Well, i caved and bought a PSP

[Flip]

Georgeous looking device, the screen is just phenomenol. The only game i bought was the puzzle one, Lumines, and i havent been able to play it for long, but it is pretty fun for a puzzle game. I wanted to get an action/adventure one, too, but need to do some research on which are the good ones first. I held off on getting the 1 GB memory card (it came with a 32mb), but once i fall into some money again, i'm sure i'll run off to go get that, too, for the mp3 capabilities. The system came with a demo disk with some movie trailers on it, which also look awesome on this wickedly cool screen, so i do think i will be buying movies for this in the future if i have a long flight or car ride to do.

Mine doesnt have any of the common problems that i read about, like some dead pixels on the kickass screen (did i mention the screen is unbelievable?), or the contrast being off, which i am very happy about. Honestly, this thing puts the SP and DS to shame. If graphic capabilities for portables like this are possible, why is Nintendo dicking around with the crap they shove out?

[Zeus]

Well, Nintendo's been able to fend off the Game Gear, Nomad, Turbo Express, and Lynx - all systems that were clearly better, in colour when they weren't, and with MUCH better screens - for two reasons:

1) Cost - even rigth now, the PSP is $300 Cdn, which is way more than what people want to pay for it. $200 is about max for a handheld and with the DS at $200 and the SP at $90 or less, it's a hard sell (at least according my manager friend at EB)

FYI - Sony shipped 1M unit at launch expecting to sell them right away. They sold 626,000 in their first week and a half, which is quite impressive I think for such and expensive system, but still below their expectations. This is why it was so easy to find.

2) Battery life - no one wants to pay for 4-6 AA batteries for 6 hours of life, which is what killed all the older systems. Sony's remedied that situation with the rechargable battery, but even with that, you're getting about 4-5 hours on a charge and only 3 or so for a movie, which is constantly reading from the disc. That's a lot of charging for travelling on a plane (you can barely make it through a cross-continental domestic flight) or for commuters (basically daily for most).

Personally, I think Sony will do quite well for the next few months. I'm really interested in seeing where it stands in September, once the novelty's worn off. The DS is starting to experience that problem in that there's nothing really for it and the dual-screen thing's not so cool anymore since nothing's taking advantage of it. Sure, Sony's got the movies, but I'm not so sure people are gonna buy too many movies for it when they can ONLY watch it on that system. For the same price, they can get the movie to watch on any DVD system (less for used ones).

But to answer your question, the reason Nintendo sticks to it is because it's worked out extraordinarily well for them and has made them quite rich. What Sony - and others in the past - is doing is risky. They don't take risks, which is why they're 3rd now. They're a reactive company, when someone puts a real dent in their handheld share, they'll change. But no one has yet.

[Flip]

I noticed, when looking at the games case for PSP games, that even the GBA/SP games are all looking 100% Nintendo lately. The DS, as we have talked about, has almost no 3rd party support, and from what i saw the GBA/SP is heading down that road. Almost all the games advertised as 'NEW!' were developed by Nintendo. What are all the 3rd party developers doing with their time? Are they abandoning the portable market or waiting for something big from Nintendo?

Obviously, i'm banking on Sony sticking around in this market, but i truly think they will do fine. Nintendo has out lived its usefulness and a big change was needed. Just like the N64 and its refusal to do anything innovative (DS doesnt count because it ended up being a bad idea), Sony will sweep in and steal some market share. Probably not as significant as the PS did, but enough to where the PSP wont fold.

Recharging daily is a norm for anybody nowadays, when i get home from work the first thing i do is put my keys on the hook, my wallet on the end table, and plug my phone in the charger; adding a PSP to that list bothers me not. While i am not a huge fan of combined gadgets like a cell phone/PDA, an mp3/video/game device just makes sense and i know i will get use out of all 3. It really is the perfect adult entertainment device, $250 US really is not that bad for working stiffs like us.

Did i mention the thing looks beautiful?

[SineSwiper]

The thing is almost big enough for a DVD. I don't know why they didn't just go that extra step. They could have even made the thing PSX compatible, since DVDs and PSX game discs are the same size.

Of course, its size is also part of the marketing problem.

