Need Help Deciding A Homebrew Handheld.

[lisalover1]

If you frequent the BST forum on Racketboy, you may have noticed that I have been on the lookout for a new homebrew-centric handheld lately. I have narrowed it down to a couple potential candidates, and I was wondering if I could get some help in deciding.

Gizmondo
Pros: Retail system with retail games, powerful enough to run every emulator up to and including PS1, excellent conversation piece, has camera and GPS functions.
Cons: Hard to find, expensive.

N-Gage
Pros: Cheaper, has a ton of great retail games, has cellular data support, uses smartphone OS (Symbian).
Cons: Very weak for emulators (about as many emulators as there are for the GBA), poor design, awkward to carry around two cell phones.

GP2X
Pros: Appealing and iconic design, fabulous joystick, lots of emulator support, touch screen, has games I am interested in [Wind and Water Puzzle Battles, Cave Story].
Cons: Second-weakest portable on this list, cannot emulate PS1 at a playable level, artificially-inflated resale price.

Dingoo
Pros: Compact design, most portable system on list, one of the cheapest homebrew handhelds.
Cons: Weak compared to Wiz and Caanoo, cannot emulate PS1 effectively, small screen.

Caanoo
Pros: Most powerful handheld on list, uses joystick, has growing support, has decent retail game selection, touch screen.
Cons: Impossible to find used to to recent release, most expensive handheld on list, poor face buttons.

So, which one do you think I should get? I preferably want to spend around $50 for one of these, and will absolutely not spend $100+ for one.

[noiseredux]

I'm not trying to be a jerk when I ask this... do you have a PSP already?

[lisalover1]

I'm not trying to be a jerk when I ask this... do you have a PSP already?

Yeah, yeah, I know. I do have a hacked PSP, but I want to have something that will be unique.

[noiseredux]

I'm not trying to be a jerk when I ask this... do you have a PSP already?

Yeah, yeah, I know. I do have a hacked PSP, but I want to have something that will be unique.

no that's fine. Just wanted to make sure you weren't ruling one out if you didn't have one -- especially since you mentioned PS1 emulation being important to you.

[fastbilly1]

if you want something unique:
http://cgi.ebay.com/PDA-ZODIAC-Tapwave- ... 3cb88297d9

The Tapwave Zodaic is the cadillac of Palm OS 5 palmpilots. It also has a very solid, though currently dying, emulation scene and good retail titles. PSX is spotty - there is an emulator but due to it being SD cards only (not SDHC), there was really no reason to push for the big multi disc games being compatible. However SNES is good, genesis and below is nigh perfect.

On the ones you stated, I would go for a Dingoo. Its not the best but it is cheap enough to get the job done and still be unique. Ask Modman about the Ngage, since he uses one as his phone. I disliked the bugger when I used one. The QD was ok, but the emulation support was laughable.

[Anapan]

I've owned the GP2X Wiz (the one made right before the Caanoo), and the Dingoo A320. I'd recommend the Dingoo for it's simple design, portability, and battery life. The only drawback I found with it is how easily the screen scratches but replacements are easy to get. Most of the good GP2X stuff has been ported it it's Linux OS (Dingux) and it's built-in emulators run games well.

[lisalover1]

if you want something unique:
http://cgi.ebay.com/PDA-ZODIAC-Tapwave- ... 3cb88297d9

The Tapwave Zodiac is the cadillac of Palm OS 5 palmpilots. It also has a very solid, though currently dying, emulation scene and good retail titles. PSX is spotty - there is an emulator but due to it being SD cards only (not SDHC), there was really no reason to push for the big multi disc games being compatible. However SNES is good, genesis and below is nigh perfect.

On the ones you stated, I would go for a Dingoo. Its not the best but it is cheap enough to get the job done and still be unique. Ask Modman about the Ngage, since he uses one as his phone. I disliked the bugger when I used one. The QD was ok, but the emulation support was laughable.

I don't know, after what I have seen, I am pretty underwhelmed by the emulation capabilities of the Zodiac. It only had a 200 MHz processor, which is half of the GP2X's processing power. It still isn't as weak as the N-Gage, though. Still thank you for your input.

The big games that were first drawing me towards a GP2X were Wind & Water Puzzle Battles and a native port of Cave Story. But, if I can find a Gizmondo for under $60, I will buy it immediately. If not, I will probably go for the GP2X. Now if only I could actually find one.

[swiftzx]

I own a GP2X Wiz and really like the emulator support. I'd recommend it if you're looking for a homebrew handheld, since most things run smoothly and I found the dual d-pad confortable to use.

[gtmtnbiker]

Yeah, yeah, I know. I do have a hacked PSP, but I want to have something that will be unique.

I suggest saving your money and use it to get your MVS cab fixed.

[lisalover1]

Yeah, yeah, I know. I do have a hacked PSP, but I want to have something that will be unique.

I suggest saving your money and use it to get your MVS cab fixed.

Not so much a problem anymore.