why hasnt microsoft attempted a handheld system? [Mobile/Archive]

thrustbucket

12-27-2007, 11:06 PM

It's the games. Nobody cares what GPU it's running or CPU Sockets, or blah whatever it has. It's all about the games ;)

Exactly - and how Nintendo is able to get so many developers to make so many good games so quickly for it has always had me scratching my head.

The hardware isn't great, and the developer environment is lame. It's certainly not a developers dream to work on. I have first hand experience. Although Nintendo is nowhere near the dev nightmare Sony hardware is.

PS- I especially hate Nintendo's policies of giving far more advantage to Nintendo first party release windows and dev attention. Yeah you end up with lots of great first party games, but third party developers often get left hanging out to dry.

ighosty

12-27-2007, 11:16 PM

The Answer is Nintendo, just like everyone stated. Shouldn't this thread be in general gaming too.

pogipinoy27

12-27-2007, 11:21 PM

frankly, MS should focus on building a reliable home console before they aspire to do anything else.

SynGamer

12-27-2007, 11:21 PM

I think they're smart not to.

I agree. Sony was able to make a nice little market for themselves with the PSP. Over 20 million sold for a handheld is pretty damn good considering Nintendo has been THE handheld console maker since the 80's.

Dr Mario Kart

12-27-2007, 11:26 PM

Had the PSP been more successful in relative terms, I think they may have, if only to cockblock Sony from building a monopoly in the handheld multimedia space.

That is to say, they're not interested in a machine solely for the purpose of gaming.

Now a multimedia machine that brings them closer to taking over various non-gaming functions, that would be something that might interest them.

Mrcapcom

12-27-2007, 11:56 PM

It's always amazed me how Nintendo can continue to pump out the shittiest hardware that sells better than everyone else.

Its because Microsoft has the same strategy as Nintendo. **cough cough**Windows ** cough cough**

The two negatives would like cancel themselves out or something:D

SL4IN

12-28-2007, 01:16 AM

Because Nintendo owns the handheld market. The only reason the PSP is still alive is because of Final Fantasy Crisis Core isn't on the DS
actually, there's a lot more to it than that. One of the main reasons the psp is still alive this much later after it's launch, is the fact that Japan eats up the Monster Hunter franchise, which made the psp move over 400,000 units on day one of Monster Hunter Freedom 2 (Portable in Japan).

But other than that, the psp hasn't been as successful as sony would have hoped.

IMHO, M$ is extremely smart for not entering the handheld market for two reasons:
1.) Nintendo owns the handheld market, there's no denying it. Every single competitor that has tried to go against nintendo in this field has failed, and miserably at that. Nobody has yet to rival nintendo's little handheld affixation.

2.) M$ is just now getting thier lossess back from the original XBOX. Last generation, they lost over 5 Million off of hardware alone, not to mention the money that they spent this year to cover the cost of 360 failures, they're just now making that money back. To take a gamble, and a HUGE gamble at that to try to enter into a field they've never ventured into before right after the luke warm success they had in the first venture into the console market would quite possibly be one of the dumbest moves ever made by them. If anything, M$ is smart for staying out of the handheld battle.

mykevermin

12-28-2007, 01:29 AM

Because Nintendo owns the handheld market. The only reason the PSP is still alive is because of Final Fantasy Crisis Core isn't on the DS

As someone else pointed out in picture form, MS is still pushing the Zune as an alternative to the iPod. Apple owns the portable music player market in ways that Nintendo *used* to own the handheld market; that's not stopping MS. I think that's an easy excuse, and also an incorrect one.

Now, when I say Nintendo "used to" own the market, let me clarify: the DS is popular. Like crazy fuckin' popular. I think the only thing that would outsell the DS is free sex. That said, they currently have between 66 and 70% of the handheld market. That's actually a step *down* for Nintendo (in %, anyway - not sure about raw numbers of units moved). They handily slayed any handheld competition (Lynx, Game Gear, Game.com, N-Gage, whatever) the way the Harlem Globetrotters beat the Washington Generals. For another handheld to thrive, let alone garner over 30% of the handheld market, is quite a feat indeed.

