Gaming PSP or Gameboy SP

[GreatBird]

So what would you guys rather have PSP or GB It would definatley be PSP due to all of the features ( DVD games camera ect..) besides Gameboys games are actullally kind of sad.

[Morpheus]

Definately Gameboy Advance SP. Comparing their games is very unfair. GBA has been out for 4 years, and with compatable games all the way back to 1989, PSP's library is dwarfed in every aspect. Sure, they look pretty, but, at the end of the day, are you going to keep a game because the graphics are good? I'd hope not.

The UMD movie thing is a gimmick at best. Kill Bill vol. 1 is $25 on UMD, but only $10 on DVD. I'd much rather watch it on a big tv with surround sound. Or just buy a portable DVD player.

[Charles]

[quote name='Morpheus']Definately Gameboy Advance SP. Comparing their games is very unfair. GBA has been out for 4 years, and with compatable games all the way back to 1989, PSP's library is dwarfed in every aspect.[/quote]

You have no idea about the PSP emulation scene right now, do you?

[GreatBird]

True comparing games is kind of unfair but we do have something in common FAMILY GUY :D

[BlueYoshi]

[color=darkred]I'd vouch for the SP any day of the week. Since the first the day I got it, it's always been on the go with great games. I find that I play it far more than I do my other consoles, and the fact that it's portable is an added bonus. I've always loved the SNES, because there were heaps and heaps of brilliant, simple minded games, and knowing that many of these have been remade or revamped for the SP gives me a much greater deal of confidence in the system.

I suppose it's not fair to solely base the comparison between the two systems entirely on games, as the PSP is way more advanced than the SP ever will be with it's amazing speculations and features, and mind you, it does have a few good titles at hand already. However, the PSP just doesn't hold enough of an appeal at the moment for me to buy one.[/color]

[James]

[color=#332E1D][font=franklin gothic medium]PSP has a camera? o_O Next I'll be able to remove my own appendix with it!

If I had endless money, I'd go with PSP. That's probably because, at least in terms of third party support, it has more franchises (or potential franchises) that I'm interested in.

I love my GBA, but I buy so few games for it. Even the great first party games...I just hardly buy them. This is probably because in general, I'm not much of a handheld gamer. PSP games are more console-like, which makes them a bit cumbersome for travel, but as a general game device I think I'd prefer PSP. As a purely portable system? Probably GBA. PSP's battery life just isn't good enough in that respect.

The biggest issue for most people is going to be price. I think that's the deciding factor generally. Forget the PSP's music and movie capabilties - I can think of very few people who really take them seriously. [/color][/font]

[Chaos]

This is a hard choice to make, simply because Sony has taken a giant leap [perhaps without looking first?] with the PSP in that it isn't a gaming device. It is a miniature entertainment system. A lot of people look at PSP and see games priced at 40 bucks or higher and laugh because they think it's a ripoff, and yet they don't know the truth. The amount of stuff you can do with a PSP is crazy. You can literally hack it. No joke. Like Charlie said, there is an emulator craze right now that lets you basically put any game console on your PSP provided you have enough memory and you don't get arrested by the feds. But the same device that lets you put your pictures and videos and music on your PSP can also let you put, say, Metal Gear Solid 3, or the original Super Mario Bros. on and play it like you would a console.

In that respect, even though it is technically illegal unless you bought and currently own whatever ROM it is you downloaded on your PSP, Nintendo itself is left behind, to say nothing of the SP and DS.

But aside from that, I would go with PSP. I'm a movie fan and music fan, and every now-and-then you just want to watch a movie and listen to some music. If you're stuck in a car on a long trip, you don't want to play the same games over and over again [okay, you might, but that's besides the case], you can just toss in Spider-Man 2, or Resident Evil or whatever.

Hell, I know one guy that has an entire library of porn on his damn PSP. I'm telling you, they're doing some crazy stuff with these things.

[James]

[color=#332E1D][font=franklin gothic medium]It's ironic that you mention playing the same games over and over again, considering that PSP's library currently consits of a very limited number of genres. ~_^

Basically I think that if people are buying this thing to get the most out of it (ie: films and music as well), it might become more attractive.

But who really wants to pay DVD-like prices for a UMD that you can [i]only [/i]watch on PSP? On that little screen with headphones? You'd have to either hold it up...or hold it below you and look down (which could cause car sickness or whatever). I just think that'd be quite difficult and uncomfortable.

