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[Alcibiades]

http://www.forbes.com/technology/personaltech/2004/06/07/cx_pp_0607mondaymatchup.html

my comments italics...

click for full artice + REALLY COOL SLIDE COMPARISON SHOW, almost like it was built by fanboys, one slide Sony fanboy, next slide Tendo fanboy, etc...

Monday Matchup
Sony PSP Vs. Nintendo DS
Penelope Patsuris, 06.07.04, 6:00 AM ET

NEW YORK - Portable gaming isn't just for 10-year-olds anymore...

...competition marks the first time that a company with real clout (cough... Sega... cough) has challenged the lock that Nintendo has had on handheld gaming for 15 years.

...N-Gage, a combination cell phone and game device, has the distinction of being the market's most recent flop. Despite a redesign, analysts say consumers simply don't want a device that is part utility and part entertainment. ()

Meanwhile, Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) is mum about the possibility of a portable Xbox, but you can bet there's one in the works. lol, in the meantime DS will have to do)

...With both companies vying for an older market, that could give Sony an edge.

The PSP... games will be stored on what the company calls a universal media disc, which bears a striking resemblance to Sony's failed MiniDisc format (bomb bomb), according to Wedbush Morgan gaming analyst Michael Pachter.

..."I think this is a backdoor way for Sony to collect royalties on other entertainment content..." (who didn't see this coming, wouldn't be surprised by UMD home players)

...Pachter is particularly excited about the DS user's ability to actually draw characters like Pac-Man that will then become the game's main character.

"That shows the capacity of the device to do things that you just can't do on consoles," Pachter says...

"Community game play is going to be big," predicts Pachter, "and it's going to be through a local area network and not an online subscription." (maybe this is what Iwata referred to as cheap network play without fees?)

I think a 2-3 month head start could really give Nintendo and edge early on, and that's not mentioned in the article as a big factor though...

 

[PlagueWielder]

Do you live and die for Nintendo Efralope?
I own a GC and GBA:SP and might buy a DS.

The article doesn't say that much really. And in my opinion 2-3 months isn't that big headstart. People can wait a summer just to get the next hottest thing.
I think that the PSP is more mass-appealing than the DS, and that is a big factor for selling in quantity.

 

[Alcibiades]

true, the PSP does hold more mass-market appeal cause of presentation and graphics, but if DS is released during the holidays, that's makes a head start more significant because they'll probably sell out initial quantities pretty quickly...

Gamespy (or someone) even asked Iwata if they would use the headstart the way the PS2 used a headstart (to a lesser extent than PS2 of course)...

Somewhere (don't remember), I remember reading that Nintendo was trying to start the manufacturing of DS by late summer or early fall...

 

[PlagueWielder]

But hey, We haven't really seen any killer games for DS yet, only Demos. And without great launchgames it might get ugly. :/

Still they have a couple of months to make some nice games.

 

[arter_2]

I think they already started production if not i msure it will be real soon. I hope nintendo dosnt pull one of those shortages to generate hype like they usualy do cause in this case I can only see it hurting them not helping. Plus once forbes hears about the battery life problem with the psp i see that thier is no real contest. Nintendo has been doing this for years and though this may be thier toughest opponent yet they still win come out on top. i dont expect fast defeat of psp I can see sony putting up a real fight but thier are just too many flaws with the system.

 

[Alcibiades]

The Mario and Metroid games were not demos from what I've read... maybe not "killer", but pretty attractive software if you ask me...

besides, the PS2 didn't have any "killer" software but SSX and Tekken Tag, yet it still sold out in the holidays...

Even if the DS has a crappy lineup (unlikely with Square, Capcom, etc...), there is enough of an audience and "Christmas Rush" factor that they'll probably sell out any initial quantities...

 

[SolidSnakex]

besides, the PS2 didn't have any "killer" software but SSX and Tekken Tag, yet it still sold out in the holidays...

No killer software but the most popular fighting game series worldwide, and one of the biggest new series this gen. Yep no killer software. There were several factors that made the PS2 turn out to be such a big hit, a main one being just how much Sony can market their products.

 

[jarrod]

No killer software but the most popular fighting game series worldwide,

PS2 didn't have Smash Bros.

 

[Dekajelly]

http://www.readyatdawn.com/games.asp

We are currently working on our first title. It is being developed exclusively for the Sony PSP™ handheld console. Unfortunately that’s about all we’ll be able to say at this time. Not that we’d have to kill you or anything but we’re sure someone would probably kill us if we blabbed. Call us silly but we like ourselves very much alive, it lets us work on cool games.

 

[PlagueWielder]

Smash Bros. wasn't a launch-game.

 

[Kobun Heat]

Smash Bros. wasn't a launch-game.

I don't think anybody said it was, but it was close enough that it didn't really matter except if you're only interested in nitpicking.

But hey, We haven't really seen any killer games for DS yet, only Demos. And without great launchgames it might get ugly. :/

At first I thought you were talking about PSP, and I was ready to agree. But DS? Uh, no. We saw and played very polished titles which are in advanced stages of production.

 

[jarrod]

Smash Bros. wasn't a launch-game.

Uh... you sorta missed the point with that one. :/

 

[PlagueWielder]

I don't think anybody said it was, but it was close enough that it didn't really matter except if you're only interested in nitpicking.

Nope, the thing is that i'm not from the states and not that good in english

At first I thought you were talking about PSP, and I was ready to agree. But DS? Uh, no. We saw and played very polished titles which are in advanced stages of production.

[/QUOTE]

Yeah I know that PSP is behind in games(development-vice), but still, Only Metroid Prime:hunters amongs a few others seemed far into production. Most of the games where demos and might not come to retail. But hey you are right, DS had more than enought.

