AniHawk said:Didn't the Saturn have all of that first?
Ignatz Mouse said:I don't think "Stocking stuffer" is quite right, but a couple years between systems is a long time for that price. I think the backwards compatibility *does* help, too, especially families with multiple kids.
Consider that a new console every 4-5 years at double that price, for some families. Not too dissimilar.
Bogdan said:I am not arguing that they are pulling the handheld out of the shadows of home consoles because I don't think handhelds were ever in the shadow. What you don't seem to understand is that before Sony videogames were for kids.....Right now handhelds are held to an even lower standard than that. Sony is banking on changing the entire dynamic of the market.
I think the ghetto analogy is fabulous.
Ignatz Mouse said:Maybe it's just me, but I took his comment to mean the overall state of the handheld market, not the hardware and software itself. And I would agree-- the market's overflowing with shovelware and the primary purchasers are children, so quality is not a high bar for most publishers. I *know* that the creap of the crop bucks this trend, but the overall handheld market is pretty crappy when compared to the console market-- there's less variety, and fewer great games, and a death of serious adult titles (like stealth games, racers, deeper sports games).
MassiveAttack said:The reason the GBA market is primarily flooded with crap is due to the economics of the platform. Simply put, 3rd party publishers all secretly HATE the GBA. Profit margins are by far the worst amongst all videogame platforms and the top 10 titles generate more than 90% of the revenue.
GameSpot said:The graphics power of the unit is also capable of processing higher polygon counts than expected. Developers moving existing console franchises to the PSP can spend more time on creating original art rather than worrying about reducing polygon counts on existing art.
Ahhh Agent X, if only you posted early on this thread wouldn't have left a sour note. That was a well informed and intelligent post, very nice.Agent X said:A BUNCH OF LETTERS
The quote itself from Hirai is too incredibly vague in order to spark any delliberate debate over what he said, rather this thread is a result of people extrapolating the possible meaning of his words. The term ghetto and how it is applied to the handheld market was never specifically mentioned, that quote was merely to drum up support from investors and consumers. While I don't agree with Hirai on most of the applications of the term (afterall he wasn't specific) I do agree with a lot of what you had to say. Like with any opinion, viewing it under certain conditions will always make it correct so that's moot.Agent X said:That was a great quote from Mr. Hirai. It's amazing how just that one little comment has sparked an entire discussion, that has caused so many people here to further analyze the state of the handheld gaming market. Just the fact that this discussion is taking place at all should indicate that there's at least some accuracy in that remark--if not, it would've been summarily dismissed.
DCharlie said:just to be devils advocate, i'd just like to point out one area that the DS seems to be way better than the PSP at at the moment... (before the thread is locked)
wireless play/multiplsyrer
We played 5 players Ridge a few days back... christ... LAAAAAAAAAAAAAG. The game reduced to a shuddering snail fest.
Then there is the "oh, but you have to use 2 machines, and then 2 people have to play on one machine" ARSEFEST that is Piposaru and Puyo Puyo.
What is wrong with letting everyone use their own screen?!?!
Mojipittan multiplayer? Pass one machine between each other
Mingol ? 8 player tourney mode is great, you all play, then it just clocks the scores together. But the versus battle (which can only support 1 vs 1 rather than a 4 player game a la the ps2 version) gets a little rough.
Musou has no multiplayer (disappointingly) ,
luminies has a -slight- lag
Puzzle bobble has a versus mode, but only against a CPU character
Mahjong Fight club is pretty straight forward and works fairly well
DS?
Puyo Puyo : 8 players
Band Brothers : 8 players
koie mahjong : 4 players
Cool 104 : 2 players
Pokemon Dash : 6 players
Drill Spirits : 5 players
Mario : 4 players
TnOS Crystal drive : 4 players
Zoo Keeper : 2 players
Hitofude : 2 players
Wario is a disappointment that it's not got wireless play, but in comparison to the PSP, the wireless multiplay options are way beyond.
I'd previously played 3 player Ridge wireless and it was fine. 5 was a shit fest. I dread to think what 8 player will be like.
