lukefonfabre388
Sonic Wing
Move like a shadow, sting like a nuke.
Posts: 467 
|
Post by lukefonfabre388 on Oct 10, 2023 2:18:42 GMT
So, I don't know if anyone has heard of this handheld but it was only released in japan. It got about 200 games released for it and its actually a really cool little handheld that competed against the neo geo pocket color and gameboy color. What impresses me about it is that on the original black and white model you got 40 hours of battery life off of just 1 AAA battery. Of course it did not have a lit screen on any of the three models released for it which it should have had.
You also got 20 hours of battery life out of the wonderswan color and 15 hours of battery life out of the wonderswan crystal. The wonderswan crystal is the one you want though. One disadvantage is that all the games are in japanese so unless you know the language you won't be able to play the majority of the library. However there are games you can play without knowing japanese.
When i go to japan next year I plan to pickup all three models of the system as well as the games and headphone adapter for it. I'll be bringing it with me of course when I go on the plane as well as my gameboy advance sp and neo geo pocket color. I plan on bringing back quite a bit of stuff with me.
|
|
centipede
CGR Undertow Groupie
It was just one soy latte, I swear!
Posts: 2,697 
|
Post by centipede on Oct 10, 2023 3:13:44 GMT
40 hours of life from 1 AAA battery. That is impressive!
The Wonderswan is an odd looking handheld. 2 "D-PAds" on the left side. If they actually released it in the the West, it might've survived the onslaught from nintendo back in Japan.
Happy handheld hunting, my friend!
|
|
dschult3
CGR Undertow Groupie
The true heir to the Monado.
Posts: 2,770
|
Post by dschult3 on Oct 10, 2023 11:58:41 GMT
So, I don't know if anyone has heard of this handheld but it was only released in Japan. I have always been interested in this console, because Gunpei Yokoi developed it. The creator of the D-pad and the GameBoy deserved to have these 3 systems released outside of Japan! I honestly don't know why Bandai didn't release it. Hearing that the 16 bit handheld had a few Final Fantasy games made it even more intriguing. The Hard 4 Games guys on YouTube did a few videos on them a couple of years ago, and that really made me feel like the rest of the world truly missed out on something great. I'd love to watch your review when you get them, lukefonfabre388. |
|
lukefonfabre388
Sonic Wing
Move like a shadow, sting like a nuke.
Posts: 467
|
Post by lukefonfabre388 on Oct 10, 2023 15:34:35 GMT
The cartridges are also very unique and I feel that we also missed out on that. I don't have many games for it only like 7 but I used to have a lot more before I sold a lot of them. I wish I never did that. My favorite game I have right now is gunpey ex a color version of gunpey. It's a puzzle game but it's a lot of fun and I think Yokoi developed it.
There is a blue and orange digimon themed console I am going to look for when I go to japan as well as another wonderswan crystal in clear black that I would like to have. For colors I plan on getting an orange and blue wonderswan color when I am there to bring back with me.
|
|
MeleeMonk
Cartoon Pony Wrangler
Part-time gamer, full-time environmentalist, and member of PAPO (People Against Palm Oil)
Posts: 3,651
|
Post by MeleeMonk on Oct 11, 2023 6:08:03 GMT
Luke, didn't you already make a thread about the Wonderswan? I could've sworn you did.
I'm not sure if I've said this before, but I almost bought a wonderswan back in the day. I decided not to though since I wasn't familiar enough with the game library. TBH I don't regret that decision, as I'm not that into handheld gaming and I already have a list of a dozen or so DS & 3DS games that I still want to buy, not to mention some GBA games as well.
Also, you're going to Japan? I didn't know you traveled abroad. I couldn't imagine trying to navigate a foreign country where my native language is nowhere to be seen. It would be FAR too frustrating for me, 'cause I wouldn't even be able to read street signs, so I couldn't get anywhere. That's why I would only want to vacation to a country like Australia or New Zealand, since everyone there speaks english, but I wouldn't anyway since traveling is terrible for the environment.
|
|
lukefonfabre388
Sonic Wing
Move like a shadow, sting like a nuke.
