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Sony PSP VS Nintendo DS

Submitted by Cm2 on
Forum

Which one is the best ?

[PSP SPECS]

UMD(Universal Media Disc)
60mm
Laser Diode:660nm
Dual Layer :1.8GB
Transfer Rate:11Mbps
Shock Proof
Secure ROM by AES
Unique Disc ID

PSP CPU CORE
MIPS R4000 32bit Core
128bit Bus
1 - 333MHz @ 1.2V
Main Memory :8MB(eDRAM)
Bus Bandwidth :2.6GB/sec
I-Cache, D-Cache
FPU, VFPU (Vector Unit) @ 2.6GFlops
3D-CG Extended Instructions

PSP Media Engine
MIPS R4000 32bit Core
128bit Bus
1 - 333MHz @ 1.2V
Sub Memory:2MB(eDRAM) @ 2.6GB/sec
I-Cache, D-Cache
90nm CMOS

PSP Graphics Core 1
3D Curved Surface + 3D Polygon
Compressed Texture
Hardware Clipping, Morphing, Bone(8)
Hardware Tessellator
Bezier, B-Spline(NURBS)
ex 4x4, 16x16, 64x64 sub-division

PSP Graphics Core 2
'Rendering Engine' + 'Surface Engine'
256bit Bus, 1-166 MHz @ 1.2V
VRAM :2MB(eDRAM)
Bus Bandwidth :5.3GB/sec
Pixel Fill Rate :664 M pixels/sec
max 33 M polygon /sec(T&L)
24bit Full Color:RGBA

PSP Sound Core: VME
Reconfigurable DSPs
128bit Bus
166MHz @1.2V
5 Giga Operations /sec
CODEC
3D Sound, Multi-Channel
Synthesizer, Effecter, etc

AVC Decoder
AVC(H.264) Decoder
Main Profile
Baseline Profile
@Level1,Level2,Level3
2Hours(High Quality) - DVD movie
4Hours(Standard Quality) - CS Digital

I/O
USB 2.0
Memory Stick
Extension Port(reserved)
Stereo Head phone Out

Input Device
Two shoulder buttons
One analog stick
One D-pad
select,start,x,o,triangle,square buttons

Communication
Wireless LAN (i802.11)
IrDA
USB 2.0

-----------------------------------------------------

[DS SPECS]

CPU Core

* Main Processor - ARM946E-S (Running at 67 MHz)
Cache: 8 KB Instruction Cache, 4KB Data Cache
TCM: 8KB Instruction, 4KB Data
* Sub Processor - ARM7TDMI (Running at 33 MHz)

Memory

* Main Memory - 4 MB (Debug version has 8 MB)
* ARM9/ARM7 Shared - 32KB (16KB x 2)
* ARM7 Internal RAM - 64 KB
* VRAM - 656 KB

LCD

* Display Size - 256 x 192 RGB Screens x 2
* Display Colors - 262,144 colors

2D Graphics Engine

* Background - Maximum 4 layers
* Objects - Maximum of 128

3D Graphics Engine

* Geometric Transformation - Max 4 million vertex/sec
* Polygon Rate - Max 120,000 polys/sec
* Pixel Fillrate - Max 30 million pixels/sec

Sound

* 16 channel ADPCM/PCM (Max 8 channels can be set to PSG)
* Microphone input

Wireless Communication - 802.11 Protocol

Input Device

* Touch Panel
* Direction Pad, A, B, L, R buttons, Start, Select (X, Y buttons being considered)

Power Save

* Sleep mode (WakeUp possible at set times or by wireless communication)
* Power save for 2D engine, rendering engine, geometry engine, LCD screen possible.

Submitted by Aven on Mon, 31/05/04 - 8:37 PM Permalink

By the look of the Sony discs, they are similar to Mini Discs. They are a tiny CD that is encased in a plastic case (think floppy disk). Scratching shouldn't be too much of a problem.

The touch screen on the DS doesn't sound that appealing to me. I bought a PDA two months ago and already have quite a few nasty marks on the screen from using the stylus. That was using it softly and just playing simple games like Solitare and Bejeweled. Imagine some little kid hammering at the DS touch screen. It'll be dead within a month. If people do get one for the touch screen, then for the love of god, make sure you get the clear plastic overlays for it.

Submitted by JonathanKerr on Mon, 31/05/04 - 9:37 PM Permalink

I wonder about the UMD's that Sony are working with. Mostly because, in an age where so many portable devices store 'everything' internally - carrying anything more than 5 discs can be a hassle.

Submitted by shath on Fri, 04/06/04 - 9:01 AM Permalink

I heard that the psp only has about 2 hours gameplay with the battery

Submitted by Ice Hawk GT on Fri, 04/06/04 - 12:15 PM Permalink

Nintendo's DS is defiantly going to dominate the handheld world as they have since the time of its very existence. Sony presents no threats to Nintendo's handheld dominance for those of you with the naivety to think so. It almost brings tears of laughter actually. The loyalty to both systems is vast, but remains mostly steady as most gamers grow out of the gaming world, and new ones enter, which requires change as DS "Defiantly Succeeded" that field of importance. But Nintendo is the far dominant gaming system. The longest running, and most renowned system of all time; And they don't plan on letting Sony or any other competitor have an opportunity to make their riches by offering a new advanced system beyond that of any in existence. That meaning, Sony upgraded to Playstation 2 a whole year before Nintendo upgraded to Game Cube. This time after Sony announced their wonderful news of entering the handheld world, looking for dominance no doubt--Nintendo dropped a bomb called Nitro and later again code named DS, one that will no doubt set Sony back from furthering themselves in the handheld world for quite some time.

Games as most people say mean a lot when it comes down to what system you will really want to buy, but when it comes down to the actual purchase, it's the price that will have you contemplating which one you might bring to the cashier. Also loyalty is another playing factor in the decision of platform purchases. Sony has a most impressive library of loyal fans, being that it is still just a child in the video game world. Nintendo has a fan list also very impressive and made strong through years of making few minor corrected mistakes and very, very strong successes. But when it all comes down to it, I personally believe Nintendo gives their fans just what they want, which is all new experiences, the classic games we love and the ability to explore and open our minds as with the innovative genius's behind Nintendo's very existence.

