DS Lite or PSP?

[DarkNetworks]

I'm planning to buy a handheld by the end of this month but i need to decide weather to get a PSP or DS Lite. I dunno but I do enjoy playing Sports and Racing games more rather than RPGs etc...should I go with the PSP or DS Lite? Don't really plan to use this thing for Music or Videos as I do have an iPod. As far as browing, can i do some web browsing with the DS? Is the DS just a game console and nothing other than that? What would you recomend? Need advice. Thanks in advance...

[Fearless Leader]

you will soon be able to have a web browser on your ds lite. since the media is not that important to you that takes alot of value out of the psp. also you have to ask you self would you want to play a 30, 40, 50... (etc) hour game on your psp or your tv or computer. having played both i prefer the ds lite as my game system and my psp as a back up ipod + video player.

[srobert]

There are many threads on the subject that could help you in your choice, you should have a look, but from what I can read in your first post, you should go with the PSP. You'll get more traditional sports and racing games on the PSP side.


Edit:

some threads you might find useful:

PSP: Worthwhile? Good games? (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=212934)
The Nintendo DS Lite FAQ Touching Thread (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=210435)
PSP vs DS Lite - Sell us on your preference! (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=208707)

[GFLPraxis]

I'm planning to buy a handheld by the end of this month but i need to decide weather to get a PSP or DS Lite. I dunno but I do enjoy playing Sports and Racing games more rather than RPGs etc...should I go with the PSP or DS Lite? Don't really plan to use this thing for Music or Videos as I do have an iPod. As far as browing, can i do some web browsing with the DS? Is the DS just a game console and nothing other than that? What would you recomend? Need advice. Thanks in advance...

Get a DS Lite. You can buy the DS Lite web browser if you want when it comes out.

But if you want a game machine- you'll enjoy the DS Lite.

[Benjamindaines]

If you want racing and sports games then definitely go with the PSP, I just got one and I love it. My only complaint with it is that it doesn't get great battery life but other then that I love it.

Also don't make the mistake I did, I thought the PSP used regular SD cards but they use their own MemoryStick Duo (about 1mm thinner then an SD card).

[Mord]

if your going to do home brew get a psp

if not DS lite.

[2nyRiggz]

Get whatever suits you...DS for great platformers and nintendo originals...PSP for action/adventure and racing games....music and the likes...whatever you want.


Bless

[Benjamindaines]

if your going to do home brew get a psp

if not DS lite.
No more homebrew on PSP past Version 1.5

[iBookG4user]

I'd say you should go for the PSP because I had the same preference when I bought a handheld and I bought both. I played the DS for about a week, got board and sold it at a loss and I'm still playing the PSP.
Note: this was over a year ago and I recently bought a ds again for some of the new games and I am seriously considering taking it back after the couple weeks. The PSP is just better. IMO.

[Mord]

No more homebrew on PSP past Version 1.5

firmware downgraders.

[NewbieNerd]

If you want racing and sports games then definitely go with the PSP, I just got one and I love it.

Ditto. It's fine that plenty of people around here love the DS and hate the PSP, but the simple fact is that the best sports and racing games are for the PSP unless you like the cartoony Mario Kart. Graphics are better on the PSP, and the single widescreen is much better for sports/racing games than are the two DS screens, which are great for other innovative games. I play NBA Live 06 on my PSP every day and I absolutely love it. There are multiple NBA, NFL, MLB, and Soccer games available for the PSP. Check out http://www.gamespot.com for reviews and screenshots of lots of games for all current systems.

[raggedjimmi]

DS Lite for-
Battery life
Amazing screen
platform, FPS, action and new types of games (which are very very good, Animal Crossing, Kirby etc)
Multiplayer
Price

PSP for-
the 2nd best screen in a handheld system
homebrew
racing and sports games (though one of the best racers I've played has been on the DS - Mario Kart)



DS Lite against-
have to purchase accessories for multimedia and browser abilities
legacy games poke out the bottom
stylus should be a tad bit longer
sound quality (same for PSP, original DS sounds better)

PSP against-
Battery life
controls
sound quality
Dead pixels
over priced
Memory card duo
Not very portable
Not very good games
LocoRoco being the only game bringing something "new" to the table

[raggedjimmi]

Ditto. It's fine that plenty of people around here love the DS and hate the PSP, but the simple fact is that the best sports and racing games are for the PSP unless you like the cartoony Mario Kart...

Guess who hasn't got Mario Kart :rolleyes:

[Benjamindaines]

DS Lite for-
Battery life
Amazing screen
platform, FPS, action and new types of games (which are very very good, Animal Crossing, Kirby etc)
Multiplayer
Price

PSP for-
the 2nd best screen in a handheld system
homebrew
racing and sports games



DS Lite against-
have to purchase accessories for multimedia and browser abilities
legacy games poke out the bottom
stylus should be a tad bit longer
sound quality (same for PSP, original DS sounds better)

PSP against-
Battery life
controls
sound quality
Dead pixels
over priced
Memory card duo
Not very portable
Not very good games
LocoRoco being the only game bringing something "new" to the table
I'm sensing some bias in that...

The PSP's battery life is no match for the DS Lite's but its not that bad I get about 4.5 hours with the screen all the way bright (better then my PowerBook). The DS Lite does have an amazing screen but so does the PSP, also remember the DS Lite just came out and the PSP is from the time of the original DS so maybe Sony will update the screen (that's assuming they get their heads out of their arses with the PS3 first). What's wrong with PSP's multiplayer? The PSP is $200 I really don't think that's asking too much for what it is, Nintendo has always had lower prices they everyone else. It's portable enough for me and all the games that I own and have seen for it I like, the only games I have seen that I really don't like (ironically enough is a sports game) is Winning Eleven 9 and that's only because when on defence it keeps switching your player.

[NewbieNerd]

Guess who hasn't got Mario Kart :rolleyes:

Guilty as charged. :D

[eva01]

I'm sensing some bias in that...

It really isn't bias he has owned both. And it is very true what he says

[crachoar]

You want bias?


How's 19 defective* PSPs suite you, to 3 defective DS units?



*dead pixels, stuck pixels, lit pixels, bubbles within the screen coating, dust under the screen, came pre-scratched (as in, lots and lots of scratches) broken buttons

[srobert]

Please. Let's not try so sell him our personal preferences but the handheld that is the best suited for his needs. I'm a DS lover myself but in this case, I thing the PSP is best suited for his needs, which are A) Sports Games, B) Racing Games, and C) Web Browsing.

[ddrueckhammer]

The PSP currently has the best Sports and Racing games but that isn't to say that good ones won't come out for DS. Say what you want about it being cartoonish but Mario Kart is one of the most fun online racing games available (even with snakers...)The touch screen also makes Metroid Prime Hunters the best FPS even though the graphics are not as good as a PSP. Unfortunately, the next big games for DS are Zelda, FFIII, Starfox, and Phoenix Wright II...not any racing or sports...

With the Opera web browser addon, the DS will be superior for browsing. The touch screen will make it easier to navigate around websites...

To those saying you can't do homebrew on the DS, I guess you haven't seen the M3. There is a pretty big homebrew movement on the DS, although maybe not as big as on the PSP..(there is even a linux installation for DS)..Also, buy a Play-yan micro or M3 and it can be a .mp3/mpeg4 player.

Here is a link to a thread (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=212934) where I listed many of the great games for NDS...There are far more than PSP but if you are only interested in the genres you specified than the PSP is for you.

[Mord]

trouble is the M3 costs a fair amount, with the psp you don't need to buy anything extra, just downgrade the firmware.

[raggedjimmi]

DS Lite +M3 (uses cheap and common SD cards)=£140-150
PSP value pack=£170
PSP giga pack=£210

Still saving money. plus the DS has the upcoming Doom DS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0omhjE90HTA&mode=related&search=) remake, a really good homebrew app in the making. Sure its only 1, but it's DOOOOOM.

[twistedlegato]

Ummm.. One way or another ones gonna be.......oh forget it,D.S. Lite all the way:D

[ddrueckhammer]

trouble is the M3 costs a fair amount, with the psp you don't need to buy anything extra, just downgrade the firmware.

Memory Sticks aren't free are they? Yeah you have to have the M3 on top of a flash card but I was just pointing out it is possible.

[Vader]

No more homebrew on PSP past Version 1.5
Okay, look, honestly, if you don't know, don't post.
Homebrew can be run all the way up through v2.6. above v2.0 you just have to have GTA to play homebrew.
Pretty soon due to a recent break through, all homebrew may be able to be played on v2.6. Kernel access!

[buffalo]

can someone give me a brief description of what homebrew is?

Thanks!

[GFLPraxis]

firmware downgraders.

Sony's disabled the firmware downgraders with each update, then it takes several weeks before new firmware downgraders are released. It looks like a frustrating cycle from here.

[GFLPraxis]

DS Lite for-
Battery life
Amazing screen
platform, FPS, action and new types of games (which are very very good, Animal Crossing, Kirby etc)
Multiplayer
Price

PSP for-
the 2nd best screen in a handheld system
homebrew
racing and sports games (though one of the best racers I've played has been on the DS - Mario Kart)



DS Lite against-
have to purchase accessories for multimedia and browser abilities
legacy games poke out the bottom
stylus should be a tad bit longer
sound quality (same for PSP, original DS sounds better)

PSP against-
Battery life
controls
sound quality
Dead pixels
over priced
Memory card duo
Not very portable
Not very good games
LocoRoco being the only game bringing something "new" to the table

Agree fully with most of it, there's some things I should say though. PSP will always play videos better, even if you buy the completely unsupported hack movie players. They're a pain to get working, and the ones that work easily (the default M3 one, the GBA MP one) have a really low framerate (15 FPS) that looks great for cartoons but bad for movies. I love my M3 for the homebrew but I would NEVER tell someone to buy it for playing movies.

I'd never tell someone to buy a PSP for movies either. UMD is worthless, and buying a big enough memory card for DVD rips is expensive- on top of that you can't fit that many on it and the function is rarely that useful (I've found that despite having tons of cartoons on my DS I never find time to sit down and watch a full 30 minute Dexter's Lab episode outside of the house). But if someone wanted to compare a PSP vs DS w/M3 for movie playback, the PSP easily takes the cake.

[GFLPraxis]

can someone give me a brief description of what homebrew is?

Thanks!

Homebrew is applications created by individuals for consoles, entirely unsupported by the company responsible for the console.

People have been making GBA homebrew for years; the community is huge. Essentially, a bunch of hackers worked on hacking the GBA and managed to find ways to run their own applications on it, and created their own dev kit. You can buy an adapter to put a compact flash or SD card into a GBA, then load any of the hundreds of GBA programs people have made on to it and run them.

Same goes for the DS and PSP. I use the M3 adapter for DS homebrew; I've got DSLinux (Linux on the DS), DSOrganize (organizer software, address book, calender, notebook, paint-like app that saves JPEGs, also plays MP3s), MoonShell (MP3/MPEG-1/DPG player), DSudoku (obviously, Sudoku for DS, I love Sudoku), and tons of free games. I also bought a $10 cable and ripped all my GBA games and copied them on to one cartridge (legal backups) and put my old GameBoy games on there with an emulator to play them.

Both the DS and PSP have GameBoy, NES, and SNES emulators, too.

Now, the DS requires a little bit of equipment to get your stuff on there. Once you have the equipment, you're set.

The PSP you can load programs on to it with the memory card, but Sony disabled this with the new firmware, so you have to revert to the old firmware every time you want to use homebrew, and upgrade to the new firmware whenever you want to play games.

[raggedjimmi]

oh aye I learned the video thing a while back, I bought a Pocket PC in 2002 mostly for portable video playing. ripped some DVD's into WMV and stuffed them onto a monstrous 256mb card (for the time it was the peak, I think). I never actually watched a full episode too. Just the first couple of minutes. I think theres something in holding the machine that puts off long watch times. I'd rather sit back and watch in glorious 2.1 on sexy speakers and view without motion blur. though my Pocket PC has a considerably quicker refresh rate compared to the PSP.

PSP will definitely do videos better.

as for the DS Lites size, it actually fits snugly into my top pocket, poking out a little bit. little weight=doesn't pull down. I tried to carry my PSP in my pants pockets once. thank god I was wearing a belt.

[ddrueckhammer]

Agree fully with most of it, there's some things I should say though. PSP will always play videos better, even if you buy the completely unsupported hack movie players. They're a pain to get working, and the ones that work easily (the default M3 one, the GBA MP one) have a really low framerate (15 FPS) that looks great for cartoons but bad for movies. I love my M3 for the homebrew but I would NEVER tell someone to buy it for playing movies.

I'd never tell someone to buy a PSP for movies either. UMD is worthless, and buying a big enough memory card for DVD rips is expensive- on top of that you can't fit that many on it and the function is rarely that useful (I've found that despite having tons of cartoons on my DS I never find time to sit down and watch a full 30 minute Dexter's Lab episode outside of the house). But if someone wanted to compare a PSP vs DS w/M3 for movie playback, the PSP easily takes the cake.


The best option for playing movies on the DS is the completely supported (in Japan) Nintendo Play-Yan Micro (http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/play_yan_micro/index.html). It can play .mp3s and mpeg4 files at perfect quality and is available through importers such as Lik-Sang. No homebrew though, as it is an official Nintendo product. From what I understand, only the first splash screen is in Japanese. After that, it uses icons for navigation...

