Well, I'd become curious about portable emulation (and had also been considering an MP3 player). So I downloaded PocketNes, tried it on a GBA emulator, deemed it Cool, and started researching a Flash Linker. I found that, not only were they hideously expensive for what they were (I know of nothing other than NES ROMs that I'd be using it for), they were a pain in the arse to use, with incompatibility problems and such. That and the screen looked like crap, what with the squishing.
So I got to thinking about this odd little device called the GamePark that a few dedicated souls on GameFAQs were evangelizing. NES, TG16, MP3, SMS, SCUMM, movies, Doom, and someday, Genesis and SNES? Well slap my arse and call me Daisy. >_> It was just as expensive, but it did so much more as to justify the expense. So I signed on--I bought a GP, and an SMC, intimately familiarized myself with the fiddly registration (it went smoothly for me, but I can see why so many people had so much trouble), and waited. When I got it and tried it, I was a
tiny bit disappointed at first, NES emulation being rather pathetic back then, but I had the marvelousness of GPEngine, SCUMM, Doom, MP3s, and later Moviepark to keep me busy. And as for NES emulation, well, things change pretty fast, it would seem.
The only downside nowadays is it's turned me into a spoiled little monster. I'm so eager for fGen and SNES9xGP to get up to the level of LittleJohn and company, and ROTT or Duke Nukem to be ported, and why the @#$% won't Id Software release the source code to Commander Keen so I can pester you all with it, and I hope GPEngine will support TGCD ISOs someday (first thing I thought of when I tried it)...heh.