Handheld gaming

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I'm thinking of getting a handheld gaming device for the summer. Obviously, the only two real options are the PSP and DS.



Now, at first glance, the large screen of the PSP, along with better graphics capabilities make it seem a winner. However, I'm definitely not going to be buying any UMD movies, and I've yet to see a real killer 3D game for the device.



The DS however, seems to be full of innovative games, even catering for my tastes (which are far more first person shooters and things that make you think), and the new DS lite comes close to the PSP for industrial design. Also, its MUCH cheaper.



The problem is that I haven't actually used either, and most shops don't have demo units, so do any of you have any opinions?



Thanks,



David

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    I find it usually works likes this. Most Americans prefer DS's, most Europeans prefer PSP's. Which camp you in?

    Or there's the new apple Macplay!





  • Reply 2 of 15
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    Get the PSP in November when they come with 4GB of flash memory, are smaller, and have a built-in camera.



    Really, I can't recommend anything right now since I got my PSP stolen half a year ago. But otherwise, I'd recommend the PSP because it's a really polished package and the games are traditional but look great.
  • Reply 3 of 15
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    Quote:

    Originally posted by iMacfan

    The DS however, seems to be full of innovative games



    Such as? How about "use your voice to object in court" or look after a virtual pet. The DS doesn't have innovative games, just games that nobody else wants to make 'cos they suck.



    I've used both and the DS is horrible compared to the PSP. The PSP is the speed of a PS2 and the DS is the speed of an N64.



    The PSP version of Burnout is great and the screen quality is much better than the DS.



    Also, the DS has a really stupid two screen setup that doesn't even respond very well to your touch.



    Then again, the DS is probably much more portable.



    In summary:

    DS - cheap, ugly, slow, portable, people won't even steal a DS

    PSP - more expensive, beautiful, fast, heavy, but desirable to thieves
  • Reply 4 of 15
    imacfanimacfan Posts: 444member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Marvin

    Such as? How about "use your voice to object in court" or look after a virtual pet.



    Well, yes! (though I'm not interested in the pet thing) At least nintendo have tried to introduce games that aren't just mediocre ports of mediocre 5 year old console games.



    David
  • Reply 5 of 15
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Marvin

    Such as?



    Brain Age for instance.
  • Reply 6 of 15
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    DS games are essentially built around the touch-screen gimmick, which to this day, while being very innovative, is awkward and simply not as elegant as the more traditional PSP. With the PSP, you get Lumines, Wipeout, Splinter Cell - these are traditional console-style games, but they're polished, have stunning graphics for a portable, and are fun and well-made. Especially Lumines, it's really an experience.
  • Reply 7 of 15
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by T'hain Esh Kelch

    Brain Age for instance.



    Flip through somebody's rolodex and pick a telephone number. Add the digits together. Add every other digit together. Multiply the first and last digits together. The possibilities are endless, and you don't even need a DS!
  • Reply 8 of 15
    imacfanimacfan Posts: 444member
    A white DS lite with Brain Age and a few other games were duly purchased today. The DS was just a far simpler, elegant and cheaper option. The only thing that surprises me about the design is that it was announced before Apple released the Macbook.



    David
  • Reply 9 of 15
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    The PSP has enough juice under the hood and enough flexibility in its OS design to emulate all of the old console games that I used to like. SNES, Playstation, etc. I don't have much of a reason to buy a portable game device, but if I did, I would want to play some of those old games. There was a whole cult based around the wonderswan gp32 simply because it has the capacity to emulate old console games. The PSP goes the next step: that is, it has a relatively similar architecture, just beefed up a bunch.



    As for things being stolen, tough luck. 99% of the time, something is stolen because the proverbial door is open. If you leave your laptop unattended in a library, or your Audi S4 unlocked overnight in Manhattan, you're just asking for it.
  • Reply 10 of 15
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Splinemodel



    As for things being stolen, tough luck. 99% of the time, something is stolen because the proverbial door is open. If you leave your laptop unattended in a library, or your Audi S4 unlocked overnight in Manhattan, you're just asking for it.




    Uh, cool?
  • Reply 11 of 15
    Quote:

    Originally posted by iMacfan

    A white DS lite with Brain Age and a few other games were duly purchased today. The DS was just a far simpler, elegant and cheaper option. The only thing that surprises me about the design is that it was announced before Apple released the Macbook.



    David




    You know, the iBook looked almost exactly like the MacBook..
  • Reply 12 of 15
    tacojohntacojohn Posts: 980member
    Speaking from someone who's owned both a DS and PSP from day one I can give an excellent recommendation.



    Buy a DS.



    Reasons:



    1. Better battery life

    2. Smaller

    3. Better games

    4. More games

    5. Instant on/no loading (pretty much)

    6. Cheaper games

    7. It's cheaper than the PSP

    8. Touch screen Opera browser coming out

    9. More rugged

    10. Mario, Zelda, Metroid



    I sold my PSP on ebay a few months back due to lack of games, stupid UMD movies, bad battery life, expensive memory stick media, and long load times.



    The main thing for a portable system is to be able to pick it up and play it for a few minutes quickly. I found with my PSP that by the time I turned the thing on and got into a game my time was almost up. With the DS, because the battery life is so good, you can simply close the thing while you're playing and it will go into sleep mode and not drain the battery. Even if you didn't enable sleep and turn it completely off you'd only have to wait about 5 seconds to be into the game and playing it.



    Yes- while the dual screens and touch screen is a "gimmick" they do add value to the games. Brain Age is a ton of fun and uses the touch screen exclusively and wouldn't be possible on the PSP. Animal Crossing uses the touch screen for design and item management (cool 'cause you can draw crap).



    Get the DS lite w/ New Super Mario, Mario Kart, Brain Age, Animal Crossing, Metroid Hunters, Trauma Life in the ER, Phonex Wright, Kirby Canvas Curse. DS is starting to build up a huge library of sweet games (unlike the PSP which only has a few and nothing cool coming out).



    DS is getting a new Zelda game, Yoshi's Island 2, Star Fox, Final Fantasy, Cooking Mama, etc.



    Get a DS.
  • Reply 13 of 15
    imacfanimacfan Posts: 444member
    Thanks, Tacojohn - That's pretty much why I chose the DS - on paper it seems like the loser, but in real life it's far superior.



    Nice to see the four games I got are all on your list:

    Mario Kart, Trauma Center, Brain Age and Metroid Prime Hunters



    Not sure about MPH though, graphics seem a bit poor compared to the others, but 3D is still nice.



    David
  • Reply 14 of 15
    tacojohntacojohn Posts: 980member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by iMacfan

    Thanks, Tacojohn - That's pretty much why I chose the DS - on paper it seems like the loser, but in real life it's far superior.



    Nice to see the four games I got are all on your list:

    Mario Kart, Trauma Center, Brain Age and Metroid Prime Hunters



    Not sure about MPH though, graphics seem a bit poor compared to the others, but 3D is still nice.



    David




    What's your friend code on Mario Kart and Metroid? I'll add you to my list...mine are:



    Mario Kart:

    4682 2384 5381



    Metroid:

    3436 6979 7935
  • Reply 15 of 15
    imacfanimacfan Posts: 444member
    Thanks Tacojohn - I'll PM you once I'm done with my exams (I'm in my 20s but this bloody medical course never ends...).



    David
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