First Impressions- PhoneJoy

With our review of the PhoneJoy planned for early next week we thought we'd write about out early impressions of the device which are mixed so far. Whilst we have had some difficulty connecting the device at times (we can't put our finger on why it can sometimes connect first time and yet at other times take 3 or 4 tries) and we've not really viewed it as being incredibly portable we've also really found that it is very easy to use, feels solid and sits in the hands well.

Also we've found (rather surprisingly) that the little stand that came with the device is nothing short of brilliant, it's not only made the PhoneJoy more usable but it's actually improved the phone's ability to do things like watching movies or live sport on the phone as it holds the phone incredibly well.

Perhaps most amazingly is just how easy it's been to map the buttons to the keys on the applications we've been using. For example using the right analogue stick as the "C buttons" on N64oid. Whilst they keys aren't necessarily "perfect" for us to map to certain consoles that's not stopping us from finding good layouts when we need them due to the huge versatility of the control.

Our next mention of the PhoneJoy will be a review which will be followed with a number of useful guides for people that have decided to be buy one.

What is a "PhoneJoy"?

 Over the next week or so we will be putting up a number of guides and even a review of the "PhoneJoy", but what is the "PhoneJoy"?

The "PhoneJoy" is one of a number of bluetooth gaming controllers which is aimed at the phone market, specifically in this case the Android operating system (and phones running versions 2.2 or above). The control has taken more than just a bit of inspiration from the very popular "Dual Shock" Playstation controller (as you can see in the picture to the left) which straight away gives it  familiar look and feel though it actually serves a second purpose, it's perfect for emulators (especially things like FPSE which is built on being a PS1 emulator).

Whilst on the face of it it looks like a PS2 controller you will notice a number of difference, mainly on the top of the control which features a switch, two lights and the charging slot for the inbuilt batteries. Despite everything, including an internal battery the control is remarkably light and easy to hold.

Whilst the control has a growing number of rivals this has the classic look that we all know and love. Whilst it perhaps isn't the most mobile of the controls on the market it does have very good build quality and a very good team behind it who are easy to contact.

Whilst we will be reviewing the product next week, we do advise that you check out the "PhoneJoy" website at http://www.phonejoy.net/ which features many more images, instructions and the ability to buy the control.

So you lot can check that out and I'll get on with playing games and testing it for the review!

How to play NES, SNES and Genesis games on your Android phone

Whilst playing games on your mobile phone may often seem as limited as playing Angry Birds or Fruit Slice you actually have a lot more freedom. If like me, you remember when video games were about having fun, jumping on robots heads and chasing Bowser through dungeons you'll love the fact that the Android phones have a huge number of emulators flying about online.

Whilst the legality of emulation is a somewhat grey and murky place (as a result I won't be directing you towards any ROMs) the actual practice is incredibly simple and in some cases is the only way to play specific games. To do this you need to start with an emulator, this is an app (or program if your old fashioned like myself) that needs to be found. Their is a huge number of these available on one...or another market that is used by Android (I'd advise looking on the SlideME market as well as the official Android Market). When you download one of these and then install it, you will then be able to play the ROMs of the game.

For some phones it is possible to use various wireless controls though for others you may find yourself using on screen buttons, both ways are have their pros and cons. Sadly unless you root a Samsung phone however you may be forced into using an onscreen control.

Some emulators that are recommended:
FPSE-A Playstation Emulator
The "oid" series (n64oid, GBCoid, Gensoid, SNesoid, Nesoid, Gearoid, GameBoid, Ataroid) for N64, Game Boy Colour, Genesis/Mega Drive, SNES, NES, Game Gear/Master System, Game Boy Advance, Atari)

We also recommend using a controller like the PhoneJoy to play games for the emulators of the newer consoles.