[Flip]

*shrug* its not hard to rip a DVD and put it on a 1GB memory stick if you wanted to watch one of your own movies, it only takes a couple free programs and time. I am thinking about doing this to a bunch of my DVD's and keeping a folder on the computer of all the PSP formatted movies for easy swapping once i buy one of the big memory sticks. PSP formatted DVD's are about 300-900 MB.

Size? It isnt much bigger at all compared to a DS. A DVD would be twice its height. I was expecting something big, but its slim and not tall, just a little longer. Bigger than an SP, of course, but it compares to a DS easily.

[Zeus]

The thing is almost big enough for a DVD. I don't know why they didn't just go that extra step. They could have even made the thing PSX compatible, since DVDs and PSX game discs are the same size.

Of course, its size is also part of the marketing problem.

It's what we call a "successful business model". It includes proprietary media :-)

And like Flip said, it's MUCH smaller than a DVD.

In the long run, we'll see if it sticks around. A lot of the other ones made big splashes and ended up dead at the end (ie. Game Gear). It's basically a portable set-top box, so we'll see if the populace actually wants it. Remember, when the PS2 came out, it was basically the price of a DVD player, and that helped it out A LOT. The PSP is considerably more (at least double) of portable DVD players, and those even have bigger screens (7" vs 5 1/4" - I think that's the PSPs size). We'll see if the extra stuff actually helps it or hurts it in the long run.

[Julius Seeker]

I don't know about that; right now there are only 16 more confirmed videogame release dates for for the PSP the rest of this year. The DS has more titles confirmed, and among them this year are Castlevania DS, Animal Crossing DS, Lunar: Genesis, Mario Kart DS, and Metroid Prime Hunters. As for a portable DVD player, those are cheap now, you can get them at cash converters for 50-90 bucks in perfect condition, and they can play your entire DVD collection. I think right now the PSP is only for die hard sony fans, if you're not one of those, I would highly recommend against buying it until the price comes down and more games are available for it.

[Flip]

? Here are 17 and that is just through Sept. plus i'm sure there are others that only get announced a month or 2 before release.

http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/categories/p ... nooftens=1

Nintendo has always beaten out better consoles, too. Sega was better, yet lost. I think it has to do with Sony, they are a huge company with a name that people relate to quality and style. If anyone can make a dent in the portable market it is Sony, they entered the consoled when Nintendo was vulnerable and have done it again with portables.

Plus, they really target 2 different markets. No mom is going to buy her son a PSP when the DS is $100 cheaper and comes with games like Mario Racing/Golf/Tennis/Circle Jerk. Sony doesnt care about the 'Mom buys her kids' market and it will hurt their numbers, but not their bottom line or their strategy. With the amount of things the PSP can do, i wouldnt expect a 4th grader to pick one up and start playing mp3s or watch a ripped season of Simpsons....

There are accessories that double the battery life, which can help and the DS only claims 6-8, which would still require charging every other day at the least.

[Eric]

The whole Duel screen thing is just a gimmick.

I really don't understand the hostility the PSP gets on this board, it's like you guys WANT it to fail, when it's actually a wonderful lil system. The battery life isn't as big a problem as you make it out to be, especially when you don't have to pay for batteries and just need to recharge it for 2-hours.

[Julius Seeker]

Only 13 of those are games, the other items are accessories.

The only time when Sega had a better system than Nintendo is during the early Genesis period before SNES was released. The Mastersystem could be argued, but it had a lot of problems with it; mainly the price was insane. The Genesis actually managed to stay on top of the SNES until about the time FFIII was released. SNES and Genesis actually finished off fairly close to one and other in the end. if it wasn't for RARE, Nintendo, and Square coming out with phenominal games in the later period, I think Sega may have won due to the userbase they had from the early period.

[Zeus]

The whole Duel screen thing is just a gimmick.

I really don't understand the hostility the PSP gets on this board, it's like you guys WANT it to fail, when it's actually a wonderful lil system. The battery life isn't as big a problem as you make it out to be, especially when you don't have to pay for batteries and just need to recharge it for 2-hours.

