Nintendo DS - Seriously, What Am I Missing Out On?

[RyaNtheSlayA]

[*]More portable since it's smaller and better battery life
[

They are actually about the same size.

[gtmtnbiker]

[*]More portable since it's smaller and better battery life
[

They are actually about the same size.

Maybe for the original DS (which I don't have) but the DS Lite is definitely smaller length-wise.

Personally, I have both and love both. They both have their pluses & minuses. I would have to give the edge to the DS for a better lineup of games but I like the PSP better for its capabilities. If you look on Craigslist, you should be able to score a DS Lite for $60. As an adult with a good job, that's cheap but I can understand not wanting to shell out money if you're in a similar position.

I'm glad that you're getting into handheld gaming. I prefer handhelds for their convenience factor.

[AmishSamurai]

What you're missing on the DS:

http://vsrecommendedgames.wikia.com/wiki/Nintendo_DS

Some suggestions since you're now the proud owner of a PSP:

http://vsrecommendedgames.wikia.com/wiki/PSP

[noiseredux]

I've owned both. My thoughts: I prefer the NDS for games. Meaning original games. NDS emulators are okay. PSP emulators are better, but I hate the feel of the buttons on the PSP, so it doesn't even matter. I used my DS for gaming waaaaaaay more. I used my PSP for music/video/web almost exclusively. I almost stopped thinking of it as a video game handheld, and more of an entertainment device that COULD play games if I was bored enough.

Edit: to elaborate. If we're talking games (and not emulation) then it comes down t preference. There are far more Nintendo exclusives that I'd want to play than there are PSP exclusives that I'd want to play.

[crux]

One of the issues I have with PSP is one of the issues I had with GBA: ports. Just looking at the recommendations from the link two posts previous to mine, there are an unholy amount of ports for the PSP. I literally counted 29 ports, just by using ctrl+f with the word "port". I'm not much of a portable gamer - meaning, I don't buy them for their portability. When I'm out and about, I bring a book or magazine with me, as I often don't give myself the chance to read elsewhere. I buy portables for the games and the games alone. Ports and scaled down spin-offs aren't really my thing.

That said PSP has a good amount of great games (I've owned a PSP for years now as it is), but naming big franchise games isn't the way to get my attention. I find that DS consistently has more original titles, and while it still has the occasional lazy spin-offs as well (Animal Crossing), I find the library is stronger on the whole for its unique capabilities. Ouendan, Professor Layton, Picross, Big Bang Mini, Space Invaders Extreme with a wicked cool spinner, Scribblenauts and others just wouldn't be the same without a touchscreen (or in Space Invaders' case, a wicked cool spinner).

[corn619]

I have a DSi and a modded PSP 2K and I play my DSi way more. The games on a PSP can be played on any console and the amount of ports for it says that clearly. A good DS game that uses all the DS's functions can't be experienced the same way on any other console.

In my opinion, the DS is just more portable. The battery life is better, its lighter and fits my pocket better, the screen isn't as prone to scratches, games are smaller, no load times, and for me the games are more original and thats why I bought it. I just use the PSP as a emulator. If I want to play God Of War, Little Big Planet, Soul Caliber and Metal Gear I'll do it on my home console.

I'm not saying the PSP is crap, theres things I love about it. The TV-out is great and something I wish the DS could do. There is plenty of great games with old school flavor like Loco Roco, Patapon, Prinny, Castlevania and Ghost & Goblins and others. Its just that the DS offers more games that I like then the PSP does. Every gamer is different and thats why theres a market for so many different ways to play games nowadays.

[noiseredux]

The TV-out is great and something I wish the DS could do.

you mean like this?





or like this?

[msimplay]

What you're missing on the DS:

http://vsrecommendedgames.wikia.com/wiki/Nintendo_DS

Some suggestions since you're now the proud owner of a PSP:

http://vsrecommendedgames.wikia.com/wiki/PSP

I see what people are saying about Ports now bloody ell Just read the PSP wiki recommendations and the amount times I read port of for the games was kind of piss taking.

[BakaTanuki]

It has a lot to do with what kinds of games you enjoy. If you want the flavour of the month mainstream blockbusters, scaled down to a portable size- then go with the PSP.

But if sidescrollers, puzzle games, and generally those with a more retro or "quirky Japanese" element, then I would recommend DS. Yes, the PSP has some games like Loco Roco, but the DS is saturated with things like Castlevania, Zelda, Ouendan, Phoenix Wright, Bangai-O and the like. There is plenty to choose from.

Actually, looking again through the list of recommended game- the PSP is far from bad, but in no way should be considered better than the DS because of "Gran Turismo, Resistance, Killzone, Socom, Wipeout". I'm sure many here, including myself, would have little interest in those games compared to many of the DSs more traditional or creative offerings.

[Anayo]

I've owned a DS since about 2007. Early 2010 I got a modded PSP 1000.

Bottom line: I like the PSP better. Here's why:

I expected the DS to be like a handheld Nintendo 64. It only seemed logical. Gameboy Color is to NES as Gameboy Advance is to SNES as Nintendo DS is to Nintendo 64, right? Well, actually most 3D games on the DS are really weak. The only 3D DS games that lit my world on fire were Mario Kart DS and Super Mario 64 DS. Generally, 3D games on the DS are lame. It's a better 2D system.

Here's what I expected from the DS's screens. Once in 2005 or so my dad played Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory on his PC a lot. One day he had two PC's turned on and was logged on as separate players on the same server. Using one monitor, he was a Nazi mortar operator. On the other monitor, he was a spectator watching the hillside where his mortar shells landed. In this way he was able to measure and adjust how to fire his mortar to hit the enemy targets. It was really cool. The DS has never done anything this awesome. 90% of the time it's gameplay on one screen, map on the other. Which is weak-ass and lame.

Online with the DS is weak. Friend codes suck.

I expected the first party DS games to rock. A ton of them disappointed me. I did not enjoy Zelda Phantom Hourglass, Metroid Prime Hunters, or Wario Ware Touch. This letdown left a bad taste in my mouth.

Ironically, for being so "weird" and "innovative", the DS games I enjoyed the most were ultra-conservative Nintendo-style games that stuck to safe formulas I'd already seen before. Contra 4, my favorite DS game ever, is a NES remake. So is New Super Mario Bros. Pokemon Pearl and Diamond are a remake of the old Gameboy games. Chrono Trigger is a SNES port. Mario Kart DS is a watered down version of Mario Kart Double Dash on the Gamecube. Super Mario 64 DS is a Nintendo 64 port. Turns out all the games I just listed are pretty much my favorite DS games.

When I tried to use the DS (lite) as a media player and emulation machine, the experience was clunky. Bad idea.




The only advantages offered by the PSP are a bigger screen, better graphics, a sleek emulation experience (when modded), and good MP3/movie watching support. I'm really enjoying Daxter and Tekken: Dark Resurrection. They're awesome 3D games that look like something I should be playing on the Playstation 2, not a gameboy-sized handheld. As far as I'm concerned, that makes it a better system for me personally.