You can get versions of FIFA ’09 and Force Unleashed for the DS Lite, priced at £25–20 like their PSP counterparts, but the top selling Nintendo games tend to feature cartoon characters such as Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog that appeal to younger children.
Nintendo’s DS Lite: fun for all the family?
At the other end of the spectrum there are what Nintendo refers to as its "generations" games, which appeal to a much wider age group than most conventional computer games do. Titles such as Cooking Guide and the enormously popular Brain Training have attracted an older audience that wouldn’t touch the PSP with a bargepole.
The twin screens may be a bit of a strain on the eyes – they’re both 3in in size, although they actually seem smaller if you sit the DS alongside any of its rivals – but the stylus control system deserves some of the credit for the console’s success. The gamepads and buttons of the PSP might be off-putting for older people, but anyone can use a stylus to tap on the screen. The DS is undoubtedly a good choice for younger kids, and also for anyone that likes to while away boring train journeys with a crossword or Sudoku puzzle.
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It’s not enough to just produce a good games machine these days. What all the big companies are trying to do now is to develop a ‘platform’ – a device that acts as the springboard for a much wider range of activities. The iPod Touch is a good example of this. The original iPod was a simple MP3 player, but over the years Apple has added more and more features to the product, culminating in the multimedia extravaganza that is the iPod Touch.
The Touch is first and foremost a superlative music and video player, and even has its own movie rental section in the online iTunes Store. It has wireless networking features that let you browse the internet, check your email or watch videos on YouTube or the BBC iPlayer. It can even do a clever triangulation thingy that is almost-but-not-quite GPS, but which can still locate your position on a map and give directions to the destination of your choice. To be honest, the gaming aspect of the iPod Touch is merely icing on the cake.
COMMENTS
i've got a ds and a psp
and i spend most of my gaming time on my gba....
both systems have there merits but they're just to chunky to carry around easily
re: PSP games not in shops!!
My local stores have hundreds of great PSP games. In addition, if you get the V5 firmware, you can download loads of games for it from the Playstation Store.
The PSP is by far and away the best of the bunch.
As for Open Source gaming platforms. I assume you also want to pay 4x the price for it, as without the guarenteed LossLeaders of selling hardware cheap, and making it back on software, the hardware will have to be sold at a profit...
PSP games not in shops!!
The PSP is in my view the best of the game machines, however my son has to buy games online as Zavii no longer stock any PSP games and Game and other shops have a very limited stock. My daughter who has a DS however cam find almost anything in these same shops that she likes. But as review says, the DS is not a Boy's toy.... Me? I'm getting a iTouch for Christmas, Not for games, but because of the host of others things available that nether the PSP or DS support very well - Like music, Web etc, ect. But I don't count the iTouch as a games machine.
Re: What about retro?
The DS can do all that too, without butchering the firmware. And in the case of the Spectrum / C64 etc with the added bonus of a touch screen keyboard.
DS FTW!!
DS all the way
I own all three, the DS gets the most usage for games, the iPhone next and finally the PSP. Generally the PSP just sits in its charging cradle unless I feel the need to play some emulators. The PSP has had some good games (GTA:LCS, GTA:VCS, Burnout Dominator, Wipeout Pulse, etc) but it's not had anything particularly exciting for a while it seems.