Submitted by Pantmonger on Fri, 04/06/04 - 4:33 PM Permalink

I must admit I am amused by those who state their views on this topic as if it was already an irrefutable fact one way or the other. No one knows how all this is going to turn out in the end, only time will tell.

For my two cents I think that both units have pros and cons, the PSP is playing it safe, its providing you with the tech you know but with knobs on. Its success will probably come down to how well that tech is implemented (battery life, comfort etc), its range of titles and price.

As for the DS it has taken the greater risk, having a second screen with stylus opens up the available game play, things like RTS and new inventive game play based on the stylus. But at the same time it appears terribly gimmicky ?Now with TWO screens because that means Twice the fun right?!!?, I don?t know how many games will use either the two screens or the stylus to heighten the game play in any meaningful way. Backward compatibility however is a huge boost in its favor.

For me, I have no loyalty to either company, so it will probably be a matter of which ever one gets something on it that I want to play, will be the one I buy. But hell, Im a consumer whore, Ill probably just buy both.

Pantmonger

Submitted by JonathanKerr on Sat, 05/06/04 - 11:06 AM Permalink

quote:Originally posted by Ice_Hawk_GT

Nintendo's DS is defiantly going to dominate the handheld world as they have since the time of its very existence. Sony presents no threats to Nintendo's handheld dominance for those of you with the naivety to think so. It almost brings tears of laughter actually. The loyalty to both systems is vast, but remains mostly steady as most gamers grow out of the gaming world, and new ones enter, which requires change as DS "Defiantly Succeeded" that field of importance. But Nintendo is the far dominant gaming system. The longest running, and most renowned system of all time; And they don't plan on letting Sony or any other competitor have an opportunity to make their riches by offering a new advanced system beyond that of any in existence. That meaning, Sony upgraded to Playstation 2 a whole year before Nintendo upgraded to Game Cube. This time after Sony announced their wonderful news of entering the handheld world, looking for dominance no doubt--Nintendo dropped a bomb called Nitro and later again code named DS, one that will no doubt set Sony back from furthering themselves in the handheld world for quite some time.

That Nintendo dominates the handheld market, I don't dispute but to write off Sony is just silly. Remember back when Sony announced they were entering the console market, everyone just said 'meh'. 100 million PSones and 70 million PS2's says that naivety doesn't come into it. The fact that Nintendo announced a successor to the GBA so soon after releasing the GBA means that they are actually taking notice of the the juggernaut. In comparison, Nintendo's best selling console was the SNES - a total of about 50 million (approx - although, the original Gameboy did about 100 million units too).

quote: Games as most people say mean a lot when it comes down to what system you will really want to buy, but when it comes down to the actual purchase, it's the price that will have you contemplating which one you might bring to the cashier. Also loyalty is another playing factor in the decision of platform purchases. Sony has a most impressive library of loyal fans, being that it is still just a child in the video game world. Nintendo has a fan list also very impressive and made strong through years of making few minor corrected mistakes and very, very strong successes.

I dunno. I certainly wouldnt call Sony a child in the gaming world. Sure, they haven't been in it as long, but they're running the show. As much as I hate to admit it, MS and Nintendo have simply been reacting to whatever it is that Sony has been doing.

quote:But when it all comes down to it, I personally believe Nintendo gives their fans just what they want, which is all new experiences, the classic games we love and the ability to explore and open our minds as with the innovative genius's behind Nintendo's very existence.

Sorry? What was Nintendo's last great innovation? I'm battling to remember actually. I would have said the analogue control pad (although that existed on selected Saturn Pads, I think). I would have said 4 control ports but the NeoGeo did that. I cant think of their all new experiences. Zelda, Mario, SSBMelee, FZero (done by Sega) etc are all updates. I love my cube, but it's been updates all the way.

Surprisingly, Sony did stuff like Eyetoy which most gamers simply said 'how come Nintendo didn't make this?' Sega did console gaming and VMU type stuff and MS threw in some cool features with the Xbox like a HD and Mp3 playlists in games.

Times change - and so have Nintendo. Just like how Western developers have caught up with the Eastern Gods.

Submitted by Cm2 on Wed, 23/06/04 - 1:47 AM Permalink

Update on PSP and DS:

Famitsu Poll

Japan will get the PSP first. Famitsu had a Poll recently DS vs PSP
here are the results :

ROUND 1: Which do you think will sell better?
PSP = 102, DS = 137

ROUND 2: Which will be cheaper?
PSP = 31, DS = 274

ROUND 3: Which will be released first?
PSP = 98, DS = 152

ROUND 4: Which will have more interesting software?
PSP = 66, DS = 172

ROUND 5: Which design to you like better?
PSP = 251, DS = 42

ROUND 6: Which one do you want to carry with you normally?
PSP = 134, DS = 69

ROUND 7: Which one do you want to play while on the train?
PSP = 140, DS = 91

ROUND 8: Which one makes a better present?
PSP = 104, DS = 89

ROUND 9: Which one has more appealing functionality?
PSP = 113, DS = 149

ROUND 10: Which will feature more fresh, new software?
PSP = 31, DS = 244

ROUND 11: Which one is easier to develop for?
PSP = 114, DS = 98

ROUND 12: Which do you want to be left standing in the end?
PSP = 84, DS = 156

PSP won five rounds (1269 votes) compared to DS's seven rounds(1629 votes).

The winner is DS so far, but of course these are just speculations(japan only). We don't now yet until they are out.

Battery Life
Famitsu said the PSP will have +- 10 hours of gameplay (But this is not the official fact) through the use of a lithium battery that was developed by Sony and the battery life will change based on the game. Also, the system comes with an AC adapter.

