Topic: PSP vs. DS - IGN's take

[pudu]

IGN just posted their own article comparing the PSP and DS: click here for original article

Here is a quick overview of the different features judged and their decided winners:

Processing Power = PSP
Screen(s) = Tie
Battery Life = DS
Controls = PSP
Load Times = DS
Portability = DS
Media = PSP
Wireless = Tie

"Final Word
If you add up the tallies, it comes out to Nintendo DS: 3, PSP: 3, Tie: 2, or an overall tie. But that doesn't really tell the whole story. If you look at the category winners, the PSP takes the system power, control and media categories while the Nintendo DS takes battery life, portability and load times.

So in theory, the Nintendo DS is a better portable system but the PSP is the better all-around system. This seems like a fair enough assessment and the final word we'll stick with."

I know a lot of what the writers at IGN say is negative agaist the DS so I thought this would be a refreshing take on the subject.  I found this       article to be a more realistic comparison of the two handhelds.  The main thing that I may question is the PSP winning the Controls section of the comparison.  Perhaps if there was more software out on DS better taking advantage of the touch screen we'd see a tie or a win for the DS.  Unfortunately good ol' Matt from IGN the very same day decided to go on a long tangent about the PSP in the GAMECUBE mailbag again and for no good reason.  Here I'll just past that too for you:

"what holds more, the new PSP UMD or a GameCube disc?

Matt responds: Impressively, Sony's UMD format actually holds more data than Nintendo's GameCube Optical Disc. UMDs hold 1.8 gigabytes of data, while GCN discs hold 1.5 gigabytes. The difference is a mere 300 megabytes in the end. But then again, 300 megabytes goes a long way. That's dramatically larger than Nintendo 64 games, for instance.
On a semi-related note, I picked up a PSP at launch and love it. I have never been a big supporter of the handheld market, but I really do adore Sony's new machine. I realize the price is going to turn some people off and I concede that it is expensive. But if you can afford it, you really are getting a dazzling little piece of technology and a very capable portable game/movie/music player. The screen is phenomenal. Wipeout Pure is amazing.

But just as interesting for different reasons is the gadget's ability to play back movies, both on UMD format and using the included 32 megabyte Memory Stick Duo Pro. Over the weekend, I downloaded some PSP movie conversion programs, and started transferring .MP4 videos (trailers, game clips, etc.), pictures, and music to the handheld. It's sort of addictive. Now I can't stop. I want to create a collection of all my favorite trailers and game clips, but that measly included Memory Stick runs out of storage after a video or two. So I guess the point of this little tangent is, has anybody been able to find a 1 gigabyte Memory Stick Duo Pro? I looked everywhere, and nobody seems to carry them. The biggest I could find was a 512 megabyte stick, but that's not going to cut it for me."

He obviously has bucket loads of money to spend...it's amazing he didn't simply buy a new media jukebox type gadget that can do a hell of a lot better job at playing music and video's and displaying pictures...oh well

[IceCold]

Yea , I question the controls verdict as well - it should be based on potential so early in the race. I also wonder about the screens - they say that the PSPs screen is a bit better than the screens of the DS, but there's TWO screens on the DS - not to mention a touchscreen on the bottom. I'd have thought that the DS would win this section for sure - I guess that if it had, the DS would have won 4-2, and IGN doesn't want that to happen for obvious reasons.


"Unfortunately good ol' Matt from IGN the very same day decided to go on a long tangent about the PSP in the GAMECUBE mailbag again and for no good reason"

I know..that bastard. I mean, seriously, all that in the GAMECUBE mailbag? What the hell is he trying to do - spread his propaganda to people who don't care? Those are exactly the type of things that cause me to lose respect for editors. Funny thing, though. At the end of his mailbag, someone wrote this question:

"Hey Matt,

I was just wondering if you have, or know any editor that has, ever written a letter yourself and published it in the mailbag. I suppose one could do this if they really wanted to say something that couldn't be put in the "News" section, and no one wrote to them about it. It could also occur if the mailbag is experiencing slow times, and the editor needs letters.
I know that this is dishonest, but it could be a distinct possibility for editors.

PS: You know, because you always get the last word when replying to and posting messages, you can afford to be sarcastic and acerbic. However, it isn't exactly what you would call enjoyable for the writer. I must admit, though, it would be a great stress-reliever
"

Oh, the irony. He couldn't find a letter that asked him "Are you so madly in love with your PSP that you would trade your wife for it?" so he decided to give his opinion by getting off topic from another question. BTW, I totally agree with the PS that the person wrote

[Babyboy8100]

I hate this bastard matt writing for cube he should be writing for ign.psp since he adores hes
P iece of Sh!t P ortable. man i think ds would of won in the control department aswell doesnt
the touch screen count? games too we have ports on ds but we have some originals they
have more ports on their system than original, lumines please on word Meteos!!  

