You can’t beat a good console war, but with Nintendo’s current dominance of the both the home and portable video game industries it feels like years since we had a good, close fight between two major hardware manufacturers; the glory days of the 16-bit console war seem like an eternity ago.
Thankfully, it looks as if Sony is slipping on its boxing gloves and getting ready to dish out some pain, because the company has cast aspersions on the recently released DSi.
John Koller – Sony’s director of hardware marketing – has shot a few ‘choice words’ in the direction of Nintendo:
If Nintendo is really committed to reaching a broader, more diverse audience of gamers beyond the kids market that they've always engaged, there isn't much new with the DSi to support that update. Significant gamer demographic groups are being ignored, and there continues to be limited opportunities for games from external publishers to do well on the DSi. Compare that with the PSP platform, where we have many blockbuster franchises from our publishing partners launching this year, representing a wide variety of genres and targeting diverse demographics.
If Sony had been talking this particular brand of smack just over a year ago then they would have been laughed out of the room – the PSP was struggling with few decent titles on the horizon. However, thanks to some strong sales in Japan, the machine’s fortunes have taken a turn for the better, although it should be noted that it still lags behind the all-conquering DS by some margin.
Not that we should allow facts to get in the way, of course. Altogether now: FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!
[source pocketgamer.co.uk]
Comments 54
PSP SUX DS RULES ARN'T I RITE FELLAS????
cough
I'd take the PSP over the DSi any day.
Yeah, the PSP definitely has a library with a much broader appeal than the DS, RIGHT?
Yeah, the PSP definitely has a library with a much broader appeal than the DS, RIGHT?
I could give a crap less about broader appeal. I just love my little PSP.
The DSi appeals to a wide age group already ffs, unlike the PSP. The DSi is better in dozens of ways than the PSP. DS or DSi 10x the console PSP is (and will ever be) in my honest and humble opinion. They're obviously worried coming out wit statemnets like this. I don't think the DSi is an enormous improvement on the ds lite, but it is certainly fun for non-gamers and gamers alike. The PSP won't be that fun for people who don't normally play games. The Sony Playstations narrow-mindednes when it comes to games has let them down and has converted me back to nintendo ( or rather did so a few years back, ,lol)
I hate the PSP. I'll say it again, I hate the PSP.
Not because I'm a fanboy, I own a PS3. The PSP just isn't shaped right for my hands, and any extensive play cramps my hands something severe.
After I played with the PSP at my mate's house I wouldn't have one even if they were giving them away.
I've got 46 DS titles and 82 PSP titles. That about sums it up for me.
The PSP is quite possible the worst 'Large' (i.e. Non Gizmonod, ect.) console ever made: Very few decent games, and completely crushed under the weight of the DS. If that guy didn't work for Sony, he'd be playing The World Ends With You or New Super Mario Bros. 24/7. Infact, he probaly does anyway.
I much prefer the PSP over the DS. It may have a smaller gaming library but the games it does have are fantastic while many DS titles are shovelware.
The PSP has stuff like Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions, Gradius Collection, Salamander Portable and Parodius Portable.
I suspect those last three games are the reason that Corbie love his so much.
@Corbie: I'll tell you what you have - too much money, that's what.
I myself hate the PSP. I can't get my head around the controls (they feel so odd), and there are hardly any games I'd want. I much prefer the DS though due to the innovative controls, and the way that the multimedia functions (eg, DSiSound) are actually a load of fun, as well as doing what they're supposed to. Nintendo FTW, IMO!
@Corbie: I'll tell you what you have - too much money, that's what.
No I don't. I spent it all on games!
But in all seriousness, I got many of my DS and PSP games for free back when I worked at Mobile Tech Review years ago. In fact, well over half of them, to be honest.
Oh Sony, you crazy self-gratifying fools.
In one of those rare occasions I agree with Wiiloveit's comment (13) about the PSP - not Corbie obviously.
The PSP is boring and slow.
Who has the better por...I mean Games?
Trust Damien to post this flame-bait. Burn him. Buuurrrnnnn HIM!
I was going to write something disparaging about John Koller but I think that photo does the work for me. He loves his PSP so much he doesn't even need to switch it on to show how awesome it is - either that or the battery ran out whilst he was waiting for the photographer.
I still like the DSi over the PSP. I don't even have a PSP!
the PSP is better, but when you're a nintendo fan, wanting to play Nintendo games....you'd say the DSi is better.
Nintendo is trying to catch-up to sony with the DSi, look at the features, and compare them....then look at when they came out...the PSP came out first with all the features, the DSi is trying to match it.
