The Best Handheld of All Time! (Specific Models/Colors Included)

I tried finding a thread here at sega-16, but the closest thing was the following one:
http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthr...?t=7118&page=3

It may be yet another biased poll, but even if I included myself all the handhelds that ever existed (and those yet to come), I'd still pick what the majority in that thread went for (commentors included ;)):

The Game Boy Advance:
Favorite model: GBA SP Lite
Favorite Color: Black (Onyx)
http://ka3na.files.wordpress.com/200...advance_sp.jpg

This was not just a slick-looking machine, it got everything right. I still own my black (onyx) version from 2004, and it still looks brand new. The screen doesn't even have a scratch on it. What a beauty (I personally chose the black color, because it is the actual color of the plastic; which meant subsequent scratches would not cause it to flake-off. Such was the case with painted consoles/handhelds).

Why the best (imo)? Because it brought together a library of three gaming generations (as well as three generations of gamers ;)). Adding to that, it gave us the best handheld-to-tv accessory ever created (the Game Boy Player).

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/..._gbp_setup.jpg

P.S.> If the Nintendo 3DS includes GBA backwards compatibility, then I may just change my views on this one. Until then, the Black (onyx) GBA SP Lite is, by far, the best handheld ever made. :D

What's your take?

i would say sega nomad ,even thought i don't have one

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Originally Posted by streetsofrage

i would say sega nomad ,even thought i don't have one

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Easily the Nomad.No other system lets you play Batman and Robin or Contra Hard Corps on the go.From a library standpoint it's the Nomad, but with other things factored, it's not such a clear cut winner.

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Originally Posted by streetsofrage

i would say sega nomad ,even thought i don't have one

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Originally Posted by kokujin

Easily the Nomad.No other system lets you play Batman and Robin or Contra Hard Corps on the go.From a library standpoint it's the Nomad, but with other things factored, it's not such a clear cut winner.

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Sadly, I'd agree with the Nomad if it weren't for it's lack of battery life. The screen isn't exactly top-notch either. What we need is a Sega Nomad with the Screen and battery-power of a Retrogen Portable.;)

P.S.> You can't exactly play the Nomad "on the go." Not for longer than 30 mins., that is. ;)

well you could always mod the screen

That would make it a "modded" handheld. ;)

Still, I must put emphasis on "battery life."

then the next best thing would be a modded psp , but emulation is kinda caca

It'd still be a modded system...

....I give up...:?

GBA, but that's an obvious choice. The GBA player was/is awesome.

i have a nomad and i would not pick it the battery pack (and it does have decent life with modern nihm batts)looks tacked on the games are huge (we all know they aren't neo geo huge but not handheld intended)

i would probably pick the turboexpress the cart cards were great nice and compact (unlike the lynx ones with the curv hook that makes stacking them impossible which i also have) it also allowed you to watch tv unlike the game gear(yea i know about the tv gear but it wouldnt work on mine so for some reason sega disabled tv) it had a great screen and some great games

i like its form factor having the controls under the screen not to the side like gg,nomad,lynx

i might say the gameboy adv micro would be my first pick if it took origional games but it dont so withouth being able to play metroid 3 i cant pick it with a clear concious


never had a neogeo pocket i heard good things but i'm not familiar with the game selections

i must be crazy cause i have all the ones i hate and none of the ones i like

i bought a gameboy color when they came out (unfortunatly at the time they had 2 colors clear purp and solid purp) i picked the solid purp

GameBoy Advance SP any color.

Backwards compatibility not considered, my vote goes to the DS, followed closely by the original GameBoy

I'm agreeing with the original post, GBA SP. Despite having had two DS's, I still keep it around as it's much more comfortable to play than the DS, and the GBA library is one of the best ever, portable or not.

Nokia N-Gage

It was a phone (amazing sound quality, better than any phone I've had since), it was a game system, it had great emulators (amazing Genesis emulator actually), it could play videos and music. Yeah the screen was small but whatever!! And even before I had phone service, it would pickup internet access for free...

http://www.letsgomobile.org/images/n...okia_ngage.jpg

A GBA? Really?
The NDS Lite, easily. It plays all of the GBA titles, making any GBA redundant. Also, the screen is bigger and brighter, which makes playing GBA games on it much easier on the eyes. Battery life is slightly less than that of a GBA SP, but not by much.
The PSP doesn't even begin to compare. It has about, what? Five good games?
As for colour, uhhm... I suppose any colour will do. There's tons of colours and rare models available.

I would have to say the GBA (SP even though I hate it's design) for sheer volume of games and popularity. Followed in a close second by the Nomad, then the DS.

