Hi guys,

Wondered if I could get a few opinions. I've got my paycheque coming
in soon, and I'm in the mood for a new handheld. I've owned almost
every Gameboy that was released in the UK (note: almost. I didn't have
a Micro, or any of the special SPs, and I'm sure there's a few I've
missed) and I'm a bit of a Nintendo fangirl.

My other half wants me to buy a PSP, because it does more. And I am
vaguely interested in the mp3 and browser functions, but to be honest,
I can browse the net on my laptop and I already have an mp3 player.
The DS has better games, but it doesn't have any real added
functionality.

Now, I love Nintendo because they focus on gameplay. They produce some
amazing titles, that keep you playing even if the graphics aren't
amazing. But that's one of the reasons I'm tempted by the PSP - it
looks amazing.

Do I go for the jack-of-all-trades and watch NSFW movies on the go, or
go for the amazing gameplay and undeniably cuter DS?

Opinions?

Lewa wrote:
> Do I go for the jack-of-all-trades and watch NSFW movies on the go, or
> go for the amazing gameplay and undeniably cuter DS?

Go for the DS and get a R4DS card which will allow you to play MP3s and 
videos (plus read text files and view images) and run various bits of 
homebrew software, some of which is actually rather good.  Add in to 
that the Nintendo DS Browser (an optional purchase) and you're laughing.

I can honestly say that, up 'till last night, I haven't touched my PSP 
since getting the DS Lite.  I only charged the PSP last night so I could 
flash it to 3.40OE and get NetHack running on it.

-- 
Gareth Halfacree
http://gareth.halfacree.co.uk

On 17 Sep, 14:48, Gareth Robert Halfacree 
wrote:
> Lewa wrote:
> > Do I go for the jack-of-all-trades and watch NSFW movies on the go, or
> > go for the amazing gameplay and undeniably cuter DS?
>
> Go for the DS and get a R4DS card which will allow you to play MP3s and
> videos (plus read text files and view images) and run various bits of
> homebrew software, some of which is actually rather good.  Add in to
> that the Nintendo DS Browser (an optional purchase) and you're laughing.
>
> I can honestly say that, up 'till last night, I haven't touched my PSP
> since getting the DS Lite.  I only charged the PSP last night so I could
> flash it to 3.40OE and get NetHack running on it.
>
> --
> Gareth Halfacreehttp://gareth.halfacree.co.uk

I've heard this alot about PSPs, to be honest. They get left to gather
dust after a few months. I'm not sure what it is about them, but the
DS is cheaper with better games anyway.

I've heard the name R4DS - what are they, exactly?

Lewa wrote:
> I've heard the name R4DS - what are they, exactly?

It's short for "Revolution For DS", and it's a DS cart which plays host 
to a MicroSD card with your choice of content.  The R4DS cart fools the 
DS into thinking it's a Nintendo-sanctioned game and then does some 
jiggery-pokery to get it to launch a menu system loaded onto the memory 
card.  The upshot is that you can fill it with MP3s and use your DS as 
an MP3 player (like the PSP) or as a movie player (like the PSP) or as a 
text reader or image viewer (like the PSP).  You can also put homebrew 
applications on the card, such as a portable music tracker or a copy of 
NetHack.  I mostly use mine to play NetHack.

You can also load images of real DS games and play them as though you'd 
inserted the original cartridge; this is, however, illegal and I cannot 
recommend it (especially when DS games, when imported, are so damn cheap 
in the first place).

I got my R4DS with a 1GB MicroSD card from DealExtreme, and they're now 
doing an offer where you get the R4DS with 1GB card along with a set of 
screen protectors, a padded carry pouch, a USB charging cable, and a 
spare pair of stylus for $1 more than the R4DS with 1GB card alone.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1882

Shipping to the UK is free and usually takes just over a week.

-- 
Gareth Halfacree
http://gareth.halfacree.co.uk

"Gareth Robert Halfacree"  wrote in message 
news:5l7f27F6s16tU1@mid.individual.net...
> Lewa wrote:
>> Do I go for the jack-of-all-trades and watch NSFW movies on the go, or
>> go for the amazing gameplay and undeniably cuter DS?
>
> Go for the DS and get a R4DS card which will allow you to play MP3s and 
> videos (plus read text files and view images) and run various bits of 
> homebrew software, some of which is actually rather good.  Add in to that 
> the Nintendo DS Browser (an optional purchase) and you're laughing.