IMO, the PSP's barely a game system to begin with, just a media system. It wins in that department because I've seen people with PSPs who don't have any games, they just use it as a mp3 player among other things. Although, I'm only saying this because the DSi shop SUCKS for the most part.
Did this guy just say PSP is better than Wii? When its become an internet joke to say that the PSP has games? Okay then.....
I prefer DS to PSP by a long shot, however the PSP still has a lot of great games. But still, when you compare my PSP stack which is 1/2 filled to my 3 filled DS stacks I myself wonder how Corbie has 86 games for the system.
@Corbie: What are your top PSP games?
If the DS can get a PC gaming-type guy in his late 20s to enjoy a portable gaming device, I think it's hitting a wide enough market.
On the other hand, no way am I ever buying a DSi. They announce it weeks after I finally buy a Lite and expect me to be excited.
I think the PSP seems cool and maybe has 'better' games but is not designed as a portable console with portable gaming in mind. It is literally a Playstation Portable - if I couldn't stay away from a game console for more than an hour, I'd buy a ps3 and shove it in a backpack to plug it in each place I go.
I still have my original clamshell DS and only a couple games that I love, that are made to be fun in short bursts on a bus or played for 10 minutes before bed at a relatives' house. Portable gaming is actually different and really requires a different type of approach, but Sony is all about power and wowie-ness. I don't care for that and I especially won't pay home console prices for something thats going to be tossed around on a city bus everyday. thats my take on it.
LOL. What is wrong with Sony? They're saying the DSi is just for kids? Yeah right!
What blockbuster franchises are they referring to? The DS has much more intresting games then the PSP.
But I own a DS Lite, a PSP, and starting today I'll own a DSi! The PSP is a great handheld but it lacks good games BIG TIME. The games that are good are very few. The main upcoming PSP game I'm intrested in is Kingdom Hearts:Birth by Sleep. That's one of the few reasons I rebought my PSP.
IMHO, the PSP is possibly the most dangerous portable competitor that Nintendo has ever seen. Unlike its predecessors, the PSP is far better engineered. It has a solid internal design, excellent screen, decent (but not great) battery life, a solid handheld grip, an exclusive-packed library, and a good size.
Like it's predecessors however, it's doomed to failure. While Sony avoided many of the technical problems that plagued GameBoy competitors in the past, they stepped squarely into the key failure of those systems: The PSP is not truly portable.
Just try whipping out a PSP to screw around for 5 minutes. The power-on time and UMD load times both eat up a solid chunk of potential play time. With the DS, it's power-on and go. The UMDs are relatively fragile, preventing players from slipping a few in their pocket. In result, you need to carry around a properly padded case or a bunch of plastic shells to bring with your games. With the DS, simply slip all the memory cards you want in your pocket. Downloadable PSP titles are so large that they easily chew through the (expensive!) memory sticks. With the DSi, you can store your entire library on an SD card conveniently stashed in the unit itself.
In the end, the DS supports on-the-go gaming far better than the PSP. The PSP is designed more around the idea of being able to bring a feature-rich console with you to new locations, with less of a focus on playing on the bus or while waiting at a restaurant. The PSP's design philosophy has been failing since the days of the Atari Lynx. Meanwhile, Gunpei Yokoi's philosophy of "Lateral Thinking of Withered Technology" has been making the GameBoy and DS lines a smash success in the market since the introduction of that black and white little beasty 20 years ago.
When oh when will the competitors get it?
This guy is like all those people that say "Look out DS! The iPhone is an established game platform too!!" ... yeah right, shut up and go back to your iFart game.
I think that the PSP is Nintendo's first serious competitor in the handheld market. Think about all those other handhelds that were crushed under the might of the Game Boy. Sony's trying hard, but I think they'll get crushed as well eventually.
I think the whole iPhone buzz has more to do with expanding phone/device games than it does with replacing the DS. It does neat things with motion, similar to the DS making waves with its stylus. Remember the NGage? Most people only remember it for how much it sucked, and the ridiculous idea of buying a gaming cell phone. iPhone seems to be a nice middle ground, assuming you're hip to paying smartphone subscription fees. Otherwise, do it on a Touch.
Apples and Oranges though, as far as I'm concerned. (oh so punny) In the end, the devs making the games are the real winners there. (some are crossing over into WiiWare, Casual PC downloadables on Steam, etc)
@deadly.by.design sez... Remember the NGage?
**Holds banana to ear** I have no idea what you're talking about.
Most people only remember it for how much it sucked, and the ridiculous idea of buying a gaming cell phone.
