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Microsoft Comments on DS vs. PSP Battle
geekboy_x writes "At the Halo launch event a senior Microsoft VP took time out to comment on the coming battle between the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP. In a nutshell, he thinks that Nintendo's domination of the handheld market will make this a rough go for Sony. He also, as is apparently required by Microsoft law, makes a candid yet derogatory comment about Linux." A more personal version of commentary made two days ago, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz.
Their prices are $100 apart and their capabilities are a generation apart, it's like comparing a N64 to a PS2. There is certainly overlap between their feature sets and markets but they're not really being sold into precisely the same area. I think there's room for both of them to do fine. Certainly I'm more excited about the DS right now, because I can almost afford one (I'll probably buy a PS2 first, though) and because more of them will be sold sooner, meaning the little chat program may actually be useful.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
I see it as a way to meet people, although it's going to be hard to meet anyone who isn't a child. Actually, that's a pretty scary potential problem with the chat system. Regardless I think it can be fun, and since it plays GBA games that's enough argument for me to own one. I'm still more interested in the PSP, but with my current financial status I'm more likely to buy a DS.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Are they just trying to cover up for the fact that it's a market they are too afraid to enter? They insinuate that this could weaken Sony's console dominance, but that just fundamentally doesn't make any sense. Sony can put something like PSP on indefinite life support, like they did with minidisc, if they need to.
I think most telling is the statement that nobody has or will make a meaningful connection between console and handheld devices. I know it's a gamble to say it, but I think that's going to go down like one of those "640k is enough for everybody" type of statements that are seriously shortsighted. The integration angle is still relatively experimental.
Right now, you've got the most marginalized console trying to perform handheld integration. The content, not technically, but philosophically, for this sort of thing flows more from the console market into the handheld then the other way around. Pokemon is a big exception to that, but it being only a single property with fairly uncompelling console counterparts to it's handheld juggernaut is a good example of why console->handheld integration is likely to be more popular.
When the biggest console, Sony, starts integrating content to a handheld, it's going to be a different story on how profound the effect of console/handheld integration is. The first must have game with meaningful handheld integration could do incredible things for the PSP sales.