3DS or NGP?

[Cloral]

Discussion time, dammit! Which of these upcoming portable devices interests you more? Or do you give a damn at all about either?

[bigjoe]

I'm more interested in the 3DS than the NGP. For one, Nintendo has always dominated with handhelds.. for two, the 3D effect is bound to be interesting.

[Cloral]

Yeah, I was pretty disappointed when I found out that the NGP wasn't going to have 3d. I assumed that since Nintendo was doing it, Sony would have to do it as well to remain competitive. And to be honest, I think the 3d would be a better fit for the NGP, since it has only one screen, and all the early hands-on impressions with the 3ds report that looking back and forth between the two screens constantly breaks the 3d effect.

[Orion]

Neither, really.

The NGP seems just like a glorified PSP, and that doesn't really excite me. My PSP works well for the one thing I use it for: playing downloaded PSOne games. I also don't like that they stuck with the elongated form factor. I was a fan of the slider form they used on the PSPGo. I would be really interested in the rumored Playstation Phone if I wasn't an Apple snob.

The 3DS doesn't interest me at the moment because I can't see 3D. Same thing with 3D movies. The vision in one of my eyes is significantly worse than the other, and neither glasses or contacts can fix the problem. Maybe someday when the price drops and there are some good games out for it, but I never played my original DS and sold it. Maybe I'm just not as into handheld gaming as I once was.

[Pineconn]

3DS by a country mile. The NGP/PSP2 is going to have 10 minutes battery life and will cost "five hundred ninety-nine US dollars." (Actually, I'm going to guess $399.99.)

[Darth Marsden]

3DS, but only if I can get it for a decent price ($249 does NOT equal £229, English retailers, it's more £199. Screw you all, ya penny-pinching bastards).

The PSP2 NGP looks interesting, but much like the PS3, I suspect it will be incredibly expensive and only really interesting a few years down the line when the price drops and there's more games out for it.

[Pineconn]

Then this might be relevant to your interests, Darth: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=nintendo+3ds

[Darth Marsden]

...ah, that's better. Thanks. Still won't get one until some good games come out for it, but it's nice to know that some places won't charge me an extortionate amount for one.

[AtmaWeapon]

Summary: Both are amazing systems, Nintendo's going to "win" this round, but don't expect the game to change. Those dastardly smartphones sure are getting powerful.

3DS hardware
The 3D of the 3DS is nothing but a gimmick to me. That's the last I'll speak of it; unless stated otherwise if I say 3D I mean "polygons 3D", not "poke you in the eye 3D". What I care about is the insides sound like they can push Gamecube-quality games, and that opens the door for some neat things. At the very least, it means games that try really hard to be a good 3D game like FF IV DS and Dragon Quest IX won't end up looking like mediocre PSX ports. I'm still not sold that 3D games do well on handhelds; the smaller viewport stifles a lot of what makes 3D games good. However, with extra processing power comes more interesting 2D games so there's plenty of potential. I'm excited about the hardware, and while it's a little pricey it's less than what I expected. The battery life hurts my feelings, but knowing Nintendo they'll have a hardware revision out in 8 months with a new paint job and better battery life.

3DS software
If it were launching with a new Zelda, it'd be a no-brainer.

I'm really disappointed by the launch lineup. I'm not talking Nintendo's "launch window" from February to June, I'm talking about what I could get in a store if I bought a 3DS on launch day. A console lives and dies by its software and the launch lineup is really weak. I don't even understand why Steel Diver exists; it was a tech demo for the touchscreen of the DS; all I've read is it's been expanded into a tech demo of a few of the 3DS features as well. Everything else is ho-hum.

The future doesn't even really look bright, though I think E3's proximity is clouding it. I'm excited about Star Fox 64's port because I haven't played the game in years, but it's a port. It's hard to get a boner for the OoT port because I can already play the game on 3 Nintendo consoles including the Master Quest; from what I've read this port adds gyroscope aiming and slight 3D effects. It's really upsetting they didn't add a 3rd quest or some additional content. MGS 3 is one of my favorite video games and I can't help but be excited about it, but I'm seeing a pattern here: the only games I'm excited about so far are ports of games I can already play from my couch.

The DS had this problem as well; for some reason it took a few months for it to have any good titles. My guess is Nintendo gave early SDK access to the big players and what we've got is what happens when game devs need to make something impressive in a hurry: ports of old successes. Sure, Kid Icarus isn't a port, but it's a first-party game and Nintendo could do dev work on the 3DS before anyone else. I imagine E3's going to have few playable demos of new games and a handful of big announcements, and it won't be until the holiday season that the 3DS emerges from summer camp as a spicy young minx you'll want to take to the prom.

