Gaming on a PPC...

[donkey33]

Can someone tell me a bit about the gaming side on PPC's?

If I get a PPC, I'd be gaming on it but what are they like? I've considered getting a Gameboy Advance for a few games. Are they anything like the games on here.

I only ask because I don't know if PPC's have some form of graphics card in them.

On my T610, I can play soccer and games like that. Is the PPC as good or better for gaming?

Thanks

[k0diak]

I Love gaming on my h2215. Pocket Mini Golf!!! cannot beat it! :P I also have a T-610 and gaming on the Ipaq is much more enjoyable. Theres tons of games out there for pocketpc! I forgot to add, its alot like gaming on a GameBoy, except you gotta get used to the stylus :)

[Jason Dunn]

I you get a Dell Axim X50v, it has a dedicated 3D chip in it with 16 MB of RAM, which allows it to play 3D VGA resolution games and video, something no other Pocket PC can do.

[IanG]

The pocketpc is no gameboyadvance, but that's because it wasn't designed to be a gaming device.

There's some pretty good games for pocketpc, and there's a lot of emulators so you can play all the old NES/SNES era games.

If you want just a straight gaming device to enjoy games like warioware and Zelda, the GBA is the way to go. If you want to play a few games, the pocketpc is good and you're more likely to always carry it with you.

Ian G

Edit: If you factor in cost (GBA $100 vs PPC $300+), the gba becomes the much better option, unless you were already looking for a PDA. GBA games are a little more expensive though.

[Kowalski]

I you get a Dell Axim X50v, it has a dedicated 3D chip in it with 16 MB of RAM, which allows it to play 3D VGA resolution games and video, something no other Pocket PC can do.

16megs of dedicated ram? man thats insane!!! i didnt know that

[donkey33]

The X50v sounds great with the dedicated 3D chip.

I'm not looking to get one for gaming. It would be used as a PPC but gaming would be a bonus that I would look for.

Thanks for the replies.

[k0diak]

;) Let us know what you get! :)

[donkey33]

Will do.

At the moment, I'm leaning towards the X50v purely because I want a VGA screen and that 16MB 3D chip is nice.

But, it's $899 AUD here and that's a bit for a PPC. Money I could spend elsewhere so I'm not sure just yet.

[RD100]

You can play games like Doom, Quake 1 & 2 on a PPC, if you like first-shooter type games.

Virtual Pool Mobile by Celeris is an incredibly realistic billiards game for PPC.

I never played a GameBoy Advance, but I can say that PocketPC games can be pretty terrific with very good graphics.

And the best part of having a PPC instead of a GameBoy, is you can use it for a ton of other things besides playing games.

[k0diak]

You can play games like Doom, Quake 1 & 2 on a PPC, if you like first-shooter type games.

Virtual Pool Mobile by Celeris is an incredibly realistic billiards game for PPC.

I never played a GameBoy Advance, but I can say that PocketPC games can be pretty terrific with very good graphics.

And the best part of having a PPC instead of a GameBoy, is you can use it for a ton of other things besides playing games.


EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[donkey33]

That's great.

Kind of the answer I was looking for. Being able to play games that have been on other systems like Doom and Quake.

Are games pricey?

[simon tahiti]

Doom and Quake are free (well, for the shareware levels). Other prices vary a lot. Here are some of my favorites:

Virtual Pool Mobile has a pretty good free demo and is an awesome game.

"Hexacto Links" is a really good golf game

4Pockets have a cool pinball game called 4Pinball

If you like classic gaming you should also check out the pocket pc version of MAME by Techmaster (called MegaMAMECE) - you can play the original versions of Galaga, Pole Position, Space Invaders, Pacman, and literally thousands of others.

PocketGNUboy is an emulator for Gameboy

[jickbahtech]

I love gaming on my iPaq. My 3950 still handles most everything without any problems.
Right now I'm playing alot of:
*Age of Empires Gold
*SimCity 2000
*Anthelion (like Tie Fighter and Wing Commander)

and thanks to MorphGear I can play just about any console game ever made for Game boy Advance and older (NES, Genesis, SuperNES, GBA,etc.).

