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Now it is very obvious that the PSP has the edge when it comes to graphics but how big is the actual margain? It is also obvious in terms of specs but....

The DS at this point is only showing off mainly 2D games. It appears that with Mario 64 and Metroid Prime Hunters the system is capable of a lot more than that. I'd say a little better than the N64.

Now from what most people are saying about the PSP it lies somewhere between the PS1 and the PS2. Whichs means it's better than a N64.

So I'm wondering how big the margain will be once each system has a nice lineup of games. Thoughts?

We're really not going to know where the DS lies untill more 3D games are done.

Mario 64 DS does look a lot better then the N64 version. and from the tech demo Sega did for Sonic I would think that the DS's power lies close to the same as the Dreamcast. But we really won't know till more 3D games come out.

Graphicly the PSP wins, but I think that it will become a fad. Its battery and gameformat IMO will not hold up. They should have made better use with the discs than using them and getting so-so battery life. Im gunna hold off on both till they show me what theyre made of.

Don't forget the difference in screen resolution. While some will try to weasel out and suggest the DS should be treated as the combined resolution of its two screens, this doesn't really work. The focus of one's attention is going to be on one screen at any given time.

There is a tremendous difference in detail that puts a big restraint on what can be clearly depicted on the DS screen regardless of difference in polygon counts. But that is the difference between two devices in which one has a manufacturing cost over twice of the other. Nintendo's focus in handheld hardware has always been toward affordable and adequate rather than razzle dazzle at any cost.

I actually feel the DS is a little bit worse than the N64. The screens are so small that they make the games look on par with the N64, but if you blew them up to the size of your televison they would look really bad.

I feel even later down the line when the games look even better on the DS, say a game like Nintendogs, which looks to be on of the DS's best looking games, that the PSP still blows it away in the graphics department by a huge margin. Not to mention that the PSP games will countinue to look better as time goes on as well.

As you can see the Nintendogs game looks really good, but the PSP still is much cleaner, can pull off more effects, and have much more stuff going on during the game then the DS can. When you look at Nintendogs, you can see the actual dogs look great, but the rest of the room is completely bland/uninteractive.

I think we're going to see the PSP pull further and further ahead in the graphics department. There are a lot more games in development for the PSP and just by shear volume, those games are going to give the PSP a better chance of pushing the graphics.

Besides Metroid, I haven't seen a game that even comes anywhere close to anything on the PSP. I just don't see developers taking the time to make graphic intense games for the DS. The DS is currently seeing SNES/N64 rehashes while the PSP is seeing PS1/PS2 rehashes. The games that aren't rehashed seem to be the same quality as what you would see on those respective home consoles. I believe this trend will continue throughout the lives of these systems.

Nanostray looks pretty good.

There isn't much vs at all. The PSP clearly defeats the DS in terms of graphics and hardware capabilities. Do graphics make a console? no.
But the answer for this one is pretty clear =p

Originally Posted by shipwreck I think we're going to see the PSP pull further and further ahead in the graphics department. There are a lot more games in development for the PSP and just by shear volume, those games are going to give the PSP a better chance of pushing the graphics. Besides Metroid, I haven't seen a game that even comes anywhere close to anything on the PSP. I just don't see developers taking the time to make graphic intense games for the DS. The DS is currently seeing SNES/N64 rehashes while the PSP is seeing PS1/PS2 rehashes. The games that aren't rehashed seem to be the same quality as what you would see on those respective home consoles. I believe this trend will continue throughout the lives of these systems.

Actually, the DS has the PSP beat in terms of future games announced. Carry on then.

Originally Posted by pumbaa Actually, the DS has the PSP beat in terms of future games announced. Carry on then.

Does the PSP even have any future games announced?

Originally Posted by Chris in Cali Does the PSP even have any future games announced?

I calls 'em like I sees 'em.

According to EBgames, the DS has 28 upcoming games, while the PSP has 25 upcoming games. So, they have about the same number of games with release dates. I know of several games for PSP that have been announced that are not on EB and I'm sure the same is probably true for the DS.

But look at the upcoming games, the majority of games coming to the DS are not graphic powerhouses.