[PaLaDiN]

And here I thought he was making up some of the hate mail he showed in the mailbag... and yet, an example right before mine eyes. Could it actually be real?

No... this can't be happening! That post was a prank. It must have been. My faith in the human race is inviolable.

Back on topic... nice to see IGN finding new ways to state the obvious.

[Pale]

Man, IGN's getting all political on us now.... =P

[heinous_anus]

You guys need to really get off of Matt's nuts.  If you hate IGN so much, stop going there.

As far as the Mailbag is concerned, Matt tends to answer questions from various fields having absolutely nothing to do with the Gamecube; in the same "issue" you guys are ragging on, he talks about the new car that he's getting.  Are you going to get upset about that, too?

He's not the DS editor, and that's not the DS section of IGN, so why does Matt need to be head-over-heels about the system?  If he likes the PSP, that's fine, what's the big deal?

"Perhaps if there was more software out on DS better taking advantage of the touch screen we'd see a tie or a win for the DS."

Well, that's part of the problem, isn't it?  You can't really rate controls on software that isn't available for a system.  And perhaps it ended up being a tie because the editors *BIG GASP* like both systems?

[Mario]

Quote
Controls = PSP

How does d-pad + bad analog stick + buttons beat d-pad + touch screen + buttons?

Quote
Media = PSP

Oh come on, how is this fair? If that's a category then "best use of touch screen" should also be a category.

[Ian Sane]

"How does d-pad + bad analog stick + buttons beat d-pad + touch screen + buttons?"

It's probably based on the way it is used.  The touchscreen obviously can do some things the PSP can't do but there hasn't really been a killer app to sell the concept yet.  The touchscreen is different but has yet to be proven as better.  Plus as Super Mario 64 DS shows the touchscreen is grossly inferior for analog control as any analog stick, even the PSP's.  I suppose that's not a fair comparison but if you made an analog controlled game and released it on both portables the PSP version would control better.

[pudu]

Quote
Originally posted by: heinous_anus
You guys need to really get off of Matt's nuts.  If you hate IGN so much, stop going there.

As far as the Mailbag is concerned, Matt tends to answer questions from various fields having absolutely nothing to do with the Gamecube; in the same "issue" you guys are ragging on, he talks about the new car that he's getting.  Are you going to get upset about that, too

Actually yes, I do find it annoying most of the time when he deviates from proper Gamecube or Rev discussion.  The main thing that has bugged me though are the many times he's praised the PSP and/or downplayed the DS in the Gamecube mailbag.  The timing of it this time seemed quite ironic coming the same day as that article on IGN Gear eh?

Quote
Originally posted by: heinous_anus


"Perhaps if there was more software out on DS better taking advantage of the touch screen we'd see a tie or a win for the DS."

Well, that's part of the problem, isn't it? You can't really rate controls on software that isn't available for a system.

Precisely.  All of the other catagories I believe could be accurately judged at this moment in time.  I was mearly posing a hypothetical discerning whether the outcome would be different given different software to test it on or if this was an article done latter down the road when both systems have more software.  What I believe is the DS has more room to grow and become unique in the area of control and later games may undeniably prove this, although I agree it's hard to judge based on what could happen.  

You see, I can already tell that PSP games will remain the same as far as what we're used to through out it's lifespan because not much by way of using a typical control method hasn't been explored yet, while the DS's touchscreen and mic have barely begun to be used.

[Noble~Feather]

You mean (gasp)... there's a perspective on both handhelds, and it doesn't completely whore the PSP?!

Shocking!!!!!  

[Aretak]

Wow... people have opinions. Who knew?

[Renny]

I can't imagine what game would fully use the 1.8GB. That's dual-layer, rememeber. It wouldn't be streamed data, but sporadically loaded. It could be FMV, but again it couldn't be accessed in this way all the time. So this would be a very long game. I don't think I want to see what those 300MB could do, or even the entire second layer. How many developers are looking at this like a PlayStation versus a Portable?

[Deguello]

"Wipeout Pure is amazing. "

But not as amazing as F-Zero GX, and I can get that and a GC for less than a DS.  This is the problem inherent with mega graphics on portable systems.  They do not beat their console counterparts, and paying $300 for the privelege of toting it around seems like foolishness because it IS foolishness.

[IceCold]

That's why I said that the controls should be based on potential, because right now you just can't give an accurate judgement.

