[][][]

[Muscelli]

.
....

[chrisbid]

sony is going to "win" and i could give two ****s -_-

[calthaer]

What war? Sony's product isn't even out yet. If it actually sells and Nintendo has competition, then maybe there will be a war.

[MegaDrive20XX]

X-mas of 2005 will decide that

[jonjandran]

You forgot about the Wildcard ---- GIZMONDO

LOL LOL

[Algol]

I have seen barely ANY support for the GBA after the DS was released... a few titles are coming out, but besides that, its about dead..

IMO, GBA is nowhere near dead. If you go into any gamestore, and see how many GBA games there are compared to say, PS1 (truly dead system), you'll know how well its doing.


Also, casual gamers (most of the gamers) are graphics whores, and we all know which has better graphics...

If graphics alone decided console wars, the Lynx, Game Gear, and NGPC all would have beaten the daylights out of Game Boy.

I say this console war is anyone's game. (no pun intended.) The PSP has graphics, analog control, and the other features in the value pack, while DS has price, excellent name recognition, and new design features to its advantage.

[Sothy]

R-Zone! Betta reconnize!

http://lemuca.free.fr/images/rzone.jpg

[puxley]

You know, I think the Game.com will really surprise us all!

(puxley swiftly gets bludgeoned to death by roundtable members using Coleco super-action controllers)

Ooooff!!

[Muscelli]

u guys forgot to mention nokias new plan to dominate the market

[Lothars]

I personally think that PSP will struggle at first, (but seeing that some places are taking preorders from their 3rd shipment, I can only guess that it will have a great launch) but slowly outsell DS a little bit at a time, just like whats going on in Japan..

I personally think that DS will have a wonky life, I dont think that nintendo knows what they are doing anymore, and they are just aiming at cashing in on selling a new handheld they release every 2 or 3 years, I mean in 5 years, they have had what, 3 different handhelds? Gameboy didnt recieve any real updates in the hardware until 7 or 8 years later.... and it proved successful.. no real need to update the hardware every 2 years... also couple this with the fact that they stated that they will support gba and ds at the same time... I have seen barely ANY support for the GBA after the DS was released... a few titles are coming out, but besides that, its about dead.. they tried doing the same thing when advance came out... they said theyll support the gba and gbc at the same time... after advance came out, publishers switched over to advance, abandoning the gbc.. I think the same will happen with DS, or theyll just switch to PSP.. leaving no room for DS to have many titles...

Also, casual gamers (most of the gamers) are graphics whores, and we all know which has better graphics...

In all honesty, I wish DS would win, I like the touch screen and such, and it has a lot of potential and all... but Im worried that this will get stomped unless nintendo does something fast to save it... And if youre calling me a sony fanboy, then please keep in mind that i DO own a DS.

what do u guys think will happen


I hope the DS doesn't win, I would really hope it's pretty even between the psp and the new gameboy whenever it's out

[frodo2968]

What war? Sony's product isn't even out yet. If it actually sells and Nintendo has competition, then maybe there will be a war.

There is absolutely no doubt at all that the PSP will sell. And sell WELL. Everyone I know is really impressed by it, and wants one.

And I know that I don't even need to say who I think will "win" the "war"...at least for those of you who read a certain topic...

But for those of you who missed that, I think that the PSP will "win".

[Slipdeath]

http://wirelessdigest.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/gizmondo_1.jpg

[Ze_ro]

Frankly, I'm hoping the GBA will beat both of them. In my opinion, it has just enough power to pull off impressive games without costing too much in the process... Handheld systems are best at quick games that don't take too much effort or thought, like Tetris, Pac-Man or Mr. Driller. If I want to play 80 hours worth of 3D Japanese RPG #528, I'd rather play it at home in a comfy chair.

--Zero

[Humanoid]

I beleive that the market will be split between Sony and Nintendo. The price tag of the DS and the fact that their software is considered by many to be more "kid oriented" will let Nintendo take over the market for people aged 13 and below.

Now on the other side of things, the movie and mp3 playback of the PSP, plus the fact that games such as infection are aimed at an older crowd will give the PSP an advantage in the 14 and up catagory.

So, it's a tie in my view.
At least until the Gizmondo comes out! 8-)

[Cmosfm]

I hear virtual boy is making a comeback with a newly redisgned and actually portable console. Also it will incorporate touch games like the DS, but with a magic wand, and also you will be able to swipe barcode encrypted "gamecardz" to "enhance" your gameplay experience.

Watch out Sony, Nintendo gonna tear up on dat azz.

