Handheld Preservation

[fastbilly1]

When the GBA SP came out there was an adapter made for it that took multiple AAs and powered it off those. And there are companies like Gomatic that still make this:
http://www.gomadic.com/nintendo-gameboy ... ender.html

Like the others have said, there will always be a way.

[marlowe221]

Emulation is the only sure fire method of handheld or console preservation when looking into the far future. There are many components on the circuit boards of these devices that will eventually fail given enough time.

Proprietary lithium ion batteries annoy me also though. They all have a limited lifespan and once the manufacturers stop making them that's that. It would be much better for device manufacturers to adopt standard small size rechargeable batteries interchangeable across the spectrum. If AAA batteries are too large, battery manufacturers as a consortium need to come together and develop a new era of small and flat type batteries specifically geared universally towards handheld and smartphone devices. For decades most portable electronic devices relied on industry standard battery sizes with no issue, I believe this could be the case once again.

The problem is that a lot of portable electronic devices (i.e. cell phones) seem to be intended to be disposable. It doesn't matter that your cell phone battery will only hold a charge for a few years at most, Apple/Samsung knows you will be buying another one before that becomes an issue.

I am hoping for good emulation for the modern handheld consoles just like we have for most of the older ones, personally. Will modern handhelds like the 3DS and Vita running on ARM processors hinder or help that effort?

[Exhuminator]

Will modern handhelds like the 3DS and Vita running on ARM processors hinder or help that effort?

Are you implying that the ARM processors themselves are an impedance to emulation possibilities?

[Tanooki]

That is an interesting question, but there are GBA, DS and I believe 3DS emulators which all those hardware run on improved versions of the ARM chipset.

[fastbilly1]

and I believe 3DS emulators

It does exist, it is called Citra, it currently runs very little very slowly. But it is growing exceptionally quickly.

[Hazerd]

As long as Nintendo keeps making new versions of the DS, we shouldnt have to worry about DS/3DS games this far.

[marlowe221]

Will modern handhelds like the 3DS and Vita running on ARM processors hinder or help that effort?

Are you implying that the ARM processors themselves are an impedance to emulation possibilities?

No, I am asking because I know nothing about programming or the technical aspects of emulation.

[Exhuminator]

No, I am asking because I know nothing about programming or the technical aspects of emulation.

Oh okay. There are emulators today already emulating ARM processors. One example for ARM would be: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARMulator Some emulators emulate multiple processor/instruction sets. One of the most impressive examples of this is QEMU: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QEMU

I truly believe that emulation is the key to preserving this medium when looking not dozens but hundreds of years going forward.

All components of a circuit board will eventually fail, be they diodes, capacitors, transistors, ROMs, microprocessors, or even the silicon of the circuit board itself. Due to the stress effects of things such as electromigration, solder degradation, rogue EMF bombardment, thermal stress, humidity stress, ionic contaminant corrosion, cosmic ray radiation, and the general biodegradation of the build materials in general. The things I've mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg of what threatens the longevity of our beloved gaming devices. Here's more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Failure_m ... lectronics

Keep in mind these are mass consumer devices manufactured as cheaply as possible, they are not built to last for the ages. Not to mention the custom chips they use no longer being produced whatsoever thus new ones won't be readily available a hundred years from now.

Emulation is the only answer for this medium's preservation.

[Sarge]

Being ARM architecture should actually help preserve things, as it's a very well known architecture, used in many, many devices in various forms. It's not something completely esoteric that's relatively unknown, with sketchy documentation.

Exhuminator has the right of it. It sucks, but I figure most of my systems will end up failing before the end of my lifetime. Not terribly happy about it, but that's just how it goes. Thank goodness emulation has preserved a goodly amount of stuff so far.

[CRTGAMER]

The problem is that a lot of portable electronic devices (i.e. Cell Phones) seem to be intended to be disposable. It doesn't matter that your cell phone battery will only hold a charge for a few years at most, Apple/Samsung knows you will be buying another one before that becomes an issue.

The DLC crap for every new phone is one of the reasons why I still keep my old Samsung Impression for every day use. Okay laugh, but it has enough features for what I want it for, easily fits in the front pocket and the games are direct USB cable backed up to the PC. I can play the cell games on the PC and transfer them (TK File Explorer) to another compatible (have extra same model Samsung) cell phone. Fortunately the battery has a great runtime and replacement batteries are still available.