NGP - hardware
You've got to hand it to Sony, they don't like to skimp on power. If the 3DS is a gamecube then the NGP is a PS3. Even Carmack had nice things to say about its power. In many of the features, I see Sony with eyes on Android/iPhones more than Nintendo handhelds; I doubt they'd have included touch or 3G on their own. This bad boy's coming to the party with some serious power, and that back touchpad has me curious if anyone's going to find a nice use for it. Odds are it'll be like the DS touchscreen: rarely used for anything good. At least I haven't seen a stylus so developers might refrain from the front touchscreen.

The real killer here is I can't see Sony releasing this for less than $300 and that's a big price point. With a quad-core CPU, high-res touchscreen, back touchpad, and a host of sensors, they're going to be losing money at $300. All they've said is it will be "reasonable", but they said that when the PS3 was $699 and weren't making a sarcastic face when they said people should get a second job if they couldn't afford it. Say what you want, but that price point had a big impact on stunting the PS3's growth. I think the same thing's going to happen to the NGP.

The case design is a risk; I'd have liked to see a clamshell and having analog sticks that extend out mean it's only going to fit in the largest of pockets. A 3rd party case is going to be a must-have.

I really like the Near app; that's mind-blowing and I wish Nintendo would make something like it. It's a big privacy concern though, and I think the NGP is targetted more to adults than the 3DS.

If it's got an HDMI out it'll probably be best value PS3 model.

NGP - software
If hardware and software are the legs of a console, Sony's handhelds walk with a limp. Sony packs so much punch in their systems they can one-hit Mr. Dream, but their software support struggles with King Hippo. They haven't announced many games, but I'm sure we'll see a Gran Turismo, some zany MGS spin-off, and either ports or rehashes of all your favorite PS3 games. Riddle me this: if you've paid $400 for a PS3 and $70 for some shooter, why would you then pay $300 and $60 to play the same game on the same futon on a 10x smaller screen?

I don't have a PSP, and while I want one I don't know why. The only games that come to mind are Disgaea versions, and I think I could play them all if I had a PS3 anyway. I felt bad because I don't know much about the library, so I did a few searches and sorted review sites by score. I couldn't tell if I was looking at PSP or PS3. I just don't see much more than scaled-down versions of PS3 games. Kojima's been really busy on this system! I think MGS: Peace Walker's the only thing I saw that looked notable.

If the NGP follows in the PSP's footsteps, it'll be a great system for people who can't get enough of their PS3 and spend most of their day out of their home (well, in 5-hour intervals.) Otherwise, just buy a PS3 and get the full version of the games.

The battlefield
You guys scoff at me every time I say this, but smartphones are a serious hazard in the handheld battlefield right now.

Handhelds move the most units for casual games. I've seen plenty of people who bought a DS for Brain Age, Nintendogs, and other bite-sized non-threatening games. A lot of that kind of game is appearing on smartphones, and there's lots of comedic experimentation with moving hardcore games onto the platform.

I think the PSP failed to put a dent in Nintendo's sales because its price and feature set makes it unattractive as a platform for casual games. It looks sleek, sexy, and it has a lot of muscle. That led everyone to make muscle-bound hardcore games for it. Nintendo and Sony are setting up the pins for another identical round: Nintendo has the cheaper, less powerful hardware with an emphasis on both casual and traditional games while Sony's got the beast that'll serve your hardcore games. Sony will lag Nintendo in sales by some multiple. Nintendo will continue to make a lot of money by milking the entire playfield. Where the real mystery lies is how long will it be until the casual DS library isn't much better than the casual smartphone library? If you've paid $300 for a machine that makes phone calls, gives you directions, accesses the internet, and plays Bejeweled it's hard to justify paying $300 for a machine that plays Bejeweled.

Will smartphones kill the handheld? Not this round. But last generation it took 8 years for phones to catch up, and in this generation it'll take 1-3. That doesn't bode well for the unitaskers.

I'm buying a 3DS, but I'm waiting at least until I can buy it with MGS3. The NGP can wait until it's got software that makes me want it; for now I'd rather spend $300 on other things. I question whether I should even get the 3DS; I haven't touched my DS in months.

