iPhone 4 VS PSP

[mossme89]

After having the iPhone 4 for a bit and trying out some games, I have to say that the iPhone 4 rivals the PSP in terms of gaming. It's definitely past the DS (iPhone 3GS did that) and the graphics are as good if not better than the PSP, atleast on early games. The higher resolution display helps to. Anybody who has an iPhone 4, try out NCAA Football HD or real racing and compare it to the PSP, it looks just as good, if not better IMO

So what do you think, intentional or not is the iPhone 4 (and maybe iPod touch 4) a legitimate competitor to the PSP? I don't think it even comes down to the nitty gritty of one game system vs another. The iPhone/iPod touch can do so much more than the PSP, making it a very alluring choice for someone looking for a portable device that can game...

 

[Minimoose 360]

Competitor to the PSP? I didn't realize that they were still making those

I literally have not used my launch PSP since the first month I got it. I think a better comparison would be to the DS, or rather, the improved 3DS. It's got new hardware and whips the PSP in terms of user base.

That being said, I don't think anyone will EVER topple Nintendo as the king of handheld gaming.

 

[Macjames]

PSP has better games like Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker, Littlebigplanet, Gran Turismo, God of War etc but good games are in short supply. Real short supply. The app store has a lot of good games, more than the PSP, and is a real competitor if not better!

 

[ReenyJM]

See previous similar thread. Granted that's about Nintendo stuff.

These kind of comparisons are moot; it's like comparing a Kindle to an iPad. The only thing you can compare is what they have in common (which is very little).

 

[JCCL]

Even a 3GS has better horsepower than the PSP. (Actually, the 3GS shares the same graphics chip the the 4)

 

[tuatha]

PSP is better for calls though.


Sorry. I'm honestly not trolling, just couldn't resist...

 

[dontwalkhand]

Definitely iPhone 4. Sony is obviously feeling the pain with their new Marcus ads specifically mentioning "apps on a phone."

I play 360 games all of the time, and am entering the PS3 crowd as well, but for mobile gaming, the iOS games suffice just as well. They are affordable, and most have excellent graphics.

The average "high graphics" iOS game is about $10
The average PSP game is about $50

Take your pick....oh and don't forget the iPhone 3GS even had hardware that blew the PSP out of the water...and you don't have to carry cartridges!

And it is also a phone.

 

[macduke]

Haha, when I have kids, you can bet I'm not going to buy them a DS or anything like that. Can't beat the games on the app store, ranging from free to $10. Many of them are top quality. Not even to mention that I can share my game library with them. My wife and I aren't planning on having kids for 2 years until I'm done with school, so I figure 5 - 7 years after that they'll probably be interested in gaming. By then I can probably get an 8th generation iPod Touch for like $50 on Craigslist with Retina+ 3D Display, 256gb storage, Apple A6 processor, 15 cameras, and a battery that lasts the better part of a week. But it won't be able to run the same games that the 10th generation Touch can. They won't know the difference! Because back in my day we had 4gb iPhones on AT&T and we liked it!

 

[turbineseaplane]

I wish Apple would either make or let someone else make a case the iPhone snaps into that allows it to have hardware buttons.

There are many many games that really need physical buttons to be great.

Sports games to name one.....and emulation (for those of us JB fans)

 

[dontwalkhand]

I wish Apple would either make or let someone else make a case the iPhone snaps into that allows it to have hardware buttons.

There are many many games that really need physical buttons to be great.

Sports games to name one.....and emulation (for those of us JB fans)

The problem I see with this is, that not everyone would have the case. It would start getting bad if developers got lazy and said "Case is required in order to play this game." Then again, it could be its own category of apps, kind of like those credit card sleeves, or OBD-II readers for iPhone.

 

[turbineseaplane]

The problem I see with this is, that not everyone would have the case. It would start getting bad if developers got lazy and said "Case is required in order to play this game." Then again, it could be its own category of apps, kind of like those credit card sleeves, or OBD-II readers for iPhone.

I guess...but they have GPS apps that really "require" a certain version of the iPhone to work, you know?

Plus...look at how NCAA Football requires the iPhone 4. Lots of upset people about that one, but Apple allows that sort of restriction.

I think it could work.

 

[Koolg223]

Definitely iPhone 4. Sony is obviously feeling the pain with their new Marcus ads specifically mentioning "apps on a phone."

I play 360 games all of the time, and am entering the PS3 crowd as well, but for mobile gaming, the iOS games suffice just as well. They are affordable, and most have excellent graphics.

The average "high graphics" iOS game is about $10
The average PSP game is about $50

Take your pick....oh and don't forget the iPhone 3GS even had hardware that blew the PSP out of the water...and you don't have to carry cartridges!

And it is also a phone.

Actually, the PSP has a substantially better GPU than iPhone 4, so PSP games almost always have better graphics. Look at any comparison. Also, better games are developed for psp. Would you rather play GTA Vice City Stories, or Gangstar.

