Get The Best One!

What do you want in a handheld computer game? It goes without saying but I'll say it anyway, the must have feature is true portability. That means, easily held in one hand, easily kept in a pocket or a purse, and no cables or other gear to lug about. From there we can go to the next order of importance. I'd rate the concept of the game has to be attention grabbing and hopefully difficult and addictive? After all what's the point if it's something clueless and dead easy. No fun there, right?

OK on to some of the other points you should consider before you lay down your hard earned cash.

Reputation of the game player. If it's all the rage and put out by a well known brand name, that's a real good sign. So go one step further on that. Go online to one of the video games magazines like PC Gamer, GamePro or WorthPlaying and see what they are saying. Follow that with a visit to one of the game forums like XSGaming or GameForum. See what other players think. Now you've got a pretty good picture of the game's rating with the pros and a feel for it's popularity. Possibly a window into it's longevity too. That's an important aspect too. How long will your love affair with this game last?

Next thought. Go to the video store and ask the clerk to let you play a demo. In fact have him/her demo it for you. Explain all the gizmos. Ask about battery life. Reliability. Warranties. How many separate games come with the basic model? What else is there? Availability? Cost? What's in the pipeline?

Look at the quality of the graphics, the effectiveness of the glare proof screen. Try it out on the street in the sunlight. How about the audio quality? How is it delivered?

Check the type of gamepad - two button or four? Which are you comfortable with?

What's the power of the processor working the system? If you're not familiar see what one of the game whizzes is saying online about that.

Check what peripherals are offered to support the product. Does this unit have the capability of accepting other manufacturers peripherals? If not will this impede you significantly in your plans for the future?

From all these questions to ask, you can tell that you shouldn't act on whim today and be real sorry tomorrow. Spend the research time you need to do all the homework you should to be sure this game playing device will be the best investment for you in your price range and that all the features that you would like to have are present. The best thing you could do, is to find a bud who already has one of these and go over to his place and play a while. Get used to it and the games that are available. Listen to his thoughts on the pros and cons of this baby. It's worth the wait, the work and the patience you can put in to the selection. Then you'll not be sorry.