For some people who don't mind carrying around an extra gadget or two, the PSP or (more often) DS is still going to appeal. But for those of us with a busy lifestyle, who have to *pay* for their own games (here most iPhone games are less than $10, or even less than $5 ..but PSP and DS titles are more like $50 to $80 frikkin bucks!) ..it's really no contest. The iPhone just totally blows them out of the water. And don't try to tell me there's nothing as deep on the iPhone. I'm a racing games guy, and I have a Powerboat, 2xMotorbike, Jetski, Space Ship, and several Car racers ..and many of them are brilliant. Some aren't, but hey I spent less than $100 on *all* of them. I also have Wolfenstein, Galaxy on Fire, Golf, a couple of RPG's, a mech Shooter, many shoot-em-ups, some *great* flying games, pinball, several Tower Defense games, more puzzle games than I know what to do with, and other things I don't even know how to describe. (..and that's just what's on my Phone right now. Doesn't include my full Apps collection.) Any lack of *numerous* deep titles is merely a reflection of the young age of development for the phone. Heck, even ID have only managed to get Wolf3d out for it (which rocks, BTW.) Just you wait. The iPhone is only going to get bigger. (as will the games.) And it's a phone, so I'm online anywhere. I have the web, IM, Twitter, Skype, News, Wikipedia ..And whatever online capabilities the games-devs decide to put in. Sure, for some their precious DS and PSP might still be cherished. But I'm happy to let my wife and daughter use my DS's. My GP2x isn't used anymore. The PSP is overpriced, overweight, and overburdened by that stupid optical drive. Let them die. My iPhone rules. (flame-suit on.)
I couldn't live without my DS. Right now I am busy with Giana Sisters DS, GTA Chinatown Wars and Broken Sword director's cut. I may also get a gp2x wiz when it comes out. The iphone is a great platform with unique features and great pricing, but it doesn't fulfill all my needs.
DS games don't typically cost 50-80 bucks. They are more equivalent to the cost of an average pc game these days. But the cost of iphone games do make everything else seem like way too much. And for your own wallet sakes, don't wish the other platforms away. Because in the event that the others reallly die out and you are left with iphone as the only gaming-on-the-go, you can bet the price of games are gonna go up.
Okay Ravenblack, I should have been more specific: When I said "here", I meant NZ, in NZ$. All stated prices were accurate. (I even found ZeldaDS for $99 ..but that's an outlier, so I chose not to use it.) But even given that, I'll be honest here: I have flash-carts for both my DS's. I can have any DS game I want for free. I haven't jailbroken my iPhone, and I'm paying for every iPhone game I get. Yet I have more games on the iPhone, and I play it more. Coz it's just frickin brilliant fun. ..Yup, my DS and GP2x are well and truly replaced. We got my brother an iPod touch ..he's totally forgotten about his other consoles now. He just wishes the battery-life were better.
I have owned the PSP on day 1, the DS Lite on day 2 and the Iphone 3G on day 2. I loooved my PSP for a long time. It has been collecting dust recently however. I am looking forward to a few games coming out for it (Kingdom Hearts the principal one), but unless it develops a major refresh, the North American market is petering out for it. It's a shame really. Let's Golf is good, but Hot Shots golf is deeper and better without the framerate glitches. Nothing compares to Final Fantasy: Crisis Core on the Iphone. Not even close. The DS however, is harder to replace. There are a ton of games which I love on the DS, and the Iphone will not replace that. I have been playing more RPG's and there just is nothing to compare. Vay was the closest, but the sheer volume and quality of RPG's on the DS is staggering in comparison (i.e. Chrono Trigger, the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy series, etc.) Plus, my favorite game series of all time - Advance Wars is on the DS. And no, Uniwar does not compare. It's fun in its own right, but the quality of Nintendo games are unrivaled in the portable arena (i.e. Fire Emblem, Mario Kart and the Mario series, etc.) The Iphone/Ipod touch is getting a lot of play time from me, as it does have fun diversion games and great casual games. But for serious gamers? Not yet anyway. It will be interesting to see how it all develops. I think the key is to not develop clones, but Iphone specific games (i.e. Sway, Zen Bound ). Plus, although they have been around for quite some time, the tower defense genre seems to be most popular on this platform than any other mobile/portable device. Touch helps with that genre. And yes, it's nice to have a device that is practical as well and thus is (almost) always with me. In summary, all seem to have their niches. Long live portable/mobile gaming!
I own a psp and lately have been neglecting it too. I just find, if I am in need of a game on the go, I use my Touch. I ran out of games on the PSP and the only ones I'm looking forward to are assassin's creed, RB, LBP and the new FFD. I find that Ipod touch games are cheaper quicker and also more entertaining with generally better creativity. There are also new and innovative titles coming to the app store every week. However nothing at the moment on the Iphone platform can even compete or come close to an experience like Final Fantasy : Crisis Core. Hardcore Gamers may still need there PSP to experience something like this for a while to come. Although, hero of Sparta, Rolando, GoF and others have provided me with plently of prolonged entertainement, whilst the production values, depth and gameplay offered on AAA titles on the PSP are quite far away.
