A How-To guide on buying a Portable Console

The portable console war used to be dominated by the Game Boy franchise, courtesy of how brilliant Nintendo used to bring out games like Pokemon. And then, Sony decided to come into the foray and make sure that they get a slice of the cake too. Hence the Playstation Portable was born. After numerous years of Nintendo's monopoly with the Game Boy franchise, the recent addition is the Nintendo DS, which emphasizes dual screen technology. So, are you hard pressed on choosing what to go for? Here's your guide.

Lets Introduce the 2 fighters first.

The Nintendo DS
You know, this console was reverred as a technical feat. An awe inspiring achievement way beyond anyone's own imagination. Under the flagship portable console line up launched by Nintendo, this one didn't need to have the name Game Boy to stand on with. The DS already means "Dual Screen". The console has seen a not so recent modification to it that it was called the "Nintendo DS Lite", a slimmer and sleaker version of the original. Being the top selling console (Out rivalling the Nintendo Wii even), this console has been great to fans in terms of fun and versatility. Providing mostly 2D graphics, and sometimes 3D, this small little machine emphasizes more on having fun with games through new ways of playing.

The Playstation Portable (PSP)
This was Sony's attempt at the portable market. And if you ask me, this one is more well received than the DS, in Malaysia that is. The appeal that this powerhouse brings is that the games, feels like your carrying a mini PS1, or sometimes the graphics could really still look like the PS2, just in a smaller scale. During the early launch, the console had a lot of problems, but it still emerged with great games to go with. 3D graphics with crisp cutscenes shows that this really appeals more to gamers who are opted for a mature look.

Since the portable goes more ways in functionality, lets do the intro here.

Functions
(Nintendo DS)
Honestly speaking there's not much to do with the DS. Its actually backwards compatible with Game Boy Advance games, but nothing earlier than that. If your in Malaysia, the DS would be quite limited to you. You'd only be able to download Demo's, provided you have a Nintendo Wii. And then there's Picto Chat, which only takes in a very small radius for people to scribble around what they want to write and do. At times, certain games can provide download play, which would mean during multiplayer sessions, only 1 person might need to buy 1 game cart sufficient enough to play full featured multiplayer mode of games. Iif you're bringing this to Japan, The States, be expected to have DS download stations that can provide you with Demo's of games and even maps and guides to places.

(PSP)
Perhaps the extra functions is what makes the appeal. You see, the PSP is great in lots of things. 1, the games appeal better than the kiddy like DS. 2nd, it's also a multimedia player, ranging from songs, to movies, and even slideshows of photos. On top of that, Google was recently included in the whole package to make websurfing a simpler task. There's even Skype connectivity for people to chat with using their PSP's connected to Wifi. Add on a camera for pictures, and then a GPS receiver to find out where you should go and so forth. And that's not even to mention that the games are quite a lot of fun too.

Games
(Nintendo DS)
Name the game. Any. You'd most likely find it here. No worries. From any type of genre to new types of genre's. You're bound to see it here. The focus though is more to people friendly games. Still, there are some mature games for the DS, but nothing so controversial and serious, yet. The recently announced Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars might seem to be getting a mature rating, and the current market selling title Guitar Hero On Tour proves that the focus is slowly garnering more attention from more gamers around. Fun and friendly is the theme of the DS, but don't be surprised to find some titles that appeal to you too.

(PSP)
The crowd stunner. This portable lacks too much, that it doesn't even have a GT title for it. Very very shocking. But with titles such as God of War, Ratchet and Clank, Daxter, Tekken, the portable actually has a lot to offer, especially when we noticed that the GTA series goes in full 3D here. The Metal Gear series is also as great as they were before, sprouting out in full 3D. Perhaps the focus of 3D games has kept this portable going and still is. Owh, I almost forgot Monster Hunter. That's a cult.

Verdict?
I can't say which one is the one that you must have. Rather, I'd go with what appeals to you best. The DS is purely for gaming. True fun and truly gruesome to play with. Some games may challenge how great your surgical skills are, following the rhythm of beats, and even how to make food. This one has a lot of things going for it for sure. The PSP however is more centered as a multimedia player. The focus of this item is to have you playing games on the go, and if you're bored, whip out a show or movie and enjoy. Load in some great songs and listen as the PSP emenates some great tunes. For a mature and more adult like experience, the PSP is yours. For the fun loving, witty charming and humor cheerful, the DS is your pick.

What did I go for then?
My choice was an obvious DS. I choosed to get this because I felt like I need to redeem myself for not buying a GBA, and then I so wanted to play something with a touchscreen. I'm actually still waiting for the Mystery Case files to come, since its still a search sort of thing. hehe. The DS has given me a great time when i'm Mario Karting with my friends during my monthly gaths, and Clubhouse games brought me smiling more. That and the usual chicken buffet I love. haha. The DS has not dissapointed me at all. And I'll continue to play it until I get my PSP, which i will then juggle between the two.