Submitted by MoonUnit on Fri, 16/07/04 - 9:57 PM Permalink

that puts the DS at roughly $250AUS
cant you like get playstations and xboxs for that price now?

Submitted by Blitz on Sat, 17/07/04 - 11:25 AM Permalink

Saw basic xbox for $228 at eb today, PS2 for $269 i think.. so yeah, you can :)
CYer, Blitz

Submitted by LiveWire on Sun, 18/07/04 - 6:02 AM Permalink

i'l be getting a DS, i'm too much of a nintendo fan (not fan-boy, i'm not that stuborn). psp looks awsome graphics wise, but DS has nintendo first party titles, and that's enough reason for me to buy any of their consoles.

Submitted by tbag on Mon, 19/07/04 - 5:40 AM Permalink

I think all your mums have the best set of features! [?]

Bah, i think i would rather wait a few years... I always end up back at my PC (I dont know how often i have posted that) after a few hours and now that i have two new PCs im quite happy...

I dont see the DS or PSP playing HL2 or Doom III now do i?

Speaking of which, where is my HL2 and D3? [:p]

Submitted by LiveWire on Mon, 19/07/04 - 7:01 AM Permalink

by the time they arive you WILL be able to play them on a handheld!

Submitted by palantir on Sat, 24/07/04 - 8:49 PM Permalink

The first DS title has been announced. Quote from gamasutra:
quote:Sims for the DS
Electronic Arts announced today its first title for Nintendo DS: The Urbz: Sims in the City.

The gamemaker, teaming with Griptonite Games, will develop the game at its Redwood City, Calif., studio. Expected to ship in November, The Urbz will make use of the touch screen features on Nintendo?s handheld device through the use of menus and in-game features. The DS will support a multiplayer version as well.

"We're thrilled that this new franchise is the first from Electronic Arts to illustrate the power of the Nintendo DS," said Sinjin Bain, vice president and executive producer, in a press release today.
The Sims is certainly a big title to score. Given the success of previous Sims games, it should help sell a lot of DS's.

Submitted by tbag on Sat, 24/07/04 - 9:18 PM Permalink

The Sims = Crap. Some other sims werent to shabby.

Damn i complain and whinge alot, maybe i should be a critic [:p].

Submitted by LiveWire on Sun, 25/07/04 - 5:28 AM Permalink

yeah i think the sims is crap too, but that dosnt change the fact millions of people think otherwise. definatly a big title for the DS.

Submitted by palantir on Sun, 25/07/04 - 8:24 AM Permalink

Personally, I haven?t even played the Sim?s ? it looks pretty ordinary to me, but that?s just me. What?s important is that the Sims games are some of the best selling games ever, as was the original Tetris. So I?m thinking that maybe the Sim?s could do for the DS what Tetris did for the original game boy.

Submitted by LiveWire on Mon, 26/07/04 - 4:21 AM Permalink

quote:So I?m thinking that maybe the Sim?s could do for the DS what Tetris did for the original game boy.
very true

...as long as it's a good version though, if it's a really dodgy 'port' so to speak it might not be worth much.

Submitted by conundrum on Mon, 26/07/04 - 5:40 AM Permalink

the greatest attribute of the sims from nintendos point of view is that they have always seemed to appeal to an audience which doesnt nessecarily play that many other games, as such it gives depth to the types of people who will buy their system.

Submitted by MoonUnit on Sat, 14/08/04 - 4:33 AM Permalink

it looks pretty good, i wonder how ergonomic it is though, being a flat oval like design.

Submitted by Nocban on Thu, 16/09/04 - 3:31 AM Permalink

Dudes, dudes, where the games at ?: playstation, where the quality at ? : sony. Yes sony at one point were donig sh*tty products but with the ipod and the competition, believe me sony gon fight !!

Where Metal Gear Acid at ?: PSP
Where Socom at ?: PSP
Where Gt4 mobile at ?: PSP
Where Tales of Eternia at ?: PSP
Where Twisted metal at: PSP
Where Final Fantasy Advent Children at ?: PSP
Where the developpers at ?: PSP
Where the ps2-type graphics at ?: PSP

But with nintendo

Where the 1000th mario game at ?: DS

Where the kiddie games at ?:DS

Where's the lack of developpers support at ?:DS

Where's the lack of RPGs at ?: DS

Where the.....shit they used all the colors already... well u know
What i mean the "something version" pokemon games at ?: DS

Where's the lack of creativity at ?: DS (yo nintendo !!! i don't get a Gameboy Advance, so that later u decide to put a lamp in it, wasn't that advanced i guess)And I don't like playing REMAKES of the games i finished on SNES(a good proportion of the gba library is only REMAKES)

Where the lack of initiative at ?: DS and nintendo in general

Yes i mean if u claim that Gamecube is the ultimate GAMING CONSOLE, where's the support of online gameplay for which you've made adapters ?(fuck that gba-cube connectivity bullshit), why two gba ? (one with light one without ?), why no fighting games ?(less buttons), why no rpgs(fuck pokemon), why less shooters, why developpers care less about the cube version of their games ?(Espn and Madden 2005 and many others...)

So now Nintendo can make all their talking about their DS spec dualscreen, mic, wireless,and 64-like graphics(don't tell me that those blocky graphs are back)... i mean i was so disapointed of gba and their 2D remakes.... so i think that nintendo is going to do the same: use a fraction of the possibilities.

Nintendo can only promise, while sony takes time but delivers !

I chose my camp(playstation 1 and ps2 just got it locked)but i still wish good luck to both companies !