[tholly]

id hate to see Sony win, but i think thats what is gonna happen....and yes, i do have a gba, 2 gba sps, a ds, and my psp preordered.....

[Snapple]

That's like asking who won the 16-bit wars. There is no real answer. All is we know is that it wasn't NEC, at least outside of Japan.

However, competition = better quality. It's a fact. So hopefully both systems will really try hard to outdo each other.

I'm not commited to buy either system unless I see some good games though. Gameboy was nice when I was dragged on errands as a kid, but now that I live by myself, I really have no need for a portable video game.

[Muscelli]

id hate to see Sony win, but i think thats what is gonna happen....and yes, i do have a gba, 2 gba sps, a ds, and my psp preordered.....

Finally, somebody who agrees w/ me

[SuperNES]

http://image.lik-sang.com/content/nintendo-ds/large/nintendo-bs.jpg

[LAGO]

i'm rooting for the n-gage

[PDorr3]

I could care less who wins, but it is true that casual gamers look for graphics, so they will be going for the PSP, especialy since sony doesnt have a "kiddy image" x_x (note sarcasm).
It will be tight but I do see PSP taking off, but I think DS will have some killer games to push sales later on.
Either way I could care less, I love both either way.

[GobopopRevisited]

I would consider myself a Graphics Whore... and the only reason I think the PSP looks better is thos sprites in Populosis. If DS could do that, that would be awesome... But I could REALLY care less. Portable gaming isn't about style, its about quick fun... And DS offers that, so I think (and Hope) it will win.

But I deffinately see an even market share for the both of them, at least through 2005.

[magmax]

Although I have not played a PSP it look like a lot more time was put into making it than the DS . And what is up with this trying to make it look like a pda with the pin and crap! I was trying to aim on metroid with the pin, and it is NOT POSABLE , to put it straght dumest idea since virtual boy.

[-hellvin-]

Certainly not the Nintendo DS.

[Nez]

Easy GBA wins.

[whoisKeel]

I haven't yet played the DS, and don't plan on buying either one but...are there even any good games for the DS yet? Sony will get all the software if Nintendo doesn't step up real soon, a road we've been down before.

[DTJAAAAMJSLM]

PSP. I just have a feeling that Sony will win...

[soniko_karuto]

well, there's always the next gameboy.

The problem is, that technology is expensive, imagine that the next gameboy will have an ati/nvidia video procesor, wich will be around 30. They make the right connections, and manage to get a yamaha sound chip, another 30. They do need wireless multiplayer now, so another 30 for 3com. well, that's 90, plus a procesor, let's say nothing fancy though, 3 or 4 arms running at 200 mhz each. 20 each. we are getting round the 190 mark, plus, you'll need a screen, gotta get a screen. 100 more. 290 plus case = 350.

With the right connections, prices, and mass producing, you'll get a system at about the 200 mark, but you need profit, plus shipping. 250.

So it COULD be the next GB who might kick arse. We all know it will still be based on cards or carts. The ds is kinda, uhm, weak right now, i mean, no games and all.

[grayrobertos]

^ i remember on a interview somewer may have been a nintendo minute or something, that nintendo where saying the next gba will use the cube disks and play cube games, its just a case of overcome the battery and reliablility problems.

I don't really see the point of games like gta3 and that on your phone. I have a SPV mobile phone, it can play all sorts of games doom, duke nukem, benethe a steel sky etc. But wen im on the bus I find myself playing tetris and sonic.

I reckon that lots of people will buy the PSP initially because of the graphics but then realise that its not that good playing big games on the go and just put them in a cuboard. But I can't see anyone buying a ds either. IMHO there both not very good ideas, for different reasons.

[gepeto]

I believe neither will win. I also believe the new handhelds are pricing themselves out of the competitive market. Die hards will buy no matter what price. The real power will need to be displayed after launch. Regardless what nintendo says i believe in my heart the ds launch was a flop. The units did not sell out around me and it is still readily availible. I believe the price killed it. I have tons of friends none of them have one. When I tell them about psp they say great. When i tell them the price they laugh. As forme I will wait for the 99.00 price

[Mitch_Naz]

It should be a very close race, the PSP is coming into the picture with a very strong line up and online out of the box - Nintendo really needs to get some more games out there and try to focus on what almost DS owner wants (Online) - I think this E3 will really put the DS on track. I'm going with Nintendo DS, it has tons potential that the PSP can't *touch*.

[Slate]

Although i'm not a sony fan, I think the PSP is going to win. However graphics aren't everything, And sony isn't going to talk me into that. I'm waiting on it.

