Topic: PSP vs DS

[ruby_onix]

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Prices change, and companies can make deals with manufactures to get prices even lower.

I think Sony's already played that card a long time ago.

Link
Basically, Sony had signed up Samsung to provide the screens for the PSP, but then they noticed that it was physically impossible for Samsung to make as many screens as Sony was expecting to sell, so they signed up Sharp too, with a so-called "huge" order for PSP screens.

Right now, I don't think Sony's actually making a reasonable attempt for a piece of the handheld market. I think that the PSP's basically a failure at this point. But Sony thought it was going to be so unbelieveably huge that they made massive commitments, so they're going to take a huge bath on it, one way or the other.

So they're in "clearance" mode right now. It's not that they're selling the system for hundreds of dollars in losses. They've already lost that money, and they're hoping to get a few dollars worth of band-aids.

If they put on a brave face, look confident, and people think they have a grand plan, well then, that's all the better for Sony.

[Ian Sane]

"Right now, I don't think Sony's actually making a reasonable attempt for a piece of the handheld market. I think that the PSP's basically a failure at this point. But Sony thought it was going to be so unbelieveably huge that they made massive commitments, so they're going to take a huge bath on it, one way or the other."

For their sake I hope that's not the plan.  There are a fair bit of third parties who as PSP supporters are likely assuming the PSP will be successful.  Those third parties will be pissed off if the PSP is blatant failure that Sony gives up on before it's released.  I personally think that's just too wacky of a situation for it to even be considered reality.  Not that I don't like the fantasy of Sony crashing and burning.

[MaleficentOgre]

I'm thinking sony doesn't care what their third parties think.  If they did they'd let them make the games themselves instead of sending it back.  I beleive that, more than anything else, will be PSP's downfall.

[Zach]

The PSP will sell, there is no doubt about that (how well is a different issue).  Many casual gamers are gonna see a PSP and a DS next to each other at gamestop and think SONY or NINTENDO?  Knowing casual gamers, need I say more?

[kurst_chao3030]

casual gamers = stupid gamers

[Zach]

LOL on kurst_chao.  Unfortunately the casual gamers are really important, and it would hurt Nintendo really badly if it were to lose them.  Unfortunately, since Nintendo has had this Kiddy image lately it may prove very hard to keep the casual gamers from making the switch to the PLAYSTATION Portable.

[Lost101]

Well I think it will definately sell atleast in the beginning.  I dont think its gonna be an instant massacre like the PS2 was or anything, but Nintendo definately has to stay frosty.  Buyers will definately be weary though, and if battery life is really as bad as it sounds that alone could sink it.  People keep hating on the casual gamers but these are the guys that could kill PSP.  They dont wanna worry about memory sticks and easily damagable UMDs and changing batteries and turning off wifi and playing puzzle games if the battery is low.  They want a simple experience, and DS definately has that.  I myself have so many GBA games that whenever I have it with me I cary a case around so switching to a PSP with multiple batteries and a mem stick wouldnt kill me, but Im not a casual gamer

[kurst_chao3030]

still think my theory makes sense. you should check out the new article on www.dsadvanced.com , its about why the ds will win

[SuperMario35]

[SuperMario35]

srry about above. Listen Ive been hearing a bunch of people talkin how cool the PSP is and how lame the DS is. They say it doesn't play DVD's and also doesn't play music and also plays alot of 2D games. I agree that DS cant play DVD's and play music but it can improve on the graphics. One thing I really come to notice is that Nintendo keeps making 2D games (that can already be made on the GBA)and adds a few features that the DS has. Most people say that because of the so many 2D games on the DS than 3D its going to fail because people will look at it like it was another GBA with extra features. The only games that ive seen for launch that are 3D are Mario 64 DS,Madden,Tiger Woods,and ridge racer. My point is that Nintendo should make a few 2D games for DS and concentrate on 3D and if they want to make more 2D games like Princess Peach or the new kirby game make it for the GBA after all Nintendo said they wont be abandoning the GBA so why not make 2D games for a 2D platfrom. Take THe new Kirby announced for the DS, it uses the same graphics and gameplay engine that the GBA uses all there adding are the touch pad features and probaly a few more things. Meanwhile the PSP is using alot more 3D graphics on the games. If this continues Nintendo might be in trouble. Who agrees?