The thing the handheld market lacks right now is consistency: making an iPod "killer" is easy: the standards are mostly set. To enter the handheld market, should they go the way of the DS, with simplicity in technology and innovation in the software? Or should they go the PSP route, with the "as close to console as possible" approach? Both have upsides and downsides, and as seen by the DS, one more than the other.

I don't know why they aren't in the handheld market, but if the 360 continues to do as strongly this gen as it has thus far, they'd be insane not to make one ine the next 5-7 years.

PKRipp3r

12-28-2007, 01:33 AM

i'm attempting a handheld system in my pants

SL4IN

12-28-2007, 01:35 AM

Both have upsides and downsides, and as seen by the DS, one more than the other.

How can you say the lossess for the DS are greater than the PSP's? Don't get me wrong, I own both a PSP slim and ds lite and love both equally. While there is almost no quality control on the ds (as with the wii) the quality control on the PSP isn't that much better. The handheld is overridden with ports, both good and bad, crappy ports of crappy games, an almost failed software format that no one else uses, piracy that hurts the sales of the system, and small library of a few "must own" titles.

I'd say the lossess of the psp outweigh the lossess of the ds.

mykevermin

12-28-2007, 01:38 AM

nonono...as seen by the sales of the DS, it's clearly a better strategy.

I didn't mean to suggest the PSP is clearly better, as even if it's doing better than other handheld competition over the years, 30% is still losing.

SL4IN

12-28-2007, 01:43 AM

dmaul1114

12-28-2007, 01:53 AM

Because they've seen the PSP get slaughtered by the DS and generally know it's a lost cause to challenge Nintendo in the handheld arena.

joe2187

12-28-2007, 01:56 AM

http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox360/games/news/images/60328-1.jpg

I just dont see it working, Sony came out with a good idea. I never saw the Appeal with the DS, I thought it would flop when I saw it, Seems like i was wrong. I love the PSP but the Game Variety is very limited, Its like Sony doesnt know where to go with it...give it ports, or give it exclusives, or make something completley new altogether that makes no sense. The DS has an Excuse its a completly different animal altogether...There is no other choice than to make games that use the features that the DS allows, which makes way for Interesting and Innovative games, Whereas the PSP is just throwing up Ports and a few Good exclusives. Now dont get me wrong, the PSP has other great features but im more interested in what country it sells more in...I can understand the Heavy market over seas, but what about the American Market?

^
I
I
I
whole lotta BS

ItsTrueItsTrue92

12-28-2007, 02:04 AM

SL4IN

12-28-2007, 02:11 AM

RAMSTORIA

12-28-2007, 02:11 AM

ms is better off to continue releasing games for nintendo portable systems, hell theyll make more profit that way

and it's comments like yours that undermine the success of the ds.

hes just trying to convince himself that buying a psp was the cool adult thing to do

joe2187

12-28-2007, 02:12 AM

Everyone acts like the PSP is an absolutely failure like the N-Gage. I'm in college now and do ride public transportation and I've seen way more PSPs in the hands of this demographic than DS systems. Now, I know it'd be different if I left the college and went to the elementary schools.

Same here, but most people are looking at how well it does in sales.

I see way more people using the PSP as a MP3 player, or a watching a movie or browsing the internet on campus than i see people using the DS, the only few i see walking around with the DS are a few asian kid and this one creepy guy that kinda looks like Boy George....Ughh (Google him and be afraid)

SL4IN

12-28-2007, 02:17 AM

Same here, but most people are looking at how well it does in sales.

I see way more people using the PSP as a MP3 player, or a watching a movie or browsing the internet on campus than i see people using the DS, the only few i see walking around with the DS are a few asian kid and this one creepy guy that kinda looks like Boy George....Ughh (Google him and be afraid)

I see an almost equal amount of psp and ds's around my college campus, but I guarantee you that 80% of the people carrying psp's are using them for music/movies, and amost every person using a ds is using it for games.

IMHO, part of the reason the psp didn't prosper here as sony had wished was because they where marketing a multimedia device to a gamer driven market. I don't know about everyone, but I could give two shits about if I can watch a format of movie that will never live or if I can surf a dumbed down version of the internet or listen to mp3's that my current mp3 player already does. I want to play games. And that unfortunately is an area where the PSP lacks must haves/high quality titles.