NGage was a perfect example of a good idea done poorly. Most players who obtained the second generation device were fairly happy with it. But the first generation made a variety of critical mistakes that made it the laughing-stock of the industry. From the Side Talkn' "feature" to having to remove the battery to replace games (!), the system was a jack of all trades, master of none. Compounding the issue was that the games were okay, but they were primarily rehashes of PC titles from pre-GPU days.
Had Nokia designed the system better and had a better plan for rolling out titles, it might have been a serious competitor. The core of the gaming hardware was certainly well designed. (If there's anything Nokia gets right, it's the hardware balance of their devices.) It was simply a matter of not knowing WTF they were doing.
iPhone seems to be a nice middle ground
iPhone is a good example of properly approaching the problem laterally. They first designed a good phone, then slowly found new uses for the technology. Each new use of the technology was deployed only after thorough vetting of its effectiveness. Thus Apple avoided the myriad of mistakes made by Sun with J2ME.
Interestingly, Nintendo sees the iPhone as a strong competitor not just because of games. As you said, the iPhone has really created new markets rather than stealing from Nintendo's. Why Nintendo sees the iPhone as a competitor is that they overlap in the area of creating a nextgen PDA. Both companies want to position their systems for deploying useful and interesting non-gaming applications. In that respect, Apple has a huge head-start, despite Nintendo working in that direction for longer. Eventually the two will collide head-on, with the loser retreating back to their core competency.
Gee Sony must love comedy if they keepmaking comments like this.
lol, again a stupid old console war, if i would say nintendo is better (and i prefer nintendo far over both xbox and PS) i wouldnt get anything better than i would normally
they always say that nintendo has childish games, but most PS kids are playing games like GTA (any version )
nintendo (also DSi then) has games which are actually made for fun, not serious stuff like games which refer to reallife (shooting and other stuff in general)
i dont know PS2 or PS3, but i own an old PS1 and have 1 game i actually like, BoF III
i dont own xbox
but this all dont make me xbox or PS hater, just merely a fan of nintendo
anyway, i think Sony is kinda looking for a war with this, and with that they make the PS kids wilder, thats all they can do with this, heh... weird to use precious energy for this action without goals
a nintendo fan is a nintendo fan and cannot be changed by wars, especially not by someone from Sony
Meh. I've thought about getting a PSP, but I guess I'll wait until they have a worthwhile update coming. Console loading times on a handheld just does not appeal to me at all. Handhelds need to be pick-up-and-play-friendly which the PSP certainly is not.
The PSP has better retail games than the Wii. The DS is better though.
DSi isn't since it's a stopgap, that's trying to mimic the PSP somewhat, and likely won't bring much new to the table.
Also NSMB is over-rated its over pretty quick, and the frail difficulty doesn't help extend the game.
Never take a Sony guy's comment too seriously when he is wearing a see-through shirt!
I like my DS lite and will stick to that. I haven't seen any PSP games that I thought I must have or play... As for the DSi, I will consider it once there is a game that I want that requires it...
I don't mind the PSP and because of it we got all those features in the DSi (like the Opera Browser, music player, etc.), but it doesn't really have any games for it and I am no fanboy as I have the PS2 and plan on getting the PS3 this summer.
I'd get the DSi over the PSP any day cus I don't have a DS, but if I did have a DS I wouldn't get the DSi, but I still wouldn't get the PSP too tho.
PSP has some unique games, but when it comes down to it, DS appeals more to me.
Probably because i grew up with Nintendo games. Patapon is a fun game though, and so is God of War, even though you can play better version on your ps2 xD.
i prefer any kind of DS over the PSP any day.you can't find all your favorite Nintendo franchises on the PSP and never will unless you go into emulation.besides the PSP is big fat and it falls out of my hand a lot easier than the DS does
Ds is much better in my opinion
The DS is also a lot more durable. My friend had a PSP and the screen broke just from having it in his pocket. It was in its case too.
I'd take a DSi or even an Ipod touch before I would even consider a PSP. The PSP does not have ANY games I want so I see no reason for me buying one. Plus I think the PSP is ugly.
you are kidding me right? take one good look at all the awesome titles for the ds and then tell me what handheld is better. not that i care anymore because i hardly play either systems anymore. i own both and the ds mite not be as powerful but the selection of games is by far better.i give the psp one thing ,final fantasy crisis core. i own like 3 games for the psp and 20 on the ds. my pick is ds.
Saying the DS is mainly centred around kids is like saying the Sony PSP is mainly centred aroung boys aged 12 to 16 years old. The latter is a more believeable comment whether its true or not.