[MysticGohan24]

hehe, Mario35 what's with the blank? try using words next time Mod's hate wasted space.

DS seems fine to me, I'm very confident we will see some truely killer apps come, I think Bill see's something intresting about
the DS Goemon game

[MysticGohan24]

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Originally posted by: SuperMario35
srry about above. Listen Ive been hearing a bunch of people talkin how cool the PSP is and how lame the DS is. They say it doesn't play DVD's and also doesn't play music and also plays alot of 2D games. I agree that DS cant play DVD's and play music but it can improve on the graphics. One thing I really come to notice is that Nintendo keeps making 2D games (that can already be made on the GBA)and adds a few features that the DS has. Most people say that because of the so many 2D games on the DS than 3D its going to fail because people will look at it like it was another GBA with extra features. The only games that ive seen for launch that are 3D are Mario 64 DS,Madden,Tiger Woods,and ridge racer. My point is that Nintendo should make a few 2D games for DS and concentrate on 3D and if they want to make more 2D games like Princess Peach or the new kirby game make it for the GBA after all Nintendo said they wont be abandoning the GBA so why not make 2D games for a 2D platfrom. Take THe new Kirby announced for the DS, it uses the same graphics and gameplay engine that the GBA uses all there adding are the touch pad features and probaly a few more things. Meanwhile the PSP is using alot more 3D graphics on the games. If this continues Nintendo might be in trouble. Who agrees?

No no no no no and ummm.... NO!!!

Come one, DS 2D games? It's perfect, it's rare these days we get to see 2D advanced itself, let's not throw it away. Sony's to blame for failure to realize that 2D is not a badthing.

Incompetent morons, I think the DS can perform well with either. and will bring intresting stuff to the table. As to why they don't bother brining these new 2D games to the GBA? Simple, GBA couldn't handle what the DS can.

Although Nintendo won't abandon GBA anytime soon, besides you still have the GBA port on the DS. Although it will be for the singleplayer experience. Unless someone programs it to run off the DS's WiFi.

[Hostile Creation]

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The only games that ive seen for launch that are 3D are Mario 64 DS,Madden,Tiger Woods,and ridge racer.

Don't forget Hunters.  They're releasing it with the DS systems sold.  Plenty of 3D games will be made, but 2D games are awesome too.  Yay.

[Edfishy]

I've been developing homebrewed games for several years, and I must say I find 2D a lot more fun to make and play.  The third dimension has it's extra perks, but there's just something about the simplistic 2D realm that makes a game into a great game.

[Stimutacs Addict]

we'll definitely see some great puzzlers on the DS.

ooo.. how about a crossword puzzle game? touch screen shows the board from a distance,  top screen shows clues for whatever area you touch on the screen.


finally, a game for senior citizens

[ib2kool4u912]

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Originally posted by: Stimutacs Addict
we'll definitely see some great puzzlers on the DS.

ooo.. how about a crossword puzzle game? touch screen shows the board from a distance,  top screen shows clues for whatever area you touch on the screen.


finally, a game for senior citizens

Haha, take that Sony. Now who's marketing to the older demographic?

[kurst_chao3030]

listen, in this day and age, to casual gamers, 2d is a bad thing. and anyway, i hate listening to people saying how cool the psp is gonna be. i mean, it just pisses me off so much, that they have no real idea what they're talking about! who said it could play and mp3 or a dvd. its up to the people that created the movies and albums to want to put them in umd format. sony isn't gonna release a umd burner either. and with all the space the psp is gonna have, its a shame that that usb port isn't gonna be put any have any way of putting your own movies and music on yourself. the regular american is so STUPID with these kind of things!

[JGarcia050]

I just want a portable gaming system. I don't want the DVD player as well a MP3 player with it. I don't want to pay for all that extra stuff. I buy a system only for its games. The PSP might have been cheaper without all the extra stuff in it. It also just brings down the battery life. So i don't get whats so great about having a DVD and mp3 player.

