Wet Suit
Score: 100% Developer: Pelican Accessories
Function: This neat little bauble serves as a protective shell for a Game Boy Color or Game Boy Advance. It's constructed of a sleek wetsuit material (thus the name) and has reinforced rubber corners to sheild your Game Boy from bumps. A neat little mesh pocket holds spare batteries, carts or anything else and what it lacks in fancy compartments or storage on the inside, it makes up for with great panache on the outside.
Performance: The Game Boy storage hardware has always suffered from one thing in my opinion, and that's not enough strength of purpose. We've seen a storage container that can hold several Game Boys, all the peripherals you could want and carts to boot. And, as you might expect, it is way too big to store easily, and pretty much defeats the purpose of a 'portable' system. We've seen themed carriers and plain carriers, but all suffer from sketchy construction and a relatively uncool look and feel. The Wet Suit from Pelican has the best balance of portability and great storage that I've yet seen, and it wins big points also for being sturdily constructed and easy on the eyes. Will it hold all your battery chargers and extra wires and cords? No. But, it will let you toss a Game Boy in a backpack full of other crap and not worry about scratches or dings to your precious baby. The real key to cool in the Game Boy world is being small. Smaller carts for GBA are cooler, IMHO. Smaller headphones are nice, and all the small things that fit onto a Game Boy and make it cool are just alright with me. The case, when you need it, is an essential piece of hardware. Packing a travel bag for gaming is a hassle with big, overstuffed cases. Frankly, I pack light, and just want a safe holder that might also have room for some extra stuff. Pelican made Wet Suit only a little bigger than the GBA or GBC, with a mesh pocket running most of the way along the top side of the case. Inside, there isn't much other than room to hold your system, but I've already noticed that the sleeker style of GBA peripherals makes it possible to slip a GBA fitted with some battery chargers in, or even slide in some instruction manuals. Like you ever read those things... But, the only other thing that the Wet Suit does is provide a neat clip for backpacks or belt loops, so it won't take a rocket scientist to start using this thing right away.
Features: Holds either Game Boy Color or Game Boy Advance Mesh pocket on outside holds extra carts or batteries Slim profile makes for easy carrying or packing Clip included for attaching case to backpack or belt loop Case constructed of stretchy, wetsuit-like material Corners reinforced with rubber padding for extra protection Sturdy double zipper design
Drawbacks & Problems:: The only potential issue you may have with the Wet Suit is that it doesn't store much more than the Game Boy and a few small extras. Those of you accustomed to mass storage will probably want to stick with what you have, but if you're tired of the feeling that you're packing a weekend bag when you're just trying to put your GBA away, it might be time to try something a little leaner and meaner. The other thing I realized about the Wet Suit is that is isn't waterproof, so don't think you can dunk this in the bathtub or take it with you to the beach. This is a quality piece that doesn't try to be everything to everybody, but just does a good job of storing and protecting your little investment. Everybody I've shown this to thinks it's cool, so you probably should get one just to impress your friends and look cool. Who really wants to be practical, anyway? ;)
-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock
Power Grip Advance Cubicon