DQT

12-28-2007, 02:21 AM

I have first hand experience. Although Nintendo is nowhere near the dev nightmare Sony hardware is.

PS- I especially hate Nintendo's policies of giving far more advantage to Nintendo first party release windows and dev attention. Yeah you end up with lots of great first party games, but third party developers often get left hanging out to dry.

I really would like to hear about your first hand experience. I'm curious.

I absolutely agree about the way Nintendo seems to leave 3rd party developers high and dry. Weren't there stories of Sony and Microsoft sending in specialists to help third parties work on the PS3 and 360? Why can't Nintendo do that? That's why developers are always complaining about Nintendo being their worst competitor.

And to go on topic, what would a Microsoft handheld have to offer that the PSP or DS couldn't? I don't think the market needs another handheld.

SL4IN

12-28-2007, 02:30 AM

I absolutely agree about the way Nintendo seems to leave 3rd party developers high and dry. Weren't there stories of Sony and Microsoft sending in specialists to help third parties work on the PS3 and 360? Why can't Nintendo do that? That's why developers are always complaining about Nintendo being their worst competitor.

Because Sony and M$ don't have as many solid 1st party titles like nintendo does, and on top of that, Nintendo's first party titles are sellable to almost anyone of any age, not just an "M" rated crowd or whatever other rating that they get. Simply, they're very age friendly and not on the extremely complicated side either.

And not all 3rd party devs are left high and dry on nintendo's stuff, one of the main companies that does a lot of work with nintendo (atleast in the handheld market) is Capcom, and they've got a really good track record themselves as an independent company (one of my favorites atleast).

whoknows

12-28-2007, 02:38 AM

It's the games. Nobody cares what GPU it's running or CPU Sockets, or blah whatever it has. It's all about the games ;)
You'd think so, but there are a bunch of great PSP games that get ignored.

tokitoki50

12-28-2007, 02:39 AM

They probably will eventually. They're still relatively new in the video game hardware business

VipFREAK

12-28-2007, 02:47 AM

Because it would fail as bad as a PSP. As well as below.

Because it would overheat and burn your hands.

lol

TimPV3

12-28-2007, 03:12 AM

an almost failed software format that no one else uses, piracy that hurts the sales of the system, and small library of a few "must own" titles.Who uses DS cartridges as a format besides Nintendo? Do you consider SNES cartridges a failure because nobody used them for anything except games? No, because it's an irrelevent argument to the system.

Piracy on DS is as easy as the PSP, if not easier, since all you have to do is buy the little card and load your games on there. No dangerous downgrading involved.

PSP has many must-own titles. If you're too lazy to look, I'm not going to bother posting them.

But other than that, the psp hasn't been as successful as sony would have hoped.That's the issue here nobody is seeing. The PSP HAS been the success Sony hoped, the DS just outsells it 2 to 1. Nothing has sold like the DS is selling, if it wasn't for the DS to compare the PSP's numbers to, it'd probably go on to be the most successful handheld.

VipFREAK

12-28-2007, 03:15 AM

I owned both a PSP and ds. I still have the ds. Besides the piracy the ds is better for portable gaming period, and it's smaller, and it's screen won't get broken, and... I don't need to say more.

whoknows

12-28-2007, 03:22 AM

I owned both a PSP and ds. I still have the ds. Besides the piracy the ds is better for portable gaming period, and it's smaller, and it's screen won't get broken, and... I don't need to say more.
PSP isn't that much bigger than the DS, certainly not big enough to make it that much less portable than the DS. Besides that, the PSP screen won't break either unless you're a complete and utter moron.

VipFREAK

12-28-2007, 03:32 AM

lol, isn't THAT much bigger? you say that like were talking about cell phones.

Sleepkyng

12-28-2007, 03:34 AM

yay! another psp vs. ds flamewar!

MINE IS BETTR!

i bought a ds because of the price and performance - 12 hour battery on a portable is essential to me because i travel alot.

i've got a zune and a laptop for movies and mp3s.

but if i had more money would i buy a psp and play Final Fantasy Tactics - you betcha.