Submitted by Fredrick Bancan on Mon, 20/09/04 - 7:46 PM Permalink

quote:Originally posted by Souri

Gotta hand it to Sony, they really know how to [url="http://www.the-magicbox.com/0408/game081004g.shtml"]design nice looking devices[/url]. The first picture is a bit misleading though, the reflective glass makes the PSP look twice as thick [:)]

Well, just so u know Nintendo isn't that bad at designing nice devices like the NDS:

[img]http://dsmedia.ign.com:80/ds/image/article/546/546130/glamour-shot-of-n…]

And for the stuff nocban posted before:

I can only laugh at your point of view. I just tell u one thing: Portable gaming is pretty different to home gaming, sega found it out first -with their GameGear and Nomad which both had no chance against the quite bad Hardware of the mother of portable Gaming the Game Boy. And i tell u y they haven't had success with their Hand Helds:

1. battery Life was quite bad, as for the GameGear: It suked 6 Batteries out in 2 Hours
2. gamegear was significantly larger than the GB
3. it was twice as expensive as the gb
4. Software Support was bad
5. Most of the Games where direct Ports of Master System Games

And all those 5 points also count for the psp, strange isn't it? As history repeats itself.

Well even though, I am sure that Sony won't fail that way Sega did, but i don't think they actually have a chance to outsell the NDS or even the GBA someday...

Submitted by Fredrick Bancan on Mon, 20/09/04 - 8:13 PM Permalink

quote:Originally posted by Nocban

Dudes, dudes, where the games at ?: playstation, where the quality at ? : sony. Yes sony at one point were donig sh*tty products but with the ipod and the competition, believe me sony gon fight !!

Where Metal Gear Acid at ?: PSP
Where Socom at ?: PSP
Where Gt4 mobile at ?: PSP
Where Tales of Eternia at ?: PSP
Where Twisted metal at: PSP
Where Final Fantasy Advent Children at ?: PSP
Where the developpers at ?: PSP
Where the ps2-type graphics at ?: PSP

As to reply that:

Where is a new Castlevania?
Where is a new Boktai?
Where is Secret of Mana 3?
Where is Final Fantasy GAME?
Where is Megaman?
Where is Mario?
Where is Sonic?
Where is METROID?
Where is ZELDA?
Where is KONAMI? -> They are currently making 9 DS games
Where is NAMCO? -> Currently working on 8 Titles
WHERE IS SQUARE? -> Five games in developement[Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Secret of Mana sequels]

Just to be secure here is the source: http://www.cube-europe.com/news.php?nid=6833

And most important of all:

WHERE IS NINTENDO? -> They are currently working on 20 games, Just some names to count: Mario Bros. 4, Advance Wars DS, Fire Emblem DS, Wario Ware, F-Zero,...

Well all these Questions can be answered by "Nintendo DS" and true, the NDS don't lag Third Party Support at all, what u get here aren't just ports. And wow, I can buy that stupid FF-Movie for my DVD Player and whatch it with better details and quality at home with dolby digital sound, insane eh?

Some other questions:

Innovation? -> Touchscreen, 2 Screens to use once, built in microphone and voice recognition,... All u will see on the NDS but not on the PSP.

Battery Life? -> 2-10 hours doesn't sound long to me, the NDS will feature same lifetime as the GBA SP, so we have 8-10 hours.

Support? -> Yeah, the PSP gets a Metal Gear CARD GAME, wow, and a direct port of the coming PS2 game GT4, wow, Sure, the PSP kicks ass with this "great" support ;) -> On the other side, the NDS gets huge support from Third parties and of course Nintendo itself.

Submitted by souri on Wed, 22/09/04 - 2:03 PM Permalink

Here are some close up pics and new info on the Nintendo DS...
http://etoychest.org/news.php?extend.1864

# Launch Date and MSRP: Nov. 21, 2004, in North America ($149.99), Dec. 2, 2004, in Japan (15,000 yen), Q1 2005 in Europe and Australia

# Size (when closed): 148.7 millimeters (5.85 inches) wide, 84.7 millimeters (3.33 inches) long, 28.9 millimeters (1.13 inches) tall

# Top Screen: A backlit, 3-inch, semitransparent reflective TFT color LCD with 256 x 192 pixel resolution and .24 mm dot pitch, capable of displaying 260,000 colors

# Touch Screen: Same specs as top screen, but with a transparent analog touch screen

# Wireless Communication: IEEE 802.11 and Nintendo?s proprietary format; wireless range is 30 to 100 feet, depending on circumstances; multiple users can play multiplayer games using just one DS Game Card

# Controls: Touch screen, embedded microphone for voice recognition, A/B/X/Y face buttons, plus control pad, L/R shoulder buttons, Start and Select buttons

# Input/Output: Ports for both Nintendo DS Game Cards and Game Boy? Advance Game Paks, terminals for stereo headphones and microphone

# Other features: Embedded PictoChat software that allows up to 16 users to chat at once, embedded real-time clock, date, time and alarm, touch-screen calibration

# CPUs: One ARM9 and one ARM7

# Sound: Stereo speakers providing virtual surround sound, depending on the software

# Battery: Lithium ion battery delivering six to 10 hours of play on a four-hour charge, depending on use; power-saving sleep mode; AC adapter

# Languages: English, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Italian

# Color: Silver and black

Submitted by Makk on Wed, 22/09/04 - 11:18 PM Permalink

Im really tempted to get a DS

Submitted by MoonUnit on Thu, 23/09/04 - 4:06 AM Permalink

oh good, a nintendo vs sony fight -_-
i dont really have the money to spend on games much at all these days so handhelds arent really my top priority

Submitted by palantir on Fri, 24/09/04 - 7:03 AM Permalink

I find people who get so adamant about the greatness of one company or another very amusing. Why do they feel they must pick a company to pledge allegiance to and then strongly defend that company? And it happens with lots of things ? consoles, video cards, operating systems, 3D packages, cars, music equipment etc..

The human psyche is a funny thing.

That said ? Sony RULZ! [:P]

Seriously though (Heh, like anyone can take me seriously?!) ? I?ll probably go for the DS, based purely on Nintendo?s track record for hand helds. That?s if I decide to get a hand held.

Submitted by Kane on Fri, 24/09/04 - 7:57 PM Permalink

yeh...I not for sticking up for one company...

however, I am ALL FOR cursing companies that LEAVE NINTENDO FOR MICROSOFT!

GRRR!