And the music aspect is kind of a non-issue, due to the memory limitations and the cost of beefing up your library. So it's probably cheaper to get a small Flash player and a GBA SP. lol

But when it comes to these systems - apart from price and so on - I think the biggest thing is going to be what kind of games you like. If you want more portable-type stuff (ie: fairly non-committal 2D games), GBA SP is probably the best bet. But if you want PS2 games on the road, PSP's probably the better option. At that point it really just comes down to price.

It makes me wonder if PSP will actually experience a price drop within the first couple of years.[/color][/font]

[2010DigitalBoy]

tch. This is no contest. I could buy a CD player, a DVD player, a GBASP, and up to 5 games for the price of 1 PSP.

The GBASP is my favorite gaming console ever. It has a huge selection of games, mostly RPG and Tactics which are my favorites. The graphics aren't "amazing," But they're still damn good at doing what they need to. Take a look at Wipeout Pure for the PSP. Is that game any better than Racing Gears Advanced or F-Zero in terms of gameplay? Sure the graphics are great, but if the game sucks, who cares? So far I have heard of 1 good PSP game, and thats Lumines. Being someone who doesn't even like Tetris, I dought that I would ever pick it up.

The main problem I have with the PSP is the battery life! Why am I playing a game that will cut off after 6 hours? My SP's batteries tend to last between 15-16 hours, and considering the fact that I often play between 5-7 hours at a time, the PSP would be no good. Personally, I think that better graphics often mean more problems.

[Charles]

[QUOTE=ThatOneOddDude]tch. This is no contest. I could buy a CD player, a DVD player, a GBASP, and up to 5 games for the price of 1 PSP.

The GBASP is my favorite gaming console ever. It has a huge selection of games, mostly RPG and Tactics which are my favorites. The graphics aren't "amazing," But they're still damn good at doing what they need to. Take a look at Wipeout Pure for the PSP. Is that game any better than Racing Gears Advanced or F-Zero in terms of gameplay? Sure the graphics are great, but if the game sucks, who cares? So far I have heard of 1 good PSP game, and thats Lumines. Being someone who doesn't even like Tetris, I dought that I would ever pick it up.

The main problem I have with the PSP is the battery life! Why am I playing a game that will cut off after 6 hours? My SP's batteries tend to last between 15-16 hours, and considering the fact that I often play between 5-7 hours at a time, the PSP would be no good. Personally, I think that better graphics often mean more problems.[/QUOTE]

First of all, I'm not some kind of PSP crusader who's here to rush to its defense. I like the Gameboy Advance SP as much as anyone. But, let's call a spade a spade and a deuce a deuce here. Wipeout Pure has terrific gameplay that is arguably better than either of the games you've mentioned. It doesn't rely on pseudo three-dimensional mode 7 effects; the game play is extremely responsive, fast, and smooth. You're immediately assuming that just because the PSP is capable of amazing graphics, that its games are incapable of achieving equally good gameplay. I have about five or six PSP games that I like--so Lumines sure isn't the only quality game for the system. If you can't appreciate Ridge Racer, Darkstalkers, Tony Hawk's Underground 2, and above all else, Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee on the go, then fine. Whatever. lol


I've also had no problem with the battery--but then again, I don't enjoy seven hour sessions--so who knows. But, larger capacity batteries are being released (one just was actually). So, I don't see what all the fuss is about in that department. The battery life is already reasonable and it's improving.

My main argument against getting a GBA SP wouldn't even be the PSP though. Why on earth wouldn't someone just buy a DS instead? The GBA is dying. All of its big franchises are moving over to the DS. Why would anyone want to buy a GBA at this point if they have enough money to even consider buying a PSP instead? Especially considering that GBA games look better on the DS.

[2010DigitalBoy]

Im not saying the PSP is necessarily bad, just not as good as the SP. And I do not by any means think that better graphics means worse gameplay, I just personally prefer to play handheld games with bad graphics, because Im used to that. The PSP throws so much at me at once its hard to grasp it.

Ill probably get a PSP for Christmas anyway, as I want certain games such as Death jr. , and the new Final Fantasy 7 stuff, but if there aren't more good games by then I wont buy it. (if only they hadn't cancelled Makai Wars)

[James]

[quote]I've also had no problem with the battery--but then again, I don't enjoy seven hour sessions--so who knows. But, larger capacity batteries are being released (one just was actually). So, I don't see what all the fuss is about in that department. The battery life is already reasonable and it's improving.[/quote]
[color=#332E1D][font=franklin gothic medium]The battery is an issue for people who aren't necessarily likely to recharge frequently. Moreover, we're talking about portable systems here. For sheer portability sake, PSP's battery life is only adequate - and that's only if you count games that can actually achieve seven hours. Plenty can't.