DS. I have one, And although it is very unique, Nintendo has GOT to release more, And better games. DS also needs to be advertised more.

Gizmondo? Too pricy! I mean, $400 for a PDA? If gizmondo isn't going to go down in price, Forget it.

N-Gage was a flop. I don't even see N-Gage games in EB anymore. Reminds me of NGPC...

[classicb]

Well you are all forgetting about X factor.

Gamestop and EB games employees who chant the same PSP song every time I go in there. Not only do they promote the PSP they talk down on the DS and while most of us could care less what they have to say many of your average parent consumers will listen. The N-Gage use to have a spot in the front of these stores (now taken by the DS) and now its in the back not even turned on. That spot will soon be taken by the DS. I'm sure the DS will be around but I doubt it will sell like the PSP. Anyone who thinks the DS is going to outsell the PSP in america is kidding themselves.

but what do I know after all I own a N-Gage :)

[frodo2968]

I agree with classicb. And I think that the DS will be somewhat "forgotten" once the PSP is out. Nintendo tried out the dual-screen idea, but there really isn't much point to it. Admit it - it's not that useful.

[spider-man]

The psp will "win". Especially if they can get the big time developers to make exclusive games for them. I own and love the psp, but am not interested in the ds at all for some reason. I get this virtual boy vibe from it (interesting concept that doesn't really work out that great). I also am content with my gba and psp to provide me with my portable gaming needs. The thing that I believe has hurt nintendo is there constant rereleases of different models of the gameboy (which is another reason why I don't want the ds, when the gba 2 will probably come out within 2 years). Although, when the new castlevania comes out for the ds, I may have to pick up one (unfortunately the only real title that I'm looking forward to on the system).

[ozyr]

Man, you can sure tell who are the Nintendo fans and who are the Sony fans (or both).

Myself, I truly think there is room for the PSP, GBA and DS. I always like variety, plus the competition will hopefully keep prices down.

that's my .02 worth...

end-of-line

[Richter Belmount]

seriously its ngage , i neither own one or played one.

[DLord0]

Ultimately how a system does will depend on the game titles released for it and so far neither system has enough great titles to make it a sure thing in my opinion.

The PSP will have an edge over the DS in terms of graphics and it is a significant advantage but the battery time issue negates that somewhat. The pros and cons of each system has been talked about far too many times already so I don't think it's worth dragging out the whole argument all over again.

Personally, I really enjoyed the GBA since I could play a lot of classic SNES ports or SNES-esque games on it, and that's why I'm very much partial to the DS since the new backlit screen makes the GBA games look better than on the GBA SP. I would very much like to see more quality first person shooters like Metroid released for the DS, as well as more ports, remakes or sequels to the N64 hits. A new Zelda would definitely be a hit, I just hope they release a proper Zelda adventure game and not one of those Four Swords games.

[hydr0x]

I reckon that lots of people will buy the PSP initially because of the graphics but then realise that its not that good playing big games on the go and just put them in a cuboard.

most intelligent thing i have read in this topic *applause*

Sony really needs to make some "handheld-style" games, a lot of people won't see any reason to play "console-style" games after a while, sure the system should really sell well because of the capabilities, but, if there's mainly bigger games for it people might wonder what should make them play on that tiny screen if they can have the same things better on their tv, always remember, the 14+ market hasn't got anywhere as much time to play handhelds (in bus, train, whatever) as the <14-market

[hydr0x]

just a little thing to add:

with a "battle" like PSP vs. DS i'm sure we won't see any trend in any direction before Christmas 2005, everything that happens before doesn't mean shit for one important reason:

a much higher percentage of the people interesed in PSP have their own money to buy it than the people interested in DS which means that a lot of DSs will be bought as gifts thus you can't really compare sales until christmas as that is gift season no1

[Gemini-Phoenix]

The Ngage, Zodiac, GP32, and GameTrac will all falter miserably as we saw ten years ago in the 32bit wars.

It will be between Nintendo and Sony for sure - Nintendo having the upper hand as it A) Has two handheld consoles, and B) Has been in the handheld industry since the beginning and before!

But, Sony have a knack of winning the race from the back, and after they sort out their hardware problems could take on Nintendo with ease.


Define race? At what point do you announce a winner?


Nintendo being Nintendo though, will no doubt make a stupid mistake (Ie, piss off EA or something) and suffer because of it. We've seen it before (With online gaming, EA, and Squaresoft to name but a few) so it will be their undoing.

Sony being Sony have their universal connectability to virtually all other Sony products, which works in it's favour. It is also much more than just a gaming machine.

I think the GBA SP is still a contender too.

