Sony PSP vs. Nintendo DS Lite

Basics

• Consoles have seen a major breakthrough in the past two decades as primary sources of home entertainment. Simultaneously, as technology has become better, packages have become smaller. With the introduction of MP3 players and portable DVD players, the gaming industry has thrown its hat into the ring. The Sony PlayStation Portable, or PSP, and the Nintendo DS Lite are both portable, hand-held machines that have been competing for market attention since their respective release dates. Both bring different qualities to the table that should help you determine which one you will pick up.

Features

• The PSP is not just a gaming device. It is an entire media center packed into a tiny bundle of hardware. It can play movies and MP3s, as well as games with graphics on par with the PlayStation 2. The drawback is that, with all that power comes a lot of power consumption; the PSP's battery is estimated to only last about 3 hours when watching a movie and 8 hours or so when playing a game. The DS Lite only plays games, with graphics only slightly better than those found on the Nintendo64 back in 1996. Its battery, however, lasts about 12 hours.

Aesthetic Appeal

• The PSP, which comes in jet black and silver, is a simple, streamlined, slick-looking machine. It is thinner and lighter than the DS, with a simple, flat interface and a large screen. The DS Lite is a different animal; it has a clamshell design to support not one, but two different screens. The bottom screen is a touch screen, while the top screen is usually the primary monitor. The DS Lite incorporates this bottom touch screen into many of its games, which in itself is a benefit, but it makes the device thicker and more child-like when compared to the more adult-oriented PSP.

Games

• With any gaming machine, the games should always be the selling point. DS Lite has more than a year head start on PSP. Add that to the incredible library of games available for the system, and the debate is not close. GameStats.Com, which collects and compiles reviews of video games from various sources, has indicated average scores of nine out of 10 (and above) to nine DS games in 2009. At the same time, the number of PSP games with ratings of nine out of 10 (and above) is only two. Take note that the DS, because it is from Nintendo, is able to release games featuring characters like Mario, who is among the most popular characters of all time and surely contributes to the DS Lite's popularity.

Price Point

• In 2009, the Nintendo DS Lite retailed for about $130 in stores; games could be purchased for an average of $30 if new. The PSP was much more expensive, at $200, but this was due to its superior hardware. PSP games averaged about $40 new.