[jamesi]

I'm planning to buy a handheld by the end of this month but i need to decide weather to get a PSP or DS Lite. I dunno but I do enjoy playing Sports and Racing games more rather than RPGs etc...should I go with the PSP or DS Lite? Don't really plan to use this thing for Music or Videos as I do have an iPod. As far as browing, can i do some web browsing with the DS? Is the DS just a game console and nothing other than that? What would you recomend? Need advice. Thanks in advance...

i was just in your shoes when i went for the PSP and its honestly the greatest thing ever. music, photos, and movies on that screen along with games like gta? the battery life is long and it has made several train trips a lil more bareable. i dont know how long the nintendo one lasts but im just really satisfied with the psp. ps2 graphics on a handheld just rocks

[raggedjimmi]

I suddenly wanted a PSP for no real reason. The price was good (I thought) so I bought one. Forgot I needed a memory card, so the price went up. Games cost a freakin bomb compared to DS. But luckily my local shops happily accept full refunds for returns.
I found the screen terrible. I mean ghosting really put me off. I was used too good screens like Dell etc. But I laughed here. This heralded screen had a slower refresh rate than my ancient 15" TFT monitor making pretty much anything unplayable to someone unused to such a blur.
The photos thing made me laugh too. Probably only a good thing to use if you have a Sony camera (Memory Stick Duo like). Videos, I had no idea how to get on. It's not just "drag a random video file here". it has to be a specific file name, specific everything. hardly made for ease of use. Audio. As useful as unregistered Quicktime compared to a portable iTunes (iPod). Skip.
I only got around 3 hours on my PSP. 3.5 max. I wasn't used to such a low battery. I planned on playing it for a 4 hour car ride and it died on me before I reached the destination. in comparison I've charged my DS Lite twice and so far have clocked an extra 8 hours on Castlevania and 3 hours on Metroid Hunters and many wifi games of Mario Kart and Tetris.
The graphics let me down too. I heard all this hype (like Jamesi) about portable PS2 graphics, where I'm only seeing PS1 graphics with texture filtering. More colours granted.
I decided to get rid of it just 3 days after purchasing. Haven't looked back. Bought a DS Lite, another 2 years unlimited bandwidth/webspace web hosting and a 200gb HDD instead. overpriced rubbish.

Overall the critical flaws are lack of SD slot for a multimedia device, weight and ghosting. and a few more original or new games would be nice.

[GFLPraxis]

The best option for playing movies on the DS is the completely supported (in Japan) Nintendo Play-Yan Micro (http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/play_yan_micro/index.html). It can play .mp3s and mpeg4 files at perfect quality and is available through importers such as Lik-Sang. No homebrew though, as it is an official Nintendo product. From what I understand, only the first splash screen is in Japanese. After that, it uses icons for navigation...

Except it is GBA-only. It runs in the DS, but only in GBA mode- with a black border around part of the screen.

[ddrueckhammer]

Overall the critical flaws are lack of SD slot for a multimedia device, weight and ghosting. and a few more original or new games would be nice.

The PSP is a fine machine if you have never played a PS2 or PS1 but to me the controls, lack of touch screen, and lack of enjoyable/interesting titles is where it is lacking.

Try to use the analog stick to control one of the racing games for it like Burnout and your thumb will fall off.

The touch screen will eventually yield more non-gamer applications like the DS browser or PDA and possibly Voip functionality for the DS. It is a serious advantage and makes game like Metroid Prime Hunters and Real Time Strategy titles work on the DS which are impossible on the PSP.

One can argue for hours about the quality of games for the PSP vs DS but I know that my girlfriend, sister, mother or othe non-gamer friends wouldn't like the games on the PSP but games like Animal Crossing, Brain Age, Electroplankton, Phoenix Wright, and Trauma Center interest even the most ardent non-gamers. Having my girlfriend interested in the DS too makes it easier for me to justify buying more games and makes it more enjoyable in the long run.

Finally, I saw an article in March's Electronic Gaming Monthly showing the DS or GBA had 7 out of the 10 top handheld games in the US. Not Japan, the US! Basically, unless you are completely spellbound by pretty graphics, or only will play sports and racing games the DS Lite is a better choice. Any multimedia playback advantages that the PSP had will soon be erased by first-party or third party accesories for the DS or GBA slots. One thing that could give the PSP a boost is that it will soon get emulated PS1 titles. Portable FFVII anyone? Although FFIII for DS looks amazing.

[mark!]

do they have spyro for psp

[ddrueckhammer]

Except it is GBA-only. It runs in the DS, but only in GBA mode- with a black border around part of the screen.

Yeah but from the videos on YouTube its not that bad. Its still a better video player than the third party ones available. Even with moonshell. (I have researched this a ton)

The only reason why I don't have one yet is the hope that they will release a DS Lite specific one...One can only hope...

[AppleGuy08]

Mario Kart is one of the most fun online racing games available (even with snakers...)

Hey, a litte off topic buti have a question. I've seen so much about "snakers" on various DS game websites, but what exactly is snaking?

[mark!]

Hey, a litte off topic buti have a question. I've seen so much about "snakers" on various DS game websites, but what exactly is snaking?

i think its that drifting thing & the powerboost. its on teh manual.

[AppleGuy08]

i think its that drifting thing & the powerboost. its on teh manual.

Oh yah, i figured that may be what it was. Because you look like a snake when you do it. It is pretty crappy to do in online multiplayer, but for single player its perfectly fine. I use it sometimes when i play online (not continuously like these "snakers" just when i need a little boost coming out of a sharp turn :))

[mark!]

i cant do it online because today my stupid ds lite decided that my router didnt exsist anymore & it does & it can detect it but when it goes to connect it says its not compatible with a 50099 error...MY ASS :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[GFLPraxis]

Hey, a litte off topic buti have a question. I've seen so much about "snakers" on various DS game websites, but what exactly is snaking?


In Mario Kart, if you drift around a corner and while you are sliding press left-right-left-right-left-right, you get a small boost. It's called a Power Slide IIRC.

"snaking" is the strategy of, on a straightaway, getting on one side and turning towards the other and sliding and boosting (since you turn you're on the other side of the straightaway by then), then quickly turning the other way and power sliding the other way, essentially snaking your way through a straightaway and getting a string of boosts.

Some people consider it cheating, but it is very difficult to do- most people consider it to be fair play and a good skill. Slipping up at all results in you hitting the dirt and going off the course and losing tons of ground anyway.

ALL the good players know how to snake well, and all the noobs don't know how to at all. When two really good players race, they try to powerslide constantly through the entire course and the first person to bump into a wall is almost guaranteed to lose- unless they get a blue shell :) It's fun to watch two really good players go at each other.



The easiest way to do that is to pick a car with REALLY bad Drift, like the yoshi's egg car. Bad drift means it barely turns when you're going around corners, making it much easier to snake.

[ddrueckhammer]

Thanks for answering that one...I went outside to watch fireworks...

It is fair but it makes it not so fun for noobs because you can't compete if you can't do it.

[mark!]

i hate it when you are winning against someone with a perfect ratio (i.e....309:0) & then they disconnect on the LAST race like...10 seconds before its over. UGH. but that feeling was what i had when it actually worked. RAWR. :mad:

[DarkNetworks]

wow thanks for the good responses so far...i would wanna do homebrew with PSP but looking at most websites available, i can only do it if i have 2.6 at least for the downgrader to work and if I do get a PSP from Amazon UK at this time, I'll probably get a 2.71 version which means no homebrew. Unless I buy it from eBay...but I just buying stuff off eBay. I dunno but based on the responses, I think PSP would be a better choice since I do play games like NBA, Pro Evolution Soccer etc...I'm looking into the DS as it does have a touchscreen and the price is cheaper compared to the PSP but it looks like most games on the DS side are pretty much role playing games, FPS, etc...What's the touchscreen for in the DS? Should i really get the PSP Giga Pack if I can't do homebrew or should I just get the PSP Value Pack or just the Base Console? Any recomendations on where I can buy them with a cheaper price or cheaper deals? I live in the UK btw...

[ddrueckhammer]

wow thanks for the good responses so far...i would wanna do homebrew with PSP but looking at most websites available, i can only do it if i have 2.6 at least for the downgrader to work and if I do get a PSP from Amazon UK at this time, I'll probably get a 2.71 version which means no homebrew. Unless I buy it from eBay...but I just buying stuff off eBay. I dunno but based on the responses, I think PSP would be a better choice since I do play games like NBA, Pro Evolution Soccer etc...I'm looking into the DS as it does have a touchscreen and the price is cheaper compared to the PSP but it looks like most games on the DS side are pretty much role playing games, FPS, etc...What's the touchscreen for in the DS? Should i really get the PSP Giga Pack if I can't do homebrew or should I just get the PSP Value Pack or just the Base Console? Any recomendations on where I can buy them with a cheaper price or cheaper deals? I live in the UK btw...

The PSP would be best for you since you indicated that you are mainly interested in Sports/Racing sims. Most genres are well represented on the Nintendo DS. Racing and Sports aren't really yet. I wouldn't worry about homebrew when you first get it. The bottom screen on the DS is a touchscreen which enables new ways of interacting with games and makes it work better as a web browser etc. It also has a microphone and some titles with pretty good voice and handwriting recognition. I would get a memory stick and a case for sure with your PSP as they get fingerprints and can scratch...

To be honest, I would just go to the store and buy a PSP. If retailers in the UK are anything like here, they will take almost anything back. This way you can return it if you don't want it. Then I would look up on Gamespot or whatever review site you like and rent the top 3 games for the system...If you don't like the games you don't have to go to the trouble of ebaying them. Normally I don't rent games, but for the purposes of testing out a system I would do that for sure. Especially, since PSP games can be pricey.

[DarkNetworks]

some threads you might find useful:

PSP vs DS Lite - Sell us on your preference! (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=208707)

wow after reading this thread, i'm really considering DS Lite...

[buffalo]

Two PSP Questions...

trying to decide between PSP and DS Lite, right now leaning towards a DS.


I was browsing the PSP section of IGN and came upon Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception (http://psp.ign.com/objects/822/822479.html). It looks like a pretty good game with nice looking graphics. It says it has wireless multiplayer. Does this mean multiplayer over the internet, or multiplayer where you all have to be togeather?

Same question with Fifa '06. Is there even a multiplayer option, and if so is it internet multiplayer?

Thanks!

[chairguru22]

PSP def has the better racing games but i think neither have good sports games. I just dont think sports games translates well onto handhelds except maybe for golf or tennis.

if i were you id look into what games you want to get on both systems and whatever system has more games go with that one.

[ddrueckhammer]

PSP def has the better racing games but i think neither have good sports games. I just dont think sports games translates well onto handhelds except maybe for golf or tennis.


MLB '06 and Fifa '06 are both supposed to be good for PSP. Madden is supposed to be OK as well. I think you are right about them not translating well though.



I was browsing the PSP section of IGN and came upon Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception (http://psp.ign.com/objects/822/822479.html). It looks like a pretty good game with nice looking graphics. It says it has wireless multiplayer. Does this mean multiplayer over the internet, or multiplayer where you all have to be togeather?

Same question with Fifa '06. Is there even a multiplayer option, and if so is it internet multiplayer?

Thanks!

I'm not sure about the online support for Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception as it is not out yet but Fifa '06 has ad hoc play for up to four players or infrastructure (online) support for head-to-head games. BTW DSAir looks kindof like the Ace Combat game. Who knows how good it will be, (the graphics certainly don't look as good as Ace Combat) but the Wifi support will be great.

The PSPs online play is not supposed to be as good as the DS's but I haven't tried it out so I can't say for sure. The DS has super easy to setup online Wifi play for the following games so far:

Mario Kart DS
Metroid Prime Hunters
Tetris DS
Tony Hawk's American Sk8land
Animal Crossing: Wild World
LostMagic

I have all of these but Tony Hawk and LostMagic and they are all great! (although I don't like the friends code thing on Animal Crossing)

The following titles have been confirmed for future release with Wifi support on DS:

Contact
Tenchu: Dark Secret
Star Fox Command
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
Clubhouse Games
Custom Robo Arena
DS Air
Marvel Trading Card Game
Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer

These are just games that are confirmed to be online. There are many, many games that have 4-player wireless multiplayer modes.

You should really watch the "One year of PSP" video review from Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/features/6152212/index.html). They do a good job of explaining what they like and dislike about the PSP.

[apunkrockmonk]

I had absolutely 0 desire to own any hand hold what so ever until I was walking around the mall on father's day. I tried a ds lite with NSMB. I walked out of the mall with a DS lite, New Super Mario Bros, Brain Age, and Big Brain Academy. I went to Toys R Us and picked up Tetris, and then bought Mario 64 and Mario Kart off of amazon.

All of the games are amazing, the only thing is, other then the Bomberman game with online support thats supposed to come out by the end of '06, I own every game that I know of that is out or that will be coming out for awhile that I want. Good things all the games are great.

Buy a DS, screw the PSP.

[sam10685]

I'm sensing some bias in that...

i'm not. he's being truthful i think.

[DarkNetworks]

looking back and reconsidering i still can't figure it out. If i'm gonna get the DS, games that i would wanna play would be,
New Super Mario Bros.
Mario Kart DS
Zelda
but if i go PSP, i'll probably go with more racing and sports related games such as
Pro Evo, Fifa 06'
Virtua Tennis, Formula 1, BurnOut, EVerybody's Golf etc...really a dilemma, i love the Mario series games, have been playing them ever since but i dunno the sports side of things and racing doesn't seem to fit in the DS side..
I have a question about DS, does it require any sort of Memory Card? I'm told to get a Memory Stick Duo to at least store save games if i get a PSP, what about the DS? and i've heard a lot about online gameplay with the DS, can i just switch on WiFi and start playing immediately for example Mario Kart? What's the WPA and WEP thing? Can the PSP do the same?

[ddrueckhammer]

looking back and reconsidering i still can't figure it out. If i'm gonna get the DS, games that i would wanna play would be,
New Super Mario Bros.
Mario Kart DS
Zelda
but if i go PSP, i'll probably go with more racing and sports related games such as
Pro Evo, Fifa 06'
Virtua Tennis, Formula 1, BurnOut, EVerybody's Golf etc...really a dilemma, i love the Mario series games, have been playing them ever since but i dunno the sports side of things and racing doesn't seem to fit in the DS side..
I have a question about DS, does it require any sort of Memory Card? I'm told to get a Memory Stick Duo to at least store save games if i get a PSP, what about the DS? and i've heard a lot about online gameplay with the DS, can i just switch on WiFi and start playing immediately for example Mario Kart? What's the WPA and WEP thing? Can the PSP do the same?

DS saves games to the Carts so you don't need memory sticks. WPA and WEP are forms of wireless encryption. Nintendo DS requires either no encryption or WEP 40-bit which has a 10 character keycode. Basically, if your home wireless router isn't encrypted you just turn it on and play. If it is, you need to make sure it is encrypted with WEP and then you enter the keycode in the DS (after turning on the game) and it lets you on the network. Not sure on the PSP, I haven't tried to use one for wifi play sorry...The only other thing about the DS and PSP both is that they use 802.11b so if you have your router set to g only it wont work...