MassiveAttack said:DCharlie - This is a very significant issue if true. What do you think the cause of the lag is with PSP? 802.11b not fast enough to process the amount of data being transferred between multiple PSPs? Or is it a firmware flaw in the PSP itself? I seriously doubt it is the network itself.
onion_pixy said:wow. I play my GBA all over and guys never notice me.I wish I was hawt like you GamerDiva. Im so jealous of your looks, I'll never compare. Oh well. Maybe that will change when I have my PSP :lol
Like DC and Saturn fans before you, Sony will make you eat massive doses of crow within a year. The PSP is getting beat b/c Sony can't make enough of them. As DCharlie keeps saying, they don't know how to launch a machine? I disagree, I think they are just really tight on their production schedules. But if they could make 1M in Japan, you don't think 1M would be sold by now? Much like the PS2 before it, the PSP is a juggernaut that has not yet gotten up to speed. DC fans once cheered too and revelled in the sales numbers. Until the PS2 production got into full swing and quickly reversed the results. I can't see how the PSP won't outsell the DS, unless they really do jack up the pricing here. But speculation is indeed fun.CVXFREAK said:Those are big words coming from Kaz Hirai considering:
1. DS wiped the floor with PSP in Japan
2. GBASP kept up with the PSP in Japan
3. The GBASP and DS have better software (my personal opinion) than PSP
Pimpwerx said:Like DC and Saturn fans before you, Sony will make you eat massive doses of crow within a year.
Hero said:I can't play Ridge Racers on my 50' HDTV.
I saw this very pretty young lady playing Advance Wars on the bus the other day. Unfortunately, she looked about 15.onion_pixy said:wow. I play my GBA all over and guys never notice me.I wish I was hawt like you GamerDiva. Im so jealous of your looks, I'll never compare. Oh well. Maybe that will change when I have my PSP :lol
Future said:----------------
I just think it's ridiculous. Yeah, that screen of the PSP is dead sexy. But as far as games go, besides Lumines, I can play Ridge Racer or Hot Shots Golf on my 50' HDTV.
----------------
That's right now...at launch. The truth is that Nintendo has had the market convinced that handheld entertainment must always be a couple generations behind in technology with minimal controls and limited functionality. Sony has destroyed this line of thought with tech almost as good as consoles and tons of functionality. Out of the ghetto is the perfect analogy.
I also don't see many games worthwhile at launch, but I didn't see any when the PS2 launched either. The key is that the possibilities on this machine are much greater than what out now, and worth every gamers attention.
What sucks is that Nintendo could have easilly retained control if they had released something with similar tech. Even if the DS was DC quality, the decision to switch to PSP wouldn't be so easy as it will be in a couple of months. Just left themselves wide open to get owned yet again
If the GBA2 comes out in a year or two, it had better be a significant leap over the PSP. The Xbox was a good jump over the PS2. The GC was not. At least MS tried, Nintendo is satisfied with marginal improvements. Their policy sucks dick. If the GBA is merely a marginal improvement in all areas, I see no reason to be impressed. The day Nintendo pushes the envelope again is the day I give them praise as a hardware company again. I'd expect something Xbox-quality by next year. The PSP is only being praised on the hardware side b/c it's pushed the envelope and has provided a considerable step up. Now handhelds can genuinely mimic console games, no more compromises.Hero said:So to all the people who are defending this quote about the ghetto, can we save this thread for when the inevitable GBA2 announcement comes and trumps PSP in every possible manner? Logically, since the PSP is God (Sony's) gift to handheld gamers, and the GBA2 will most likely have better graphics, sound, screen, battery life, backwards compatible with all previous GB incarnations, you will be all for the GBA2, correct?
I just think it's ridiculous. Yeah, that screen of the PSP is dead sexy. But as far as games go, besides Lumines, I can play Ridge Racer or Hot Shots Golf on my 50' HDTV.
Does anyone see a problem with how close the PSP is to the PS2? Surely not every developer has enough resources to make "Game X" for both the PS2 (and possibly the other systems) not to mention the PSP, and have them both optimized. Something's gotta give, so either the PS2 support suffers or the PSP support suffers.
Hero said:I just think it's ridiculous. Yeah, that screen of the PSP is dead sexy. But as far as games go, besides Lumines, I can play Ridge Racer or Hot Shots Golf on my 50' HDTV.
Hero said:So to all the people who are defending this quote about the ghetto, can we save this thread for when the inevitable GBA2 announcement comes and trumps PSP in every possible manner? Logically, since the PSP is God (Sony's) gift to handheld gamers, and the GBA2 will most likely have better graphics, sound, screen, battery life, backwards compatible with all previous GB incarnations, you will be all for the GBA2, correct?