[Robotor]

This assesment actually agrees with what I think.  Each portable has it's strength and weaknesses that balance each other out, however the DS is clearly the better PORTABLE, whreas the PSP is almost a console.  This is also what I've heard about the games.  Take for example the two acclaimed Puzzlers, Meteos and Lumines.  From what I've heard it takes 10 minutes to get a good game of Lumines going.  As for meteos I've heard that a good game just starts.  

Also looking at the PSP lineup you see a good deal of sports games, which are usually long drawn out affairs.  Also many RPG-esque games(I'll admit I'm lacking any knowledge on the subject).  As for the (meager I'll admit) DS line up you see more pick up and play games, such as WarioWare, Yoshi, Feel the Magic.  And even in the future you see more quickly accesible action games.

Additionaly the play-yan allows the DS to do all the media that the PSP can do, and the memory is cheaper.  Plus I don't have to pay for it I don't want it.

It is clear to me the the DS is the better PORTABLE system in the this handheld "war," and in this portable war shouldn't the better portable win?  Sure the PSP has got graphics and some sort of crazy nub thing, but with its shorter battery life, and more console oriented games it isn't the best portable.  The DS wins the handheld war because it's the better handheld, the PSP is much more like a console.

...Not to mention 3-D graphics on the road make me car sick, and I'm not loaded with cash, and I don't agree with some of Sony's ideals, and I'm a bit of a Nintendo Fanboy, and well I just don't like the PSP, the list goes on...

[Deguello]

"Also looking at the PSP lineup you see a good deal of sports games, which are usually long drawn out affairs. Also many RPG-esque games(I'll admit I'm lacking any knowledge on the subject)."

Which RPGs would those be?

[IceCold]

Apart from Tales of Eternia...

[Robotor]

I have no idea, I was pretty sure I heard of some.  Crypticly.....in a dream.....yeah...

Er, actually I just kind of assumed that since the PS2 had so many it would probably work out the same way.  I need to figure this out to advance my argument.

EDIT

Alright, a list of realeses, from Gamefaqs.

PSP
3/22 Ape Escape: On the Loose
       Lumines
       Metal Gear Acid
       Ridge Racer
        Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade
3/23 Tiger Woods PGA Tour
4/01 F1 Grand Prix
4/04 Archer Maclean's Mercury
4/05 Smartbomb
4/06 Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower
       Twisted Metal: Head-On
4/12 Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition
       MLB
4/19 ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails
4/25 FIFA 2005
       MVP Baseball
       NBA Street Showdown
5/03 Hot Shots Golf (working title)
        Rengoku: Tower of Purgatory
6/21 AC Formula Front
6/28 Coded Arms
7/26 Death, Jr.
8/12 Advent Shadow


DS
3/24 Rayman DS
4/14 World Championship Poker
4/18 Polarium
4/26 Pac-Pix
        Puyo Pop Fever
5/02 Dynasty Warriors (working title)
        Egg Monster Heroes
        Mobile Suit Gundam Seed
5/04 Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
5/23 Need for Speed Underground 2
5/24 Madagascar
6/01 Ultimate Card Games
6/13 Kirby: Canvas Curse
6/27 Meteos
7/05 Pac 'n Roll
7/12 Nanostray
7/19 Ultimate Brain Games
8/15 Survival Kids
8/22 Metroid Prime: Hunters
         Yu-Gi-Oh! Nightmare Troubadour
8/30 Castlevania for DS (working title)
10/03 Viewtiful Joe
11/07 Mario Kart DS
11/15 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
11/21 Animal Crossing DS


I retract my statment, the games are pretty balanced.  PSP does have a lot of sports games still, and most sound console oriented.  From what I've read most of the DS games seem more arcadey than anything else.  Regardless, I still think the DS is the better portable, despite the PSP still being a respectable system.

[Stimutacs Addict]

Quote
With its UMD discs, games can be exponentially larger than those on the DS. Large games with tons of art may be plentiful on the system, as could cutscenes.

you'd best be packin a spare battery pack if you want to experience somethin along those lines  

[RickPowers]

"They do not beat their console counterparts, and paying $300 for the privelege of toting it around seems like foolishness because it IS foolishness."

Unless you're away from home or simply not near a TV often enough to make the "portable console" the right choice for you.  Or when the portable does more than just play games so that you can carry one (or two, or more) less device(s) with you.

[Hostile Creation]

Except that the PSP battery life pretty much demands that you have to play it at home

[KDR_11k]

You can equip a GC with a battery and LCD screen.

[kennyb27]

Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
You can equip a GC with a battery and LCD screen.

LCD screen + Rechargeable battery = 174.99   <<<<   PSP

[darknight06]

Ouch, and chances are you'd already have a library to start with. Even if you didn't there's plenty of player's choice and used games around.

[IceCold]

And that's the point - people want a PORTABLE system to be different than console systems - more variety in games, bettery battery life, fast load times etc..