Is it a great phone? And by phone I mean device for actually making and receiving calls? No way. Anything made by Nokia or Samsung is a superior calling experience for both you and the receiving party.

Is it a great camera-phone? Not really. There are many phones out there that have better camera properties: better megapixel counts, optical (or at least digital!) zoom, true flash, emulated flash, a REAL button for snapping the pics. Yeah, for taking pictures the iPhone is a poor, poor experience. (Now sharing those pictures on the other hand is actually pretty decent.)

Is it a great messaging and emailing device? Nope. Doesn’t even compare to Blackberry. (And I’m not just talking about the keyboard either.) Next.

Is it a great GPS unit? Not unless you’re willing to fork out an additional $99 for some real GPS software from a real GPS company. You have nothing more than a glorified, location-aware map with Google Maps. Garmin’s NUVO and Palm’s Pre are superior hardware competitors in this category. And I hear that on the Android platform Google is actually enabling turn-by-turn GPS features on their native Maps software.

Is it a great MP3 player? Maybe. While it may not produce the best sound quality (Sansa, Cowan, and yes, even Zune HD are said to have superior sound output), it at least has decent software for viewing songs, creating playlists, and playing songs. You also have some great streaming applications from Pandora, iMeem, Slacker, etc. which are really handy in a pinch. So I’ll give the iPhone some much due credit in this category.

Is it a great gaming system? This is what gets me. No, it is not. And I had such high hopes as a gamer. While it opens up many unique properties in gaming with multi-touch, accelerometers, and Facebook connect, it still does not compare with the big players in the portable gaming scene. If I want some Madden action, am I going to reach for my iPhone or my PSP? Exactly. What about a cart racer? I could play Crash Nitro Cart on the iPhone or Mario Kart on the DS. Don’t even get me started on platformers or RPGs. And the lack of buttons is the iPhones largest fatal flaw. How can you be a true gaming platform without dozens of buttons? (Or at least 2?) I’m sorry but pressing my fat-ass thumbs on a flat glass surface where buttons should logically be does not provide the tactile response that I need to serious about my gaming. I think the CrunchGear nails it:

The iPhone isn’t a gaming machine. It’s a smartphone. This produces limitations which are for some invigorating, and for some troublesome. For instance, you’ll never see a decent platformer on the iPhone. FPSes are awkward. RPGs take up too much space. You’re essentially limited to casual games and things like tilt-to-control racers.

I’ve owned an iPhone since the 3GS launch, and the most real gaming experience I’ve had so far would be Texas Hold’em Poker. Everything else has been sort of a big let down. I don’t think I’m going to go back to Blackberry, but the Android and the Linux OS based phones from Garmin and Nokia are looking sexier each passing day. Only problem is, those don’t have games either.

What about you? Have you had a positive iPhone gaming experience? Or do you find yourself reaching for a PSP Go or a DSi when you need a gaming fix?

Is the iPhone A Serious Gaming System? is a post from: Portagame

And it’s all really gonna happen this time! Really!

Ok. I don’t believe it either. But I have a 24-to-71.5 hour burst of energy, so let’s see what happens this weekend.

For starters. I’m blogging. Not about PSPs or DSii or iPhones or games in any form. But it’s still a post so #quitchyerbitchin.

And I created a fan page today. Yup, that kind of fan page. What’s cool is I opened the Wall for anyone to leave comments on. I figured I’d let Facebook do the heaving lifting this time. Thanks Facebook!

Oh, and I tweeted. Sorry.

So join me in the quest for mediocrity! Be a fan with fellow portagamers. Fill your gamut of portable LCD screens with dur tweetie feeds. Be THAT guy!

Together we will swarm the WiFi airwaves with our ability to suck! Not you, us.

What’s next for Portagame? Join our discussion on Facebook to find out!

Revival… no. More like survival. is a post from: Portagame

[Amazon Gold Box (Product Page) via Imported Geek]

DEALS: Rock Box Storage Ottoman at Amazon is a post from: Portagame

Man, I have all sorts of mixed feelings about this. Hardcore Gamer has placed their entire business, websites and printed mag, for sale on ebay with a starting bid of $42,000.

If I only had $42,000…

But honestly, is that the kind of shakeout that video game journalism is going through right now? A respected magazine with a popular website is placed for sale on ebay?

Honestly, if I wasn’t part of the credit-crunched masses of the U.S. economopocolypse, I would scramble to get a business loan together to jump on this opportunity. Of course, I also know that I’d have to drop my career and profession entirely and devout all my time and energy to this. For a man with a young family, that just isn’t an option. But for you aspiring entrepreneurs out there… this is a great opportunity.

Even if you drop the printed mag and go to digital distribution only, the website alone can easily grow to recoup the investment. The website is the hidden gem here. Advertising in the gamespace is still strong. It’s just the leadtime for a printed magazine is so long, that by the time news hits the actual “newstands”, its already old. But the online profits alone for this type of venture should make up for any overhead the magazine requires.