I'm not hostile, just skeptical. This is new ground they're going to and it's a bit risky. I've always said, if anyone can do it, it's Sony. I mean, they've already got everyone convinced that they should pay for their "quality" when, in most cases, you can get the same quality for 20% less (ie. Toshiba with DVD players). Sony's brilliant at marketing, so they can make it work. I'm just not so sure it'll fly that well, that's all. Not in this market anyways. Even with the gamers averaging closer to 25 now.

[Julius Seeker]

I think Metroid Prime Hunters is enough proof that it's not just a gimmick. It has control beyond anything seen on console before let alone handheld. Plus it's the perfect type of system for gamelike Four Swords, RTS, and Simulations. Plus it has other interesting applications coming for it (such as that mini-encyclopedia).

I don't feel I'm being hostile towards the PSP, I just don't think that it's worth looking at right now due to a lack of games. Maybe later on when something playable comes out. But for the price that the system is, I could by 30 better PS2/GC/Xbox games brand new (of course limited selection, but I got Beyond Good and Evil, Grand Theft Auto Vice City, The Sims Bustin Out, Ark Lad, 1080, Dynasty Warriors Tactics, and other games, brand new, at the price of $9.99 Canadian). Which would you rather have?

[Flip]

Which would you rather have?

the PSP.

[Lox]

Which would you rather have?

Those games.

Exactly why I do not own a PSP yet. Now when they start putting out GTA's and games that really interest me, I'll have to rethink that.

[the Gray]

I have to say that I wish I'd saved my money and NOT purchased the DS. Not that I'd necessarily buy the PSP instead, but the DS has been collecting a lot of Dust for a few months. What, 1 good game and it's a N64 remake? Don't give Warioware, that isn't an AAA title.
And while I like the touchscreen, I'm really not happy with the rest of the button layouts on the DS. It's really tiresome after about 45 minutes. I think the ABXY buttons are small and terribly laid out.

Whatever though. Until MP Hunters or Animal Crossing my DS will just sit on my Bedstand.

[Julius Seeker]

Right now the DS is my alarm clock, and it also plays Lunar Legends before I go to sleep. I bought it in advance because I needed a new thing to play Gameboy Advance titles, and I knew I was going to get a bunch of DS games later since there's a lot on the system that I want.

Did I ever mention how much Lunar Legends kicks ass? I can't wait for the next Lunar game on DS in a few months.

[Lox]

Don't give Warioware, that isn't an AAA title.

I think that depends on the person. To me, Wario Ware beats almost any other game, especially on a portable system. I haven't played too much of Touched, but the original for GBA is one of my favorite games of all-time.

[Torgo]

I loved WarioWare, but I think he's saying that it alone doesn't warrant a DS purchase.

[SineSwiper]

I think it's awesomely queer that all of the DS remake games are called "Touched". "Mario Brothers Touched" sounds like a goddamn gay porno title.

[the Gray]

Now I for one don't believe Nintendo is finished by any means, but this article from THG is really good.

http://www20.tomshardware.com/column/20 ... index.html

Interesting that the writer also only uses the DS now to play MP Hunters demo, while waiting for Advance Wars DS. That's the other title I failed to mention above.


About Warioware. Yes I did indeed intend it to mean that it in itself does not warrant a DS purchase. A fun game to be sure but not a system seller. Nintendo has Mario 64, WW and Feel the Magic after launch? Meanwhile Sony has 20+ titles, of which at least 1/2 look like a lot of fun if not necessarily AAA system sellers. Wipeout Pure, Ridge racer and Lumines blow away N's offering alone though.

[Lox]

I understand what you mean about WW. Obviously it does not warrant me buying a DS as I do not own one. Of course, there are probably zero games I'd buy a $150 system for simply so I could play them. It takes at least 3-5.

Personally, I think the DS and PSP lineups are tremendously disappointing at the moment, but I have high expectations for both later on in the year so we'll see how it goes.

[Julius Seeker]

Yeah, I wouldn't recommend buying a DS until at least the autumn unless you don't have a GBA SP yet and want to play GBA games on a backlit screen. In that case buy the DS and save yourself 90 bucks. The DS screen is also a lot better than the GBASP, so that's another advantage.

Wario Ware, not really my type of game. Mario 64, the original wasn't really that great in my opinion, Banjo Kazooie slaughtered it in terms of fun factor. I still haven't played either Wario Ware DS or Mario 64 DS (except the multiplayer), so I can't really comment.