*cough* RARE *cough*

[:p]

Posted by Cm2 on
Forum

Which one is the best ?

[PSP SPECS]

UMD(Universal Media Disc)
60mm
Laser Diode:660nm
Dual Layer :1.8GB
Transfer Rate:11Mbps
Shock Proof
Secure ROM by AES
Unique Disc ID

PSP CPU CORE
MIPS R4000 32bit Core
128bit Bus
1 - 333MHz @ 1.2V
Main Memory :8MB(eDRAM)
Bus Bandwidth :2.6GB/sec
I-Cache, D-Cache
FPU, VFPU (Vector Unit) @ 2.6GFlops
3D-CG Extended Instructions

PSP Media Engine
MIPS R4000 32bit Core
128bit Bus
1 - 333MHz @ 1.2V
Sub Memory:2MB(eDRAM) @ 2.6GB/sec
I-Cache, D-Cache
90nm CMOS

PSP Graphics Core 1
3D Curved Surface + 3D Polygon
Compressed Texture
Hardware Clipping, Morphing, Bone(8)
Hardware Tessellator
Bezier, B-Spline(NURBS)
ex 4x4, 16x16, 64x64 sub-division

PSP Graphics Core 2
'Rendering Engine' + 'Surface Engine'
256bit Bus, 1-166 MHz @ 1.2V
VRAM :2MB(eDRAM)
Bus Bandwidth :5.3GB/sec
Pixel Fill Rate :664 M pixels/sec
max 33 M polygon /sec(T&L)
24bit Full Color:RGBA

PSP Sound Core: VME
Reconfigurable DSPs
128bit Bus
166MHz @1.2V
5 Giga Operations /sec
CODEC
3D Sound, Multi-Channel
Synthesizer, Effecter, etc

AVC Decoder
AVC(H.264) Decoder
Main Profile
Baseline Profile
@Level1,Level2,Level3
2Hours(High Quality) - DVD movie
4Hours(Standard Quality) - CS Digital

I/O
USB 2.0
Memory Stick
Extension Port(reserved)
Stereo Head phone Out

Input Device
Two shoulder buttons
One analog stick
One D-pad
select,start,x,o,triangle,square buttons

Communication
Wireless LAN (i802.11)
IrDA
USB 2.0

-----------------------------------------------------

[DS SPECS]

CPU Core

* Main Processor - ARM946E-S (Running at 67 MHz)
Cache: 8 KB Instruction Cache, 4KB Data Cache
TCM: 8KB Instruction, 4KB Data
* Sub Processor - ARM7TDMI (Running at 33 MHz)

Memory

* Main Memory - 4 MB (Debug version has 8 MB)
* ARM9/ARM7 Shared - 32KB (16KB x 2)
* ARM7 Internal RAM - 64 KB
* VRAM - 656 KB

LCD

* Display Size - 256 x 192 RGB Screens x 2
* Display Colors - 262,144 colors

2D Graphics Engine

* Background - Maximum 4 layers
* Objects - Maximum of 128

3D Graphics Engine

* Geometric Transformation - Max 4 million vertex/sec
* Polygon Rate - Max 120,000 polys/sec
* Pixel Fillrate - Max 30 million pixels/sec

Sound

* 16 channel ADPCM/PCM (Max 8 channels can be set to PSG)
* Microphone input

Wireless Communication - 802.11 Protocol

Input Device

* Touch Panel
* Direction Pad, A, B, L, R buttons, Start, Select (X, Y buttons being considered)

Power Save

* Sleep mode (WakeUp possible at set times or by wireless communication)
* Power save for 2D engine, rendering engine, geometry engine, LCD screen possible.


Submitted by Aven on Mon, 31/05/04 - 8:37 PM Permalink

By the look of the Sony discs, they are similar to Mini Discs. They are a tiny CD that is encased in a plastic case (think floppy disk). Scratching shouldn't be too much of a problem.

The touch screen on the DS doesn't sound that appealing to me. I bought a PDA two months ago and already have quite a few nasty marks on the screen from using the stylus. That was using it softly and just playing simple games like Solitare and Bejeweled. Imagine some little kid hammering at the DS touch screen. It'll be dead within a month. If people do get one for the touch screen, then for the love of god, make sure you get the clear plastic overlays for it.

Submitted by JonathanKerr on Mon, 31/05/04 - 9:37 PM Permalink

I wonder about the UMD's that Sony are working with. Mostly because, in an age where so many portable devices store 'everything' internally - carrying anything more than 5 discs can be a hassle.

Submitted by shath on Fri, 04/06/04 - 9:01 AM Permalink

I heard that the psp only has about 2 hours gameplay with the battery

Submitted by Ice Hawk GT on Fri, 04/06/04 - 12:15 PM Permalink

Nintendo's DS is defiantly going to dominate the handheld world as they have since the time of its very existence. Sony presents no threats to Nintendo's handheld dominance for those of you with the naivety to think so. It almost brings tears of laughter actually. The loyalty to both systems is vast, but remains mostly steady as most gamers grow out of the gaming world, and new ones enter, which requires change as DS "Defiantly Succeeded" that field of importance. But Nintendo is the far dominant gaming system. The longest running, and most renowned system of all time; And they don't plan on letting Sony or any other competitor have an opportunity to make their riches by offering a new advanced system beyond that of any in existence. That meaning, Sony upgraded to Playstation 2 a whole year before Nintendo upgraded to Game Cube. This time after Sony announced their wonderful news of entering the handheld world, looking for dominance no doubt--Nintendo dropped a bomb called Nitro and later again code named DS, one that will no doubt set Sony back from furthering themselves in the handheld world for quite some time.

Games as most people say mean a lot when it comes down to what system you will really want to buy, but when it comes down to the actual purchase, it's the price that will have you contemplating which one you might bring to the cashier. Also loyalty is another playing factor in the decision of platform purchases. Sony has a most impressive library of loyal fans, being that it is still just a child in the video game world. Nintendo has a fan list also very impressive and made strong through years of making few minor corrected mistakes and very, very strong successes. But when it all comes down to it, I personally believe Nintendo gives their fans just what they want, which is all new experiences, the classic games we love and the ability to explore and open our minds as with the innovative genius's behind Nintendo's very existence.

