GADGETS:
The pick of the portables

Handhelds and games for when it rains

by ERIK LEIJON

SONY PSP

I cannot guarantee Sony’s new portable will transform you into the life of the party, but this technical marvel has the power to turn heads. Obviously, the PSP’s 85 mm x 55 mm widescreen is what initially catches the eye. The screen is incredibly clear and the speakers really push the boundaries of what a handheld can do (it plays mp3s as well).

The PSP is also a beauty of design—its sleek look dispels all notions of the portable being a “toy.” The button locations are a tad uncomfortable though, especially the miniature analog control stick on the bottom left.

Also, though the UMD movie format looks like a success, and there is a growing library of movies, does anyone really intend on spending two hours watching a film on their PSP?

Still, Sony’s new portable is the one tech geeks will gush over the most. Cost: $300

Games

Wipeout Pure (SCEA): Sony is returning to one of their flagship IP’s (published by Psygnosis back in the day) to demonstrate the raw power of the PSP. At the core of this stylish racer is its pure adrenaline-pumping speed. Cost: $50

Twisted Metal: Head-On (SCEA): The latest Twisted Metal puts a great emphasis on multiplayer Wi-Fi gaming. The PSP incarnation has more of the same chaos and destruction, and all of the same vehicles. Cost: $50

Other games: Ape Escape: On the Loose (SCEA), Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee (SCEA)

Future Games: Armored Core: Formula Front (Agetec), Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition (Rockstar)

NINTENDO DS

The Nintendo DS probably has the most potential of the handhelds but currently has a mediocre library of games. What are immediately noticeable are the dual screens, which really hold great potential for RPGs or any menu-heavy games. The touch screen (the bottom one) uses a stylus pen, similar to a PDA. So far most of the games use it (with mixed results), but we’re still waiting for that killer app. The DS is also backwards compatible with the Game Boy Advance.

Where the system has major potential is Wi-Fi gaming. Nintendo have joined forces with IGN’s GameSpy Technology to bring free wireless Internet gaming to the masses, but since it isn’t a phone like the N-Gage, you’ll have to find a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Voice recognition technology is being used in upcoming games such as Nintendogs (possibly the next cross-marketing hit from Nintendo), and a recent demo called DSpeak demonstrated the potential for wireless voice-chat, but it remains to be seen what will become of it. Cost: $200

Games

Wario Ware Touched! (Nintendo): If you’ve never tried a Wario Ware title, you are missing out on the gaming equivalent of speed. The basic premise is that you play a series of games, no longer than five seconds each, many sporting laughably bad graphics. No one can resist its campy charm, and blowing on the touch screen or speaking into the microphone will garner a few stares on the Metro. Cost: $50

Metroid Prime: Hunters (Nintendo): This title won’t hit stores until later this summer, but you should get the demo if you purchase the DS. It’s an FPS, but you use the touch screen to turn Samus’s head and to shoot. The 3-D graphics are truly indicative of what the DS is capable of.

Other games: Super Mario DS (Nintendo), Yoshi Touch & Go (Nintendo), Madden NFL 2005 (EA)

Future games: Black & White Creatures (Majesco), New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo), Age of Empires: The Age of Kings (Majesco)

NOKIA N-GAGE QD

While it will likely become an afterthought amid the shiny new offerings from Nintendo and Sony, it may surprise you to know that the Nokia N-Gage is not only not dead, but that Nokia plans on making more N-Gage-enabled phones in the future. That should mean more games and more N-Gagers to play against. Besides, you’re going to be walking around with a cell phone all summer, so it may as well be able to play King of Fighters.

Nokia’s first foray into the harsh world of handheld gaming is considered more of a smartphone/gaming hybrid. Essentially, it’s a cell phone with a PDA-style operating system, and it plays games and mp3s.

The opportunity exists to play wirelessly against other N-Gage owners using Bluetooth—provided, of course, you can find another N-Gage owner. Cost: $250 with three games at EB

Games

Snakes (Nokia): Not only is Snakes a perfect upgrade to the original Snake game you’ve likely played to death on your old cell phone, but it’s free to download for any N-Gage owner. This version is actually extremely difficult (especially the sharp turns) and the level design is exemplary. Cost: Free

King of Fighters (Nokia): Previous attempts at bringing 2-D fighters to portables have failed, but this one is a surprisingly efficient, albeit stripped-down version of SNK’s hit series. Cost: $50

Other games: FIFA Soccer 2005 (EA), Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Gameloft), The Sims: Busting Out (EA)

Future games: One (Nokia), Glimmerati (Nokia), Rifts: Promise of Power (Nokia)