One thing to consider is for the price of a PSP and a memory stick, you can get a DS Lite and quite a few great games....

The following are considered among MUST have games for DS:

Mario Kart DS
New Super Mario Brothers
Metroid Prime Hunters
Tetris DS
Animal Crossing: Wild World
Advance Wars Dual Strike
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Trauma Center: Under the Knife
Brain Age
Nintendogs
Mateos
Super Mario 64
Resident Evil: Deadly Silence

(these will be must haves)
Zelda Phantom Hourglass
Final Fantasy III
Opera Browser

and many more....

The following are MUST haves for PSP

Daxter
Burnout Legends
Lumines

If you want to stretch it add these three...

Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX
Wipeout Pure
Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror

and maybe although these get old to me...
GTA: Liberty City Stories
Metal Gear Acid

Hope this helps...

[GFLPraxis]

I have a question about DS, does it require any sort of Memory Card? I'm told to get a Memory Stick Duo to at least store save games if i get a PSP, what about the DS? and i've heard a lot about online gameplay with the DS, can i just switch on WiFi and start playing immediately for example Mario Kart? What's the WPA and WEP thing? Can the PSP do the same?

DS requires no memory card, it saves to the cartridge.

For the WiFi, yeah, when you click the WiFi button it looks for the nearest WiFi hotspot. PSP does the same thing.

The only difference is that the DS does not support WPA- it's a type of encryption to keep people out of your network. WEP is another type, so just use WEP instead of WPA on your home network and you're fine. Actual free WiFi hotspots won't use any encryption, only password-locked networks will.

[DarkNetworks]

i know nintendo has this http://www.nintendowifi.com/ any sort of thing like that for the PSP?

[ddrueckhammer]

i know nintendo has this http://www.nintendowifi.com/ any sort of thing like that for the PSP?

Yeah its called infrastructure mode but it supposedly isn't as good as Nintendo Wifi...

http://www.us.playstation.com/PSP/OnlineGaming

[DarkNetworks]

Yeah its called infrastructure mode but it supposedly isn't as good as Nintendo Wifi...

http://www.us.playstation.com/PSP/OnlineGaming

Yeah i can see that it isn't as good. They prefer you to do Adhoc or with a PS 2...:rolleyes:

[raggedjimmi]

Right, you're British. Now I can help :)

Yup. you can only buy a 1.5 FW PSP off eBay these days. though you can downgrade from a 2.6, it can brick your PSP (aka, it will never work again) so you're taking a risk. 1.5's are normally £150-200 on eBay.

Nope. you cannot take a console back for a refund, Game and Gamestation only offer a replacement if something goes wrong. So if you did buy a PSP you can't take it back. you can try one out in store though. but be wary, after playing a PSP for the first time I was impressed. its only after a few days, few games that the magic wears off. that happened to me, which taught me to never get excited from playing a new system like that for the first time. it'll save me money.

If you went with the Core package you'd need to buy a memory card, all you get is the system and a plug. It really is just that. It's still £130, still £30 more than a DS Lite, or £50 more than a DS. You could easily buy a single DS game there, or 2 if you're lucky - Game have an offer where you can buy a DS Lite for £109 and pick a game from a selection. these are (might not be 100% accurate, running off faded memory)

Brain Training, Tetris, Metroid Hunters, Mario Kart... and 2 more.

Now Game are very good for buying from. They will accept a DS Lite exchange for anything. I had faulty buttons that were starting to become sensitive, the shop woman couldn't find much of a problem with it. yet they gave me a nice new DS Lite. So I recommend them.

Just run out and buy a DS Lite, some of the games are just incredible :)
Lite, Advance Wars, Mario DS, Mario Kart, Tetris, Castlevania, Tony Hawk, Animal Crossing, Kirby, Metroid Hunters. = £289 for the best games and best console of the moment.

[ddrueckhammer]

Right, you're British. Now I can help :)

Nope. you cannot take a console back for a refund, Game and Gamestation only offer a replacement if something goes wrong.

Wow! stores like Walmart and Bestbuy here don't really care. The consider consoles computers most of the time and I have taken back several saying that I just didn't want them over the years. I usually just buy from a store that I know doesn't charge restocking fees, like Walmart (although after seeing a recent Walmart documentary I am not as keen on supporting them). Bestbuy, does charge restocking fees though now (I don't think they used to). Even if they aren't supposed to take them back, you can just go to a couple of stores and generally someone will do a return for you.

They won't take back the games once opened but but I just ebayed those if I didn't want them. I guess the UK has stricter return policies than here or maybe its that many employees here just don't care....

[raggedjimmi]

They used to accept returns, when I bought my Gameboy Micro back in December I got a full refund - no questions asked. but a month or so ago I asked Gamestation if I didn't like the PSP could I get a full refund. the guy said "Not any more, people were borrowing machines for a week and then bringing them back in". this was a different Gamestation shop (Manchester and Oldham) so they weren't picking on me.

It's a shame yes. after all a lot of shops cottoned onto the PC game piracy that went on. buy a PC game, copy it, return. et voila.

I can see why they stop, though it does harm genuine buyers. although they do now let you try test models in stores, can test any second hand game you want too.

[steviem]

It's a shame yes. after all a lot of shops cottoned onto the PC game piracy that went on. buy a PC game, copy it, return. et voila.


:) Those were the days, go to eb or game, buy a game, rip it, take it back with the 'My computer isnt good enough and it doesnt play it' sob story, then change it for something that has even more demanding specs!!

I dont understand their problem with returning a psp if it isnt what you expected. £130 - £200 is quite a big outlay for you to spend on something that you end up never using...

For me the decision was easy, a PSP. Its perhaps a bit fanboy-ish and shallow, but I know what to expect with the lineup of games, it plays movies out of the box (music isnt so important, i have an iPod for that)and doesnt look as minging as an original ds.

I think an absolute essential for the psp is Locoroco, that game is brilliant, it should be a Nintendo game. I found my tube ride go in no time yesterday evening and was totally immersed in the weird blob world!!

Now the DS Lite is out i would consider it for the mario games, but I'd rather spend the money on some flow bindings instead, really..

[dizastor]

For sports games, The Madden Series is available on the DS, along with FIFA Soccer and Tiger Woods golf.

http://www.easports.com/ds.jsp

I wish they would port all of their sports games. Mario 3 on 3 will be out in a few months. 2k sports neglects the DS like it was a Mac or something.

:rolleyes:

[DarkNetworks]

can i get a PSP Base Unit, meaning the System and a Plug, and a game without any memory stick whatsoever? I mean will I be able to play games? Does the PSP comes with any sort of memory in it? If I don't buy the memory stick, does it mean that I can't save games at all?

I'm seriously considering the DS Lite more now as it doesn't require much investment in terms of memory stick etc...I dunno economically, the console itself is much cheaper than the PSP and I think I'll at least have to invest £200 to get the PSP working with a game...but i dunno there're still games that interest me in the PSP such as Virtua Tennis, BurnOut, Fifa and some other sports games. I had a look in terms of the graphics in the DS it's pretty much a let down and i'm not sure if i'll like the dual screen....:(

[raggedjimmi]

You have to buy a memory card yes. Grossly overpriced ones at that, just look at any SD cards compared to Memory card duo

1gb SD card - £23
1gb Memory Stick - £46 (£55 for official Sony product)

Froogle is your friend :)

I say this a lot but I'm shocked Sony claim the PSP to be a multimedia device without the most common multimedia device medium being shunned. How does that work? anyone?

ps. You might want to avoid Burnout on the PSP. It's a pain to play. you can't even see approaching cars, what with the low resolution screen. really is a console game.

[DarkNetworks]

You have to buy a memory card yes.


Ah that sucks...meaning i can't save games without the memory card or can't even run the game without it? Doesn't the PSP come with 34MB of memory in it? Searched a cheap deal at £169+a game lets say, £20 will cost me a total of £189 :( whereas if i get the DS, i can easily get two games and the console under £150. tough choice...:(

[raggedjimmi]

Gamestation had a great deal. A white PSP value pack with a game and UMD movie for £169. That was it then. but I don't know if they're still running it.

it does such yes. console, memory card, games. they're all very expensive compared to the DS and they add up. You could easily spend £300 on a Giga Pack PSP and a few games and case. wheres a DS Lite and a few games would be £160, no case required (flip screen).

'sup to you really. I've had both, I'm not biased. if it's good, it's good. I fell in love with the PSP, but fell out of it too. the novelty wore off. you're best of, IMO, buying a PS2 and DS Lite for the same price as a PSP going off what games you want on the PSP.

[DarkNetworks]

Yeah, checked some online stores and they offer £169 + lemmings...
but Gamestation's Black Sony PSP Value Pack for £149.99 looks like a pretty good deal...i dunno but i don't plan to get a 1GB memory stick if i do get the PSP. i mean what's the use of a 1GB memory stick when you don't do homebrews? i don't plan to use it as a Music player, movie whatsoever other than games as i do own an iPod and i heard getting movies to work in the PSP is a pain anyway. Game saves, will 34MB be enough? I'm still thinking about the DS Lite as it's pretty cheap...;)

[buffalo]

Oh geez, now I don't know anymore. I thought I was set on the DS but more and more I find myself leaning towards the PSP.

So......

Which system is better on the internet multiplayer games? Right now I only see six internet games for the DS. Probably the only one I will play is Mario Kart, maybe Tetris, and maybe maybe Metroid (it's a FPS, right? Is it fun?). How many are there for the PSP?

One of the games I'd probably get for either system is Fifa '06. As I understand it, Fifa for DS can only be played with people by you where Fifa on the PSP can be played with other people across the internet. Am I right? Seeing as I don't know anyone else with a DS who I'd play with, having the ability to play over the internet is a big plus. Also while FIfa graphics on the DS look alright, PSP graphics look great.

For looking at the internet, I like how the DS has the touch screen. It might just be me, but it seems like it would be easier to navigate and write in URLs on the DS than on the PSP.

I don't care about music or movies on the PSP, so that's not a seller for me.



I'd love your opinions! I'm really stuck right now.

[raggedjimmi]

I'd love your opinions! I'm really stuck right now.

*yawn* read this thread for starters, then look for the "PSP vs DS" thread.

about the internet thing, the only online service I've seen that can compare to the DS's wifi service is Xbox Live. its free. you can play anyone or play a friend, some options so you can select what sort of person you want to play (similar rank etc).dead easy to get going. plus the DS really has got the better multiplayer games (Mario Kart, Metroid, Animal Crossing), all made for multiplayer/interaction really.

[2nyRiggz]

*yawn* read this thread for starters, then look for the "PSP vs DS" thread.

about the internet thing, the only online service I've seen that can compare to the DS's wifi service is Xbox Live. its free. you can play anyone or play a friend, some options so you can select what sort of person you want to play (similar rank etc).dead easy to get going. plus the DS really has got the better multiplayer games (Mario Kart, Metroid, Animal Crossing), all made for multiplayer/interaction really.

PSP online is great as well....SOCOM, SP: Dark Mirror are great online..these two games alone own the online arena...except MP: hunters


Bless

[ddrueckhammer]

Oh geez, now I don't know anymore. I thought I was set on the DS but more and more I find myself leaning towards the PSP.

So......

Which system is better on the internet multiplayer games? Right now I only see six internet games for the DS. Probably the only one I will play is Mario Kart, maybe Tetris, and maybe maybe Metroid (it's a FPS, right? Is it fun?)



From what my friends say and what I read online, the DS is better for multiplayer games right now but its not to say that in a year the PSP won't be better. That's actually saying alot since most of my friends are pretty shallow and would buy the PSP because of the better graphics irregardless of the actual quality of the games. Sony has alot of ground to make up in this area though. Tetris isn't that interesting to me online as you have to be really great to compete in my experience. Metroid is fun once you get the hang of it. To control metroid you use the d-pad to move, L button to fire and touch screen to look around and jump (double tap). It works well and simulates how FPS games work on a PC but takes some getting used to. Mario Kart is brilliant, the best online game so far on a handheld! I have Animal Crossing but don't ever play online with it because it requires friend codes. Does anyone know if LostMagic requires friend codes too? I might pick that one up as it looks interesting. Kind of like a real-time strategy mixed with RPG like Warcraft.

The PSP does have SOCOM and SP but I hear it isn't as easy to set up and has less players online...Not sure though since I haven't tried online play on a PSP.

[raggedjimmi]

another big problem with the PSP (http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/clips/the-psp-vs-ds-race-185097.php)

This got me too. Whenever I wanted to quickly boot up a game for a minute or 2 I was stuck waiting at load screens. I'm not used to loading :o gave up on systems with severe loading since the Amiga in the early 90's.

but, mr. DarkNetworks. regarding the memory card. as well as save files you also need a memory stick to store game updates too. you're probably best getting a 512mb-1gb card just to be future proofed.

[sam10685]

The following are MUST haves for PSP


Burnout Legends






i've heard Burnout Legends is absolutley awesome on the PSP but the DS makes a mockery of it. (the burnout series is my favorite series. (does anyone know if a burnout 5 is being made?)) anyway, the DS has way more good games so that going to be my choice.

[raggedjimmi]

i've heard Burnout Legends is absolutley awesome on the PSP but the DS makes a mockery of it. (the burnout series is my favorite series. (does anyone know if a burnout 5 is being made?)) anyway, the DS has way more good games so that going to be my choice.

You haven't played it have you?
the DS version is pants. its terrible. but the PSP version is too. it's barely playable, traffic just appears on screen. theres no fancy anything, car unlocking screen? just a plain image with the car spinning on the spot. effects? please.

I'm sure I've said in this thread already. The PSP Burnout is bollocks. the DS one is worse. You don't play them on handhelds, you play them on the big screen. at least I do. neither system works with the game.

[srobert]

:) Those were the days, go to eb or game, buy a game, rip it, take it back with the 'My computer isnt good enough and it doesnt play it' sob story, then change it for something that has even more demanding specs!!