To add to that excellent bit of advice: The R4DS can be made to run a web 
browser too.

Shak

Lewa wrote:
> 
> Do I go for the jack-of-all-trades and watch NSFW movies on the go, or
> go for the amazing gameplay and undeniably cuter DS?

I'm using my PSP a lot more right at the moment and really love it, but I 
think the DS Lite is probably the best all round choice.

-- 
Xbox Live Gamertag: That Rev Chap
http://www.inverty.com

> Opinions?

The PSP doesn't have enough games that were actually conceived as 
handheld games. There's a big difference between the kind of game 
that's suitable for a home console and what's suitable for a handheld. 
The PSP plays home to far too many ports of PS2 games and doesn't have 
enough games that you can just pick up and play for a 20 minute train 
journey.

The DS has better games all round.

Fry wrote:
>> Opinions?
> 
> The PSP doesn't have enough games that were actually conceived as 
> handheld games. There's a big difference between the kind of game that's 
> suitable for a home console and what's suitable for a handheld. The PSP 
> plays home to far too many ports of PS2 games and doesn't have enough 
> games that you can just pick up and play for a 20 minute train journey.

This simply isn't true and hasn't been for a long time.

-- 
Xbox Live Gamertag: That Rev Chap
http://www.inverty.com

On Sep 17, 3:32 pm, Fry <m...@privacy.invalid> wrote:
> > Opinions?
>
> The PSP doesn't have enough games that were actually conceived as
> handheld games. There's a big difference between the kind of game
> that's suitable for a home console and what's suitable for a handheld.
> The PSP plays home to far too many ports of PS2 games and doesn't have
> enough games that you can just pick up and play for a 20 minute train
> journey.
>
> The DS has better games all round.

I'm not too fussed about PS2 ports, as I never owned a PS2. I know, I
know. Deprived. I agree.

However, the DS will have Phantom Hourglass, so that's seriously
swaying my opinion. :D

Lewa the Monkey was never naughty:
>
> Do I go for the jack-of-all-trades and watch NSFW movies on the go, or
> go for the amazing gameplay and undeniably cuter DS?

You could get something that does twelve things really badly or one
thing that does one thing really well.

Choobs

-- 
     Sir Chewbury Gubbins <choobs@chewbury.net.invalid>
 ...   Blog : http://www.nelefa.org
 /|\ 	 Game Diary : http://www.chewbury.net
/ | \      Abu the Monkey was never naughty.

Lewa wrote:
> Hi guys,
> 
> Wondered if I could get a few opinions. I've got my paycheque coming
> in soon, and I'm in the mood for a new handheld. I've owned almost
> every Gameboy that was released in the UK (note: almost. I didn't have
> a Micro, or any of the special SPs, and I'm sure there's a few I've
> missed) and I'm a bit of a Nintendo fangirl.
> 
> My other half wants me to buy a PSP, because it does more. And I am
> vaguely interested in the mp3 and browser functions, but to be honest,
> I can browse the net on my laptop and I already have an mp3 player.
> The DS has better games, but it doesn't have any real added
> functionality.
> 
> Now, I love Nintendo because they focus on gameplay. They produce some
> amazing titles, that keep you playing even if the graphics aren't
> amazing. But that's one of the reasons I'm tempted by the PSP - it
> looks amazing.
> 
> Do I go for the jack-of-all-trades and watch NSFW movies on the go, or
> go for the amazing gameplay and undeniably cuter DS?
> 
> Opinions?
> 

I much prefer the DS, mostly down to games.  The most I've played on the 
PSP is Lumines for a bit, and some Gitaroo Man, but it hasn't been out 
of the box for months.  The next time I envision taking the PSP out of 
its box is when (if) FF7 Crisis Core comes out here.  Obviously the 
caveat in this opinion is I have no interest in watching films on the 
go, and my phone is fine as a music player.

-- 
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Fry <me@privacy.invalid> writes:

[...]

> The PSP plays home to far too many ports of PS2 games and doesn't
> have enough games that you can just pick up and play for a 20 minute
> train journey.

