How do they decide this? Well, through the games.
IGN broke it down by genres, the first of which is the action/shooter. In this category, they noted games such as Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow, Killzone: Liberation and GTA: Vice City Stories on the PSP, with only one mention of a DS game in Metroid Prime: Hunters. Here, they think the PSP takes the cake, but they do neglect to mention Contra 4. If you ask us, Contra 4 wins.
We now come to the fighting game genre, where IGN goes with the PSP. Titles Tekken: Dark Resurrection, The Warriors and Power Stone Collection cemented their choice, where DS games Bleach: The Blade of Fate and Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble. What about Jump Superstars and Jump Ultimate Stars, though?
In the miscellaneous category, Phoenix Wright, Animal Crossing: Wild World and Elite Beat Agents helps the DS to take the cake. Gitaroo Man Lives! helps to put up some kind of fight for the PSP, but no dice. The DS rules here.
Interesting stuff, when it comes to the platforming genre, as IGN saw fit to deem the two a tie here. With DS games such as New Super Mario Bros. and Sonic Rush Adventure, it was enough to compete with Daxter, LocoRoco and Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters on the PSP. What the DS port of Rayman 2 though? That was a pretty good game, according to our memory.
The racing genre is one we're sure the DS isn't superior in, as Mario Kart DS is the only title we can honestly say deserves to be up for consideration. PSP games such as WipEout Pulse, Ridge Racer 2 and Burnout Dominator are mentioned. Having played WipEout Pulse ourselves, we're understanding of the award. And, the PSP also manages to win in the sports category, as the list of capable sports games on the DS isn't all that large. Just about every sports game on the PSP has received good marks from IGN.
So, is this completely bogus? Valid arguments all around? Any games we, or they, forgot? What say you?
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Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
1-09-2008 @ 5:23PM
vgxtremist said...
While I believe the PSP is a good system to own, there is no doubt in my mind the DS offers WAY more for less in terms of cost when compared to the PSP...I'm so happy with my DS I haven't even bothered to buy a next-gen system!
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1-10-2008 @ 4:25AM
PeterB said...
Why do people get so bent out of shape over these sorts of arguments? I currently own a DS, (and hopefully, a PSP in the next few hours if the postman is around today) and predict i'll be pretty damn happy with both, I know I am with my DS so far, to the extent i've even owned two of them! I have the choice to play games on either, and there are great games for both systems, (and crap ones too of course) and whilst one console may excel in one area, it wont in all of them.
Yet even if i didnt have a PSP coming, I still wouldnt be bashing it over my choice to have a DS, I love it, and although I would be gutted about the things I would of wanted to play and do with a PSP, i'm not going to start bad-mouthing it all of a sudden.
Back when it released, I doubt anyone would of seen the PSP have the success that it actually has so far, its certainly done better than I would of thought, especially with its UMD's, and who can forget the *battery dies* fad. Props to sony for recovering somthing that could of failed quite badly for them.
Personally, i'm going to be happy with both, although being able to rip my PS1 games to my PSP and play them on there may have a lot to do that..... Final fantasy 7 portable anyone? :D
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1-10-2008 @ 1:21PM
Jamesology said...
I too have both of them and cannot leave the house with both of them. It helps dealing with my GF and work. My buddies laugh at me when I carry a "Murse" but when they see the contents of my murse, guess who's laughing now!
Usual content of my Murse:
Black DSL
Gold PSP2000
Blackberry Pearl
Ipod Nano
Picturing myself waiting in the car for my GF to get off work, WOW it's a nightmare
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1-10-2008 @ 1:38PM
Dio said...
IGN needs to STFU.
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1-10-2008 @ 4:40PM
huyi said...
both ds and psp have a equal amount of good games, both handhelds have good and bad points about them.
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1-10-2008 @ 9:21PM
fatmandoubblescoop said...
you cant decide if a game wins based on sales, and plus the ds and the psp are marketed to different audiences i mean yea the ds is alright gaming system if your five but the psp is for more mature audiences so of course the Nintendo ds have higher sales if its target to kids and old people its more of them around, and buying a Nintendo ds is like buying a fake gold necklace it looks good to the eye it but eventually it will turn your neck green
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1-11-2008 @ 5:34PM
Jay sPliff said...
The nintendo ds come on hands down no arguments, the sales are enough to make people cry. Who can deny the true to gaming mentality of nintendo and how the risks they take to help us become more immerged in the gameplay. the psp is sorry its just a ps2 in handheld form.
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1-10-2008 @ 2:48AM
Jamesology said...
Then you agree that the GBA (SP) was pointless as the PSP. B/c the GBA is a smaller version of SNES and GC. Then it was stupid of me to buy the GBA and other GBs ever made.
Yes, it is a smaller; also portable. I do not remember playing playing Exit or Mercury on my PS2. But if you say it was then I have nothing else to say. I do, however, remember playing Tetris, Mario Party, also pretty much most Mario games on the DS and other Nintendo systems. And I still loved them. So what difference will it be on the PS2. What's that Mario Olympics is coming on DS? But I bought it for my Wii already!
