Sony PSP vs. Nintendo DS

[T'Baio]

What are your opinions on the pros and cons of these two handheld systems? Which one do you think is better? Which do you think will be around longer? Are they worth it? Are there significant differences between the main console games and their handheld counterpart...such as Grand Theft Auto?

Thanks for your input!

 

[Spot's Meow]

Are you looking to buy one?

It will depend largely on what you are looking for and what type of games you want to play. I have used both systems but only own a DS. I much prefer the DS because of the available games (it's a very interesting and wide variety) and the design. I really enjoy the way it feels in my hands, everything fits nicely. PSP is okay but didn't really feel that great to me.

Differences between console games and handheld...hmm. Hard for me to say because I do not own a Wii, only a Gamecube and N64. And I don't own any games on both systems. But I have played some games on DS that were also available (and that I have played) on PC. And I thought that the DS version was much more fun because of all the cool touch screen features involved. For instance in one mystery type game I get to "dust for fingerprints" by applying powder with my stylus and then blowing it off through the mic. That sort of stuff is neat and can't really be done with a PC or console.

But really, it all depends on what you are looking for. They are both good in different ways (but the DS is better ).

 

[Mr Light]

I own a DS, but like the Wii it's a case of a handful of excellent innovative games and then a vast drove of shovelware and kiddie crap. Most DS games are 2D with only a few 3D like Mario Kart, Mario 64. DS is basically good for getting ports of old Nintendo games, along with a few others like Zelda Phantom Hourglass and Mario Kart. I've never played the PSP but I understand the graphics look better.

 

[Kelthaz]

DS = Casual Games
PSP = Hardcore Games

Yeah, it's not quite that simple, but it's still fairly accurate. I own both systems and enjoy both, but the DS gets the least play time.

 

[firehawk12]

For practical reasons, the DS is just more portable because of the clamshell design. The PSP will require some kind of case just to keep it secure.

That said, the PSP can just do more. The DSi will add some of the same functionality, but the PSP has a lot of what the DSi can do in it now, and it's cheaper depending on how you buy it.

Of course, there's also the rumoured PSP revision, which might be something worth waiting for.

 

[Mooch]

Of course, there's also the rumoured PSP revision, which might be something worth waiting for.

The PSP has already been revised twice. I wouldn't bother waiitng for a third revision, it's probably a ways off.

 

[indianatrekker26]

I just traded in my DS for a psp. I've been blown away by how much the psp looks like the ps2, graphics-wise, and gameplay-wise, but just portable. So i'm much happier with the psp. And the psp has more of the types of games i like to play.

 

[CaptJimboJones]

I've had a PSP for a few months, and I remain astonished at how powerful this little gizmo is. I've been playing Final Fantasy: Crisis Core, and the graphics are absolutely gorgeous. And last night I was playing Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron, and I jumped onto online multiplayer and it was practically like I was on a full-sized console. I've also ripped several DVDs to its flash memory and used it to watch movies while traveling. And it even has a web browser, although it's a bit awkward to use without a keyboard.

I think the descriptions are accurate - the DS is less powerful, more convenient and tailored to kids and very casual gamers. The PSP is less easy to lug around, has a smaller game library but packs a heftier punch and is really more suited to hardcore gamers who are going to be spending a lot of time with it.

 

[firehawk12]

Of course, there's also the rumoured PSP revision, which might be something worth waiting for.

The PSP has already been revised twice. I wouldn't bother waiitng for a third revision, it's probably a ways off.

This revision apparently removes the UMD and will feature a sliding screen for a smaller form factor. So it's not like the minor microphone addition/screen change thing that happened from PSP-2000 to PSP-3000.

 

[DBR]

Nintendo seems to have this little problem with releasing machines with a handful of games worth playing at the same time or shortly afterwards... then mountains of crap to follow. But hey, I buy it all anyway.

 

[firehawk12]

DS actually has a lot of decent software. Square supports it fairly well, for example.

 

[Mr Light]

^^Isn't that all remakes/ports of old games though?

 

[The Great Meech]

^^Isn't that all remakes/ports of old games though?

Much of it is, but, remember, Nintendo caters to the casual crowd and new gamers. New gamers never played the old stuff, and now get a chance to with the ports. I never had an N64, but I got to play Super Mario 64 anyway, just on the DS. And Square released The World Ends With You, which was original.