I think there are a few.  Quite a few if you don't count the
UMD-loading time (which isn't unrealistic, IMHO, since I believe all
games are required to work correctly when the PSP is switched off and
on again).

> The DS has better games all round.

I think so, too.  And they all load faster, making it much more of a
pick up and play device.  But the PSP has some fun games too, so I
wouldn't dismiss it too quickly.

Lewa wrote:
> Hi guys,
> 
> Wondered if I could get a few opinions. I've got my paycheque coming
> in soon, and I'm in the mood for a new handheld. I've owned almost
> every Gameboy that was released in the UK (note: almost. I didn't have
> a Micro, or any of the special SPs, and I'm sure there's a few I've
> missed) and I'm a bit of a Nintendo fangirl.
> 
> My other half wants me to buy a PSP, because it does more. And I am
> vaguely interested in the mp3 and browser functions, but to be honest,
> I can browse the net on my laptop and I already have an mp3 player.
> The DS has better games, but it doesn't have any real added
> functionality.
> 
> Now, I love Nintendo because they focus on gameplay. They produce some
> amazing titles, that keep you playing even if the graphics aren't
> amazing. But that's one of the reasons I'm tempted by the PSP - it
> looks amazing.
> 
> Do I go for the jack-of-all-trades and watch NSFW movies on the go, or
> go for the amazing gameplay and undeniably cuter DS?
> 

If you want it for games, then the DS is the one to go for. It's 
cheaper, easier to carry around without worrying about scratching the 
screen and the batteries last much longer than the PSP. If you want to 
watch video, then you might be better off getting one of the new iPods 
or something like a Creative Zen MP3 player.


-- 
neil h
google brights

Neil Hopkins  writes:

[...]

> If you want to watch video, then you might be better off getting one
> of the new iPods or something like a Creative Zen MP3 player.

I think you'd need to do the calculations.

Compare the kind of player you'd get (form of storage, capacity,
screen size) against a PSP (and the MS you'd want).  I'm not sure the
PSP comes off *that* poorly.  OK, you can get a 30G Creative Zen
Vision:M for £120 (at Amazon.co.uk, presumably a limited offer), which
is pretty good for an MP3 player which can play videos, but the
screen's pretty small (IMHO).  Something like the Archos PMPs have
larger screens (more like the PSP's screen), but they cost quite a bit
more.

It all depends, I guess.  If memory sticks seem likely to hold
whatever you want to watch, then I'd have thought a PSP would be a
better buy.  (Or if you want to watch UMD films, I guess.  I guess one
can rent them?)

I guess flash-MP3/Video players are cheaper, but they still suffer
from small screens---the PSP has a really nice big screen.

You can use this link to get a free xbox 360 elite just complete one
offer and reffer friends...do the stamps.com offer and cancell after
your account gets credited and no charges will be applied...Here is
the Link:

http://www.360Elite4free.com/index.php?ref=3979324

Gareth Robert Halfacree wrote:
> Lewa wrote:
>> I've heard the name R4DS - what are they, exactly?
> 
> It's short for "Revolution For DS", and it's a DS cart which plays host 
> to a MicroSD card with your choice of content.  The R4DS cart fools the 
> DS into thinking it's a Nintendo-sanctioned game and then does some 
> jiggery-pokery to get it to launch a menu system loaded onto the memory 
> card.  The upshot is that you can fill it with MP3s and use your DS as 
> an MP3 player (like the PSP) or as a movie player (like the PSP) or as a 
> text reader or image viewer (like the PSP).  You can also put homebrew 
> applications on the card, such as a portable music tracker or a copy of 
> NetHack.  I mostly use mine to play NetHack.
> 
> You can also load images of real DS games and play them as though you'd 
> inserted the original cartridge; this is, however, illegal and I cannot 
> recommend it (especially when DS games, when imported, are so damn cheap 
> in the first place).

/snipped/

How come I cannot find ANY offers on this on Ebay?
/scratches head

qt

QT  writes:

[...]

> How come I cannot find ANY offers on this [R4DS] on Ebay?
> /scratches head

No idea.  I'd quite fancy gumstix, <http://www.gumstix.com/>, but
they're similarly absent from ebay.

