Gaming on the go: Is the PSP a better portable system than the DS?

Gaming Verdict breaches the sensitive subject of which is the better portable console, deciding that overall the PSP just scrapes a win over Nintendo's excellent fliptop handheld.

"I love the DS, and I wouldn't change it for the world. Overall, I'd have to say it's without a doubt a better console than the PSP simply because of its excellent games catalogue and innovative charms. But the best portable console? That honour most certainly goes to the PSP."

[Shadow Flare]

I'd say so and i could list a plethora of reasons why. But personally my favourite reason is the compatibility with ps3 and the ability to transfer psone/psp games bought from the psn store onto the psp. Whew, that's alot of ps's.
PS. PSP FTW

[CrashSharc]

As a hardcore gamer, Yes. The PSP is much better. I just wish More devs would work with it. Damn the Piracy Crisis....

[PS360WII]

As a big time RPG player I would have to side with the DS.

I can see what this guy is saying but I still disagree because long trips on the road have not made the stylus un-usable. Actually when riding around I get more problems with how the light shines on the system then pressing buttons or using the stylus

[MikeGdaGod]

i'd take the PSP over the DS anyday and 100x's more on vacations.

it's a great all-in-one

[Doppy]

The DS has better games to me since their 1st party games are tailored to work extremely well on the DS (PSP has a few like GOW), but all the things the PSP can do make it a much better system than the DS without a doubt. Just get more games PSP.

[BrotherNick]

Whoever made this is for sure flamebaiting...the title is "Verdict: Gaming on the go" It does say something about the psp being better, but that's not in the title.

[Jam_sponge]

Yeah I know- it's actually a case of a formatting issue on our site, If I put the whole title in one line it would screw up the presentation- so the second half of the title (which clearly states something similar to the description above) can be seen on the main page of the site @ www.gamingverdict.com, but won't appear when you directly link to the article.

It's essentially an issue we've got with the way the site's coded, and we're looking to fix it, but 'Verdict: Gaming on the go' is actually only half of the articles' title.

[BrotherNick]

Hehe, fine then.

[Jam_sponge]

I feel bad though, had loads of complaints about it! It's fair enough though, I would have taken the same stance exactly. I'll be more careful in the future though, I promise! :)

[DJ]

And having the same Quick Boot function makes sure that any game, no matter how small or epic, can be taken in digestible chunks. I like my DS too, but the PSP's games are just more advanced. The music playback is surprisingly good as well, at least better than my iPod.

[SaiyanFury]

Totally agreed. I've been playing Disgaea PSP for a few months now and I've just broken over 100 hours. The standby function of the PSP is a brilliant addition and the fact that it doesn't consume battery life is also awesome. The DS also has a standby function but for some reason it consumes battery life when in hibernation. Also the PSP's battery life may be a bit short, but you can also buy the upgraded battery for like 40 bucks or something and it increases the system's lifespan a good 20%. I wouldn't go so far as to say the games library is better than the DS, but it certainly has it's gems. Disgaea, Crisis Core: FFVII, God of War and many others. There are a lot of great reasons to own the system. Hell, I bought a second PSP just so I could use homebrew on my first one for emulators and ROMs. I didn't want to take any risks with bricking it in case something screwed up. Good article! :)

[SaiyanFury]

If you disagree then feel free to educate me on your own opinion.

[wolfehound22]

I think the PSP os better IMO.

[whateva]

just the fact that I can go on youtube and play arcade games with my PSP makes it better then the DS.

[jkhan]

The only reason i bought a PSP was to play God of War Chains of Olympus, after that I played Crisis Core, just finished Killzone Liberation on it.. Now it isn't doing much just sitting in a corner of my shelf, collecting dust:(
Why isn't Sony announcing any big games for it:(

[MikeGdaGod]

Metal Gear Portable Ops is worth checking out. along with the Gradius Collection (5 games in one).

[Imallvol7]

I dislike portables.

However, my mom is obsessed with her DS. I have to give it mad props for getting my mom to game again.

The PSP is most definitely the better device, but even I am considering a DS purchase (I have no interest in PSP). The games are too fun and a CycloDS card is just too easy to get.

[PS360WII]

Oh CycloDS = uber :)

[H-V-H]

I'm more of a DS man

To each his own.

[Prototype]

I had a DS at one time to play Pokemon Diamond and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3; after about 3 weeks I sold it since I didn't really see any reason to keep it. I still have my PSP Slim and enjoy it.

A lot of people favor the PSP more since its easier to "hack" and add homebrew which will extend the life of the system way beyond the DS.

[Strife Lives]

Metal gear portable ops.Def Jam fight for NY.Ace Combat X.God Of War. And theres reasons why I love my PSP! oh.and you tube.and that web browser. And. . .maybe. . .the ability to play Gran Turismo,Dino Crisis2 And Metal Gear Solid. :D

[giovonni]

I see the points, and the PSP is an excellent portable. However, I have to side with the DS, the games are a bit more innovative just because of the stylist. My wife and I go back and fourth in Brain Age, but thats not the point .

I think what makes a portable the best is if the person who brought it is using it to its full potential. In the case of the DS/and PSP they are two totally different systems one focuses more on the games and interaction, while the other is a jack of all trades master of none type of system. So, yes PSP wins for best portable system becasue you can do more, but whats the use if the person doesn't use all the features that the PSP holds?

[SaiyanFury]

Good point about the stylus. Although that same point is a reason that a lot of people prefer the PSP. Simpler controls often make for a better experience. Not all the time of course as the author stated himself.

[Marceles]

It depends to me...I only lightly use my DS if I want to jump into a quick game like Tetris DS or New Super Mario Bros, but I use my PSP mostly for everything else...especially to play my PS1 classics. Of course PSP can do many things the DS can't do, but I think the DS is better for casual gamers...I'm more of a PSP person though with all the PS1 games I play on it.

[boyo]

Yeah, the guy who wrote the article actually said he thought the DS was a better console, just not for when you're travelling about.

[season007]

end of story..

[heyheyhey]

i'd rather take the PSP on a holiday

but some games work really well with the touch screen on the DS

[Shaka2K6]

The nds is for kids and the games for it suck really bad, theres nothing but rehash of games i already played on the gba.

the big issue with the nds though is the d-pad sucks its a terrible idea and the lack of Mature AAAs for real hardcore mature gamers like me.

also its an embarrasment playing a nds in public pls.

[Kain81]

The DS and Wii has games that i dont like so much.
And in my Opinion SE has made a wrong desicion to bring the Remakes of FF to Ds and not PSP.
#But Last Time SE do much more Wrong Desicisions#

[vox]

i think most of you psp fanboys either
a) haven't played a ds period
or b) have not played a lot of ds games in general
it also seems like most of you had a DS first and then got a PSP so of course you're naturally going to be more impressed

let me begin by saying my ds does pretty much anything i can do on my psp other than skype and psx games, but it also has some stuff the psp doesn't have
the ds is also superior for durability, portability, battery life, and yes the library
the psp multimedia gimmick really wears out fast, and whoever said the psp mp3 player is better than their ipod must be using the first generation ipod shuffle...

as for hackability... let me explain.. i wanted a ds first, i couldn't find one, so I got a psp (this took 3 returns and it still wasn't perfect.. dead pixels and broken square button on every model i tried) eventually i got a ds lite and I even have a 2nd one
now the psp was great for hacking... for a while
but now that I have an r4.. lets compare.. i have a 2 gig card for my ds.. which fits around 35 games.. and a 4 gig for my psp.. which fits around 4-5 games... which would you rather have with you everywhere you go?

one of my final points.. Ready at Dawn... developer of God of War:COO and Daxter just sent back their psp dev kits... so don't expect too many stellar games coming out in the future
probably the only thing i'd want down the pipeline for my psp is kingdom hearts, and if it weren't so hackable I probably would've sold mine by now... though it really is a paper weight considering my battery doesn't hold a charge over a day anymore

also for the record
crisis core is GARBAGE and TWEWY destroys it by MILES
i can't entirely agree with the "ds is better for casual game" argument when the psp' most popular game relies mostly on random luck from a spinning wheel
how can you support a sony system with barely any rpgs, it's like buying an xbox that has no FPS games on the market

a lot of these arguments you people are making are just due to ignorance because you are not aware of what the ds can be capable of.. for example youtube, and don't forget the ds browser comes with a ram cart

[vic_doom]

like you said you have 35 games on your ds, anything else?

on my psp's 8gb card right now i have
games:
pop: revelations
gow: coo
street fighter: am3
ff ix
100's of nes, snes, genesis

movies:
iron man
indiana jones kotks
some porn
episodes of i shouldnt be alive tv show

music:
80+ songs at any given time

pictures:
some from a recent camping trip at the lake
a lot from a recent backpacking trip through the smokies
some from the other day of my nephew
some from easter on another backpacking trip

psp is underated as a photo album imo

just remember you ds has 35 "games" and thats it

[season007]

you can say as much as you want, it doesn't change the fact that PSP is a better product compared with the DS

first, any doubt that PSP can run almost all DS games in terms of graphics? Can you say the alternate for DS?

second, hackability= cheap ass ...well i don't comment on that

third, almost everything you use can be done on DS just means that you don't do much with technology...heck, can i say the 30 years old land line phone is as good as my HTC kaiser just because i don't use anything other than the phone function?

last but not least, commenting a specific game is garbage is easy, i can't but i believe anyone can easily name hundreds of garbage DS games that have no innovative factor but just spam the touch screen with some kiddie graphics....

I personally do own more than 1 DS and PSP, and i don't really care which is superior...but when you say one thing is inferior, i would say that's BS

[Kyur4ThePain]

I literally stopped right there.

Look at the posts above yours. Do you see any derision? Any name calling?
Why do you feel the need to come in here and f\/ck up the good karma?

Back on topic...I have two PSPs and a DS. Well, the DS was my wife's. I don't think either of us know where it is now. When I got my slim PSP she took the phat one.

[vox]

i've been a playstation gamer my entire life so i can't really find a term like "fanboy" offensive but if it causes you to react in a negative way... try not to take it so serious
it's not really like i'm directing it towards anyone specifically, just the group of people who solely own a psp and feel they're able to compare it to a system they don't own

i mean like i said, i bought a psp before my ds.. but it just seems like whatever new toy you have is automatically the preferred one because you haven't ran its gimmick into the ground yet
other than that, i can't say i'm really "name calling" since I haven't really attached a name to the person i'm 'calling', rather it's just a lash out at strict bias

i wouldn't really say I have a bias towards any system, I just feel the need to defend who ever is being knocked
also handhelds seem to be my forte since they're so easy to hack, it's easy to get a lot of experience in the library of both systems
i've probably played over 100 psp and ds games
trust me, as much as I loved playing burnout (and oddly enough, i barely touched mario kart) the psp is generally a port machine and whenever I see someone with one, i get excited for a minute thinking I might get some multiplayer action, then I realize the person is playing like a crappy soccer or baseball game heh

[BrotherNick]

No lives, plus the fact that they can talk crap without being punched in the face.

[Ri0tSquad]

IMO

[kewlkat007]

Yeah the NDS is one of those handhelds that have infinite potential.
We know Nintendo is not all about Graphics at the expense to keep it affordable and development cost down. Imagine a NDS on Steroids with the touch-screen? Ok we can only dream..(la.la.la.la.la.la)

I have a DS and a PSP and while the PSP has great graphics, the simplicity and being able to use the touch screen of the DS make it more fun to use.

-The DS got my little niece(6 years old) Playing the simple games on there(some Educational).

-One of my co-workers, his wife and 2 kids all have DS's and play together on co-op games.(I guess they don't like to go out)

-Now you got celebrities making DS commercials and sh^t.

It is not as powerful as the PSP but it doesn't need to be. The games are simple, intuitive and it does education games(no-brainer for some parents).

The PSP's fanbase will always be that PS2 type gamer. I can't see it reaching out and pulling in Mothers, Grand Parents, really young kids..etc This goes the same for the Wii, looking at it.

The PSP will always be in the shadow of it's Big brother and nothing more.

[SpikeSpiegel]

And I havent regretted my purchase yet. Alot of people talk about how handheld games are meant for on-the-go gaming and then they complain about how short the games are.