I used to own a PSP when the system first launched but got rid of it shortly after that. Since then Sony has done little to convince me to purchase another. I currently own a DS but will probably wait on purchasing a DSi. I am very happy with my DS and consider it far superior to the PSP when it comes to games especially! The PSP barely has any original games for it and I don't want to play watered-down PS2 ports. I currently own 124 games for the DS so I think that speaks for the robust library of games the DS has compared to the PSP. There are a few cool things about the PSP but if I'm going to buy another handheld it will be the DSi!
Gee, a company lawding their own product, what a surprise. Pffft, I gave up on this whole console war thing. I say they're both great, and I feel sorry for anyone who has neither, or only one of them.
I own both a DS and a PSP, and I enjoy both.
Heck, even the PS2 is better than the PSP!
@LEGEND MARIOID
And the Gamecube was better than the GBA. What's your point? You can't expect a handheld to hold up as well as a home console.
the psp may have better graphics and plays movies but its alot worse than you think.
the psp has the shortest yet hardest games on this planit! you have to save all your game data to a memory stick. your hand will be over the power indicater button so you do not know if you have to recharge your psp. the psp freqently freezez! XD and the internet browser is a peice of crap. theres not much of a sellection when it comes to movies. psps games are exspensive and overpriced like 60$ for god of war III. the mp3 player can offten crash due to the slopy data incription and programing.
why you should get nintendo DSi!
the dsi serves as a multi puppose toll not just for gamers but for photographers music listeners and bissnus people yea i meen it bisnuss people! like the ipod touch serves as a usefull toll the dsi is also a very handy well made gadget with 3.1 mega pixal cameras on both sides and 3g wireless internet on the go! gamers will still be pleased with the same ds game card slot. but with added sound quality and a camera faceing you like the ps3 eye you can play camera conpatibal games gamers will find this a nice serprize. tword the end of 2009 nintendo will anounce a cell phone service for your dsi! it will be cheaper than atat with a faster network and more bars. useing the microphone will be how the service works with the dsi up to your ears. also in the near future will be dowloadable app that turn the DSi into a iphone compitition!
there will be a navagation systime for when your driveing and later on a messanger whitch is a free app so you can message other phones and your friends email adress! latter on live picto chat will be added. for movies in the near future you will be renting movies from the internet and be keeping them on a sd card untill the date the rent is delleted atomaticly on your sd card. we are also exspecting downloadable music from the dsi shop and movie rentals. there are a veriety of games for the ds and dsi games for casual and hardcore gamers like the upcomeing grand theft auto china town wars will be a hardcore gamers paridise. the internet browser on the dsi is supper fast! there will be a update in the near future so you can dowload content onto your dsi from the internet browser like java and flash player and the ability to upload movies from your sd card onto youtube. the dsi music player rocks! with thing to play with your music from your sd card or just listen normaly. the Dsi camera is every photogrphers dream! with a editor and 12 difrent lenses you can make photos the way you want the without editing them on the computer. later in the year a update may come out for the dsi so you can make movies and record footage on your dsi! the dsi shop has already a dosen games in japan!
you get 1000 points for free when you get your dsi befor october this year. beshure to get your dsi when it comes out! or else your missing out on a hole lot of fun!
psp was killed by the dsi. the dsi killed the psp with a chainsaw.
may sony and psp burn in hell muhahahahah! >:}
i hav had a ds lite since they first came out an its ok, it has a lot of games, but they are more for ages 5-12 it also has a kool design, but it breaks REALLY easily,ive already broken 2 of them . im lookin 4 somthin that has internet, a lot of games for ALL ages, an doesnt break easily, is there anythin new that i should get
for anyone thinks ndsi is for photo to wel i suposed to tell this there are cameras for psp to and even more things for psp like music hd quality movies on it good looking games games thats not for kids like dsi is more for kids the psp is like you have a pocket pc i have a psp slim/lite and a dsi psp owns dsi dsi stays with the old games that you had to do with ds so graphics of dsi didnt upgraded but on psp graphics getting upgraded it seems weird but if you upgrade the psp it seems to have a bit better graphics and the games that come on other consoles like xbox and ps3 are mostly to coming for psp
SO PSP OWNS DSI IN AL OPTIONS!!!!!............
whoever said psp is better u suk this guy said psp becuse he works for it i bet u if he worked for nintendo he would have said dsi is better
Psp sucks and it's completely useless for me I have a DSi and A iPod touch. Ds has great games and iPod is better in movies podcast intenet and everything else and now with games like N.O.V.A. I don't miss my psp one bit
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