NDS vs PSP (development costs)

[GaijinPunch]

Rather lengthy article posted at JG. Thought you might like it though -- the last paragraph anyway.
http://dynamic.gamespy.com/~japangaming/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5988#5988


All About (http://allabout.co.jp/game/gameboy/closeup/CU20050913A/index.htm) takes a look at PSP vs. DS development, and tells the awful truth. It seems that the DS is just kicking the shit out of the PSP in lots of ways. According to a Famitsu report, during the week of 07.25 thru 08.28, the DS sold 337,360 units, whereas the rivaling PSP only sold 113,953 units. Also worth mentioning is that the NDS has sold more units to date this year than any of the other game machines.

After looking at the PSP graph:
http://allabout.co.jp/game/gameboy/closeup/CU20050913A/psp.jpg

The article states that the while the PSP has a very easily unerstood concept. It plays games, has an internet browser, plays MP3s, and all mobile -- a so-called dream machine. However, anyone buying a PSP probably has some form of all of these other features. It's nothing really new. it also states that while all of the many remakes and ports of old school games are fun, they are not a new experience, and anything resembling a ground-breaking game has yet to be released for the system.

On the other side of things, there's Nintendo's rather complex graph:
http://allabout.co.jp/game/gameboy/closeup/CU20050913A/nds.jpg

The DS on the other hand, while a games only machine, offers a totally new experience with the touch screen. Even at this point, from a sales perspective, the GBA has better sales potential unlses a game makes use of both screens or the touch pad. As such, Nintendo has said that the DS is not the GBA's successor.

There's quite a bit more analysis in the article, but nothing really new. The point that's most interesting though, in the end, is that according to a 2004 CESA poll, development costs for a PSP game averaged 90 million yen, where as the average for a DS game was 37 million yen.

[Chief Chujo]

Quite a difference in a dev costs. But aren't software sales mostly dominated by Nintendo on the DS(seems the norm for all of their systems) where as it is vice versa on the PSP with the 3rd parties topping the lists.
Wouldn't this go some way towards evening things up when it comes to recouping the investment?

[Yakumo]

We knew from the begining that the PSP would not win in Japan. Sony are just don't get it. Of course all the softshites in the west will buy it due to 3 main factors which is what the PSP is all about - Brand name - High End 3D - Cool Factor. THese 3 points are all you need to sell a console in the west. Fuck the games ! Saying that though, personally I think the DS selection of games in Japan is pathetic too.

Yakumo

[ASSEMbler]

something that big and expensive and it can't work with outlook. Ha.

[GaijinPunch]

something that big and expensive and it can't work with outlook. Ha.

:)

While I think the DS has a pretty laughable lineup, it's got about 3-4 solid games that I've REALLy enjoyed. Enough that I didn't mind spending the 15,000 or so on the system. Yoshi's wasn'g bad, and I love Mario 64, so the handheld version is nice if I'm on the road. But Kirby's and the new Akumajo are both outstanding.

Princess Crown is the first thing on the PSP that's made me raise an eyebrow, but that just can't work for me. Old low-res sprites on the PSP? It will look like shit and you can quote me on that. I just don't see them repainting the whole game.

[ccovell]

How does it consider the DS to be a "music & movie player"? Of course, I understand it has those capabilities, but Nintendo certainly isn't selling movies for the DS or enabling memory sticks, etc. for multimedia playback.

But I like my DS; Mario is great, Nanostray is good; but the software I've been using the most for the last few months has been the E<->J dictionary. :-O

[Yakumo]

In Japan the DS is used as an official education tool with software made for the government education plan. No shit ! They were deadly serious about it on TV. It's probably one of the only software titles that really does make good use of the touch screen.

Yakumo

[Chief Chujo]

How does it consider the DS to be a "music & movie player"? Of course, I understand it has those capabilities, but Nintendo certainly isn't selling movies for the DS or enabling memory sticks, etc. for multimedia playback.

Play-Yan I guess.

[sayin999]

Suprisingly the psp did extremely well in europe, but man i wish they would release ds games here faster, still looking forward to mario kart, castlvania, and that one surgery game.

[the_steadster]

Suprisingly the psp did extremely well in europe


All sony stuff has performed better over here than other regions. Mainly, I'd guess, because:
-Atari never were a major player, making their crashing and burning not important to the european games industry
-Therefore the NES didn't resurrect gaming, it was just another console.

So the idea that in the states (at least until the N64) that the nintendo name was enough to sell the console never existed.

The gameboy is and always has been the dominant handheld though, but it isnt a surprise that the PSP sold well.

[cahaz]

everyone that i know who buyed a psp is disapointed in a way, after-hype syndrome perhaps?