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Originally Posted by bohokii

it also allowed you to watch tv unlike the game gear(yea i know about the tv gear but it wouldnt work on mine so for some reason sega disabled tv)

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How recently did you try to use it, you realize it's an Analog-only tuner, right?

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Originally Posted by Dant

I would have to say the GBA (SP even though I hate it's design) for sheer volume of games and popularity. Followed in a close second by the Nomad, then the DS.

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That order doesn't make sense. How can you possibly rate a GBA higher than a DS, when the DS plays the same games plus it's own library and on top of that has a better screen? :confused:

The Lite doesn't have a better screen than the newer revisions of the SP, it's pretty close to the same. Also, the screen size for GBA games is a tad larger on the SP, and the button layout is much more comfortable. Some games are outright torture to play on a DS due to the smaller buttons, awkward placement (why can't I map B/A to X/B?) and GBA games' frequent use of L and R buttons.

That being said, I wouldn't touch an original GBA or the old version of the SP with a 10 foot pole.

This, No argument, logical or not, will change my mind.
http://www.feross.org/wp-content/upl...es-classic.jpg

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Originally Posted by Iron Lizard

http://www.feross.org/wp-content/upl...es-classic.jpg

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I want that so bad. Too bad it's not part of the "new" SP revision. :(

Ladies and gentleman, the best handheld gaming system ever. The Mega Duck!

http://ultimateconsoledatabase.com/images/megaduck.jpg

Game Gear was special for me, but i give the crown to Game Boy Advance SP [red one lol].

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Originally Posted by MrMatthews

I want that so bad. Too bad it's not part of the "new" SP revision. :(

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I seriously thought about swapping the guts of one of into my Classic after playing an SP. The colors do look much nicer.

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Originally Posted by Iron Lizard

I seriously thought about swapping the guts of one of into my Classic after playing an SP. The colors do look much nicer.

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... I never thought of that.

Looking at my own SP, it definitely looks possible. Do it, man.

Well it was when I had three Picachu SPs. I though about it butthe $80 a pop I was getting for them was more appealing.

I'll have to go with the Gameboy Color. Sure, it didn't have a backlit screen, but man, what a library, and what a battery life!

PSP 1000

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi.../9/94/Psp1.png

Hands down, best handheld of all time. Plays games, music, and video; has built-in WiFi and can browse the net. Can link to the PSP3 - watch movies/listen to music from the PS3 on the PSP anywhere within WiFi range. Has an IR port that can serve as a remote for many devices, transfer data from PDAs/phones, or use IR keyboards. Can use UMD discs or Pro DUO Memory Sticks. Is easily updated to custom firmware which makes it too useful to sum up easily. The construction is the most solid of any handheld ever, and is classic and elegant with multiple colors.

Without question, the DS lite, with the GBA SP following closely behind it.

With the DS lite, for one thing, there is no requirement to have a GBA if all you are interested in is GBA games; it plays them, but it won't play original Game Boy, which is a bummer.

It is small, sleek, very light, has a fantastic battery life, incredibly vibrant screens, and from what I have seen, is completely scratch resistant; there is honestly not even a scuff on mine.

The DS ranks not only as my favorite handheld, but as one of the best systems of all time, and definitely up there with the likes of the Sega Genesis for me. I play the DS a LOT, for a lot of different reasons.

If you get an R4, or DSTT, it becomes even better. Apart from standard emulation, there are some awesome homebrew games, my favorite being Powder, the Roguelike dungeon hack game. Good times.

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Originally Posted by GohanX

The Lite doesn't have a better screen than the newer revisions of the SP, it's pretty close to the same. Also, the screen size for GBA games is a tad larger on the SP, and the button layout is much more comfortable. Some games are outright torture to play on a DS due to the smaller buttons, awkward placement (why can't I map B/A to X/B?) and GBA games' frequent use of L and R buttons.

That being said, I wouldn't touch an original GBA or the old version of the SP with a 10 foot pole.

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Hell no. I have 3 different GBAs (including the retro nes version pictured above :cool:) and none of them come close to playing GBA games on the NDS. It's so much sharper and brighter. Have you tried?
The screen size is definitely not larger, but smaller. It looks larger because of the black borders. When you boot a GBA game in an NDS, it runs the game in a window in order to keep the game in its native resolution instead of stretching it. That's another way you can tell.
And why would you want to map the buttons to X/B? That doesn't make sense. It's either B/A or Y/X, both button combinations' positions are similiar compared to the GBA layout. Not sure what you mean by frequent use of L and R buttons, since the NDS has those too, in the same place.

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Originally Posted by Phosis

Without question, the DS lite, with the GBA SP following closely behind it.

With the DS lite, for one thing, there is no requirement to have a GBA if all you are interested in is GBA games; it plays them, but it won't play original Game Boy, which is a bummer.

