From: orb@alchemy.tn.cornell.edu (Randolph Turner)
Subject: Re: Next generation handhelds
Organization: Alchemy International
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 01:03:31 GMT

In article <1i9k9qINNf42@transfer.stratus.com> savoia@sw.stratus.com (Rick Savoia) writes:
>In article <1993Jan3.201715.450@tc.cornell.edu>, orb@alchemy.tn.cornell.edu (Randolph Turner) writes:
>> In article <1i78qhINNphg@transfer.stratus.com> savoia@sw.stratus.com (Rick Savoia) writes:
>> >In article <1993Jan1.075155.27799@tc.cornell.edu>, orb@alchemy.tn.cornell.edu (Randolph Turner) writes:
>> 
>> The Game Gear needs a light to be played as well...the one built into it,
>> not an extra $10 attachment.  The store displays for the Game Gear keep it
>> pinned into a box, making it almost impossible to see at a proper viewing
>> angle.  BTW, you must have one of those "extra special" Gameboys, because
>> the one my little sister has is as bad or worse when it comes to proper
>> viewing angles.  It is however amusing to see someone who uses a wishy-washy
>> black-and-mucas-yellow screen complaining about washed out *color*.
>
>I've played with a Game Gear that was attached but could be picked up
>and moved around.  I still couldn't see anything on it.  And the
>wishy-washy 'black-and-mucus-yellow screen' is still easier to see
>than the washed out colors of the Game Gear

I think we agree that we disagree.


>> ...And, if you bought one of those LCD Game Watches, you could probably play
>> for a *year* on the same batteries and you could wear it on your wrist!  You
>> get what you pay for when it comes to battery consumption.  The GameGear has
>> a real speaker in it that you can crank up loud enough to hear across the
>> room, while the GB has a meek little piezo beeper.  
>
>Sound isn't a big issue with me.  I usually turn the sound way down on all
>my games anyway.

Which is probably another reason why your batteries last you so long.

>> while you need an attachment with *it's own power source* on the GB.  My
>> manual states that with Alkaline batteries, the GameGear should work for 4-5
>> hours.  My experience with Ni-Cads show it to last about 3hrs, which sounds
>> about right to me.
>
>Which is still a ridiculous amount of time in my opinion.  You should be
>able to get more than that out of it.

It is unreasonable to expect maximum performance from a car with a high MPG
rating, why is it so unreasonable to you that a higher performance piece of 
electronics hardware should use more power???

>> >I'm not sure of the point you are trying to make here.  In one sentence
>> >you are saying that LCD's can't handle what is needed for them to do
>> >and in another you say that LCD screens are sufficient.
>> >
>> 
>> What I said, had you taken the time to read and understand it, was that
>> given the current LCD technology, an 8-bit hardware engine, such as the Sega
>> Master System's, is more than adequate to drive it.  Nothing I said was
>> contradictory, and had you not deleted it from your post, you would have
>> seen that.
>
>I did read it.  Several times!  It was still contradictory.

Ok, for the reading comprehension impaired, the following is my original
statement:

[BEGIN]

 2. Unless you want to pay twice as much for your handheld (see Turbo
     Express), you will be saddled with a non-active-matrix LCD Screen which
     will need to be viewed at a proper angle or you get washout.

 3. LCD screens are typically long persistance.  This means that any
    "speed" increase you would get by adding faster processors would probably  
    just blurrrrrr anyway (hell, Sonic2 does it now!).  You would have the
    ability to sling more things around on the screen without slowdowns, but
    given the extremely small screen size and the need for larger players,
    just how many things can fit on there at once anyway?  Then there is
    the issue (non-issue?) of the GG's resloution.  I may be wrong on this
    one, but I suspect that given the limited resolution of the LCD panels,
    you could probably crank the res all day with little or no noticable
    improvement in quality. Therefore, I conclude that the SMS engine is
    suitable for the tasks at hand.

[END]


In statement 2, I made a very general statement about the tradeoff made when
using an inexpensive non-active-matrix LCD like in the LYNX, GAME GEAR, and 
GAME BOY handhelds as opposed to the active matrix LCD panels used in the
Turbo Express.   Nothing more, nothing less.

In statement 3, I said exactly what I stated in the previous message. 
Nowhere did I condemn LCD technology and then hail it's greatness (or even
suitability).  In fact, I purported neither to attack or defend LCD
technology.  I merely stated a few of it's qualities.  Just as a stereo
can only sound as good as the speakers will let it, a computer can only
look as good as the display allows.  I then stated my conclusion that for
the given display, the SMS engine (Sega Master System) was an adequate
platform to drive it.  Verstehen Sie jetzt?


Randy