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Firsly, please note that I owned a WonderSwan Color since they were released, and have never owned a Gameboy Advance, so all my comparisons will stay within the WonderSwan family.

On with the show.

Senseless variations like the color of the system aside, most of the WS Crystal (herein WSCry) is unchanged from it's former incarnation the WS Color (herein WSCol). The size is identical, and the weight feels the same. Two differences that you notice almost immediately are (of course) the screen and (strangely) the buttons. Let's get the lesser difference out of the way first.

Those who have used the WS series of portables probably noticed that the directional pad- of which two exist, the 'Y' button cluster and the 'X' button cluster- isn't actually a pad, but a collection of buttons. All of the WS iterations have lacked a molded D-pad with horizontal and vertical axes, meaning that it is possible to press opposite directions at the same time. The buttons on the WSCry seem noticably 'softer' to me than the ones on the WSCol I owned for over a year. This isn't really a bad thing. It allows for a much easier time switching directions quickly in action games. The WSCol's stiff buttons combined with the lack of a common pivot point made smooth transitions from, for example, the down direction to the forward direction challenging at times. This is not the case with the WSCry.

The second difference is the obvious one- the new TFT screen. As with anything of this sort, there are always tradeoffs to be made. The new screen is almost identical to the quality of modern notebook computer screens, and really makes the system live up to it's name. The ghosting that plauged the WSCol (and nearly every portable game system since their release) is absolutely, totally gone. There is no ghosting. Another thing that will impress you immediately is the fact that the colors are clear and extremely crisp. No washed-out colors or pasty pastels. The price you pay, however, is the lack of a contrast adjustment. I have yet to purchase any of the games that are labelled with the WSCry logo (meaning that they were designed with the new screen in mind), but I can comment that games made for the WSCol or the original WS appear somewhat dark. The unfortunate reality of TFT means that play in sunlight produces an annoying rainbow effect across the screen, and normal household lights just don't seem up to the task of lighting the unit.

In conclusion, the new screen has drawbacks, but is by far the most impressive screen I've ever seen on a portable game system and I like the feel of the new buttons. My final impression is positive. I really can't see many people who already own a WSCol managing to justify the purchase of a WSCry just for the new screen (I had a friend in mind for my WSCol when I upgraded), but those who are interested in getting the system for the first time or who need a replacement would likely be happier shelling out the extra 2000 yen or so for the Crystal. Given that this system is pretty much dead now that Square has finally managed to work out their differences with Nintendo, you may be able to get them and their dozen or so excellent games for a pittance in the near future. If so, plunge for the Crystal.

-Joe Holley