I've been reading up on the new handhelds, and I'm wondering how the opinion I've formed about the PSP will be recieved by my fellow gamers...
My opinion is basically that it's looking to be one of the worst game systems in history when I factor in everything. Here's why:
1. Durability. A disc-based handheld causes all sorts of issues. It's not like a discman where you can just get a new one for $30. Sony has proven that they can't offer a durable system even when it's a console that SITS there on your shelf. The PSP will be bashed around, clunk around in your backpack, and cause all sorts of grief and hatred especially from parents whose kids damage their games. You could toss GBA carts around all day, step on them, hit them with a hammer. Whatever. That's why it's great as a portable. The PSP won't necessarily be marketed to kids, but with the way the average gamer takes care of their stuff, it's going to be a flat out disaster. And even the guy who takes special care of it will get screwed over from random laser problems. Oh, and it's going to eat batteries like a hog.
2. Offers nothing game-wise that the next-gen systems don't have. Okay, so maybe they'll make some exclusives that will make everyone run out to get one... but that's not offering any new gameplay experiences. It's practically impossible to offer something that you can't find on another system. With all the video games in the world, there's nothing to set the PSP apart... With other portables, like the GBA, you got a lot of 2D games, which pleased us old-school fans to an extent, since those games weren't being made anywhere else anymore. With the PSP, it's basically just going to be another next-gen system... The only new thing you can do is play with your buddies at work, I guess. When you factor in #1, though, you might as well get the DS if you want to do stuff like that... Less worries about the DS breaking...
3. Horrible handheld philosophy. They seem to think that making handheld gaming a cinematic experience is the most important thing. It's the whole reason they want to use discs. Ridiculous! This goes back the durability issue a bit, too. They're choosing big, movie-like games over durability and quick pick-up-and-play games. While it's cool to give gamers a choice - maybe some people want cinematic games on the airplane - it's certainly the wrong thing to be emphasizing so much. It's the nature of a handheld that if you're playing it on a trip, you'll have to turn it off suddenly if something comes up. How can you get immersed in this huge storyline when you're just going to get interrupted? Honestly, most people are just going to end up playing this thing as another game console in their house. And as just another game console, it offers nothing new.
4. The GBA and DS will be better. The GBA is going to be a better system because it offers so many games that are easy to just pick up and play and it offers simple 2D gameplay and long battery life and duarble carts. The DS will be better because it has the ability to do things which no other console ever did or can do by using the touchpad. It's durable. The games look to be the typical colorful, easy to pick up Nintendo stuff. It might also be whoring out the graphics a bit too much for my taste, but its only disadvantage is smaller memory on the carts.
The PSP is just a waste, from what I can tell.
Thoughts?