I doubt it would be an issue for most people, but if we're going to make battery power comparisons, then obviously it's an issue.[/color][/font]

[quote]My main argument against getting a GBA SP wouldn't even be the PSP though. Why on earth wouldn't someone just buy a DS instead? The GBA is dying. All of its big franchises are moving over to the DS. Why would anyone want to buy a GBA at this point if they have enough money to even consider buying a PSP instead? Especially considering that GBA games look better on the DS.[/quote]
[color=#332E1D][font=franklin gothic medium]Getting a GBA SP at this point would be pointless for one key reason: GameBoy Micro. Other than the concept of shielding the screen, GBM generally trounces GBA SP as a portable product. And it has a higher quality screen, to boot.

Also, just for the record in general, who says that sprites are "bad graphics?" Hasn't anyone played Yoshi's Island? That game still looks gorgeous. I don't know how it could be said that 2D is inherently "uglier" than 3D.

But having said that, PSP has one clear advantage - it can do both and it features a much better screen for both. 2D games on PSP would look incredibly sharp and crisp, I imagine. So even in 2D graphics, PSP would easily have GBA beat.

As I said earlier, I think the biggest issue is price. If PSP were much cheaper, the only real factor would be whether or not people like Nintendo's own games enough (or the third party stuff) to buy GBA.

PSP's software library is sluggish right now, but there's plenty of great stuff in the pipeline. There are quite a few games that I'm looking forward to, as well. I suspect that PSP will receive more time from me than GBA ever did, but as mentioned, that's largely due to a preference for console-style games. And now that I do actually own a DS, I really have no incentive to buy a GBM...even though Nintendo obviously isn't going after DS owners with that system anyway.[/color][/font]

[satan665]

Its definitely a weird comparison between the two machines. Its a little bit like comparing the NES to Playstation (PS1). The PSP is a technological leap ahead and by most standards a superior machine. Game Boy has a lot of appeal based on people havin gplayed it and its games for a long time. Hardcore Pokemon fans are probably in love with GBA, and some could wonder why you would spend so much on a PSP.

The funny thing is though, PSP will probably be able to seemless play all GBA games pretty soon as the emulators keep getting better and better. My GBA is already collecting dust, but pretty soon it might be as relevant as my PSone.

So I'd say if you can muster up the cash, PSP is far better and the only thing GBA has going for it is history and price.

As per UMD's I actually think its cool to have. A lot of stores are selling them pretty high, which makes them pretty worthless, but Target and other places have had sales, and I didn't mind plunking down $15 so I could have some movies to watch on plane trips. The battery is good for 2+ movies without a recharge, and I've gotten very used to recharging things since I got my MP3 player.

[2010DigitalBoy]

[QUOTE=James][color=#332E1D][font=franklin gothic medium][color=#332E1D][font=franklin gothic medium]Getting a GBA SP at this point would be pointless for one key reason: GameBoy Micro. Other than the concept of shielding the screen, GBM generally trounces GBA SP as a portable product. And it has a higher quality screen, to boot.
.[/color][/font][/QUOTE]

I have to dissagree there. The Game Boy Micro, in my opinion, is a piece of crap. first of all, the screen may be higher quality, but the screen is smaller, and it even has some text problems. When playing a text-heavy game like golden Sun, this is a problem. Also the game boy micro cannot play origional Game Boy Color games. As a person who is still wanting to get the GBC Zelda and Draagon Warrior games this is also a problem.

Also, is emulation not ilegal? Even if you have the game, its still illegal to emulate it.

[Charles]

[QUOTE=James][color=#332E1D][font=franklin gothic medium]The battery is an issue for people who aren't necessarily likely to recharge frequently. Moreover, we're talking about portable systems here. For sheer portability sake, PSP's battery life is only adequate - and that's only if you count games that can actually achieve seven hours. Plenty can't.

I doubt it would be an issue for most people, but if we're going to make battery power comparisons, then obviously it's an issue.[/color][/font][/quote]

I won't try to dismiss it as an issue entirely; that would just be damage control. But, I only recharge my battery at night while I'm asleep--not even every night. The battery seems to charge fully in an hour or two. Of course it's not as convinient as the GameBoy Advance battery, which I could go a week without charging, but to be fair, if someone is playing their PSP or GameBoy for seven hours on a daily basis, they're probably doing it in their home and not in a portable sense in the first place. So, why not just plug either in while playing? When I've actually played my PSP on the go it's never died. So, although there are factors that make it somewhat less portable than a GBA, I don't feel that the battery is one of the more pressing issues. Especially since, as I mentioned, larger capacity batteries are already being released. This will especially be the case once developers begin to utilize the PSP's full clock speed and need more battery power.

