Nintendo DS & Sony PSP

I've always had a soft spot for handheld games, way back to those hokey Tiger LCD games, and my world practically revolved around the Gameboy when I was in junior high.

Obviously, the DS & PSP are the latest, and I have both.

I was playing Patapon on the PSP the other night, and it occured to me how sad it was that the PSP has such a meagar library - and the well of new software appears to be drying up quickly.

There are only a handful of must-have games for the PSP, and I own three of them (the afore-mentioned Patapon, plus LocoRoco and Mega Man Powered up). I'd say that God of War: Chains of Olympus, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, and Castlevania: Dracula X also fall in his category, but I don't own any of them myself.

My point is that, despite some incredibly innovative titles like LocoRoco and Patapon, the PSP hasn't been too competitve with Nintendo's DS, which has a wealth of quality first- and third-party games.

I only bought my psp for Final Fantasty crisis core, Other than that i dont play it much i bring it to work every day and never play it. Just have it with me in case i dont do anything for lunch

I can`t decided between getting a DS or PSP, I have always favoured the design and look of the psp but there isn`t a lot out there for it that I would want to play!

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Originally Posted by MrMatthews

I've always had a soft spot for handheld games, way back to those hokey Tiger LCD games, and my world practically revolved around the Gameboy when I was in junior high.

Obviously, the DS & PSP are the latest, and I have both.

I was playing Patapon on the PSP the other night, and it occured to me how sad it was that the PSP has such a meagar library - and the well of new software appears to be drying up quickly.

There are only a handful of must-have games for the PSP, and I own three of them (the afore-mentioned Patapon, plus LocoRoco and Mega Man Powered up). I'd say that God of War: Chains of Olympus, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, and Castlevania: Dracula X also fall in his category, but I don't own any of them myself.

My point is that, despite some incredibly innovative titles like LocoRoco and Patapon, the PSP hasn't been too competitve with Nintendo's DS, which has a wealth of quality first- and third-party games.

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The PSP is actually doing quite well. I think they're around 40-50 million units sold at the moment, which is very good. They're just competing with what will probably become the most successful gaming platform ever in the DS.

I also own a PSP, and it doesn't get too much love from me. It's nice to play Final Fantasy Tactics on the go, and I dig Daxter and God of War. The problem is, there's 100 titles on the DS that I can say the same thing about. There's so many quality titles, that I honestly find it difficult to keep up. For example: I'm now stuck on Dragon Quest 4, Rune Factory 2, and Chrono Trigger (AGAIN).

I've had an original PSP and a psp slim both about a year each Currently I have neither. I've had two DS lites (both black) the second one I wanted in a different color but I couldnt justify paying more (used black for less than 100) I really want a dsi but they aren't import friendly.

I can honestly say that the PSP is probably the worst console I own. There are too many things I don't like about it - holding it for a while hurts my hands, the analogue is rubbish, (in fact - so is the d-pad), the battery lasts for a few hours at the most, and you could count the good games for it on the fingers of one knee. Now, granted I've never really been a big fan of handheld consoles, but it's pretty plain to see that the DS is far, far superior. Although I still don't find that particularly comfortable to hold either....

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Originally Posted by InternalPrimate

The PSP is actually doing quite well. I think they're around 40-50 million units sold at the moment, which is very good. They're just competing with what will probably become the most successful gaming platform ever in the DS.

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And not very well, at that. The DS has enjoyed a relatively constant flow of quality software since it was released. The PSP (while not a system I'm exactly aching to dump a bunch of money into) just doesn't have anygames on the horizon.

I doubt the DS will lose many sales to the PSP by this time next year.

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Originally Posted by Mamba Tabac

I can honestly say that the PSP is probably the worst console I own. There are too many things I don't like about it - holding it for a while hurts my hands, the analogue is rubbish, (in fact - so is the d-pad), the battery lasts for a few hours at the most, and you could count the good games for it on the fingers of one knee. Now, granted I've never really been a big fan of handheld consoles, but it's pretty plain to see that the DS is far, far superior. Although I still don't find that particularly comfortable to hold either....

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The fingers of both knees would cover it, I think. :)

There are a few good games for the PSP, but not nearly as many as the DS

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Originally Posted by MrMatthews

And not very well, at that. The DS has enjoyed a relatively constant flow of quality software since it was released. The PSP (while not a system I'm exactly aching to dump a bunch of money into) just doesn't have anygames on the horizon.

DS

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well they do have a genesis collection with decent titles, also the powerstone collection is pretty sweet. Killzone is fun too very challenging. look for a used one then put custom firmware on it. so you can then find some free .iso's just to play a few games.

