Slashdot Mirror
Famitsu Weighs In On Battle Between DS And PSP
Thanks to IGN Pocket for its discussion of a recent Famitsu-sourced Japanese magazine article quizzing readers and game creators about their impressions of the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP handheld consoles. In a reader survey, it's revealed that "14.8% checked that they'd like to purchase a PSP, compared to 11.8% who checked that they'd like to purchase DS... 7.1% stated that they think the PSP's design is cool while just 2.3% stated the same for the DS." It also polled developers and industry figures on questions such as "Which design do you like better?" ("PSP = 251, DS = 42"), and "Which do you want to be left standing in the end?" ("PSP = 84, DS = 156".) Which handheld do you want to be left standing?
802.11 on the DS is for home when you're plugged in. I believe the PSP has this as well. The DS also has a "proprietary" "low battery consumption" technology for close-range communication (Bluetooth?) which I don't think the PSP has.
"Why are we so soon to forget that the Game.Com had a touch screen four or five years ago? It's a great feature that worked well for the failed GCOM, it's just not inventive."
The Game.Com failed to be average in just about every aspect. The touch screen, for example, didn't allow for one to write on the screen like with a Palm Pilot. It had like a 16 by 16 grid that was sensitive to touch. Great for Wheel of Fortune, awful for air hockey.
So is the DS non-innovative because of the Game.Com? Oh heck no. Besides the stylus actually being usable, it's on a seperate screen. Why does this matter? Because it's a portable console that can actually have an on-screen keyboard. Couple that with 802.11, and you've got yourself a hand-held console that can play a lot of the same games that PC gamers enjoy right now.
"Derp de derp."
[i]
Have you tried using a STYLUS to play Far Cry? There's a significant difference between a stylus and a mouse. If there wasn't and they were the same thing, than Nintendo would've had a player using the stylus to control Metroid DS, not the pad.[/i]
Well, that's exactly what they did. You move forward and back and left and right with the pad, lock on with L, and look around with the stylus. Weapons are selectable on the edges of the screen. Thanks for playing though.
Lets face it.... handheld tech is getting into 3D graphics these days so the battle won't really be won on technical merit - dual screens or no dual screens.
Let's take a history lesson. The Sega Game Gear was better than the early gameboy, but its price and lack of a large range of games put a lot of people off (not to mention that it ate batteries for breakfast!). Even though Nintendo had the less powerful machine, it sold more.
Back to today... I bet Nintendo are going in with a back catalogue of a pile of games for the DS. I have no doubts that the DS will have HUGE pile of games at release... even if they are GBA hacks or emulated re-releases of old NES fare. As for PSP?... I can't see that happening.
Lastly.... hackability of the device. When people can stick public domain games, demos, and other interesting hacks onto their machines (including emulators for old machines) - that machine will SELL.... and more importantly, create a developer base from which MORE games can come out. I just can't see this happening with Sony's overly-protective anti-piracy DMA included mini-disc format. Sorry, but locking down hardware = less developers = less games = high prices = less interest.
READY.
PRINT ""+-0
GB3?
Let's list the Gameboy's that have been released so far, shall we?
Gameboy
Gameboy Color
Gameboy Advance
(Not including the reincarnations of the same handheld [IE: GBASP, GBP, GB'C', etc.])
Seems like the next Gameboy would be GB4... Are you combining the GB and GBC together? They were definately seperate systems. If a game can be played on one console and not the one before it, that's when I'd seperate them (Yes, there were GBC exclusive games).