Handheld Gaming & Me

With the Nintendo 3DS being released March 25th, and Sony's NGP (just call it psp2, everyone else will) recently announced, I started thinking about handheld gaming.

Currently the only portable gaming devices I own are my iPhone 3GS, and an original Gameboy Advance.

My iPhone is always on me, and the nature of my job means I may have 5-10 mins to wait before a film goes in, or comes out, so a quick game of Angry Birds is an acceptable way to pass the time.

My Gameboy Advance has been laying in a chest for the last 4-5 years, and may come out occasionally for nostalgia reasons, I still own original Gameboy version's of Tetris, Pokemon Red + Blue, and Super Mario Land plus a selection of knock off "nintondo" games i bought from eBay.


I'm unconvinced that I "need" to buy a 3DS or the NGP/PSP2. No matter how much the manager at GAME tries to get a pre-order out of me, it just isn't happening.

What would I need it for?, my iPhone handles my entertainment needs for any journey I need to make, short walk into town? Plug in the headphones and listen to music. Train journey? Angry birds, or one if the thousands of free games on the App store.

The other thing that puts me off the 3DS, the fact that it has motion and gyro sensors, so it can detect if it's being tilted from side to side or moved up and down. This doesn't sit well with me. I'll be the first to admit I'm a little bit clumsy, I managed to fall down the same section of stairs at work the other week.. 3 times.. Within the space of an hour.

And I do tend to get a little caught up in the moment when playing.

Back in the "good old days" of the snes my mum frequently found me leaning at bizarre angles while playing racing games.. Willing those cars to stay on the tracks and overtake the AI racers.. Infact I still do it today.. Which is why I prefer to play forza 3 on my own.

The thought of tilting, and moving a portable gaming device fills me with total fear, the total fear of either tilting too enthusiastically and throwing it on the floor, or launching it at some old dears head.

So I'll wait and see. But for the moment I'll stick to my iPhone.