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FEATURE
DS versus PSP: Who won E3?
  
We're the competitive sort here at Pocket Gamer. It's a large part of why we love games – the thrill of winning. Of course, there's always the nasty side of losing, and so it shouldn't come as a surprise that when looking back on our coverage of E3, we'd inevitably view it through a competitive lens.
What game stole the show? Did the Nintendo DS once again trounce the struggling PlayStation Portable? Will Pocket Gamer editors ever get a rest? The answers? The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass; not really; and no. In our restless state, let us tell you how PSP surprisingly overtook Nintendo DS for the handheld spotlight during E3 2007 with its redesign and impressive slate of games. Right out of the gate at its annual press briefing, Sony Computer Entertainment made clear its commitment to portable gaming. The announced PSP redesign demonstrated that it's listening to criticism and is eager to fix flaws in the handheld's blueprint. Reducing the size, adding flash memory, and moving a few things around on the device are welcome changes (even if they're not all the changes we were hoping to see). This alone gave PSP an edge over Nintendo DS early on. Beyond the redesign, Sony's press conference showed considerable strength behind PSP with a slate of promising titles. In addition to games we were expecting – God of War: Chains of Olympus, Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow, SOCOM: US Navy SEALs Tactical Strike, WipEout Pulse – the company unveiled a surprise: Patapon. A colorful platforming game coming from the Japan Studio that developed the brilliant LocoRoco, the game appears to be heading down the same innovative path. While we weren't able to try it hands on, Sony's announcement of Patapon shows a continued drive to publish unique games (something the company can not be criticised on – it's an approach it has adopted since the PlayStation's arrival in 1994). Of course, Nintendo DS has been fostering unique gameplay for years now, with more to come. Flash Focus: Vision Training in Minutes a Day, already out in Japan, was announced for a European and North American release. While not the most exciting game, it fits in nicely with the Touch! Generations series of titles Nintendo has been promoting. Nintendo's first-party line up is undeniably dominated by The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. The rest of the catalogue is filled with interesting games, but none that could be labelled 'must-haves' – although a Nintendo of Europe press release also mentioned Advance Wars DS 2 as being available before the end of the year (no more details were forthcoming). This is the biggest difference between Nintendo's DS showing and Sony's PSP line up: Sony simply had more big titles to show off at E3. While Phantom Hourglass easily beats any PSP title on a one-to-one basis, it isn't enough to stand down the barrage of great-looking in-house PSP titles. However, looking at what third-party publishers had to offer, the battle over E3 becomes harder. On the DS side of the fence, Capcom showed up with Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations, Konami had Contra 4, Sega bragged about how good Sonic Rush Adventure is coming along, and Square Enix had a blow out with several Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games. A boatload of other titles were shown, giving Nintendo DS a considerable advantage in sheer number of titles. PSP had some stellar third-party games, too, though. Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron courtesy of LucasArts, Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles and Silent Hill: Origins from Konami, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions via Square Enix, and Dead Head Fred from D3 Publisher, all made noticeable appearances. Granted, it may not seem quite as robust a list as that of the DS, but it's still pretty solid stuff. In the end, Nintendo DS may have stronger third-party support – 140 games promised worldwide before the end of the year is a figure the PSP simply can't match – but, encouragingly, Sony appears to be steadily expanding its reach out to publishers. That, combined with a bevy of first-party killers and a welcome redesign, gave PSP the momentum to take the E3 handheld crown. Of course, regardless of which handheld won the theoretical battle for the E3 spotlight, it's all great news for gamers. The more quality games Nintendo and Sony keep pushing out on to their respectivve handhelds, the better – that's the great benefit of competition when you're the consumer. And from what we've seen coming away from E3, things are looking rather good for DS and PSP.
Joined:
Apr 2007
Post count:
244
 Yes, finally the PSP is STARTING to look like something I might want to buy, although not until the end of this year for me, when some games that are promised are due out.
Although I re-iterate that the DS and the PSP market are very diferent and what they provide are different too. IMO, the PSP and DS can quite happily coexist with each other, I already have a DS LITE and love it, but for a diffferent handheld gaming experience the PSP looks good too. Joined:
Nov 2006
Post count:
572
I think the new PSP means that Sony generated the most interest. We already knew about the good games coming for the DS - Zelda, Final Fantasy etc.
The PSP is looking better on paper but still needs Gran Turismo mobile, a Final Fantasy 12 spin off and a proper Dragon Quest game...then you're talking. Joined:
Jul 2007
Post count:
2
I've been debating a PSP for a while, but this redesign does nothing for me specifically because it really does not address the battery life. (Yes, I can pay extra to get another battery, but that's the problem IMO.) The only positive I see out of this announcement is the possibility that PSP 1.0 prices will drop with the 2.0 release--whether that's the new or used 1.0 units.
Also, the distinction between first and third party games is not very meaningful to gamers: it's about the games for that platform. With 140 games planned, the first-party lineup is not as important, so you're checking a 'win' on this point for Sony is rather misleading. Sony itself is touting 40 first and third party games. But you seem to confuse first party games with big titles because if you consider those FF and Dragon Quest and other third party games (which are big titles), it is simply false to write that Sony has more big name titles. Plus, I don't consider any of those PSP games 'must haves,' though they are definitely games to watch, because I would not buy a PSP for any of them. Z:PH might drive new DS owners, though who knows for sure. I'd like to see the PSP do well, but frankly I didn't get renewed interest in the PSP from E3 news. I'm a fan of the games, not the platform, and I'm still waiting for the PSP to make a good argument for why I should add another platform when I already own a DS, PS2, and Wii. JOIN THE DISCUSSION...
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