Oh, and just to bring us back to the topic…
Neither DS nor PSP has really impressed me yet (although I gotta admit, I have only seen commercials for them, none of them with my own eyes).
However, the PSP seems a bit big to me? How large is it approximately?
Further, the DS reminds me of those old dual-screen LCD consoles, you know Donkey Kong etc.
I think that the PSP and the DS are both a bit bigger than what’s out right now. The DS is probably about the size of the Gameboy Advance, except thicker since it’s a clamshell design. The PSP… well, I don’t know exactly since I haven’t seen it, but I’d guess probably around the same size as the DS, maybe a little bit bigger.
SolGrundy, I’d love to get both too. The DS for Christmas does seem like a good idea. My whole family seems to be confused as to what I want - maybe they can go in one for me? I better start dropping “hints.” I hope it’s not too late. Oh, and I think the PSP should be almost the same price as the DS, maybe at most $30 more. Unless you plan on buying a PSP now. Then it’s quite a bit more.
The DS is about the width of a GBA, though a bit thicker as someone mentioned because of the clamshell design.
The PSP is a bit wider than the DS, but shorter length wise.
My brother bought a DS and I’ve played it a few times. The overall design of the system is nice - the buttons are laid out well and the screens are a nice size - but it is a bit heavier than I expected…quite a bit heftier than the Game Boy Advance (not sure about the GBA SP). The touchscreen is very precise and quite fun to use in the previously mentioned Mario 64 DS minigames. In the actual game, using the thumbstrap and touchscreen as a replacement for a joystick is not as limiting as it would seem. I still wish there was some way to incorporate a stick into the system, but that wouldn’t really be feasible with its clamshell design.
Mario 64 DS itself is quite fun. I haven’t played it exhaustively, but I can say it does bring back fond memories of the N64 launch title. Good times. I wasn’t too enamored with the graphics, though…the game basically looked like the N64 game redesigned for the PS1.
I played the Metroid demo briefly. The control felt rather disconcerting, but with practice it could probably be quite effective. The visuals in Metroid were pretty impressive, too.
I haven’t seen the DS touchscreen used for anything revolutionary yet, but think about it…if Shigeru Miyamoto or Hideo Kojima can create games as innovative as Zelda: Ocarina of Time or Metal Gear Solid (MGS1, thankyouverymuch), imagine what stunts they could pull off with the new hardware.
That’s because it was less powerful. Far less powerful… 
C’mon, Dude, the Game Gear was just a Sega Master System in a smaller box, and that was already close to obsolete when Sega introduced it in the 'States.
Relative to the GameBoy, it was a graphical power house. The fact that its innards are identical to that of the Master System is irrelevant, as most consumers would not have known, nor cared.
Even when comparing the Game Gear to the home consoles at the time, it still was reasonably powerful. It was only outdated by one generation (again, relative to the consoles) which is exacty where the PSP will be within a year’s time.
Yeah, but I don’t think that Sega had the marketshare of the console market that Sony does now, especially compared to Nintendo. Also, the Game Gear required 8 AA batteries that lasted approximately two days of playing time (I remember going through a small fortune in batteries) whereas the PSP does have a shorter battery life than the DS, but at least it’s rechargeable so you don’t have to keep buying 24 packs of AAs. Sega was on it’s way out at that point, and Nintendo didn’t look to have any other competitors coming in. Sony, on the other hand, with its huge share of the market, has the money to back up the PSP while the game designers decide that it’s worth it to take a small risk and design games for a Nintendo handheld competitor. Personally I think it’s good. Nintendo needs some competition here. It practically has a monopoly which has worked until now, but a bit of competition can be a healthy thing.
Minor Nitpick: The Game Gear took 6 batteries, though lasted for only 2-3 hours.
And when Sega released the Game Gear in 91’, they were at least on par with Nintendo. The Sega Genesis was an enourmous success and was constantly on Nintendo’s heels market share wise; it being released two years earlier also helped.
Sega releasing the Game Gear is very much akin to the current situation with Sony’s PSP. The PSP is the more powerful of the though, though the battery life, while better than the GG, is still rather pathetic. It’s also going up against Nintendo which has taken down roughly a dozen opponents. Of course, nothing’s set in stone, but if the events of the Game Boy and the Game Gear are any indicator, Nintendo will win this one.
I’m hoping that Sony, since it’s proven it can win in the console area will also be able to bring that to the handhelds. At the time of Gameboy and Game Gear, the video game market was still primarily young children. Now I think there’s a shift toward an older market, particularly males in their 20s and 30s, and I think that’s going to make a huge difference, especially since Nintendo is often seen as a “kid’s” brand.
Personally, I think the only way we’ll settle this is for somebody to buy me both so I can give my definitive and authoritative opinion on the matter. Any takers?
I think that Picto-Chat may turn out to be a great seller for the DS. Just imagine a 10-year-old kid whose friends Picto Chat with each other all day at school; kids like that will go nuts wanting a DS.
Adults probably see no need for Picto Chat - why would I type to someone when I could just go talk to them? - but for kids it will be popular.
Or not, what do I know.
I guess I’ll have to put in a good word for the PSP. I really like the multimedia features, and suspect I’d use those more than the ‘game’ aspects. What I really like is the ability to download a show from bitTorrent or my own hard drive, copy it on to a memory stick, and plunk it into the PSP and watch it. That would be very cool. And you get to watch them in full widescreen mode. Very cool. Plus, with Wi-Fi capability, it’s not impossible that we’ll see a streaming video application some time in the future so that you can play video on your PC and stream it out to your PSP anywhere in the house. That would be awesome. Watch TV in bed, or at the kitchen table, or wherever.
But in the end, it comes down to software. There are some great machines that die because they don’t do much of anything. We’ll have to see.