Submitted by Pantmonger on Fri, 04/06/04 - 4:33 PM Permalink

I must admit I am amused by those who state their views on this topic as if it was already an irrefutable fact one way or the other. No one knows how all this is going to turn out in the end, only time will tell.

For my two cents I think that both units have pros and cons, the PSP is playing it safe, its providing you with the tech you know but with knobs on. Its success will probably come down to how well that tech is implemented (battery life, comfort etc), its range of titles and price.

As for the DS it has taken the greater risk, having a second screen with stylus opens up the available game play, things like RTS and new inventive game play based on the stylus. But at the same time it appears terribly gimmicky ?Now with TWO screens because that means Twice the fun right?!!?, I don?t know how many games will use either the two screens or the stylus to heighten the game play in any meaningful way. Backward compatibility however is a huge boost in its favor.

For me, I have no loyalty to either company, so it will probably be a matter of which ever one gets something on it that I want to play, will be the one I buy. But hell, Im a consumer whore, Ill probably just buy both.

Pantmonger

Submitted by JonathanKerr on Sat, 05/06/04 - 11:06 AM Permalink

quote:Originally posted by Ice_Hawk_GT

Nintendo's DS is defiantly going to dominate the handheld world as they have since the time of its very existence. Sony presents no threats to Nintendo's handheld dominance for those of you with the naivety to think so. It almost brings tears of laughter actually. The loyalty to both systems is vast, but remains mostly steady as most gamers grow out of the gaming world, and new ones enter, which requires change as DS "Defiantly Succeeded" that field of importance. But Nintendo is the far dominant gaming system. The longest running, and most renowned system of all time; And they don't plan on letting Sony or any other competitor have an opportunity to make their riches by offering a new advanced system beyond that of any in existence. That meaning, Sony upgraded to Playstation 2 a whole year before Nintendo upgraded to Game Cube. This time after Sony announced their wonderful news of entering the handheld world, looking for dominance no doubt--Nintendo dropped a bomb called Nitro and later again code named DS, one that will no doubt set Sony back from furthering themselves in the handheld world for quite some time.

That Nintendo dominates the handheld market, I don't dispute but to write off Sony is just silly. Remember back when Sony announced they were entering the console market, everyone just said 'meh'. 100 million PSones and 70 million PS2's says that naivety doesn't come into it. The fact that Nintendo announced a successor to the GBA so soon after releasing the GBA means that they are actually taking notice of the the juggernaut. In comparison, Nintendo's best selling console was the SNES - a total of about 50 million (approx - although, the original Gameboy did about 100 million units too).

quote: Games as most people say mean a lot when it comes down to what system you will really want to buy, but when it comes down to the actual purchase, it's the price that will have you contemplating which one you might bring to the cashier. Also loyalty is another playing factor in the decision of platform purchases. Sony has a most impressive library of loyal fans, being that it is still just a child in the video game world. Nintendo has a fan list also very impressive and made strong through years of making few minor corrected mistakes and very, very strong successes.

I dunno. I certainly wouldnt call Sony a child in the gaming world. Sure, they haven't been in it as long, but they're running the show. As much as I hate to admit it, MS and Nintendo have simply been reacting to whatever it is that Sony has been doing.

quote:But when it all comes down to it, I personally believe Nintendo gives their fans just what they want, which is all new experiences, the classic games we love and the ability to explore and open our minds as with the innovative genius's behind Nintendo's very existence.

Sorry? What was Nintendo's last great innovation? I'm battling to remember actually. I would have said the analogue control pad (although that existed on selected Saturn Pads, I think). I would have said 4 control ports but the NeoGeo did that. I cant think of their all new experiences. Zelda, Mario, SSBMelee, FZero (done by Sega) etc are all updates. I love my cube, but it's been updates all the way.

Surprisingly, Sony did stuff like Eyetoy which most gamers simply said 'how come Nintendo didn't make this?' Sega did console gaming and VMU type stuff and MS threw in some cool features with the Xbox like a HD and Mp3 playlists in games.

Times change - and so have Nintendo. Just like how Western developers have caught up with the Eastern Gods.

Submitted by Cm2 on Wed, 23/06/04 - 1:47 AM Permalink

Update on PSP and DS:

Famitsu Poll

Japan will get the PSP first. Famitsu had a Poll recently DS vs PSP
here are the results :

ROUND 1: Which do you think will sell better?
PSP = 102, DS = 137

ROUND 2: Which will be cheaper?
PSP = 31, DS = 274

ROUND 3: Which will be released first?
PSP = 98, DS = 152

ROUND 4: Which will have more interesting software?
PSP = 66, DS = 172

ROUND 5: Which design to you like better?
PSP = 251, DS = 42

ROUND 6: Which one do you want to carry with you normally?
PSP = 134, DS = 69

ROUND 7: Which one do you want to play while on the train?
PSP = 140, DS = 91

ROUND 8: Which one makes a better present?
PSP = 104, DS = 89

ROUND 9: Which one has more appealing functionality?
PSP = 113, DS = 149

ROUND 10: Which will feature more fresh, new software?
PSP = 31, DS = 244

ROUND 11: Which one is easier to develop for?
PSP = 114, DS = 98

ROUND 12: Which do you want to be left standing in the end?
PSP = 84, DS = 156

PSP won five rounds (1269 votes) compared to DS's seven rounds(1629 votes).

The winner is DS so far, but of course these are just speculations(japan only). We don't now yet until they are out.

Battery Life
Famitsu said the PSP will have +- 10 hours of gameplay (But this is not the official fact) through the use of a lithium battery that was developed by Sony and the battery life will change based on the game. Also, the system comes with an AC adapter.

