[Question] NDS Lite vs PSP?

I don't know if such a thread has been created yet, but I'm looking to buy either a NDS Lite or PSP in the upcoming future. I heard many good things about both, and personally, I can't decide, so I just wanted to know what you gaming gurus think. The kinds of games I play vary, and I play just about anything. I'm no hardcore gamer, but a decent gaming library would be nice too.

So, like I said, what do you think? Should I buy a NDS Lite or PSP?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Well, as an owner of both, I can say they are both great machines, but one suffers from lack of support, while the other doesn't. It really comes down to what you want from your portable.

If you buy one to play games, get a DS Lite. No ifs or maybes, that's what any reasonable player should buy. It's simply a brilliant machine. Brilliant design (barring the volume slide), brilliant features, brilliant games.

The PSP has a few completely excellent games (Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins, Lumines, Wipeout Pure), but as a games machine, it's lacking in proper great titles. There's many games that are "good PSP games", but are not the kind you buy the machine for. Most of them are the kind you buy because you want games for a machine you bought (see, PS3).

On the plus side, it has a lot of non-gaming going for it. MP3 playback is great, video playback is great even if you have to separately convert every single video you want to use. Easy to hack, easy to pirate for. The PS1 emulation is fun for 10 minutes and portable Vagrant Story has its appeal, but it's again down to what you want from a machine. I for one don't think it's worth buying the machine since I can and want to get those same PS1 games for my modded PS2.

Same way SNES and GBA emulation on the PSP is fun, but you could just as well emulate GBA games on the DS if you so wish, and SNES emulation fares far better on an Xbox (I've recently discovered).

So again, if you want a portable for great games, get a DS. A fantastic library of DS games AND GBA games make for a stunning selection of gems.

If you want a neat yuppie toy for fiddling with, that also plays host to a small number of unique and great titles, get a PSP.

And if you intend to emulate on the PSP, I suggest you wait for the upcoming Slim & Lite model, which comes with double the memory.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

For me, I seriously love the idea of playing PS1 games on a portable handheld, since i can enjoy classic games such as Suikoden 2, and Parasite Eve even when i'm on a car or on a trip.

As for the NDS, there are some games that are worth playing, such as Phoenix Wright, Pokemon,Trauma Center,Wario Touch.

For that matter i would recommend you to buy a PSP, if you want to immerse yourself in hours and hours of gaming.

as for the NDS, buy it if you really want enjoyable and unique games.

But for me i have both, but for now my vote goes to PSP.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

If you have to choose one now or soon, I would recommend the PSP. With the recent release of the pandora battery, installing homebrew and custom firmware is no longer a big risk or problem. The DS is a great gaming machine with an amazing library, but there is no 100% sure bet that the PSP slim will be able to be downgraded right off the bat. Running emulators on a XBox, and bootleg PSX games on a PS2 may be great, but they aren't exactly portable consoles. So my vote goes to getting the current PSP model.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

My vote goes for the PSP as well, but not for homebrew reasons.

I never owned a handheld gaming system before until the PSP. I bought it for it's multiple uses -- MP3 playback, UMD movies, wireless web browsing, etc. -- but I've grown to love it for the games as well. There are a lot of really great games for it and I've gotten plenty of use out of mine over the two and a half years I've owned it.

The DS admittedly has a larger number of games, but honestly (and strictly for my gaming tastes) I haven't found a single game that'd make me buy the system. If you're gonna buy one of the two, look to each system's library of games and weigh their pros and cons for yourself, since you're the one buying the system, not us.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Nintendo DS: Mario Kart online with anyone across the world. Same with Tetris. And, some RPGs with more being developed.

I second Qwarky's post.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

If you want a portable media player, go for PSP.
If you want to just play games, go for DS.

If you already have a PS2/3/X360, then unless you're a keen on-the-go gamer, you don't really need a PSP imo.

FELIPE NO

I have a very slight preference for the PSP because it's the traditional way to play games without the risk of losing necessary bits and pieces (namely, the stylus) and it looks far nicer. Technologically it's capable of far more than the DS, which mainly has only traditional games for it anyways that don't really use the touch screen.

PSP is akin to playing a traditional game boy, for me.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I think I am starting to understand while reading this thread that Playstation 1 lovers from back in the day have a favorable opinion of the PSP because they want to play other iterations of their favorite stuff (or new games like them) on the PSP.

Fans of Nintendo love the different "mascots" that it has and the other simple turn on and play games would recommend the DS.

So, Shadoweave..... did you play more PS1 or Nintendo in your past?
Also, what genres are your favorite? (RPG, Puzzle, action, adventure, etc)?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Well, for me, I've always been more of a PS1 fan, cause I'm somewhat of a RPG addict I suppose. I've also been rather keen on puzzle games as well.

