When the Nintendo DS was released in the US, I bought one. When the Sony PSP was released months later, I bought one. And then sold the DS. A few months later, I have a friend's DS in my possession since it was just keeping the dust off his shelf. So I figured I'd write up a quick comparison / review of the two now that they've been out for awhile and have some better games available.
First, the PSP:
Physically, the PSP is a much better looking handheld. WAAAY better. I mean it doesn't even come close. Even with the new colors available for the DS it does little to hide the fact that the DS just looks cheap. However, as the saying goes, never judge a book... The PSP is also much more ergonomic. The fully-rounded corners make long online SOCOM sessions pain-free for my palms. The DS, while also having rounded corners, is much more pointy. So after awhile those points that dig into my palm really start bugging me. The PSP controls are also laid out better. Both handheld controls are located basically the same way. 4-way control pad for the left hand, quad buttons for the right. The PSP has an extra analog nub below their control pad for the left hand. However, the PSP pad and buttons are larger and spaced out better. The DS control pad is a bit hard and stiff and the buttons are too small and close together. The PSP suffers from none of those problems.
Now, the DS:
Fast load time. Sony needs to move away from disc-based media for their games and go the Nintendo route with what appears to be flash-based memory cards or something. Originally I didn't think load time was a big deal but after playing both handhelds recently, there's quite a big difference. SOCOM for the PSP is a helluva lotta fun to play online but you turn the thing on and then you wait. And wait. And then wait some more. You spend a lot of time idle on the PSP. However, there's very little, if any of this waiting once you're actually playing. It's getting to the playing part that's a drag. The DS, on the other hand, is a speed demon comparatively. Turn it on, choose to load the game (unless you set the DS to load the game immediately if a game card is plugged in in which you can skip this step), and you're up and running in a few seconds. It's awesome.
General comments:
One of the major complaints about the PSP that I've heard is that the games available for it are nothing more than rehashes or ports of existing games for the PS2. Which is true for the most part. There are a few exceptions but they're not the norm. However, this does not mean the games are not fun. GTA: Liberty City Stories, SOCOM and Burnout, while really nothing new in terms of gameplay and story, are still fun as hell to play. You basically have near-PS2-quality games in the palm of your hand that you can bring and play anywhere. That's convenience.
The DS, although probably having more original games, suffers a little in my eyes because fewer of their games appeal to me. Nintendogs is a cute game but is really nothing more than a better-looking, more advanced and realistic Tamagotchi. Mario Kart DS carries on the Mario Kart series very well, it's still a ton of fun to play and is now playable online. Besides those 2 and the upcoming Metroid Prime Hunters, there's not much else in their game stable that really appeals to me. But as the price for the unit comes down, it may be worth getting one just for Kart. Besides I'm sure there'll be more compelling games in the future for either platform.
Anyway, I'm sold on the concept of portable gaming. Prior platforms (mainly the Nintendo Gameboys) didn't have the technological oomph to get me really interested. The new generation does. Plus it's just sooo much easier to pick up a PSP and play than it is to haul my ass off the sofa to turn on the PS2 and TV. I haven't touched my PS2 in ages after I've gotten the PSP. Sure a 4" screen is vastly different from a 27" TV but the game developers did a great job in scaling the game down for a smaller screen. I don't see that as being that big of a detriment anymore.
But, my ideal portable game machine would marry the design and ergonomics of the PSP with the game delivery system of the DS. *sigh* We can only dream right?
