THE GC Monitor: Big On Fun, And On Your Wallet
Written: May 16 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: -Hooks into cars, stereo sound, decent screen size, backlit.
Cons: -Pricey, only 2 controls.
The Bottom Line: Am I the only person in the world that bought this?
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| pavona21's Full Review: InterAct Color LCD Screen GC-MONITOR |
The Big Block Of Story
3 nights ago some big news broke in my home. For about 6 months now, I knew that we'd be traveling around the country for a week or so over the summer, but just recently, I found out that we would be driving. Originally, I'd hoped that we fly down to Colorado, rent a car, and go from there. But, for some odd reason, be it price, or convienence, my parents decided to drive. Was this a democratic decision? In no way, shape, or form. I personally can't stand driving, my little brother hates it similarly, and my older sister would have hated it, although she'll be around the college campus at the time. So, I went through the classic "kid who doesn't want to do something" routine. I started out with a small whine effect, telling my parents how I hated driving. That did nothing for my case. Shortly afterwords, I decided to get smart and bring up some points that would make flying seem better than driving. "Shorter times, more room, meals on the plane, no additional milege on the car, ect." As you may have guessed, that was worthless as well. So, I finally decided to moan about how boring it would be driving to Colorado, and also driving around the neighboring states. Luckily though, that next day my outlook on the occasion became much brighter. That night, my Dad came home with a giant Best Buy bag. Inside of it, of course, was an Interact Mobile Monitor for my GC. "Now, we're even..." he said. Still wondering how he had figured out that I wanted one of these for a few months, I headed toward my room in a quick jog.
Rip it out, and stick it in!
After making it up to my room, I began my personal "opening of the video game box ritual." A quick rip of the box, off with the wrapping, and accross the room everything went. So, what exactly did I find in there? There was one 5.4'' Mobile Monitor, of course, one AC adapter, and one car adapter. The monitor itself comes in both black and indigo to match the two current shades of the GC, mine being in black to match my personal GC.(I wish epinions had the black one to review) Then, being just like the steriotypical male, I threw the directions aside, and began trying to assemble it using only my brain power. Now, this is where the thing kind of surprised me. I figured that I'd be sitting up there for hours, tossing and turning the thing around, trying to get it to snap into place. But, it basically just slid right over the top of the GC, made it down a certain distance with it's cover, and snapped right into place. Then, I placed the A/V extension into the correct area, plugged the sucker in, and I was done. It was so easy that I dind't know what to do with my spare time, literally. So, I sat for the already compensated 20 minutes, and starred for a while.
Picture Quality: 8/10-I'd rather watch it than "Kazaam"
Naturally though, the real test came in the picture quality section. And, to tell you the truth, I have some real mixed emotions here. On one hand, I started out with SSBM. Since this is a relatively bright video game, the monitor played this title with absolute ease and beauty. Next, I placed in Madden 2002. Again, also a very bright game, and again, a great picture. Next was NBA Street. This game is a little darker than the two afformentioned games, but the monitor still gave out an above average picture quality. The real clincher though came when I placed Resident Evil into my Cube.(Add RE now epinions!) I found this game to be originally too dark, and hard to see. Then, tweaked the brightness a little, and it became too light, and kind of ugly. My overall feeling is that this thing performs great with the brighter games, regardless of frame-rate, perspective, or action, but it has a few problems with darker games. Never the less, what it lacks in picture in some situations, it makes up for with its great picture in the dark. Because this thing is equipt with a backlight, and a very powerful one at that, night playing is better than ever. As a matter of fact, it plays better in darker situations than it does in the light! Overall, I was pretty impressed with the picture.
Audio: 9/10-Wooooo Whooooooo!
