Best handheld gaming console on the market now?

[ilya]

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Looks like the popular opinion is the DS Lite. Seems like it goes for about $140? I'm seeing EBgames offers used GBA's for something like $30, which seems like a pretty good deal considering games are still produced for it. Again, just like with consoles, it seems like the game prices are the things that burn your wallet, not the console itself.

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The $140 price is for a bundle that includes a game...although it's only $10 more than the bare system & the game is a solid one (Brain Age 2), it's a good deal. It's definitely worth it to pay the extra ~$40 to get a DS Lite over the original DS model, which is clunky, ugly, and doesn't have nearly as bright a screen.

Cheap used DS games are easy to find online, or you could always take advantage of the budget prices on used GBA games, as the DS plays all GBA titles.

The cartridges are also tiny enough that you could just sneak into a Gamestop and swallow a bunch

[Dire]

I'm also slowly changing my mind on the PSP. They've started to really pump out some pretty decent titles especially in the genres I like. But the OP specifically mentioned price - and that just rules out the PSP.

[Phoenix1010]

By the way if you're getting a DS, definitely spring for the lite. I have a regular and my gf has a lite and there's no comparison. The extra brightness plus longer stylus are worth whatever extra cash.

[g-bebe]

It seems a clear complaint against the DS is that the screen size is a lot smaller in comparison to the PSP. Is this a big problem, or is it people just being nit-picky? I obv like bigger screens but I think one of the reasons that I'm not into PSP's is that they're charging more based on some of the other functions it provides; the thing doubles as a minature PC, which is not what I want to pay for.

And really every single GBA title works on a DS lite? Just off the top of my head, Golden Sun (which I don't know if it's make for DS) was a GBA game I know for sure... it would play?

edit: I could find answers to my questions if I could get my hands on a DS/GBA, but I literally don't know anyone who has one...

[ilya]

Yes, you can play any GBA game on the DS. So, for example, Golden Sun will work just fine. You don't have to buy any extra equipment...there are simply two cartridge slots on the DS, one for DS games and one for GBA games. The system comes with a protective blank cartridge to prevent the GBA slot from gathering dust.

The screens are smaller than the PSP's, but then again there are two of them. And most games do use both. Either way, the screen doesn't feel small when you're playing a game. You also don't have to worry about your screens getting scratched up, as the clamshell case snaps up neatly and protects both of them. not so with the PSP.

[skiier04]

Buy a DS Lite, and whatever you do do not buy an original GBA... the screen is completely unlit and really almost completely unplayable in today's day and age of backlit screens. If you must be cheap, buy a GBA SP or Game Boy Micro, which should be pretty cheap and at least have a lit screen. Nevertheless I HIGHLY recommend the DS Lite... it is backwards compatible with everything on the GBA and already has a great software library, with more great games on the horizon.

[iSTRONG]

a hacked PSP running homebrew software ftw.