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      Gamereactor
      articles

      War of the Handhelds: GameGadget Vs NeoGeo X

      In the next few months UK outfit Blaze will introduce two new handhelds into the market.

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      War of the Handhelds: GameGadget Vs NeoGeo XWar of the Handhelds: GameGadget Vs NeoGeo X

      First is GameGadget that'll be available as of March 30th from it's official website - a retro-based console built to play emulations and indie titles. Next is the limited edition NeoGeo X with twenty classic built-in, due sometime in the next few months.

      Blaze has a distinct pedigree in the legal retro gaming market, releasing retro-style Plug & Play consoles, and a line of Sega-endorsed Mega Drive handhelds that you've likely seen grouped around till-stands in stores during the Christmas period and offered as a mix of cheap impulse buy and collector nostalgia.

      However, pre-loaded games aside, these two new consoles offer something different, offering ongoing game support both through micro-transactions as well as SD Card slots on both machines. The GameGadget especially, running Linux open source operating system, gives free reign to developers wanting to create new titles through the OS.

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      While some details about the NeoGeo X haven't been disclosed yet - such as dimensions and weight, we've done some digging, and stack as best a comparison between the two machines as possible so you can get a better idea of the specs, and whether either are something you might want to add to your handheld collection.

      Builds

      Both are constructed with a blocky rectangular design, screen in the middle, D-Pad (or analogue thumbtack for the NeoGeo) on the left, four face buttons on the right. While dimensions haven't been released for the NeoGeo X, its relative thinness from product shots suggests it'll be slimmer than the GameGadget, and also have a sleek black sheen finish on the front of the body that makes it look more like a smartphone.

      Both carry a 3.5 inch LCD screen, with the GameGadget's version (320x240) and 16-bit colour puts it at a disadvantage to the likes of the iTouch despite sharing the same screen size - the iTouch screen pumps out 640x960 with 24-bit colour depth. NeoGeo X's resolution is still to be confirmed.

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      GameGadget's adopted the A/B, X/Y button setup that proved the standard since the SNES era, while the NeoGeo keeps its console ancestry of A/B, C/D - though their row positions are swopped round on the X. Both consoles' button sets are raised from the machine's chassis rather than fitting into the build.

      Select and Start buttons sit below and either side the screen on the NeoGeo, while they're coupled together at the top right of the GameGadget's front, while a Reset button rests at the left.

      War of the Handhelds: GameGadget Vs NeoGeo X

      Shoulder buttons adorn each, though the NeoGeo trumps the GameGadget with two additional bumper buttons - and all four are labelled with the L1/L2, R1/R2 markings aping the PlayStation controllers.

      Between the shoulders, the GameGadget has a headphone/TV Out connection - the NeoGeo X has an AV Out in its place, with headphone jack situated at the bottom instead - and both carry a Micro USB slot for charging the machines - GameGagdet comes with a Li-Lion rechargeable battery, while the Neo Geo X is rumoured to be carrying a 2200mAh battery - as well as linking to PCs.

      No mention has been made of battery life nor recharge time yet.

      At the bottom, the NeoGeo X has two pairs of digital buttons. Left for volume, right for screen brightness, and that already mentioned headphone connection. GameGadget's ass is unblemished.

      To the left, GameGadget has what presumably is a two-pin slot to slide in a wrist attachment, and an SD slot, while the on/off switch sits to the right. Without a unit to check, we can only assume by the twined lights at the bottom left of the NeoGeo's front that both power switch and SD slots are located on its left side.

      Both have two gig of on-board memory built in, as well as internal stereo speakers.

      The GameGadget's dimensions are 140Wx75Hx16D (mm). We've contacted Blaze for dimensions and were told that it could only confirm the details currently released about the console. But if we assume from the screen sizes that both machines are roughly the same size, that'd put both consoles as slightly bulkier than the iTouch - 58Wx110Hx7.1D (mm) and iPhone, but less mass and space-swallowing than either Nintendo 3DS and PS Vita.