I love the DS, Contra 4, Impossible Mission and Metal Slug 7 are amazing games. I love having that little 32bit wonder as a portable. This is the best nintendo system I've ever owned, hands down.

I love the PSP... best handheld I have ever used, IMO.

Sorry but I am one of three people who love the PSP over the DS... It has a small number of GREAT games, but they are all good. :D

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Originally Posted by FoxHound

well they do have a genesis collection with decent titles, also the powerstone collection is pretty sweet. Killzone is fun too very challenging. look for a used one then put custom firmware on it. so you can then find some free .iso's just to play a few games.

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Originally Posted by David J.

I love the PSP... best handheld I have ever used, IMO.

Sorry but I am one of three people who love the PSP over the DS... It has a small number of GREAT games, but they are all good. :D

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Don't get me wrong - the PSP has a number of games that I absolutely love. It's just disappointing to me that there really isn't any more of that caliber software coming out anytime soon.

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Originally Posted by Tanegashima

I love the DS, Contra 4, Impossible Mission and Metal Slug 7 are amazing games. I love having that little 32bit wonder as a portable. This is the best nintendo system I've ever owned, hands down.

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Advance Wars, Dude. Serious. Either Dual Strike (get it? DS!) or Days of Ruin. I recommend Days of Ruin, but you're safe with either one.

We'll see how my several job interviews go this week, then I will take my pick, ever since you suggested them to me I'm really anxious to try them out :)

It's a shame about the PSP, being so popular with so few new titles. I was starting to consider picking up a 2000 series model until I found out that there are only 8 new releases announced for the entire year of 2009. Not even 1 a month, granted more titles will surely come up but still didn't the 32X have more games come out in a single year than that?

Yeah, but those games only came out for a year :D

For using the systems as they are intended, I definately prefer the DS, it has more of my kind of game, and GBA compatibility rocks. The PSP does have a few gems, but most of the games I like are remakes or ports.

However, when you unlock the PSP it really shines. It's great as a portable NES, SNES, Genesis, Neo Geo, and Playstation. The one flaw is that it runs Neo Geo stuff so well, but the control pad is useless for fighting games and it makes me want to scream. The DS has some neat homebrew, but the only thing really useful is NES/SMS emulation since it's not powerful enough to do much else. I actually prefer using the GBA SP for the NES/SMS stuff though.

With ol' Mr. Wright as your avatar, I'm wondering if you played Hotel Dusk: Room 215?

Anyone who is into adventure games, I would highly recommend playing Theresia. The game is this really atmospheric adventure horror game, very reminiscent of Shadow Gate. It is broken up into two stories and takes about 18 hours to complete. Check out the trailer below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLz70D_5zBQ

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Originally Posted by MrMatthews

With ol' Mr. Wright as your avatar, I'm wondering if you played Hotel Dusk: Room 215?

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Nope, but it's on my "To Buy" list. Which means I'll get it when I find it cheap.

Well, it's official. I think the Nintendo DS is my favorite system from the past few generations.

Unlike the Wii, there doesn't seem to be a lack of interesting software. Although there are only a couple games coming out that i'm interested in so far (GTA is one of them), there are still plenty of games that are out right now that I want to add to my collection.

As for the PSP, I really WANT to like this thing, but there just aren't enough original games out right now or coming down the pike for me to feel that it is truly competing with the DS. I can't see my PSP game collection expanding by more tha two or three games in 2009.

I don't feel the PSP library is severly lacking in strong titles, the real problem is that they come and go so fast it's hard to actually find copies of some of them.

Given the games mentioned, you might also like Crush, Exit and Mercury Meltdown. There are also some great retro game compilations available. When considering the PSP, the used game store can be your best friend.

I only wish there were more movies available. It's a great little portable movie player, but the selection of things to watch is pretty limited and not looking to expand. Never have understood why Sony has never embraced the movie download capabilities. Heck, I actually use my PSP as a music player more than anything else and it does a fine job with that. I've never been able to exploit it's on-line or ad-hoc capabilities.

I am waiting impatiently for the GSP system for the PSP that has been delayed and delayed. Supposed to be out this Spring or Summer but I'll believe it when I see it. That package alone could sell more than a few PSPs, not sure why Sony has drug their feet on it.

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Originally Posted by Scooter

I don't feel the PSP library is severly lacking in strong titles, the real problem is that they come and go so fast it's hard to actually find copies of some of them.