Submitted by MoonUnit on Fri, 16/07/04 - 9:57 PM Permalink

that puts the DS at roughly $250AUS
cant you like get playstations and xboxs for that price now?

Submitted by Blitz on Sat, 17/07/04 - 11:25 AM Permalink

Saw basic xbox for $228 at eb today, PS2 for $269 i think.. so yeah, you can :)
CYer, Blitz

Submitted by LiveWire on Sun, 18/07/04 - 6:02 AM Permalink

i'l be getting a DS, i'm too much of a nintendo fan (not fan-boy, i'm not that stuborn). psp looks awsome graphics wise, but DS has nintendo first party titles, and that's enough reason for me to buy any of their consoles.

Submitted by tbag on Mon, 19/07/04 - 5:40 AM Permalink

I think all your mums have the best set of features! [?]

Bah, i think i would rather wait a few years... I always end up back at my PC (I dont know how often i have posted that) after a few hours and now that i have two new PCs im quite happy...

I dont see the DS or PSP playing HL2 or Doom III now do i?

Speaking of which, where is my HL2 and D3? [:p]

Submitted by LiveWire on Mon, 19/07/04 - 7:01 AM Permalink

by the time they arive you WILL be able to play them on a handheld!

Submitted by palantir on Sat, 24/07/04 - 8:49 PM Permalink

The first DS title has been announced. Quote from gamasutra:
quote:Sims for the DS
Electronic Arts announced today its first title for Nintendo DS: The Urbz: Sims in the City.

The gamemaker, teaming with Griptonite Games, will develop the game at its Redwood City, Calif., studio. Expected to ship in November, The Urbz will make use of the touch screen features on Nintendo?s handheld device through the use of menus and in-game features. The DS will support a multiplayer version as well.

"We're thrilled that this new franchise is the first from Electronic Arts to illustrate the power of the Nintendo DS," said Sinjin Bain, vice president and executive producer, in a press release today.
The Sims is certainly a big title to score. Given the success of previous Sims games, it should help sell a lot of DS's.

Submitted by tbag on Sat, 24/07/04 - 9:18 PM Permalink

The Sims = Crap. Some other sims werent to shabby.

Damn i complain and whinge alot, maybe i should be a critic [:p].

Submitted by LiveWire on Sun, 25/07/04 - 5:28 AM Permalink

yeah i think the sims is crap too, but that dosnt change the fact millions of people think otherwise. definatly a big title for the DS.

Submitted by palantir on Sun, 25/07/04 - 8:24 AM Permalink

Personally, I haven?t even played the Sim?s ? it looks pretty ordinary to me, but that?s just me. What?s important is that the Sims games are some of the best selling games ever, as was the original Tetris. So I?m thinking that maybe the Sim?s could do for the DS what Tetris did for the original game boy.

Submitted by LiveWire on Mon, 26/07/04 - 4:21 AM Permalink

quote:So I?m thinking that maybe the Sim?s could do for the DS what Tetris did for the original game boy.
very true

...as long as it's a good version though, if it's a really dodgy 'port' so to speak it might not be worth much.

Submitted by conundrum on Mon, 26/07/04 - 5:40 AM Permalink

the greatest attribute of the sims from nintendos point of view is that they have always seemed to appeal to an audience which doesnt nessecarily play that many other games, as such it gives depth to the types of people who will buy their system.

Submitted by MoonUnit on Sat, 14/08/04 - 4:33 AM Permalink

it looks pretty good, i wonder how ergonomic it is though, being a flat oval like design.

Submitted by Nocban on Thu, 16/09/04 - 3:31 AM Permalink

Dudes, dudes, where the games at ?: playstation, where the quality at ? : sony. Yes sony at one point were donig sh*tty products but with the ipod and the competition, believe me sony gon fight !!

Where Metal Gear Acid at ?: PSP
Where Socom at ?: PSP
Where Gt4 mobile at ?: PSP
Where Tales of Eternia at ?: PSP
Where Twisted metal at: PSP
Where Final Fantasy Advent Children at ?: PSP
Where the developpers at ?: PSP
Where the ps2-type graphics at ?: PSP

But with nintendo

Where the 1000th mario game at ?: DS

Where the kiddie games at ?:DS

Where's the lack of developpers support at ?:DS

Where's the lack of RPGs at ?: DS

Where the.....shit they used all the colors already... well u know
What i mean the "something version" pokemon games at ?: DS

Where's the lack of creativity at ?: DS (yo nintendo !!! i don't get a Gameboy Advance, so that later u decide to put a lamp in it, wasn't that advanced i guess)And I don't like playing REMAKES of the games i finished on SNES(a good proportion of the gba library is only REMAKES)

Where the lack of initiative at ?: DS and nintendo in general

Yes i mean if u claim that Gamecube is the ultimate GAMING CONSOLE, where's the support of online gameplay for which you've made adapters ?(fuck that gba-cube connectivity bullshit), why two gba ? (one with light one without ?), why no fighting games ?(less buttons), why no rpgs(fuck pokemon), why less shooters, why developpers care less about the cube version of their games ?(Espn and Madden 2005 and many others...)

So now Nintendo can make all their talking about their DS spec dualscreen, mic, wireless,and 64-like graphics(don't tell me that those blocky graphs are back)... i mean i was so disapointed of gba and their 2D remakes.... so i think that nintendo is going to do the same: use a fraction of the possibilities.

Nintendo can only promise, while sony takes time but delivers !

I chose my camp(playstation 1 and ps2 just got it locked)but i still wish good luck to both companies !