SL4IN

12-28-2007, 03:35 AM

Who uses DS cartridges as a format besides Nintendo? Do you consider SNES cartridges a failure because nobody used them for anything except games? No, because it's an irrelevent argument to the system.
I was referring to the UMD format being used for movies at the launch of the system, and now just 3 years later the format has flopped as a legitimate media format being used for something other than games. Your argument that Nintendo uses a different format as well is irrelevant because it's only used for games.

Piracy on DS is as easy as the PSP, if not easier, since all you have to do is buy the little card and load your games on there. No dangerous downgrading involved.
it may be, but piracy isn't hurting the initial sales of the the system or its software, it's still selling over 100k units every month and software sales are stronger than ever. Piracy on the psp is a big deal, especially since alot of its releases hit the $40 mark, which is high for a handheld game.

PSP has many must-own titles. If you're too lazy to look, I'm not going to bother posting them.
You don't need to tell me that, you'd be preaching to the choir. If you saw one of earlier posts, I stated I own both a psp and ds and play both frequently. But out of the list you'd show me, how many of them are ports? Because that's one of the main downfalls of the system, it's overridden with ports. I own about 20 games for my psp, and at the VERY least half of them are ports. Sure, they're great games, but they're still uninspired by something new and most likely something I've already played, they just get picked up for nostalgic value.

That's the issue here nobody is seeing. The PSP HAS been the success Sony hoped, the DS just outsells it 2 to 1. Nothing has sold like the DS is selling, if it wasn't for the DS to compare the PSP's numbers to, it'd probably go on to be the most successful handheld.
Lol at the ds selling only 2 to 1 compared to the psp. The ds is selling WAY more units than a ratio of 2 to 1. The DS recently hit 50,000,000 units worldwide, while the psp has hit 25,000,000 units SHIPPED. I can guarantee you that sony has not SOLD 25,000,000 units. And to say nothing has sold like the ds has, you're doing an insane injustice to nintendo's success in the handheld market. The original gameboy hit 75,000,000 units by the time it was "dead" and the gba just 75,000,000 units earlier this year. If that's any indication, the ds will hit over 100,000,000 units worldwide by the time it's considered "dead."

I'm not trying to jilt the success of the psp because I absolutely love mine, but I also at the same time love my ds. I even said that the psp has been successful, but I'm almost certain not as successful as sony had initially planned.

Ice2Dragon

12-28-2007, 03:49 AM

You'd think Microsoft would go into the handheld war with how well sony is doing with the psp..

Oh... wait..

whoknows

12-28-2007, 03:46 PM

You'd think Microsoft would go into the handheld war with how well sony is doing with the psp..

Oh... wait..
The PSP is doing well. Just because it isn't outselling the DS does not mean it is failing.

MidnightMetal

12-28-2007, 04:03 PM

Like previously said Nintendo owns this market, yeah PSP is in control of the portable multimedia device, but MS wouldn't/shouldn't compete with multimedia, MS is generaly more about the online play of it and would be more focused on that.

And besides MS already has a pic of the new XBOX 180! man have you guys been hiding in a cave or somethin, of couse featuring the new HALO game! lol
http://passionemobile.wordpress.com/files/2006/02/ScreenShot746.jpg
Wait 'til you see the power brick for the AC charger!

Demontooth

12-28-2007, 04:58 PM

dmaul1114

12-28-2007, 05:18 PM

The PSP is doing well. Just because it isn't outselling the DS does not mean it is failing.

But is Sony making a profit on it? It's not a failure, but sales are pretty dismal, both hardware and software, in comparsion to the DS.

And would MS make a profit on something they put out? Hard to imagine since PSP has the multimedia market cornered and DS has the handheld gaming market dominated.

And MS needs profit earning hardware after losing a ton on the orginal X-box and losing a ton on the 360 with the hardware failures and resulting warranty extension for the RROD problem.

ChaoticClimax

12-28-2007, 05:22 PM

To answer the topic: Mircosoft is smart enough to stay out of a Nintendo dominated niche.

To add to the argument: As an owner of both the PSP and DS, I can say that they are both great. I play DS games on my DS and I play SNES RPGs on my PSP. I can't remember the last time I actually played a PSP game. I do not regret buying a PSP by any means, but I can see why people that don't use custom firmware might be upset with the limited selection of good games on the PSP.

whoknows

12-28-2007, 05:22 PM

But is Sony making a profit on it? It's not a failure, but sales are pretty dismal, both hardware and software, in comparsion to the DS.

