War of the worlds


Satan Clause flees in terror as he is confronted with two fundamentally different opponents on the entertainment stage. Sony vs. Nintendo

The DS or the psP? So eyeweiss talks about it as well. But as opposed to all those Nintendo or Sony fanboy sites, I'd rather stay neutral for now and list my perceptions concerning the fundamental differences and similarities.

Style:
Both systems have their clearly defined flagships of style. In my humble preview opinion, theses are Feel The Magic on the DS and Wipeout Pure on the PsP:

Feel The Magic:


Wipeout Pure


Game play and time:
The PsP with it's Gran Tourismos and Metal Gear Solid sequels seems geared towards longer playing sessions, while the DS focuses on games with short playing sessions. This continues the tradition of the GBA sleep mode gameplay: even RPGs like Zelda or Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga consist of distinctive, short challenges that tie together to become a longer story arch. Maybe a smart move, considering the available time for mobile gaming sessions.

Social gaming:
Both systems feature their version of wireless play. The prospect of racing against 8 opponents in Wipeout Pure seems tempting, but so does owning a DS where all participants can download the game content from one single cartridge. (IF the game supports this) Maybe the DS makers try to advertise their games through this 'free preview' multiplayer gaming. This might be a smart move.

I'm not mentioning the peripherals, input systems or raw performance for two reasons: First, you can read up on that on all other websites. Secondly, it remains to be seen whether good will come of either proven concepts (PsP) or new but challenging ideas (DS). Ultimately, once again the games will sell the console.

Posted: Mon - December 13, 2004 at 02:52 PM         |

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