QT wrote:
> How come I cannot find ANY offers on [R4DS] on Ebay?
> /scratches head

Probably because eBay take 'em down as soon as they are listed (can be 
used to pirate games, see; plus they're technically in breach of the 
Digital Millennium Copyright Act as they bypass copy protection 
mechanisms built in to the console).

Why not just buy it from DealExtreme?

-- 
Gareth Halfacree
http://gareth.halfacree.co.uk

Gareth Robert Halfacree wrote:
> QT wrote:
>> How come I cannot find ANY offers on [R4DS] on Ebay?
>> /scratches head
> 
> Probably because eBay take 'em down as soon as they are listed (can be 
> used to pirate games, see; plus they're technically in breach of the 
> Digital Millennium Copyright Act as they bypass copy protection 
> mechanisms built in to the console).
> 
> Why not just buy it from DealExtreme?
> 
Already ordered elsewhere but thanks anyway.

qt

"The Rev"  wrote in message 
news:5l7igaF6ro2lU1@mid.individual.net...
> Fry wrote:
>>> Opinions?
>>
>> The PSP doesn't have enough games that were actually conceived as 
>> handheld games. There's a big difference between the kind of game that's 
>> suitable for a home console and what's suitable for a handheld. The PSP 
>> plays home to far too many ports of PS2 games and doesn't have enough 
>> games that you can just pick up and play for a 20 minute train journey.
>
> This simply isn't true and hasn't been for a long time.

Agreed, it all depends on what sort of games you want to play, I've no 
interest in the DS but my PSP has been used on my 20min train journey every 
working day for the past couple of years.

On 3 Oct, 17:03, "Col"  wrote:
> Agreed, it all depends on what sort of games you want to play, I've no
> interest in the DS but my PSP has been used on my 20min train journey every
> working day for the past couple of years.

I went throught the same dilema last month, and ended up getting a DS
and an R4DS card.  I have to say, most of the DS games are really
designed for children, and the ones that aren't are badly implemented
(ie any racing game) or a rehash of the same type of puzzle or
arithmetic brain games.  If I didn't have the R4DS card I have to say
I would be quite disappointed, as most of the games aren't even worth
a fiver, never mind the £20 at retail.

Maybe I was just expecting too much.

I am looking forward to Geometry Wars though, but no doubt that will
be a pain to play using the D-pad.

Alan  wrote:

> On 3 Oct, 17:03, "Col"  wrote:
> > Agreed, it all depends on what sort of games you want to play, I've no
> > interest in the DS but my PSP has been used on my 20min train journey every
> > working day for the past couple of years.
> 
> I went throught the same dilema last month, and ended up getting a DS
> and an R4DS card.  I have to say, most of the DS games are really
> designed for children, and the ones that aren't are badly implemented
> (ie any racing game) or a rehash of the same type of puzzle or
> arithmetic brain games.  If I didn't have the R4DS card I have to say
> I would be quite disappointed, as most of the games aren't even worth
> a fiver, never mind the £20+ at retail.
> 
> Maybe I was just expecting too much.
> 
> I am looking forward to Geometry Wars though, but no doubt that will
> be a pain to play using the D-pad.

For children? Metroid Prime Hunters, Starfox Command, Tony Hawk's
American Sk8land, Advance Wars DS, etc, etc for children? :-D I guess
some children are able to play them, but IME they generally suck
compared to adult gamers (still, so long as you're having fun - eh? :-)
So I don't mean to denigrate child gamers). Mario Kart is badly
implemented? There's EVER been a game like Brain Training on a portable
console before?

Sure there's a load of crap out there for the DS, but no more than there
is for any other console. You just have to read the reviews. People who
buy on impulse get what they deserve. May I ask what you bought?

Regards,
 Jamie Kahn Genet
-- 
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

Col the Monkey was never naughty:
>
> "The Rev"  wrote in message 
> news:5l7igaF6ro2lU1@mid.individual.net...
>> Fry wrote:
>>>> Opinions?
>>>
>>> The PSP doesn't have enough games that were actually conceived as 
>>> handheld games. There's a big difference between the kind of game that's 
>>> suitable for a home console and what's suitable for a handheld. The PSP 
>>> plays home to far too many ports of PS2 games and doesn't have enough 
>>> games that you can just pick up and play for a 20 minute train journey.
>>
>> This simply isn't true and hasn't been for a long time.
>
> Agreed, it all depends on what sort of games you want to play, I've no 
> interest in the DS but my PSP has been used on my 20min train journey every 
> working day for the past couple of years. 

