back from China again

So I did another trip to China... this time "only" 2 weeks. It was a really great trip (Chinese New Year is awesome) but as far as gadgets go, I kinda struck out... without even realizing it until now, actually.

The pic is from Huaqing Bei, Shenzhen's electronic district. I've mentioned it in my HA post from my first trip to China 2 years ago. It's a big area crammed with gadgets, lots of fakes & hacked systems. Last time I was there I *theoretically* could have picked up a nice R4 card for my DS Lite. So I went there this time, but I didn't have a lot of time to browse the gadgetry.... if I was alone, I probably could have spent 6 hours in there just going over stuff. But I can't fully geek out when I'm with girls, know what I'm saying?

I also visited Hong Kong for a day trip, Shenzhen is really close to HK. What's really stupid is that I FORGOT that the PS Vita launched in Japan already. So there were probably some in Hong Kong stores.... not sure I'd want a Japanese Vita, just not feeling so fanatical about the system the way I've been with the PSP. But it would have been nice to try one out & touch it in person if possible. You never know. I dunno. The Canadian launch is so close that it's a moot point at this time. But yeah, again, female company kept me from really getting to go gadget shopping the way I'd like to.

Speaking of the PS Vita, I'm just not as feverish about it as I've been with past consoles, even the 3DS. I counted the days until that launched.... I guess with the glasses-free 3D it felt really new. The Vita feels like more of the same. Sure 2 analogue sticks is a big deal... but there doesn't seem to be a great showcase for the control scheme... if only there was a new Star Wars Battlefront game with the launch. And speaking of, Sony's released a list of PSP-compatible titles and no Star Wars Battlefront game is on that list (yet). They could be compatible, but I doubt they are optimized to use the 2nd stick.

I'm sure I will be more psyched for the Vita next week....



later
don