So you're one of the guys we owe it to. :( (No longer being able to exchange PC games and more annoying copy protection)

[ddrueckhammer]

So you're one of the guys we owe it to. :( (No longer being able to exchange PC games and more annoying copy protection)

I never have copied disks and taken then back but I have taken consoles back. I took back an x-box 360 a couple of months ago to Walmart. I got buyers remorse. I don't really know what their return policy is on consoles but I think they consider them a computer so you have a while to return it. I just went up to the lady and said I wasn't into it and she counted out my $399 cash. I went to the bank and put it back. Simple as that. I'll probably go back and get an X-box again sometime around Christmas but I may just get a Wii instead. I want to see how the whole console wars shake out a bit...My DS Lite is keeping me more than entertained in the meantime. Too bad many gamers in the US won't consider the DS Lite because it is "too kiddie" or "doesn't have good graphics". Its funny how the real hardcore gamers in Japan prefer the DS but it just doesn't fit into the image of "hardcore" here in the US. Kids here need violence, sex, or drugs for it to be a good game haha. I think this mainly comes from kids whose first console was a PS1 or Xbox but there is still some of it with 20-somethings like me whose first console was an Atari.

[DarkNetworks]

Oh geez, now I don't know anymore. I thought I was set on the DS but more and more I find myself leaning towards the PSP.

So......

Which system is better on the internet multiplayer games? Right now I only see six internet games for the DS. Probably the only one I will play is Mario Kart, maybe Tetris, and maybe maybe Metroid (it's a FPS, right? Is it fun?). How many are there for the PSP?

One of the games I'd probably get for either system is Fifa '06. As I understand it, Fifa for DS can only be played with people by you where Fifa on the PSP can be played with other people across the internet. Am I right? Seeing as I don't know anyone else with a DS who I'd play with, having the ability to play over the internet is a big plus. Also while FIfa graphics on the DS look alright, PSP graphics look great.

For looking at the internet, I like how the DS has the touch screen. It might just be me, but it seems like it would be easier to navigate and write in URLs on the DS than on the PSP.

I don't care about music or movies on the PSP, so that's not a seller for me.

I'd love your opinions! I'm really stuck right now.

dude same situation here...


but, mr. DarkNetworks. regarding the memory card. as well as save files you also need a memory stick to store game updates too. you're probably best getting a 512mb-1gb card just to be future proofed.

Really sad to hear that, now I'm really considering the DS but I still somehow i'm attracted more to the PSP still....:( i dunno i love playing soccer games and Fifa, Pro Evo is like the must have games for me on the go...i dunno i checked the DS version of Fifa, the graphics are no where near the PSP ones so that's one of the main reason why I'm still attracted to the PSP. Other than that, I'll for sure go with the DS with Mario....

[raggedjimmi]

I say try and play a bit of both. not a tiny amount but a few games for a few hours. then make a decision.

[DarkNetworks]

I say try and play a bit of both. not a tiny amount but a few games for a few hours. then make a decision.

yeah i think that's the only way to get things sorted out...btw, i've heard that if you play too long with your PSP, your hands get really tired, anything like this? i dunno maybe the buttons of stuff...

[raggedjimmi]

I've found the PSP to be a little painful after a while. especially with the analogue nub, it's very badly designed. whilst playing Burnout and some other random racing games (brain going to sleep now), I noticed my thumb hurting.

[DarkNetworks]

I noticed my thumb hurting.

Yeah that's exactly what I heard...

[2nyRiggz]

yeah i think that's the only way to get things sorted out...btw, i've heard that if you play too long with your PSP, your hands get really tired, anything like this? i dunno maybe the buttons of stuff...

Wait....I played socom like 3 hours online one night without one single pain in my hand(Maybe I'm stronger)...When you play ALL handhelds your hands will get tired after a while...Playing brain age for 15minutes got my hands tired.


Bless

[DarkNetworks]

Btw, does the DS Lite comes with the Opera Browser or it's a separate addon? tried searching at the Opera website but no luck, i got this,
http://opera.com/products/devices/gallery/

[NewbieNerd]

Yeah, no problem here with the analog nub on the PSP. I actually like it while others don't. I got this accessory kit from BestBuy for $20 that included a hard case for the PSP, hard case for some games, crappy ear buds with retractable cord, USB adaptor to hook PSP to computer, larger replacement nubs, and this handle that connects to your PSP so that holding it is very similar to holding a PS2 controller, which is better. The handle also includes its own battery that connects into the PSP via the adapter hole, nearly doubling how long you can play without a recharge. Great deal I think, though the handle is definitely butt ugly.

Don't know why I mentioned that, but I figured someone might be interested. :D

[ddrueckhammer]

Btw, does the DS Lite comes with the Opera Browser or it's a separate addon? tried searching at the Opera website but no luck, i got this,
http://opera.com/products/devices/gallery/

Its a separate addon. It will include both a DS cartridge and a GBA one. The GBA one will have some flash memory for saving favorites and increased speed for browsing. It will be released on July 24th in Japan and an announcement for the release in the US and Europe should be soon after. It is expected to cost between $30-$35 because of the flash memory addon...

[DarkNetworks]

Its a separate addon. It will include both a DS cartridge and a GBA one. The GBA one will have some flash memory for saving favorites and increased speed for browsing. It will be released on July 24th in Japan and an announcement for the release in the US and Europe should be soon after. It is expected to cost between $30-$35 because of the flash memory addon...

ah that's sad...means no browsing with the DS yet...:(

[ddrueckhammer]

ah that's sad...means no browsing with the DS yet...:(

Well if you don't want to wait you can get it for about $50 US from Lik-Sang (http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=279&products_id=9325&) and they will send it to you the day it is released in Japan. The Japanese version supposedly isn't in Japanese as it uses icons for navigation and the main splash screen is the only Japanese...Personally, I am just waiting on the American version though as it will only be a few months at most (assuming they don't decide not to release it here). Lik-Sang is pretty reputable...I ordered a screen guard and a case for my DS Lite from them and it came without a hitch. I have read that you shouldn't buy a whole system from them as they can make returns/exchanges difficult. I would think this would go without saying though for any importer....

[buffalo]

To add on to my previous post...

The more I look at both systems, the more I want the PSP, but the price is really a turn-off.

The games that interest me on the PSP (in order) are:
Fifa '06 $27 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AOEUU2/qid=1152159354/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-4158552-2942414?s=videogames&v=glance&n=468642)
Socom: Fire Team Bravo $40 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AOEUU2/qid=1152159354/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-4158552-2942414?s=videogames&v=glance&n=468642)
MLB '06: The Show $40 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CFWHQI/qid=1152159537/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-4158552-2942414?s=videogames&v=glance&n=468642)
GTA, maybe $38 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007TS24U/qid=1152159607/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-4158552-2942414?s=videogames&v=glance&n=468642)


and on the DS:
Mario Kart $35 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000A2R54M/qid=1152159833/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-4158552-2942414?s=videogames&v=glance&n=468642)
Fifa '06 (no ONLINE!!!) $20 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ANYFVC/qid=1152159784/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-4158552-2942414?s=videogames&v=glance&n=468642)
Metroid Prime $35 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009Z3MQ0/qid=1152159732/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-4158552-2942414?s=videogames&v=glance&n=468642)
Brain Age, maybe $20 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EGELP0/ref=pd_ts_c_th_1/002-4158552-2942414?n=11075831&s=videogames&v=glance)
Tetris, maybe $20 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E9TBRK/qid=1152159684/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-4158552-2942414?s=videogames&v=glance&n=468642)


If you have any of these games and would like to comment on them (especially the PSP games), please feel free to.

[DarkNetworks]

Well if you don't want to wait you can get it for about $50 US from Lik-Sang (http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=279&products_id=9325&)

looks great...are you sure it isn't in Japanese only? Looked at some of the comments there and they're uncertain that other languages are supported?

Coming back to the PSP, will this be a good start to a PSP?
Base Unit Console + 512MB Pro Duo + A Game (Virtua Tennis for example)? Is there anything else that I might possibily need?
Looking at Lik-Sang, Giga Pack for US$ 299.90, what does the Japanese Version mean?

[ddrueckhammer]

looks great...are you sure it isn't in Japanese only? Looked at some of the comments there and they're uncertain that other languages are supported?

Coming back to the PSP, will this be a good start to a PSP?
Base Unit Console + 512MB Pro Duo + A Game (Virtua Tennis for example)? Is there anything else that I might possibily need?
Looking at Lik-Sang, Giga Pack for US$ 299.90, what does the Japanese Version mean?

Well it's hard to say for sure right now, but we will know better in two weeks. I have seen several first-look articles from sites like digg.com and IGN and it looks like it will be very import friendly. Also, the forums at lik-sang, gonintendo, and Nintendo's official forums back up this assumption. The websites will definitely be displayed in english and the icons won't matter because they are icons. The only thing that will matter is if there are any menus or if the touchscreen keyboard is only in Japanese. Supposedly most Japanese titles support English though so it is a good bet that it will work in English and I found a link to the Japanese DS Browser site (http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/browser/function4/index.html) which shows an english keyboard as well as the Japanese one....I'm waiting no matter what though as there may be enhancements by the time they ship the English version. Plus all of the documentation will be in Japanese for an import. Even if we have to wait until Christmas, Opera on the DS is better than the PSP brower.

It sounds like you really want that PSP for the Fifa '06 and I don't blame you if that is the game that you think you will play the most. The graphics for me just aren't an issue. Like I said before, if I wanted great graphics I would just go get the Xbox 360.

I got the DS because of the browser announcement mainly but have found that the games are so much fun that I have spent way more than I intended picking up titles. The only thing I can say is you should really watch that video from gamespot I posted the link to a couple of pages back. Most of the editors said that they were so excited when they first got their PSP but that it ended up being a paper weight because of a lack of great games. While I'm not saying that this will be the case with you, it is disheartening for those looking at buying a PSP. The best thing I can say about the PSP is that supposedly you will be able to download and play PS1 games emulated on it soon. The only bad thing is how will you be able to save those games? Buy another memory stick?

Good luck with your purchase! Get the PSP if you want and if you don't like it sell it on Ebay and get a DS Lite. They are both great machines for different reasons. For people that are getting a gaming machine for gaming though, I would choose the DS Lite.

The Japanese PSP is just a white version. The base PSP, a memory stick, a game (I would say Syphon Filter or Lumines as most people like those, World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 is actually rated higher than Fifa on many sites...), and dont forget a case (PSPs can scratch easy).

[DarkNetworks]

I'm really thinking hard now...I don't want to get the PSP with all the Memory Stick and Games finally noticing that I don't like it and I'll have to sell them off in eBay. The PSP is really pricy and lots are referring me to the DS so I'm considering to switch to DS but somehow i still find the PSP attracting...What Games should I start of if I were to go DS Lite? if I go DS Lite, I should be able to pick up at least two games and I'll for sure Pre-Order Zelda :D .... The DS Lite, White or Black?

[GFLPraxis]

I'm really thinking hard now...I don't want to get the PSP with all the Memory Stick and Games finally noticing that I don't like it and I'll have to sell them off in eBay. The PSP is really pricy and lots are referring me to the DS so I'm considering to switch to DS but somehow i still find the PSP attracting...What Games should I start of if I were to go DS Lite? if I go DS Lite, I should be able to pick up at least two games and I'll for sure Pre-Order Zelda :D .... The DS Lite, White or Black?

In this order (IMHO):

Mario Kart DS
New Super Mario Bros
Tetris DS
Brain Age
Metroid Prime Hunters
Advance Wars


There's even more enjoyable games, but any two off those list will be top notch games you'll love.
Also, I'd get black. More contrast between it and the screen.


EDIT:

Heck, here's the best way to pick out your DS games.
http://ds.ign.com/index/reviews.html?constraint.floor.article.overall_rating=9&constraint.return_all=is_true&sort.attribute=article.overall_rating&sort.order=desc

Clicking that link will list you every DS game IGN has given a 9.0 or above rating to, including basicly each game I listed, plus a few others like Meteos, Sonic Rush, Castlevania, and Kirby.
Those are all the must have games, and everything in the 8.0 section is still enjoyable. The 7.0 section is getting lame. Stay away from any games in the 6.0 section or below.
There's still some good games in the 7.0 section though. Pheonix Wright for some reason is in there, yet it has a huge fan following. Super Princess Peach, too.

[ddrueckhammer]

In this order (IMHO):

Mario Kart DS
New Super Mario Bros
Tetris DS
Brain Age
Metroid Prime Hunters
Advance Wars



I have all of those and they are all great. Tetris being my least favorite because I played it so much as a kid. I also have Final Fantasy Tactics and Shining Force for GBA.

I just ordered Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and Trauma Center. Hopefully, they are as good as their reviews. I wanted some different quirky games.

I plan on getting Castlevania, FFIII, and Zelda this fall, as well as, picking up some various GBA carts like FFIV, Kindgom Hearts, Street Fighter II, and Mario 3.

I don't get games that don't at least score an 8 on IGN or Gamespot. GBA carts can be had for under $15 used if you look around and they are still fun too.

I would get Mario Kart and Metroid if it were me because of the great online play but it is up to you. Brain Age is fun and my girlfriend plays it everyday but I am more of a gamer so I wanted more of a game. NSMB is a mixture between Mario 1 and 3 and is really fun. Advance Wars is a fantastic turn based strategy. I was disapointed with it at first because I wanted an RPG strategy like FFT or Shining Force but after I gave it another shot, I saw just how interesting the battles can get. So strike my first opinion, I would get Mario Kart for online play and Advance Wars for overall fun. If you like games like the Sims, Animal Crossing might be worth putting on the list.

[Mord]

i don't see the point in brain age, bunch of lame ass games designed to make you feel mentally superior.

[ddrueckhammer]

Supposedly doing easy problems like that helps activate your brain and keeps your brain from aging. My girlfriend likes it although she likes doing logic problems for fun anyway. She also like Animal Crossing too...

[raggedjimmi]

Fair play if you don't see the point, but it's not some gimmicky thing. it actually works. developed by some Doctor guy in Japan.
it's not even a game. it's an aid. like a Driving Theory quiz on PC, or a detailed flight simulator. it's point is you learn. though isn't learning and self improvement uncool these days? I forget.

[DarkNetworks]

So far checked a couple of Online stores on the DS Lite, GAME, Gameplay, Gamestation, and Amazon. Mostly the same price/ Not any huge difference in terms of the console itself. Still thinking if it's gonna be White or Black. I dunno I just had a talk with a friend who has a PSP, really think that I'm better of with the DS Lite (better games in general and good online gaming capabilities) and the Opera add on later on. Any recomendations of any other Online Game Stores? Most probably going with the Mario Series for a start. Is there a FIFA for the DS? haven't seen it anywhere. What I can find atm is FIFA WORLD CUP 2006 for the DS. Though sports game tend to not feel great with the DS, I still wanna have a look at it and see how it is...