Given the games mentioned, you might also like Crush, Exit and Mercury Meltdown. There are also some great retro game compilations available. When considering the PSP, the used game store can be your best friend.

I only wish there were more movies available. It's a great little portable movie player, but the selection of things to watch is pretty limited and not looking to expand. Never have understood why Sony has never embraced the movie download capabilities. Heck, I actually use my PSP as a music player more than anything else and it does a fine job with that. I've never been able to exploit it's on-line or ad-hoc capabilities.

I am waiting impatiently for the GSP system for the PSP that has been delayed and delayed. Supposed to be out this Spring or Summer but I'll believe it when I see it. That package alone could sell more than a few PSPs, not sure why Sony has drug their feet on it.

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Well, I wouldn't say that the PSP is severely lacking in strong titles (and if I did say it, then I take it back). The problem is that many of the "strong" titles don't appeal to me. It seems like the bulk of the PSP game library is ripped directly from those of the PS2 and PS3 (God of War, Resistance, Ratchet & Clank, Metal Gear Solid, etc.), and those are franchises that never really blew my skirt up to begin with.

I realize I'm being somewhat hypocritical by rolling my eyes at PSP games after chiding so many forum members for doing the same for other consoles . . . but I just don't see a whole lot of original thinking from PSP game developers. The system, to me at least, seems to get by only by riding the coattails of successful console franchises rather than establishing its own identity, and that's something of a turn-off for me.

As for compilations, you're right. I think the Capcom Arcade series is pretty damn cool (it's great to have all of the Ghost 'N Goblins games on one disc), and the Genesis Collection is impressive (even though I already have most of the original cartridges).

Maybe I'm being too critical, or maybe I've just developed a prejudice against Sony, but the PSP is just a disappointment as a game system IMO

The PSP has actually selled very well, just not nearly as good as the DS my hats off to Sony for there efforts.

You're actually the second person to point this out. Still doesn't mean anything.

The only reason I say that is there are idiots who suggest otherwise.

Well, if you're implying that I have suggested that the PSP has sold poorly, let me just clarify that my own arguments about the competition between the two systems and one's "victory" over the other have nothing to do with hardware sales.

I think that the Psp has better games then the DS, DS i somehow like Wii. Wii sucks, pretty hard. Ds is more successfully then the Wii, however, I still think that Psp has many more good games then the Ds.

Changed my avatar in celebration of Hotel Dusk: Room 215 :D

Anyone try the Phantasy Star Portable demo on the PSP? If you haven't, definitely give it a download. I was really surprised by how good the demo turned out (closer to classic PSO). It's a shame it's ad hoc only... online play would've made this PSP title shine.

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Originally Posted by JFLY

Anyone try the Phantasy Star Portable demo on the PSP? If you haven't, definitely give it a download. I was really surprised by how good the demo turned out (closer to classic PSO). It's a shame it's ad hoc only... online play would've made this PSP title shine.

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I've always wondered, why are so many psp titles ad hoc and not fully online? I've honestly had a better online experience with the DS, which is so ass backwards it's almost unbelievable.

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Originally Posted by InternalPrimate

Changed my avatar in celebration of Hotel Dusk: Room 215 :D

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Kyle Hyde = awesome

yeah, I recently realized how shitty the PSP library is. I think, like many other systems in the same situation (N64 and 32X for example), there isn't anything more or less equal to it, except for maybe the PS2, and the PS2 has long been forgotten as a primary development platform (its all shovelware now). That said, a Custom Firmware PSP can play NES perfectly, Genesis pretty much perfectly, SNES hit and miss, PSX ABSOLUTELY PERFECTLY, and PSP ISOs perfectly, and all for free. Even better, with custom firmware you can make the CPU run at 333mhz like its supposed to (at the expense of battery life) so it doesn't have the slowdown like a stock PSP. The DS has some good titles, but alot of it feels really lame and "casual gamer" like the Wii. The only game I really want for DS is the New Super Mario Bros and it doesn't even utilize anything from the DS other than tacked on things like using warp pipes between screens and the mini games. Overall, having a near perfect Genesis, NES, and PSX emulator on the go is pretty nice, and since the PSX emulator is from Sony themselves it is super stable and accurate, not to mention ludicrously compatible. You can also hook a PSP 2001 model up to a TV to play your emulated glory on a bigger TV, making it the perfect travel device if you'll be spending a week at a relatives house with nothing to do or if you have a sit-and-do-nothing job that has access to a TV with component inputs.

I've purchased Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth and the UMD movie of Appleseed for the PSP, with hopes of buying the system in the near future. It has been over a year since I'd bought those titles, yet I still don't have a PSP.

