Console News

The world of gaming industry is dominated by Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft. Each of these companies try to win the market through innovative ways. Of these three, Nintendo and Sony are arch rivals in handheld gaming consoles. Both Sony PSP and Nintendo DS are popular and blockbuster products in the world of gaming consoles. Both products have some unique strengths and both also have certain drawbacks. This article tries to draw out these differences and will help you to decide which is the right console for you. There are web pages dedicated by students in popular educational institutions for these consoles.

1. Frequency of recharging

Compared to Nintendo DS, Sony PSP (PlayStation Portable) consumes a lot more power. Hence, Sony PSP requires relatively frequent charging. If you play simple games, which don’t access the drive frequently, then battery life is more. But most games on PSP have high graphical content and are thereby eating up a lot of battery life.

2. Processing Power

Sony has been traditionally known for superior processing technology. And Sony PSP is just another example of it. There is no comparison between PSP and DS on this point. The speed at which the games are launched and played in PSP is far better than Nintendo DS. In fact, experienced game players say that PSP is as powerful as Play Station 2 in terms of processing performance. The 3D graphics rendered on its screen are a visual treat.

3. Console Screens

Screens are a critical factor for success of any gaming console. Both PSP and DS have unique screens. The PSP screen is wide and big and produces a crystal clear image. The big screen helps player see the images from any angle. Hence, players have more freedom on how to hold the console. DS on the other hand has a unique 2 screens. Moreover, the bottom screen is a touch screen enabling the use of stylus. Thus players have a new way to interact with the games. Nintendo DS screens are not as clear as those of PSP but have better refresh rates.

4. Controllers

Both have 4 navigation keys and 2 trigger keys each. Most of those who have played both the consoles find that the trigger keys are better in DS and navigation keys are better in Sony PSP. Sony PSP’s biggest plus point, in terms of controllers, is the Analogue Stick. Compared to that, Nintendo DS’s touch screen with stylus makes a very innovative option to interact. But, most of the games available on the market today are suited for analogue stick input rather than touch screen. Hence, the Sony PSP controller has an edge over Nintendo DS when it comes to game controllers.

5. Game loading time

With the size of games increasing day by day, the time to load a game has become very critical. This is true especially with handheld consoles because handheld users hate waiting for the game to load. Imagine, you are holding a PSP in your hand and the console takes 2 minutes every time to load your favorite game. Sony PSP has considerable load time compared to the competitor Nintendo DS. If you have played with Play Station 2, then load time of PSP is as long as or nearly equal to that of PS2.

6. Ease of carrying

Since both are portable consoles, the ease of carrying the game is critical. Comparing both on this point, one can say that size and weight of both are approximately same. Since both have screens, covering the screens to avoid scratches is very important. Nintendo DS gets closed like a box and all the sensitive parts i.e. buttons and screen get protected. On the other hand, PSP would require a separate case.

7. Game options

You can play Game Boy Advance games on your Nintendo DS. Hence, it has an edge over PSP in terms of variety of games that one can play.

You can also have a look at some of the gaming portals like IGN or Gamepro on the internet and find out more about Sony PSP and Nintendo DS.

Both Sony PSP and Nintendo DS have their individual strong points. It depends on the player to choose which features he/she desires more. PSP is also about $100 costlier than DS and also has a weaker game library currently. But if you ignore this point and opt for overall performance, then Sony PSP has a slight edge over its arch rival. However, new games and new variants of DS and PSP will hit the market in a couple of years. And this new launches can very well change the equation.