"New King of Handhelds?"

For several years now, numerous companies have released their own portable systems in order to compete with Nintendo's GameBoy. All of them so for, have failed...

SNK is trying to change that.

SNK, the company responsible for the Neo-Geo console, released their own color portable system with hopes that it would topple the GameBoy out of its throne. This system is the Neo-Geo Pocket Color.

Unlike the GameBoy, the Neo-Geo Pocket Color is positioned sideways. The screen is situated in the center while the thumbpad is to the left and the buttons on the right. This setup is extremely comfortable for the hands when compared to the cramped setup of the GameBoy Color.

For added comfort, a thumbpad is used instead of the standard directional pad. Think of it of something like an analog stick but more precise. The standard two action buttons are still there though.

The screen is a tad larger than the GameBoy Color's. It uses the same reflective LCD technology of the GameBoy Color's so there won't be any smearing problems. The system is also in color but supports more simultaneous colors onscreen than the GameBoy Color.

The main problem with this system, however, is in the game department. At launch, all the games sere developed by SNK. There was absolutely no 3rd party support at the time. As of now, the only notable 3rd party support would be Sega.

Hopefully, as more companies see how the Neo-Geo Pocket Color is graphically superior to the GameBoy Color, more 3rd party support will become available. This system truly has the potential to take the top spot of the king of handhelds.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99