Which is the better system??? Sure, PSP has more power and more capabilities, but the dual-screen is really an intriguing idea. Oh, I guess it's just much too hard to create your Christmas list early!

~Eccentro

I'm really torn. Intuitively, how can you look at two screens at the same time? And how many developers are going to create unique games for the DS?

On the other hand, I was really surprised at how many people I've talked to that are not so impressed by the PSP. "So what if it's just about PS2 quality...play your PS2!" What? It's a freakin' handheld! Maybe the PS2-buying public is distinct from the Nintendo handheld kind of buyer. I was a HUGE Sega GameGear and Nomad fan (never getting into the GameBoy thing), and I love being able to play games on the run. I'm absolutely ecstatic about the PSP.

I'm predicting that if developers don't go really nuts with creativity (and I've had my doubts about that in the past), the DS won't do that well. Just look at the GBA. Most every big game is simply a port of an NES or SNES game. Not a ton of innovation there over the last 3 years. They won't be able to do that for the most part with the DS, unless they just tack on a "radar screen" or somthing like that to an existing game.

Even if many of the PSP games are ported PS2 games and enhanced PSX games (like an enhanced WipEout game), I'd be pretty satisfied. That screen is HUGE (especially compared to the DS), and it seems pretty practical. Just hoping the battery life is reasonable.

Personally I think the PSP will blow the dual screen away!

I may end up getting both, but I won't pick up a first gen PSP. The titles won't be flooding out and I don't want to ruin the screen so early.

From interviews and such, the DS has more developers and more interest from the public which baffles me.
By the way, if you do simple math, both the PSP and DS have screens that are 4.32" along the diagonal, but the DS is 4:3 and the PSP is 16 meaning the DS has more screen space.

You get a PSP as an updated Walkman that plays some DVDs and PS2 games that you have to repurchase. The DS will play games you won't get anywhere else like Pac N Pix, Project Rub and Mario 64x4.

I'm going to wait until they are out before I decide.

Right now I'm leaning towards the DS because it can play my GBA games. Since they'll likely have a deal where I trade in my GBA SP for a discount on the DS, I don't really have much to lose. Unless, of course, there aren't any good games.

Im not really big on handheld gaming, but the DS touch screen capabilities will mean it will be hard for piraters to make emulators for the DS to run on computer.

Anyway, if you asked me a couple of years ago, I would have said the DS without a doubt because its a Nintendo product, but recently I havent been to thrilled with what Nintendo have been doing. Plus Ive come to really like alot of those quirky Japanese RPGs that seem to be exclusive to Sony. The PSP gets my vote. I dont really care about the battery life anyway since I rarely leave the house and when I do Im unlikely to take a game console over my iPod with me anyway.

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Originally posted by Beau:
I'm really torn. Intuitively, how can you look at two screens at the same time?

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I think the two screens is actually a great idea and can really add alot to the gameplay. When I used to play Ultima Online Id have like 10 windows open at once. One for the game itself, the other for my backpack, one for the window, one for the minimap, one for ICQ etc. It helped not having to scroll through menus. I think itd be really handy in alot of game information on a screen that you can just look at if you need to and not have that info cluttering up the screen. Itd make it really handy in RPGs and I remember some of the shots of Mario Kart DS had the map of the course on the lower screen that you can see your competitors position on. Its a cool thing to have, especially when a conventional handheld would probably leave the minimap out for the sake of screen space.

Don't sell your SP. The design of the DS isn't final yet and as of E3, that GBA port only played GBA games, NOT GBC or GB and it didn't look like I saw a GBA link port either.

Quote from Beau: "Most every big game (on GBA) is simply a port of an NES or SNES game. Not a ton of innovation there over the last 3 years."

granted there are a ton of ports of great games but what about the Advance Wars 2s? Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga? Boktai? Fire Emblem?

I just got the new nintendo power (which I own because a subscription bought you the collector's disc for $20) and the DS looks incredible:

- wireless play up to 50 ft around you with up to 16 people, and it comes with broadband wifi receiver to play in wifi hotspots against people around the globe, ie airports, college clasrooms etc..