[zmweasel]

Define race? At what point do you announce a winner?

The race is the number of hardware units sold worldwide, and you declare a winner when either the PSP or the DS has achieved an insurmountable lead (as with the PS2 in the console market).

As for my pick, it's a no-brainer: the PSP is going to crush the DS. You only need to see the PSP live and in action to understand that the PSP's screen is a system seller all by itself.

Here's an entertaining rant by David Smith (doktorsmith.1up.com):

Have you played Ridge Racer on the DS? Ridge Racer on the DS is a shovelware port made by people who do not give a damn and published by people who give even less of a damn. It should have been subtitled "Ridge Racer DS: We Just Don't Give A Damn."

Ridge Racers on the PSP, by comparison, is like Reiko showing up on your doorstep asking to have sex on the hood of a Ferrari. It should have been subtitled "Ridge Racers: This Is What You're Gonna Get From A Next-Generation Handheld, And Screw That Other Guy."

People gather around in small crowds around this game, just to stare at the goddamned interface jumping out of the superlatively awesome PSP screen. Just to look at the menu designs and listen to the narrator chick yacking about exploring the world of Ridge Racer. That says something to me.

See, I noticed something a little while ago about the DS. Every time I said something about the DS, it was along the lines of "the games it has now kinda suck, but..." It was all wait a year and maybe developers will figure out what the hell to do with this mutant interface that Nintendo has shoved down their throats while insisting it's the future. And then you have the PSP, which right now has games that hook people within the space of about half a minute.

You don't have to explain the PSP. It's right there smacking you in the face. People will walk up to demo kiosks, look at super-rushed launch games, and say "Holy hell, you only want $200 for this thing?" Give someone a DS and you have to deliver a lecture on how the silly bastard is supposed to work. And then you have to hem and haw a bit when they ask "well, can I do anything with this second screen here besides play goofy mini-games?"

I look at the DS third-party software list and I think, why? If Koji Igarashi makes a new Castlevania for the DS instead of the PSP, he is a goddamned crack-smoking brain-dead moron. Widescreen high-res Symphony of the Night-style Castlevania on this thing would be like bloodsucking Jesus. What the hell am I going to do in a DS Castlevania? Rejigger my equipment inventory on the touchscreen? The mind reels. If Square Enix makes a new Seiken Densetsu on the DS instead of the PSP, they are dumber than they were when they thought people would pay $50 for Driving Emotion Type-S.

And I am saying this crazy stupid slanderous irresponsible nonsense about a launch game. When real games that people put effort into come out, I dunno what's gonna happen. Cerebral hemmorhages or something.

Incidentally, our PSP has not broken or exploded or started spontaneously vomiting up its innards on the floor. When the inevitable disc read error or whatever rears its ugly head, I reserve the right to act like all of the above never happened.

-- Z.

[goatdan]

I have no real idea. I put it something like this:

The DS has sold over 2 million units already on one of the worst launch line ups this side of the Jaguar. That is a pretty amazing act, and it is even stranger to me that nearly nothing is scheduled for a near-term release for it. They released this thing, had about 10 games come out for it and that has been the entire story so far. I can't think of one other console in recent history since the Jaguar that has had such a crappy and slow-to-market line-up. At the same time, I can't deny the fact that Nintendo has already sold a ton of consoles, and while the interface is different, it could present some unique titles... if Nintendo ever decides to bring them out.

Nintendo has really dropped the ball. Some simple touch games such as a all-card game (solitaire versions) or a Jawbreaker clone sold at really cheap prices would go a LONG way to making the touch screen a LOT more worthwhile. Those games may be on my PDA, but they are there because they are perfectly suited to being touch games. Hell, I could probably program a solid game of one of the above two in a couple weeks. Why Nintendo or anyone else hasn't thought of this is beyond me.

And why isn't there a version of Tetris out for it? Another simple game that they could've cranked out that would be great on the screen set up.

On the other hand, the PSP seems to look incredible, but I can't get over the price and the battery life. As much better as it looks, I can't find myself paying more for a handheld than a component console, and I can't find myself paying $40-$50 for a game. If / when a Greatest Hits series begins for it, I'll be very interested, but I think that $30.00 is the limit for me for a portable game.

The other thing that is just interesting to note is that the Lynx owned every hardware aspect over the GameBoy when it was released. It had a great color screen that displayed a ton of different colors, was backlit and all this other nifty stuff. It failed to catch on for a variety of reasons, but one of the biggest was battery life. Perhaps rechargables makes this a lot more of a moot point now, but a system with a two to four hour battery charge will be a bit of a hard sell.