Posts: 467
|
Post by lukefonfabre388 on Oct 11, 2023 22:24:59 GMT
Luke, didn't you already make a thread about the Wonderswan? I could've sworn you did. I'm not sure if I've said this before, but I almost bought a wonderswan back in the day. I decided not to though since I wasn't familiar enough with the game library. TBH I don't regret that decision, as I'm not that into handheld gaming and I already have a list of a dozen or so DS & 3DS games that I still want to buy, not to mention some GBA games as well. Also, you're going to Japan? I didn't know you traveled abroad. I couldn't imagine trying to navigate a foreign country where my native language is nowhere to be seen. It would be FAR too frustrating for me, 'cause I wouldn't even be able to read street signs, so I couldn't get anywhere. That's why I would only want to vacation to a country like Australia or New Zealand, since everyone there speaks english, but I wouldn't anyway since traveling is terrible for the environment. I plan to go to japan next year probably in December. That is when all the bugs will either be dead or in hibernation so things like the Asian giant hornet won't be active and it will be safer to visit rural areas because of it. According to what I read online places will still be open in December. |
|
MeleeMonk
Cartoon Pony Wrangler
Part-time gamer, full-time environmentalist, and member of PAPO (People Against Palm Oil)
Posts: 3,651
|
Post by MeleeMonk on Oct 12, 2023 12:00:08 GMT
Luke, didn't you already make a thread about the Wonderswan? I could've sworn you did. I'm not sure if I've said this before, but I almost bought a wonderswan back in the day. I decided not to though since I wasn't familiar enough with the game library. TBH I don't regret that decision, as I'm not that into handheld gaming and I already have a list of a dozen or so DS & 3DS games that I still want to buy, not to mention some GBA games as well. Also, you're going to Japan? I didn't know you traveled abroad. I couldn't imagine trying to navigate a foreign country where my native language is nowhere to be seen. It would be FAR too frustrating for me, 'cause I wouldn't even be able to read street signs, so I couldn't get anywhere. That's why I would only want to vacation to a country like Australia or New Zealand, since everyone there speaks english, but I wouldn't anyway since traveling is terrible for the environment. I plan to go to japan next year probably in December. That is when all the bugs will either be dead or in hibernation so things like the Asian giant hornet won't be active and it will be safer to visit rural areas because of it. According to what I read online places will still be open in December. Whoa, sounds to me like you have a serious phobia of insects. Here's my perspective: giant japanese hornets would only be a problem if you're hiking through the middle of a forest. They only become aggressive when you approach the entrance of their nest/hive, and unlike other hornets they don't make nests in urban areas, only deep in forests, usually at the bases of trees from what I hear. TBH I think you'd be fine if you went in July or August. You really don't have to worry about bugs, especially if you're just vacationing. On paper, hornets are bat-shit scary, but when they're out scouting for food (i.e. 90% of the time) they're total softies. You see japanese people posting videos to YouTube all the time where they handle them. It's really just their hives that you have to be careful of. Were you planning on hiking through a forest or a park? Like Mount Fuji or Suicide Forest? A lot of those places either don't allow you or don't encourage you to stray from the trail anyway, and the rangers who work those parks are paid to deal with problematic insect hives lining trails, ESPECIALLY if it's a giant japanese hornet nest, in which case they would have to ASAP or they'd risk lawsuits from people getting stung to death. You really don't have to worry about that stuff. Besides, traveling to islands during the summer months would have the added bonus of pleasant swimming water on the shorelines. If I was headed to Japan, I would definitely want to go during summer. I mean, it's milder there than in most of the US during the winter, but summer would still be much more inviting for outdoor activities. Well, I'm sure you'll have a good time regardless. |
|
lukefonfabre388
Sonic Wing
Move like a shadow, sting like a nuke.
