Kschreck
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- Jul 9, 2003
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Before reading please understand everything below is my opinion.
Basically this is most likely a given but heres the tail.
The DS:
I got the Nintendo DS close to launch. It was quite a leap in graphics from the GBA. The PSP whas only a dream at the time. I bought Super Mario DS and thats it. They didn't and still don't have any other games that look half decent to me. I booted up Super Mario DS and began to play. The graphics where decent aside from not supporting the Nintendo 64's shader effect making the game look slightly pixellated. The DS seems to be about the Nintendo 64's graphics minus the pixel smoother effect. The game went through a series of changes some for the better and some not. The game was good but the problem was the controls where not. When I got Super Mario 64 for the N64 I adapted the controls almost in a day. I played and played the DS Mario and it just doesn't work. Basically you can NOT play a 3D game with a 2D directional pad. It just doesn't work that well. I stopped playing it basically because I can't. They recommend using the stylus but thats even more harder. How are you suppose to use the stylus with your right hand and hit the buttons on your right side. :shock: It's been about 5 months since the DS's release and there is only a total of 13 games released so far. Most of them got below a 7.0. Almost everyone had a horrible review calling the games repetetive, ETC! Nintendo is forcing the game companies to make sure you HAVE to use the stylus and touchpad for every game and for me this just doesn't work. The games so far range from musical to weird puzzle games all feeling like lame tech demos. They announced a new Castlevania game however it has the same graphics that the Super Nintendo ones had on the old 16 bit which isn't to appetizing after played Ridge Racer for the PSP. They also announced a 2D Zelda multi player game. Again it's 2D and it's main focus is multi player. There is no decent single player games in the works in my opinion and it actually feels like Nintendo is breaking everything. The system is of course not as feature packed as the PSP. The two screens could be good for an RPG game having the map on the bottom or something but Nintendo has no RPG games in the works. At lease nothing decent. The system feels cheap. It feels like it can be broken easily which is not a good feeling. The two screens appear to be the same ones they used in the original GBA and maybe even the GBC which is gross. The DS can play GBA games but not GBC or GB games. I got Zelda: The Minish Cap for it. I was disapointed to find that the DS doesn't make the GBA games fit the screen which is pretty lame.
The DS Verdict:
It's just broke. I have no motivation to play my DS again and what is most sad is that I use to be the most hardcore Nintendo fan that I know.
The PSP:
I was very skeptical on how well the PSP would be. Specially knowing this is Sony's first attempt at a handheld. I was glad to find out that the system was all that and more. I got it home and booted it up. The first thing I noticed was the nice display screen which is considered by many "Like Having A Handheld HDTV" and had very nice and vibrant colors. It started with a neat and crisp Sony logo and then had a colorful design that played for a second and then the setup stuff came up. A quick and easy to setup guide came up. The menu is very very slick and very professional.Even the background slowly moves (But not repetetive in any way). You go through the options and your booted in. After where done and in the menu, you can see the battery power indicator in the top right corner of the screen as well as the date and time. Everything on the PSP is real easy to read which is nice and surprising to say the least. When you inser a game or movie it automatically goes into the game/movie. Whats nice is there is a home button that you can hit to automatically take you back to the menu and will even let you resume your game should you go back. When you are in the menu and got the game/movie in you can select the game icon and it will actually turn the menu theme to the menu but with a small movie clip of the game/movie, music and background pictures (VERY graphical). The PSP is easy to use and the USB connection features is awesome. Nothing beats watching "Amish Paradise" music video on your PSP.
There are 24 launch games with a huge list coming of planned games with hits like: GTA, Prince Of Persia: Warrior Within, Gran Turismo 4, Splinter Cell, Final Fantasy: Advent Children and lots more. http://www.zogdog.com/theboard/viewtopic.php?t=5986 I got Ridge Racer, Untold Legends, and Twisted Metal. Ridge Racer is truthfully one of the best if not the best racing games I had ever played. Untold Legends is just freakin awesome. It's basically like a pocket Diablo, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Dungeon Siege style game. Don't think it's been skilled back for the PSP because it has not. It's got a full inventory system with a HUGE amount of items and goodies. You can even combine items and make things stronger (Like In Diablo). It has a small map in the top right corner which is not a problem but rather very useful. The game has very good graphics, ETC! Definetly a must have title. Twisted Metal I didn't play to much yet as I am waiting until I get my Router setted up so that I can play people online. The DS won't see online play until Fall. The PSP feels very sturdy which is a good thing. The battery life is a little bit less then the DS but not by much. I get about 4 hours on a charge. You can buy and extra battery for only $30 to have as a spare. I guess one of the weak points to the PSP is the memory cards are expensive. Sony is pretty greedu with them and they are the most expensive form of memory cards I know of. The biggest you can get it a 1GB and that sells for about $120 when in stock. Right now they are sold out everywhere. The controls are awesome and the joystick works very well for a handheld. The PSP is $100 more then the Nintendo DS but that $100 goes a LONG way.