[Edfishy]

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Originally posted by: JGarcia050
...i don't get whats so great about having a DVD and mp3 player.

PS2 entusiasts inist the PS2's built-in DVD-player was what made it such a bargain.  Now you tell people that you could have DVD's and MP3's in a portable console and it'll sell like mad.  Like the PS2, whether or not the quality of the add-ins are terribly great is completely irrelevant.

Sad, but true.  

[KDR_11k]

Well, no, you cannot have DVD in a portable console and I bet quite a few people will be seriously pissed off once they find out.

As for people who say that having 2d games on a system is bad, they're a waste of precious organic matter. 2D is a medium, not a limitation. Thank you, Sony, for brainwashing the masses, your check is in the mail (please evacuate the neighboring buildings before opening it).

[Spak-Spang]

2D gaming and traditional animation within 2D gaming is personally my favorite gaming experience.

Very few 3D games actually captures my creative youthful spirit the same way that you can with Sprite based games.  I have bought handhelds because they are the last becon for this style of play, and I will sorely miss it if goes away because stupid companies believe it is a limitation of gaming, not a medium of it.

[couchmonkey]

2D vs 3D:  The point of the DS is to make new kinds of games that require different input than the traditional controller.  Whether the games are 2D or 3D is of no consequence, since that's not what makes the system new or interesting.  Edit: actually, that's not true...there is a consequence: the game should be made in whatever dimension works best for the design the developer has in mind.

Sony's Losses: Yeah, it looks like they're losing a lot of money on this.  I still don't believe it 100%, but enough reputable sources have reported it that I believe it is probably true - plus it would be suicide for Sony to list such a great price only to raise it by $100 again.  Personally, I think they could have priced it at $250 and both saved money and sold almost as many systems, but at this price I believe the PSP is a guaranteed hit, unless Sony has severely screwed up in some other respect.

Edit: added delightful comment about Sony committing "suicide".  

[Ian Sane]

I find it incredibly ironic that Nintendo is one of the few developers making 2D games when in my opinion they're one of the only developers capable of making decent 3D games.  You know why people often say that games were better during the 2D era?  It's because 2D games are easier to make and thus are harder to f*ck up.  Most SNES games are at the very least playable, even if they're dull.  3D games are very hard to make and thus get f*cked up very frequently.   Even a normally competent dev like Sonic Team can't make a decent 3D game.

Now I can understand how Sony is able to trick mainstream gamers into only accepting 3D.  I mean the general public is a bunch of dolts.  Just look a pop culture in general to see that.  However they shouldn't be able to fool third parties so much.  Sony limits creativity and trains their fans to be very close-minded.  Thus any developer that exclusively supports them is an idiot that isn't thinking of the future.

So if you're suggesting Nintendo should focus on 3D games, don't.  Don't let Sony's corporate attitude win.  We need someone to take the risk and show that 2D is not a limitation and Nintendo is the best developer to do that.  As much as I want them to succeed it's only in marketing and third party relations I want them to change.  I don't want them to change the types of games they make.  I can deal with Nintendo dying despite having the best game lineup ever and having decent marketing.  I can't deal with them succeeding by turning into Sony.

[kurst_chao3030]

ok, enough 3d, 2d descussion, lets talk about sony's marketing plan compared to nintendos.

[Zach]

The Buzz does not seem to have hit where I live yet, I have yet to see a single PSP commercial, which is understandable because the system isnt coming in the states for a while.  I have seen a couple of the DS commercials with the 2 blue rectangles and the woman saying "Touch it."  It seems to me that sony is gonna try to make people think that the PSP is TeH ShIZnIt, and that the DS is as Ken whats-his-name put it "the Pikachu System" (that was a despicable and ignorant thing to say, and while I am nuetral to Pokemon, Many casual gamers will see this as a negative).  NIntendo will do what I consider the more noble route and concentrate on the DS' innovative features, they are off to a good start with the "Touching is good campaign."  One thing seems sure and that is that marketing will be crucial in this battle, and if nintendo fails it could very well be VERY bad (perhaps leading to The death of the Big N later on down the road).  It would be devestating if Nintendo lost its strangle hold on the portable market.