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Post by Colonel Kurtz on Oct 5, 2015 8:53:37 GMT -5
I'm curious what you think about that. Which is your overall favorite? I guess the two big factors in this choice are ergonomy and design. I guess the favorites are those that don't give you cramps, and look cool. My favorite is the wine red DSXL. It's a beautiful object, and it has a perfect ergonomy. But I know there are a lot of different opinions on this subject. Which handheld has the best design for you?  |
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Post by Colonel Kurtz on Oct 5, 2015 8:57:45 GMT -5
This one is the one I'm talking about. flawless design, beautiful: The DSi XL.  |
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Post by elektrolurch on Oct 5, 2015 9:09:01 GMT -5
I think I have to go with the original Gameboy.. It is iconic in its design, and I love the look and feel. SO essentially late 80ies/early 90ies,yet still timeless in its own right.
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Post by shelverton on Oct 5, 2015 9:15:17 GMT -5
I gotta be honest and say that I'm still waiting for a handheld with the perfect design. I mean, aesthetically I think there has been a couple of nice-looking ones, but ergonomically...bleeeuuurghh.
Maybe it is in the nature of handhelds to just not be very good for my hands, wrists, neck, back etcetera.? Am I the only one who has to build a little fortress of pillows and stuff when I'm playing? Ideally I want to not bend my neck too much but it's hard unless I build a tower of pillows on my lap so that the device can rest in a particular position.
Watching me play handhelds must be such a ridiculous sight...
Or maybe I'm just getting old. I love my 3DS and my Vita but they just don't love me, especially not my wrists and my neck.
Gaming kills.
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Post by Colonel Kurtz on Oct 5, 2015 9:18:04 GMT -5
I think I have to go with the original Gameboy.. It is iconic in its design, and I love the look and feel. SO essentially late 80ies/early 90ies,yet still timeless in its own right. Yeah, OG Gameboy had an iconic design... and most of all, it was extremely comfortable. No cramps while playing Tetris. Its rather bulky size played in its favor.  The very definition of "classic". Completely stands the test of time. |
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Post by Joseph Joestar on Oct 5, 2015 9:49:17 GMT -5
This one is the one I'm talking about. flawless design, beautiful: The DSi XL. I'm a fan as well. I like the XL 3DS systems too (although I'm disappointed in the left stick "clitoris" on the New 3DS XL). |
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Post by 🧀Son of Suzy Creamcheese🧀 on Oct 5, 2015 10:13:03 GMT -5
The Original 3DS for me. Later designs look fine, but a bit too dull. The original 3DS looks very stylish if closed, has a great shiny finish and has a cool, almost crystal-like aesthetic.
I was very hesitant to upgrading to a new3DSXL, but sadly my old one was getting old.
Game & Watches also look great. Probably the only LCD handhelds that don't look like cheap shit. Fitting, seeing as they were the pioneers.
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Post by Colonel Kurtz on Oct 5, 2015 10:16:17 GMT -5
I'm a fan as well. I like the XL 3DS systems too (although I'm disappointed in the left stick "clitoris" on the New 3DS XL). Yeah, the New Xl's nub is a very, very far cry from the Circle Pad Pro, which was absolutely perfect and gave the 3DS XL a much better ergonomy. I think I prefer the 3DS XL's design compared to the New 3DSXL. The nub works, but it will never come even close to the awesomness of the circle pad pro!  It's not pretty, but it offers a perfect ergonomy. I keep it locked even when I play games that don't require it, simply because it is so much more comfortable... ah, circle pad pro... |
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Post by 🧀Son of Suzy Creamcheese🧀 on Oct 5, 2015 10:24:26 GMT -5
I don't know how it is on the small new3DS, but I found the C-stick (Now I get what the C in C-stick stands for, thanks, Joseph Joestar!) on the new3DSXL comfortable enough. Then again, barely any games use it, so I don't know how it is when you have to use it all the time. |
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Post by vetus on Oct 5, 2015 10:38:27 GMT -5
For me Nintendo DS Lite (never tried DSi XL) has the best design. I would say 3D XL if the D-pad was in better position, it's so uncomfortable that I have to use the analog stick even at 2D side scrolling platform and action games.
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Post by Scylla on Oct 5, 2015 13:21:09 GMT -5
I'm with shelverton in that every handheld is flawed in one way or another.
For me, the big dividing point is whether a handheld folds in on itself or not, protecting its screen. This has a huge impact on its portability to me. Some people like to apply screen protectors, but I think they're blech, so a handheld that doesn't fold is probably only going to be played at home for me (granted, now that I'm done with school and work from home, I don't have a lot of circumstances to play games when I'm out of the house, anyway).
So for a handheld that doesn't fold, I'd probably pick the Neo Geo Pocket Color as best. Excellent buttons and pad and it's not too big or too small. If only it had a backlit screen.
For folding, I'd pick the GBA SP. Most people wouldn't agree with me and say it's too small and cramped, but I'm not a man so my hands and wrists are smaller than most gamers. The size and weight are just fine for me (conversely, a lot of the more recent handhelds are heavier than I'd like and put strain on my wrists), and it makes it ideal for portability (this thing lived in my backpack during college; even inside of a case it wasn't that big). The backlit models (as opposed to the gross frontlit ones) make games look beautifully sharp and vibrant, so it's easily the best handheld for playing original GB and GBC games. But admittedly, they have pretty mushy D-pads and buttons, and the lack of a headphone jack out of the box is another flaw.
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Post by shelverton on Oct 5, 2015 14:37:04 GMT -5
Yeah, my wrists are kinda small too, actually thinner than some of my female friends, and I often feel that handhelds are too heavy for long playing sessions. Which is why I try to build little supportive pillow platforms everywhere around my body so I can rest my hands and wrists.
The Vita Slim is pretty good though, but I still feel my hands are in a slightly awkward position after a while.
The GBA SP was great. I was younger, stronger and less....uhm.. fragile back then though.
I wish I could hang the handheld from the ceiling, and rest my arms on some kind of...apparatus.
Or:
Underwater gaming! Why isn't that a thing?
EDIT: I should probably say that I suffer from some kind of undiagnosed condition that sometimes gives me a lot of pain in my joints. I dunno if it's some BS rheumatism in the making, but if it gets worse I'm gonna have it investigated.
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Post by Chronis on Oct 5, 2015 17:39:06 GMT -5
I've always liked the GBC, GBA, and DS Lite. Never felt like they were uncomfortable. Growing up with NES and SNES controllers must have made me immune to complaints about ergonomics.
But that said, I'm going to go with an underdog that probably won't get many, if any, mentions at all: The Wonderswan. I never held a Color or a Crystal, so this is more for the original, but I really like it. You can hold it either vertically or horizontally, depending on the game. And unlike games that do that on the DS, it has an extra set of buttons to accommodate either position. Plus it's incredibly light, which is a side effect of only needing 1 AA battery. It's just a really pleasant device to get your hands on.
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Post by Dingo on Oct 5, 2015 19:00:38 GMT -5
NeoGeo Pocket Color is probably my favorite in terms of design.
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Post by Pwnix on Oct 5, 2015 19:29:41 GMT -5
I don't think I have a favorite. I love all of them save for monstrous ones like the Game Gear. But yeah NGPC and original GBA are some of my favorites ergonomically. The NGPC doesn't look like it would be comfortable but it really is and its control stick is pure clicky heaven.Just wish both had backlights. There's really no good lighting solution for the NGPC unfortunately.
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