And would MS make a profit on something they put out? Hard to imagine since PSP has the multimedia market cornered and DS has the handheld gaming market dominated.

And MS needs profit earning hardware after losing a ton on the orginal X-box and losing a ton on the 360 with the hardware failures and resulting warranty extension for the RROD problem.
I believe it was the first month the PSP Slim was out it outsold the DS in Japan, so no, not really dismal. Sales continue to be steady and it's selling well. The GC and Xbox sold nothing in comparison to the PS2, does that make them failures and make their hardware sales be considered "dismal"?

thrustbucket

12-28-2007, 05:29 PM

I really would like to hear about your first hand experience. I'm curious.

I'll PM you, as I don't need to get fired yet.

dmaul1114

12-28-2007, 05:32 PM

I believe it was the first month the PSP Slim was out it outsold the DS in Japan, so no, not really dismal. Sales continue to be steady and it's selling well. The GC and Xbox sold nothing in comparison to the PS2, does that make them failures and make their hardware sales be considered "dismal"?

Yes, the GC and X-box sold dismally in comparison to the PS2.

They weren't outright failures, but they didn't even challenge Sony for the lead. Similarly, the PSP isn't an outright failure as it has sold ok and has done better than any other handheld to every face off against a Nintendo handheld.

But it's still in a hugely distant second place in world wide sales and will likely not close the gap much. So yes, it sells dismally in comparison.

And it should, I'm far from a Nintendo fanboy (hate the direction their going in with their casual gaming crap), but I find little to like about the PSP as a GAMING machine. Not many games that interst me, they all control crappy IMO as I HATE the d-pad and LOATHE the analog nub. On top of that the games I do like are mostly the same type of stuff I could play on the PS2 or another console, and I'd rather just play those types of games on my 50" HDTV since I pretty much only play my handhelds at home anyway (airplane travel aside).

SL4IN

12-28-2007, 05:34 PM

I believe it was the first month the PSP Slim was out it outsold the DS in Japan, so no, not really dismal. Sales continue to be steady and it's selling well. The GC and Xbox sold nothing in comparison to the PS2, does that make them failures and make their hardware sales be considered "dismal"?

But that's almost irrelevant to the argument because while the gamecube did come in last place last generation, it still made nintendo money because profit was > than cost.

M$ on the other hand, as I stated in my earlier post, lost some 5 million last year alone on hardware. So yes, the XBOX can be considered a failure, but at the same token, sony is milking the ps2 for all it's got left because of the enormous amounts of money they've lost on the ps3. So by logic, the ps3 can be considered a failure for now.

but this is all completely off topic and has nothing to do with M$ entering the handheld market.

PyroGamer

12-28-2007, 05:54 PM

Because they aren't stupid.

KaneRobot

12-28-2007, 06:00 PM

Sorry to derail the enthralling PSP and DS talk, but...

Isn't MS either turning a profit or about to be turning a profit on the 360? Microsoft wants everything - home, office, and in-between. If they stay strong for the rest of this generation - and all indications are that they will - don't be surprised if they bring out some kind of Uber Zune that plays games.

Heavily, heavily, DRM'd games.

goatindaruffness

12-28-2007, 06:12 PM

I own both, as do many people I know, and just about all of them have the same feelings...
PSP suffers from two problems, one lack of games, and two, completely unusable nub of an analog joystick they attempted to incorporate...
To be honest of the three handheld units I currently own, I'd say I play the Neo Geo Pocket even more the PSP, because of its near perfect analog stick...
In fact the only thing that has me using my PSP recently is PS1 downloads from the Playstation store and the fact that I got a 4GB Pro Duo on Black Friday, that and the Sega Genesis Collection...
Maybe if they spent more time on actual games, and less time on making it slimmer (which IMO isn't even needed, maybe shrink the system down a bit including the screen, but slimmer???), they'd be going somewhere...
About Microsoft and a handheld, I just don't think they feel comfortable enough to produce a handheld, being that one of their main issues is the fact that they've tried to win the console wars with sheer power, and there isn't much power you can pull out of a handheld (without disgustingly high prices that is)...
-Goatman

DQT

12-28-2007, 06:19 PM

And not all 3rd party devs are left high and dry on nintendo's stuff, one of the main companies that does a lot of work with nintendo (atleast in the handheld market) is Capcom, and they've got a really good track record themselves as an independent company (one of my favorites atleast).

