Loose Threads: Can PSP overtake DS in 2008?

Black, white, Heaven, Hell, Apple, Microsoft, coffee, tea, Bon Jovi, Iron Maiden; we live in a world of opposites and in the handheld world gamers are polarized by their respective devotions to the Nintendo DS or the Sony PSP.

The two consoles are each others opposites in almost every respect: while the PSP looks like an electronic hors d'oeuvres tray designed by Gucci, the DS lite looks like the illegitimate child resulting from a union involving a Nintendo Game & Watch and Steve Jobs.

The DS is the footloose and fancy free play thing, with its collection of idiosyncratic interfaces that seek to disarm you with their simplicity before hooking you in with the ferocity of crack-flavoured Pringles. The PSP, meanwhile, is a much more serious beast. It wants to impress you with its technology and outside of placing a 'Do not touch' sign on its rear, the handheld has a 'gamers only' feel to it – it's about as inviting for your gran as a Marlyn Manson after show party. Just like most consoles before it, then.

And so it is the DS that has lead the charge in the modern handheld gaming world thus far, with sales nigh-on par with the original Game Boy (which, incidentally, is the best selling console of all time) and the momentum showing no sign of dropping.

The Burning Issue... Can PSP overtake DS in 2008?

But surely a comeback for the PSP isn't out of the question? After all, it's a great little console and has plenty of potential left to realise. The revised Slim & Lite model has taken Japan by storm and should see a strong performance this Christmas.

Keen to hear your views, last week we asked you about the PSP's chances of overtaking the DS next year. Here's what you said:

Danskmacabre began with a pleasingly rational outlook on the whole thing:

"The PSP is far from a failure, it just looks like one compared to DS sales. If there are lots of decent games coming out for the PSP next year, it'll do really well. It's all about the games really."

It wasn't long before regular SetsFireToPoshHammer dug his (her?) oar in:

"I don't know, the DS seems to be doing great not only with newer titles like Zelda but with ancient titles like Brain Training and Nintendogs, too. Indeed over on another thread someone mentioned how Nintendo is still promoting these games that are now over a year old. "The PSP doesn't have anything like this to drive numbers consistently. It seems that the PSP is forever riding on a fleeting wave of hype, particularly in Japan: Monster Hunter Portable 2nd = loads of PSPs sold; new hardware released = loads of PSPs sold. It is pretty much how all consoles survive I suppose but to really go that extra mile, and shift crazy numbers you need those staples. How long do you play an average PSP game before swapping it for another?"

After that, the discussion swerved off course a little. So much so in fact that it ended up on an entirely different thread. In response to Danskmacabre's 'Why the DS sells so well (IMO)' thread, NeonTetra piped up with:

"I remember going to the launch and Nintendo saying it was going to be marketing its games over a long period of time to do away with what happens traditionally with games; they sell about 90 per cent of their total number in the first month or so then the game just stops being stocked in shops. It's incredible when you think about it that people are still buying the original Brain Training and Animal Crossing is still getting TV ads when they're such old games."

The usual suspects stepped in again, with SetsFireToPoshHammer commenting:

"That's a very good point Tetra, I hadn't really thought about it before but the shelf life of DS games, especially in the Touch! Generation's category is much longer than that of PSP games (or console games even). Seeing as Touch! Generations is such a broad and far reaching concept, it doesn't need to undergo the constant revisionism that other canons of games do. If I was to buy a DS for my mum, I know what games I would be buying her to go with it and all of them would be titles that launched within the first six months of the console's release."

Indeed, it's a very valid perspective and brings the whole discussion back around to the PSP's biggest bugbear, games. Don't get us wrong, the PSP has some of the best handheld games out there but these long tailed titles that don't have a traditional end (Nintendogs, Animal Crossing) where the player can just keep getting ever deeper into the experience are seemingly absent on PSP.

In fact, we're willing to wager that the PSP's fate is already sealed for 2008 and beyond. It is destined to see many more great titles and steady sales figures throughout its life. By the time its successor rolls around, it will be deemed a success in gaming's history. By the time the DS hangs up its spurs, however, there is every chance it will be regarded as the success in gaming's history.

Still, there are reasons to be cheerful about the PSP and chief amongst them is the new game from the creators of LocoRoco – Patapon – which Hidden Away kindly brought back to our attention via the forum. We should really do more on that one.

Elsewhere on the forum...

As ever, there are other areas of our community of readers on which we're keen to shine this week's spotlight.

This time we focus all of the beam on Lance.leopard, who is having trouble getting his paws around Assassin's Creed on mobiles:

"I have killed the first boss. Now i have gone through the series of gear turning and flipping of spikes. I have then made it outside past the part where i use the hook pass the first guard and am at the gate held closed by the big square rock hanging in the air. I can not figure out how to cut or explode or anything to get the gate open. HELP!!!!!!!!!!"

That's ten exclamation marks people, so clearly a soul in distress. If you have the answer, you know what to do.

So... are ad-funded games worth it?

On with next week's topic, then, and another contentious issue. Are ad-funded games worth it? As always, more details can be found over on the forum.

That's it for now but remember just because a topic has already been covered in Loose Threads doesn't mean that the discussion is over. The forums are waiting for your words, wit and wisdom and if an old discussion flares up again as a result of your insight, don't be surprised to find us chipping in with our thoughts, too. We love a good discussion, we do.

All that's left to say is toodlepip and click 'Track It!' to make sure you don't miss next week's Loose Threads.

ps – We love avatars, readers, so if you don't have one already, go get one. A special mention will go to whoever manages to find the funniest one by this time next week.