From: Gregg Woodcock <woodcock@bnr.ca>
Subject: Re: My New Game Boy - Should I Return It?
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 15:33:41 GMT
Reply-To: Gregg Woodcock <woodcock@bnr.ca>
Organization: Bell-Northern Research; Richardson, Texas, USA

In article <1isih2INNh37@life.ai.mit.edu>, siang@hal.gnu.ai.mit.edu (Sian Gramates) writes:
|> [I'm posting this through a friend's account becuase my site's newspost is
|>  on the fritz.  Please forgive if this is a double post.]
|> 
|>     A week ago a purchased a Game Boy (please, no boos and hisses!).  After
|> comparing it to the Lynx and the GameGear, I decided on it mostly because of
|> its small size, battery life, and game availablilty.  I want a portable
|> system that I can drop in a pocket and carry with me where ever I go.  Of the
|> 3 the Game Boy was the only one that would allow me to do that.  The other
|> two are just too big at 9" long.  A long battery life was also very important

Well, I wouldn't advise literally carrying any machine in your
pockets; it is very bad for the screen and will stretch out your
pockets and make you look funny!  Are you telling us that you
seriously walke around with a 6x4x2 inch lump in your breast or back
jeans pocket?!?!?!  If you are speaking figuratively, then all systems
come with some kind of carrying case or you can make one for yourself.
You have a huge selection of sizes and styles which offer varying
degrees of space and protection.  So hopefully this is a non-issue.

|> to me (I based my judgements on a third-party battery that said it gives the
|> GameBoy 14hrs. and the GameGear only 2hrs. of power due to color and back-

I wouldn't bother with system specific rechargable batteries; they are
a rip-off.  You can get a good charger and rechargable batteries at
Radio Shack or somewhere else for the same price and the AAs are good
in anything!  You will still get around 24 hours of continuous use
(well over 30 for alkalines) on a GameBoy.  This is definitely the
biggest advantage the GameBoy has.  I have found that only
occasionally do I need to go on batteries and almost never for more
than a couple of hours.  I have a universal car adaptor and wall
adaptor (also from Radio Shack) which will fit my GameBoy and my Lynx.
I use one of these 95% of the time and half of the other 5% when I use
batteries is only because I am too lazy to plug it into the wall or
else my wife is using the Lynx and we only have 1 wall plug!  So
unless you *really* need to go unplugged often (commutes, plane trips,
etc.) then this is not a big issue either.

|> lighting I assume).  I felt, at the time, that the B&W screen wouldn't be a
|> problem.  A week later I'm not feeling so sure about my purchase.

This is definitely the biggest disadvantage of the GameBoy; it is a
dinosaur.  It is a ColecoVision shrunk down in black and white.

|>     Now my question, I can return it during the next fifteen days if I want
|> to.  Should I?  Will there be support for the future, or is GameBoy a dead
|> duck?  All the mags show new games coming out for the Game Boy that look

Despite many peoples griping, All systems are selling well enough that
it is hard for the suppliers to keep up with demand so they will all be
around for a while.

|> really good, so there would seem to be support.  Or is this just the Nintendo
|> cartel at work?  I got the Star Wars cart along with the system and I really
|> like it.  Even at only a little blurry 3.2" wide B&W I can enjoy the game.
|> If I returned it for one of the other $100ish portables would I have more of

Currently, the GameBoy and Lynx sell for the same price (US$79.99)
while the Game Gear is almost double that!  I wouldn't lump Lynx and
Game Gear in the same price pile!  For the same price you paid for
your GameBoy and 1 game you could probably get a Lynx and 3 games (if
you got some oldie-but-goodies like Robotron and Klax and Chip's
Challenge).

|> a future?  I'm afraid of building up a library of carts for a system that is
|> already three years old and runs on a Z80!  Is this fear justified?

I'd say look at the software libraries and assume that the size will at
least quadruple but the genre distribution will stay the same and then
make your decision.  What types of games do you like?  Is color
important?  Can you live "plugged in" or must you be free?  If you ask
me, anybody that pays $150 for a system that is obsolete is not thinking
clearly.  And how anybody can choose the GameBoy over the Lynx when the
hardware is the same price and the games are cheaper is BEYOND ME!  It
all boils down to the software, though; what do you like?!

If you want my biased opinion, take it back and get a Lynx; I doubt
you'll regret it!
-- 
THANX...Gregg   woodcock@bnr.ca   day 214.684.7380   night 214.530.2495
*CLASSIC VIDEOGAME COLLECTOR BUY/SELL/TRADE PRE-NINTENDO (ARCADE/HOME)*
"If you quote me on this I'll have to deny it; I won't remember because
I have such a bad memory.  Not only that, but my memory is *terrible*."