Battle of the handhelds

Look...Big Gameboys!

Back then, handheld games were not receiving much of an attention (except maybe a decade ago when “Brick Games” became an overnight fad). The handheld gaming market is controlled well by Nintendo, appealing to much more younger gamers with hits like Pokemon: Ruby, Pokemon: Sapphire, Pokemon Red, Pokemon: Blue, Pokemon: Emerald, Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, Pokemon: Leaf Green and Pokemon: Fire Red versions.

Poke naman talaga oh!

Kidding aside, this is a sure hit for those bratty kids who throws tantrums at the mall when “dad” never gave them what they wanted. Nintendo knows this very well, so they filled the GBA (Game Boy Advance) with Yu-Gi-Oh!, Power Rangers, and Pokemon games. This has been the trend since Nintendo released their first GameBoy back in 1989. And sure, it was a success in a quiet and peaceful athmosphere.

But all of a sudden, Sony made a surprise entrance.

To remind to those uninformed, Sony toppled Nintendo on the console business with their Playstation console. The lightning stroke twice with the success of Playstation 2, thus beating Microsoft's suckable X-Box and Nintendo ShitCube. Now Sony wants to go compete on uncharted waters once again and try their amazing luck on the handheld gaming market with…

The PSP! It's the Playstation turned into a small ummm...Playstation!

It’s like saying to those bratty kids…”Hey grow up you idiot. Look at this one…PS2 graphics for your Gameboy!”
They would really be throwing tantrums, because of the fact that "dad' is buying one for himself as well!

Being known as a gaming geek all my life, one Sony Fanboy (die hard fanatics who only owns Sony consoles) asked me on what handheld console shall I buy (hoping I would say PSP because he is a freaking Sony Fanboy). I said, “Get lost dweeb! I only own a GBA and would only play Pokemon till I reach the age that I eat on a plastic tube!”.

Because of this, the Sony Fanboy went into a juvenile rage “WHAT THE FCUK?! U R AN IDOIT! PSP IS THE BESSSTTTTT!!!”

I was shocked at this. Not at the way that Fanboy yelled at me, but the fact that console players are now considering the handheld market with the launch of PSP. And Nintendo, with their “Donkey Kong Game N Watch Clone” called the Nintendo DS are also being considered by this new demographic. Nintendo should thank Sony for this! The wars are getting real attention, and it's quickly gathering a larger market. It’s not all bratty little kids this time, but those 30 year old kids as well. Imagine the huge amount of time they would spend playing on those new gadgets since they have no social life whatsoever.
Being so curious about the whole "market battle" issue, I searched and had the chance to get my filthy hands on both new handhelds and boy...are they BIG! This shouldn’t be called handhelds, the PSP is even bigger than a woman’s purse!

Sony PSP

PSP CPU
(System clock frequency 1~333MHz)
32MB Main Memory
4MB Embedded DRAM
4.3 inch, 16:9 widescreen TFT LCD Display
480 x 272 pixel (16.77 million colors)
Max. 200 cd/m2 (with brightness control)
Built-in stereo speakers
IEEE 802.11b (Wi-Fi)
USB 2.0 (Target)
Memory Stick™ PRO Duo
IrDA
IR Remote (SIRCS)
UMD Drive (Playback only)
DC OUT 5V
Terminals for charging built-in battery
Headphone/Microphone/Control connector
Built-in lithium-ion battery, AC adaptor

As you can see, it uses a disc (YES, a MOVING disc) called "UMD" as the game's media.
For those who are very bakya, this is not the Universal Motion Dancers okay?
The UMD is just 66mm in diameter but has the maximum capacity of 1.8GB storage.

This is a good move for Sony. But I’m not impressed. The disc in a portable system is a bad idea for me. Stupid even.
Do you know how I play Dragonball in the GBA? The mash the buttons in order to win against Majin Bu!
The GBA is shaking helplessly at my girlish grip, a disc won’t handle such torture as a portable system could give.
I remember being the fool who bought a 1GB IBM CF Microdrive three years ago, it’s a Compact Flash card with a moving disc inside…it didn’t last a month at my careless helm.

I also thought it would save me a lot of money for I have tons of Sony’s proprietary Memory Stick. It turns out that the PSP requires a “different kind” of Memory stick (Pro Duo). Boo hoo.

While playing Twisted Metal at the PSP, I repeatedly shook the gadget in frustration (Sweet Tooth, a large Evil Ice cream truck is losing to a damn Tricycle!) and the game lagged a few times. This is not good at all. The battery is a complete joke as well. With an average battery life of two hours…that handheld won’t let you go anywhere!

Forget the cool graphics, the analog sticks, the cool sound…I want a handheld that is enjoyable FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME!


Nintendo DS

One ARM9 and One ARM7 CPU
Screen One: 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
Screen Two: Same as above, but with touch screen capability.

IEEE 802.11 and Nintendo's proprietary format
Built-in stereo speakers
I/O: Ports for both Nintendo DS Game Cards and Game Boy Advance Game Paks, terminals for stereo headphones and microphone
Embedded PictoChat software
Lithium ion battery delivering six to 10 hours of play

At first, Nintendo attracted me more than the PSP had. For the DS does not only play older GBA games but it could also be a converted to a PDA (with a future software). But I all find this as a drastic attempt to compete with the PSP.

Sure, they have the edge of experience in the market, Sure, they have a bigger battery life because Sony tries to much to be high tech. The big question is…would they release another Pokemon title?

What are they thinking with the stylus? I'm left handed dammit! How could I play Metroid properly when my left hand are placed on the directional buttons and stylus on my right? Plus they've released another Yoshi game and Nintendogs. Those two are the gayest games you could ever play in your whole gaming life! I'd rather play PSP's no-brain violent games!

After testing the two handhelds, I gave it back to rich kid I borrowed it too and called him a loser. I was not satisfied on what both could offer. Besides being expensive (PSP is about 18k), it doesn't have a large game library yet.

If you are asking the best handheld in the market, it’s still the GBA. The bigger gadgets should prove themselves first.
Who would be the better gadget? For me, anyone who get their hands on a Pokemon licensing.