Pretty much everyone now owns a device that can play, making anyone a potential customer. Knock the clock back 25 years and you’d have to go out, buy a chunky unit, some overpriced cartridges and hopefully have change left for a pocket full of AA batteries.

Let’s relive the past without the dodgy D-pads, horrendous battery life and having to blow the dust off each cart before playing a game. To emulation!

Don’t Ask Me For ROMs

No really, I can’t tell you where to get them. If you own original cartridges then you’re entitled to a backup copy, and you can go ahead and reclaim your collection. If you’re looking for ROMs then you’ll probably have no problems using Google, BitTorrent and if possible, private trackers.

Game Boy (1989) – VisualBoyAdvance

It was time to replace the Game and Watch – Nintendo’s first (rather DS-like) handheld venture, and the Game Boy was born. Nintendo aimed to keep production costs low and battery life acceptable, and despite initial criticisms the handheld eventually shot to success thanks to one game in particular.

Nintendo saw a game called Tetris exhibited at a 1988 game show and immediately saw the potential. The company bought up the rights to the game and released it as the Game Boy’s killer title. It was a hit-and-a-half.

I’ve just finished an article all about Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance emulator VisualBoyAdvance. It runs on all major operating systems (and a few other, more obscure platforms to boot) and provides great emulation.

Atari Lynx (1989) – Handy

Initially called “Handy Game” (bet you’re glad they ditched that title) the Atari Lynx was the world’s first colour handheld games console. The unit was released around the time Nintendo were debuting their monochrome Game Boy and featured superior hardware, as well as an “upside down lefty” method of play.

Unfortunately the Lynx flopped. That colour screen was thirsty, as was the beefy hardware, which meant that the console chewed through batteries in no time. It was also expensive, and this further spurred on the success of the cheaper (and less unwieldy) Game Boy.

Handy is (allegedly) the best Lynx emulator – it runs on Windows but hasn’t had an update for a while so compatability mode on newer systems might resolve any issues.

Sega Game Gear (1990) – KEGA Fusion

One of the few consoles to give the Game Boy a run for its money, Sega’s Game Gear appeared in 1990 in Japan, with a worldwide release in 1991. It too featured a colour screen and devoured batteries like they were going out of fashion – lasting on average around 3-4 hours.

Sega intended to make a follow-on touch screen version of the Game Gear (which was based on the Master System console) but production costs put the company off. The Game Gear can be emulated rather well with KEGA Fusion, an emulator that runs on all 3 major operating systems.

Game Boy Color (1998) – VisualBoyAdvance

Adding backwards compatibility for the first time in a handheld, the Game Boy Color was the next iteration of the Game Boy franchise. Further information about the console and emulator can be found in the VisualBoyAdvance article.

Neo Geo Pocket Color (1999) – NeoPop

The Neo Geo Pocket Color was a 16-bit handheld that disappeared from US and European markets due to an SNK buyout in 2000. Until then the portable was looking promising in the US market, even managing to give the Game Boy Color a decent fight.

NeoPop is tipped as the best Neo Geo Pocket Color emulator. It runs on Windows but also has a version for BeOS.

WonderSwan Color (1999) – Oswan: Windows/Mac

The WonderSwan Color was the follow-up to Bandai’s original WonderSwan console and only ever saw release in Japan. During its life it managed to steal 8% of the market share from Nintendo’s Game Boy, thanks in part to a deal that saw the original NES/Famicom Final Fantasy ported over.

Oswan appears to be the only WonderSwan Color emulator still out there, and runs on both Windows and Mac.

Game Boy Advance (2001) – Visual Boy Advance

Adding two more buttons, improved graphics, improved sound and improved battery life to the Game Boy name, the GBA (despite not being quite as successful as the original) managed to shift more than 80 million units during its lifetime.

Nintendo franchises like Pokémon and Mario as well as some guests (including Sonic) made the console an overwhelming success. Far more information check out the Visual Boy Advance article, which covers the GBA.

Conclusion

So who’s still with us? Nintendo, sure – but the rest? Sega dropped out of the hardware market after poor sales of the Dreamcast, and many of the others simply publish, develop or churn out software these days.

Still, Sony have joined the ranks with the upcoming Vita and the 3DS can’t be far away from a revision by now. If you’ve enjoyed reading about these old portables or have found an emulator you’ve been looking for leave us a comment below!

Any favourite handhelds? Any favourite games? Nobody forgets their first handheld, right? Discuss below!

When I first started out, I was using a very slow beta that was horrible. But now, my WM 6.5 beta is very stable and all my friends are getting jealous.

So, how do you know if WM 6.5 is right for you? Until now, you relied on word of mouth and reviews but now Microsoft has released their newest Software Development Kit (SDK) for Windows Mobile 6.5. Included in this package is a Windows Mobile emulator that allows you to run Windows Mobile 6.5 on your PC.

It is meant for development of software applications but don’t let that stop you from downloading and trying out the newest mobile operating system.

Here is a screen shot of my Windows Mobile 6.5 desktop:

That is the Titanium interface that is very slick, loaded up with Titanium Weather and a custom picture of my reason for living. That’s it, the rest of it is right out of the box! So now, if I have sparked some interest you can mosey on over here and grab the WM 6.5 Professional SDK package.

After installing it, you will have an emulator on your start menu like this:

Clicking on the Standalone Emulator Images will show you several emulators like this:

Choose any one of them and you are off to explore the wonderful world of Windows Mobile 6.5.

It takes a moment to boot up but when it is done you will see the above home screen. Go ahead and try Windows Mobile on your PC ““ it ain’t like you are going to break something! Hit the Start menu in the upper right hand corner to check out the honeycomb interface like so:

Everything is useable, except for the phone and internet but you can customize it, mess around with the settings and get a feel for it. I could never see myself going back to 6.1! Take it for a test drive and let us know your feelings in the comments.

And please, keep your “It’s no iPhone” jokes to a minimum!

Yes, I said “for free” and “from Microsoft” in the same sentence again! This little application installs on your Windows Mobile Device and then you can set a schedule for your data to be synced to the cloud. I am talking everything here: from text messages to contacts and back to audio and documents. This is awesome!

If you destroyed or lost your phone, restoring your data has never been this easy without having to sit in front of a computer with active sync.

Let’s see how it works.

First, we download the application directly onto our device by browsing over to http://myphone.microsoft.com/install and letting it install. Once it is installed ,you will need a Windows Live ID (your Hotmail account will work). The setup wizard will start and you will see this screen:

Simply click next and then accept the agreement to continue.

After you click Accept, you are ready to either enter your Windows Live ID or sign up for a new one. You can sign up for a new one by clicking the link that says “Create New Windows Live ID” at the bottom of the screen.

If you are going to have MyPhone sync on a regular basis, you will need to check the box next to “Save Password”.

You will see a confirmation that you have logged in successfully and your device is then configured to work with MyPhone.

You will be able to choose how you want to sync: either automatically on a schedule or manually. If you choose manually, you will need to open the MyPhone application on your phone to sync.

Your sync will start, and you will see each item sync as it goes. Contacts, calendar, photos, text messages, videos, audio and more.

After you are all synced up, you can browse over to http://myphone.micrsoft.com from your PC to view your data. Let’s check it out.

And of course, if you want to restore a device with your data, all you need to do is install the application on your device. After logging in, it will pull all your data back to this device. You can add multiple devices and keep them all in sync.

Are you using this or another similar service? Let us know in the comments!