The PSP Verdict:
I truthfully think it's Nintendo's end. The PSP is so much better in every way and I don't think thats an opinion. Nintendo calls the DS innovative with it's touchscreen but it's more lame to me. A dumb idea to me. Sony's PlayStation series has ALWAYS outsold all of it's competitors and this one won't be any different. The DS is all over the news on the TV and on the internet. If you go to the Nintendo DS forums on GameFaqs people are ripping on it where as the PSP is getting much good attention on the PSP forums.
Am I Being To Rough On The DS?
Maybe, but comparing a Nintendo 64 like system with limited funcationality to a PS2 media center system is a big difference and I honestly believe that the DS is generations behind in technology. You might say that graphics don't matter. It's not just the graphics that I like. The gameplay is very smooth on the PSP with no contro problems at all and the games are actually fun getting good reviews.
The Future Of Games:
The DS doesn't have to many good looking games and the games that are announced are broken in some way. For example they announced Age Of Empires 3 but it's only a turn based game which is disapointing to many AOE and DS fans. The PSP has a major list with more added all the time.
Updates:
A recent PSP rumor which has been confirmed true:
Those are major features and when those come out it's going to be yet another major revoltution for Sony's slick handheld.
Emulation:
This is an interesting aspect to the handhelds. Truthfully I don't think there can be any emulation on the DS since theres no way to get data to it. The PSP has a lot of projects in the works one which is PSP Linux. Which is a full size Linux distribution for the PSP. May sound dumb, but the PSP's screen it big enough to make it more functionable the a pocket PC and since the PSP has internet you will be able to browse the web and stuff. A nice free toy. I am also betting that you will see a SNES emulator soon.
E3:
E3 is less then two months away and I'm sure both the PSP and the Nintendo DS will get lots of attention there. I sure hope the two systems gets major announcement. Like new games and new features.
Opinion:
This is all my opinion. The ultimate way to find out whats better is to go and try the two systems out. Looks for a local game store and try out the DS and the PSP and see what you like better.
Other's Opinions:
To find out what people think about the two systems I'd start with www.gamefaqs.com Just be warned that there are fanboys who will protect their systems no matter what.
Questions:
I hope you like my PSP VS. DS Comparison. If you have any questions regarding the two handhelds please ask.
Basically this is most likely a given but heres the tail.
The DS:
I got the Nintendo DS close to launch. It was quite a leap in graphics from the GBA. The PSP whas only a dream at the time. I bought Super Mario DS and thats it. They didn't and still don't have any other games that look half decent to me. I booted up Super Mario DS and began to play. The graphics where decent aside from not supporting the Nintendo 64's shader effect making the game look slightly pixellated. The DS seems to be about the Nintendo 64's graphics minus the pixel smoother effect. The game went through a series of changes some for the better and some not. The game was good but the problem was the controls where not. When I got Super Mario 64 for the N64 I adapted the controls almost in a day. I played and played the DS Mario and it just doesn't work. Basically you can NOT play a 3D game with a 2D directional pad. It just doesn't work that well. I stopped playing it basically because I can't. They recommend using the stylus but thats even more harder. How are you suppose to use the stylus with your right hand and hit the buttons on your right side. :shock: It's been about 5 months since the DS's release and there is only a total of 13 games released so far. Most of them got below a 7.0. Almost everyone had a horrible review calling the games repetetive, ETC! Nintendo is forcing the game companies to make sure you HAVE to use the stylus and touchpad for every game and for me this just doesn't work. The games so far range from musical to weird puzzle games all feeling like lame tech demos. They announced a new Castlevania game however it has the same graphics that the Super Nintendo ones had on the old 16 bit which isn't to appetizing after played Ridge Racer for the PSP. They also announced a 2D Zelda multi player game. Again it's 2D and it's main focus is multi player. There is no decent single player games in the works in my opinion and it actually feels like Nintendo is breaking everything. The system is of course not as feature packed as the PSP. The two screens could be good for an RPG game having the map on the bottom or something but Nintendo has no RPG games in the works. At lease nothing decent. The system feels cheap. It feels like it can be broken easily which is not a good feeling. The two screens appear to be the same ones they used in the original GBA and maybe even the GBC which is gross. The DS can play GBA games but not GBC or GB games. I got Zelda: The Minish Cap for it. I was disapointed to find that the DS doesn't make the GBA games fit the screen which is pretty lame.
The DS Verdict:
It's just broke. I have no motivation to play my DS again and what is most sad is that I use to be the most hardcore Nintendo fan that I know.
