Topic: Why the DS is Dominating the Portable Market

[Nick DiMola]

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/blogArt.cfm?artid=16790

  There has been plenty of speculation since the DS and PSP war began as to why the DS is so effectively dominating the market and why the PSP is not. Some speculate it's Nintendo's blue ocean strategy. While this is clearly a factor I don't think it completely accounts for the monstrous discrepancy of sales between the two machines.    

Since purchasing my PSP early this (now past) summer I have noticed something about nearly all of the games I own. Most of them are simply console experiences shrunk to fit on a PSP screen. The play style, save structure, and overall experience is exactly what you might find on your PS2. While this sounds fantastic, it is quite clearly the biggest failure of the PSP.    

Arguably the most important role of any portable game system is providing a portable game experience. This may sound obvious, but it is pretty clear Sony wasn't considering this when they developed the PSP. The games they promote and encourage, such as God of War: Chains of Olympus which came as a pack-in with my PSP is by no means a portable game. It doesn't allow for quick and easy saves and doesn't give me the ability to play it in short bursts and pick it up and play it again later. This problem can even be extrapolated to describe the PSP hardware itself.    

The PSP hardware is disc-based thus effectively ruining any sort of battery life the system might have and only allowing for somewhere around four hours of continuous play. Furthermore, just getting the system started and into an actual game takes entirely too long. After two (or more) minutes the game is finally available for play.    

The DS suffers from none of these issues. Most games are designed to be highly portable, cartridges ensure little-to-no loading time, and battery life is phenomenal. Just these factors alone ensure that if you want to have a game system with you to play outside of your home, the DS is the one you are choosing.    

PSPs are technologically fantastic machines that do some really great stuff, especially when paired with the PS3, hell even a lot of the games on the system are quite good, but it utterly fails at doing what it is supposed to do; be a portable gaming machine.

[Jonnyboy117]

I never bought a PSP because it was too expensive (though not really anymore) and because of the problems you mentioned with battery life and load times.  Sony should get some credit for trying to do something different and go for a different piece of the market, but I think the UMD drive was a huge mistake.  Developers also deserve a lot of blame for the PSP's struggles, because they got so excited about using the system's beastly power that they didn't consider how to properly design games that fit the system.  The result is that PSP games feel largely redundant with console games.

[NWR_Lindy]

I agree.  The PSP is essentially a shrunken-down console, so there's not enough of a differentiator there for it to gain critical mass.  It has some great games, but they aren't must-haves because they simply aren't much different than their console big brothers.  If you have God of War 1 & 2 on PS2, God of War: Chains of Olympus on PSP seems a little redundant.

I also think that it's a platform without an audience to a certain degree.  Is it for kids?  No, not really.  Is it for adults?  Yeah, but most adults aren't interested in portable gaming.  Is it for those on a budget?  Nope.  Is it for the big spenders?  Sorta, but most people would probably rather sink $200 into a console and stretch their dollar a bit more.  The PSP's positioning is all messed up.

[ShyGuy]

That picture is the best thing I've ever seen on an NWR blog.

[Jonnyboy117]

Agreed, perhaps I will use Paint from now on in my own blogs.

[NWR_Lindy]

Yeah, I forgot to mention that picture, that's freakin' awesome.

[Kairon]

Yeah, that picture is actually the single most professional thing on our site. &P

[KDR_11k]

You know, this whole thing could have consisted of only one link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ocean_Strategy

[TheYoungerPlumber]

The DS uses cards...not cartridges. Aside from that, yeah, I pretty much agree with everything you've said.

Of course, there are still DS games that provide a console experience....well, ports of and new games comparable to those from a few generations ago. But that isn't the system's focus, unlike the PSP.

And actually, KDR, there's more to what Nick said than just the Blue Ocean Strategy. Yes, that's part of why Nintendo has been successful. But even if Nintendo had not tapped a new market of gamers (and they really didn't for the first year of the system's life), it would still have been a more successful handheld than the PSP. Like the Game Boys before it*, the DS has good battery life, is more affordable, and its games are designed with portability in mind.