Of course, unlike the Lynx the PSP has a strong brand name behind it (which Atari most certainly did not at the time). It also has at least a couple high profile launch titles, which the Lynx did not. Nintendo won because it had Tetris. I don't know if anything the PSP has is as strong as Tetris was (in fact, I would say that since you can get Tetris on a phone now, I don't know if _anything_ will ever be as strong as Tetris again), but I think that the games show a lot more potential than the DS launch has.

On the other hand, it seems like Japan has adapted to the DS a lot quicker than the PSP which was a little surprising to me. I think that the PSP is the perfect machine for the Asian market where commuting is very common and all-in-one devices rule. The PSP is that all-in-one device, and why it hasn't caught on quicker is a surprise to me. And I don't believe anyone who points to the fact that Sony can't manufacture them quick enough -- Nintendo brought up another factory when initial demand for the DS was super high, and I'm positive that Sony could do the same if they felt it was necessary.

That having been said, after all the hype of the new systems I'm pretty underwhelmed by both companies so far. I really expected Nintendo to take it to Sony in the way of games and Sony to take it to Nintendo in the way of price. So far, both companies have fallen well short of my hopes.

I think that this war is going to be much like the war of the Geni vs. SNES. It was a long war with some victoires on both sides, and after it was all said and done it was still hard to determine a clear cut winner.

I guess we'll all just have to wait and see.

[cr0n0]

I say GBA because it is a cheaper system. PSP is aimed at an older audience and is considered a more sophisitcated piece of machinery. The GBA is seen as a toy for kids, so parents will have no problem buying one for their kid. I don't see parents byuing multiple PSP's the way they do GB's. I see families with three or four kids and all have their own gameboy. that's the only reason I see Nintendo winning the "predicted" war.

[Porkchop]

PSP wins! The stores are full of DS's. If they were popular they would be hard to find right now.

[RCM]

The status quo will win. How many developers are really taking advantage of the DS? Not many. Most developers do not innovate for various reasons. The PSP will certainly compete if not totally dominate Nintendo. If we had more developers taking risks and developing new experiences only possible on DS that's one thing. That aint gonna happen. Plus the DS doesn't have the horse power that the PSP has. The Revolution could suffer the same fate. Developers will continue to develop the same old shite which is really sad. A majority, there are few exceptions.

THE ONE, THE ONLY- RCM

[GobopopRevisited]

Who is winning? Cats or Dogs?

Cats don't care about you (SCE...)
Dogs Smell like shit (DS graphics...)

Any winners?

Cats always look pretty damn cool (PSP graphics...)
Dogs will treat you like a god (Nintendo...)

Any winners?

[Promophile]

Personally I have played less and less handheld systems the older I've gotten. As it stands today I RARELY play handheld games, and if I do it's only for a few minutes every few months. The prices of the DS and PSP just disgust me. Spending 200-300 dollars on a top of the line CONSOLE SYSTEM is a big purchase for me, I can't see myself spending that much on a system with N64 / PS1ish graphics.

And while I'm on it I'd like to say I would personally rather own a DS. They seem like PORTABLE games, while the PSP games are portable console games. That and the fact that your getting like 2-3 freaking hours of battery life out of a PSP.

[Jive3D]

In my eyes both systems will see some very cool games - but which system will create the best community. IF they both go online via the net so that we can connect to other gamers and play with them, anywhere we want (or at hot spots) then the system that has the better multiplayer library will win.

The only reason that I enjoy my DS is because every once in a while I meet up with a bunch of rancom strangers at a bar, and we all play DS while throwing back a few beers - right there it has created a community of gamers that I would have never met otherwise, and I think that's very cool. No, I don't mean that gamers need a new way to meet friends, but what I have noticed is that as I have gotten older (I'm 25 now) - ALL of my friends, save for one, no longer care for gaming. If nintendo addresses this fact and let's me meet other gamers online via my DS (or my PSP) then power to them.

PSP looks nice, but I'm not buying at Lauch, it just seems foolish - then again there's wipeout pure (which has online content, but it's only game DLs and not online competition vs others. Once again - it's ALL going to be about community... Animal Crossing, Mario Kart and whatever else Nintendo has up it's plumbers sleeve... or the PSP with, well whatever the hell it's going to offer.

DemaSked needs to fade back into existance again, and SOON.

[le geek]

Here's my guess...

In terms of market share Sony will claim up to 50% of the portable market and Nintendo (with the GBA, DS, GBA2 combined) will keep at least 50% of the portable market.

This is still a big blow to Nintendo...

Cheers,
Ben