The DS has quite a large library of games I'd like to play, but I've yet to convince myself that I'd play the system on a regular basis. I still have my GBA and I dust off the system at least once a month, but I don't see the need to purchase another handheld anytime soon. If the PSP had more titles coming on a regular basis, I'd be tempted to buy the system, but for now I'm not feeling the need to play either handheld. If I was working on the road a little more, I'd probably opt for a PSP, but for now my money is better spent on console games.

Has anyone here played Glory Days 2 or Chibi Robo: Park Patrol?

17day's comments made me recall one thing that has bugged me about the PSP: it is so capable of playing PS1 games and I've never understood why Sony hasn't either rereleased those games in PSP format or made them available via a system similar to the Wii's video console. In one fell swoop they could expand the PSP library and make a few bucks along the way and bring some of what was the PS1's greatness to a new generation of gamers. I mean, Sony makes no profit from hacked PSPs or old PS1 discs so why not profit from an obviously already on-going trend?

There were probably about a dozen PS1 games available for download to the PSP through the PSN - mainly the BIG ones, like Castlevania, Crash Bandicoot, Warhawk . . . and I think even Metal Gear Solid.

But as large as the PS1 library was, I'm surprised they didn't offer more games.

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Originally Posted by Scooter

17day's comments made me recall one thing that has bugged me about the PSP: it is so capable of playing PS1 games and I've never understood why Sony hasn't either rereleased those games in PSP format or made them available via a system similar to the Wii's video console. In one fell swoop they could expand the PSP library and make a few bucks along the way and bring some of what was the PS1's greatness to a new generation of gamers. I mean, Sony makes no profit from hacked PSPs or old PS1 discs so why not profit from an obviously already on-going trend?

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Originally Posted by MrMatthews

There were probably about a dozen PS1 games available for download to the PSP through the PSN - mainly the BIG ones, like Castlevania, Crash Bandicoot, Warhawk . . . and I think even Metal Gear Solid.

But as large as the PS1 library was, I'm surprised they didn't offer more games.

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I think you're missing the point here: YOU CAN PLAY ANY PSP AND (almost) ANY PSX GAME ON A PSP FOR FREE! How can you even argue that the DS is a better deal when you can play any game for PSP BETTER than a real UMD with custom firmware? Who gives a shit if its official, its there, take advantage of it! Besides, technically I don't even think its illegal to put PSX games on a PSP if you own the original game and made the ISO and EBOOT yourself.

Yeah, I so don't give two shits about "modding" a system. You can bring that up on any thread you want. I'll spend $10-$30 on a game and actually have a physical copy in my collection than risk bricking my PSP so I can play a bunch of ROMs.


17days, THIS was what I originally said. If you read that post, you'll see that I was quite plainly stating that I had no interest in modding my PSP so I could play ROMs.

At no point did I imply that ROMs or the people who play them are stupid. If you interpretted it that way, i'd have to say you feel pretty insecure about playing ROMs yourself to be so defensive.

Bottom line, it was YOU who attacked ME for not wanting to mod my PSP. You called ME stupid and retarded, remember?

The only reason I posted that in the first place was because you wouldn't drop the subject even though no one was paying you any attention.

And there isn't any irony or double-standards in place with the fact that I've downloaded games on the VC. It's a matter of convenience alone. The fact that I choose to pay for emulated games on the Wii rather than on my PC is MY choice. I could care less about what you THINK I should do.

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Originally Posted by MrMatthews

Yeah, I so don't give two shits about "modding" a system. You can bring that up on any thread you want. I'll spend $10-$30 on a game and actually have a physical copy in my collection than risk bricking my PSP so I can play a bunch of ROMs.

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wow, so many things wrong with what you just said.

For starters, most of what I play is games I own (as far as PSX and older systems go), its something called PORTABILITY. So you carry an NES, SNES, Genesis, PSX, and PS2 all in your pocket? yeah, right. I have like 700 (blind guess, I really have no idea what the number is) REAL, LEGIT games, that is not the issue here. Its funny how people bash ROMs but then suck dick and pay out the ass for repros. Repros are fine if they only cost you $15 for a really hard to get game, $60, however, LMFAO. Also, lets see you watch youtube on an official firmware PSP, oh, you can't? too bad.

