Your portable game device, Sony PSP or Nintendo DS Lite?

[geepondy]

Do you prefer one of these over the other and if so, why? The Sony display sure looks nice but are the games more fun with the Nintendo? PSP base unit has come down enough in price so it's not too much more then the Nintendo DS Lite.

[GoingGear.com]

Dude, this is CPF. You are supposed to buy both.

Seriously, I have both, and they both have their merits.

The DS has games that are just flat out more fun, and you can hand it to anyone and they can have a good time. The touch screen makes for some very innovative gameplay. Not quite at the level of the Wii, but still pretty great.

The PSP is a lot more powerful though, so it has better sound, graphics, etc. You will also find a much larger library of serious/mature games for the PSP. The PSP can run emulation software if you know what you are doing, so you can play old NES games and stuff on it.

If I had to get one or the other though, I would get the DS just based on sheer play time that I have put into each. The DS also has the critical "girlfriend factor" since your girlfriend/wife/whatever will be much more likely to accept and play the DS due to the games available for it, which makes it easier for you to buy and play games.

For reference, I have had both since launch and have a huge library of games for each.

[Paul5M]

Go with PSP
You can:
- play game, of course
- listen to music
- watch movie (gorgeous screen)
- watch TV/video surveillance (you'll need Sony LocationFree)
- read/listen/watch podcast
- surf the internet
- email
- chat
- and tons more when you unlock (hack) it...

[jds009]

PSP dude....dont have one but enough people around me do. i just use my phone!

[powernoodle]

The junior Powernoodle's both have DS Lites, as do all but one of their friends. They are way more popular than the PSP in my part of the world.

cheers

[IHA]

Obviously PSP. Internet, Wifi, Pics, Great games, Dark Alex's custom firmwares, etc...

DS is just another nintendo crap with crap games and crap graphics, except a few like Final Fantasy and other great games that was migrated to that DSJunk.

Antonio

[PhantomPhoton]

Nintendo DS lite for me.
Fun games, especially for those of us who live our lives around children & non gamers.
Officially supported basic WiFi internet on June 4th (finally) in the US.
Hackable to run linux, and do some basic multi media, PDA, etc.

Besides that Sony is an evil corporation that needs a time out from my pockets for another few years. Perhaps after they're earned my trust back I'll start buying their products again.

[carrot]

I just bought a DS Lite used (barely!) off of someone I know for an excellent deal... otherwise I might never have bought one... and I LOVE it! With the huge selection of games for the GBA compatible with the DS, as well as a nice library of games for the DS... I've been playing it almost daily since I bought it!

I've been playing Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow and Advance Wars: Dual Strike and while they don't make a lot of use of the touch screen, the little added features are nice and they really make a great use of the two screen setup! In the GBA prequels, you had to press a button to bring up the maps/status screens but now you don't because of the additional screen real estate. PSP uses look down on this feature as "fluff" but it really does make the gameplay experience more streamlined.

And Elite Beat Agents is one of those really strange music games that happens to be a lot of fun, making full use of the touch screen (you never touch a single button while playing this game). Then there's also Trauma Center, surprisingly fun, and Pokemon DP, which you may or may not be interested in. I've only spent a few hours in Pokemon DP but I can say it is definitely an improvement over the older games, with Wi-Fi support for battling and trading other gamers locally and worldwide, and VoIP support so you can smack talk your friends.

I do have a PSP and while it is a lot of fun... I think the DS is a clear winner if you are looking for pure gaming fun. The PSP does offer some great multimedia options so if you are looking for a portable entertainment center, it is the way to go. Between Grand Theft Auto * Stories, Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops, Killzone, Virtua Tennis, Burnout Legends, Daxter, etc, you can get your fill of console gaming on the go... with some truly high-quality titles, not to mention very portable-friendly games like LocoRoco and Lumines.

IHA, I'd disagree with you on that. The PSP is a great system, but the NDS is an incredibly underrated portable whose AAA titles cannot be ignored. I see the NDS and PSP filling different niches, with the PSP offering console gaming on the go, and the NDS offering a truly refreshing experience where old-school games are modernized, like the truly classic Castlevania series that made a very poor jump to 3D. I'm a big fan of both systems as they both have some great games, but if I had to pick one, the NDS would be my top choice. It's just more FUN.