[buffalo]

Is there a FIFA for the DS? haven't seen it anywhere. What I can find atm is FIFA WORLD CUP 2006 for the DS. Though sports game tend to not feel great with the DS, I still wanna have a look at it and see how it is...

Here's (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ANYFVC/qid=1152159784/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-4158552-2942414?s=videogames&v=glance&n=468642) the Amazon link to Fifa Soccer 2006, and here's (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F1UK86/qid=1152207193/sr=1-10/ref=sr_1_10/002-4158552-2942414?s=videogames&v=glance&n=468642) the World Cup 2006 link.


BTW, what does atm mean? At the mall?

[raggedjimmi]

He's british. we don't call it a mall ;)

"at the moment" it means.

any other shops? Game is your best bet for DS Lite stuff, Gamestation for PSP.

Get a DS Lite and a game for £109
I think HMV have a good deal too, it's a little confusing. for £130 you get a DS Lite and a £25 starter kit, and every game is £5 after that. at least I think so, it's a very confusing offer!
Try CEX for games. second hand but it's less of a matter when using carts.

Though I would try haggeling at Game. They're known to give in quite often. when I bought my Micro I asked if they could throw in an extra GBA game. which was nice of them.

[Xeem]

This really should have been done as a poll, but you should definitely get the DS.

[Mord]

for exercising my brain i tend to just mentally do maths, mostly long division and the like.

[DarkNetworks]

He's british. we don't call it a mall ;)

"at the moment" it means.

any other shops? Game is your best bet for DS Lite stuff, Gamestation for PSP.

Get a DS Lite and a game for £109
I think HMV have a good deal too, it's a little confusing. for £130 you get a DS Lite and a £25 starter kit, and every game is £5 after that. at least I think so, it's a very confusing offer!
Try CEX for games. second hand but it's less of a matter when using carts.

Though I would try haggeling at Game. They're known to give in quite often. when I bought my Micro I asked if they could throw in an extra GBA game. which was nice of them.

yeah at the moment...;) ah that's the US Amazon.

Game...I'll see if I can get it there. Do they ship for free? Where can I get a DS Lite and a game for £109? That's what I'm looking for...maybe with that I can get up to 3 games even if the two remaining titles are going to be £20 each.
Where's the HMV deal? I tried searching for it but no can't find it for some reason...most of these sites focus so much on PSP...

[buffalo]

He's british. we don't call it a mall ;)

"at the moment" it means.

dang it, I really thought I figured it out...


I think I found Fifa '06 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000ARIMN0/202-3185942-3524651?v=glance&n=300703) in the Amazon UK store, seems kind of pricy though, (£29 compared to $20 is the US)

[DarkNetworks]

dang it, I really thought I figured it out...


I think I found Fifa '06 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000ARIMN0/202-3185942-3524651?v=glance&n=300703) in the Amazon UK store, seems kind of pricy though, (£29 compared to $20 is the US)

now that's what I call pricy + no online support...:(

[raggedjimmi]

oh nonono, online deals are terrible. Whilst shopping for a PSP and DS Lite myself I found all the best deals in store. I didn't see any bundle deals online. Now Game have a few on their site but it's something ridiculous like "DS Lite and Random Disney Game for £120" or whatever. Not worth it really.

best bet is the stores. go forth, young adventurer.

Oh and don't go anywhere near Amazon for games. I've always found them to overcharge for stuff. cheapest places are normally CD-Wow (http://cd-wow.co.uk) or dvdstars (http://www.dvdstars.com/), or just plain old Froogle. never EVER go near Amazon.

[DarkNetworks]

oh nonono, online deals are terrible. Whilst shopping for a PSP and DS Lite myself I found all the best deals in store. I didn't see any bundle deals online. Now Game have a few on their site but it's something ridiculous like "DS Lite and Random Disney Game for £120" or whatever. Not worth it really.

best bet is the stores. go forth, young adventurer.

Oh and don't go anywhere near Amazon for games. I've always found them to overcharge for stuff. cheapest places are normally CD-Wow (http://cd-wow.co.uk) or dvdstars (http://www.dvdstars.com/), or just plain old Froogle. never EVER go near Amazon.

Good advice, I'll try and look around local stores for the console bundle...

do u recomend, Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training?
everywhere i go, it's like the best seller...

£20.49 for FIFA 06' that's more like it...

[GFLPraxis]

Good advice, I'll try and look around local stores for the console bundle...

do u recomend, Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training?
everywhere i go, it's like the best seller...


That's the Japanese name for Brain Age.

Brain Age over here, Brain Training over there.

[Mord]

these bundles never have the games you want, if i were to buy one it'd have to come with advance wars, and some form of sonic game or meteoroid, i dont want mario kart or any stupid brain ****.

[GFLPraxis]

or meteoroid,

Burn the heretic!

[Mord]

metroid, whatever.

[raggedjimmi]

Ignore Hectar, I'd strongly recommend Mario Kart and it's a very, very highly rated game. also part of the deal at Game too. some folk just don't seem to like a game involving driving unless it's GTA.

£9 for Mario Kart... you can't go wrong. Sorry, I'm going to go have a Battle against my sister :)

[DarkNetworks]

Ignore Hectar, I'd strongly recommend Mario Kart and it's a very, very highly rated game. also part of the deal at Game too. some folk just don't seem to like a game involving driving unless it's GTA.

£9 for Mario Kart... you can't go wrong. Sorry, I'm going to go have a Battle against my sister :)

I would go for the Mario Cart and New Mario Bros for sure. Where can I get a £9 Mario Cart? haven't seen that offer anywhere yet...

[raggedjimmi]

I would go for the Mario Cart and New Mario Bros for sure. Where can I get a £9 Mario Cart? haven't seen that offer anywhere yet...

with the Game deal! £109 (DS Lite and Mario Kart) and Mario Bros DS is £136

[2nyRiggz]

Come on zelda for the DS....i'm waiting but dont know how long for....will it have online modes?


Bless

[DarkNetworks]

with the Game deal! £109 (DS Lite and Mario Kart) and Mario Bros DS is £136

ah really? that's exactly what I need...I'll go check there now...I wanna preorder Zelda but I think i'll get it later...

EDIT: CAn u please give me a link to that? I can't seem to find it, it's mostly bundled with Prof, Sims, ....

[evangelion-01]

You should get a ds lite if you want good games and want long battery life, if you want to listen to mp3,watch movies, play so so game, but also play emulators get a psp, but get ready to get butt raped with the memory sticks.

[DarkNetworks]

You should get a ds lite if you want good games and want long battery life, if you want to listen to mp3,watch movies, play so so game, but also play emulators get a psp, but get ready to get butt raped with the memory sticks.

if i can get a brand new v1.5, i don't mind getting a PSP where i can play without ever need to purchase games...

[shadowmoses]

Just go for the DS with the NEW super mario bro's its an amazing game so much fun to play and will really make you appreciate the DS for what it is....
Also I'm pretty sure its now part of the GAME £109 deal for a lite and a game,

SHadoW

[GFLPraxis]

if i can get a brand new v1.5, i don't mind getting a PSP where i can play without ever need to purchase games...
Filthy pirate.

[Mord]

Filthy pirate.

who said anything about piracy, theirs allot of freeware about, plus who puts whole psp games on memory sticks, the memory card itself costs more than a copy of the game.

[raggedjimmi]

In a desperate attempt to speed up some games I ripped 3 games from UMD to the 2gb memory card. its probably fine if you want to swop over every so often.

the £109 GAME deal is in store only.

[DarkNetworks]

the £109 GAME deal is in store only.

Icic...I'll go and check it out one day...thanks for the info...most probably getting a DS Lite for sure now...
I heard what the PSP does is "load", "load" and more "loading"...:(

[Mord]

screw both of them:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XGP

it's like the psp but without the **** bits.

[DarkNetworks]

btw what are dead pixels? any examples? i know it has something to do with the display...

EDIT: what do i need to check for when i get my DS?

[Mackilroy]

Dead pixels are when a pixel on your screen (be it computer or handheld screen) is dead and doesn't display color.

[Mord]

if any of the pixels are dead, aka stuck a color or stuck turned off.

[raggedjimmi]

screw both of them:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XGP

it's like the psp but without the **** bits.

It's also like the DS but without the games.

[DarkNetworks]

should i get white or black? the white looks solid...but i dunno i've way too many white stuff...iBook, iPod, Mobile is white...almost everything is white...:rolleyes:

[ddrueckhammer]

should i get white or black? the white looks solid...but i dunno i've way too many white stuff...iBook, iPod, Mobile is white...almost everything is white...:rolleyes:

White...Black shows too many scratches and fingerprints...

BTW, I just bought Trauma Center: Under the Knife for my DS and this game rocks the house. You do surgeries with the touchscreen and its super challenging. The only thing I can say bad about it is that it is so hard that I have to try some of the surgeries 10 times...Very addicting though...There is a storyline but I skip the text sometimes because I want action...

I ordered Phoenix Wright from Amazon for $30...Can't wait to try that one either!

[Mord]

It's also like the DS but without the games.

emulators and home brew are all i'm interested in, i can run all my old genesis/snes games and probably GBA games, basically it's a psp without the annoying firmware or a UMD drive.

their is allot of home brew for it and it comes ith SDK so you can make your own stuff.

[raggedjimmi]

Fair play if thats what you want. but those DS games are bleeding awesome. Had my first Mario Bros DS mini-game multiplayer before. and it was effing incredible. it could possibly be the best multiplayer game I've played. Mario DS just keeps getting better and better.
AND watched a DVD of full quality upcoming DS games. Starfox DS looks to be great, new Yoshis Island 2 ( :eek: :eek: :eek: ), new traditional Kirby game, Children of Mana, Phoenix Wright 2 (I LOVE the trailer. hahah. really looks like a top notch game), Zelda, Final Fantasy 3... even the Dragon Quest Rocket Slime sounds like a good game, what with operating a giant tank. never seen that done before. just a pain the trailer is patronising to no end. Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2 could be interesting. another snazzy puzzle game.
but the whole emulator thing doesn't appeal to me. I've got those games already and I'd like something new. and homebrew? I live in the freeware scene and there might be a few gems out there but there are too many better games on the PSP and DS. I reckon.

anywho. I'd go for the white. I spent the night with Black and it wasn't that good. it's so beautiful, yet so easily tainted. just my opinion.

[2nyRiggz]

emulators and home brew are all i'm interested in, i can run all my old genesis/snes games and probably GBA games, basically it's a psp without the annoying firmware or a UMD drive.

their is allot of home brew for it and it comes ith SDK so you can make your own stuff.


I'm really starting to like homebrew....a lot of interesting games and so forth..top I must say. Can't wait for punch out and super punch out to be put in there.

Games on the PSP and DS are getting boring.

Bless

[ddrueckhammer]

Fair play if thats what you want. but those DS games are bleeding awesome. Had my first Mario Bros DS mini-game multiplayer before. and it was effing incredible. it could possibly be the best multiplayer game I've played. Mario DS just keeps getting better and better.
AND watched a DVD of full quality upcoming DS games. Starfox DS looks to be great, new Yoshis Island 2 ( :eek: :eek: :eek: ), new traditional Kirby game, Children of Mana, Phoenix Wright 2 (I LOVE the trailer. hahah. really looks like a top notch game), Zelda, Final Fantasy 3... even the Dragon Quest Rocket Slime sounds like a good game, what with operating a giant tank. never seen that done before. just a pain the trailer is patronising to no end. Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2 could be interesting. another snazzy puzzle game. but the whole emulator thing doesn't appeal to me. I've got those games already and I'd like something new. and homebrew? I live in the freeware scene and there might be a few gems out there but there are too many better games on the PSP and DS. I reckon.

anywho. I'd go for the white. I spent the night with Black and it wasn't that good. it's so beautiful, yet so easily tainted. just my opinion.

The games for DS are amazing...I have most of the 9 and 8 rated games with the exception of Castlevania and Nintendogs. I'm really digging Trauma Center and Phoenix Wright looks amazing too.. Trauma Center could never be homebrew without a touchscreen and neither could games like Metroid...I'm looking forward to Zelda and FFIII but I expect more gems like TC and Phoenix to come soon too....Many old franchises are available on GBA anyways and you can get them used for 5-15 bones...I think you will be able to have Final Fantasy 1-6 soon for either GBA or DS as I saw that they are releasing V & VI for GBA...VI is supposedly one of the best ones...I only have played I, VII, VIII, and IX...

[DarkNetworks]

anywho. I'd go for the white. I spent the night with Black and it wasn't that good. it's so beautiful, yet so easily tainted. just my opinion.

do u really get fingerprints in the black one? i dunno but my fingers tend to get sweaty when i use something for a period of time. I'm worried the white would get dirty easily, like my iBook keyboard, i had to get a iSkin pro Touch to protect it from my sweat...i heard u've one...so u should know best...ah u switched to white? any other accessories i should get along wit the DS? I can't wait to get one...:D
I'm thinking of Mario Kart, New Super Mario Bros and most probably Metroid Prime Hunters, i saw a review of that on X-Play, dude the multiplayer looks awesome...

[raggedjimmi]

Yes. the fingerprints are very noticeable. heh, I had the exact thoughts too "well, maybe it isn't that bad". it is, unfortunately. but if you buy from GAME you can replace it with a white one - like me! so you can judge for yourself.

[DarkNetworks]

Yes. the fingerprints are very noticeable. heh, I had the exact thoughts too "well, maybe it isn't that bad". it is, unfortunately. but if you buy from GAME you can replace it with a white one - like me! so you can judge for yourself.

Btw just a quick question, i went to your site on the DS...is the site still going on? I mean are there any schedules etc...?

[raggedjimmi]

there will be. we're sorting out times where we'll most likely be able to play.

[DarkNetworks]

there will be. we're sorting out times where we'll most likely be able to play.

glad to hear that it's still on...i'll join once i get my DS...what games do u guys do there? I assume Mario Kart but anything like Metroid Prime Hunters?

[raggedjimmi]

glad to hear that it's still on...i'll join once i get my DS...what games do u guys do there? I assume Mario Kart but anything like Metroid Prime Hunters?

anything goes. you can start games yourself too, so whatever you want really.