It is small, sleek, very light, has a fantastic battery life, incredibly vibrant screens, and from what I have seen, is completely scratch resistant; there is honestly not even a scuff on mine.

The DS ranks not only as my favorite handheld, but as one of the best systems of all time, and definitely up there with the likes of the Sega Genesis for me. I play the DS a LOT, for a lot of different reasons.

If you get an R4, or DSTT, it becomes even better. Apart from standard emulation, there are some awesome homebrew games, my favorite being Powder, the Roguelike dungeon hack game. Good times.

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Word:!:

1. DS Lite! I don't understand the argument, It has a library of its own, plus can play any GBA game that doesn't need the accelerometer. I have both slot-1 flashcart and a add-on flashcart for the GBA. With those it can also play GB/C, Neo Geo along with others. For GBA Support alone I couldn't recommend a GBA to someone, even if it was a AGS-101 (backlit SP+ which is awesome but too late to the party)

2. PSP (modded). Since it lacks many great games of its own, emulation has taken its place. Portable emulation for SNES and PSX library to pick from made it worth the purchase to me!

3. Nomad. Who doesn't want a portable genesis! This reminds me I need to look at mine since I think it has issues the last time I tried it.


I wish the DS would get longer support before/after the 3DS hits. Just looks like they are giving up on it though :(

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Originally Posted by Chilly Willy

PSP 1000

Hands down, best handheld of all time. Plays games, music, and video; has built-in WiFi and can browse the net. Can link to the PSP3 - watch movies/listen to music from the PS3 on the PSP anywhere within WiFi range. Has an IR port that can serve as a remote for many devices, transfer data from PDAs/phones, or use IR keyboards. Can use UMD discs or Pro DUO Memory Sticks. Is easily updated to custom firmware which makes it too useful to sum up easily. The construction is the most solid of any handheld ever, and is classic and elegant with multiple colors.

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Hahaha. Right.
The only thing that is awesome about a PSP is its ability to emulate lots of retro consoles pretty well (better than a DS can).
It's also the only thing you'll end up doing with that pos since the amount of PSP games that are decent can be counted on one hand.
I can do all of the other stuff on my phone, so having a PSP with me as well is kind of pointless if it doesn't have some sweet (exclusive) games.

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Originally Posted by Olls

Hahaha. Right.
The only thing that is awesome about a PSP is its ability to emulate lots of retro consoles pretty well (better than a DS can).
It's also the only thing you'll end up doing with that pos since the amount of PSP games that are decent can be counted on one hand.
I can do all of the other stuff on my phone, so having a PSP with me as well is kind of pointless if it doesn't have some sweet (exclusive) games.

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Can people post their opinions, that don't necessarily meet your requirements/approval, without you chasing them all down? I'm sure you let some of them go.

That said, I believe the point of the thread was the relevance of a hand held's library, not whether one hand held is backwards compatible with its previous generation's library. You know, its own software merits. The DS being backwards compatible is irrelevant. GBA softs don't 'belong' to the DS. They belong to the GBA line of hand helds. Judge accordingly.

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Originally Posted by QuickSciFi

Sadly, I'd agree with the Nomad if it weren't for it's lack of battery life. The screen isn't exactly top-notch either. What we need is a Sega Nomad with the Screen and battery-power of a Retrogen Portable.;)

P.S.> You can't exactly play the Nomad "on the go." Not for longer than 30 mins., that is. ;)

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There are a number of rather affordable ($20 range) replacements available (namely those intended as inexpensive rear view camera monitors), but those are all composite video only (others available tend to use digital RGB only which is no use either).

However, you may still end up with better looking video (contrast, screen clarity, viewing angle, lack of motion blur) in spite of the degradation of composite video. On top of that, it should be a good bit less power hungry than the Nomad's old screen. (one guy on Atariage managed ~6 hours with 5 alkaline AAs on a hacked together console using a Genesis 3 motherboard, and that's using the inefficient 7805 voltage regulator, so a nomad would likely do better)
The Nomad natively outputs composite already, so that's a non-issue as well.

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Originally Posted by GohanX

The Lite doesn't have a better screen than the newer revisions of the SP, it's pretty close to the same. Also, the screen size for GBA games is a tad larger on the SP, and the button layout is much more comfortable. Some games are outright torture to play on a DS due to the smaller buttons, awkward placement (why can't I map B/A to X/B?) and GBA games' frequent use of L and R buttons.

That being said, I wouldn't touch an original GBA or the old version of the SP with a 10 foot pole.

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You forgot the fact that it works with GB and GBC games as well, the only handheld with a full backlit screen that can play GB and GBC games natively (not emulated) is the GBA SP Plus.