Anyway, now i have a lot of offers from these people who want to sell their psp... dunno if i'll pick one yet. :D
Maybe for collecting purposes, but right now, there's nothing apealing on psp to me. Mp3? i don't want to buy those expansive memory sticks. Movies? No comment. Games? 90% of them are toned down ps2 tittles, and 70 percent of this 90 percent is EA shitty games. Homebrew? , zodiac, gp32, gizmondo orgpx2 are better considerations for that.

[the_steadster]

One on the (very close) horizon for semi-casual gamers like me (sorry!) is burnout legends, which I feel will be pretty good in mobile form. Also Virtua Tennis is good for a quick blast, but it is stillobvious that the console was not properly designed for handheld gaming, and as has been said many, many times before, its a mini-ps2, not a super GBA.

[KuKzz]

You should get a PSP for emulators only - it has SNES, Genesis, NES, Neo-Geo CD and other at full speed already. At least for me it's worth way more than all PSP games (I hardly play any of them, even in iso form - just not interested in countless PS One-style games).

[RyanGamerGoneGrazy]

yea, maybe on version 1.5 or below, try to crack version2......ie heard that 2 will be a bitch to crack

[Mark30001]

You should get a PSP for emulators only - it has SNES, Genesis, NES, Neo-Geo CD and other at full speed already. At least for me it's worth way more than all PSP games (I hardly play any of them, even in iso form - just not interested in countless PS One-style games).

Yea! I'm too broke to afford any games for my PSP, that's why I stick with emus & roms. :(

[cahaz]

that's the best feature of the psp, actually.

[Paulo]

Games are decent to play around with i never use mine for emulators really.

[RyanGamerGoneGrazy]

though i must say, the upcoming release for the psp is looking grim...... so on average, it costs 900 000 usd dollars for a psp game and 337 000 for a ds game....would this be correct, im just doing it from my head....

[sayin999]

from my experiance of owning one, unless you got the money to spend, its not worth getting, you can fully enjoy it unless you got a 1.5 with 512mb memory stick, cause i really havent bought any games for it, just played emus and stuff, once and while use it for mp3s.

[Fabrizo]

One on the (very close) horizon for semi-casual gamers like me (sorry!) is burnout legends, which I feel will be pretty good in mobile form.


Yep, its one of if not the best game i've played on psp thus far (although their is no motion blur that i've noticed when turboing for some reason...). Or as im making micro-reviews for all the psp games I play, this is what I wrote:

Burnout Legends - Fun car race/crash game that has good gameplay, music, and loads of unlockables, but has heavily flawed graphics (oceans of poly-cracks and the only version missing motion blur), relativly simple damage models, and a crash system that sometimes doesn't work the way you'd think it would/should.

[A. Snow]

I have to admit that I was totally wrong. I thought the PSP would dominate the DS once it was released. I still think it could with the right games but I just don't see anything like that right now. I think GTA will spike sales for a bit though. Has there been any recent news on Gran Turismo for the PSP?

[Fabrizo]

Eh, I think the psp actualy has a decent up-and-comming lineup:

(10/24/05) Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
(11/??/05) Daxter
(12/31/05) Tokobot
(12/??/06) Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core
(??/??/06) Monster Hunter Portable
(??/??/06) Ys: The Ark of Napishtim (improved over the PS2 ver)
(??/??/??) Katamari Damacy
(??/??/??) Legend of Heroes
(??/??/??) Ghouls n' Ghosts Xtreme (Goku Makaimura)
(??/??/??) Persona
(??/??/??) Devil May Cry
(??/??/??) Naruto
(??/??/??) Astonishia Story (comming to US?)
(??/??/??) Far East of Eden: The Fourth Apocalypse (comming to US?)
(??/??/??) Shinki Gensou: SSII Unlimited Side (comming to US?)
(??/??/??) Rockman Rockman (Remake of Megaman1 in 3D with a level editor)

[einbebop44]

Why does the PSP sell well in the US? Well, firstly, PVPs etc. aren't as prevalent, and especially not an all in one device. The screen looks incredible for such a small piece of equipment -- easily blowing the DS' out of the water. Then there's the games, which look this gen -- the DS looks like something I played seven years, with crappy touch screen controls (I'm looking at you, Super Mario 64 DS).

For me, PSP > DS, by a long ways. No doubt the PSP has no revolutionary games, but with Daxter and GTA coming out, and Burnout just released, I am more than content. Eat your heart out Mario Kart DS.

[cahaz]

going to buy a ds when mario kart is released, going to play burnout legend on my ps2.

and Katamary Damacy is also scheduled for DS. Touch Screen. Mmmm..

[einbebop44]

Good luck playing Burnout Legends on your PS2, since it doesn't come out for the PS2, or any home consoles for that matter.

[cahaz]

...burnout revenge then. :P

oh well, good thing in favor of psp then