Yeah, but have you actually played any games in that time? 20 mins is an
average loading time for the PSP :-p

Choobs

-- 
     Sir Chewbury Gubbins <choobs@chewbury.net.invalid>
 ...   Blog : http://www.nelefa.org
 /|\ 	 Game Diary : http://www.chewbury.net
/ | \      Abu the Monkey was never naughty.

"Sir Chewbury Gubbins" <chewbury.gubbins@nelefa.org.invalid> wrote in 
message news:5mjq8mFdrdenU2@mid.individual.net...
> Col the Monkey was never naughty:
>>
>> "The Rev"  wrote in message
>> news:5l7igaF6ro2lU1@mid.individual.net...
>>> Fry wrote:
>>>>> Opinions?
>>>>
>>>> The PSP doesn't have enough games that were actually conceived as
>>>> handheld games. There's a big difference between the kind of game 
>>>> that's
>>>> suitable for a home console and what's suitable for a handheld. The PSP
>>>> plays home to far too many ports of PS2 games and doesn't have enough
>>>> games that you can just pick up and play for a 20 minute train journey.
>>>
>>> This simply isn't true and hasn't been for a long time.
>>
>> Agreed, it all depends on what sort of games you want to play, I've no
>> interest in the DS but my PSP has been used on my 20min train journey 
>> every
>> working day for the past couple of years.
>
> Yeah, but have you actually played any games in that time? 20 mins is an
> average loading time for the PSP :-p
>

That's the beauty of the thing for me, I don't HAVE to play games on it. On 
todays run I watched a bit of a TV drama and did some gaming.

Apart from  the first Virtua Tennis which was ruined by long loading times 
the other games I've got don't have that problem, Ridge, Tekken, Star 
Soldier, Initial-D for example all load quickly from UMD.

"Alan"  wrote in message 
news:1191480159.186324.299130@w3g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
On 3 Oct, 17:03, "Col"  wrote:
> Agreed, it all depends on what sort of games you want to play, I've no
> interest in the DS but my PSP has been used on my 20min train journey 
> every
> working day for the past couple of years.

I went throught the same dilema last month, and ended up getting a DS
and an R4DS card.  I have to say, most of the DS games are really
designed for children, and the ones that aren't are badly implemented
(ie any racing game) or a rehash of the same type of puzzle or
arithmetic brain games.  If I didn't have the R4DS card I have to say
I would be quite disappointed, as most of the games aren't even worth
a fiver, never mind the £20+ at retail.

Maybe I was just expecting too much.

I am looking forward to Geometry Wars though, but no doubt that will
be a pain to play using the D-pad.

Wouldn't disagree, was contemplating getting a new or 2nd hand one over in 
Japan for our three year old but she's probably too old for it :-p.

I want to play console games and there are more of them on the PSP than the 
DS even if they are re-hashed PS2 games as I never had one of those.

Col  wrote:

> "Alan"  wrote in message 
> news:1191480159.186324.299130@w3g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
> On 3 Oct, 17:03, "Col"  wrote:
> > Agreed, it all depends on what sort of games you want to play, I've no
> > interest in the DS but my PSP has been used on my 20min train journey
> > every
> > working day for the past couple of years.
> 
> I went throught the same dilema last month, and ended up getting a DS
> and an R4DS card.  I have to say, most of the DS games are really
> designed for children, and the ones that aren't are badly implemented
> (ie any racing game) or a rehash of the same type of puzzle or
> arithmetic brain games.  If I didn't have the R4DS card I have to say
> I would be quite disappointed, as most of the games aren't even worth
> a fiver, never mind the £20+ at retail.
> 
> Maybe I was just expecting too much.
> 
> I am looking forward to Geometry Wars though, but no doubt that will
> be a pain to play using the D-pad.
> 
> Wouldn't disagree, was contemplating getting a new or 2nd hand one over in
> Japan for our three year old but she's probably too old for it :-p.
> 
> I want to play console games and there are more of them on the PSP than the
> DS even if they are re-hashed PS2 games as I never had one of those.

Could you please quote text from previous posts? :-)
-- 
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.