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PSP And DS Duke It Out
With the looming launch of Sony's handheld console, X-Play has a series of articles comparing and contrasting the new and shiny portable gaming consoles. The articles are broken into three parts, The PSP vs. the DS, The DS vs. the PSP, and The Final Verdict. From the final article: "Are two screens better than one? Are graphics all that matter? In this third and final edition of my Sony PSP vs. Nintendo DS editorial, I'll compare each handheld bit-by-bit and determine which of the two is worth your hard-earned cash."
Nitpicky, I know, but the DS has 802.11something wifi in addition to its (presumably) proprietary short-range protocol. Just no games that use it yet. Are there any PSP games yet that use the wireless connection for Internet play, or are they all currently short-range, too?
Honor Among Slackers. A veri
Twisted Metal does internet play out of the box.
I have a DS and a Japanese PSP and several games for each (including one US game - Wipeout Pure - for the PSP). In response to a few of your concerns I can say the following:
:) YMMV.
- First party development
The PSP has better launch titles than the DS currently has DS-specific games. I say this as a Nintendo fanboy (my opinion will change when Kart and Zelda games are released).
- The discs.
My PSP has handled the not-exactly smooth NYC subway for a month w/o skipping (the disc only spins during loads, not continuously during play). This could be an issue with movies, but that is what high-capacity MemoryStick Duos are for.
- The battery life.
Battery life is decent, enough for one or two gaming "sessions" (i.e. 1+ hrs. of gaming in one sitting) a day. If you want to whip out the PSP for a quick race or ten (of Wipeout, for instance), while sitting in the cafe, battery life is not an issue.
Technically, the PSP is superb and the screen is to die for. The games will be there, though PS1/2 games may not make the console->handheld transition as well as SNES titles did. The cost is going to set folks back $350+ (assuming they want to use their new toys), and whether folks are willing to pay is the real issue.
Let's get drunk and delete production data!
It depends on the size of the memory stick. You can get over 200 songs on a 1gb stick. Power consumption when reading from the memory stick isn't an issue. The UMD access and the screen is what drains the battery. If you turn off the screen and only access the memory card I'm sure it will last for several hours. The PSP is actually lighter than the DS (9.2 vs. 9.7 oz). It is heavier than an Ipod which is 5.6 oz.
You need a $40 3rd party extension, but that's still cheaper than the PSP. And it has good reviews too. This was an SP product that happens to work on the DS due to backwards support. The good thing about this is that it isn't controlled by Sony like their fucking UMD that no one else can use. Anyone with a flash card reader can use the DS for movies. The downside is that it's another item to carry with you which is bad for those without big pockets or bags. Given that the old GBA roms are a known format, I'm guessing that there will be a lot more third party apps for the DS than with the PSP. Particularly when someone figures out how to get the DS to play games over WiFi without a physical disk. This is a known feature of the DS, but it's not a public spec yet.
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Want a free iPod?
Or try a free Nintendo DS, GC, PS2, Xbox. (you only need 4 referrals)
Wired article as proof