That's good and all but I wish Nintendo would help 3rd parties on developing their own games, instead of outsourcing Nintendo IP's to them, like they did with Capcom, Sega and Namco. Also Capcom is my favorite independent company period. It seems they just got a good track record without anyone's help.

but if i had more money would i buy a psp and play Final Fantasy Tactics - you betcha.

I have a DS too. Add time as a factor and add Crisis Core, Tekken, Metal Gear, and FF Dissidia to FFT.

whoknows

12-28-2007, 06:23 PM

So yes, it sells dismally in comparison.
Exactly, don't compare the numbers to the DS numbers and the PSP is selling pretty well. Far from a failure.
one lack of games
Maybe 2 years ago, I can't believe people are still saying that.

dmaul1114

12-28-2007, 06:24 PM

Isn't MS either turning a profit or about to be turning a profit on the 360? Microsoft wants everything - home, office, and in-between. .

I can't imagine they are. Wasn't the cost of extending the RROD warranty to three years estimated to be $1 billion?

Factor in that they lost a good bit on every 360 sold for the first year or so, and it's hard to imagine they'll be profitable already.

dmaul1114

12-28-2007, 06:25 PM

Exactly, don't compare the numbers to the DS numbers and the PSP is selling pretty well. Far from a failure.

Never said it was a failure. I said is told dismally in comparison. Others may have said it was failure. They would be wrong.

whoknows

12-28-2007, 06:27 PM

Never said it was a failure. I said is told dismally in comparison. Others may have said it was failure. They would be wrong.
What I'm trying to say yes, it sells dismally in comparison to the DS, but look at the numbers without looking at DS numbers and one can see the PSP is selling pretty well.

dmaul1114

12-28-2007, 06:27 PM

Maybe 2 years ago, I can't believe people are still saying that.

I think people mainly just mean "lack of games I want to play" when they say "lack of games."

As I said above, it doesn't offer much outside of the same types of games I can get on the PS2 or another console, and I'd prefer to play those on my 50" HDTV.

I only have a DS as it offers games I can't get very much on a console (touch screen games, stuff like Picross, 2D platformers etc.). I don't really need a portable console, as I seldom take it outside the house. And I'm not going to play it at home if I'm just going to play the same type of games I could be playing on my TV.

PSP has gotten a bit better in that regard, but is still lacking for me.

dmaul1114

12-28-2007, 06:28 PM

What I'm trying to say yes, it sells dismally in comparison to the DS, but look at the numbers without looking at DS numbers and one can see the PSP is selling pretty well.

Don't care. I'm just saying it's selling dimsally in comparison to the DS, and the software is selling even worse.

And as such MS sees that and is smart enough not to bother with a portable system as they know it would be tough to turn a profit on one.

whoknows

12-28-2007, 06:30 PM

Everything is selling dismally compared to the DS aside from the Wii, but since when did the PSP have to outsell the DS to be considered a success?

SL4IN

12-28-2007, 06:35 PM

The PSP has only SHIPPED 25 million units, and only SOLD 14 million. I don't think that's that impressive for a handheld that's been on the market for 3 years already.

dmaul1114

12-28-2007, 06:35 PM

Everything is selling dismally compared to the DS aside from the Wii and maybe PS2, but since when did the PSP have to outsell the DS to be considered a success?

This thread is about WHY MS DOESN'T PUT OUT A PORTABLE.

The reason is that they need to turn a profit as the X-box and 360 have bled money for them, and the outlook isn't rosy when they see that the DS has absolutely fucking ass raped the DS and sales, and that software (which is where companies make money) has sold even more like ass on it.

If you want to call the PSP a success, then fine.

I see it as a dissapointment (though wouldn't call it failure) as:

1. It's not even competing remotely with the DS on hardware or software front.

2. Games play like crap due to the d-pad and analog nub sucking.

3. Software same old shit you can get on a console, and littered with ports and remakes.

4. Battery life.

It is a nice multimedia machine though.

