How Nintendo DS Beat Out the PSP

Unlike the home console segment of the video games industry, the handheld gaming market is traditionally a one-man show. Nintendo has been dominating the handheld space ever since the release of the original Game Boy twenty years ago. Many thought that their reign would quickly end with the arrival of the PSP. However, Nintendo managed to best their toughest competition yet with the Nintendo DS. So how did the Nintendo DS beat out the PSP? Here are several contributing factors.

Timely Remodeling
During the early stages of the so-called "handheld war," the Nintendo DS and PSP were neck-to-neck in regards to hardware sales. Nintendo managed to pull away from Sony thanks to the redesigned Nintendo DS Lite. They further expanded their lead with the recent release of the Nintendo DSi. Although Sony responded with several redesigns of their own, it was too little, too late. Nintendo beat Sony to the punch with the Nintendo DS Lite and never looked back.

Price Point
Price always plays a big factor in the mind of consumers. Instead of trying to beat out the PSP with better graphics, Nintendo decided to scale back in order to lower the price point. As a result, the Nintendo DS is sold consistently cheaper than the PSP throughout the years. While graphics may be important to some, the Nintendo DS proved that the price is far more important. Because of that, it was able to beat the PSP.

Touch Screen
Of course, the Nintendo DS needed to do something to compensate for the lack of visual prowess. Their answer was something completely original: a dual-screen display with the bottom one being touch-enabled. This brought a new gaming interaction to the market. Instead of pressing buttons, players can use the stylus as an input method. With consumer eating the new concept up, the Nintendo DS was able to easily beat the PSP.

Nintendo's Experience
It also helped the Nintendo DS that Nintendo was behind the handheld video game system. Before its launch, Nintendo dominated the handheld market with the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance. They have more experience and past successes than Sony, who were basically going in blind with the PSP. With their expertise, Nintendo was able to elevate the Nintendo DS above the PSP.

Sony's Mistakes
Finally, if Sony would have been more careful, than the PSP would have beaten the Nintendo DS. Instead they made one big mistake after another, including overpricing the system in addition to the lack of development support for PSP games. Partly due to Sony's incompetence, the Nintendo DS beat the PSP in the handheld war.