Is DS really worth it?

Houdini · Post by **Houdini** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 4:23 pm

I just want to know, I am banging my head over the pavement on this one psp or DS? I just dont know, can anyone help me decide?

THanks!!

daguuy · Post by **daguuy** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 4:31 pm

this sums it up pretty well. if you want gimmy mini-games like warioware or old stuff like mario 64 and mariocart and GBA-like graphics on most games, get DS. if you want newer (and newer looking) games and multiple functions like emulation and movies/mp3s, get PSP. DS cost less, but you get what you pay for. personally i pefer PSP but if you have a freind with DS and PSP, try them out, see which none you like best

G-force · Post by **G-force** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 4:35 pm

Im getting one simply for these reasons.
A) My friends have DS's and I want to beat them severly at Mario Kart (which is suprisingly fun!)
B) I have exactly $130 trade-in at Game Exchange. It's almost like a sign that I should buy it instead of a PSP.
C) The buttons and D-pad kinda suck on the PSP, and the buttons on the DS are the best I have ever used on a portable (I know... It's nitpicking, but it's another reason)
D) The DS is easier to play. It dosn't have any upgrading, downgraiding, emulating, web surfing, music, or anything else. It's simply a gaming machine.
E) The graphic suck on DS compared to PSP. Score one for PSP.
F) Screens are about the same honestly. Two small screens end up about the same size as one big screen.

I love both systems about equally, but in the end I just can't afford a PSP.

Joes2Silly · Post by **Joes2Silly** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 4:37 pm

personally I like the PSP better because it is a multimedia handheld and the remored power problems are not that bad, I get about 3-4 hours( mabe more I dont pay atention to the time )

Kurt_ · Post by **Kurt_** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 4:38 pm

The DS is very fun to play with. Especially for people with short attention spans.

But, never owning a PSP, and only playing one when my cousin who visits once a year comes over, (with only sports games! Oh the torture!) I can't really tell you which is better.

But the PSP is much more versatile. It can play music, videos, store files, do anyhting you can fit on a flash card.

The only reason I wouldn't get a PSP is out of fear that if I drop it, it might break.

With Nintendo you can shoot it point blank with a semi-automatic nuke launcher and it might scratch the paint a bit.

PSP's aren't built to withstand abuse. From what I can tell, at least.

Joes2Silly · Post by **Joes2Silly** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 4:42 pm

also, if you realy want to listen to music and take advantage of its multimedia
capabilities your going to have to put down some money to get a better memory stick (I spent like $70 or $80 on mine)

Radon199 · Post by **Radon199** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 4:42 pm

G-force wrote:emulating, web surfing, music, or anything else.

Actualy the DS can emulate NES and SNES and DS games and play Mp3s as well as websurf as soon as they crack the DSes WIFI. Tho you have to buy a flash cart to get the stuff to play on the DS.

I own both so I really have no bias.

G-force · Post by **G-force** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 4:46 pm

That's pretty true about the durability Kurt. You can't even replace the screen protectors on PSP, unless you buy a whole new faceplate! The DS just feels more solid. My brother freaks out every time sombody even comes close to damaging his PSP (I mean little stuff like not having the strap on while sitting

)

EDIT: The DS can emulate! No fureakin way! I gotta check this out...

zagalo · Post by **zagalo** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 4:46 pm

get a psp first. ds are ok but psp rules.

Post by **bicostp** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 4:48 pm

This excerpt from dagguy's link is especially true for me. (I am not a fanboy either way; I am the person who sits on the sidelines in a lawn chair laughing my *** off at everyone yelling and flaming

)

Another thing is that the PSP gets a lot of negativity from the Nintendo freaks because of it having "nothing original". Yet the Nintendo fiends rave on and on about sequels and ports like Mario 64 DS, Mario Kart DS, Advance Wars Dual Strike. Hell, its incredibly funny when the Nintendo fanboys rant about how the PSP gets old game collections like Namco Museum, and in the same breath rave about the DS getting Final Fantasy 3. How old is that game anyway? 15 years or so? Hell, someone in another forum I frequent was bashing the PSP and Midway for releasing Midway Arcade Treasures Extended Play, while simultaneously saying everyone should run out and buy a DS because of Final Fantasy IV (which is only a GBA game, and one that is on it's third release).

But if I were you, I'd go with a PSP. It has many functions such as music and video playback, integrated web browser, and the possibility of playing homebrew games without any hardware besides the memory stick. Besides that it's a stellar gaming machine, with graphics that look a generation newer than current DS titles.

Houdini · Post by **Houdini** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 4:53 pm

Thanks a lot! btw, how much are flash karts and such going for that let you do the same stuff as the psp?

S q u e e ! · Post by **S q u e e !** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 4:54 pm

From what I've seen, they run from $50-$250.

G-force · Post by **G-force** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 5:00 pm

Yeah thats very true both sytems have WAY too many remakes or ports of games most people already own.

The movie, music, and web browsing is a nice little add-on, but the PSP dosn't do a very good job at any of it. First you have to buy a bigger, very expensive card, for the already very expensive system. Then the movies have to be converted, and transferred to the PSP (I heard this is a very slow proccess, but have never tried it myself). Music playing is fine, nothing new. Web browsing is pretty slow. About 3x slower than my PC. Not to mention you can't effectively type.
They really are more of a gimmick than anything else, much like the DS's touch screen.

(Don't mind me, I jsut want to convince myself I'm buying a better gaming system

)

Radon199 · Post by **Radon199** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 5:02 pm

A DS emu kit can run you anywhere from $60-$120 depending on the kit.

The DS can emulate:
Spectrum,
Game Boy,
Early PC games (like Curse of Monkey Island and other early lucas arts games WOOT),
NES,
SNES
and SMS and some mame games.

SNES and PC are the only ones that play on both screens and at maximum screen size.

http://boards.pocketheaven.com/index.ph ... 17624e98c2 This site will tell you a lot.

The DS can also emulate dumps from the DS carts but im not gonna tell you where to get those.

The DS can also play MP3s and Video files. The videos arn't the best but they still look good. The MP3s play amazingly well.

Some people have also ported Comic book views, day planners and other cool things to the DS as well as ports of Heretic and Hexen as well as one guy is building his own Doom game for the DS. Cheak it out. http://dual-soft.com/doomds/ At the moment it looks better than some commecial DS games.

Joes2Silly · Post by **Joes2Silly** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 5:02 pm

plus the PSP has taken pportable 3D graphics even higher with a not that great analog stick