LilGrim
08-13-2006, 11:45 PM
I posted this review on the DS forums awhile back. Most people thought it was good, so I just want to know what everyone here thinks...So anyways(it's a direct quote, mind you):
Ok, I know what you said when you read the title. "Oh no, not ANOTHER DS vs PSP thread!".
I can assure you, this one is very different. It contains ACTUAL INFO and
info GATHERED FROM EXPERIENCE. No fanboyism anywhere in it.
And now, without further interruption...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Light overviews:
The DS:
Nintendo's latest, and by far greatest handheld has a 64-bit processor and
pretty crisp graphics for a handheld, plus it has a wide array of games
both old (ports) and new (DS original titles). It's a superior seller in
Japan, but has some serious competition in the states and the UK (mainly
the PSP). Plus, it has one very special feature, the touch screen. Truly a
unique system.
The PSP:
After the abomination that was the Sony PocketStation, many people
were expecting this system to fail as well, but it did just the opposite. It's
a big hit with gamers here in the states, but sales have been rather slow
overseas (understandably due to the price tag, but I'll get to that later). It
has terrific 128-bit (I believe) graphics that a lot of people say are well
worth the money. It's multimedia capabilities make it handy in a pinch as
well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How do they stack up?
Price: How much does it cost to put these machines in your pocket?
The DS: At a nice $120 MSRP, the DS is good for people who have a tight
budget. Buying more than one is much less of a pain in the wallet than it's
competitor.
The PSP: A well-equipped PSP will cost you more than $200 (again, MSRP).
It's better for those who really know how to take care of electronics.
Winner: DS
Graphics: Which one has more eye candy?
The DS: With 64-bit hardware, it's better than most handhelds,
but it can't hold a candle to the PSP's 128-bit machinery.
The PSP: It's stunningly detailed graphics top just about every other
handheld on the market! It's truly in a class of it's own in this category.
Winner: PSP
Multimedia: Which one has more under the hood?
The DS: Sadly, the DS's backwards compatibility is just about the only bit
of multimedia it has at the moment (excluding the silly Pictochat thing).
However, accessories for internet browsing and TV are on the way.
The PSP: The PSP wins hands down in this category. It has options to
make, store, and share images, watch movies, listen to music, and
browse the internet. It's like having a PC in your pocket!
Winner: PSP
Durability: How much of a beating can they take?
The DS: I have dropped my DS multiple times on more different kinds of
surfaces than you can imagine, and it still works just fine. And because
the two screens shut clamshell style, both screens are fairly well
protected, and so are the buttons. It's like the Volvo of handhelds!
The PSP: If the DS is a Volvo, then the PSP must be a Mercedes. It's nice
to look at, but quite frail. With this system, it's well worth the money to
buy a carrying case, a screen protector, or both.
Winner: DS
Games: Which one is more fun? Note: This was a very hard decision, and I'm probably going to regret my choice.
The DS: With all it's classic Nintendo themes (Mario, Metroid, Kirby), as
well as some new faces (Trauma Center, Phoenix Wright, Elite Beat
Agents), this is every Nintendo fan's dream come true! Every game
makes full use of the touch screen, and a lot of them also use the built-in
microphone (MP:H is a great example). Even though the graphics aren't
all that great, the gameplay more than makes up for it.
The PSP: Despite popular belief, graphics aren't the only things that make
a system great. It's the games. Unfortunately, due to the strange shape
of the system and the slow load times, it takes a while to get used to, or
even get to the games in the first place. I have yet to play a PSP game
that I actually thought was fun. Heck, even Ape Escape bored me. I'm
quite disappointed...
*ducks to avoid tomatoes*
Winner: DS
Looks: Which system has style in the bag?
The DS: The DS is rather chunky. It has a few smooth lines, but the rest
is just... square. If you want a Nintendo handheld with looks, get the Lite.
The PSP: With it's ceramic black exterior and rounded look, it's quite a
good-looking system. Not to mention the PSP logo on the back with the
disk behind it. As I've said before, this system is like a Mercedes; great
for looks, if a bit pricey.
Winner: PSP
Online: How much fun is it on the net?
The DS: Less than half of the DS games on the market are Wi-Fi capable
at the moment. But those games get a supercharge of fun online! Mario
Kart DS, Metroid Prime Hunters, Tony Hawk's American Sk8land, and
Animal Crossing: Wild World are excellent examples of what I'm talking
about. When you get bored of them, take them online! It's a whole new world!
The PSP: It's basically the same story here. The games get much more
fun online, not to mention the fully stocked internet browser. The only
downside is that it takes even longer to load.
Tie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Results:
1. DS
2. PSP
3. PSP
4. DS
5. DS
6. PSP
7. Tie
...yeah, that's right. It's a tie. Sue me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The aftermath:
Both systems have their unique strengths and weaknesses. Neither one is
really "better" in my eyes. I just hate waking up to a brand new "DS
SUCKS!" or "PSP REEKS!" thread every morning. I mean, COME ON
PEOPLE! THEY'RE JUST GAME SYSTEMS! Can't we all just get along?