1-11-2008 @ 6:14PM
Jay sPliff said...
Thats a valid point but the gba was in a line nintendo's unparrelleled handheld system its not that the psp was not a good system its just they created so much hype and all it was is a smaller ps2 still useful but at the same time a sony camera is useful but you can't deny the better quality of a camera made by a strictly camera company. remaking a handheld of a system in not impressive why don't they make a portable xbox because it wont sell the ds dominates the market and the gameboy franchise has been untouched and not one single competitor has even come close to it.
1-11-2008 @ 6:09PM
Jay sPliff said...
And another thing i left off the games that were remakes were just to satisfy nintendo fans the gba didnt sit on old games to make its way 1000s of games were made for the gba it was a great system to have before the ds and still excellent to have when you don't want to lug around the ds
1-11-2008 @ 6:29AM
Jamesology said...
Oh don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the PSP is a better system. No no no. Sorry if I made a misguided comment. But it is true that the PSP started off with remakes but most games now-a-days are just remakes just like music and movies. I don't blame Sony for relying on remakes too, they had too many things going on they can only invest on so much. A lot of the the games that first came out on the DS was simple Macro Flash games you can find on the Flash website or even Addictinggames.com.
I remember a thread on Engadget about Sony giving up on their music site, I forgot the name Sonic** something," to invest more time and effort on the dying Playstation area. Ever since then the PSP had some great improvements.
This is just my theory, so don't hate. I believe it wasn't mostly about the games. I think the marketing was the big part in the DS's success. They showed that the DS was easy to pick up and play; thus consumer friendly.
1-11-2008 @ 6:24PM
Jay sPliff said...
YOu responded to my comment but i can't see it for some reason. YOur old comment from the 9th is correct it's all about your preference i was raised as a nintendo kid from the original nes to the n64, but i stopped playing video games around the later years off the original playstation and completely missed the jusp to 3-d elements so i wasn't the greatest at shooters until recently but still i only have eyes for nintendo games and systems and i don't think that will have change. I even think nintendo may have stumbled onto their success with the wii and ds but it was simple the mistake of nintendo trying to create fun and interactive games. you gotta love them for that they really know their gamers. But bottom line i am partial to nintendo so it's pointless for me to argue because i just like nintendo no matter what the sytems games and character are all i know in the gaming world and that won't ever change.
1-12-2008 @ 5:34AM
Jamesology said...
Yeah I was more open minded about what system I played but for sure I owned all of the Nintendos that came out. Except the GBMicro. But my all time favoured NES invention has got to be the PowerPad. Actually, my buddies and I still play it now. I play the PowerPad more than my Wii. I can't believe it was not successful.
But anyways, I owned pretty much all systems except the Jaguar, Atari. So I was raised open minded. Well, I love anything electronic. Put lights and buttons on a Barbie doll and I sold on it.
It's true Nintendo knows their gamers. I don't understand why the GC didn't do that great, I loved that system too. I swear I didn't like that game Odama, but WOW, I could not let it go. I seriously played it for one whole day and I still remember that day 2nd year Uni. the day after finishing finals.
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1-13-2008 @ 12:34PM
Very Metal said...
I got a PSP slim recently, & really enjoy some of the RPG's such as Disgaea & Jeanne d'Arc...but I definitely prefer the old GBA version of Riviera over its PSP sib. Also, with some of the PSP puzzlers, I often find myself wishing for that touch interface...the DS gets the majority of my game time; even over the PS2, & Wii.
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1-13-2008 @ 5:39PM
Superstar90 said...
I find it funny that the DS is supposed to be the more "casual" system here and the PSP is supposed to be the more "hardcore" system here.
But the highest rated PSP game (metacritic) is Lumines, a block dropping puzzle game. And the highest rated DS game is a turn-based military strategy game, Advance Wars DS.
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1-15-2008 @ 12:08AM
pixelator said...
To be fair, most of the more vociferous commeters here neither own a PSP nor have even played the aforementioned PSP games, laying judgment as to which system wins each category.
Yep, it's Fanboydom, all right.
I can't believe even the most blinders-on DS-philes think that their beloved system is competitive in the fighting category given PSP titles like Tekken, or that they're being somehow being magnanimous by begrudgingly admitting the DS falls short in the racing genre.
I got news: Jeanne D'Arc blows its counterpart, Age of Empires, totally out of the water. I say the SRPG title goes to the PSP, as well.
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow isn't an ARPG, but I'd say with Final Fantasy and others that the DS wins this - but of course there's Crisis Core coming for PSP.
Bottom line - the PSP is a different type of machine with differing types of games. Some are better for some types of gamers on either system. End of story. Those who trumped one as being inherently superior for all gamers are (to quote VGCatz on DS vs PSP): "damned fanboy babies."
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3-17-2008 @ 12:55PM
afufa2 said...
All I have to say is if you know how to use a psp then there's no contest between the two.
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