Too bad they never released a backlit version of the orignal GBA, much nicer form factor and the standard AAs were nice too. (quick swap batteries on long trips, or at home with rechargeables, or the option to use high endurance lithiums in certain cases where you want super long play time -again, good on long trips)

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Originally Posted by Olls

Hell no. I have 3 different GBAs (including the retro nes version pictured above :cool:) and none of them come close to playing GBA games on the NDS. It's so much sharper and brighter. Have you tried?
The screen size is definitely not larger, but smaller. It looks larger because of the black borders. When you boot a GBA game in an NDS, it runs the game in a window in order to keep the game in its native resolution instead of stretching it. That's another way you can tell.

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Are any of those the true backlit GBA SP Plus model? (not front/side lit, but using a similar quality screen as the Micro or DS)

As for screen size, yes SP is bigger AND runs in the native resolution: it has bigger pixels (you can chose to stretch GB/GBC games if you want though). I'm glad Nintendo allowed the native res on the DS though, stretching would have sucked. (still stuck with a boarder and a smaller screen window though -except perhaps on the DS XL)

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And why would you want to map the buttons to X/B? That doesn't make sense. It's either B/A or Y/X, both button combinations' positions are similiar compared to the GBA layout. Not sure what you mean by frequent use of L and R buttons, since the NDS has those too, in the same place.

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DS's L/R buttons are poorer as are the face buttons, more so for the lite and even more so when compared tot he original GBA. (Dppad isn't as good either, though slightly larger) The D-pad on the SP is rather similar to the DS iirc, and the original GBA's is slightly smaller but a good bit better (grippier, taller, and cups your finger better), face buttons are laid out differently on the DS (more cramped, different angle, smaller, and with worse tactile response, original GBA was still best IMO)

GBA micro is pretty much the worst with only GBA support, period, though it has a nice screen. (I'd much rather they'd supported the SP Plus a lot longer, or especially re-introduced the original form factor) At least that's one thing the DS and PSP both got right: landscape>>>>>portrate form factor, works for gamepads and likewise handhelds. (I prefer the original GB's girth to the pocket and color for that reason -long battery life and loud speaker are ncie too, though screen is poorer)

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Originally Posted by tomaitheous

I believe the point of the thread was the relevance of a hand held's library, not whether one hand held is backwards compatible with its previous generation's library. You know, its own software merits. The DS being backwards compatible is irrelevant. GBA softs don't 'belong' to the DS. They belong to the GBA line of hand helds. Judge accordingly.

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Well, I think even QuickScifi focused more on the hardware than the software, so I'm sure no one else will agree with you.

...Except me. I always roll my eyes when people list backwards compatibility as a reason why such-and-such system is awesome. It may be nice and convenient, but there should be a clear line of separation drawn between each system if you're going to compare one to another.

Oh, and how awesome a system is after it's been modded is completely irrelevant. Even QuickScifi made that perfectly clear. Some people here are just idiots, though.

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Originally Posted by tomaitheous

Can people post their opinions, that don't necessarily meet your requirements/approval, without you chasing them all down? I'm sure you let some of them go.

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Yep.

The Nomad due to it's library followed by the DS lite. The GBA SP is just to uncomfortable to use for any length of time, way too small. Until the DS came out all the Gameboys were uncomfortable to me.

30 minute battery life? Don't know what you're doing with your Nomad. For an old handheld, I can't complain. Why not rip on the graphics compared to the GBA too!

I actually bought a fat DS first, then the newer model of SP, and since that screen was 1000x better than the DS's, it prompted me to buy the Lite. The Lite may still have a slight edge in quality, but it's not a huge difference.

On the controls I actually meant Y/B not X/B. Thats they way most SNES games were setup.

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Originally Posted by tomaitheous

That said, I believe the point of the thread was the relevance of a hand held's library (...)

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Wrong.
And why would you ignore backwards compatibility? It was never the main point in any discussion, since said system has its own library of games as well. It's just a huge plus.

The Nomad with Hailrazer's mods.

If not, then DS.

If you're going to count backwards compatibility, then you have to count the entire PSX line of games for the PSP. The PSP has less trouble playing PSX games than the NDS has playing GBA games.

As for solid construction, the PSP 1000 is SOLID, and quite capable of killing a person when used as a blunt object. There have been stories of people who escaped muggers by using their PSP 1000 to knock their attackers senseless. :)

The 2000 and 3000 were a step back because they were trying to make them lighter. While I wouldn't hesitate to bludgeon a man with my 1000, I wouldn't with my 2000. I think Olls was thinking of the 2000 when he hilited my statement about construction for laughing. That was why I specifically stated the 1000 in my post, not the 2000. There is a BIG difference in the two models, construction being one of those changes.