Wondering... DS or PSP?

[DavidNel]

I would first like to say, this is not a systems war thread. This is just about which system do you recommend that I buy?

I've been wanting a new, good handheld for some time now, and now with the price drops, I am really considering getting one. So, which one do you think is better? I really want the system with the best stratagy games.

Also, by stratagy games, I mean a game where you and our "army" are on a grid, and you control your characters movements from an omniciant perspective. I would like to find something like Shining force III, a game I've been looking for.

So, which system do you think would have more kinds of these games/better quality of these games?

[Madous]

DS.

-leaves thread before war breaks out-

[Avarice]

Originally Posted by greatman3388

DS

QFT

[P_L]

I am 99.9999% sure that everyone else here is going to say DS without giving it a second thought, but I'm going to lay down a few pros and cons of BOTH systems:

(Keep in mind that I do not own a PSP. I am, however, considering buying one for a couple games I've seen out for it.)

PSP

PROS
-Near-PS2-quality visuals (from what I've seen and experienced)
-Internal HDD that can store music, movies, etc.
-Web surfing capabilities without purchasing an external component (DS has a web browser, but it must be bought separately, and I have yet to find one readily available for the old-school big DS like I have; DS Lite ones are all over the place)
-Customizable backgrounds and other personal settings in the system menus and such
-Can run emulators (!! This means B-K and other N64 games, as well as games from SNES/NES and other emulatable systems, on the go!)
-Can run most PS1/PS2 games if they are downloaded onto it (dunno about PS2, but I have confirmed PS1)
-PS2 interactivity for some games
-Only $179 USD new

CONS
-Limited game library (not a lot of variety)
-Battery tends not to last very long (from what I've heard; I can't back this up from personal experience)
-Bulky*
-Speakers on the back, which makes for poor audio quality*
-The legality of emulation is questionable
-Not all PS1/PS2 games work (I'm not even sure about any PS2 games at all ...)
-Available in any color, so long as it's black (If you do not get that reference, please study up on automobile history )

(*There is a new PSP model coming out that fixes these problems, being "33% lighter and 19% thinner" and having the speakers adjusted around to the front for better quality, as well as a few technical upgrades, such as TV output, doubled RAM, and charging via a USB cable [Source])

DS

PROS
-Plenty of variety in the games
-Touch control makes many tasks which were tedious on consoles much easier (Metroid Prime Hunters has incredibly easy weapon selection whereas I could hardly do it in a demo of MP1 on GCN)
-TWO SCREENS OMFQ
-Folds to fit in your pocket
-Some N64 game "ports" available
-GBA-compatible
-Web browser is available
-Only $149 USD new for Lite ($129 in some places?)

CONS
-Many games are "gimmick titles" even now, not offering much more than a show-off of the DS's custom features
-Two screens is distracting for some people
-Touch control is NECESSARY in some games, which is tedious
-Said touch control can be rather touchy (no pun intended) and frustrating
-N64 "ports" are actually remakes with major fundamental changes to the game itself and do not deliver the "original experience" of the originals (then again, some people may like these "updated" games)
-Not GBC or GB compatible
-Screens get dirty fast (at least on my system they did)
-Old model out of production
-Separate Web browser "versions" for DS and DS Lite; non-interchangeable due to GBA slot piece being different for each system's "version" (the Lite's GBA slot leaves normal-sized cartridges sticking out maybe 1/2 inch)

That's what I can think of ... if what you're looking for is a pure gaming machine that offers most every genre, pick the DS. If you want something with more non-gaming capability (music, movies, built-in Internet), go for the PSP. It really comes down to what you want out of the system.

Strategy titles are fairly plentiful on the DS, but there are also a couple for the PSP I've heard. Do a little research, there's bound to be something.

[abyss]

Get the ds

[Gruntling]

If your primary interest lies with a wide variety of games choose the DS. The Wi-Fi is pretty nice too with games like Animal Crossing and Mario Kart.

[Dylan Yoshi]

You can watch movies, browse the internet, and play music on the PSP. But its gaming line-up sucks. The DS, on the other hand, has an amazing line-up. There may be quite a few gimmicky games, but there are many, many, great games.

Winner? DS.

[Zy0n7]

Bet you'll like advance wars ds for example. Get a DS.

[gdsmzroll]

DS, PSP totally sucks.

[DavidNel]

You all are saying the same things that the video game store guy said, so I think I'm going to listen to... we... everyone. To the DS!!

[Mr.Patch]

PSP is better IMO.

[Prome]

Originally Posted by P_L

-Internal HDD that can store music, movies, etc.

The PSP doesn't have an internal HDD. It stores stuff on a Memory Stick Duo which can be either really expensive or relatively cheap, depending on how big of a stick you want to buy.

Originally Posted by P_L

-Can run emulators (!! This means B-K and other N64 games, as well as games from SNES/NES and other emulatable systems, on the go!)

No, it can't. You have to hack you PSP to do it which runs the risk of bricking your PSP. Also, the SNES roms and up ran VERY poorly. Poor enough to not provide a tolerable, let alone enjoyable, gaming experience. They've probably fixed this by now, but I can't be sure. I wouldn't even want to TRY running BK on my PSP.

Originally Posted by P_L

-Can run most PS1/PS2 games if they are downloaded onto it (dunno about PS2, but I have confirmed PS1)

Definitely not "most" but "some". Possibley "few." I know you can buy and download PS1 games from the Sony's online store or something to that effect. At least...I thought that's how it worked. I went to Sony's website and couldn't figure anything out.

CONS
-Limited game library (not a lot of variety)

Originally Posted by P_L

-Battery tends not to last very long (from what I've heard; I can't back this up from personal experience)

Compared to something like the DS, the battery is terrible. But, I've never had a problem with it dying on me while I'm at school or something. Admittedly, I don't take advantage of the "portable" aspect of my PSP too much. I mostly sit at home playing Monster Hunter.

Originally Posted by P_L

-Bulky*
-Speakers on the back, which makes for poor audio quality*

Yes. It's quite bulky. It's not very bulky if your playing it, but when you carry it around in your pocket all the time (which I do) you'll notice it.

The speakers are on the bottom actually. (okay, now I'm just getting ridiculous). My biggest problem with the speakers being on the bottom is the fact that there are holes for the speakers on the FRONT of the PSP's faceplate. It took me 15 minutes when I first got the thing to figure out where the sound was coming from once I realized it wasn't coming from the holes on the front.

Originally Posted by P_L

-Available in any color, so long as it's black (If you do not get that reference, please study up on automobile history )

Only in America. They've got a RAINBOW of colors in Japan. Not that I expect anyone to import a metallic blue PSP. Here's a page of search results that showcases a bunch of the PSP's colors available in Japan.


Anywho, back to the topic at hand. If you're looking for grid-based strategy, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is coming out in October as an enhanced port of the PS1 FFT. Also, Jeanne D'Arc is a grid-based strategy game. There's also the newly released Dungeons and Dragons: Tactics that's not exactly "grid-based" but is a turn-based strategy game nonetheless. The game Generation of Chaos was released quite a while ago, and I heard mixed reviews about it, so approach with caution. Also, I heard rumors of Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness is, according to GameFAQs, being released around the same time as FFT.

[Mr.Patch]

I never got why people say it has a limited library. the PSP I mean.

[Prome]

Well, it's more limited in it's lack of good games than it's variety. But, thankfully, it's starting to get some really good games.

[DekuScrubby]

Get a DS if you want a game system, get the PSP if you want a bad media player.