I got one of those Chinese cheap arse Nintendo DS look a likes from a UFO catcher the other day. At first glance it looks pretty cool but they are nothing but shite. Here's the box. Notice the striking resemblance to a real DS. You'll notice from the back of the box that the unit comes with a carry strap and earphones. Everything actually looks pretty nice when it's packed up. It actually looks as if there's some quality there. Of course though, being from China it's as cheap as hell and feels like shit. The build quality is pathetic and isn't even put together properly as you can see from the gap between the hinges. The games are unplayable !! No matter what button you press they seem to just do what ever they want. Only one screen runs which is the top one. Behind that screen is a piss poor white LED lit up plastic slab. Here's the unit with no screens. The silver block at the bottom is the battery cover. And here it is from the bottom. The final verdict is that these things are just pure shit that beep away no matter what you do. The strap is of very poor quality and God only knows what the earphones are like. Here's a pic of the PSP version which they also had. No doubt that this is shit too. Yakumo
Well, those clones are interesting as hell, for sure. The white, lit LCD thing does solve many issues with LCDs that many other crappy LCD games have. It surprises me, though, that these things can be found in Japan. It's a misconception on my part, I think, to have thought that there was no piracy there whatsoever.
That's a pretty fair price, I guess. Just... how BIG are UFO catchers, though? To be able to get a box like that and stuff...?
You can have mine for free (well paypal charges will have to be paid) mate. the problem is that postage will probably be something like 8 pounds. Yakumo
Those LCD games are still as crappy as ever. One thing I could never figure out: Tamagotchis are really popular with little kids now, same as they were like 8 or 9 years ago. But they still have the same crappy LCD screens and the same annoying beeps as LSI games have always had. Same goes for those Chinese LSI games. Wouldn't somebody have decided to upgrade these things with better technology? Like with colour screens and sampled sound, etc? The technology must have gotten cheaper. LCD junk hasn't changed in 20 years.
could you take the screen for another project? (lik, let's say, a portable nes?) does the screen have a potable quality? can you buy other games for this thing? what about the name of the game near the screen, is this printed, or does it change when you change the game? that's so bad i want one too.
Nope, the screen is simply a stencil of the multiple "states" of the "sprites" in the game. These devices were actually pretty cool in the Game and Watch era, when they were made with some creativity and cool design. The technology is almost 30 years old now, though, and since it's still cheap and has rentability in several markets, it will not change, as evolution would reduce profits and markets more than it would attract the market that can afford real portable gaming. With third world salaries, for example, few people can afford a GBA, much less a DS or PSP. A brick game, though, can be made with 1 dollar, and sells for two or three. It's still got a market. People need entertainment. These games aren't as rewarding as more expensive entertainment, but neither are they as expensive. Wasn't there a thread about a colour LCD tetris in the old message board? (the black version). Some fellow in France, I think, had a game about helping "bob" or some other anodinely named fellow order some bricks - and it had a colour screen. Or something like that.