- send picture messages and chat with those 16 people etc... the bottom screen is touch sensitive to draw on.

- better than N64 quality in 2d or 3d on either screen - there's a metroid first person deathmatch game where the action is on one and the map on the other. imagine a handheld goldeneye or super mario 64. I think I just crapped my pants.

- new spec - a built in microphone for voice chat / voice controlled games. Ohhhhh the possibilities

this might have already been brought up, but i didnt catch it. What is the retail price going to be for each handheld?

I'm not %100 but I think the PSP will be a lot more, I think I heard the DS is $200, the PSP $300? somebody correct me. I saw on another message board nintendo's already working on a single screen Game Boy 2 with some insane AMD processor

As they DS nears release, it looks like it has an enormous edge over the PSP. The DS will cose $150 with $30 games. The PSP has been rumored at 300-350 dollars. At least twice as much.

Battery life is another key issue, and DS dominates that catagory as well.

The only place that might be interesting is the battle for better games. The community I'm from, as well as my own tastes, give the edge here to the DS. However, since it is coming out first, it has a more finalized list of titles.

I think the PSP will do will for the same reason XBox and PS2 did well even though they cost more: The games will appeal to a wider audience of people.

However, due to Nintendo's handheld reputation and huge price advantage, I think Nintendo will win this one.

Hearing more and more about the DS and less and less about the PSP Ive got to predict that Nintendo's going to blow Sony away. Im a complete "innovation over graphics" whore so thats why Im so pro-Nintendo!

I dont know, although Nintendo has more "portable" experience, Ive been hearing more good things about the PSP.

Plus, I thought that the Playstation was a little better than the N64 and that the PS2 was MUCH better than the Gamecube.

So, my vote goes to the PSP.

I am going to have to say PSP have you seen some of the graphics that it produced???That is what I have been waiting for a handheld with Console-Like graphics.

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Originally posted by Soadlover:
I am going to have to say PSP have you seen some of the graphics that it produced???That is what I have been waiting for a handheld with Console-Like graphics.

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Absolutely... It's basically a PS2 (+) on wheels. Hopefully the price point won't be north of $300. (I've heard Sony has tossed around $500 for the PS3)

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Originally posted by Metacritic Games Editor:

Absolutely... It's basically a PS2 (+) on wheels. Hopefully the price point won't be north of $300. (I've heard Sony has tossed around $500 for the PS3)

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Ach! Such a difficult decision! I can only get one or the other and I dont want to pick up the dud (NOTE: I was this close to picking up an N-Gage so I NEED help!). Hey, Games Editor would there be a place to find actual HARDWARE reviews for like each system?

There's a massive artricle on the subject in the latest Newsweek. In, the article, it said that though the PSP can run 8 consecutive GAMEPLAY hours it can only run about 2 film hours (!?). That's sort of the deciding factor for me BECAUSE the PSP is so much MORE expensive because of all it's added non-gameplay features and seeing that I wont get all the way through "Return of the King" without the batteries dying. Hell, that's the whole ballpark right there. There's no argument that in the gameplay department the PSP will be on par with the DS, but if Im paying 250+ extra dollars for the PSP to do something sort of mediocre-ly, no, I'm not willing to fork out the cash.

The PSP will be sold for under $200 (converted to american dollars) when it's released in Japan. That's great news if Americans follow that price-point lead.

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Originally posted by Eccentro:
There's a massive artricle on the subject in the latest Newsweek. In, the article, it said that though the PSP can run 8 consecutive GAMEPLAY hours it can only run about 2 film hours (!?). That's sort of the deciding factor for me BECAUSE the PSP is so much MORE expensive because of all it's added non-gameplay features and seeing that I wont get all the way through "Return of the King" without the batteries dying. Hell, that's the whole ballpark right there. There's no argument that in the gameplay department the PSP will be on par with the DS, but if Im paying 250+ extra dollars for the PSP to do something sort of mediocre-ly, no, I'm not willing to fork out the cash.

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Wait! The PSP plays dvds!!!???
I didnt know that! Can the DS play dvds too?

They both seem kind of small to play dvds, doesnt it?