Right now the battery is only drained significantly when watching UMD movies (which I've easily found new for $12). I'm not really interested in those but people who are definitely have something to complain about.

[quote]Getting a GBA SP at this point would be pointless for one key reason: GameBoy Micro. Other than the concept of shielding the screen, GBM generally trounces GBA SP as a portable product. And it has a higher quality screen, to boot.[/quote]

What? Later on in your post you say:

[quote]And now that I do actually own a DS, I really have no incentive to buy a GBM[/quote]

I think it's really obvious that the the GameBoy Micro is essentially a niche device mainly intended for the "hip" crowd. Why would I want a GameBoy Micro over the DS right now? It's probably going to be close to $100, and but like the DS it can't play original GameBoy games. Sure, the screen is of a higher quality but it's also smaller. I think I would prefer a system that will have a large variety of new games in a year and can play GBA games to boot. I think the price, lack of GBC compatibility and smaller screen would probably lead me to prefer a regular GBA for that matter.

[quote]As I said earlier, I think the biggest issue is price. If PSP were much cheaper, the only real factor would be whether or not people like Nintendo's own games enough (or the third party stuff) to buy GBA.[/quote]

Yeah, price is definitely a problem. Especially outside of Japan and America. In Europe and Australia the PSP's price looks like it's going to be simply outrageous.

[quote name='ThatOneOddDude']Also, is emulation not ilegal? Even if you have the game, its still illegal to emulate it.[/quote]

I don't see a problem with it on the PSP personally. Most of the games I have I either own or owned at some point. My money went to pay the developers for their hard work, at some point. And, I can't play most of my older games, like Punchout anymore because my Nintendo doesn't exactly function properly. Other systems, like the Wonderswan were never released here and the NeoGeo Pocket Color isn't exactly easy to find.

I don't support piracy, and I refuse to download an ISO launcher that would allow me to play free PSP games, but I see no problem playing classic Genesis, Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and GameBoy Color games. Since I lost my GameBoy Advance SP I wouldn't mind downloading roms of the games that are currently sitting on my shelf collecting dust either.

Even outside of emulation, the PSP hacker community has developed some really awesome, original homebrew. Recently a new program called "PSPKick" was just released, which is essentially a drum beat maker that allows you to save the beats you create in .wav format. Really neat stuff.

[Chaos]

satan665 brings up a pretty good point -- fans. When you press hard on an issue, size, style, battery life, screen clarity and resolution, game quality, game library, a lot of those issues will be moot. If you have a jaded fan of Nintendo, do you think he'd really vouch for a PSP even if it gave him backrubs at night? Fanatics of a certain company or brand will stick to it through the pits of Hell if it means the sales are good. Perhaps that is what we need to focus on more.

A lot of people here have said they prefer the old-fashioned side scrolling type games that are like ye olde daes, and I have to admit, I really can lose track of time with some old NES or GB games. But the fact of the matter is, this whole argument comes down to is "who is more overzealous" and how loudly they can scream it. Both titles have great games. Both titles have stinkers. Both titles have their pros. Both titles have their cons. What it really comes down to is what you absolutely 'must' play, or rather what you won't play.

It's an old sales gimmick. If you can't stun them, woo them. Give them what you know they want, even if it isn't cutting edge. Sad to say, but I think that might just be the case here.


ThatOneOddDude, emulation is legal as long as you stick by some guidelines. First and foremost, you have to own an original copy of the game for the duration that you have the ROM. If you sell the game off, you have twenty-four hours to delete the ROM. Same goes for if you don't own the game at the time of when you download it; you must delete it within twenty-four hours. Secondly, you must not sell or pass on a ROM through any monetary exchange without express permission of the game's producers and license holders. Thirdly, you must break none of the original copyright terms, even if you don't own the original game.

Emulation is definitely legal, just not appreciated. Hell, I've heard some gaming companies are putting subsections within the Terms of Agreements that null and void both the warranty and the proof of purchase if you download a ROM of that game. They don't play around much when it comes to piracy these days.


EDIT: Goddammit, Charles, change your avatar. I am both sickened and hypnotized.