Problem with the iPhone is that there's only so many "buttons" can u press at once. The lack of combinations like on a regular controller (A + B + trigger) makes it more difficult to develop complex control schemes.
Gotta agree with GDS on this one. While I disagree with the idea that motion sensing and multitouch is "limiting" any more than just a d-pad and buttons or just an analog stick, dpad and buttons (we've been over this in another forum, GDS, but I still state that each is limiting in their own way), I do agree that the silly idea of a mobile platform being a total replacement for a dedicated portable game system in terms of gaming is just that: silly. Again, this is a mobile platform, one that is viable for games yes, but is not in and of itself a dedicated gaming platform. Much like the PC market, the mobile market is not dedicated or focused primarily to running one type of software (in this case, games). Just as video game home consoles had an inherent advantage as game platforms over PCs, so too do do video game portable systems have an advantage over mobile platforms. And, as an aside, before one chimes in with "PCs can run any game blah blah blah", let me clue you all in: PCs, the stock control? Keyboard/mouse. And while after market controllers and joysticks can be had on PC, there's a reason why fighting games and more arcade and home console centric games haven't really caught fire on PC: those after market controllers, being after market, are not supported by the whole of the potential consumer base, and therefore lack support from developers. It's the same as RTS games on home console. Those games were really made for keyboard/mouse. Again, iTouch/Phone is not the type of platform DS and PSP are, nor is it even in the same specific market in regards to gaming. Mobiles and portable game systems exist in wholly separate markets. That's just the way it's always been. As they exist in separate markets, there are different types of consumers and therefore different types of demands. That's why comparisons between the two are foolhardy.
I totally agree with this. I also agree that the iDevices are mobile platforms, not dedicated mobile gaming devices. And I think it would be crazy to assume the DS or PSP are going away anytime soon, in fact I bet we'll see successors to both those platforms that blow the iPhone away. But I also think there's a great deal of people out there who are buying the iDevices with gaming being a major selling point. I know I did. I wanted an iPhone when they first came out, cause in general I'm a gadget nut, but couldn't justify changing companies and breaking my contract and blah blah blah, all that stuff. So it always kinda bummed me out I never had one, but I survived. Then when the App store hit, I REALLY wished I'd had an iPhone, the games & apps seemed awesome. But for the same reasons, I still didn't pick one up. Then the Ipod Touch 2G came out, and then I knew it was time. I could experience most of what it was like to have an iPhone, while waiting for my contract to expire or even maybe waiting for a new iPhone to drop. And I couldn't be happier. It was hard spending the $400 bucks, but even with the hundreds of apps & games I have I still haven't spent what I've spent on my DS or PSP over the years. Sorta got off track, but basically I'm trying to agree with you that its foolish to directly compare the platforms, but it's not foolish to assume that the iDevices could emerge as serious gaming systems for people, and I think compete for consumer dollars with the others. Personally, it's replaced my DS & PSP already and I haven't bought a game for them in months. There must be more people like me!!
I was about to buy a PSP. Then I bought my 3G and haven't cared about one since. Whether or not one is better than the other is irrelevant. Because the 3G stopped my PSP purchase. On an unrelated note, the app store is young, as is the iPhone. I guarantee times are changing for hand held gaming, and iDevices will be front and center now.
But motion and touch can only serve so many genres and mechanics. Indeed, I never once suggested traditional controls to be the "be all". However traditional controls, whilst they too have limitations, better serve a far wider range of genres and mechanics. Touch and motion have their strengths, but it doesn't compare to the amoint of strengths of traditional, whilst its weaknesses are more. That's why the DS hits the sweet spot for me, it offers those genres that control best or are furthered with touch (RTS, TD, Rhythm, FPS) yet it still retains the traditional controls that many genres are far better served upon.
I have my DS lite and I love playing all those childish games like Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh! (cannot wait for Stardust Accelerator) and Mario games. Pokemon is really one of the best role play games ever and I love RPGs. Also, there will never be a card game for the iPhone that compares to the big strategical opportunities Yu-Gi-Oh gives me, not only because there are so many of the cards. My last point is that it will not easy to make real jump and run games on the iPhone without classic buttons. As long as the DS has these advantages, it cannot replace my DS.
For me, iPod Touch gaming made me buy a DS. This is because after playing some DS games on my friend's DS, I realized that mobile gaming on the iPhone/iPod Touch can't compete with portable consoles like the DS and PSP. It's not even close. Go through a few races of Mario Kart DS and it will be very clear to you what I am talking about. For 5 Minute bursts (games like Up There and Light Bikes), the iPhone is awesome, however.
