Portables - Sony vs. Nintendo

Oh also I forgot to add.I dont believe Sony is forcing developers to make only 3D games on PSP.If the developers decide to utilise the PSP\'s capabilities to offer a good 2D game they will do it freely.Or atleast I think

I\'d have to find the article again but right now most companies are banking on their ports.  If and when PSP reaches a desirable userbase they will begin to invest time and money into new productions.

As opposed to N64 ports?

Mario DS is receiving enhancements to it.  More levels, stars, characters, mini-games, etc.  Look at the links I provided in the Nintendo DS thread.  Some other games receiving overhauls as well.

But nobody seems to complain about the many GC,N64 ports and non-original titles on DS, it costs $150 and in terms of graphics its an n64.

There are more original games coming to the DS because of the functions it provides.  Even the ports I\'ve read about have enhancements, read up on Mario DS to get an idea.

As far as N64 graphics, I urge you to watch the Mario DS demo.  More polys, cleaner textures, etc.  I\'d say it\'s between the N64 and DC in terms of graphics.  People who have seen Metroid Hunters demos have said it\'s extremely close to the GC game in terms of graphics.

- I love the idea of great 3D graphics on PSP
- I love the idea of touchscreen control on DS

- I will not buy either console at their respective launch
- The \'just all ports complaint\' should be shot to death

Personally I look forward to Metal Gear Ac!d. It is NOT a PS2 port of MGS2 nor something similair. The gameplay will be WAY different with a whole new story. I believe it\'s a bit like MG Ghost Babel on GBA storywise, becuz rumour goes the story doesn\'t fit in the main chronological storyline of the MGS series ; kind of an alternate paralel MG universe. Ac!d isn\'t even directed by Hideo Kojima, it\'s done by a young devteam of Konami.

Ac!d\'s gameplay will be tactic, strategic and turnbased. At the MGS boards alotta fans are already despising it becuz it differentiates from their beloved arcady speedy MGS gameplay.

:o

\'NO REASON\' TO BUY SONY PSP
New Nintendo console analysts\' choice

By TAIGA URANAKA
Staff writer

The PlayStation Portable is the talk of the town, after basking in the limelight at a recent game show.
But despite all the hoopla, Sony Computer Entertainment Co.\'s soon-to-debut portable game console is unlikely to loosen Nintendo Co.\'s grip on the global market, according to game industry analysts. They say there is no compelling reason for gamers to buy the PSP. Its rival, the Nintendo DS, they say, offers eye-opening novelty.

Nintendo\'s new hand-held console, which features a dual touch-sensitive screen, will go on sale in the U.S. on Nov. 21 at $149.99 and on Dec. 2 in Japan for 15,000 yen.

Sony has not announced the price or release date for the PSP. Analysts expect it to cost between 25,000 yen and 30,000 yen, putting it at disadvantage against the Nintendo DS.

Analysts say that while the PSP has razor-sharp screen resolution and stylish design, it is no match for the Nintendo DS in terms of uniqueness. It fails as an attractive game console, they say.

"With a dual touch-sensitive screen, voice recognition and wireless communication, the Nintendo DS has a load of new features," said Eiji Maeda, game analyst at Daiwa Institute of Research Ltd.

Nintendo says such features will allow users to experience new kinds of games and, more importantly, play intuitively, meaning they can forget about using a complicated control pad and use a stylus pen and their voice instead.

"Our intention was that anyone, regardless of age, gender or game experience, should be able to stand on the same starting line" and enjoy playing games, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told a media preview in Tokyo earlier this week.

The single-minded pursuit by the game industry for ever-more complicated and time-consuming games will only serve to alienate potential users, he said.

The Computer Entertainment Suppliers\' Association estimates that the combined domestic market for video-game consoles and software came to 446.2 billion yen in 2003. The market for hardware fell 17 percent year-on-year, while for software, it declined by 8.2 percent during the same period.

During the media preview, Nintendo unveiled some of its new game titles, including one in which players can raise virtual puppies. The dogs respond to voice commands and can be "tickled" by brushing the screen with the tip of a stylus pen.

In another game, a player can snuff virtual candles by blowing on the console screen, the sound of which is picked up by the console\'s built-in microphone.

Daiwa\'s Maeda said that while PSP\'s game lineup also includes popular titles, many are already available on the PlayStation 2.

"Popular titles do not necessarily make killer titles, by which I mean games that users can only play with that particular console," he said.

And Nintendo has still other advantages.

Takashi Oka of UFJ Tsubasa Securities Co. said the Nintendo DS\' backward compatibility allows users to play games created for the Game Boy Advance, which has 500 game titles in Japan.

"It is reassuring for users to know that they can also play existing games," he said.

Even worse for PSP, industry watchers suspect that Sony might have to delay its launch, which the firm has said would happen by the yearend in Japan, because game software makers cannot meet the deadline.

"I think it would be better for Sony to delay the PSP\'s launch to avoid direct competition with the Nintendo DS, even if it means missing the holiday shopping season here," Masaru Onishi of JP Morgan Securities Asia said.

"Instead of releasing (the console) with a weak game title lineup, it should wait until next year to get fully prepared."

The Japan Times: Oct. 9, 2004