While more expensive than a GBA, you'll get a lot more out of a Pocket PC than a GBA. That and mine has helped eliminate the need to carry a bunch of stuff around with me.
I can just grab my cell phone and PPC and I'm out the door.

[Stephen Beesley]

I you get a Dell Axim X50v, it has a dedicated 3D chip in it with 16 MB of RAM, which allows it to play 3D VGA resolution games and video, something no other Pocket PC can do.

Yet another reason for me to go with a Dell next time round....

The X50v is looking harder and harder to resist - especially at €450.

I can see an almost new e755 going on ebay very very soon!

[donkey33]

I love gaming on my iPaq. My 3950 still handles most everything without any problems.
Right now I'm playing alot of:
*Age of Empires Gold
*SimCity 2000
*Anthelion (like Tie Fighter and Wing Commander)

and thanks to MorphGear I can play just about any console game ever made for Game boy Advance and older (NES, Genesis, SuperNES, GBA,etc.).

Great...

I didn't realise you could play games like Age of Empires and Simcity.

Also, the fact that Morphgear can do what it does pretty much has me sold.

I'm assuming morphgear is an application and you'd need the source of these games to play them?

[jickbahtech]

Yeah the legalities of Emulation are still a little vague. I use it to play old NES games, but they have modules for just about any old console out.
Technically you shouldn't be using ROMs unless you own the actual cartridges, but show me where I can get Blaster Master for the NES.

But the simple fact of the matter is, if my 3 year old PPC can play Mortal Kombat for the GBA (a little slow, but acceptable game play), then you should have absolutely no problem using the X50v as a gaming machine.

[ChristopherTD]

I have spent a lot of money on lots of games on my iPaq, and there are some fairly good ones there. However I found there were none that really grabbed me with the "Just One More Turn" compulsion that made me want to play them rather than say, read an ebook if I had the iPaq out.

They sit a little uneasily with the fact that the PPC does other things as well, as it isn't ideally or comfortably laid out for gaming, and the d-pad controls on many devices are too flaky for precise action.

2 weeks ago I purchased a GBA SP and I doubt that I will spend any more on PPC games. The GBA SP is very small, with good battery life, has a readable backlit screen and has a catalog of excellent games of all varieties. It really is very small, much more pocketable than I imagined.

I would recommend spending the gaming budget on a GBA SP and a few really good titles, rather than 10 reasonably good PPC titles.

This is my findning after a year of heavy spending on PPC games anyway...

[upplepop]

Yeah the legalities of Emulation are still a little vague. I use it to play old NES games, but they have modules for just about any old console out.
Technically you shouldn't be using ROMs unless you own the actual cartridges, but show me where I can get Blaster Master for the NES.

Actually, Nintendo doesn't think you should using the ROM even if you own the cartridge. (http://www.nintendo.com/corp/legal.jsp#download_rom) Which I think is a pretty stupid policy, but considering all of the old NES and SNES games that they re-release on newer systems, I can see why they have this position.

[jickbahtech]

Totally appreciated (and I've seen that page before), and when they re-release Blaster Master, the original Batman, 1943, Rampage, and Xenophobe I will buy them. Until then, unfortunetly, I'll have to stick with emulation.
The GBA is a fantastic mobile gaming device, but I dont want to carry another mobile device around. That and I got kinda lucky opting for my 3950, as they make game pads for it (the BenQ is pretty cool), so I'm not hurting on ergonomics. It does look kinda funny though with my iPaq in a sleeve with an extended battery and a game pad is larger than a first generation GameBoy.

Ultimately the question comes down to how much gaming and what kind of games you like to play. I love Age of Empires. You cant play AOE on a GBA.
That and for me, ONE device is my calendar/datebook, contact list, gaming machine, notepad, Music player/Music composer, media viewer/editor (pics and movies), calculator, IM/email/internet portal, Document/spreadsheet editor, and eBook reader. I like that convenience.

[Kaber]

Don't forget there is a great version of NetHack (http://nethack.org/v343/downloads.html) for Windows CE. Its gotten the most play on my iPAQ with second place being held by PokeNES (http://pocketnes.retrogames.com/). Mike Tyson's Punchout works great.