[DarkNetworks]

Okay I'm pretty much gonna buy a DS somewhere next week. Problem now is, what games should I buy with it? My budget allows me to buy at most three games with the DS. Any recomendations of MUST HAVE DS titles? I dunno but I can't seem to make up my mind on what games to buy...need advice. Or maybe some games you're playing atm.thanks in advance!

[paddy]

Okay I'm pretty much gonna buy a DS somewhere next week. Problem now is, what games should I buy with it? My budget allows me to buy at most three games with the DS. Any recomendations of MUST HAVE DS titles? I dunno but I can't seem to make up my mind on what games to buy...need advice. Or maybe some games you're playing atm.thanks in advance!

I just got Brain Age yesterday and im lovin it. I've metroid aswell. Why not get a GBA game or two?

[raggedjimmi]

DS Lite + Tetris at GAME is £109

For a bit of retro fun
New Mario Bros
Mario Kart

For the masochist
Advance Wars DS
Nanostray

For the new player
Phoenix Wright (it's not hard to find like it is in America)
Trauma Centre

For the online beat down master
Metroid Hunters
Mario Kart

[DarkNetworks]

Why not get a GBA game or two?

Probably will get them later on...

DS Lite + Tetris at GAME is £109


In store only?

[buffalo]

I just played with a PSP with GTA and was pretty impressed. The more I see the PSP the more I want one. A friend was saying that Fifa '06 requires you to pay to play others online. Is this true?

[DarkNetworks]

I just played with a PSP with GTA and was pretty impressed. The more I see the PSP the more I want one. A friend was saying that Fifa '06 requires you to pay to play others online. Is this true?

you need to get into EA Nation to play online i think...should be free...

[raggedjimmi]

I can't find a link anywhere, but I remember a while ago Sony said the PSP online is free for the time being. they expect to start charging a subscription at some point. that what we have now is just a "test". I specifically remember saying "That's the final nail in the coffin for the PSP" and Risc have a go at me :)

without any official word saying otherwise I suppose we can assume they will start charging eventually.

[buffalo]

I can't find a link anywhere, but I remember a while ago Sony said the PSP online is free for the time being. they expect to start charging a subscription at some point. that what we have now is just a "test". I specifically remember saying "That's the final nail in the coffin for the PSP" and Risc have a go at me :)

without any official word saying otherwise I suppose we can assume they will start charging eventually.

I did some Googling and searching of the Sony website and couldn't find anything.

[raggedjimmi]

I did some Googling and searching of the Sony website and couldn't find anything.

Me too. But it was a big thing way back when. Though the only online game was Wipeout (the topic was about Wipeouts downloadable tracks).

[tominated]

I have both.
If you want hours of fun and you want it only for game go the ds, but if you want pretty boring games but with all the extras go psp. I prefer the ds personally.

[psychofreak]

Homebrew is a homemade appication, which is only usable on new psps with firmware downgraders which can be damaging and void warranty.

Don't forget: the DS has two screens. TWO SCREENS!!!

(btw, i think that that is a bad thing)

[buffalo]

I have both.
If you want hours of fun and you want it only for game go the ds, but if you want pretty boring games but with all the extras go psp. I prefer the ds personally.

I can tell you prefer the DS

Right now for the DS I'm considering: (for starters)
Mario Kart
Metroid

and for the PSP:
Fifa '06
SOCOM Fire Team Bravo


I wish they were both closer in price so I could feel more justified buying the PSP. Has anyone played online with FIFA on the PSP and how is it? If FIFA was online multiplayer on the DS, I wouldn't even have to consider the PSP.

[Obsidian6]

well if you do go the PSP route, i have a like new copy of socom im looking to sell.

let me know :)

[buffalo]

well if you do go the PSP route, i have a like new copy of socom im looking to sell.

let me know :)


How is the game playing experience? Especially online...

[GFLPraxis]

Homebrew is a homemade appication, which is only usable on new psps with firmware downgraders which can be damaging and void warranty.

Don't forget: the DS has two screens. TWO SCREENS!!!

(btw, i think that that is a bad thing)

I prefer two screens- even if it didn't have the touch screen, it's very nice to offload all the GUI onto the second screen so you don't have crap over your main screen. Like a map.

And more importantly, on games like Metroid Prime, putting the pen on the touch screen would block your view of the game. Instead, the gameplay occurs on the top screen, and the bottom functions as a touchpad and map and stats and weapon switcher.

[Obsidian6]

How is the game playing experience? Especially online...

actually i thought it to be quite fun! online was very fun, reminded me of my counter strike days! haha.

it's real easy to get immersed into it, and i personally like only working in a small team, so the SP two man team is great :)

that and syphon filter were easily my favorite games on PSP before i moved to a ds lite.

[thequicksilver]

I just played with a PSP with GTA and was pretty impressed. The more I see the PSP the more I want one. A friend was saying that Fifa '06 requires you to pay to play others online. Is this true?

It's a bit weird this one. It is free if you allow ESPN to "sponsor" you - ie send you email newsletters - otherwise IIRC it's £1.50. Conclusion - sign up for a new email account for your EA ID, and let them send spam to that inbox.

[DarkNetworks]

I can tell you prefer the DS

Right now for the DS I'm considering: (for starters)
Mario Kart
Metroid


same situation here, most probably picking up these two...for PSP there's always "iso's" but not for the latest games...

[buffalo]

Is Metroid the closest I would come to SOCOM on the PSP? (online shooter?)

[crachoar]

Yes.

But 'Metroid' is more like 'Quake 3: Arena: Metroid'. Only, not as fun, and with a worse soundtrack.

Basically, 'Metroid' isn't very good...

[Mackilroy]

crachoar forgot to add that that is merely his opinion. ;)

It's a fun game – whether you like it or not is personal preference.

As for your question, I can't recall any other FPS games off the top of my head, so yes, Metroid is your closest bet.

[rumbletum]

I wish they were both closer in price so I could feel more justified buying the PSP. Has anyone played online with FIFA on the PSP and how is it? If FIFA was online multiplayer on the DS, I wouldn't even have to consider the PSP.

Whatever you end up buying, don't waste your money on FIFA :p

[ddrueckhammer]

As for your question, I can't recall any other FPS games off the top of my head, so yes, Metroid is your closest bet.


Well as far as FPS games go, there is GoldenEye: Rogue Agent but it isn't that good and mainly it isn't online.

Metroid isn't graphically that impressive but it has the best control scheme of any handheld FPS. Once you get it down it handles very much like a computer based FPS with a mouse and keyboard...

[DarkNetworks]

Well as far as FPS games go, there is GoldenEye: Rogue Agent but it isn't that good and mainly it isn't online.

Metroid isn't graphically that impressive but it has the best control scheme of any handheld FPS. Once you get it down it handles very much like a computer based FPS with a mouse and keyboard...

Yeah that's what I heard about Metroid. Best FPS on the handheld. That's why I'm getting it...

[DarkNetworks]

Btw can someone test this out for me,

From Amazon UK,
Get a Nintendo DS Lite and a top game for £109.99
I tried adding a DS Lite and a game to my basket but the total price didn't turn to be that. So it's wierd...

[GFLPraxis]

Yes.

But 'Metroid' is more like 'Quake 3: Arena: Metroid'. Only, not as fun, and with a worse soundtrack.

Basically, 'Metroid' isn't very good...

But we all know you hate any non-2D Metroid. Fact.

[rumbletum]

Btw can someone test this out for me,

From Amazon UK,
Get a Nintendo DS Lite and a top game for £109.99
I tried adding a DS Lite and a game to my basket but the total price didn't turn to be that. So it's wierd...

It works for me, you have to put them in your basket, but the discount doesn't apply until you click checkout - it will show full price with a 'promotion' dicount applied

[DarkNetworks]

It works for me, you have to put them in your basket, but the discount doesn't apply until you click checkout - it will show full price with a 'promotion' dicount applied

Ah dude thanks for confirming...I'll try that out later...

[raggedjimmi]

crachoar forgot to add that that is merely his opinion. ;)

It's a fun game – whether you like it or not is personal preference.

As for your question, I can't recall any other FPS games off the top of my head, so yes, Metroid is your closest bet.

Aye. Personally I loved the music in Hunters. Just like the original Metroid Prime it's not typical music, but gentle and ambient. really fits in with the environment (which is where Metroid always seems to shine, slapping the player in a believable alien world). and the intro vid music :D I'd love a sound effects free version of that.

I'm going to jump back into Metroid head first as soon as I get my wifi signal boosted. It's a fantastic game that I've been neglecting for poor signals.

[buffalo]

Whatever you end up buying, don't waste your money on FIFA :p

Are you not a fan of soccer and soccer games in general, or do you just not like it on the DS/PSP?

[DarkNetworks]

Are you not a fan of soccer and soccer games in general, or do you just not like it on the DS/PSP?

Is FIFA on the DS terrible? I've seen a short gameplay footage on it. not too bad but of course it's no where near the PSP version...

[rumbletum]

Are you not a fan of soccer and soccer games in general, or do you just not like it on the DS/PSP?

I love football and football games, and that is the reason I don't like FIFA. PES is the game to go for, altohugh not out on the DS

[mouchoir]

I love football and football games, and that is the reason I don't like FIFA. PES is the game to go for, altohugh not out on the DS

Winning Eleven DS (Japanese name for PES) is in production for DS at the moment. There are screenshots available if you google it.

Hoping will have wireless play!

[rumbletum]

Winning Eleven DS (Japanese name for PES) is in production for DS at the moment. There are screenshots available if you google it.

Hoping will have wireless play!

That should be cool, had the JPN version of WE on the GBA which was pretty good. PES is good on the PSP too, it's the loading times that spoil it really, but shouldn't have that problem on the DS :D

[DarkNetworks]

Hoping will have wireless play!

i think there will be...

[buffalo]

I love football and football games, and that is the reason I don't like FIFA. PES is the game to go for, altohugh not out on the DS


If I enjoy playing FIFA '02 on my Gamecube, would I like FIFA for the DS / PSP? I was looking at some screenshots (http://ds.ign.com/objects/695/695640.html) for Winning Eleven: Pro Soccer Evolution 2007, (I'm guessing that's what PES is short for) and I wasn't too impressed. Fifa on the DS looks better than PSE on the DS

[DarkNetworks]

A DS version of Konami's great soccer franchise. The DS version is planned to feature online Nintendo WiFi Connect play.

Regardless of what FIFA has to offer at this time, this would be the killer...

[buffalo]

Regardless of what FIFA has to offer at this time, this would be the killer...

So true, that's why the PSP is looking so nice.

[EDIT] do we have a release date on PES?

[DarkNetworks]

Btw i'm prepared to order my DS from Amazon UK but i'm worried about shipping. I'm leaving for holidays end of this month. If i order it tomorrow, will it arrive? I dunno but anyone bought anything from Amazon and roughly do you know about the shipping details?

[CrackedButter]

I just bought a DS lite from Lik-Sang and it should be here tomorrow or Tuesday.

For £124 i got the DS in the colour I wanted, (since in the UK you can only get Black or White) Dark Blue with Mario Kart DS and a UK adapter. I ordered it friday it cost me £16 for shipping (could of cost less btw) and I don't pay VAT on the system because its under the import limit.

The Mario Kart bundle in the Game store near me costs £109 btw incase anybody wanted to compare.

[raggedjimmi]

I just bought a DS lite from Lik-Sang and it should be here tomorrow or Tuesday.

For £124 i got the DS in the colour I wanted, (since in the UK you can only get Black or White) Dark Blue with Mario Kart DS and a UK adapter. I ordered it friday it cost me £16 for shipping (could of cost less btw) and I don't pay VAT on the system because its under the import limit.

The Mario Kart bundle in the Game store near me costs £109 btw incase anybody wanted to compare.

It's under the import limit? I thought the limit was ~£20
I rang up the import government people and they said it was about that. so I was a little worried about the tax, but it arrived saying "tax paid" so I felt happy. then I was asked to pay import tax like 2 months later. bumping the cost from £150 to ~£175. wasn't pretty.

[ironic23]

If I enjoy playing FIFA '02 on my Gamecube, would I like FIFA for the DS / PSP? I was looking at some screenshots (http://ds.ign.com/objects/695/695640.html) for Winning Eleven: Pro Soccer Evolution 2007, (I'm guessing that's what PES is short for) and I wasn't too impressed. Fifa on the DS looks better than PSE on the DS

I've played FIFA on the PSP and i disliked the game play. I think the way the players moved and dribbled were not realistic enough. I've been playing Winning 11 on the PSP and although the movement is more realistic, the lack of commentary and the very rigid refereeing gets annoying.

[jrk07]

I have both....must say that I enjoy the DS way more than the PSP. Something about the graphics on the PSP just bother me, like they feel rough. I got the PSP the day it came out and I gotta say the only game I really enjoyed on it is Lumines. I even did a bunch of homebrew emulator stuff and got some SNES games on my memory card, this couldn't even hold my attention.

Games I played on the PSP which brought me to this disappointment:
Lumines (best of the bunch, very fun)
Metal Gear Acid (I like turn based strategy games, but this one really bored me to tears after getting very far into it)
Wipeout Pure (Really boring game for me, I just didn't see the excitement)
Twisted Metal (what can I say, it was twisted metal, and I did like it but then it ended, very quickly)
X-Men Legends (Ugh....bad game)

The DS on the other hand, I haven't gone wrong with the few games I have for it. I have thoroughly enjoyed Mario Kart, Castlevania, Tetris, New Super Mario Bros, and I am anxiously awaiting Final Fantasy 3! The sad thing is that I enjoy my DS so much that I am even considering a DS lite just for its smooth looks. Nintendo really got it right with the DS.

[DarkNetworks]

I just bought a DS lite from Lik-Sang and it should be here tomorrow or Tuesday.


How long do they take to ship it over? I dunno but i'm worried about getting tax later on...anyone can answer my Amazon ques?

[raggedjimmi]

Amazon haven't been good to me in the past. always a few days late, but nothing bad. IIRC you can choose a next day delivery. but really if I were you I'd hop along to GAME. the £109 deal is great and you can always get a replacement the same or next day incase somethings defunct.