Doc Holliday said:The PSP is obviously a great piece of hardware but I still think it needs a killer app in Japan at least. I think in the US its not as important but In japan they could use a Dragon quest, Pokermon or FF type game. DS has pokemon, Jump stars, and whatever stupid game Nintendo decides to stick mario in. Just because we hardcore geeks here in gaf are importing these mofos it doesnt change the fact that the DS is selling and selling in high numbers. Sony doesnt have a year. Third Parties aren't going to give a shit that the DS is selling because of PSP shortages. They will see millions of potential customers and start cranking out DS games, which are probably cheaper to develop anyway. Sony of all companies should know this first hand.
I mean if you're konami, capcom, square, etc and you see that the ds has a higher installed base. Do you shift your resources to develop a psp game that will cost close to a ps2 game , a full fledged console game or a cheaper DS game? If your going to spend the bucks to make a PSP game might as well go for the safer bet and make a console game.
Bagh i'm rambling...must finish my christmas games..
Hero said:So to all the people who are defending this quote about the ghetto, can we save this thread for when the inevitable GBA2 announcement comes and trumps PSP in every possible manner? Logically, since the PSP is God (Sony's) gift to handheld gamers, and the GBA2 will most likely have better graphics, sound, screen, battery life, backwards compatible with all previous GB incarnations, you will be all for the GBA2, correct?
Hero said:I just think it's ridiculous. Yeah, that screen of the PSP is dead sexy. But as far as games go, besides Lumines, I can play Ridge Racer or Hot Shots Golf on my 50' HDTV.
Hero said:Does anyone see a problem with how close the PSP is to the PS2?
Hero said:Surely not every developer has enough resources to make "Game X" for both the PS2 (and possibly the other systems) not to mention the PSP, and have them both optimized. Something's gotta give, so either the PS2 support suffers or the PSP support suffers.
Amir0x said:God this is the most stupid fucking argument ever. THE PSP IS PORTABLE. If you want to play Ridge Racer and Hot Shots Golf on your 50" television, that's fine. But you will not play Ridge Racer and Hot Shots Golf on your 50" television on the go, so stop using this stupid fucking argument. It's the dumbest fucking argument ever conceived in the history of mankind, and everyone who uses it looks at least thirty percent more dumb for using it.
One is portable. One is not. Period. If you want to play a game on the go, you go to PSP. If you want to play a game on your couch in front of your 50' television, you go to the console.
soundwave05 said:I get a weird feeling Game Boy Next will be GameCube compatible (instead of Revolution).
If that's the case, the screen would have to be 640x480, wouldn't it?
Anyways, if GB Next launches in 2006 and isn't better than the PSP tech wise, I'd say they're in pretty deep shit.
How about we use the argument that why get a DS when you can play a N64 on two tvs stacked on top of each other? Yea, I'm going to start using this argument whenever I see something similar to: "Why buy a PSP, when I already have a PS2."Amir0x said:God this is the most stupid fucking argument ever. THE PSP IS PORTABLE. If you want to play Ridge Racer and Hot Shots Golf on your 50" television, that's fine. But you will not play Ridge Racer and Hot Shots Golf on your 50" television on the go, so stop using this stupid fucking argument. It's the dumbest fucking argument ever conceived in the history of mankind, and everyone who uses it looks at least thirty percent more dumb for using it.
CVXFREAK said:Well....... duh.
I think you're overreacting here. You can't really play DS games anywhere else. PSP games, you pretty much can, and if you don't think sometime down the line there will be a conflict of interest between getting a PSP and PS2/Xbox/GC/PC release for both consumers and publishers, you're simply kidding yourself. Not saying that's your train of thought, but I thought I'd say it just in case.
Amir0x said:Yes you can. I can play MADDEN on my console, and no the DS version is not preferable because it has TOUCH SCREEN LOLLERIFIC ACTION. I can play TIGER WOODS on my console, and no it is NOT preferable because it has SUPER TOUCHSCREEN SWINGING ACTION. I can play Ridge Racer DS on my N64 or on an emulator if I prefer, and no the DS version is not preferable because of MY GARBAGE STEERING WHEEL CONTROL TRAINING SET.
GBA gets console ports all the time - they're just crap. The DS is going to get console ports as well, only they'll be chucked down visually and they'll typically have some stop-gap touch screen thing to go with it.
Nobody should see a problem with it because there ain't no problem at all.
soundwave05 said:You can play Made In Wario on the GBA or GameCube.
The DS version adds touch control, but actually some people think the GBA version with tilt sensors is actually a better game.