[benn600]

Has anyone tried Arvale? I like that game and in fact, I think I'm going to go play it right now.

[Typhoon]

Yeah the legalities of Emulation are still a little vague. I use it to play old NES games, but they have modules for just about any old console out.
Technically you shouldn't be using ROMs unless you own the actual cartridges, but show me where I can get Blaster Master for the NES.

But the simple fact of the matter is, if my 3 year old PPC can play Mortal Kombat for the GBA (a little slow, but acceptable game play), then you should have absolutely no problem using the X50v as a gaming machine.

I'm not too sure about that. I have a ASUS a730 which is a VGA PPC and I tried Pocket SNES and it doesn't seem to work at all. I think it is a VGA issue. Other people seem to have the same problem. Maybe Morphgear has fixed this issue w/their product?

[Typhoon]

I have spent a lot of money on lots of games on my iPaq, and there are some fairly good ones there. However I found there were none that really grabbed me with the "Just One More Turn" compulsion that made me want to play them rather than say, read an ebook if I had the iPaq out.

They sit a little uneasily with the fact that the PPC does other things as well, as it isn't ideally or comfortably laid out for gaming, and the d-pad controls on many devices are too flaky for precise action.

2 weeks ago I purchased a GBA SP and I doubt that I will spend any more on PPC games. The GBA SP is very small, with good battery life, has a readable backlit screen and has a catalog of excellent games of all varieties. It really is very small, much more pocketable than I imagined.

I would recommend spending the gaming budget on a GBA SP and a few really good titles, rather than 10 reasonably good PPC titles.

This is my findning after a year of heavy spending on PPC games anyway...

That is so true. Quality gaming is very nil on the PPC. But everytime I give a comment like this on other forums, I get bashed for it.

[tanalasta]

That is so true. Quality gaming is very nil on the PPC. But everytime I give a comment like this on other forums, I get bashed for it.

I wouldn't say that. True - the games on PPC are not quite up to the quality of a dedicated gaming console or the venerated Desktop with the latest Radeon GFx card :twisted: It is very difficult to compare these devices are they are on totally different levels. Say compare the ol' handheld parachute game to a GBA :P

But PPC gaming vendors are improving all the time, and as PPC's start shipping more RAM, 3D chips and faster processors - will get better. Who knows, one day there might even be a gamepad accessory for a PPC! My gripe with PPC games are that button control/gamepad are difficult and wrecks the buttons but also battery life plummets during gaming. The best games are those that rely on stylus control.

But for pure time-wasting on a bus, in a lecture or any other time where all you got is your trusty PPC, games do make life go that bit faster. And there are some quality games for US$10 that are worth buying. I would think any PPC game over US$15-20 may be too pricey to consider.

Just as Minesweeper is always a novel time-waster, why not try your hand at bejewelled? 8)

[neomotion]

And offcourse there is ScummVM, which allows you to play the old lucasarts point and click games. Day of the tenacle and Sam and Max both work perfectly on my old but trusty Toshiba e740. Now i am thinking about getting a VGA ppc, and the Dell sounds pretty promising.

But seriously, ScummVM will impress anyone you show it to. Then again, if you just want a gaming device, don't go for the GBA, go for the DS, coming out in the US tommorow i believe.

[Typhoon]

That is so true. Quality gaming is very nil on the PPC. But everytime I give a comment like this on other forums, I get bashed for it.

I wouldn't say that.

...Well, I think MOST people think it's nil. The production of quality is of much higher standard than PPC games. You have many programmers trying to be low budget doing everything to make their own games. Do their own art, storyline, ideas, programming, etc. Usually in a game industry such as GBA, you have pros to do the tasks: graphics, programming, storyline, ideas, etc. which equals a professional product. I'm not saying all PPC games suck, but they lack that professional edge. I really can't be fooled here though. I'm also not dissing some of those programmers who have a little artist skill to put in their games. I've been an artist most of my life, so I can tell the difference between the PPC games quality of art compared to pros. More innovative and creative stories, ideas, and concepts are seen in higher quality in the GBA industry and not the PPC. I think this is way true and makes too much sense... PPC games compared to GBA games is... Homemade games compared to professional games.