Posts: 467
|
Post by lukefonfabre388 on Oct 12, 2023 20:17:59 GMT
I plan to go to japan next year probably in December. That is when all the bugs will either be dead or in hibernation so things like the Asian giant hornet won't be active and it will be safer to visit rural areas because of it. According to what I read online places will still be open in December. Whoa, sounds to me like you have a serious phobia of insects. Here's my perspective: giant japanese hornets would only be a problem if you're hiking through the middle of a forest. They only become aggressive when you approach the entrance of their nest/hive, and unlike other hornets they don't make nests in urban areas, only deep in forests, usually at the bases of trees from what I hear. TBH I think you'd be fine if you went in July or August. You really don't have to worry about bugs, especially if you're just vacationing. On paper, hornets are bat-shit scary, but when they're out scouting for food (i.e. 90% of the time) they're total softies. You see japanese people posting videos to YouTube all the time where they handle them. It's really just their hives that you have to be careful of. Were you planning on hiking through a forest or a park? Like Mount Fuji or Suicide Forest? A lot of those places either don't allow you or don't encourage you to stray from the trail anyway, and the rangers who work those parks are paid to deal with problematic insect hives lining trails, ESPECIALLY if it's a giant japanese hornet nest, in which case they would have to ASAP or they'd risk lawsuits from people getting stung to death. You really don't have to worry about that stuff. Besides, traveling to islands during the summer months would have the added bonus of pleasant swimming water on the shorelines. If I was headed to Japan, I would definitely want to go during summer. I mean, it's milder there than in most of the US during the winter, but summer would still be much more inviting for outdoor activities. Well, I'm sure you'll have a good time regardless. Yes, I do have a phobia of bugs especially ones that can sting you. Those giant hornets scare the crap out of me but if I am going to visit japan I just got to be brave and get over it. |
|
MeleeMonk
Cartoon Pony Wrangler
Part-time gamer, full-time environmentalist, and member of PAPO (People Against Palm Oil)
Posts: 3,651
|
Post by MeleeMonk on Oct 13, 2023 11:32:47 GMT
Whoa, sounds to me like you have a serious phobia of insects. Here's my perspective: giant japanese hornets would only be a problem if you're hiking through the middle of a forest. They only become aggressive when you approach the entrance of their nest/hive, and unlike other hornets they don't make nests in urban areas, only deep in forests, usually at the bases of trees from what I hear. TBH I think you'd be fine if you went in July or August. You really don't have to worry about bugs, especially if you're just vacationing. On paper, hornets are bat-shit scary, but when they're out scouting for food (i.e. 90% of the time) they're total softies. You see japanese people posting videos to YouTube all the time where they handle them. It's really just their hives that you have to be careful of. Were you planning on hiking through a forest or a park? Like Mount Fuji or Suicide Forest? A lot of those places either don't allow you or don't encourage you to stray from the trail anyway, and the rangers who work those parks are paid to deal with problematic insect hives lining trails, ESPECIALLY if it's a giant japanese hornet nest, in which case they would have to ASAP or they'd risk lawsuits from people getting stung to death. You really don't have to worry about that stuff. Besides, traveling to islands during the summer months would have the added bonus of pleasant swimming water on the shorelines. If I was headed to Japan, I would definitely want to go during summer. I mean, it's milder there than in most of the US during the winter, but summer would still be much more inviting for outdoor activities. Well, I'm sure you'll have a good time regardless. Yes, I do have a phobia of bugs especially ones that can sting you. Those giant hornets scare the crap out of me but if I am going to visit japan I just got to be brave and get over it. That's the spirit! Remember: they're more scared of you than you are of them. That's the psychology that anyone who faces the great outdoors must abide by. Or else your fear will just get the best of you and spoil the trip. |
|
lukefonfabre388
Sonic Wing
Move like a shadow, sting like a nuke.
Posts: 467
|
Post by lukefonfabre388 on Oct 14, 2023 21:22:34 GMT
I've seen game prices over there in japan and things can get really cheap. I'm talking like a couple dollars for game boy color games first party Nintendo games. Even if you have to change a save battery in it you will still be way ahead in price of what it would cost to buy a north American copy of the game. The only other downside is the Japanese language in it but you can always look up a walk through online for it. I saw games like Mario golf and Mario tennis for game boy color for very cheap.
|
|
MeleeMonk
Cartoon Pony Wrangler
Part-time gamer, full-time environmentalist, and member of PAPO (People Against Palm Oil)
Posts: 3,651
|
Post by MeleeMonk on Oct 26, 2023 3:22:24 GMT
Luke, a word of warning: I take back what I said about the beaches of Japan. I would NOT swim in them if I were you. I had forgotten about all the nuclear contamination from the fukushima disaster a decade ago. People are still issuing warnings about it. I found this article last week: www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/scientists-test-fukushima-fish-after-nuclear-plant-water-release/ar-AA1iuJNt?OCID=ansmsnnews11Almost all of the radiation from the disaster was absorbed by the sea, contaminating it. Then, in the time following the disaster, japanese officials were forced to dump large amounts of radioactive waste from the wreckage into the sea because there was literally no safe space on the island to store it. And this doesn't even include the nuclear fallout from other nuclear power plant disasters and the bombings of Hiroshima, which undoubtedly contaminated a LOT of sea water as well. When you take all of this into consideration, it's easy to see why Japan has a track record for possessing some of the most infamously toxic coastlines of any country on Earth. So toxic, in fact, that they even spawned the most famous movie monster in cinematic history: GODZILLA! Even classic cinema has been influenced by the history surrounding Japan's water quality. So yeah, I definitely would NOT swim off the coast of Japan if I ever vacationed there. Maybe going there in winter is a good idea because at least you won't be as tempted to take a swim. |
|
