Gaming on the Go – The Nintendo DS Vs The Sony PSP
It is sleek, it is thin, and it took the US by storm in 2004. At issue, of course, is the dual screen, portable first style Nintendo DS. Followed in 2006 with the next generation of even thinner and sleeker looking technology, the Nintendo DS Lite, regulars keenly gobbled up the lite translation, but did not forsake the first one either.
In stark draw a distinction to the Game Boy impressions of the Nintendo DS stands Sony’s PlayStation Portable, the PSP. It hit the American market in 2005, and even as the Nintendo DS had a head start and already customary brand name recognition, PSP garnered a small market share. It failed to really take off until Sony releases the PSP Slim and Lite in 2007, which sent its sales through the roof worldwide – albeit for a limited period of time.
This of course begs the inquiry any well plotting-out consumer must question: which system is better? Right on the heels of this line of questioning must be the inquiry over which system is most likely to be more appropriate for the 10 and under age group. After all, handheld gaming devices are now the after school activity of choice for youngsters facing lengthy commutes, or prolonged grocery shopping trips with mom.
Nintendo DS vs. Sony PSP: Just the Specs
Nintendo DS operates on a 67 MHz platform that accepts GBA cartridges and DS game cards. Game Boy owners rejoice! The system features four MB in storage and connects to Wi-Fi, and WLAN. The DS Lite is cosmetically enhanced and offers a few more bells and whistles, such as an additional room of the battery life and a larger stylus, but the bottom line technology is pretty much the same.
The DS features two screens with a 256 x 192 pixel pledge, which is formidable for a handheld device. A rechargeable battery enables game play on the go, and fully charged batteries support about 10 hours of play, although this number is affected by the sound volume, the use of one or both screen, and even wireless actions.
Sony PSP operates on MIPS technology and plays Sony point universal media discs, making this a premier mode of on the go entertainment system. Storage requires the use of memory sticks. Users may connect their PSP to Wi-Fi, USB, and also IrDA, which gave some fake hopes as to the future of the gadget.
To some extent of a dud when compared to the DS, the PSP Slim and Lite has added significant upgrades, namely a doubled internal memory, which makes it a real player in the handheld gaming market. On the other hand, the 480 x 272 pixel pledge is nothing to scoff at. The most frequently expressed protest is the to some extent limited battery life that – fully charged – extends only to about five hours of game play or video replay, and about 10 hours of strictly audio replay.
Nintendo DS vs. Sony PSP: Game Libraries and Associated Options
DS offers the user choices. There is of course the ability to play DS and Game Boy Advance games; yet there is also the option to use PictoChat and even utilize DS Download Play.
Secondary functions of the DS are an alarm clock and an input mode that remembers some private preferences with respect to choice and name.
PSP plays UMD discs and therefore doubles as a mini movie theater. In addition to playing games or surveillance movies, the user may choose to spectacle a photo slide show, listen to music, and of course download upgrades. Initially the slow internal memory frustrated gamers who had to wait for games to load or for the system to switch linking tasks, but since this has been corrected it is no longer a valid problem.
Games for the PSP are a mix of Sony’s who’s who, and a compilation of lesser known characters: there are “2 Xtreme,” “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” “World Series Poker,” “NHL,” “NBA,” “FIFA,” “Crash Bandicoot,” and of course “Grand Theft Auto.”
DS offers backward compatibility with Game Boy Advance, thereby inflowing the market with a sizeable game library already intact. Currently boasting about 600 titles, gamers may find some similarities with PSP but also a lot of oldies but goodies. There are “FIFA,” “Barnyard Blast,” “Call of Duty,” a soon to be unrestricted “Crash Bandicoot,” and of course the ever ordinary “Mario.”
Nintendo DS vs. Sony PSP: Consumer Appeal
Even as the demographics are not etched in stone, it is quite apparent that both handheld game consoles are targeting different audiences that overlap only slightly. In a step that has baffled diligence insiders, the rumors surrounding the futures of both devices outline an hug of the divide, rather than an have a crack to bridge the gap and woo away members of the other demographic.
Early out at $149.99 and later dropping to $129.99, the Nintendo DS is reasonably priced, and regulars who – worldwide — bought more than 80 million of these portable game consoles agreed. The vast numbers of games, the backward compatibility with Game Boy, and of course the availability of kiddie and teen favorites, such as “Mario” and “Crash Bandicoot,” make this a pet for parents.
This unit has a prolonged useful life in that it may grow with the wellbeing of an elementary school kid and take up again on being used when she is in her teens, or until the next unit model comes out. There are several games that are waiting for relief, and the homebrew underground has gone wild in making cards that allow for the playing of movies and other software.
The Sony PSP originally made a rather impressive splash but, once the novelty wore off, sales were sluggish when compared to the DS. Retailing at $169.99, it is pricier than the Nintendo system, and market watchers estimate that worldwide about 26 million units have been sold thus far. Sony is banking on promises that would add GPS capabilities to its units as upping the sales, but the critics are still unsure.
Since many of the PSP games are aimed at the teen and adult market, this is not the kind of gadget parents would buy for the younger set. In addition, the added online connectivity makes this the premier system for the self-determining young adult who is not under too much parental supervision.
Parents have come to see the DS as the next most likely step of the Game Boy system, while teens are viewing the PSP as the natural additional room of the PS3. This puts both systems before slightly different demographics, and it is apparent that for the parent driven market share, the DS is the system of choice, while the teen market is willing to do the extra chores and spend the birthday money to afford the PSP.
Nintendo DS vs. Sony PSP: What Does the Future Hold?
It is unlikely that the PSP is going to transcend its target audience and it is evident that Sony is not even trying to stretch the handheld console’s appeal. Instead, it is seeking to cement consumer loyalty by introducing a PSP 3000, differentiated from the PSP and Portable Slim and Lite by the moniker PSP Brite.
Sony concentrated on the quality of its LCD screen and is timing the relief of the PSP Brite to coincide with the pre celebration sales rush in October of 2008. The cost is $169.99 for the bare bones model, which will not be unrestricted until after the bundle translation for $199.99 makes its debut.
Right to form, the bundle is paired with the movie “National Treasure 2,” platform game “Ratchet & Clank,” which earned a debatable ESRB E10+ rating, a single player puzzle game download coupon, and a memory stick. The alternate bundle substitutes the “Everyday Handgun” game which is painstaking a to some extent more trying shoot ‘em up game.
Nintendo is unlikely to improve upon its DS Lite in the very near future, and in view of that first style DS owners breathe a sigh of relief that there is no critical upgrade to the console in sight. In its place there is a excellent chance that yet a further unique translation will be unrestricted. Regulars may remember that the latest such relief took place in June of 2008 when the “Guitar Hero: On Tour” unique edition DS hit store shelves at a cost of $179.99.
Although there is no at once verifiable buzz on the gaming forums, there are some rumors that a further unique edition may coincide with the intended PSP Brite relief, but thus far the rumors are unsubstantiated.
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Author: Jerome Higbee
Shape up Source: EzineArticles.com
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