 

[Yossarian]

At first I thought you were talking about PSP, and I was ready to agree. But DS? Uh, no. We saw and played very polished titles which are in advanced stages of production.

Mario 4x4 => ok, I guess
Wario Ware => definitely
MP Hunters => maybe

What other games were in "the advanced stages of production"? Pac Man?

 

[jarrod]

Only Metroid Prime:hunters amongs a few others seemed far into production. Most of the games where demos and might not come to retail. But hey you are right, DS had more than enought.

Actually of the 20 playable DS demos Nintendo and 3rd parties had at E3, 13 were confirmed game releases...

-Animal Crossing (Nintendo)
-Bomberman DS (Hudson)
-Egg Monster Hero (Square Enix)
-Pac n' Roll (Namco)
-Pac-Pix (Namco)
-Picto-Chat (Nintendo)
-Mario Kart DS (Nintendo)
-Metroid Prime: Hunters (Nintendo/NST)
-Mobile Suit Gundam Seed (Bandai)
-Sonic DS (Sega/Sonic Team)
-Super Mario 64x4 (Nintendo)
-Yu-Gi-Oh! Nightmare Troubador (Konami/KCEJ)
-Wario Ware, Inc. DS (Nintendo)

 

[Kobun Heat]

Going on the videos of Animal Crossing DS and Mario Kart, those sure look pretty solid. Not sure if they'll make launch but they're definitely in 'advanced stages of development.'

I'd define that as the point at which the game runs well and is fun, and what's left is to add in the rest of the levels, all the extra content, and polish the whole thing.

The reason that the demos were cut down and that some games were video-only isn't because they weren't done or playable, it's because they specifically kept the demos short and to the point. Players only had a few minutes to check out the DS demos, not enough time to even enjoy a full Mario Kart race or design a shirt in AC.

The Nintendo titles were clearly in better shape than the third-party titles, although the Yugi-Oh game seemed like it was going well and the Pac-Man games were hella fun. Sonic DS was clearly shit, and I can't say I'm going to run out and buy Scrambled Egg Fuckers or whatever the Squeenix game is called. But you have to expect that.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Going on the videos of Animal Crossing DS and Mario Kart, those sure look pretty solid. Not sure if they'll make launch but they're definitely in 'advanced stages of development.'

I'd define that as the point at which the game runs well and is fun, and what's left is to add in the rest of the levels, all the extra content, and polish the whole thing.

The reason that the demos were cut down and that some games were video-only isn't because they weren't done or playable, it's because they specifically kept the demos short and to the point. Players only had a few minutes to check out the DS demos, not enough time to even enjoy a full Mario Kart race or design a shirt in AC.

The Nintendo titles were clearly in better shape than the third-party titles, although the Yugi-Oh game seemed like it was going well and the Pac-Man games were hella fun. Sonic DS was clearly shit, and I can't say I'm going to run out and buy Scrambled Egg Fuckers or whatever the Squeenix game is called. But you have to expect that.

That Square game looks awesome atleast in the pics and movies. It looks better to me than any other DS game so far, not technically but just artwise. Looks like it could be alot of fun. What were the problems you saw with it?

 

[jarrod]

Actually I thought all the 3rd party DS stuff looked pretty good (except Sonic DS, and even that looked technically good). Japanese developers have had kits since last year remember, they'll have had over a year to polish up games in time for launch this fall probably.

Western developers only recently got kits so they're playing catch up...

 

[StrikerObi]

And in my opinion 2-3 months isn't that big headstart.

It is when one of those months has Christmas in it.

 

[Kobun Heat]

What were the problems you saw with it?

Sonic DS had more gameplay.

 

[Kobun Heat]

Western developers only recently got kits so they're playing catch up...

And the world wept.

Considering what Western devs have contributed to handheld gaming, they're lucky they get kits at all.

 

[Jonnyboy117]

That Square game looks awesome atleast in the pics and movies. It looks better to me than any other DS game so far, not technically but just artwise. Looks like it could be alot of fun. What were the problems you saw with it?

Egg Monster Heroes or whatever that game was called was simply not fun. The battle consisted of aiming your character's attack at a certain place on the enemy's body, which is an interesting idea, but that's all there was to the battle. Honestly, there were other DS demos just as short and simple as this one that were much more fun. I'm looking forward to the Crystal Chronicles game though.

 

[Mashing]

Fuck yeah, if you can play FF:CC over Wi-Fi... killer app

 

[SolidSnakex]

Damn and that was the main DS game I wanted. The main other one that itnerested me was Mario 64x4. But it doesn't seem like it's going to have the single player mode, plus most reports say the controls don't work very well without the analog.

 

[GDGF]

Yep. It'd make a nice little portable MORPG



(FF:CC, that is)

 

[StrikerObi]

Damn and that was the main DS game I wanted. The main other one that itnerested me was Mario 64x4. But it doesn't seem like it's going to have the single player mode, plus most reports say the controls don't work very well without the analog.

Nintendo said at the show that 64x4 would have single player, they were just only showing the multiplayer.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Nintendo said at the show that 64x4 would have single player, they were just only showing the multiplayer.

Well that's a relief, now all it needs an analog stick. I just don't see Mario 64 working too well without an analog stick since it depended on it so much.

 

[Culex]

They need an analog controller for the DS. It's going to be so damn cumbersum in 3D games.

 

[Kobun Heat]

Nintendo said at the show that 64x4 would have single player, they were just only showing the multiplayer.

They showed single-player, but it was BCD. Same for MP Hunters.

 

[omgwtfbentime]

PSP is going to handidly destroy the DS. Better graphics, true analog control, and an MP3 player in your pocket? That is, unless the price is above $400 at launch...