The PSP:
I was very skeptical on how well the PSP would be. Specially knowing this is Sony's first attempt at a handheld. I was glad to find out that the system was all that and more. I got it home and booted it up. The first thing I noticed was the nice display screen which is considered by many "Like Having A Handheld HDTV" and had very nice and vibrant colors. It started with a neat and crisp Sony logo and then had a colorful design that played for a second and then the setup stuff came up. A quick and easy to setup guide came up. The menu is very very slick and very professional.Even the background slowly moves (But not repetetive in any way). You go through the options and your booted in. After where done and in the menu, you can see the battery power indicator in the top right corner of the screen as well as the date and time. Everything on the PSP is real easy to read which is nice and surprising to say the least. When you inser a game or movie it automatically goes into the game/movie. Whats nice is there is a home button that you can hit to automatically take you back to the menu and will even let you resume your game should you go back. When you are in the menu and got the game/movie in you can select the game icon and it will actually turn the menu theme to the menu but with a small movie clip of the game/movie, music and background pictures (VERY graphical). The PSP is easy to use and the USB connection features is awesome. Nothing beats watching "Amish Paradise" music video on your PSP.
There are 24 launch games with a huge list coming of planned games with hits like: GTA, Prince Of Persia: Warrior Within, Gran Turismo 4, Splinter Cell, Final Fantasy: Advent Children and lots more. http://www.zogdog.com/theboard/viewtopic.php?t=5986 I got Ridge Racer, Untold Legends, and Twisted Metal. Ridge Racer is truthfully one of the best if not the best racing games I had ever played. Untold Legends is just freakin awesome. It's basically like a pocket Diablo, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Dungeon Siege style game. Don't think it's been skilled back for the PSP because it has not. It's got a full inventory system with a HUGE amount of items and goodies. You can even combine items and make things stronger (Like In Diablo). It has a small map in the top right corner which is not a problem but rather very useful. The game has very good graphics, ETC! Definetly a must have title. Twisted Metal I didn't play to much yet as I am waiting until I get my Router setted up so that I can play people online. The DS won't see online play until Fall. The PSP feels very sturdy which is a good thing. The battery life is a little bit less then the DS but not by much. I get about 4 hours on a charge. You can buy and extra battery for only $30 to have as a spare. I guess one of the weak points to the PSP is the memory cards are expensive. Sony is pretty greedu with them and they are the most expensive form of memory cards I know of. The biggest you can get it a 1GB and that sells for about $120 when in stock. Right now they are sold out everywhere. The controls are awesome and the joystick works very well for a handheld. The PSP is $100 more then the Nintendo DS but that $100 goes a LONG way.The PSP Verdict:
I truthfully think it's Nintendo's end. The PSP is so much better in every way and I don't think thats an opinion. Nintendo calls the DS innovative with it's touchscreen but it's more lame to me. A dumb idea to me. Sony's PlayStation series has ALWAYS outsold all of it's competitors and this one won't be any different. The DS is all over the news on the TV and on the internet. If you go to the Nintendo DS forums on GameFaqs people are ripping on it where as the PSP is getting much good attention on the PSP forums.
Am I Being To Rough On The DS?
Maybe, but comparing a Nintendo 64 like system with limited funcationality to a PS2 media center system is a big difference and I honestly believe that the DS is generations behind in technology. You might say that graphics don't matter. It's not just the graphics that I like. The gameplay is very smooth on the PSP with no contro problems at all and the games are actually fun getting good reviews.
The Future Of Games:
The DS doesn't have to many good looking games and the games that are announced are broken in some way. For example they announced Age Of Empires 3 but it's only a turn based game which is disapointing to many AOE and DS fans. The PSP has a major list with more added all the time.
Updates:
A recent PSP rumor which has been confirmed true:
Those are major features and when those come out it's going to be yet another major revoltution for Sony's slick handheld.
Emulation:
This is an interesting aspect to the handhelds. Truthfully I don't think there can be any emulation on the DS since theres no way to get data to it. The PSP has a lot of projects in the works one which is PSP Linux. Which is a full size Linux distribution for the PSP. May sound dumb, but the PSP's screen it big enough to make it more functionable the a pocket PC and since the PSP has internet you will be able to browse the web and stuff. A nice free toy. I am also betting that you will see a SNES emulator soon.
E3:
E3 is less then two months away and I'm sure both the PSP and the Nintendo DS will get lots of attention there. I sure hope the two systems gets major announcement. Like new games and new features.
Opinion:
This is all my opinion. The ultimate way to find out whats better is to go and try the two systems out. Looks for a local game store and try out the DS and the PSP and see what you like better.
Other's Opinions:
To find out what people think about the two systems I'd start with www.gamefaqs.com Just be warned that there are fanboys who will protect their systems no matter what.
Questions:
I hope you like my PSP VS. DS Comparison. If you have any questions regarding the two handhelds please ask.
