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Loose Threads: Are the DS and PSP dead in the water?

No to DS, and for the PSP, erm...

Loose Threads: Are the DS and PSP dead in the water?
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The last time we had a Loose Threads, all the way back in 2008 before the festive break, we asked you a monumentally important question. Are the DS and PSP dead in the water?

Both consoles have recently been fighting hard to face down the ever more strident demands of the pocket gaming public. It’s a gaming group that has been spoilt rotten with an almost vulgar torrent of riches over the last 12 months.

The new N-Gage launched, bringing with it the first decent online multiplayer environment for mobile gaming. Google announced the imminent arrival of games for Android via the Android Marketplace, and of course the iPhone brought gaming mewling and clamoring into Apple’s repertoire causing the most outrageous forthcoming of noise from every corner of the digital world.

Meanwhile Sony and Nintendo added a microphone and a camera to their respective devices. Not exactly a howling, bloodthirsty battle cry for 2009. With rumours mounting about the DS and the PSP’s inevitable successors, it’s time to examine just how much life is left in what has been one of the most exciting chapters in pocket gaming history.

First to the debate was new member and general all round ace commenter, Klouud:

“The DS and PSP aren’t going anywhere. True there may be a temporary lull at the moment... but Nintendo is a survivor and the PSP has seen some amazing games released lately. Although I can’t help but point out the advantages the iPhone has at economic times like these. The benefits are for consumer and producer alike. Direct release means a lower production cost and time. Lower prices means more sales.

"Sorry for getting off topic. The DS and PSP aren’t going anywhere as of now. The N-gage on the other hand…”

That’s not off topic at all Klouud. If anything, the iPhone’s business model is profoundly relevant, especially in the current economic climate. The launch of the PSP’s very own on-device PSP Store as well as the prospect of DSi Ware games seem to suggest that both Sony and Nintendo see the benefit of Apple’s approach. Maybe it’s a sign of things to come.

Taking on this behemoth next was Gideon B with a decidedly gloomy outlook:

"The DS is coming out with its usual christmas lineup, rushed games and the PSP has its stellar PSN network games, Super Stardust Portable, and PS1 games to back it up with weekly updates, meaning that on Christmas, you will have a reason to spend £10 on a great game. But unfortunately the PSP and the DS are dead right now, and that's because of a lack of games. What else can you really say? The simple fact is that the PSP and the DS are dead."
Good lord, I know I posed the question, but couldn’t you sugar-coat the answer just a little bit? At least danskmacabre is holding on to some hope, for the DS anyway:

"I don't think they are dead, they seem to have a lot of support from consumers. Personally, I buy probably less than 10 games a year, but I play them a lot. As to the DSi, not for me really, I think it will be popular enough though, but I'm waiting for the next gen handheld.

"There's a good year or so left in the DS (and probably PSP) before sales really start dropping off in a big way, although the party is already over for hardware sales. I'm sick of these little upgraded versions of the same thing, I want a new handheld with lots of new features."

Next up was hunter_alien with a very surprising change of heart:

"Well to be honest I’m starting to lose faith in Sony. Don’t get me wrong - I’ll be with them until the ship sinks (if it does) but their current situation is not great. Hell, even 06 was a better year for them with all the PS3 pricing fiasco. Now, I don’t know, they take all the wrong steps; they destroy the PSP’s software support, lose major PS3 exclusives, they barely have any ads and so on. I’m not certain that they will make it through this gen.

"Nintendo, well, it’s a totally different story. Their first party licenses are way too big, and that will keep them in the game. Yes it will survive and it has a fairly good chance to stay the #1 handheld for years to come, and I’m not seeing the iPhone dethroning it. Could its market shrink thanks to the iPhone? Yes, but it will still have a solid foundation."

Soberly put hunter. Though we’d argue that if first-party games are Nintendo’s strong suit, then that’s a strength Sony shares with the current market leader. If anything can be said for the PSP, it’s that its first party games are simply awesome.

As you can already see, this one is becoming a bit of a monster, and SciFITY’s lengthy comment only added fuel to the fire:

"I've been buying DS games (here in the US) at a rate of 2-5 per month. I don't see the list of good (adult enjoyed) games stopping any time soon with the likes of Gauntlet, Moon and TrackMania on the horizon. I'm ready to keep buying for a few more years before needing a console change up. I have 37 games for the DS lite now and play all till completion.

"I also own a PSP which I love for racing games, but those good games that recently came out for that were released not that long ago for the DS lite too, so there's no reason to re-buy most of them (N+, Lego Batman, Mr. Exit, EndWar). Now I have about 8 good games for the PSP but won't be needing any more any time soon while working on so many DS lite ones...

"I have to admit, If it weren't for the likes of Lost Odyssey, Fallout 3, Dirt, Oblivion, my Xbox 360 would get awfully lonely, since the lions share of time goes to my DS lite."

Wow, you must find it hard to find any time for things like eating and sleeping with that load on your hands. Proof if ever it were needed that the DS still has a bright future. Following this, our very own Andrew Williams chipped in:

"Considering the DS seems to be out of stock at most places in the high street (apart from Pink ones of course!), I'd say its future is pretty safe. The PSP is more likely to suffer under publisher 'cutbacks' though, I reckon."

Did you catch that Sony? And there’s more, this time from Mandark:

"The DS is fine. It's the 7 year old's favourite! The PSP seems finished as a pure games machine to me. As I've said elsewhere, it's more of an Archos these days than Game Boy. It's a very hard call to work out how the next gen of handhelds and smartphones will all fit together."

Well put, all that can be said with certainty, is that change is coming, in fact, judging by TazUK’s comment, change is already with us:

"...for PSP I don't think it can last much longer, not unless Sony pushes the area where it should have excelled from day one, i.e. games. The fact it could do media tasks should have always to me been an additional plus for the device, Sony should really have pushed the games to gain a greater market share up front.

"As for DS, I think it has few years yet simply due to its strength in the market. Although, I don't own one I can see the appeal. For my future gaming needs, I will be buying an iPhone in Q1 2009, simply because I can play casual games during my ride to work, which is all I do at the moment. It's also a plus that I'll only need to carry one device for music, phone and gaming. Currently I carry iPod, Phone and PSP."

It’s true, the iPhone is genuinely asserting itself as the digital Swiss army knife the PSP always claimed to be. Just to mix things up a bit though, the last comment of the discussion, from wilstreak, went against the grain somewhat:

"There still plenty of great games coming to PSP this year like Final Fantasy XIII Agito, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Parasite Eve 3rd Birthday, Tenchu 4, Resistance Retribution etc.

"Same goes on DS. Great games like Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time, Blue Dragon, Final Fantasy 5 & 6 (maybe), GTA Chinatown Wars etc.

"They are still far from their grave. To be honest, both of them are still better than iPhone in term of game selection."

That is an impressive line-up for both consoles and no mistake. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the the DS and the PSP aren’t on the way out (especially where the PSP is concerned), but it does mean that existing users still have plenty to look forward to this year, which is ace.

Ok, after that marathon catch-up, I have just enough energy left in my withered and emaciated digits to type out next week’s topic:

Does 2009 belong to mobile gaming?

We’d answer that ourselves, but objective journalists or not there are some things we are just hopelessly biased about, so we're asking you. More details can be found in the usual place along with a cavalcade of interesting topics from the weeks gone by, that are every bit as worth of your thoughts.

Click ‘Track It!’ to be sure to catch next week’s Loose Threads, and in the meantime, happy posting.