I apologize if this type of thread is not allowed, or if it will cause flaming
or anything of the sort. I was just trying to give my honest opinion.
Ok, I know what you said when you read the title. "Oh no, not ANOTHER DS vs PSP thread!".
I can assure you, this one is very different. It contains ACTUAL INFO and
info GATHERED FROM EXPERIENCE. No fanboyism anywhere in it.
And now, without further interruption...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Light overviews:
The DS:
Nintendo's latest, and by far greatest handheld has a 64-bit processor and
pretty crisp graphics for a handheld, plus it has a wide array of games
both old (ports) and new (DS original titles). It's a superior seller in
Japan, but has some serious competition in the states and the UK (mainly
the PSP). Plus, it has one very special feature, the touch screen. Truly a
unique system.
The PSP:
After the abomination that was the Sony PocketStation, many people
were expecting this system to fail as well, but it did just the opposite. It's
a big hit with gamers here in the states, but sales have been rather slow
overseas (understandably due to the price tag, but I'll get to that later). It
has terrific 128-bit (I believe) graphics that a lot of people say are well
worth the money. It's multimedia capabilities make it handy in a pinch as
well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How do they stack up?
Price: How much does it cost to put these machines in your pocket?
The DS: At a nice $120 MSRP, the DS is good for people who have a tight
budget. Buying more than one is much less of a pain in the wallet than it's
competitor.
The PSP: A well-equipped PSP will cost you more than $200 (again, MSRP).
It's better for those who really know how to take care of electronics.
Winner: DS
Graphics: Which one has more eye candy?
The DS: With 64-bit hardware, it's better than most handhelds,
but it can't hold a candle to the PSP's 128-bit machinery.
The PSP: It's stunningly detailed graphics top just about every other
handheld on the market! It's truly in a class of it's own in this category.
Winner: PSP
Multimedia: Which one has more under the hood?
The DS: Sadly, the DS's backwards compatibility is just about the only bit
of multimedia it has at the moment (excluding the silly Pictochat thing).
However, accessories for internet browsing and TV are on the way.
The PSP: The PSP wins hands down in this category. It has options to
make, store, and share images, watch movies, listen to music, and
browse the internet. It's like having a PC in your pocket!
Winner: PSP
Durability: How much of a beating can they take?
The DS: I have dropped my DS multiple times on more different kinds of
surfaces than you can imagine, and it still works just fine. And because
the two screens shut clamshell style, both screens are fairly well
protected, and so are the buttons. It's like the Volvo of handhelds!
The PSP: If the DS is a Volvo, then the PSP must be a Mercedes. It's nice
to look at, but quite frail. With this system, it's well worth the money to
buy a carrying case, a screen protector, or both.
Winner: DS
Games: Which one is more fun? Note: This was a very hard decision, and I'm probably going to regret my choice.
The DS: With all it's classic Nintendo themes (Mario, Metroid, Kirby), as
well as some new faces (Trauma Center, Phoenix Wright, Elite Beat
Agents), this is every Nintendo fan's dream come true! Every game
makes full use of the touch screen, and a lot of them also use the built-in
microphone (MP:H is a great example). Even though the graphics aren't
all that great, the gameplay more than makes up for it.
The PSP: Despite popular belief, graphics aren't the only things that make
a system great. It's the games. Unfortunately, due to the strange shape
of the system and the slow load times, it takes a while to get used to, or
even get to the games in the first place. I have yet to play a PSP game
that I actually thought was fun. Heck, even Ape Escape bored me. I'm
quite disappointed...
*ducks to avoid tomatoes*
Winner: DS
Looks: Which system has style in the bag?
The DS: The DS is rather chunky. It has a few smooth lines, but the rest
is just... square. If you want a Nintendo handheld with looks, get the Lite.
The PSP: With it's ceramic black exterior and rounded look, it's quite a
good-looking system. Not to mention the PSP logo on the back with the
disk behind it. As I've said before, this system is like a Mercedes; great
for looks, if a bit pricey.
Winner: PSP
Online: How much fun is it on the net?
The DS: Less than half of the DS games on the market are Wi-Fi capable
at the moment. But those games get a supercharge of fun online! Mario
Kart DS, Metroid Prime Hunters, Tony Hawk's American Sk8land, and
Animal Crossing: Wild World are excellent examples of what I'm talking
about. When you get bored of them, take them online! It's a whole new world!
The PSP: It's basically the same story here. The games get much more
fun online, not to mention the fully stocked internet browser. The only
downside is that it takes even longer to load.
Tie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Results:
1. DS
2. PSP
3. PSP
4. DS
5. DS
6. PSP
7. Tie
...yeah, that's right. It's a tie. Sue me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The aftermath:
Both systems have their unique strengths and weaknesses. Neither one is
really "better" in my eyes. I just hate waking up to a brand new "DS
SUCKS!" or "PSP REEKS!" thread every morning. I mean, COME ON
PEOPLE! THEY'RE JUST GAME SYSTEMS! Can't we all just get along?
I apologize if this type of thread is not allowed, or if it will cause flaming
or anything of the sort. I was just trying to give my honest opinion.