[DarkNetworks]

Amazon haven't been good to me in the past. always a few days late, but nothing bad. IIRC you can choose a next day delivery. but really if I were you I'd hop along to GAME. the £109 deal is great and you can always get a replacement the same or next day incase somethings defunct.

Do you think it will arrive in time before I leave? I mean how long does it usually take? If I order for say today or tomorrow, how long it usually take?

I just bought a DS lite from Lik-Sang and it should be here tomorrow or Tuesday.


Just checked Lik Sang, it says Usually ships within 24 hours. How long will they take if i order tomorrow? UK delivery. Is the delivery free?

[CrackedButter]

Do you think it will arrive in time before I leave? I mean how long does it usually take? If I order for say today or tomorrow, how long it usually take?



Just checked Lik Sang, it says Usually ships within 24 hours. How long will they take if i order tomorrow? UK delivery. Is the delivery free?

In my post I said I paid £16 for 3 day shipping. But if you want it cheaper, you can pay £10 but expect to wait 7 - 30 days.

@raggedjimmi
Unless the law has changed without me knowing, the limit was £125. In 2004 I went to japan and wanted to get an ipod mini and after conversion I could of got one without having to pay VAT on it. This purchase from Lik-Sang was literally a few pence under the £125 limit, I could get Customs and Excise website, I could be wrong.

[robPOD]

GET A PSP!!

they are way better

[DarkNetworks]

In my post I said I paid £16 for 3 day shipping. But if you want it cheaper, you can pay £10 but expect to wait 7 - 30 days.


three days? that'll be awesome...Enamel Navy looks nice but i'm still worried about the tax...I'll see if Amazon can get it in time for me or else, i'll most probably go with Lik Sang. Do keep me updated when you recieve your DS...

GET A PSP!!

they are way better

sorry dude decided to go DS already...

[rumbletum]

@raggedjimmi
Unless the law has changed without me knowing, the limit was £125. In 2004 I went to japan and wanted to get an ipod mini and after conversion I could of got one without having to pay VAT on it. This purchase from Lik-Sang was literally a few pence under the £125 limit, I could get Customs and Excise website, I could be wrong.

The limit is £18, and has been for years.

It is higher if you personally bring things back in, (ie when you go on holidays) but via post it's £18.

They occasionally slip through if you have standard delivery, but as you've used a courier that's very unlikely

[DarkNetworks]

The limit is £18, and has been for years.

It is higher if you personally bring things back in, (ie when you go on holidays) but via post it's £18.

They occasionally slip through if you have standard delivery, but as you've used a courier that's very unlikely

Yeah I just checked the website, it's £18 and ordering from Lik Sang will require a step down transformer whatsoever for it to work in the UK...

[rumbletum]

Yeah I just checked the website, it's £18 and ordering from Lik Sang will require a step down transformer whatsoever for it to work in the UK...

The step downs are only about £5-6 though, there are other companies who will supply you a JPN model VAT free though like YesAsia

[DarkNetworks]

The step downs are only about £5-6 though, there are other companies who will supply you a JPN model VAT free though like YesAsia

Yeah I know it'll cost around that price. They've it there as well. The problem I'm worried about is the total price including shipping and VAT. Still trying to find out ways to get Amazon UK to work...shall see...

[CrackedButter]

Tax or no Tax, I'm happy, I got it this morning as well btw. Not bad since I order it Friday night. Those chinese know how to give a good service.

[DarkNetworks]

Okay I'm pretty much all set for it now. Now it's down to the games. I'll place an order tomorrow cos i'm still deciding on the games. What two games should i go with the DS? Really need advice. Just name two. Should I get Metroid Prime Hunters / Animal Crossing: Wild World / Tetris DS? I'm pretty much for sure going with Mario Kart. Others?

[ieani]

I loved to see how Darknetworks transitioned from in the beginning wanting a PSP to by the end ordering a DS. It definitely helped me decide on which one. Now, I need to see if I want to spend the money.

For games Id get:

new mario
mario kart
trauma
brain age

[CrackedButter]

Mario Kart is good but I already feel I want another game, some type of platformer or RPG.

[reallybigafro]

Okay I'm pretty much all set for it now. Now it's down to the games. I'll place an order tomorrow cos i'm still deciding on the games. What two games should i go with the DS? Really need advice. Just name two. Should I get Metroid Prime Hunters / Animal Crossing: Wild World / Tetris DS? I'm pretty much for sure going with Mario Kart. Others?

I would personally go with metroid. I downloaded the demo to my ds lite at bestbuy and really enjoyed the multi player aspect....even though i was only playing bots. For me, Tetris gives me a been there done that, where as metroid is a whole new game with inovative controls. If i were you i would hit up a downloading station and you can play demos of metriod, brain age, tetris, and a few others.

That's just my opinion...

[raggedjimmi]

We don't have demo stations in the UK - or at least in Manchester, Oldham and Hanley. Shame really.

[rumbletum]

We don't have demo stations in the UK - or at least in Manchester, Oldham and Hanley. Shame really.

Ermm yes we do, there's 3 in Manchester, 2 in Oldham and 1 in Hanley

[ddrueckhammer]

I would get Mario Kart and Metroid for the online play and then the last one depends on what you like...

NSMB or Castlevania (Platformer)
Advance Wars (Strategy)
Trauma Center and Brain Age (Both are must have touch screen games)
Phoenix Wright (Legal Text Adventure)
Nintendogs or Animal Crossing (Simulation)

I would say Mario & Luigi Partners in Time but I would wait for FFIII or Zelda if you want an RPG...As someone earlier said, Tetris is not really anything new...but if you like it it is worth getting...I am betting that Mario Hoops will be the best sports game once it is released and DS Air and StarFox look like promising too...GBA carts worth getting include anything Zelda, Mario, or Final Fantasy. I also got Shining Force and River City Ransom for nostalgic reasons...

[raggedjimmi]

Ermm yes we do, there's 3 in Manchester, 2 in Oldham and 1 in Hanley

Where :eek: I only go into GAME, HMV and GameStation mind. no really where are they?!
and why would Oldham have more than Hanley? Hanley has 3 dedicated game shops, Oldham just 2.

[DarkNetworks]

We don't have demo stations in the UK - or at least in Manchester, Oldham and Hanley. Shame really.

I haven't seen any Demo Stations in my area...:(

[DarkNetworks]

I would get Mario Kart and Metroid for the online play and then the last one depends on what you like...


I think I'll be doing that as well...Gonna order tomorrow. But the Animal Crossing thread really made me wanna get Animal Crossing as well...

[stunna]

emulators and home brew are all i'm interested in, i can run all my old genesis/snes games and probably GBA games, basically it's a psp without the annoying firmware or a UMD drive.

their is allot of home brew for it and it comes ith SDK so you can make your own stuff.
so nintendo encourages home brew?
NICE!

[rumbletum]

Where :eek: I only go into GAME, HMV and GameStation mind. no really where are they?!
and why would Oldham have more than Hanley? Hanley has 3 dedicated game shops, Oldham just 2.

I've never used one, but apparently there's no big deal made about them in store (the actual station is a DS in a metal case I think), you just go into the shops with your DS and select 'DS Download Play' from the menu.

Locations are:

MANCHESTER TOYS ‘R’ US CENTRAL RETAIL PARK, GREAT ANCOATS ST
MANCHESTER VIRGIN TRAFFORD PARK
MANCHESTER HMV, 90/100 MARKET STREET

OLDHAM COMET, 27-29 CENTRE RETAIL PARK, ELK MILL, BROADWAY
OLDHAM GAMESTATION, 22-24 HENSHAW STREET

HANLEY GAME, 214-215 THE POTTERIES, STOKE-ON-TRENT

[reallybigafro]

sorry about that, i just figured they were everywhere DS Lites were sold. My bad. I think either way you go with your choice you will be happy.

[ddrueckhammer]

I've used a download station here in the US at Target. It was pretty cool but I was forced to not turn off my DS for a day while I tried Mario Kart because when you turn it off you lose the download...

Oh and Nintendo doesn't encourage homebrew. That post was about a different device. You can buy tons of GBA carts for under $15 or $10 so that is a big detractor from using homebrew for me. The DS is actually a little more difficult to do homebrew on because you have to buy an attachment like the M3...Why use illegal roms or even lackluster indie content when you can get it legally for a small fee?

[DarkNetworks]

Ah I was all ready to go for it and after adding everything, i realized that there's a limit in my c.card. it won't allow me to checkout. I think I'll have to go to GAME and get it.
jimmi, the 109 deal, what games can i choose from or I'm stuck with Tetris DS?

[raggedjimmi]

[after reading reallybigafro's most recent post this post has been rendered irrelevant so I'll just say...]

DarkNetworks; I'm unsure about the games, but when I got my DS Lite; Metroid Hunters, Mario Kart and Phoenix Wright were in the options. Can't remember the other 3, and it's possible the list has changed since.

[DarkNetworks]

Finally got my DS on Wednesday. Went down to GAME and got the £109 deal. Sad that they didn't allow me to choose any of the top 10 games...So I went on to order on Amazon Mario Kart...arrived Yesterday with Standard Delivery. Btw, anyone know where can I get Animal Crossing: Wild World cheap? Tried searching everywhere but they're pretty much £24.99 or £29.99 and cheapest I can find is £19.90 with shipping not included. Any recomendations? I desperately want the game.

[Mac Rules]

Mate I'd go for the PSP you can surf the internet, play people over the internet, use it as an extra device with a PS3 and also with the introduction of location free TV, you can watch TV, DVD's from home on your PSP streamed oer WiFi. Also the games are much better in my opinion. Although the DS's touchpad is quite novel.

I've heard rumours that Sony might release a keyboard and/or tablet for the PSP in the future...

Cheers

[Mackilroy]

Mate I'd go for the PSP you can surf the internet, play people over the internet, use it as an extra device with a PS3 and also with the introduction of location free TV, you can watch TV, DVD's from home on your PSP streamed oer WiFi. Also the games are much better in my opinion. Although the DS's touchpad is quite novel.

I've heard rumours that Sony might release a keyboard and/or tablet for the PSP in the future...

Cheers

I believe he's already chosen a DS…

But in any case, here's some rebuttals to that.

When the Opera browswer is released the DS can surf the Net.
Using the WiFi Connection you can play against others over the Net.
The games for the DS are much more original and fun than the PSPs (IMO)
The DS will undoubtedly connect to the Wii (I haven't looked up much but it's pretty sure given the GC-GBA connectivity)

Cheers. ;)

[raggedjimmi]

I believe he's already chosen a DS…

But in any case, here's some rebuttals to that.

When the Opera browswer is released the DS can surf the Net.
Using the WiFi Connection you can play against others over the Net.
The games for the DS are much more original and fun than the PSPs (IMO)
The DS will undoubtedly connect to the Wii (I haven't looked up much but it's pretty sure given the GC-GBA connectivity)

Cheers. ;)
to build on some of them points...

- they say you can play DS games through the Wii and onto your TV speakers. A very strange feature, one step away from playing DS on full screen (which is sooo possible in 480).
- there are only 3 PSP games that have sold more than 1 million. which isn't that great considering the
- many sites and analysts are claiming the PSP is dead (http://kotaku.com/gaming/psp/why-the-psp-is-dead-187958.php), or dying.

[2nyRiggz]

to build on some of them points...

- they say you can play DS games through the Wii and onto your TV speakers. A very strange feature, one step away from playing DS on full screen (which is sooo possible in 480).
- there are only 3 PSP games that have sold more than 1 million. which isn't that great considering the
- many sites and analysts are claiming the PSP is dead (http://kotaku.com/gaming/psp/why-the-psp-is-dead-187958.php), or dying.

I'm sorry but the PSP is not dead or dying it is doing well enough to make it..UMD movies might be shot but not the UMD games.


Bless

[Mackilroy]

The PSP isn't dead, no… but the games aren't its strong point and the DS is soundly beating it in every area – North America, Japan, and Europe.

[raggedjimmi]

http://www.gwn.com/articles/article.php/id/747/

The PSP was doomed to fail from the very beginning. With high development costs, a lack of hit games, the UMD movie format, its poor E3 performances, and the competition it faces from the formidable DS Lite, the PSP is now on its last leg.
The PSP’s power also had a price for developers who would now have to spend upwards of ten times the amount of money to develop a PSP game as opposed to a GBA game. In 2005 a survey by The Japanese Computer Entertainment Suppliers Association reported that the average development costs for a PSP game was the same as a GCN game and just short of a PS2 game.

From a developer’s point of view committing the same or more resources to a PSP game which has a considerably smaller install base than a PS2, GCN, or GBA system means a smaller return on their investment. In the game industry taking a risk like this is not what most companies want to do. The results of which are a lot of PS2 games watered down to be ported to the PSP, often resulting in mediocre experiences and thus poor sales.

To date there are currently only three PSP titles that have sold over one million units. They include Grand Theft Auto: Liberty Stories with 2.84 million, Ridge Racer with 1.04 million, and Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee at 1 million. For a system that is almost a year and a half old this is yet another sign of how poorly the PSP is doing. The Xbox 360 already has three different million sellers and is less than a year old, while the DS has thirteen with only a 4 month head start (not too many games were released in that four month period either!)
[skips UMD film section as it's obvious]
There comes a time in every system’s life when you know there really isn’t any hope left, we’ve all seen it with Virtual Boy, Dreamcast, and N64 just to name a few. At first it’s hard to accept and though there might seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel it usually turns out to be a new system with a promise that it will be better this time around. Bottom line: Trade in the PSP while you can still get a decent deal!
I thought it was doing OK till I read that!

[chairguru22]

in short. DS Lite because PSP sucks.

[buffalo]

Why, when someone says something positive about the PSP must everyone feel the need to bash the system. It makes it harder for people like me, who are considering both, to make a balanced decision.

[Mackilroy]

Because we don't want you purchasing something that you'll feel you wasted your money on. Seems for every positive of the PSP there are two or three negatives, which isn't the case with the DS.

[2nyRiggz]

Because we don't want you purchasing something that you'll feel you wasted your money on. Seems for every positive of the PSP there are two or three negatives, which isn't the case with the DS.

No....thats not it.....we all know what it is. DS lite all the way right buddy:rolleyes: .....let them see for themselves...MR is not a good place to ask about any Sony console except maybe the PS1.