[Cloral]

No actually, I totally agree with you that mobile gaming is going to be the death of the traditional portable gaming devices. After all, as you said, why carry around two devices when you can carry one that does both? Most people out there aren't like us - they don't care how many polygons their games can push. They just want something fun to distract them for a few minutes while they wait in line for the movies. And we're already seeing this to a degree with the success of iPhone games like Angry Birds. To this end, I think that the announcement of the PSP phone was actually a bigger deal long-term than the announcement of the NGP, despite the amount of press coverage the NGP got.

[King Link]

I am interested in both to ne honest. Nintendo has the classic titles that I love (although, admittedly I don't really know how much more they can milk out of some of these franchose's games) and I have always been impressed with some of Sony's handheld RPGs and lesser known games. However, I also do not play handhelds as often as I once did, so perhaps it does not matter how interested I am. I dont really know the chances of my purchasing one or the other. Or both. At least not yet.

[Orion]

This wildcard for me might be the inclusion of that gameboy games on the 3DS. There is something mighty appealing about being able to have my super mario lands, link's awakenings and metroid IIs all on one handheld.

[MottZilla]

I favor the 3DS because it seems more likely to be practical and fun. Now I don't care for the gimmicks including 3D. But for one Sony still refuses the nice clam shell folding design to protect the screen. Next Sony gave in and is doing a touch screen. Touch Screens on the DS are OK because games can use that for less important things so when it starts looking poor because of all the touching on it no one cares that much. But when your primary and only display looks like shit, what are you going to do?

Next the fatal flaw in the PSP in my opinion is that atleast for me, while the idea of a portable PS2 was nice, I didn't need one. The 3 games I consider worth owning the PSP for are Mega Man Powered Up, Mega Man Maverick Hunter X, and Castlevania Dracula X Chronicles. There is no real reason all these games couldn't have been brought out on the actual PS2 and saved me the money. Which leaves the last use of the PSP, hacking it for emulators. Again, it's nice, but I don't need it.

The DS actually has a handful or more of games I actually think are fun and worth having. Not all but some do need the touch screen or dual screen feature so console versions aren't something that could have been done instead. In general the DS is 'OK' in my book. Not super amazing, but decent. The 3DS bothers me that its more expensive though I've heard that may have something to do with the value of the Yen currently. The NGP will probably cost $300 or $350 I imagine. So with both consoles it'll be more expensive than their respective home consoles which is disturbing. Though in the case of the 3DS, I would wager it will be more useful than the Wii.

[Nicholas Steel]

3DS for me, not sure when I'd actually buy one though. Until phones can do 3D I won't be buying a dear one. Yes 3D is just a gimmick but it IS 3D AND it doesn't need glasses! It also ISN'T done on other systems. Also the bigger cartridges lets me fav. game series shine more with more levels and better designs. <3 Nintendo game series.

[Cloral]

Mott, I can't see the NGP selling for less than $350. And if I had to wager, I'd put it at $399. Still, you're supposed to be getting more for your money at that price than with the 3DS at $250. Then again, this was the same argument made between the Wii and PS3 at their launches, and we all know how that went.

[bigjoe]

How fast do you guys think the 3ds will fly off the shelves? I'm wondering if I should pre-order/reserve.

[AtmaWeapon]

It's going to sell out because it's customary to carefully preen your hardware availability to ensure it sells out while 25-30% of your early adopter market still wants it. This insures gradual sales over time after the spike and can help you hide disappointing sales numbers. If demand is much higher than supply, Nintendo wins lots of press coverage of how the 3DS is a hot item and rare; this pushes people who wouldn't otherwise be interested into buying. If demand is lower than expected, Nintendo doesn't have to deal with stores who want to return or liquidate piles of unwanted stock and can hide the numbers with "stores are out of stock, we aren't meeting demand".

The only reason I'm not going to preorder is the only games I'd play on it aren't 3DS games. The launch is weak. I'm waiting on MGS3 and/or the Cave Story remake before I bite.

[DJ91990]

I think I'm going to go with the 3DS.

I like some of the upcoming games for the system; Starfox 3D, A new Paper Mario Game, A new Super Mario Bros Game, Zelda OOT 3D, Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drip Drops, Kid Icarus [I forgot the sub-tittle, it's not the old NES game, it's a new game!].

[mrz84]

3ds, because me dslite is well on its way to biting the big one, so I bought a 3ds it replace it for my protable gaming needs. personally, I'd get an older psp for any of the games it has I wanna play unless they come out with something that only the new one can play. then I'm fusked beyond belief. :kitty: