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OK, Zaia might let me get a handheld for our honeymoon. :p

Which is the best in your opinions? Also, which 2 or 3 games would you personally pick to keep you entertained over a few weeks?

At the moment I'm leaning toward a DSi because from what I hear it's easier to just pick up and play on a whim, the MP3 ability and because I own a Wii which offers some interactivity with it. However, a PSP is much more powerful, by all accounts and Zaia herself is leaning in it's direction because she thinks the DS looks too kiddy.

PSPs are worth it more only if you get them modified to run homebrew or other applications. Then suddenly, it becomes a NES, SNES, Genesis, PS1, ebook reader and does all that PSP stuff..

The best way to look at it is that the DS(i) is a jack-of-all-trades, with a decent selection of games in every genre. The PSP meanwhile is great at action and sports games, but has less to offer in other genres (plus longer load times, and slightly less battery life). It's best to look at which one offers the most games that you're likely to play, and also whether you'd really use the multimedia functions of the PSP.

Lord Woodlouse wrote:she thinks the DS looks too kiddy.

Get the black version and it'll look just fine.

Honestly, DS wins it hands down. Unless you're intending to play a lot of homebrew or emulators (those many of those are still possible with the DS), and you're willing to go through the pain of setting those up every time Sony firmware updates screw it, as a pure games machine the DS offers a much greater variety of good solid games, and you'll find many of the best titles quite easily and at fairly low prices.

What type of games are you into? That is an important question when it comes to this as both systems tend to lean towards certain thing's. For example the DS has a lot more interactive games such as Trauma Centre, Scribblenautics etc while the PSP has more console like games (though this is not a rule).

Bluewolf wrote:What type of games are you into? That is an important question when it comes to this as both systems tend to lean towards certain thing's. For example the DS has a lot more interactive games such as Trauma Centre, Scribblenautics etc while the PSP has more console like games (though this is not a rule).

I have a varied interest in games. I kinda wanted to leave the genre open because I'm interested in how people sell their own favourites on the handhelds, since I've never owned a handheld before and am new to console gaming in the form of my Wii (previously being a computer gamer).

My only thing is that I'm interested in games with long term playability, rather than fun games that I might demolish in a day or two.

I cannot say too much on the PSP end of thing's but the DS has a few long term games. The Layton puzzle games being one of them which will keep you busy for a while. On top of that there is the Advance Wars series games that have a lot of replayability to them and quite tricky sometimes. On top of that the DS has several RPG's.

I never got into handhelds before the DS. I tried, they didn't offer anything significantly different from a console apart from portability, and the screen was annoying and small.

With the DS, aside from the touch screen being a handy way of controlling everything in traditional games (many of which have been ported to the DS), the developers have managed to take advantage of it quite well. It gives you a lot more flexibility with what you can have on your system: as a simple example, I have Picross for mine. Yeah, I know you could do it with pencil and paper, but it is an example of a game that would be much more inconvenient if they had it on the PSP. And that's not even beginning to talk about the games about cutting and stirring and all that rot.

One of the biggest downsides I can think of for the DS is that it'll probably make you look like a bit of a tool when you sit around blowing into the microphone in the games that make use of the microphone.

As for games, I got Zelda when I got mine, and I'd recommend it for the multiplayer. That's hell fun. The single player is fun too.

(That's another thing about the DS - Don't know about the PSP, but lots of games on the DS come with download play multiplayer, so you can play things like Mariokart against each other with only one cartridge. There's also pictochat, where you can draw penises at each other from across the room. Classy stuff.)

On top of that the DS can download demo's of things and trailers which is pretty useful. Also the DS Lite has multible screen brightness setting's iirc and comes in many colours.

Also Lus, don't forget games where you have to shout at the microphone.

I own both (first gen). I feel the PSP has more "grown up" titles, but it all depends on your taste. I prefer my PSP over my DS because it plays video, has a larger screen, and has much better looking games. That said, I still have a blast playing the various first party Nintendo titles on my DS.

Looking at some the top ranked titles on metacritic:

DS: GTA, Mario & Luigi, Chrono Trigger, Mario Kart, Zelda, Advance Wars, Castlevania, New Super Mario, Kirby, Animal Crossing

PSP: God of War, Wipeout, Final Fantasy, GTA, Tekken, Ridge Racer, Syphon Filter, Metal Gear Solid, Ratchet & Clank, Daxter

What has your fancy?

Actually given that those PSP titles, you could argue that the PSP is what it is, a mobile PS2. In that case if you like more console games a lot as said, get it. I think the PSP comes in Black and White at the moment too.

For any game where you have to shout, it works just as well if you blow REALLY HARD into the microphone. I don't know. Do you look like more of a tool shouting "ROCK OUT!!!!" at the top of your lungs when playing Guitar Hero or blowing into the mircophone frantically when trying to remove dust from a painting or trying to cool down your soup.

I was playing a game once, and my mother saw me blowing on the DS, and then this conversation happened:

"Why are you blowing on your gameboy?"
"My fire went out."
"So why are you blowing on your gameboy?"
"To start my fire again. You have to blow on the fire to get it going."
"Oh."

As you can see, my logic was impeccable, but there was a certain lack of communication going on. I think I was too busy looking for spices to really give my mother a detailed explanation.

On top of that Lus, some games let you spare your diginity further by also linking the action that needs to be shouted by letting you use a button. For Phoenix Wright example, you can actually just press a button and it does it for you which is useful when you don't want to make a horrible ass of yourself. I'd also like to add that like most voice activited features, the DS mic is not great. For PW again, you can shout "Rejection!" and it will still think you said Objection. Also it does not recognise what you have said at times, meaning you have to get closer or raise your voice.

Bluewolf wrote:Actually given that those PSP titles, you could argue that the PSP is what it is, a mobile PS2. In that case if you like more console games a lot as said, get it. I think the PSP comes in Black and White at the moment too.

I'd recommend trying to play your console games on a tiny television screen first. I like console games, but never play console-y games on portables, because I find they compare poorly to playing on a proper sized screen.

Now, obviously that doesn't bother some people, but it was enough to stop me from using handhelds until they actually offered a different experience.

On top of that Lus, some games let you spare your diginity further by also linking the action that needs to be shouted by letting you use a button. For Phoenix Wright example, you can actually just press a button and it does it for you which is useful when you don't want to make a horrible ass of yourself. I'd also like to add that like most voice activited features, the DS mic is not great. For PW again, you can shout "Rejection!" and it will still think you said Objection. Also it does not recognise what you have said at times, meaning you have to get closer or raise your voice.

I've only ever used the mike for blowing. Though I keep on accidentally setting of Star Power in Guitar Hero because someone asks me a question and I answer.

I'd recommend trying to play your console games on a tiny television screen first. I like console games, but never play console-y games on portables, because I find they compare poorly to playing on a proper sized screen.

Now, obviously that doesn't bother some people, but it was enough to stop me from using handhelds until they actually offered a different experience.

I meant more game wise but yeah, I understand what you mean. I guess it depends on the person though. Some people can cope with it. Hell some people used to cope with the Gamboy's tiny screen that had no backlight and was as green as a forest. Those were the day's...

I've only ever used the mike for blowing. Though I keep on accidentally setting of Star Power in Guitar Hero because someone asks me a question and I answer.

Yeah the mic is OK to blow on but fails a bit sometimes when it comes to voice clarity and honestly, I am not a fan of using it. It's just an annoying feature for me.

Bluewolf wrote:I meant more game wise but yeah, I understand what you mean. I guess it depends on the person though. Some people can cope with it. Hell some people used to cope with the Gamboy's tiny screen that had no backlight and was as green as a forest. Those were the day's...

I fully admit that there's a chance that I'm inordinately fussy in regards to this.

Yeah the mic is OK to blow on but fails a bit sometimes when it comes to voice clarity and honestly, I am not a fan of using it. It's just an annoying feature for me.

I like it in puzzle games, because then it becomes another thing to think about in the puzzle. But I'd agree that in most situations it's more annoying than anything else.

I like it in puzzle games, because then it becomes another thing to think about in the puzzle. But I'd agree that in most situations it's more annoying than anything else.

To be honest the tech is just not that great for it to be quickly put into a small handheld unit and thus is a bit annoying to use as said. Though iirc there was a bubble game where you had to blow the person in the bubble around and avoid traps etc.

I fully admit that there's a chance that I'm inordinately fussy in regards to this.

Not really. Some people hate seeing films on a small screen which is a downside of any PSP films.

Congrats on the wedding, Z and Woodlouse. Not sure what that households going to be classed as - a Yank Yorker household?

As for the PSP/DS... I'm personally inclined to go with the DS, as it does tend have to more amusing games than the PSP, although with the homebrew and film capabilities, I suppose it could be more of a usefull travel accessory.

Also that is something I forgot to mention. The PSP has some homebrew features and has been seen to play some games like NES/N64 ones etc. I am not sure how it is done but it is something that can be quite in it it's own way. On top of that I THINK it can play music too. It should do given that its basically a mini PS2.

Bluewolf wrote:Also that is something I forgot to mention. The PSP has some homebrew features and has been seen to play some games like NES/N64 ones etc. I am not sure how it is done but it is something that can be quite in it it's own way. On top of that I THINK it can play music too. It should do given that its basically a mini PS2.

PSP plays music and videos/movies out of the box. It plays PSOne games DL'ed from the PSN as well. For NES/SNES/Atari/etc games you need to hack it.

Yeah Its a hack iirc. I heard there was a lot of homebrew for PSP, like a community. That could be an advantage for Woodlouse as well.

I'm going to have to throw in a +1 for the DS. Frankly homebrew shit should never be a primary reason to recommend a handheld or console of any sort, especially when it's more hassle than it's worth. The DS has far greater selection of titles per your money than you'll find on the PSP, and if you plan on lugging it around it's easier to carry with you. Honestly with the sheer amount of titles available anyone should be able to find something on it they like.

Of course I was not suggesting homebrew stuff as a primary reason Zod. I was just simply saying it's there and Louse may be interested in it. Also I am leaning to the DS too. It has a lot more to offer and is still coming up with quite cool stuff. The touch screen and such in the DS is no gimmick.

Bluewolf wrote:Of course I was not suggesting homebrew stuff as a primary reason Zod. I was just simply saying it's there and Louse may be interested in it. Also I am leaning to the DS too. It has a lot more to offer and is still coming up with quite cool stuff. The touch screen and such in the DS is no gimmick.

And I was saying homebrew is generally more of a hassle than it's worth. The amount of trouble you have to go through to enable homebrew is a pain in the ass unless you know for sure you want to do more than just play around with it.

Oh OK. Yeah homebrew can be quite fun and good sometimes but it's a pain. I remember some of the hassle of trying to get it into stuff like the Wii and thats a console so I have no idea what it must be like for the PSP.