PPC gaming can be fun...but as for games...does not come close to GBA. ...But the way I see it, better portable gaming systems (Nintendo DS & Sony PSP) are coming out, so the quality gap will get bigger and bigger...

[ChristopherTD]

Most PPC games reach the diverting rather than addicting level. I did think that when I got my PPC it would be great for games and I liked just having that one device. But even though I bought lots of games, I just found that I would rather read a book (I also bought lots of ebooks). So they languish in a corner of my SD card.

For me a good measure is, would I play a PPC game at home if I was at a loose end. There hasn't been one yet that has grabbed me!

The GBA on the other hand...

[jickbahtech]

I still think the best is yet to come.
With games like Madden 2005, Flux Challenge, and Atlantis hitting the market, I think we are just now seeing what our faithful PIM protectors are capable of. Those games alone (with other faithul favorites like SimCity and AOE) help chip away at the gaming "quality" arguments people have used in the past IMHO.

As for a previous post about PocketNES I havent gotten it to work at all with WM2003, which is why I went to MorphGear. I have heard reviews saying emulation on VGA devices is still pretty rough though. (PDA Buyers guide said the X50v had problems with GBA games, but faired pretty well with NES and Genesis titles).

It still comes down to the fact that the games I like to play can be played, pretty handily on a PPC (when they port AOE Gold I might consider switching). Plus with everything I want to do while out and about I'm keeping my device list to 2 items. Without my PPC I'd need a Batman like utility belt.

[Typhoon]

One thing to consider is that most games now-a-days are made w/DirectX. When the next new PDA models that come w/the next new Windows Mobile 2005 operating system, it will come w/D3DM which is a limited version of D3D for PDAs. When that comes out, there will be many developers making higher quaility 3D games because DirectX makes it so much easier to make 3D games... so that is something to look out for. I think that should be soon? Or not? Maybe someone can comment on this. Also, I think NVIDIA is making GPUs that should work w/PDAs in the near future. So if PDAs start coming out w/NVIDIA GPUs and Direct3D, you might start seeing a bunch of nice 3D quality games coming out for PDAs.

[Typhoon]

I can't believe I forgot that you can play Playstation games on the Pocket PC. I've never tried it but supposively you can play them at full speed (or at least a very playable speed). I want to try it out but never tried it out yet... I think it is supposed to be the most, or could be the only, legal way to play emulated console games. At least I think it's legal...unless someone wants to comment on this? If you check the FPSECE (I think that is what it's called) website, you notice that most Playstation games can be emulated (approxi. 95% or more)...actually this puts the Pocket PC above the GameBoy Adv. in someways, if you think about it. The downside is that you have to buy the Playstation games (really cheap on eBay), use software to manually turn the CD into an ISO file, strip out the movies (if you want), buy a big memory card (512MB/1GB/2GB--which can be $50-$15), and transfer the ISO file into your memory card. Supposively the X50v w/the VGA adjustment drivers, Playstation games w/play at an average of 65 FPS... I find it a bit dissapointing though that the only tomb raider game that will work is Tomb Raider 3...

[ChristopherTD]

Unfortunately for me all the emulators don't overcome the physical limitations. The controls and shape of the PPC aren't conducive to extended gaming (for me)...

[Typhoon]

lol oh right... that is true. I have always thought that a simple solution would to include transparent buttons w/the emulations in landscape mode. You know what I am saying? Like Tomb Raider for the PPC...the transparent buttons look and work great...then playing on the Pocket PC would be so much easier....only if they can do this. Doing this with a VGA Pocket PC might be a good idea.

[Typhoon]

Ok, I guess I was wrong about SNES emulation for the VGA Pocket PCs. I got my a730 to do it. But I heard that so far the fastest Pocket PC out there is the Dell Axim X50v. All you have to do is download drivers to get it to use QVGA programs like the PocketSNES. I think it's called Picard's X50v drivers.