Background: I’m a woman in my late 30s, and commute via train and bus just over two hours per day. I need to keep my brain active and awake on my commute, and listening to podcasts/loud music on my iPod just isn’t doing it - today was yet another day where I fell deeply asleep on the way home. Sooner or later I’m going to miss my stop again.
I got the idea after listening to this video game review podcast for months; they reviewed handheld games too, and I was especially intrigued by Scribblenauts, which is DS-only. However, the commercials for the DSi make it look like… well, like a system for young kids or immature young women. (Sorry, but they do.) However, since I suspect I’ll mostly be playing puzzle-type games anyway, I suspect it may fit my needs better than the PSP.
At home we have a Wii and a PS3, and it seems like both the DSi and PSP can download games online, though it looks like the DSi does it via its own WiFi connection, while the PSP does it via the PS3’s Playstation Network?
I did briefly think about an iTouch, but I have a perfectly good iPod, and only plan on upgrading that if it breaks or when I (almost inevitably) move to an iPhone. However, that won’t be any time soon.
So is there anything I should take into consideration? Dramatic pros/cons? Games I should probably take notice of?
What sort of puzzle games? The sit and think kind, or the tetris kind?
I’ve heard good things about the Professor Layton series, and there’s always sudoku on the DS. On the more frenetic side, Meteos is still the gold standard as far as I’m concerned.
Scribblenauts is very good, but it tends to fall into frustrating and repetitive if you aren’t really really creative (ghost, rope, scuba, yawn).
If you like music games, Rythym heaven and Elite Beat Agents give me a rocking good time, although I suspect it may be difficult to find EBA these days. Rhythym heaven has the added advantage of being really quite playable on a jerky bus.
Mm, good question. I guess I prefer the puzzle games that aren’t too fast-paced, so I don’t have to be head-down in them at every instant and can glance out the window to check our progress. Not much of a Sudoku fan, but I’ve played Bejeweled, Bookworm, Rocket Mania, and MahJongg (all PopCap) and Yahoo’s Puzzle Pirates on my PC, in addition to solitaire. I do prefer non-timed options on those. Thinking puzzle games are great too.
I suspect I won’t only be doing puzzle games but those are probably the main ones. At home I play Rock Band on the PS3 and activity-type games plus Sam & Max and Lego Star Wars on the Wii. World of Warcraft on the PC. So I might pick up some RPG-type game eventually.
Hands down DS has a more diverse and superior library.
IGN selects their editor’s choice picks, the best games for each system. Taking a look at the best selections is a good place to start in deciding which handheld you’d get the most out of.
The only thing PSP has over DS is it’s usefulness as a media device, but if you are primarily interested in games this is not an issue.
Seriously I’ve had a DS for years and it perfectly suits my needs from time killing puzzles all the way to giant RPGs. It’s really the only system I even play anymore. I’ll keep an eye to see if you have any more questions about the DS, cause I’m your guy:)
Ooo, thanks for the links. Ack, I forgot about Patapon and LocoRoco on PSP. Decisions, decisions.
And no, I’m not interested in media capabilities - my iPod Nano plays movies and music just fine.
What’s the usual battery time for constant game play? How fast does it charge? And should I be getting the DSi or DSLite? The DSi sounded like it was the more advanced/“next wave” system.
I think battery life is like 8-12 hours. I’m not completely sure though since I’ve never once run out of charge, I’ve just never played for that long away from home. Also there are several different brightness settings that use power at different rates, I’ve always kept mine on the brightest setting. It takes about an hour for me to charge it, of course I never get the battery down that low either. You can play while it’s charging too. For the record, I know the battery life in the PSP is much shorter, somewhere around 5-6 hours I think.
The choice of which model to get depends entirely on whether or not you think the extra DSi features are worth the extra 50 dollars. Basically the extra features amount to a camera, a web browser, and the DSi store for game downloads. The screens are slightly bigger on the DSi, but not too noticeably. Also supposedly in the future there will be games that offer extra features when played on the DSi, and eventually DSi exclusive retail games. The pickings for downloadable games currently are pretty slim, although they do include a few fantastic puzzle games (the Art Style games, Mario vs DK).
Another thing to consider is that the DS Lite has backwards compatibility for Gameboy Advance games but the DSi doesn’t. The GBA library is equally as awesome as the DS, so that’s something to think about if you think you may want to hunt down some of those older games. I upgraded to a DSi but I still have my DS Lite for that very reason.
You mentioned how you perceived the DS was being marketed, the truth is it just has a much wider appeal than the PSP, it is different things to different people. Where the PSP is geared mostly toward the “hardcore gamer” crowd, the DS has something to offer my mom just as it does to me. Should I mention how satisfying the touch screen controls are in many games? How much more portable and sturdy the DS is than the PSP? Have I made the sell yet?
See, I’m trying to decide between a DS Lite and DSi. I was leaning towards the DSi for the bigger screen, but the other features sound pretty irrelevant to me, so I may save the money and keep GBA compatibility.
I haven’t ever even touched a GameBoy and I have no real affection for Zelda or Mario. (The Wii is the first piece of Nintendo gear I’ve owned/used.) Does that help with an answer, or are there important things I may regret missing?
I think the DSi is cool, but not so cool that I have bothered upgrading my DS Lite. I may eventually get around to playing that GBA Fire Emblem game that I picked up for a few dollars.
If you are not worried about the other media capabilities, then I would definitely recommend the DS over the PSP. I think the DS may be the best gaming system ever. Whatever type of gaming you like, you should be able to find a few quality titles. I am playing Scribblenauts now, but have enjoyed several puzzle type games including the Professor Layton game, the PuzzleQuest games, and Picross (which is excellent). I have also enjoyed Brain Age and Big Brain academy and a few of the “interactive novel” type games.
I would go as far as to say the DS is the best console of this generation. Buy a black one if you’re concerned about looking like a woman or a little kid. There are endless games to choose from.
(Emphasis added.) checks mirror Well, genetics took care of that part for me…
I said that in the OP because the TV/magazine ads that I’ve seen have been aimed at little kids or at teen girls/young women who want to play with puppy simulators or something like that. I’m not really into “cute.”
That is only one of the demographic groups that is served, there’s plenty of non cute on the DS as well. It really does have to most diverse library of any system this generation. It’s pretty much become my sole gaming machine in recent years.
Scribblenauts and Prof Layton are both great choices. The vastness of possibilities in Scribblenauts oughta blow your mind enough to allow you to overlook the flawed (but still manageable) controls. Just get ready to feel pretty stupid with some of those puzzles in Layton. Good thing you can always ask for hints.
Follow-up: Thanks everyone for your advice! I got a matte black Nintendo DSi, bundled with an additional car charger, a case, spare styluses, screen protectors, and a little plastic box that holds 4 game carts. I also bought Scribblenauts and Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box.