And yes, I know the final decision's up to me, but I just wanted to get a rough idea of the opinions of the rest of you as well, as to what you felt was the better system. Hmm. Seems like most of you guys are favouring the PSP too.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Well, the best game series of all time (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney) is on the DS, so in that sense I'd recommend you get that. The DS has a vast selection of games, most of which are terrible but there are some really good ones that you can't really afford to miss. It's kinda like the PS2 in that way.

The PSP on the other hand has a few really good exclusive titles (Crush and Loco Roco come to mind), but when I say a few, I mean like, three. I haven't tried emulation or anything like that, because I can do all those things about a million times better on my PC, it's just not worth the effort to me. I also can't imagine anyone ever using a PSP as an MP3 player, it's way too bulky. It is a good movie player but since you have to convert, I don't think that's worthwhile either.

Since the PSP has a smaller slice of the market, it's risky to buy one. There are a few good games out on it now, but it might turn out that there aren't that many more coming. I certainly don't have any on my to-buy list...

On the other hand, the DS's RPG library is weak as hell so far. With the exception of the super hardcore RPG Etrian Odyssey, I don't think I've played any remotely good RPG on it yet. It's great for puzzle and adventure type games though, as well as some pretty different/offbeat games (although that's also the field the PSP excels in, weird offbeat goofy games).

Oh yeah, and the DS is cheaper, I guess? But they're both not super expensive.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I've never been a fan of the current PSP...The low battery life, controls, godawful/laughable load times, and (until recently) the library have all been major turnoffs for me. I say recently about the library because over the past year and a half or so, it has mustered just enough games for me to justify a purchase. At least, the remodeled version. The remade Megaman games, Ghosts and Goblins, Princess Crown and Gurumin make the old-school gamer in me very tempted.

BUT...

Between the 2D platform goodness, easy WiFi access, strong support, GBA access (Puzzle Fighter/Namco Museum on the go is too good!), much superior design and Tetris DS/Planet Puzzle League (both online!), I'd say the DS is the better of the two by far. And I just mean the original, big one...The Lite is sexy, but I like my original too much to give it up. I like the touch screen as well, but more as an afterthought to the quality of the actual games.

I'm not sure how easy it is to run backups of commercial games on a PSP, but I do know it's really easy on a DS with a simple cart (not to mention it gives you emulators, music, movies, etc on top of it). The firmware BS for the PSP has always given me a headache, so I haven't explored emulating anything for fear of ending up with a bricked unit.

Edit: Actually, for RPG's, there's Mario and Luigi 2 and Advance Wars DS. Plus the entire GBA catalogue...That means FFVI Advance.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

To be fair, softmodding a PSP IS relatively easy once you have everything you need gathered up (a big hassle) and know what you're doing (tutorials range from helpful to downright uselessly vague and unclear). But before that, it's all pretty impenetrable. Being able to do it all in software, without any need for physical add-ons or modifcations was a big plus for me.

On the other hand, all this pandora's battery stuff isn't nearly as all-solving as PSP enthusiasts are making it seem. You will still need a hacked PSP to make use of it, so if you brick your PSP and you don't know anyone with a hacked PSP (very likely, for instance I'm the only one in my group of friends with a PSP altogether), you're just as screwed as you were before the exploit was discovered.

And to give perspective, I have a hacked PSP, but my DS is untouched. And I own more bought (good) DS games than I have downloaded PSP games.

I was speaking idiomatically.

From what you guys are saying, I get the impression that the DS has a larger library in terms of the NDS games themselves, but the PSP has a greater capacity for emulation?

But from what surasshu says, the RPG libraries on either handheld console are still rather weak I suppose. I guess if I really want RPGs, I should stick with an actual console itself.

Nonetheless, thanks for all your help, everybody. I'd probably get a NDS Lite after my exams are over, then maybe follow up with a PSP once the Slim version comes out, provided it can be hacked of course.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I wouldn't want to live without either of the two, actually. As an owner of both handhelds, I can't understand how you can possibly favor one over the other. Both the PSP and the DS have their very own appeal and areas where they excel at. A lot of these technicalities have been mentioned in this thread, so I think you've gotten the rough picture already.

Just let it be said that you'll be missing a lot of excellent games if you're choosing one over the other.

Most amazing jew boots

PSP may as well stand for port-station at this moment (lol, I'm so clever making a joke everybody in the world has made!) but sadly, that's okay with me. I'm actually looking forward to the ports of castlevania rondo of blood and the two Star Ocean games. I'd second the above post, that I wouldn't want to choose between the two, because they both offer me enjoyable games.
(just different kinds of 'em.)