Bazz

12-28-2007, 06:38 PM

They might as well take that money into charity they will have no share in that market right now.

whoknows

12-28-2007, 06:44 PM

1. It's not even competing remotely with the DS on hardware or software front.
I guess
2. Games play like crap due to the d-pad and analog nub sucking.
Opinion, I think the D-Pad is great, analog nub could be in a better place though.
3. Software same old shit you can get on a console, and littered with ports and remakes.
Both systems have tons of shit on the systems, ports or not. Sure, there are PSP games you COULD play on a home console, but they just aren't on a home console so tough luck there. Besides that, some games that are on home consoles are just better suited for a portable aka Disgaea.
4. Battery life.
Battery life is pretty good on the Slim, and Sony is releasing a battery that has double the battery life. Even the battery life on the original PSP is more than enough, I can't think of many cases who plays the PSP from full charge to dead in one sitting. Do anyone really need more than the 4-5 hours the battery lasts?
It is a nice multimedia machine though.
It's not bad.

FriskyTanuki

12-28-2007, 07:00 PM

The PSP's a failure? I guess if you can only see the handheld market as a win or lose situation it could seem that way. Coming into a market that Nintendo had a death grip on, taking about a third of the marketshare in their first try, and selling very well consistently is certainly not a failure to me. Just because you're not the Patriots, it doesn't mean that you're the Dolphins.

mykevermin

12-28-2007, 07:04 PM

sigh...or the Bengals.

dmaul1114

12-29-2007, 01:23 AM

Both systems have tons of shit on the systems, ports or not. Sure, there are PSP games you COULD play on a home console, but they just aren't on a home console so tough luck there. Besides that, some games that are on home consoles are just better suited for a portable aka Disgaea.

Note that I said same type of games, not same games explicitly. If I'm going to play a portable, it needs to offer a lot of games I can't get anything similar too on the consoles. All the PSP games that interest me, I can find a substitute on one of the consoles. Not so for stuff like 2D platformers like New Super Mario Bros or stuff like Picross Brain Age etc.

Do anyone really need more than the 4-5 hours the battery lasts?

When I travel, I travel light with a VERY cramped carry on bag. Prefer to not have to bring an ac adapter with me if I can help it. Thus having a battery that can last all I want to play on two cross country flights is a plus.

LilPaintballer

12-29-2007, 02:36 PM

doesnt pirating play a role aswell? i mean in my school everyone who has a psp pirates all the games and make homebrew and what not. not to mention there are thousands of site devoted to pirating for the psp making its game sales decline.

dmaul1114

12-29-2007, 02:44 PM

There's tons of pirating on the DS as well. All one has to do is buy one of those card reader things and then download roms.

seanr1221

12-29-2007, 03:28 PM

*comes in*

The DS, like the Wii, has an appeal to a broader audience compared to the PSP (and most likely whatever handheld MS could come up with). It's not just the games people, popularity plays a huge part. Don't forget that a large majority of consumers will buy whatever is considered the hot thing.

*runs away*

V Illuminati V

12-29-2007, 03:58 PM

They havn't even made profit with the 360 because they've spent so much money trying to fix the red ring (billion +) so why would they try something else

PyroGamer

12-29-2007, 04:46 PM

It is a nice multimedia machine though.
I definitely disagree with that statement. Maybe the improved battery life and lowered weight on the new models makes it worth it if you can find UMD movies for like $1 or something, but other than that it does nothing your iPod can't do much better, and for much longer.

However, I'd disagree with most on this forum about its qualities as a gaming device. I think there are plenty of great games on the system. Obviously I'd rather play my DS, but you can no longer say the PSP doesn't have any great titles.

rly723

12-29-2007, 04:51 PM

i have both, PSP/DS..maybe i'm not a big portable gamer, but both were collecting dust for awhile. i only used my PSP for internet. it would help if i got new games too. DS i didnt use it for awhile until i got the r4, but their games are very time consuming.

meesterjojo

12-29-2007, 05:06 PM

As someone else pointed out in picture form, MS is still pushing the Zune as an alternative to the iPod. Apple owns the portable music player market in ways that Nintendo *used* to own the handheld market; that's not stopping MS. I think that's an easy excuse, and also an incorrect one.

