PSP: The Definitive Verdict (Page 10)

After two weeks of intensive handheld gaming, we offer a comprehensive and detailed review of PSP, along with an extensive photo shoot, all-new high quality videos, and market analysis.

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Taking the PSP out of a DSaster?

Hardly. Nintendo DS is off to a storming start in North America and Japan with Nintendo's latest figures indicating global retail shipments of 2.8 million by the end of the year. Although the most recent figures we have access to are already ten days old, at this rate, the global sell-through rate must now be passing the two million mark.

DS is pretty darn cool but nobody can argue PSP isn't sexiest

By any standards, sales of DS have been pretty phenomenal, and there is no question about its popularity with gamers, including everyone here at Kikizo. Launch line-ups for the two machines have been comparable in terms of quality and quantity, but despite Nintendo's massive head start, it is difficult to see how it will sustain such a lead when PSP launches globally and production is ramped up, something that will be in full swing by spring.

While the broad capabilities of each machine are somewhat comparable, with both offering wireless multiplayer out of the box; both set to offer genuine online gaming in the near future; and at least some form of media playback possible on both (see this story for the recent DS development on that front), it is inevitable that performance will come down to good old stuff like graphics. Direct comparisons of games on both formats, Ridge Racer being the perfect example, highlight the shocking difference in raw technical power of the two handhelds.

PSP is slightly wider than the DS, but thinner overall

And we don't care how much Satoru Iwata and Ken Kutaragi go on about targeting different markets: both machines are in a similar price bracket, much to the earlier surprise of the industry at large, and when the cool kids bring their DSs into the playground and the cooler kid pulls out his PSP, there's gonna be blood on the moon.

Final Thoughts

If games like Ridge Racers are looking this good at launch, then PSP has a very exciting time ahead of it from a simple gaming standpoint. It is tough to think of any thirdparty not on board with PSP so there are no worries about support, and again using Ridge Racers as an example, if developers like Namco can come up with such well designed and polished products without even having had access to final PSP units for the majority of its development, it bodes well for the quality of development tools that are currently available.

How your typical game packaging will shape up next year

Playing games on PSP is a thrilling experience, there is no doubt about it, but what is going to make things interesting is the wider media capabilities. If Sony can iron out some niggling software and front-end issues relating to MP3, MPEG4 and ATRAC playback, and make the whole experience of ripping, copying, organising and enjoying multimedia more user friendly, while increasing awareness and the quality of tools to do it all, and maybe even get some 1GB Duos on more shelves, then things will be looking a lot tighter on this front.

Despite the war of words, both units love each other

Despite the chilling stock fulfilment problems of the Japanese launch, initial sales performance is reassuring and it is surely only a matter of time before the money Sony is losing on each unit is recouped through software sales and royalties. Sony is the Microsoft of the handheld market right now and there's no doubting its eagerness to chew up market share, but Nintendo's savvy is not to be underestimated, as the flawless execution of DS's launch demonstrates.

Perhaps a large, unsightly dent in handheld market share, rather than a feeble scratch, is not too far on the horizon. For now, we'll have to wait and see what happens - and get back to playing this PSP thing. Expect to hear more details about the North American and European launches for PSP early in the New Year.

Adam Doree
Director, Kikizo.com

Continue Through Feature:

• Page 1: The Hardware Buzz, Hot Property
• Page 2: Two Weeks, Inside the Box, Build Quality
• Page 3: Secret Screen, Ergonomics, Triggers
• Page 4: Sleeping, Useful Buttons, Faulty Units
• Page 5: More on UMD, Make Some Noise
• Page 6: Thanks for the Memory, Battery Power
• Page 7: Full Whack Value Pack, Just Browsing
• Page 8: Movies and Music, Will You be My WiFi
• Page 9: It Plays Games Too - Performance
• Page 10: PSP vs DS, Final Thoughts

See also: Full Launch Report from Tokyo
               PSP Set for Launch in Japan
               PSP Launch Could be a Disaster