*Many early Game Boy games tried to replicate a console experience without really considering portability. Super Mario Land [1] and Alleyway are not examples of good portable game design. Nor are the Sonic Game Gear titles. Wario Land 2, Link's Awakening, and Sonic Advance are: you can play just a little, or a whole lot. Developers refined their portable game design approaches over time. Battery saves also helped.

[Nick DiMola]

That picture is possibly my proudest achievement at NWR. I finished it up and came to the conclusion that from now on every single blog post I make requires an accompanying Paint masterpiece.

[KDR_11k]

Someone say MS Paint Masterpieces?

[Halbred]

Yeah, that pictures makes the post.

I love my PSP, but I'm not ashamed to say I barely ever play it. I have maybe half as many PSP games as DS games, and while I enjoy them all, it's true that exactly none of them are made to be portable. They all use a save system akin to a PS2 game, although there are a few games with background saving, like Ratchet & Clank.

I think the load time issue is largely the fault of the developer. I have quite a few games that don't have any (noticable) load times including Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, God of War, and both Mega Man games. Sure, there's a little bit of load time between the menu screen and the start of the game, but while you're actually playing the game, loading isn't really an issue. This is not to say every game is like that. Silent Hill and Castlevania have too many load points, although both are supremely enjoyable.

It's tempting to simply put the PSP to sleep between sessions on the road, but doing so actually eats up battery life, which sucks. And now that I can play my PSP on the teevee, I rarely play it by itself now unless I'm stuck doing one of my medical treatments, at which point I generally bust out the DS because of its quick start-up time.

[yoshi1001]

Part of the problem is that the things disc-based media helps deliver (such as video) aren't really that important in a portable system (especially one you have to hold up to watch, unlike the clamshell DS).

[GoldenPhoenix]

Great topic. I personally think the DS has been a huge hit for various reasons:

1. Touch Screen: Nothing has opened up the market more for the DS than the touch screen which allows for mainstream favorites like Suduku, Crosswords, and various other pick up and play games to not only be portable but also extremely easy to interact with. Even Club House games provided a tremendous variety of games that if done elsewhere would have been almost tedious to control and get into.

2. Variety: DS has maybe, the biggest variety of genres that I've ever seen. It has something for everyone with varying gameplay complexities.

3. Portability: As Mr. Jack said, the DS is extremely portable with a long batter life and durable, but high storage "carts' (or SD cards). PSP feels like you will break it if you use it much on your trips, not to mention fear of UMDs getting dirty

4. Price: Even now the DS seems like a great deal, it has a great library, decent hardware and some good alternate functionality.

5. Unique gameplay experiences: The DS may have taken a bit to get there but it now offers gameplay experiences via the touch screen and the dual screens that no other portable (or even console) can match. It has opened the doors to multitasking like no other system. Whether it is utilizing a map while the main action occurs on the top screen or creating new gameplay mechanics where a battle can take on a unique form via the two screens (The World Ends with You is one along with some of the battles is Zelda: PH)

Really that is all I can think of now but the biggest factor is the amazing variety and depth the system has for gamers of all kinds.

[RABicle]

I've been saying this about the PSP since launch.

I remebere when they came out, I actually said flat out to the Harvey Norman sales guy "These are just shittier versions of games I haven't even bothered playing on my PS2" he's liek "aww you can't say that without playing them" "Well I just did"

[ShyGuy]

I like how RABicle comes across as drunk and angry most of the time. It's like reading a post from Lee Marvin! At this point, there's not much reason for a PSP2.

[NWR_Lindy]

Really that is all I can think of now but the biggest factor is the amazing variety and depth the system has for gamers of all kinds.

Totally agree.

Want an RPG?  Final Fantasy III, IV, Dragon Quest IV, Sonic Chronicles, The World Ends with You, Chrono Trigger is coming soon, Dragon Quest V is coming soon, and the almighty Dragon Quest IX is lurking on the horizon...

