Support NeoGAF

[human5892]

The DS is the one to get for the best future support ATM. Neither the PSP nor the GBA have a projected lineup as appealing as the DS' (this is subjective, of course, but I think you'd have a much easier time proving it than the opposite scenario).

As for the PSP, consider how highly you place non-videogame media in your portable priorities; if you would like to watch movies and listen to music just as much as you'd like to play games, it might be the better buy for you (although it's well over your quoted budget).

The GBA I'd skip out on, unless you're really concerned about price and portability; it has an inferior screen to the DS and has less software support as well (although Jarrod and company do have a point about the GBC and even original GB library, which you won't get natively on the DS).

Overall, for your budget and for the quality of the upcoming software (as well as a few decent games out now), I'd say go with DS. It's admittedly a shitty machine, but its future lineup makes it worth owning.

 

[jarrod]

Gameboy Color had a decent library. Dragon Warrior III is still the best RPG to appear on a handheld.

It's true... GBC gets a lot of crap for all the licensed kids games it saw but it actually has a good selection of great stuff too...

-1942
-Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
-Bionic Commando: Elite Forces
-Bomberman Quest
-Bubble Bobble Classic
-Cannon Fodder
-Deja Vu I & II
-Donkey Kong Country
-Dragon Warrior I+II
-Dragon Warrior III
-Dragon Warrior Monsters
-Dragon Warriors Monsters 2: Cobi's Journey
-Dragon Warriors Monsters 2: Tara's Adventure
-Game & Watch Gallery 2
-Game & Watch Gallery 3
-Ghosts N' Goblins
-Harvest Moon GBC
-Marvest Moon 2
-Harvest Moon 3
-Kirby: Tilt 'n' Tumble
-Legend of the River King GBC
-Legend of the River King 2
-Lemmings and Oh No! More Lemmings
-Lufia: The Legend Returns
-Magical Drop
-Magical Tetris Challenge
-Mario Golf
-Mario Tennis
-MegaMan Xtreme
-MegaMan Xtreme
-Metal Gear Solid
-Monster Rancher Explorer
-Mr. Driller
-Other Life: Azure Dreams
-Pocket Bomberman
-Pokémon: Crystal Version
-Pokémon: Gold Version
-Pokémon: Silver Version
-Pokémon Pinball
-Pokémon Puzzle Challenge
-Pokémon: Trading Card Game
-Rayman
-Revelations: The Demon Slayer
-R-Type DX
-Shadowgate Classic
-Shantae
-Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
-Survival Kids
-Tetris DX
-The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
-The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
-The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
-Toki Tori
-Top Gear Pocket
-Yu-Gi-OH! Dark Duel Stories
-Wario Land 2
-Wario Land 3
-Warlocked
-Xtreme Sports

 

[Nate405]

I'd start with a GBA. It has GB/GBC support if you care about that and the GBA library is large enough to keep you busy for quite a while. By the time you exhaust enough of the existing library to make upgrading to a DS worthwhile, the GBA won't be worth much as a trade-in, but the DS price will probably have dropped enough to cover most of what you paid for the GBA.

 

[Apenheul]

If you have a cube you're better off with a GameBoy Player and a DS if I may say so.

 

[The Interrobanger]

Get a DS, you won't regret it.

 

[GDGF]

If you're looking for something a tad more futureproof, I'd go for the NDS. GBA is great, no doubt, but you can play those GBA games on your NDS. Seems like a no brainer to me.

PSP is cool if you only want to play football and race games I guess. If you really want a PSP, you might just want to wait a year or two for it to hit the bargin bins.

 

[Diablos]

Eh, I think I'm gonna get a GBA and wait until the DS comes down in price - if the games look appealing, I'll buy one and sell my GBA.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.

 

[Shao]

Bit late I know, but getting a GBA SP now would be a big mistake imho. You would end up selling it for peanuts in a very very short time. Or keeping it and upgrading it anyway.

I have an SP, love it, always will its a timeless classic. However I am itching to get a DS MAINLY to play GBA games I don't even have yet. When I get a DS I will bundle 2 or 3 GBA games with it.

When the quality DS games comes out you're gonna be feeling it much harder than right now. Simply owning a GBA is likely to make you want to upgrade, once you play Advance Wars GBA for example, you're gonna want to be onboard with the DS game.

Plus the Micro is coming out soon, the prices will mix up, the Micro may end up being really cheap, or the SP will become redundant technology and reduce in price massively. I have a feeling the Micro will be super cheap though, its suitable for kids pockets after all, and it will be pretty damn sexy.

Being a late adopter is one thing, but if you get an SP you will be adopting 2 generations late imo, it has already been superceded by the DS and Micro. If you want to play GBC games (and you don't cos you have huge amounts of catching up to do on the GBA as it is) get a cheap GBC for peanuts.

Oh and PSP shouldnt even be considered if you;re worried about price. DS + SP/Micro would be an infinitely better purchase.