While alot of the PSP games are ports or rehashes of PS2 games, they are still fun to play. Who wouldn't want to play the Warriors, Midnight Club 3, Burnout, etc. while they are away from their consoles. Is that such a bad thing? I am currently playing Silent Hill Origins (finally!) and I love it! My two complaints are there are not enough survival horror games for the system and the control layouts can cause some pain in your hands if you play for a while. Other than that, the psp is a great handheld system.

[jcfilth]

yeah some are short but, have you played FF:VIICC? I never thought a PSP game would be that long, or MGS:PO? that's another loong game. Both great games.GOW:CO took me like 6hrs, awesome game!! I think the best PSP game to date.

[gumgum99]

There are many good reasons to buy a PSP or a DS. If you're like me, I simply can't pick one from the other, so I own both(swapping back and forth depending on the mood).

In the end though, there is no real right answer to which is better. If you are the kind of guy who likes quick on-the-go play with simple, untraditional controls, then say hello to Nintendo DS. If you prefer traditional handheld gameplay with multimedia madness, and unparallel graphics than the PSP is the right handheld for you

[GameTaculous]

I'm lucky to have both of these. I don't know if I would call one 'better', I see them as somewhat different entities. The PSP I call a 'low end console', some of the games are comparable to games you'd play on the XBOX or PS2. Its literally amazing the graphics and the amount of content they cram into it. (Vice City Stories is a fantastic example).

The DS is great too, I call it a 'high-end handheld'. Its far more portable and the touchscreen gives it some capabilities that the PSP doesn't have. Pound for pound on the technical power the DS does not come close to the PSP. The games I play on it are different, Brain Age and the underappreciated Hotel Dusk are two great games for the DS that would not work on the PSP without the touchscreen.

Since I have both, I don't really have to choose one over the other.

[jcfilth]

now that you have both, wich one would you choose if you had to?

[jcfilth]

**Is the PSP a better portable system than the DS?**

what a question!! o_O

[proArchy]

I've wanted a PSP for the longest time. It seems like having a PS3, and not having a PSP I'm missing out. I almost made my head explode not buying one when Chains of Olympus came out. I've had the money, but I'm going to hold off until E3. There will surely be some PSP announcement that will entice me to take the plunge.

[B-Rein]

i barley touch my ds, i get bored of ds games too fast, sure there are loads of games on it but they get boring too fast. Psp i have fun with in many ways, music, videos and surf the net not to mention the awesome games it has final fantasy crisi core and god of war. So id say im a psp person XD

[KingKirchner]

I have a DS and PSP. I like 'em both, but I prefer the PSP.

The DS feels kinda like it came out too soon. The touch screen has brought some pretty innovative games, but it often messes up a bit, and don't even get me started on the half-@$$ed mic on that thing. I find that my favorite games for DS (and Wii actually) are the ones that just use traditional controls.

When it comes down to just games, I think the two are almost dead even. What with MGS: Portable Ops, God of War, Patapon, FF7:CC, Disgaea, FF:Tactics, Ratchet and Clank, Daxter, and more on PSP; then Zelda, Mario Kart, New Super Mario Bros., Final Fantasy remakes, Pokemon, and more on DS.

But the PSP can also play music, and that's what pushes it past the DS IMO.

[Enigma_2099]

Those are the only advantages the PSP has that I give a d*mn about.

[rico the bigman]

Yes.

[rico the bigman]

Of course psp is better. Rico the bigman can watch porn on his psp. Beat that DS.

[jedistev]

i have both, i would go for library...

at the moment i playing DS ..with 'the world end with you'....it good and different than remake Final Fantasy...and i haven't touch PSP for long time it nothing do with rubbish..it good machine but library at the moment is not for me.. i have almost PSP and DS Games..

and notice that shop are selling less PSP games..which is disappointed...don't get me wrong i love this both machine..i hope good PSP games coming up soon..cos they earn it, and Sony owe to us....

and nintendo bring us more new Zelda IP please...i love Phatom hourglass

and for porn clip on PSP..lol!!! seem u are living under parent roof..so you can bring it on toilet and doing business...

for me i rather porn on blu-ray DVD with 1080p it like closer encounter lol!!!