Back in the hayday of blogging in 2003-2005,  I too had hopes of taking Portagame to print. I’m actually glad I didn’t, and that this has been able to return to its hobby roots from where it started. My stress levels are much lower now than during the rumor reporting pre-DS and pre-PSP launch days, and my marriage and health have been saved. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change anything. Those were great days, even with the stress they carried.

I often talk about moving forward with Portagame to make it more of a community. I’ve been contemplating turning it into a forum-based community. With all the flac that 1UP, EGM, and now Hardcore Gamer are taking on, this might just be the right move. A place for true handheld gaming fans to gather.

We’ll see. I have a feeling 2009 has some surprises for us yet.

Best of luck to the current AND future owners of Hardcore Gamer. I respect the position that both parties are/will be in.

via Joystiq.

Hardcore Gamer Magazine Up for Sale is a post from: Portagame

Of course, you could just go to eBay and find a Gameboy Pocket Light, but what fun would that be?

Gameboy Pocket Backlight

Gameboy Pocket Backlight Mod compared to iPhone

Gameboy Pocket Mod [It's Never Too Late] is a post from: Portagame

Even without the game emulator, this would still be a kickass PMP player. So while I’d prefer to have the emulators intact (obviously), I would be very happy if an import company white-labeled this and shipped it to the US with a translated OS. However, if Oppo continues to evolve in its making of kickass media players, then I might go so far as loading up the Rosetta Stone and learning myself some Mandarin. English is overrated anyway.

More sexy pics at Gizmodo and PMP Today.

Oppo Muse is Chinese MP3 Player with D-Pad, Games Emulator is a post from: Portagame

Runners up:

• Chrono Trigger DS ($36.99 @ amazon)
• God of War PSP ($36.99 @ amazon)
• Patapon PSP ($19.99 @ amazon)
• Professor Layton DS ($29.99 @ amazon)

X-Play’s Handheld Game of the Year 2008 is a post from: Portagame

No, this years hottest game system is the Nintendo DSi. If you own the DSi, I guarantee you that you have the hottest and most exclusive toy of the season.

The DSi, for those who don’t know, is the next version of the Nintendo DS. The main feature that sets it apart is not one, but two onboard cameras. One is placed in the back of the unit, while the other is in the hinge of the front for games and applications that are built to take mug shots of the gamer. The other features are impressive but offen overlooked: larger screens, thinner case, an SD memory card slot, a built in web browser, and the ability to save and download games via WiFi from the new DSiWare Shop.

But, it is not available to consumers in the US. It is only released in Japan at the time being with no announced plans for the US. It is expected that Nintendo of America will eventually release the new DS here in the states, but no plans have been yet.

If you’ve been good and you want Santa to bring you a new Nintendo DSi this year, you’ll need to tell him to import it. That’s the only way you can get this years most exclusive gift (unless you live in Japan).

Buy the Black Nintendo DSi.
Buy the White Nintendo DSi.

This Year’s Hottest Christmas Toy is the Nintendo DSi is a post from: Portagame

I have yet to mention the PSP 3000 for a couple of reasons. 1) It isn’t that big of a deal. And 2) It isn’t that big of a deal.

What the PSP 3000 does bring is a brighter and more crisp screen, an onboard microphone, a PS button (for other-than-Sony-fanboys, think of this as the “Jewel” button), a thinner and lighter profile, and um, that’s about it. No new form factor. No playing of holographic games yet. There’s nothing 3000 about it.

What the PSP 3000 also seems to have snuck in is decreased battery life and a possible higher price. These are pretty substantial rumors at this point, but if realized it would appear that Sony is taking two steps backwards to take one step forward.

The PSP 3000 will ship in Europe on October 15th in a game bundle for £149.99 and in the UK on October 17th at €199. It will drop in Japan in between the European launches on October 16th for 19800 YEN .

The US, Australia, and the rest of the world has yet to get any official announcement of pricing or street dates.

PSP 3000 is a post from: Portagame

As I watch the trailer for PictoImage, I can’t help but get the feeling that “this is lame”. Now I’m going to stress that this is just from watching the trailer. I have yet to review the game, and I probably never will.

The concept is sound. Utilize the DS touchpad and wifi experience to create a party game for up to 8 players off one cartridge. Then everyone sits down and plays a micro version of “Pictionary”?

I’m sorry. I just can’t see this happening with anyone over the age of 13. You may gain some new features by using fancy gadgets and software, but you simply can’t replace the classic. You lose out on the gestures, the interactions, the competitiveness, the foul language, the speed drawing, the pointing at the board and grunting “uh” hoping your team understands you, and all the other joys that you get from the classic group game. Sit everyone down, have them concentrate on a two 3-inch LCD squares, and see if the formula still works. I doubt it will.

The only reason I blog about this is because I decided to look at what is coming down the pipeline for new DS games. There’s some great looking games that are a month or two away still, but this week I’d say go blow your weekly DS budget on Apple applications. Unless you have a pre-teen daughter, then by all means go grab PictoImage for her and all her friends.

PictoImage Proves DS will Never Replace Party Games is a post from: Portagame