Edit: Another thought, phone games really are terrible, perhaps with few exceptions. I have Brothers in Arms 3D, Splinter Cell Double Agent, and Time Crisis Mobile. While the 3D graphics are pretty good, especially coming from a phone, and the games are actually somewhat fun, the limitations of the cellphone hardware really makes control an issue. Maybe if you only play puzzle games like Lumines Mobile (which I have had), Tetris and Bejeweled... Probably why the N-Gage failed so badly.

[ikendu]

Well, my son (aged 29) had a DS and we finally got one too.

It is really fun. We play Boggle together, sometimes 4 DS's running off on one cartridge over WiFi. I used to love strategy games and got a copy of Age Of Empires for the DS... highly addictive. The internet ability is a really nice feature that we hope to use more of.

[carrot]

ikendu, if you like strategy I HIGHLY recommend Advance Wars DS. It has local wireless support for multiplayer and you can play "hotseat" where you pass a single DS amongst.. I believe up to four players? Maybe even more? And if you like it there are two compatible GBA prequels.

[IHA]

Btw, with PSP you can run old games from PlayStation 1/PS One, and also you will be able to connect it to a PS3. You will have things like Final Fantasy VII or the new Final Fantasy VII that will be released for PSP

[Etienne1980]

I vote Nintendo DS . I own one in emanel navy blue
I boycott Sony .
... but right now i am cured of videogames .

[Omega Man]

I have a GBA SP and dig it. It was free, so that was a big plus. I'm a huge fan of the Castlevania franchise, and there like 3 of them on the GBA now. But they are re-releaseing Castlevania-Rondo of Blood on the PSP, so that'd be a selling point.

[stockae92]

i went with NDS, i think the games are just more fun to play. PSP got great graphics, but i just like the NDS better for the games.

you also have to if you friends got more PSP or NDS, you can "borrow/swap" games, and do network games

[Chucula]

I have a NDS and chose it over the PSP. I think both have good points, but one is clearly better than the other as a gaming toy.

Graphics are worthless if the games are not fun, and on a handheld they will never be as good as a current console. Handheld games should go for fun (NDS) rather than good looks (PSP). The NDS also has far more potential in game design because of the touch screen.

Granted, the PSP has more features, but I bet most of you have an ipod or a small laptop or something that does all that entertainment stuff and does it better than the PSP.

The NDS is a better device for games.

[WhatMACHI]

If you enjoy playing games more often by yourself. PSP

If you wana play when you got all your mates over go DS.

Honestly if you want music, or email, movies you'll have other stuff to do that for you as opposed to a psp. I mean when was the last time you wanted to watch a movie on a 3'' screen for an hour and a half? and what battery have you got left after that?

As you can tell from my bias i got a DS when the friends are over we have anywhere between 4-6 DSs with us. And i bet you anything 6 psp's with your friends. The party games on DS simply out do the PSP multiplayer games.

[geepondy]

Hey guys, I assume what the reviewers say is true but maybe you can verify as well, but it is finally easy to see the screen with the DS lite? I played with my nephew's gameboy advance and he went out and bought a magnifyer/light screen covering as it was so difficult to see.

[Samhain73]

DS for me, more games I like on the Nintendo than Playstation.

[carrot]

The DS Lite has a backlit screen. It is brighter than the older Gameboy Advance SP's but the latest model Gameboy Advance SP and Gameboy Micros use the same LEDs for front-lighting. Nobody I know has a problem using the DS or SP screens. It is likely your nephew has the original Gameboy Advance which does NOT have a backlit screen.

The Gameboy series has always been made so that you could use it outside on a nice sunny day if you liked. With the DS it is still possible, but you should sit in the shade or crank up the brightness for visibility. I do not find the new DS backlit screens to be much of a disadvantage outside, although I'd probably pull out my GBA SP to play in the sunshine (but why?).

