PSP vs. DS Six Months On

Gamasutra has a follow-up to a previous Question of the Week about the PSP and the DS. The question this past week was: "Which handheld do you think is winning the most hearts, and which the biggest marketshare in each territory?" From the article: " My personal view of the PSP hasn't changed at all. It's not what I'm looking for in a portable system. Seriously, who actually wants to watch a movie on a tiny screen? The DS genuinely has more options for innovation when it comes to unique software, but because the general masses are easily influenced by what is cool, I can foresee less developers spending time on creating innovative software on the DS in an effort to cash in on the popularity (and mass marketing) of the PSP. Still, the DS has sold quite a number of units, also, where I currently reside, the PSP has only just launched recently, so it's still hard to say. -Anonymous "

Comments

Re:Advanced Wars DS

[vertinox]

DS == dual-screen gimmick with few or no games that usefully take advantage of the second screen

All you need to play is Advanced Wars DS and you will change your mind. It's all I need for entertainment... I've stopped playing computer games. I can still hear the main theme battle song while I type this at work. I want to go home and play it right now.

DS Baby!

[diamondmagic]

The DS is much better because of two all-important features:

• The touch screen
• Download games and programs from peers

The second option has seeded the way for using the DS to interact with the Revolution, because this allows you to use it as part of the game, not just for transfering information.

Re:DS Baby!

[Lordie]

Burnout Legends lets you share a multiplayer demo of the game with other PSP owners. While we're wildly speculating on what the DS is/isn't going to do with what might or might not be called the Nintendo Revolution, we should also speculate as to how the wireless aspect of the PSP allows you to use it as part of the game, and not just for transferring information.

Re:DS Baby!

[fistfullast33l]

The DS is a solid piece of hardware for sure. I don't think twice about throwing it in my bag and going about my day.

That being said, I'm just going to point out that the PSP is definitely too expensive to buy for your 10 year old, let alone several 10 year olds. However, my 10 year old cousin played my PSP (Ape Escape, if you must know) when I was home a few weeks ago with no problems whatsoever and he loved it. I've heard complaints of dead pixels and shaking it to break and all that. It's an electronic device, not a rubber ball. My PSP has a carrying case with games that is kept in the same bag as my laptop. Both have survived my treks around campus, in the car, and even the NYC subway just fine. I'm pretty sure that durable hardware is a moot point. You want the thing to survive an 18-inch fall onto carpet, not a tumble out of a moving van at 50 mph.

from GBA to DS

[Is0m0rph]

DS homebrew is cheap and easy now that the SuperCard flash system for the GBA/DS has had a firmware upgrade allowing it to run DS software from a CF or SD flash card. I use my GBA all the time with a SC system I think I'm upgrading to a DS soon.

Re:DS is better, I love my PSP

[apoc06]

i agree with you. ive tried to force myself to buy a ds to complement my psp, but as of yet, i havent found a reason to. the main thing stopping me is that i havent found any games that i am willing to play just yet. nintendogs doesnt interest me in the slightest. honestly the only game i would be interested in is advance wars ds, due to my enjoyment of it from the gba versions.

i enjoy the portables for the same reasons you list. i like the promise that the psp shows. graphically and in terms of power, it can do what the ds does and more. i like the ability to encode a movie and take it with me without anything extra other than the cost of a memory card i would have bought anyways.

i hope nintendo sticks to their guns and releases some serious software in the upcoming months. no one really cares about the hardware. the "innovative" aura wears off rather quick. its the software that will keep the ds afloat. otherwise i predict that sony will end up steamrolling the ds once thier AAA titles start rippling onto the scene. its the games that keep people hooked, and sony has shown that they definitely are going to flood the psp with games, in time.

so far the psp has about 50 games upcoming, and the ds has about 35. sure some of of the games for psp will be crap and people will hate them, but like most people; i like that. i like having options. i like sleeper games. games that some people consider crap, i actually enjoy. case in point: coded arms, metal gear ac!d... etc. its the same as in the console world. by and large, the nintendo console catalog may just have the highest ratio of good to bad games, but they dont have enough games that appeal to me in genres i enjoy. id rather have 10 b-level games, opposed to 3 a-level games a year. its a shame that the ds seems to be following suit with its consoles rather than the gameboy blueprint.

PSP vs DS sales

[Konrad9]

I recently started working in the electronics dept at a local walmart, and the DS is whooping the PSP's proverbial butt.
Every time I go in there are less and less DS's (till we restock). I've only seen one PSP sold and never notice any less in the glass case.

I own a PSP and It has ergonomic issues

[marcybots]

I own a PSP and it is uncomfortable to play games that use the analog stick for more than like 20 minutes, it makes my hand hurt! Also the screen has a refresh rate that is somewhat slow and makes my eyes hurt. My girlfriend agrees, and on a recent long car trip she had to take frequent breaks from playing the thing complaining that it was hurting her eyes. Thats pretty bad. I have actually gone back to playing Gameboy SP, its smaller, more comfortable to hold and easier on my eyes, even with its little screen....its something to do with the way it refreshes or the way it does 3d.