Wonderswan Questions

[8-Bit Archeology]

So I have been looking up consoles and mainly portables are punching me in the face telling me to buy them.
In a month or so I plan to get a Nomad and ... something else.......
I have seen the wonderswan and heard a few podcasts bring it up, but no real details about it.

1. Is there good titles a non import person would know or could get into?

2. Why is it, and its games so cheaply priced?

3. Is it an actual liscensed gaming device or is it what I guess would be called a "clone".

4. I guess I have to ask is there a good rare handheld that has good games I might not know about.

[theclaw]

Wonderswan has no screen lighting. And most of its games are Japanese language, with English alternatives on other systems (like Puyo Puyo or Tetris).

Better if you enjoy anime though. Tons of licensed stuff. Super Robot Wars, Gundam, Inuyasha, One Piece, Digimon...

[SparTonberry]

WonderSwan is a legitimate system. It was designed by the creator of the Game Boy after he left Nintendo after the Virtual Boy tanked.

It was one of many unsuccessful competitors to the Game Boy. It was not very popular in Japan, so it was never released anywhere else (except supposedly a couple games were legitimately released in Hong Kong).
I suppose another problem is that is was manufactured by Bandai, who had a reputation for putting out tons of mediocre to bad licensed games. Unsurprisingly, the first-party library is heavy on Digimon.
It probably only gained worldwide attention when Square decided to support it. Several third-parties supported it, but I think Square was the only one to release more than a couple games for it. (possibly because of the Game Boy's stranglehold on the market, not many third-parties wanted to invest a good deal of support for it)
Much of the WS library is text-heavy games, which is probably why they go cheap. Some of the action games do command a high price from westerners, like Makaimura, Klonoa: Moonlight Museum, and Rockman & Forte (which isn't a port of the SFC game, and isn't even very good on its own. It almost feels like a bad ROM hack. But Mega Man collectors will still pay for it.)

[wiggyx]

All you need to know.

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?148487-My-WonderSwan-Misc-Questions-FAQ-%28your-feedback-appreciated%29

[8-Bit Archeology]

Thank you all for the usefull info. I have a feeling I will be picking up a Final Fantasy Bundle later in the year.
That game list is interesting. I am always for trying new games.

Also the hyperlink was very helpfull.
I would like to apologize...some of the time I use this forum I use it on my horrible phone. And will try as much as possible, to NOT post junk.