One of the Mobile Monitor's greatest aspects though, has to be its superior sound. I came in expecting that this little screen wouldn't pack much of punch when it came to audios. Boy, was I wrong. For starters, this thing features stereo sound, which was quite surprising to me. Better yet though, I found the stereo sound to be quite crisp and clear. Whether it be the moans the groans of Resident Evil, or the dribble and jams of Courtside 2002, this baby is sure to please. And, it works pretty well when used in louder conditions as well. You can crank up the volume using the volume control knob,(rocket science, isn't it?) and you'll easily be able to hear over the chatter in the car, or any other noises in the house. Possibly the best features here would have be its headphone jack. If somebody else doesn't want to hear the sounds of your video games, just slip any standard set of headphones in, and keep it all to yourself. I found the sound with headphones to be respectable, and a lot less annoying for everyone else. Good sound, good monitor!
Userability/portability: 8/10-It goes anywhere, but it needs more buttons!
Obviously, the ease of use, and the portable aspect of this monitor are very important. For starters, we've already been over how easy this thing is to assemble. But, off that note, the Mobile Monitor fails in a sense. One of my biggest gripes with it is that it only has two control buttons. You can control the volume, and the brightness. Not that these are bad things to dominate, but I just wish there was a little more. I think adding a tint, and picture control to this monitor would bring it to the next level. Obviously though, Interact didn't think so, so they didn't add it. But, even though it doesn't have excellent control options, it still is a great portable system. First off, it's very small, and folds right onto the GC. As a matter of fact, it adds just over an extra inch of thickness to the system. Plus, it can go pretty much anywhere. In the car, around the house, to a friends place, wherever. And, I've found that it works well in any of these places. If you're one to move, you need one of these!
Uses: 10/10-Everything you need, nothing you don't
I really wouldn't be lying if I called this thing the prostitute of all electronics. But, this time, that "derogatory" term is actually a good thing. You see, this thing will hook into just about anything. For example, just last night I hooked it up to a standard DVD player, and watched Gone In 60 Seconds in it. Better yet though, is that it supports basically any system. I've hooked in the PS2 numerous times, and although it looks increadably hideous on it, it still works just fine. While I haven't tried it on the XB, I'd imagine that it would work just fine there too. So, this almost gives that hefty price tag justification. And truthfully, if it was a little bigger, it would be the only TV that you would ever need. Being able to watch movies, and play games multiplatform on it, makes this thing useful!
Price/"The Add On": 5/10-For the few, the proud, the movers!
Overall, the major gripe that most gamers will have about this thing is its hefty price tag. I'm sure most of you reading this,(and me writing it) will agree that $150 isn't exactly expendable. However, I would recommend this to a certain kind of gamer. The one that is on the move very often. If you travel, and play games, you should get one of these. But, before I finsih, I thought that I'd give you some information on the Mobile Monitor's partner, the Mobile Battery. For a mere extra $50, you can make this thing usable anywhere, without any cords. Say you want to use the monitor somewhere other than your car, like in your house, but don't have a plug-in available. You can buy this thing, which will power your GC and the Mobile Monitor. But, I will tell you right now that this is not worth it. I didn't buy one myself, but I know that it can only handle about an hour and a half of power, and where exactly would you need it? Back in the 1800's, this thing would be useful, but now, we have plugs everywhere. In the house, on the streets, in the bathrooms, and even in the jungles, there are plugs. I figured I'd tell you that this battery is out there though, and recommend you not purchasing it.
Overall: 8.5/10-If it were free, it'd be an 11!
Overall, I found the Mobile Monitor to be a great, portable way to play games. But, again, there is that price thing, and it is a little too expensive. I paid $200 for my console, and to pay 3 quarters of that for a monitor may seem a little overdone. Personally, if someone wouldn't have bought it for me, I more than likely would not have purchased this. But, I'm glad somebody did buy it for me, because I love the thing. Above average picture, surprising quality sound, and an endless list of uses, makes this thing a great buy. That is, if you have enough money to buy it. I surely will use this thing often though, especially on that long trip to Colorado. Thanks for reading,
-Pav
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
pavona21
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Member: Eric Pavona
Location: Scenic Michigan
Reviews written: 105
Trusted by: 67 members
About Me:
Well Friends, it'll soon be GTA4 time.
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