      NeoGeo X: The built-in Games

      The full list of titles are as follows:

      1. ART OF FIGHTING
      2. BASEBALL STARS
      3. CYBER LIP
      4. FATAL FURY
      5. FATAL FURY SPECIAL
      6. FOOTBALL FRENZY
      7. KING OF THE MONSTERS
      8. LAST RESORT
      9. LEAGUE BOWLING
      10. MAGICIAN LORD
      11. METAL SLUG
      12. MUTATION NATION
      13. NAM 1975
      14. SAMURAI SHODOWN
      15. SENGOKU
      16. SUPER SIDEKICKS
      17. THE KING OF FIGHTERS'94
      18. THE ULTIMATE 11
      19. TOP PLAYERS GOLF
      20. WORLD HEROES

      King of Fighters? Metal Slug? While twenty titles is quite generous, accurate ports of SNK titles are no longer the myth-like conversions once dreamed of and only afforded by those able to match the astronomical costs to buy an arcade board - we can now fit pixel and animation perfect versions into bite-sized digital downloads, so the initial allure of the titles immediately wanes - and while we're glad to see a retro collection that isn't another Sega Mega Drive compilation, the games listed ultimately will only appeal to collectors and fans of the originals.

      Game expansion and future support

      War of the Handhelds: GameGadget Vs NeoGeo X

      Both consoles have SD card slots once the on-board memory's been filled, with the idea that newer games can be copied onto the SC cards and slotted into the machines. While NeoGeo X's plans for ongoing game appearances past those just-announced twenty is unknown, GameGadget will be officially supporting new game downloads via micro-transactions with a service similar to iTunes.

      As to what those games will be? Blaze PR Mark Garrett stated in a recent interview with Eurogamer that the company was "in communication with all the major publishers."

      However, given Blaze's partnership with Sega in creating the Sega handhelds, and the game publisher's fondness for repackaging its 90s classics across console and phones as digital downloads, it mightn't be far off the mark to expect GameGadget to be another platform for those re-releases.

      There's also the legality of emulation to consider. A grey area to some and outright theft to others, Blaze's hope is that the console will offer gamers a chance to replay lost classics, and offer publishers an avenue to resell their back catalogue.

      Speaking to GamesTM, Garrett said the system's "completely legitimising the ROM scene, and the emulation scene, and providing people access to the original games, in the original format, on a device that is built specifically to play games with." In the same feature, the magazine reports that the hardware is capable of supporting PSOne and Saturn titles.

      Thorny issue asides, perhaps the GameGadget's biggest hook is the potential of establishing a healthy indie scene thanks to its operating system - could this be the platform for a new wave of developers to strut their stuff? The kind that's been tidily blindsided on Xbox 360 with the new ad-heavy Dashboard update, and the return of digital inputs would make it more attractive to those favouring physical buttons over touch screens - both buyers and developers.
      Additional: the GameGadget also operate as a multi-media device, supporting music, videos, e-books and photos.

      Pricing

      War of the Handhelds: GameGadget Vs NeoGeo X

      You can pre-order the GameGadget now for £99.99 from the official website, and it comes bundled with a USB charger, battery and 12 month warranty. Its the ballpark figure for handhelds pre-3DS release. It'll be out March 30th.

      While the transaction service isn't up and running, Blaze has talked about game releases keeping in line with App Store pricing as opposed to Nintendo 3DS or PS Vita standards.

      NeoGeo X has a release date of "Q2" this year, and will be limited edition, according to its publisher. Currently you can only register your interest on the official site.

      As for pricing, there's been plenty of speculation but nothing concrete. MCV is backing its story that Blaze is considering a £500RRP for the console, but with "an open mind" about a price drop, while Eurogamer says that pricing has since been confirmed as incorrect. We've contacted Blaze again to get an answer either way.



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