[matt_j]

As an honest beliver that you should buy the best when it comes to work related items I ended up getting a PSP. If you have to spend 16 hrs with a partner who has personality of the door knob I want the best system to keep me busy. There are maybe 2-3 games out there for DS that I want. Most of the stuff is on PSP and what really sold me at first were the movies. First buying them and now recording my dvds to memory stick. Most of people I knwo have PSPs so we trade games and I check out most of them before buying. Couple of guys at work have both system and the only time I see them reaching for DS is when they have nothing to play on PSP and that happens maybe twice a year. I liek the bigger screen, I like the battery life, I like the controls and they way the system feels. Get a PSP mate.

[koala]

Buy a PSP, add $70 you get GPS. I've been using it for months it's awesome.

[Jefff]

Buy a PSP, add $70 you get GPS. I've been using it for months it's awesome.

Hey That is why I bought one... But have yet to find mapping software for GPS.. I can get the reciever but can't locate the software .. I really would love for someone to give me a hand if I am missing somthing.. All the mapping software I have found so far is for Japan.. or Homebrew.. and I really don't want to spend the time hacking my firmware to get it to run ..

Any help would not go un apperciated,

Jeff

[carrot]

To me, the PSP excels in bringing console gaming to a portable system. But since I seem to play handhelds mostly when I'm in transit, the "simpler" style of classic handheld games suits me better.

This is how my PSP feels. http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=239

[koala]

Hey That is why I bought one... But have yet to find mapping software for GPS.. I can get the reciever but can't locate the software .. I really would love for someone to give me a hand if I am missing somthing.. All the mapping software I have found so far is for Japan.. or Homebrew.. and I really don't want to spend the time hacking my firmware to get it to run ..

Any help would not go un apperciated,

Jeff

I started here -> http://deniska.dcemu.co.uk/
The PSP-290 GPS module is a very good module, some people think it has bad reception that's because their car has metallic tinting. The only time when I get poor reception is when it is cloudly. Even that I can still get a few satellite.

[Boy SureFire]

psp for the win

[John_Galt]

I love my psp, but hate that the screen isn't bright enough to use in direct , or strong indirect lighting.

As a side note... Does anyone else's psp sometimes have 4 brightness levels for the screen back light, but most of the time only three? This happens occasionally, I usually have the backlight on low, to maximize batt. life, but sometimes when I'm cranking up the brightness, I'll find that mysterious 4 level of brightness.

But yeah, if I could have Super Mario Bros. on my PSP, it would rock!

[Haz]

NDS, games appear more simple and fun

[Boy SureFire]

I love my psp, but hate that the screen isn't bright enough to use in direct , or strong indirect lighting.

As a side note... Does anyone else's psp sometimes have 4 brightness levels for the screen back light, but most of the time only three? This happens occasionally, I usually have the backlight on low, to maximize batt. life, but sometimes when I'm cranking up the brightness, I'll find that mysterious 4 level of brightness.

But yeah, if I could have Super Mario Bros. on my PSP, it would rock!

when the power cord is plugged in you can access the 4TH brightness level, otherwise you get three.

[Caesis]

PSP ALL DA WAY.

The PSP's graphics are way ahead of the DS or DSI's. The PSP can handle ps1 games easy.

The PSP's firmware gets updates every 1~2 months.

The PSP has internet radio, music, video, and wifi built in.

With some hardmodding and softmodding, you can install CFW ... custom firmware to your PSP, which let's you do prettymuch anything on it. Store UMD games, emulate the GBA, new fonts and themes, etc.


BUUUUT ...
The DS DOES have nintendo's support though. Super Mario. Zelda. Metroid. Donkey kong ... etc. PSP doesn't have ANYTHING NEARLY as sick as zelda. Heck, most of the good role playing/adventure games are in Asian languages. We loose half of our good games to the foreign market. PSP's sales in Eastern Europe and Asia are far beyond that of DS's.

[John_Galt]

when the power cord is plugged in you can access the 4TH brightness level, otherwise you get three.

But I get the fourth level (again only occasionally) even when un plugged, or nearly depleted batteries.