Want puzzle games?  Meteos, Planet Puzzle League, Tetris DS, Picross, Professor Layton, Puzzle Quest, CrossworDS...

Want Nintendo franchises?  Mario Kart DS, Pokemon Diamond Pearl, New Super Mario Bros., Kirby Canvas Curse, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Yoshi's Island DS, Super Mario 64 DS, Zelda: Phantom Hourglass...

Want hardcore shooters?  Contra 4, Bangai-O Spirits, Nanostray 1 & 2...

I could literally go on and on.  In terms of game quantity and quality, the Nintendo DS has the best software library of any handheld, ever.

[Bill Aurion]

In terms of game quantity and quality, the Nintendo DS has the best software library of any handheld, ever.

Honestly, I think "handheld" should be changed to "system" at this point...

[GoldenPhoenix]

In terms of game quantity and quality, the Nintendo DS has the best software library of any handheld, ever.

Honestly, I think "handheld" should be changed to "system" at this point...

You know, I would have to agree with you. It is still stunning to me that DS has hardly any games ranked above 90% in review scores. That is really odd and seems to show a bit of a bias.

[NWR_Lindy]

I think the DS Lite is Nintendo's best-designed piece of hardware.  For what it is, it's virtually flawless.

[Infernal Monkey]

As a (proud?) owner of the Atari Lynx, Normad and N-Gage, the PSP is easily the most unfriendly portable system ever. I've had some great sexy times with my PSP (Crush, Exit, After Burner, Ikuze! Gen-San, Parodius Portable, Ultimate Ghosts 'N Goblins etc.) but they've all been at home.

It's too damn fragile (DS can easily just be chucked in my bag when I'm heading out, while the PSP gets scratched up and explodes the instant it's exposed to sunlight), it still has a huge lack of true 'instant action' gaming and forget about playing a new release game you just bought for it on the train trip home, nope, gotta install constant firmware updates that require it to be plugged into the wall first.

[KDR_11k]

In terms of game quantity and quality, the Nintendo DS has the best software library of any handheld, ever.

Honestly, I think "handheld" should be changed to "system" at this point...

You know, I would have to agree with you. It is still stunning to me that DS has hardly any games ranked above 90% in review scores. That is really odd and seems to show a bit of a bias.

I think many reviewers give automatic (possibly subconscious) deductions to handheld games because they don't look the same as console games.

[GoldenPhoenix]

In terms of game quantity and quality, the Nintendo DS has the best software library of any handheld, ever.

Honestly, I think "handheld" should be changed to "system" at this point...

You know, I would have to agree with you. It is still stunning to me that DS has hardly any games ranked above 90% in review scores. That is really odd and seems to show a bit of a bias.

I think many reviewers give automatic (possibly subconscious) deductions to handheld games because they don't look the same as console games.

Yeah you are probably right but it seems very wrong to me. Shouldn't a game on ANY console be rated compared to other games on its level? In a way this is why I tend to discount most Wii reviews because I believe the same bias permeates it as well. Not that it matters unless you allow reviewers to spoil the fun you have with a game!

[Kairon]

In terms of game quantity and quality, the Nintendo DS has the best software library of any handheld, ever.

Honestly, I think "handheld" should be changed to "system" at this point...

You know, I would have to agree with you. It is still stunning to me that DS has hardly any games ranked above 90% in review scores. That is really odd and seems to show a bit of a bias.

I think many reviewers give automatic (possibly subconscious) deductions to handheld games because they don't look the same as console games.

Yeah you are probably right but it seems very wrong to me. Shouldn't a game on ANY console be rated compared to other games on its level? In a way this is why I tend to discount most Wii reviews because I believe the same bias permeates it as well. Not that it matters unless you allow reviewers to spoil the fun you have with a game!

I'm inclined to think there's a review bias as well. *sigh* Well, we're still a new medium. We'll figure out a way to compare games to each other in some sensible manner in a couple of decades I'm sure.

[IceCold]

Aww, a DS love-fest! Count me in!

Someone should make a retrospective bump of threads when the PSP was announced.