Most of the better PSP games are PS2 ports anyway (which is why I said PS2 above, its not a typo), including some great retro collections from Capcom, SNK, and others and offshoots of the Grand Theft Auto series. The only good PSP exclusives that aren't just removed-feature PS2 ports are Loco Roco and the 2.5D remakes like Castlevania Dracula X Chronicles, Mega Man Powered Up, and Mega Man Maverick Hunter X. If my PSP UMD actually worked (bought it with a broken UMD), I would own maybe 5 legitimate games because that's the extent of unique PSP games worth owning. At any rate, you are playing them on REAL hardware, just like a Genesis flashcart. Technically the PSX games aren't real hardware, but by god if its not the best PSX emulator I've ever used. For all I know, the PSP processor may be an improved variant of the PSX processor, technically making it real hardware for that as well. Do you consider playing a PSX game on a PS2 emulation? If not, then I don't know why you would here.

And lastly, and most laughably, you show what an ignorant dumbass you are with the "risk bricking my PSP" comment. If you knew ANYTHING about modding a PSP, you would know that unbricking and installing custom firmware is essentially the same procedure. All you have to do is make the magic memory stick (which is cake with Rain's MMS Maker) and put in a pandora battery (either buy one already in tool mode or buy the switcher like I have) and hit "X" to install (OK, you also hold L, otherwise it boots normally with that particular install program). If it ever bricks, you grab your happy Magic Memory Stick (I use a 1 GB that cost me $8 shipped new on eBay, and its a real Sandisk), grab your pandora battery (or switch your normal battery if you have the switcher), and unbrick your happy little PSP in about 1-2 minutes (all automated, you can take a dump while this happens if you'd like). The only time you can really brick it is updating anyway, and that's not even really necessary if you install it with 5.00 in the first place (it'll be months before another worthwhile firmware update comes out, if ever). Heck, if you're a more advanced user, you can even have the Magic Memory Stick stuff on your main memory stick and leave your battery in Pandora mode, then, if it bricks, you just pull the battery out, hold L, put the battery back in, and reinstall the firmware. You don't lose any game data if it bricks because all the game save data is on the memory card (as well as the games), and you can back it up on your computer from time to time in case you lose your memory card. There is really no risk at all involved with a modded PSP as long as you do it yourself and know how to make a magic memory stick and keep a pandora battery or battery switcher around. My memory stick and battery switcher together cost me $35 and now I can unbrick mine or anyone elses PSP as well as install custom firmware in less than 5 minutes.

Let me make this clear to you, since you clearly lack the imagination to grasp anyone else's point of view that differs from your own:


I DON'T WANT TO MODIFY ANY SYSTEM I HAVE TO MAKE IT DO SOMETHING OTHER THAN WHAT IT WAS ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO DO

I have no interest in doing anything to my Genesis to allow it to play PAL games, either.

Why is that so difficult for you to understand? I rarely even take my DS or PSP with me on the go, either. I'm playing my DS at my desk right now, in fact. So having redundant digital copies of games I already own is absolutely worthless to me.

If I can buy a game for under $10, I won't even download them to the Wii, either. I ONLY LIKE HAVING PHYSICAL COPIES OF GAMES IN MY COLLECTION.

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Originally Posted by MrMatthews

If I can buy a game for under $10, I won't even download them to the Wii, either. I ONLY LIKE HAVING PHYSICAL COPIES OF GAMES IN MY COLLECTION.

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PFFFFT!!!! LMFAO!

you only want physical copies, yet you download them for Wii VC! That's gotta be the funniest unintended ironic statement ever! Guess what the VC is dude: ROMs. A ROM is a bit for bit dump of the little chips on your cartridge, as far as the data is concerned, they are identical. Why not just flush your $8 down the toilet, I'd rather my money go there than to some douche that is going to ram it in his pocket and leave the original developers none of it.

There is no reasonable justification for not emulating games you haven't acquired yet unless you A) already have so many games that you have barely played most of them and would rather start tackling your collection B) are terrified of legal repercussions (which will never come, only providers ever get targeted, you have very little risk of being prosecuted for downloading them) or C) are retarded. I'm going with C on this one. Even if you only wanted to play legit games, its still worth using custom firmware just to be able to make your PSP run at 333Mhz like its supposed to, the difference is night and day. Face it dude, you're either too scared or too dumb to mod your consoles, which is pretty sad in this case because it can't get much easier than putting custom firmware on a PSP. Don't get me wrong, modding Wiis or XBOX 360s, for example, is pretty dumb at this point as updates could permanently ruin your system and get you banned from online play, but modding a PSP has absolutely no risks like that tied to it so there is no excuse. Ignoring the advantages of emulators like save states and (in some cases) online play is just ignorant fanboyism at its worst, or just plain ignorance.