Sony Psp Vs Nintendo Ds - Which Handheld is Better

What Handhold is Right for You

Matt Ellis, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Jul 5, 2007 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

When many of us go to buy a handheld, we're troubled with the question "is a Nintendo ds or Sony psp right for me?" this guide is aimed to compare the two handhelds and see what one is best for you.

Graphics and Screen Size:

What handheld has the best graphics and screen size? The psp has the best graphics by far. The ds' graphics are quite good but compared to the psp look average. The psp has the largest screen; the size of the 2 ds screens while the ds has 2 screens half the size of the psp'. The ds' bottom screen is touch controlled and adds a whole new aspect to the gaming world. In summary the psp has the bet graphics while the ds has the best screen sizes and creativeness.

Sound:

Both psp and the ds have surround sound and are both nearly identical. They also both have headphone slots. It should be noted that the ds lite has slightly smaller volume max and the ds has a microphone that is used in some games and could be used for neat features in future games such as voice recognition.

Controls:

The ds has the standard d pad and a, b, x and y buttons. The touch pad can also be used as a method of control. The psp has a d pad, analogue stick and x, box, triangle and circle buttons. Control wise it's just a matter of personal preference.

Durability:

The psp' big screen is wide open for scratches on its screen. On the other hand the ds' 'laptop' like design prevents it from nearly all scratches. Also the ds' touch screen has protective layer that protect it from MOST scratches. On a similar note the ds is smaller and the ds lite is the smallest and lightest out of the 3 consoles the ds is the winner here.

Games:

Game wise the ds has the better. Its games all have a sense of fun, originality and have a range of old-time classics. It also has much better multiplayer and wifi games. The psp games have better graphics but are commonly quite short and most have little reply battle. Media wise both the ds and psp are pretty pathetic. For those who don't know ds and gba flashcards can be bought to store music, video and homebrew games. These flashcards can only be bought over the Internet. The psp has media options to but u have to buy usd movies, which are quite costly, and a media stick which is very costly and hard to use. Both systems loose in this department.

Battery:

The battery lengths when fully charged are as follows-

Psp: 2-4 hours

Ds: 6-10 hours

Ds lite: 610 hours

Price:

Price wise the ds is the obvious winner. The prices are as follows:

Ds- $130 us dollars,

Psp-$250 us dollars

Backwards gaming:

The ds can play gba games. It should be noted that gba games stick out 1cm on the ds lite. The psp has no backwards gaming as it is Sony's first handheld.

Overall:

Deciding what handheld is still a personal thing and if you haven't made your mind up after reading this guide I recommend the ds if your looking for a gaming device and the psp if you already have a mp3, or even an ipod video but want something with a bigger screen to watch movies.

Published by Matt Ellis

hey im 27 and live in ney york. i have a girlfriend and am currently working as an accountant View profile