If you want the best portable gaming experience available on a PDA, there is no clear choice, unfortunately. Each device has too many trade-offs to be declared the undisputed king of portable gaming. Palm OS users have a vast library of games to choose from, but control and storage limitations posed by the hardware conspire to dampen the fun. Since color screens are relatively new options for Palm devices, there still are very few games that take advantage of the better displays. Also, their relatively slow processors and limited amount of RAM severely limit any emulation possibilities.

	Click for full-size image

On the bright side, Palm OS games overall are far easier to install and play than their Pocket PC counterparts. Compatibility generally isn't a problem aside from downloading color instead of grayscale games, and installation is always a simple matter of HotSyncing. The platform also boasts a large number of original games that aren't available for any other system, and there are good games in nearly every genre. Pocket PCs are particularly weak when it comes to role-playing games, but a number of terrific old-school hack-and-slash RPGs exist for the Palm.

	Click for full-size image

Although Pocket PCs are the best choice for power gamers mainly because of their color capabilities and ability to run emulators, the ideal gaming Pocket PC has yet to be created. The HP Jornada series can practically be eliminated from the running since few games are designed to work with its processor and since it's not equipped with a joypad. The control limitations of Compaq's iPAQs make them nearly as useless for gaming. The iPAQ's joypad is mushy and imprecise, and its location in the center of the unit makes it uncomfortable for playing games. More infuriating, however, is that you can't register multiple simultaneous button presses on the iPAQ. The Compaq's processor is powerful enough to smoothly emulate most arcade games, but they quickly lose their luster when you discover it is impossible to move and shoot at the same time.

The Casio units have the best joypad and button layout--not to mention the ability for players to handle simultaneous button presses. The units also have the best screens found on any PDA, capable of rendering sharp text and vibrant graphics in 16-bit color. Unfortunately, processor speeds aren't quite high enough to adequately support many emulators, and there are far more games programmed to use the iPAQ's StrongARM processor than the MIPS CPU found in Casio's products.

Whatever you do, don't make the mistake of directly comparing the specifications of Palm OS and Pocket PC devices when making a purchasing decision. They are completely different animals, and comparisons should be drawn only between products in the same category. Also test any unit you plan to buy if there is any chance of doing so at the store. It's the only way you can root out design flaws--like the iPAQ's control pad problems--that don't show up in the specifications.

Finally, be sure to visit the Brighthand discussion forums if you have any questions about your PDA. It is an incredible resource, especially for Pocket PC owners, and chances are good that your question has already been answered in one of the board's tens of thousands of posts. If nothing else, it will give you something to do as you wait for all the next-gen PDAs, which may address some of the problems that prevent current PDAs from achieving their full potential as gaming devices.