Post by Rincewind on Nov 16, 2007 13:46:28 GMT -5
Well, since I own the lite versions of both now, I figured I'd do my own comparisons.
1) Price: $170+ for PSP slim, $130+ for DS Lite. The pluses reflect that they each come in bundles which can make them more expensive. Also keep in mind that stores like Gamestop will sell the older models of each (DS, PSP Phat [as they've dubbed it]) for significantly less.
One thing to keep in mind is that, at the base price, both systems are basically useless. You'll want to get a memory card for the PSP (another $20 or more, roughly) and a game for each one- the most cost effective way to do this for the PSP is to get the Daxter pack for $200, which has a game, Family Guy UMD, and a 1 GB memory card. The best DS bundle, in my opinion, would probably be the one with Zelda for $150.
2) Games: Well, I don't think anyone can deny with a straight face that Nintendo is kicking Sony's butt here. Besides all the DS games like Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Brain Age, etc, you can also play Game Boy Advance games on it, which gives you the nice ability to actually SEE what the heck those games looked like, something notoriously hard to do on the GBA. However, the PSP has some great games now as well, like Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness, Final Fantasy Tactics, Dungeons and Dragons Tactics, and some sweet looking racing games. They don't have as many good games, but there are definitely enough to keep you entertained, and a PSP Kingdom Hearts is coming on the heels of the PSP Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core game. Anyway, Nintendo has more good games overall. Oh, graphically, the PSP is superior, but *shrug*.
3) Touching the screen: Only useful with the DS. The PSP doesn't have any of that stuff. But honestly, most of the time I'd rather if the DS didn't either. I'm an old fart who prefers being able to control Link without drawing lines everywhere. But it's pretty fun to be able to use the stylus sometime. Meh. Either way.
4) Doing other stuff: Well, with the DS you can go into chat mode and talk or draw pictures at people. It's a little fun, I guess. The PSP lets you listen to MP3's, look at image (JPG) files, watch (MP4) movies, and browse the Internet, if you have a wireless connection. And that's all right out of the box. I think Sony is the clear winner here.
5) Design: Well, Nintendo plans on you abusing their stuff, so they make it to last, as much as possible. The clamshell design is much better protection than Sony's Gameboy Advance-styled unit. So a carrying case is more or less a necessity with the PSP. And there are some other at least potentially flimsy elements on the PSP. So if you're a butterfingers, get a DS.
6) Battery life: Luckily, both manufacturers counted on you using the devices for hours upon hours on end, and made a rechargeable battery standard. So both systems come with the rechargeable battery and the AC adapter when you buy them, and in the case of the DS, it's pre-installed. The PSP slim has a battery cover which is rather easy to remove, and I've already had the battery fly out of it the one time I dropped it two feet by accident. Anyway, regarding the battery life, the DS is again a clear winner. It can get roughly two to three times as long, 16-20 hours, on a charge as the PSP, which can get about 6-8, depending on what you're doing. Both systems eat up significantly more battery life when they're communicating wirelessly. Also, I tend to get more battery life out of the PSP than that as I use headphones and often turn the sound off entirely. But I'd say they're both pretty good, considering I've had to buy rechargeable batteries or battery packs for every other Gameboy system I've ever owned. Having them built in and designed for ease of recharge, not to mention being able to play them as they charge (not possible with many rechargeable battery packs I've experienced) is a huge plus.
Ah well, just some unbiased thoughts, as I said, I own both. I'd probably recommend the DS over the PSP, but they're both good in their own way, and right now my DS is sitting at home alone crying because I'm spending all my time with the PSP and Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness. Hehe.
1) Price: $170+ for PSP slim, $130+ for DS Lite. The pluses reflect that they each come in bundles which can make them more expensive. Also keep in mind that stores like Gamestop will sell the older models of each (DS, PSP Phat [as they've dubbed it]) for significantly less.
One thing to keep in mind is that, at the base price, both systems are basically useless. You'll want to get a memory card for the PSP (another $20 or more, roughly) and a game for each one- the most cost effective way to do this for the PSP is to get the Daxter pack for $200, which has a game, Family Guy UMD, and a 1 GB memory card. The best DS bundle, in my opinion, would probably be the one with Zelda for $150.
2) Games: Well, I don't think anyone can deny with a straight face that Nintendo is kicking Sony's butt here. Besides all the DS games like Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Brain Age, etc, you can also play Game Boy Advance games on it, which gives you the nice ability to actually SEE what the heck those games looked like, something notoriously hard to do on the GBA. However, the PSP has some great games now as well, like Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness, Final Fantasy Tactics, Dungeons and Dragons Tactics, and some sweet looking racing games. They don't have as many good games, but there are definitely enough to keep you entertained, and a PSP Kingdom Hearts is coming on the heels of the PSP Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core game. Anyway, Nintendo has more good games overall. Oh, graphically, the PSP is superior, but *shrug*.
3) Touching the screen: Only useful with the DS. The PSP doesn't have any of that stuff. But honestly, most of the time I'd rather if the DS didn't either. I'm an old fart who prefers being able to control Link without drawing lines everywhere. But it's pretty fun to be able to use the stylus sometime. Meh. Either way.
4) Doing other stuff: Well, with the DS you can go into chat mode and talk or draw pictures at people. It's a little fun, I guess. The PSP lets you listen to MP3's, look at image (JPG) files, watch (MP4) movies, and browse the Internet, if you have a wireless connection. And that's all right out of the box. I think Sony is the clear winner here.
5) Design: Well, Nintendo plans on you abusing their stuff, so they make it to last, as much as possible. The clamshell design is much better protection than Sony's Gameboy Advance-styled unit. So a carrying case is more or less a necessity with the PSP. And there are some other at least potentially flimsy elements on the PSP. So if you're a butterfingers, get a DS.
6) Battery life: Luckily, both manufacturers counted on you using the devices for hours upon hours on end, and made a rechargeable battery standard. So both systems come with the rechargeable battery and the AC adapter when you buy them, and in the case of the DS, it's pre-installed. The PSP slim has a battery cover which is rather easy to remove, and I've already had the battery fly out of it the one time I dropped it two feet by accident. Anyway, regarding the battery life, the DS is again a clear winner. It can get roughly two to three times as long, 16-20 hours, on a charge as the PSP, which can get about 6-8, depending on what you're doing. Both systems eat up significantly more battery life when they're communicating wirelessly. Also, I tend to get more battery life out of the PSP than that as I use headphones and often turn the sound off entirely. But I'd say they're both pretty good, considering I've had to buy rechargeable batteries or battery packs for every other Gameboy system I've ever owned. Having them built in and designed for ease of recharge, not to mention being able to play them as they charge (not possible with many rechargeable battery packs I've experienced) is a huge plus.
Ah well, just some unbiased thoughts, as I said, I own both. I'd probably recommend the DS over the PSP, but they're both good in their own way, and right now my DS is sitting at home alone crying because I'm spending all my time with the PSP and Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness. Hehe.
