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Gaming: Some Essay I Had To Write for College

Published Friday, January 20, 2006 by Mike A. | E-mail this post

Hey, college made me write an essay. I made it about the console war. More specifically, the handheld console war.

I pretty much made up a lot of the stuff after the second paragraph, but the professor said that didn't matter.

Expect some real content soon in the form of a Guitar Hero review!

The Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP are two competing handheld game consoles. One of the main differences between the two systems is the total cost. Additionally, there is a noticeable distinction between the abilities of each system. Due to differing control schemes, the experiences of each system’s provided games are very diverse. Overall, the Nintendo DS seems to be the better value.

The Playstation Portable from Sony costs $249.99, and no additional games are included. The Nintendo DS costs $129.99, with optional “bundle packs” available for the price of $149.99. The average PSP game usually costs within the range of $40-$50. Nintendo DS cartridges cost between $30 and $40. There are certain “budget” titles available for the Nintendo DS which cost as little as $20.

The Sony Playstation Portable has many features that make it an ideal media device. A PSP owner can listen to music, view pictures, and watch videos. The PSP also boasts a powerful graphics processor. The Nintendo DS has less than the PSP in terms of graphical prowess. However, the Nintendo DS features an innovative touch-screen feature, which allows game developers to show more creativity.

The touch-screen controls featured on the Nintendo DS bring new elements of interactivity to video games. The screen enables players to effectively “touch” the game, manipulating events on the screen with a small plastic stylus. On the other hand, the control scheme of the Playstation Portable is almost virtually identical to that of Sony’s Playstation 2 controllers. The analog “nub,” a replacement for an analog control stick, is slightly uncomfortable to use. The buttons on the PSP also feel less responsive than the buttons found on the Nintendo DS.

Sony’s Playstation Portable and Nintendo’s DS are the two leaders of the handheld market. However, the Nintendo DS is more reasonably priced than the Sony PSP. Although the PSP features media capabilities, the DS has an innovative touch screen. In addition, the controls for the Nintendo DS provide a more immersive experience than the PSP. It appears that the Nintendo DS is the clear winner of the handheld war, despite a great effort from Sony.

Labels: Nintendo DS, Playstation Portable