 

[Jare]

iPhone 4 vs. Car.

Car has wheels and can drive. iPhone can make calls and play games. Both allow you to socialize.

?!?!?!

No comparison's like this should ever happen.

 

[samcraig]

iPhone 4 vs. Car.

Car has wheels and can drive. iPhone can make calls and play games. Both allow you to socialize.

?!?!?!

No comparison's like this should ever happen.

AGREED!

Definitely iPhone 4. Sony is obviously feeling the pain with their new Marcus ads specifically mentioning "apps on a phone."

I play 360 games all of the time, and am entering the PS3 crowd as well, but for mobile gaming, the iOS games suffice just as well. They are affordable, and most have excellent graphics.

The average "high graphics" iOS game is about $10
The average PSP game is about $50

Take your pick....oh and don't forget the iPhone 3GS even had hardware that blew the PSP out of the water...and you don't have to carry cartridges!

And it is also a phone.

And yet people scream, rant and rave over a 9.99 app. Oh the irony.

 

[totaro]

Definitely iPhone 4. Sony is obviously feeling the pain with their new Marcus ads specifically mentioning "apps on a phone."

I play 360 games all of the time, and am entering the PS3 crowd as well, but for mobile gaming, the iOS games suffice just as well. They are affordable, and most have excellent graphics.

The average "high graphics" iOS game is about $10
The average PSP game is about $50

Take your pick....oh and don't forget the iPhone 3GS even had hardware that blew the PSP out of the water...and you don't have to carry cartridges!

And it is also a phone.

The average price of the top 10 PSP games on Amazon is $23.65. Not even close to $50~ average. If you're a fan of any games that aren't strictly casual games, it would be impossible to argue the merit of which has higher quality titles available. Apple's tech is great but isn't on the same level for quality lengthly games.

 

[Carniphage]

The business model of the two platforms is different.
iPhone favours low-risk fast production titles which might be very profitable.

The PSP model is like a traditional console. Very expensive, large selling hardcore games might just earn their money back.

But the PSP has not been a particularly successful platform for developers so there are very few titles appearing. Sony will be thinking hard about how to re-boot the platform.

In terms of hardware specification, the iPhone is way ahead of the PSP in terms of raw power. The iPhone 3GS introduced a GPU which allowed per-pixel programmability, to achieve fancy shaders and the like.

The PSP has a fixed-function pipeline. It's not even particularly fast. That said, there are some big-budget titles where the artists make the game look great in spite of the weak hardware.

For some game types, physical buttons are important, so unless someone makes a dpad cradle add-on, the iPhone is obviously not well suited for button mashing games.

C.

 

[psac]

For RPGS, compare Final Fantasy Crisis Core (PSP, was $40 at launch, now $20) to Chaos Rings ($13.99 iPhone). Both Square Enix games, not even close in quality. Chaos Rings is a joke in comparison. The first time I loaded the game, I just sighed internally. To me, the graphics are reminscent of Game Boy Advanced, not something worthy of one of (?) the most expensive iPhone games available.

 

[Carlanga]

real gamers use buttons

If you are a real gamer you need buttons, since they give you much more accuracy/precision due to the feedback of pressing the correct button and feeling it on your finger... Slower paced or turn base games are great in the iPhone, but anything that requires multiple presses at a moment in a fast paced game needs that tactile precision. Have you played Sonic in the iPhone, for me I mess up in parts that in a machine w/ buttons is no prob. The SFVI game on the iPhone on the other hand works great and even though it has 4 buttons it plays smooth, the same also in GTA China Wars.... I love my iPhone for pick me ups, but in gaming the gaming portable machines have the advantage. We lose the controller but have so many other things that we can do on our phone!
Now the Nintendo 3DS... that will blow every portable game console/iPhone away in quality and experience (3D w/ no glasses) when it comes out in some months.

 

[Carniphage]

If you are a real gamer you need buttons, since they give you much more accuracy/precision due to the feedback of pressing the correct button and feeling it on your finger...

That's sort of true. But that thinking does lead to laziness.

Games for decades have used physical buttons because that is all they had available. The first ever game used simple on-off contact switches for input and game designers have been using them ever since.

That has led to a mass of game genres based on hitting buttons at the right time ... Hitting just the right button ... Hitting buttons very fast indeed. and so on.

Mapping those kinds of games onto the iPhone's touchscreen inevitably produces a crappy unsatisfactory experience. Like adding 3D to a movie shot in 2D. It feels fake.

So yes.. the iPhone does buttons badly. But it has something else. The ability to directly touch and manipulate on-screen objects. As a game input method, it's potentially awesome. It's revolutionary, in-fact. And opens up whole new classes of game design.

But that awesomeness isn't being tapped by games that attempt to ape 20-year old button mashing game mechanics. You have to design the control method for the device you are working on.

C.