Bless

[rumbletum]

Because we don't want you purchasing something that you'll feel you wasted your money on. Seems for every positive of the PSP there are two or three negatives, which isn't the case with the DS.

That would be true if people posted sensible comments, but for every sensible comment you get 3 moronic ones like "DS Lite because PSP sucks." Gets a bit tiresome after you've been hearing these 'my system is better than your system' for the past 25 years.

FWIW, I've had both machines since the JPN launch and have currently got 2 DS's, 2 PSPs & 1 DS Lite, neither of them suck, both have great games, and during the 18months approx I've had them, they've both had periods where I couldn't put them down, and also times when they're sat there gathering dust.

[Mackilroy]

*shrug* Every side has idiots – that's inescapable. In the end, I'd guess the best suggestion would be to either go to a store and play the demo units, or borrow a friend's for a while (try out both system for a week or whatnot) and whichever one you find more fun, buy that one.

[buffalo]

*shrug* Every side has idiots – that's inescapable. In the end, I'd guess the best suggestion would be to either go to a store and play the demo units, or borrow a friend's for a while (try out both system for a week or whatnot) and whichever one you find more fun, buy that one.

That's a good idea, but I don't know anyone that has a DS Lite or a PSP, so I'm stuck using the store demos. And because those don't have the games I might buy (atleast on the DS), I don't get the best picture of the system so I come here to read reviews so I can make the best decision.

[Mackilroy]

Ah. That makes it a tad difficult.

Well, what kind of games do you like? I'm afraid I don't know a HUGE amount about the PSP's games (only a few) so someone from the Sony camp would have to help you there, but I can point you to DS games that you might enjoy.

[buffalo]

The online wi-fi games probably interest me the most. On the DS Side the first two games I would probably get are Mario Kart and Metroid Prime. With the PSP I'd get Fifa '06 and Socom FTB.

[jamesW135]

If you like good graphics, Get the PSP if you want ok graphics and a touch screen, get the DS. I have a regular DS(not lite) and I think the graphics could be MUCH better.:o

[Mackilroy]

There's a lot more to games than graphics. ;)

I've seen the PSP's graphics, and the most I can say is it looks very anti-aliased, but that doesn't change the majority of the unfun games. There are a couple that looked cool, but I can get them on other platforms.

[Bill Gates]

Forgive me if I repeat something; I haven't read the thread. The PSP is more than just a gaming device. It also features multimedia playback such for movies and music, as well as internet functionality for web browsing and RSS feeds. Personally, I don't use my PSP much for games. I find little on the market that really interests me. I use it primarily as a mobile web browser and for homebrew applications such as IR Shell and DevHook.

[raggedjimmi]

Thats what I used it for, but Bill, don't you think the price of a PSP could have bought you a much better featured Pocket PC? The Giga Pack in the UK costs £200, which will get you a 480*640 res pocket PC and they don't crack down on homebrew.
one of the things that made me sell my PSP on was the money spent on it would go further in other devices. for multimedia you're best getting a Pocket PC, for games you're best getting a DS.

oh and about the testing a DS/PSP before buying one. I did the same with a mates PSP, played it once and fell in love on the spot. I was so determined that I scoured eBay for the perfect model. got it and sold it on 3 days later. do NOT buy a PSP off first impressions, or at least be sure the shop you bought it from has a good return policy. It's easy to be bowled over by the PSP at first but once the money is down and the night approaches and you're left with the system. that's when you cry.

[DarkNetworks]

Why, when someone says something positive about the PSP must everyone feel the need to bash the system. It makes it harder for people like me, who are considering both, to make a balanced decision.

I do agree that people here tend to recomend the DS Lite rather than the PSP but yeah I'm pretty much convinced to get a DS and right now I'm loving it. Well, you probably would wanna go back a few pages and start reading before making your final decision, though it should be more biased towards the DS. And probably go out and try these consoles yourself as I believe, you can't change the PSP for a DS. Well, it depends on what games you want and how much are you willing to spend on a handheld, IMO.

The online wi-fi games probably interest me the most. On the DS Side the first two games I would probably get are Mario Kart and Metroid Prime. With the PSP I'd get Fifa '06 and Socom FTB.

Exactly what I thought I would get for the DS but I'm stuck with some options...

If you like good graphics, Get the PSP if you want ok graphics and a touch screen, get the DS. I have a regular DS(not lite) and I think the graphics could be MUCH better.:o
No idea but I think handhelds should focus more on the fundamentals such as gameplay rather than graphics. If you want the good graphics don't get a handheld, IMO.

[GFLPraxis]

Forgive me if I repeat something; I haven't read the thread. The PSP is more than just a gaming device. It also features multimedia playback such for movies and music, as well as internet functionality for web browsing and RSS feeds. Personally, I don't use my PSP much for games. I find little on the market that really interests me. I use it primarily as a mobile web browser and for homebrew applications such as IR Shell and DevHook.

Except that this thread is comparing two gaming consoles. The OP is obviously not asking to compare the DS Lite or PSP as movie players. Telling him to get a PSP but not for games is not a very good answer.

[Yvan256]

Forgive me if I repeat something; I haven't read the thread. The PSP is more than just a gaming device. It also features multimedia playback such for movies and music, as well as internet functionality for web browsing and RSS feeds. Personally, I don't use my PSP much for games. I find little on the market that really interests me. I use it primarily as a mobile web browser and for homebrew applications such as IR Shell and DevHook.

My Nintendo DS Lite can also play MP3 music and MPEG-4 movies with the Play-Yan micro as well as browse the web with Opera DS. Yes, they're external, optionnal carts, but the features are there. And the Play-Yan micro uses SD cards (low-cost, supported everywhere), not Memory Stick Pro (expensive, rare support).

The PSP has the advantage for movies with its bigger, widescreen display. But I'd rather browse the web with the Nintendo DS touch-screen than the PSP gamepad. And I prefer to use Opera than... what's the PSP's browser again?

And the Nintendo DS Lite looks like a tiny MacBook. :D

In the end, though, it's all about the games. Check both systems and see which games they offer. Pick the one you think you'll play most.

I, as an example, will be buying a Wii almost only for Metroid Prime 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

[DarkNetworks]

Forgive me if I repeat something; I haven't read the thread. The PSP is more than just a gaming device. It also features multimedia playback such for movies and music, as well as internet functionality for web browsing and RSS feeds. Personally, I don't use my PSP much for games. I find little on the market that really interests me. I use it primarily as a mobile web browser and for homebrew applications such as IR Shell and DevHook.

Though i haven't try Opera on the DS, i'm pretty sure browing would be easier and better using a stylus than the PSP's gamepad/analog stick whatsoever. That's another reason why I go with the DS.

[DarkNetworks]

And the Nintendo DS Lite looks like a tiny MacBook. :D


Yeah the DS Lite looks so "Apple"...not DS...;)

[tominated]

Trust me, i have both the ds and psp. DS has better games and it is alot more fun to play with, but psp is mainly if you dont have and ipod or want internet and you want boring games (apart from locoroco).

[DarkNetworks]

Yeah technically those with an iPod should dive into DS immediately as you don't need the Music and Video features.

[ddrueckhammer]

Yeah technically those with an iPod should dive into DS immediately as you don't need the Music and Video features.

I really am thinking about getting the Play-Yan Audio/Video attachment for the DS because I would rather have a flash-based .mp3/mpeg4 player than a hard drive based one. My 4G iPod's hard drive died and since then I can't bring myself to buy another hard drive based gadget. Flash is just more durable and you can fit at least a couple of TV shows on a 1 Gig stick.

[buffalo]

so I know most of this has already been discussed before, but in trying to decide which to get I made a list. Right now I'm leaning towards the PSP, so you nintendo folks, sell me on the DS Lite so I can save money.

Nintendo DS Lite vs. Sony PlayStation Portable

DS Lite Pros:
Less expensive
Touch screen for Internet

PSP Pros:
Better Graphics
More online multiplayer games


DS Lite: $130
Mario Kart: $35
Metroid Prime Hunters: $35
Fifa Soccer 2006: $20

DS and two games: $200

PSP: $200
Memory Card Duo: 1GB: $53, 2GB: $99
SOCOM Fire team Bravo: $40
Fifa Soccer 2006: $40
MLB 06: The Show $40

PSP, memory card, and two games: $320 or $380

[raggedjimmi]

I'd let them numbers speak for themselves. For the same price as that PSP pack you could get a DS Lite AND a Wii. or a DS Lite and the entire back catalogue of kick ass GBA games.

Meh, I'm done trying to convince. it's 2am. *goes back to playing Castlevania DS as I have just learnt the joys of sleep mode*

[Tommyg117]

DS Lite. Psp has no good games besides liberty city stories but now you can get that on PS2 anyway. DS Lite has so much replay value, it's amazing and will look beautiful next to my Wii when i get it.

[Mackilroy]

The DS Lite has more games that are actually fun, virtually no loading times (of which are aplenty on the PSP and make it more difficult to play in short bursts on the PSP unless you use sleep mode – and then you're limited to one game and then you have to start all over again), is getting more online games, will be compatible with the Wii, and of course cheaper.

[DarkNetworks]

If you want web browsing on the DS you must invest another US$ 49.90, at least for now.
If you're buying the PS3 then maybe you wanna consider PSP as it can be used as a remote, etc...For almost double the price you can see the difference between Fifa on a DS and Fifa on a PSP. Huge gap. :( It's a let down really. I just changed my Fifa World Cup game for Brain Training. It depends really, if you want a handheld to play games solely then get the DS, if you want it for Movies, Music whatsoever, get the PSP, IMO. I decided I wanted it for games and web browsing, that's why I went for the DS.

[buffalo]

If you want web browsing on the DS you must invest another US$ 49.90, at least for now.
If you're buying the PS3 then maybe you wanna consider PSP as it can be used as a remote, etc...For almost double the price you can see the difference between Fifa on a DS and Fifa on a PSP. Huge gap. :( It's a let down really. I just changed my Fifa World Cup game for Brain Training. It depends really, if you want a handheld to play games solely then get the DS, if you want it for Movies, Music whatsoever, get the PSP, IMO. I decided I wanted it for games and web browsing, that's why I went for the DS.

How is Fifa on the DS? Also FIFA on PSP has online multiplayer where FIFA on DS does not have this feature.

[sixstorm]

When is the Opera DS Browser going to be released in the US? I wanna grab that down the road sometime . . . but I can't find any info hardly on it.

I bought a DS Lite last night along with Brain Age, Trauma Center and Meteos. Man, I haven't owned a handheld since the original Game Boy and this thing rocks. I've got a ton of friends with PSPs and I like the design, but the games are horrible, load times are insane and the battery life blows.

[ddrueckhammer]

The DS Browser isn't announced for the US yet. The Japanese version is scheduled to be release July 24th (which is today there or tommorow here) The European version is in early October. Supposedly, new details will be released early this week.

Trauma Center is my second favorite game after Mario Kart right now. It really rocks. I am stuck on operation 25 atm though. There are so many good games. Just go down the list on IGN and get them in order. They are all great. The only one I had to trade because I didn't like it was Resident Evil DS. (I hated the control scheme) I got Phoenix Wright to replace it and really like it alot...

I would recommend you definately pick up some online games if you have Wifi. Metroid and Mario Kart are the best and MKDS is the best game on the system IMO.

[rumbletum]

so I know most of this has already been discussed before, but in trying to decide which to get I made a list. Right now I'm leaning towards the PSP, so you nintendo folks, sell me on the DS Lite so I can save money.

Controversial idea, but how about reading the previous ten pages?

[GFLPraxis]

so I know most of this has already been discussed before, but in trying to decide which to get I made a list. Right now I'm leaning towards the PSP, so you nintendo folks, sell me on the DS Lite so I can save money.

Nintendo DS Lite vs. Sony PlayStation Portable

DS Lite Pros:
Less expensive
Touch screen for Internet

PSP Pros:
Better Graphics
More online multiplayer games


DS Lite: $130
Mario Kart: $35
Metroid Prime Hunters: $35
Fifa Soccer 2006: $20

DS and two games: $200

PSP: $200
Memory Card Duo: 1GB: $53, 2GB: $99
SOCOM Fire team Bravo: $40
Fifa Soccer 2006: $40
MLB 06: The Show $40

PSP, memory card, and two games: $320 or $380

The DS has vastly better games. Be wary of this- a lot of the titles with good names on the PSP often suck, because when being ported from PS2, they lose the right joystick and get squished on a smaller screen.

Everything you listed for PSP is in the 7 or 8 range on IGN. All your DS games are in the 8 or 9 range (Fifa is an 8, the others are 9). The DS has a lot more higher rated games. Everyone I know at GameStop, every review site I read, every TV show I watch (XPlay, woo), will tell you that the PSP is a sweet peice of hardware with few good games and declining UMD support. I know multiple people who traded in a PSP for a DS. I also know a lot of people who traded a DS for a PSP, then traded their PSP for a DS Lite a year later when all the good DS games hit and the PSP still had nada.

[DarkNetworks]

every TV show I watch (XPlay, woo)

Dude that's the best show ever! I love Morgan Webb...:D

How is Fifa on the DS? Also FIFA on PSP has online multiplayer where FIFA on DS does not have this feature.

I dunno about the Fifa 06 game but I played FIFA World Cup for the DS for about an hour or so. Bad graphics overall, the players look terrible and of course the lack in multiplayer support. However, the gameplay overall is pretty okay. But not the type of football game i'll expect.

[GFLPraxis]

Dude that's the best show ever! I love Morgan Webb...:D


XPlay rocks- did you know that they have a podcast on iTunes on which you can watch all/most of their reviews after they air for free?

I miss TechTV- G4 cancelled every single TechTV show except XPlay, and fired every cool person on the channel. I'm just glad Leo Laporte now runs his own Podcast show MacBreak.

[DarkNetworks]

XPlay rocks- did you know that they have a podcast on iTunes on which you can watch all/most of their reviews after they air for free?

I miss TechTV- G4 cancelled every single TechTV show except XPlay, and fired every cool person on the channel. I'm just glad Leo Laporte now runs his own Podcast show MacBreak.

Yeah I know about the podcast. TechTV was great. G4 really is messed up except for X-Play. Well maybe TechTV will be back someday, ;)

http://chris.pirillo.com/2006/07/24/techtv-rebuilt-by-community/