The thing the handheld market lacks right now is consistency: making an iPod "killer" is easy: the standards are mostly set. To enter the handheld market, should they go the way of the DS, with simplicity in technology and innovation in the software? Or should they go the PSP route, with the "as close to console as possible" approach? Both have upsides and downsides, and as seen by the DS, one more than the other.

Speaking of Zune, the price is another factor: for the price of a Zune you can get some variation of an actual iPod. I'm not sure M$, or Sony for that matter, understand the concept of value or being competitive. They come out with a similar product and expect the full price of their competition.

dmaul1114

12-29-2007, 05:43 PM

I definitely disagree with that statement. Maybe the improved battery life and lowered weight on the new models makes it worth it if you can find UMD movies for like $1 or something, but other than that it does nothing your iPod can't do much better, and for much longer.

Yeah, I wouldn't buy one for that as I'm very happy with my creative vision m. But it does have a better screen (bigger and widescreen).

However, I'd disagree with most on this forum about its qualities as a gaming device. I think there are plenty of great games on the system. Obviously I'd rather play my DS, but you can no longer say the PSP doesn't have any great titles.

Yeah, it definitely has some solid titles. I'd be more interested if I played outside the home more. But as I said above, since I don't it just doesn't really offer anything to get me to play it instead of my PS2, Wii or 360 on my HDTV since it offers similar types of games as the consoles, just in portable form.

DS I play instead sometimes as I can't find stuff like New SMB, touch screen games like Kirby Canvas Curse, or odd shit like Picross etc. on the consoles.

haloman180

12-30-2007, 08:16 PM

i dont think it would be good for ms to make a handheld if they do there going to lose badly

s0undwav3

12-31-2007, 02:04 AM

One word: Nintendo. Nuff Said.

Sofa King Kool

12-31-2007, 02:48 AM

I don't know if this has been posted already, but I remember seeing a picture of a Microsoft handheld mockup in a magazine somewhere. It was just an idea of what it could look like, but it was still interesting.

007

12-31-2007, 03:23 AM

I think the relative inability of the PSP to compete was more or less the deciding factor. If people are far and away choosing the DS over the PSP, why give them another option?

Microsoft, as much money as they have, isn't keen on losing more than they have to. At this point, they need to get their consoles upright, and then maybe they can worry about portables. This generation will also play a big factor. Let's say that things actually pan out the way they're looking now, with the Wii in first, 360 second, and PS3 third. I think if the 360 does well enough that there is significant consumer support going into whatever the next generation is, they'd feel they have the credibility to release a handheld.

Let's remember here, we're dealing with a company that only entered the gaming market last generation... you know, the one that only ended about a year ago (or is still going, if you look at the PS2). Sony, before releasing a handheld, was WELL into a BLOCKBUSTER second generation console offering, giving them the market credibility required to actually go after the big N in the handheld department. Let's be fair here, too... if Sony, who was far and away the leader of last generation couldn't even come close to anything other than 'second by default', what chance would Microsoft have?

Now, what's the other deciding factor? Whether or not Microsoft is going to focus on the Western markets as opposed to the Eastern. Japan is essentially making a huge shift from console gaming to handheld gaming, which leaves Microsoft out in the cold. However, since they're already not making any sort of dent in Japan anyway, they may just decide to give up. It's one of the interesting questions of this generation, which is whether Microsoft can have a dominate position (either first or second, depending on how high the Wii flies) in this generation without, basically, the support of the entire Japanese market. They are, technically, achieving that right now, so it's a question of how confident they are in their ability to pull it off. It's going to take a miracle to turn Japan around on Microsoft and, honestly, a handheld would be the only thing that may do it with the current Japanese gaming climate. The question then remains whether they care enough to do it.

As it stands, they don't seem to be in much trouble, and I think staying out of yet another market is probably the best idea for them at the moment. The DS is innovative and simplistic, and the PSP is a complex multimedia giant, which really only leaves Microsoft making the 'in-between' handheld (unlikely) or copying one of the existing ones, from hardware to capabilities, which also is a losing proposition for them.

I guess the basic answer to the question is 'because Microsoft doesn't yet want to'. They aren't a shy company, when they want to do it, they will, no matter the financial loss it may take to get it off the ground.