In my line of work, there is a LOT of sitting around. For example, every sunday I get to the football stadium 6 hours before the kickoff to get through security and set up ... and then waiting forever.

So my girlfriend was thinking a game boy should be super cheap after Christmas since the holiday shopping season is gonna be so abysmal. However, not being a kid anymore, I have no idea what is good in the way of handheld video games. Anyone have anything in that realm? Any suggestions?

I don't have one, but it seems like a PSP would be better. The games look more interesting and you can use it as a media device, though I assume you have a badass iPod or an iPhone already.

The main downside of the PSP is the pathetic battery life (~2h when playing without AC connection). As long as you have a place to charge it while you're waiting around or aren't going to be using it for more than that, it should be fine. They're also fairly fragile; my good friend's son has broken two of them this year, so just be careful not to bang them around too much when lugging your gear around, etc. Beyond that it looks like there's a wide variety of games available for the thing, but you might want to see what others who play portable devices recommend, I havn't used them since the Game Boy era either...

Regards,
Nydia

I'd have to give the same advice - spend some time browsing games at the local electronics store, and see what appeals to you the most.

Image being what it is in this industry, what do you want clients to see you carrying around? Since I have people watching everything I do, I usually opt for iPod videos that no one can see, or books. But I've considered a PSP in the past.

Actually, the video game industry is expecting a strong season.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/technology/news/e3i418dddc577c320a4485d767bd82d8b92

It's counterintuitive, but the video game industry has been seen as recession-resistant for a while (not that there's a whole lot of data to back it up so far).

I like my Nintendo DS, for what it's worth.

Video games are mostly sold at stores which sell all sorts of stuff, not just games, and their sales will be generally much lower than years past. There will be store wide sales, especially in strong areas, to get people in the door.

DS is going to be a lot more sturdy than the PSP. And it seems like anyways that there are more games being made for it than the PSP. I have both, I prefer my PSP for 'serious' games, Socom etc, and my DS for "fun" games like Mario, puzzle games, etc.

The battery life on my DS lite was phenominal, 6-8 hours play time or more. The only phenominal thing about my PSP's battery was that it didn't explode like most sony batteries :p

If you like puzzle games and things like that I'd definitely get the DS. My wife plays a million of them on hers.

My kids have Gameboys, they like them.

Actually, the video game industry is expecting a strong season.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/technology/news/e3i418dddc577c320a4485d767bd82d8b92

It's counterintuitive, but the video game industry has been seen as recession-resistant for a while (not that there's a whole lot of data to back it up so far).

I like my Nintendo DS, for what it's worth.

I don't think it's counterintuitive at all. It's cheaper to buy a game and stay home than it is to go out for an evening, and a game lasts longer than a night out. I think it makes sense that a person would maximize his/her entertainment dollar by purchasing the entertainment option that lasts longer. Plus when you are done with a game, it still retains some value if you want to trade it in on another game. You can't trade in a night at at a bar, dinner and a movie, a concert, or the like.

My son's PSP is getting long in the tooth and it still looks great. You can throw movies or games in them and the picture is incredible.

I prefer it over the DS for the picture alone, granted I haven't seen a movie on the DS as of yet.

Get an iphone.