Submitted by Fredrick Bancan on Mon, 20/09/04 - 7:46 PM Permalink

quote:Originally posted by Souri

Gotta hand it to Sony, they really know how to [url="http://www.the-magicbox.com/0408/game081004g.shtml"]design nice looking devices[/url]. The first picture is a bit misleading though, the reflective glass makes the PSP look twice as thick [:)]

Well, just so u know Nintendo isn't that bad at designing nice devices like the NDS:

[img]http://dsmedia.ign.com:80/ds/image/article/546/546130/glamour-shot-of-n…]

And for the stuff nocban posted before:

I can only laugh at your point of view. I just tell u one thing: Portable gaming is pretty different to home gaming, sega found it out first -with their GameGear and Nomad which both had no chance against the quite bad Hardware of the mother of portable Gaming the Game Boy. And i tell u y they haven't had success with their Hand Helds:

1. battery Life was quite bad, as for the GameGear: It suked 6 Batteries out in 2 Hours
2. gamegear was significantly larger than the GB
3. it was twice as expensive as the gb
4. Software Support was bad
5. Most of the Games where direct Ports of Master System Games

And all those 5 points also count for the psp, strange isn't it? As history repeats itself.

Well even though, I am sure that Sony won't fail that way Sega did, but i don't think they actually have a chance to outsell the NDS or even the GBA someday...

Submitted by Fredrick Bancan on Mon, 20/09/04 - 8:13 PM Permalink

quote:Originally posted by Nocban

Dudes, dudes, where the games at ?: playstation, where the quality at ? : sony. Yes sony at one point were donig sh*tty products but with the ipod and the competition, believe me sony gon fight !!

Where Metal Gear Acid at ?: PSP
Where Socom at ?: PSP
Where Gt4 mobile at ?: PSP
Where Tales of Eternia at ?: PSP
Where Twisted metal at: PSP
Where Final Fantasy Advent Children at ?: PSP
Where the developpers at ?: PSP
Where the ps2-type graphics at ?: PSP

As to reply that:

Where is a new Castlevania?
Where is a new Boktai?
Where is Secret of Mana 3?
Where is Final Fantasy GAME?
Where is Megaman?
Where is Mario?
Where is Sonic?
Where is METROID?
Where is ZELDA?
Where is KONAMI? -> They are currently making 9 DS games
Where is NAMCO? -> Currently working on 8 Titles
WHERE IS SQUARE? -> Five games in developement[Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Secret of Mana sequels]

Just to be secure here is the source: http://www.cube-europe.com/news.php?nid=6833

And most important of all:

WHERE IS NINTENDO? -> They are currently working on 20 games, Just some names to count: Mario Bros. 4, Advance Wars DS, Fire Emblem DS, Wario Ware, F-Zero,...

Well all these Questions can be answered by "Nintendo DS" and true, the NDS don't lag Third Party Support at all, what u get here aren't just ports. And wow, I can buy that stupid FF-Movie for my DVD Player and whatch it with better details and quality at home with dolby digital sound, insane eh?

Some other questions:

Innovation? -> Touchscreen, 2 Screens to use once, built in microphone and voice recognition,... All u will see on the NDS but not on the PSP.

Battery Life? -> 2-10 hours doesn't sound long to me, the NDS will feature same lifetime as the GBA SP, so we have 8-10 hours.

Support? -> Yeah, the PSP gets a Metal Gear CARD GAME, wow, and a direct port of the coming PS2 game GT4, wow, Sure, the PSP kicks ass with this "great" support ;) -> On the other side, the NDS gets huge support from Third parties and of course Nintendo itself.

Submitted by souri on Wed, 22/09/04 - 2:03 PM Permalink

Here are some close up pics and new info on the Nintendo DS...
http://etoychest.org/news.php?extend.1864

# Launch Date and MSRP: Nov. 21, 2004, in North America ($149.99), Dec. 2, 2004, in Japan (15,000 yen), Q1 2005 in Europe and Australia

# Size (when closed): 148.7 millimeters (5.85 inches) wide, 84.7 millimeters (3.33 inches) long, 28.9 millimeters (1.13 inches) tall

# Top Screen: A backlit, 3-inch, semitransparent reflective TFT color LCD with 256 x 192 pixel resolution and .24 mm dot pitch, capable of displaying 260,000 colors

# Touch Screen: Same specs as top screen, but with a transparent analog touch screen

# Wireless Communication: IEEE 802.11 and Nintendo?s proprietary format; wireless range is 30 to 100 feet, depending on circumstances; multiple users can play multiplayer games using just one DS Game Card

# Controls: Touch screen, embedded microphone for voice recognition, A/B/X/Y face buttons, plus control pad, L/R shoulder buttons, Start and Select buttons

# Input/Output: Ports for both Nintendo DS Game Cards and Game Boy? Advance Game Paks, terminals for stereo headphones and microphone

# Other features: Embedded PictoChat software that allows up to 16 users to chat at once, embedded real-time clock, date, time and alarm, touch-screen calibration

# CPUs: One ARM9 and one ARM7

# Sound: Stereo speakers providing virtual surround sound, depending on the software

# Battery: Lithium ion battery delivering six to 10 hours of play on a four-hour charge, depending on use; power-saving sleep mode; AC adapter

# Languages: English, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Italian

# Color: Silver and black

Submitted by Makk on Wed, 22/09/04 - 11:18 PM Permalink

Im really tempted to get a DS

Submitted by MoonUnit on Thu, 23/09/04 - 4:06 AM Permalink

oh good, a nintendo vs sony fight -_-
i dont really have the money to spend on games much at all these days so handhelds arent really my top priority

Submitted by palantir on Fri, 24/09/04 - 7:03 AM Permalink

I find people who get so adamant about the greatness of one company or another very amusing. Why do they feel they must pick a company to pledge allegiance to and then strongly defend that company? And it happens with lots of things ? consoles, video cards, operating systems, 3D packages, cars, music equipment etc..

The human psyche is a funny thing.

That said ? Sony RULZ! [:P]

Seriously though (Heh, like anyone can take me seriously?!) ? I?ll probably go for the DS, based purely on Nintendo?s track record for hand helds. That?s if I decide to get a hand held.

Submitted by Kane on Fri, 24/09/04 - 7:57 PM Permalink

yeh...I not for sticking up for one company...

however, I am ALL FOR cursing companies that LEAVE NINTENDO FOR MICROSOFT!

GRRR!

*cough* RARE *cough*

[:p]