Anyway, I own both, love both, and agree with much that has been said. If you want to play games that are raw fun, go with the DS. As per tradition, many of the top titles are developed by Nintendo itself--New Super Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, Mario Kart, and so forth. The touch screen allows for some occasionally inventive gameplay, and it is considerably more portable. It has a better game library, and games come out for it considerably more often than the PSP, though most of the games are shovel ware.

The PSP gives you games that make for better experiences but are, as a rule, less simply fun. God of War: Chains of Olympus was graphically amazing and its combat consisted of the best button-mashing ever, but clocked in at something like seven hours long. I sunk 48 hours into JRPG Jeanne D'Arc, and loved it, but it didn't give me the same goofy grin the Mario & Luigi RPGs did on the DS (okay, fine, one was really for the GBA.) Game releases are far more inconsistent on the PSP--usually one to two games come out in a month, and most are ignored. Several new games have been announced for the Portable recently--including versions of LittleBigPlanet and Rock Band--but those are a ways off. I'll often play a PSP game for a few weeks, enjoying every minute of it, before I hit a wall and simply stop having fun. I almost never reach that with the DS.

 

[Sephiroth]

depends on your tastes, with the DS, the best games are the (and you must get these if you get one) Phoenix Wright trilogy and Apollo Justice, it's basically like having a murder mystery library on the go, or the classic JRPG's like Crono Trigger or final fantasy 3, or even call of duty:world at war is a decent enough FPS for it (but it looks like crap) as for the PSP the Must-buy of the system is Crisis Core:Final Fantasy VII, kind of mixes up turn based with a hack n slash, with amazing graphics and story (and more if you remember the original FF7), other than that, if you don't mind a few instances of titties, god of war, chains of olympus can kill a weekend, but the PSP's biggest draw for me as a portable system is the movies, I have about 15 of them plus the complete cowboy bebop series, so, whenever i'm outta town on an extended trip, they usually go with me

 

[CaptJimboJones]

This revision apparently removes the UMD and will feature a sliding screen for a smaller form factor. So it's not like the minor microphone addition/screen change thing that happened from PSP-2000 to PSP-3000.

Probably a dumb question, but if you remove the UMD from the PSP how the heck are you going to play games on it?

 

[The Great Meech]

^By digital distribution. You'd get new games by buying them through the online Playstation Store and downloading them to the system.

 

[miraclefan]

Both Nintendo and Sony are releasing 3.0 versions of there handhelds! The new DS will be thinner, brighter( screen), longer battery life, And it will only play DS games, so for those who have GBA games will not be able to play them on the new system. The PSP on the other hand is rumerd to get a near compleate overhaul! I don't remember where, but Sony released some sort of ''questionare'' asking PSP owners what Sony could do to IMPROVE on the design. F.Y.I. the reason Sony did this is because they are losing ''TONS'' of money to the DS.

 

[hyzmarca]

The biggest difference is a simple one. The DS is a portable system. The PSP is a console that is easy to carry around.

If you're on the move and want something to play during a break or on the subway or something, then the PSP will not suit you very well. It's something that you want to sit down with for a while.

The DS, on the other hand, is deisgned for quick bursts of play. It has a few hardcore games, and good ones, but it doesn't play like a console, for the most part.

 

[Trippy]

My son (he's 11) had the DS for years, loved it and its games. He just got the PSP for his birthday, and although he has fewer games for it, he loves the graphics and gameplay so much more. He likes being able to watch the movies on it too...bigger screen than his ipod.

 

[Amaris]

I've had a PSP for a few months, and I remain astonished at how powerful this little gizmo is. I've been playing Final Fantasy: Crisis Core, and the graphics are absolutely gorgeous. And last night I was playing Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron, and I jumped onto online multiplayer and it was practically like I was on a full-sized console. I've also ripped several DVDs to its flash memory and used it to watch movies while traveling. And it even has a web browser, although it's a bit awkward to use without a keyboard.

I think the descriptions are accurate - the DS is less powerful, more convenient and tailored to kids and very casual gamers. The PSP is less easy to lug around, has a smaller game library but packs a heftier punch and is really more suited to hardcore gamers who are going to be spending a lot of time with it.

My sentiments exactly. The graphics are just gorgeous, my PSP lasts about 9 hours before I have to recharge the battery, and I can access the internet anywhere there's wifi, which for me, is everywhere.

I have downloaded several of the PSOne classics from the Sony Store (through the PSP), and it's just the ultimate portable entertainment system for me. I wouldn't trade it for a DS, and what's beautiful is I got it cheaper because it was used. The guy returned it because he said the wifi didn't work. I took it home, turned on the wifi switch, and it worked flawlessly.

Mucho happy with the PSP.

J.