Software Alternatives & Startups

HowLongToBeat VS Pointer Pointer

Compare HowLongToBeat VS Pointer Pointer and see what are their differences

HowLongToBeat logo HowLongToBeat

How long does it take to beat your favorite games?

Pointer Pointer logo Pointer Pointer

Pointer Pointer is an entertainment and fun site that allows users to have fun with their cursor.
  • HowLongToBeat Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-23
  • Pointer Pointer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2025-03-18

HowLongToBeat features and specs

  • Comprehensive Game Database
    HowLongToBeat offers a vast database of video games, including both popular titles and niche games, allowing users to find playtime information for almost any game.
  • Community-Sourced Data
    The platform relies on community contributions for playtime data, providing a broad range of playtime estimates that cover different playstyles such as Main Story, Main + Extra, and Completionist.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The website features a clean and intuitive interface, making it easy for users to search for games, navigate through categories, and understand the data presented.
  • Additional Game Information
    Besides playtime estimates, the site often includes other useful information such as game ratings, platforms, and genres, giving users a more well-rounded understanding of each title.
  • Progress Tracking
    Registered users can keep track of their game progress, create and manage their game backlog, and set goals for completing games.
  • Mobile Compatibility
    The website is mobile-friendly, allowing users to check game completion times and other details on-the-go.

Possible disadvantages of HowLongToBeat

  • Crowd-Sourced Data Inconsistency
    Since playtime data is crowd-sourced, the estimates can sometimes be inconsistent or less reliable for less popular games with fewer contributors.
  • Manual Data Entry
    Users must manually input their playtime data and mark games as completed, which can be a time-consuming process for those tracking multiple games.
  • Limited Social Features
    The platform lacks robust social features, such as forums or direct messaging, which could enhance community interaction and engagement.
  • Ads and Monetization
    The site contains ads, which can be distracting for users. Some features may also be gated behind a premium membership.
  • No Offline Access
    The site requires an internet connection to access, meaning users cannot check playtime estimates or update their progress while offline.
  • No Official Verification
    As playtime data is not verified by game developers or publishers, there is no guarantee of accuracy, particularly for newer or highly varied games.

Pointer Pointer features and specs

  • Entertainment
    Pointer Pointer offers a unique and entertaining experience by finding a photo with a person pointing at the cursor location, which can be amusing to users.
  • Simplicity
    The website features a simple and intuitive interface, making it easy to interact with and enjoy without requiring any technical skills.
  • Novelty
    The concept of finding and displaying a corresponding pointing image at different cursor positions is a novel idea that captures users' curiosity.
  • User Engagement
    The website encourages users to move their cursor around, increasing interaction and engagement as users test different positions to see new images.

Possible disadvantages of Pointer Pointer

  • Limited Functionality
    Pointer Pointer offers a single-function experience, which may lead to limited user engagement over time as there are no additional features to explore.
  • Novelty Wears Off
    While the concept is initially intriguing, the novelty can wear off quickly, leading to a decrease in repeat visits from users.
  • Lack of Practical Use
    The site does not serve a practical purpose or provide any useful information, which might not appeal to users seeking productivity or educational content.
  • Slow Performance
    Depending on the speed of the internet connection, loading new images might take time, potentially leading to a less satisfying user experience.

Analysis of HowLongToBeat

Overall verdict

  • Overall, HowLongToBeat is a good tool for gamers who want to manage their gaming time effectively. It offers accurate and aggregated data that can guide purchasing or playing decisions, especially for those with limited gaming time.

Why this product is good

  • HowLongToBeat is a valuable resource for gamers because it provides a comprehensive database of video game completion times submitted by users. This information helps players estimate how long a game will take to complete based on different play styles (e.g., main story, completionist). Additionally, the website offers community-driven contributions and reviews, which assist gamers in making informed decisions about what games they might want to play based on their available time.

Recommended for

  • Gamers who like to plan their playtime and want to know how long a game will take before starting.
  • Individuals who are selective with their gaming choices due to time constraints.
  • Players who enjoy tracking their progress and comparing their completion times with a larger community.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to HowLongToBeat and Pointer Pointer)
Games
100 100%
0% 0
Entertainment
0 0%
100% 100
Movie Reviews
100 100%
0% 0
Social Networks
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, HowLongToBeat seems to be a lot more popular than Pointer Pointer. While we know about 531 links to HowLongToBeat, we've tracked only 43 mentions of Pointer Pointer. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

HowLongToBeat mentions (531)

  • In your opinion, what is the best short game?
    Howlongtobeat.com and then filter by your desired length and sort by rating or popularity. Source: over 2 years ago
  • The salt in the comment section is real!
    Overall, I would say that Mario Wonder was good, for those reasons. However, that's about all the game has to offer. For starters, the scope of the game is very small. Especially considering the $60 price tag. The game only me around 10 hours to beat, or about 18.5 hours to 100% according to howlongtobeat.com. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Anxiety preventing me gaming
    Ive got a big backlog of games to play, so what I did is for the singleplayer stuff I looked up everything I had installed and seen how long it would take ot beat it (I used this website https://howlongtobeat.com/ ) and im playing the shorter stuff first. I had to kind of force myself at first because ive been really distracted myself lately its a huge issue at times. My main thing was youtube, id just randomly... Source: almost 3 years ago
  • After having children and missing out on a decade of games I have a huge gaming list!!
    I would suggest splitting the short games and long games into two separate lists, order them based on how much you want to play them, and only pick out a long game when you have the time to dedicate to them. howlongtobeat.com is a great resource for figuring that out. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • December 2023 Humble Choice | Overview / Discussion Megathread
    (*3) How many hours does it take to beat main story where applicable. Data from https://howlongtobeat.com - may be inaccurate for games with very few entries. Source: almost 3 years ago
View more

Pointer Pointer mentions (43)

  • Show HN: See what country you would hit if you went straight (1 BC → Present)
    This seems to be from the same universe as the excellent https://pointerpointer.com/. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Issue with mouse hover
    I've just installed Sonoma and it works mostly ok. Though I've ran into this issue where the OS doesn't seem to know where my mouse is until I click. The cursor itself is displayed where it should be and all, but if I right click something on the dock then I can't really click anything in the menu. If I hold the right click and then hover to what I want to do in the menu then it works. I also went to the website... Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Show HN: I made a really silly personal landing page
    Very neat! Reminds me of this: https://pointerpointer.com I'll say, I'm very disappointed in what happens when I put the cursor between your eyes. :). - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • What are some amazing websites that are flying under the radar?
    This website where people point at your pointer. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Clock
    This reminds me of https://pointerpointer.com/ which finds pictures with the right pointer instead of quotes with the right time. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing HowLongToBeat and Pointer Pointer, you can also consider the following products

Backloggery - Backloggery helps gamers keep track of unplayed and unfinished games in their collection.

The Useless Web - The Useless Web is a massive collection of some of the world’s most pointless websites.

Steam Database - This tool was made to give better insight into the applications that Steam has in its absolutely huge database.

Archive.org - Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library offering free universal access to books, movies...

Rawg - Video game discovery powered by you!

Reddit - Reddit gives you the best of the internet in one place. Get a constantly updating feed of breaking news, fun stories, pics, memes, and videos just for you.