EDIT: Here's another interesting little tidbit, according to EB games 21 of the 25 upcoming PSP games are due out by May. Only 12 of the upcoming DS games are due out by May.

So by the end of May, the PSP will have 34 games and the DS (which has been out for 4 months longer) will have 29 games. That's if all those games hit their release dates and no other games are released in that time.

A list of over 100 future releases for both platforms can easily be assembled after a little web surfing. This will include many instances of publishers saying a game from franchise X is in the works but such is life for new platforms.

The PSP launch may include much that is little different from a console predecessor but at least there are those choices. I expect the flow of PSP product to be more regular as it presents something much closer to current consoles for developers to use. This may make finding good games harder for those of us with multiple consoles and large libraries but we aren't the mainstream audience.

Originally Posted by shipwreck According to EBgames, the DS has 28 upcoming games, while the PSP has 25 upcoming games. So, they have about the same number of games with release dates. I know of several games for PSP that have been announced that are not on EB and I'm sure the same is probably true for the DS. But look at the upcoming games, the majority of games coming to the DS are not graphic powerhouses. EDIT: Here's another interesting little tidbit, according to EB games 21 of the 25 upcoming PSP games are due out by May. Only 12 of the upcoming DS games are due out by May. So by the end of May, the PSP will have 34 games and the DS (which has been out for 4 months longer) will have 29 games. That's if all those games hit their release dates and no other games are released in that time.

I'm not talking about lists from retailers (as they don't have all the games that have been announced for release). Like my man above said, search the web and you'll easily find DS game lists complied and PSP game lists compiled.

I see the DS as a little better than the N64 graphically and the PS2 is a little less powerful than the PS2. I guess you get what you pay for.

Originally Posted by Purkeynator I see the DS as a little better than the N64 graphically and the PS2 is a little less powerful than the PS2. I guess you get what you pay for.

What?

Originally Posted by pumbaa I'm not talking about lists from retailers (as they don't have all the games that have been announced for release). Like my man above said, search the web and you'll easily find DS game lists complied and PSP game lists compiled.

I tend to only go by games that are at least in retailers' systems. There are a lot of games that are announced that never come to fruition. You get a better idea of what is actually coming out from retailers. Plus, 34 games in 2 months compared to 29 games in 6 months gives me a pretty good idea that there is going to be substantially more games coming out for the PSP.

The thing about the DS is that it only has ebough power as to be able to produce the bare minimum of 3d that nintendo feels people would be interested in and still manage to have power requirements close to that of the GBASP.

If They WANTED to they could have jacked the DS up to the same level but figured what's the point? "We can make a polygon ball and texture map mario's head to it what more do you need to have fun?" As long as the system cam perform to the level they need for it to in order to produce the games they think people will enjoy playing they didn't need more. You've got some polygonal detail, you've got a little lighting and effects and ultimately it's just a little higher than a PS1 with perspective correction but without the texture smoothing or resolution of a N64.

Sony on the other hand has always been about style and flash, The biggest bang for the buck that they can give you at the time. So their goal was "get as close as you can to PS2 graphics as possible and a little more if you can manage it" and thats pretty much what they did. The PSP can do almost as much graphically as a PS2 but since the screen is much smaller than a tv they pulled back a bit and instead added new lighting and texturing routines to make up for it. The result is something close to first gen PS2 games easily with a lower resolution.

I think the gap in graphics will be pretty large and the PSP's screen will only push it further ahead. DS games are going to have to rely on style in order to meet the visual splendor of PSP games. I may be cutting both systems short, but I consider the DS's graphics only on par with the N64 and the PSP's graphics only on par with very early PS2 games. However, it's all very early yet and i'm sure plenty of tricks will be learned on both units.

My main point though really is this:

It appears that the DS isn't being pushed to its graphically limitation at all. If you compare Super Mario 64 DS to say Metal Gear Acid...the difference isn't as big. I don't understand why game publishers tend to dummy down with Nintendo's hardware. People thought the PS2 was better than the Gamecube graphically early on but now seeing Resident Evil 4 and the new Zelda it is pretty obvious that it isn't. The Gameboy Advance also seems to get games that don't take full advantage of the hardware. That is why I am really intrested in seeing what pops up as these consoles age a bit.