Game Boy. I know that when you play Beatmania on Wonderswan b/w, you hold it vertically, otherwise I'm not sure which other games use that style. The black and white system is pretty cheap, but expect the Wonderswan Color to cost as much as a Game Boy Color. Bandai had rights to make Gundam and Digimon main game series' for the system, so if you're an animé fan, this system is for you. All games are in full Japanese, and don't expect the system to make an appearance in North America, so consider importing it if you feel you must.

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