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by shadoweave

But from what surasshu says, the RPG libraries on either handheld console are still rather weak I suppose. I guess if I really want RPGs, I should stick with an actual console itself.

Don't forget on the DS you get all of the GBA games, which includes all of the FF remakes that Square put out as well as the giant number of poor to pretty good RPGs that Atlus pumped out for the system.

Also, playing Puzzle Quest right now and it's one of the coolest takes on a puzzle/RPG game in a long while.

How ya doing, buddy?

For the RPG fan, FF4 is being completely remade for the DS:
http://img46.imagevenue.com/view.php..._122_787lo.jpg

Also, Dragon Quest 4-6 are coming to DS..... except I'm not sure about USA yet, but I'm thinking so.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I guess you guys are right in saying that they can't really be compared. But from what you guys mentioned about the RPG libraries, I suppose that most probably seals the DS as being my first choice, and then I'll get the PSP after I get enough cash. Once again, thanks for all your help!

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Qwarky

The PSP has a few completely excellent games (Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins, Lumines, Wipeout Pure), but as a games machine, it's lacking in proper great titles.

Oh god, I had completely forgotten about Ultimate Ghosts N' Goblins. I swear we need a thread with a small list of certain games for each system that everyone should be aware of or some shit like that for all of the different consoles.

I can't keep up anymore with all of these different systems out. I put games off and then completely forget about them, man !

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Depends what sort of games you're into, and how you expect to use a portable machine. The PSP has some decent features, but for me lacks any real games (there's a couple, but really it's a couple, the rest are things you can get better versions of on other machines, like the PS2).

For my money it'd have to be a DS all the way, with a good library of games and some really great titles already out, not to mention some great ones on the way (Zelda Phantom Hourglass anyone?). I have both, but my PSP hasn't been touched in about 4/5 months, maybe longer.

I was speaking idiomatically.

is the PSP capable of GBA emulation? and how good is the PSone emulation?
I'm also debating whether to get a DS or PSP, right now I'm more inclined to buy a DS, the only thing that really makes me want to get a PSP is FF tactics and maybe portable ops, and the ability to play psone games on-the-go.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by espressivo

is the PSP capable of GBA emulation? and how good is the PSone emulation?
I'm also debating whether to get a DS or PSP, right now I'm more inclined to buy a DS, the only thing that really makes me want to get a PSP is FF tactics and maybe portable ops, and the ability to play psone games on-the-go.

The PS1 emulation was stunning, at least when I last tried it. I don't know if further firmware updates and custom firmwares have improved or worsened compatibility, but I - as a large opposer of emulation - was deeply impressed. Converting PS1 games to working form for PSP was simple and easy (again, once you had what you needed gathered up). There were minor sound and graphical effects the PSP couldn't replicate (the blur effect you got in FF7 whenever a fight started and the consequent swish sound, for instance), but it was still amazing. Sony's own emulator and all that, but hey.

As for GBA emulation, I'm fairly sure it's capable, but I personally never got it to work. All the emulators I found at the time were crippled WIP and one that apparently was supposed to be working wasn't actually a proper program, just parts of it. The readme that came with it was too much linux speak, but I deduced I should have apparently looked up a bunch of other pieces and files they gave no info where to find, at which point I gave up and figured I'd see if some of the other projects get finished.

But since the PSP can emulate SNES, I'm sure it can do GBA decently.

Game Boy emulation on the other hand I got to work. There was one Game Boy emulator (black and white graphics and all) that did an absolutely beautiful resize of the picture, but would lose sound whenever you went to the emulator's menu (to change configuration, for instance). This was a problem, because the emulator never saved button configuration and always started with default settings. The other emulator I had did a wonderful job of emulating a bunch of consoles (GB, Famicom, NGPC), but its resize wasn't nearly as good. But it saved settings, so I ended up using that a lot instead.

How ya doing, buddy?

I'm not reading all of the above. I'll just keep this short, since I have owned both a PSP and DS simultaneously (impossible).

The PSP is great for emulation and has a huge team working to provide different material which is all free. The problem with the PSP is that there's barely any good retail games available to purchase, or download if you're that way inclined. Which you probably are, given that owning a PSP is not worth it unless you devour yourself into emulation.

The DS (Lite)'s library of retail games is huge, and there's something for everything. It lacks RPGs, but it's still managing to dominate in sales. Emulation is rather poor, but downloading DS games and putting them on a slot-1 device is common practice these days.

If you want emulation, buy a PSP. If you want a bunch of good retail games, buy a DS.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

it's not because you think you have good taste in video games that he will think that you have good taste...

Jam it back in, in the dark.