[Flip]

As with FF7, Square wants to help crush Nintendo! Weeeee!

http://psp.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3139075&did=1

[Zeus]

Hmm, seems OK to slam Nintendo but not Sony, huh?

[Flip]

Dont be so sensitive. It is true, though, that FF7 was a big reason as to why the PS sold better than the N64. This FF7 sequal/prequal could have similar results, hopefully it will be out 2nd or 3rd qtr of 2006 for the US.

I'll try and be more polite in the future. Sorry Zeus!

[Julius Seeker]

Bet that game will sell 250K tops. Square has three games coming out for the DS this year, so I don't think they would want to crush it; that is quite silly to think that.

Also, the development team that made the original Final Fantasy (including the script writer and Uematsu) quit Square.

[Flip]

Crystal Chronicles and some re-releases? Not too exciting. The article says the original FF7 guy and the character designer for FFVII, FFVIII, FFX and Kingdom Hearts are on board, i think it will rock!

Stop being a fanboy, you know a new FFVII is exciting, better than a re-release of FFIII (jap) and CC.

[Julius Seeker]

I never really liked Final Fantasy 7; I certainly didn't find it exciting after the first 5-6 hours. The game got extremely boring spending the rest of the game chasing this crazy guy around who is trying to fire a meteor at himself so he can become god; that didn't appeal to me, and I didn't find it exciting. I only like FF1, FF3j, FF3, FF8, and FF10 in the Final Fantasy series.

The point of the matter is that Square is developing games to sell for the DS, so therefore they are not teaming up with Sony to "crush it". That is quite obvious.

The definition of a fanboy is not someone who dislikes FF7; and besides, that's a childish thing to call anyone anyways. There are plenty of people who don't like that game; it doesn't make them "fanboys" or whatever just because they disagree with you. If you think that I should find Final Fantasy 7 exciting, then you're in for a lot of dissapointment; sorry junior.

[Eric]

Seeker, we ALL call you a Nintendo fanboy for the blind support of Nintendo games/products, you know that.

[SineSwiper]

Dont be so sensitive. It is true, though, that FF7 was a big reason as to why the PS sold better than the N64.

Nope. The only reason, THE ONLY REASON, why the PSX sold better was because the N64 still used cartridges. That's IT. Everything else (the lack of 3rd party support, FF7, etc.) was only an after-effect of that horrible mistake.

If they didn't do that, we would be playing DMC, KotOR, Final Fantasy, and whatever other console game on a Gamecube.

[Julius Seeker]

Seeker, we ALL call you a Nintendo fanboy for the blind support of Nintendo games/products, you know that.

What blind support? I have never blindly supported anything before. I only say I enjoy things I actually do enjoy. If I blindly supported Nintendo, don't you think I would like all of their games instead of just a select few? It also does not change the fact that fanboy is a childish thing to call someone. Are you a childish person Eric? Would you actually use that word, "fanboy" in public in front of people you know? I don't think you would, I know you better than that.

Dont be so sensitive. It is true, though, that FF7 was a big reason as to why the PS sold better than the N64.

Nope. The only reason, THE ONLY REASON, why the PSX sold better was because the N64 still used cartridges. That's IT. Everything else (the lack of 3rd party support, FF7, etc.) was only an after-effect of that horrible mistake.

If they didn't do that, we would be playing DMC, KotOR, Final Fantasy, and whatever other console game on a Gamecube.

Yeah, I agree, Nintendo did it for profitting purposes. Sure they made a killing in the short term, but it was a very bad move for the longrun businesswise as they lost a lot of the ground that they had. Strangely enough though, Nintendo profits still beat out Sony Computer Entertainment's by about 100 million this fiscal year; but I think that will probably change by next March unless Sony REALLY screws up. Speaking of profits, the overall videogame industry has been down lately, especially in Japan; Sony and nintendo both failed to reach the profit margin that they had predicted earlier (though both did cut their forecasts several times). There are a number of reasons for the falling of the game industry, number one I think would be that the US and Japanese economies have been down lately; and even though Europe's is up, and game sales are record breaking, it's still not enough to fill the widening gap left by the Japanese and North American markets.

[Eric]

Yes...I'm very childish.....FANBOY! ;p