Pissed Off

Comments

3 responses to “Pissed Off”

1. 

   Pedro Timóteo

   October 22, 2006

   Hi. 🙂

   First, it was Sony, not users, who said that the PSP (and the PS3) is “more than a games machine”. To me, it was always a means for controlling the next big standard (UMD, in that case), much like the PS3 will try to do with Blu-Ray.

   And you have to admit that the DS winning was a surprise to almost everyone, including myself. The PSP has the magic “Playstation” name, and appeals to the 3D-obsessed, sequels-obsessed “Playstation generation”… it looks slick, and has incredible graphics… how could it not succeed against the “quirky” DS?

   I know we disagree about this, but the PSP, to me, is the symbol of everything that’s wrong with gaming these days. Games are art, are supposed to be magical, to take us to new worlds; yet, if Sony (and to a lesser extent MS and EA) had their way, they’d crush all innovation forever, and simply regurgitate the same games. And it works – see how Madden sells so much…

   Nintendo, to me, is the “gaming industry’s conscience”. It reminds everyone that this is supposed to be entertainment as well – fun as well – and not just a business (there’s nothing wrong with it being a business as well, of course). Every once in a while, they release a game unlike everything else, and get everyone’s attention… and the others have to “innovate” grudgingly by copying their innovation. The PS3’s controller springs to mind.

   Is Nintendo perfect? Of course not. Is the DS the best console in the world? Nope; I sure wish it was faster, and had more storage (though it’s fast enough for its games, and Resident Evil DS has shown that an entire CD game can fit in a cartridge). The browser isn’t great (it’s NOT Opera Mini, but Opera Mobile – they’re different products; one is Java, the other is native Series 60, and it works great on my 6630), but it still has advantages over the PSP’s one, due to the faster text entry using the stylus. Not to mention that the DS is light and small enough to read in bed. 🙂

   Anyway, to me, this is one of the few cases where the “good guys” won. The DS is like a ZX Spectrum or an Amiga, where there was some innovation, and some sense of fun. The PSP reminds me of the PS1 and PS2. It’s a newer generation of kids, who are content to play last year’s game with better graphics, who judge games (and consoles) on graphics, who only play sports games and FPSs, and so on. I’m not saying you’re like that; I know you’re not (you love classic games), but THOSE kids are Sony’s market, not guys like us. 🙂

   Anyway, if it makes you feel better, this week I’ve seen two different kids, in different restaurants, playing on their PSPs. One was playing a soccer game; I didn’t see the other. Both were in their early teens, I think. So far, I haven’t ever seen anyone with a DS in a restaurant or other public place, except for me and family (I’m guilty of filling up my family with DSs). So, at least in Portugal, the PSP still seems to be winning… I actually had to create a forum just so I could find someone else with DSs, and (sadly) they’re mostly kids… 🙁

   Hmm, sorry about the long comment. 🙂

2. 

   Odrakir

   October 22, 2006

   First of all, I like your comments, you and I share the same spirit concerning video games, we’re from the same generation and probably had similar experiences on that area so, for all means, keep the long comments flowing 😉

   It’s true that Sony marketing and support for the PSP is lousy since the beginning, but the console itself is great, and so are some of the games. The major problem with the PSP is the developer support and the type of games being made. The PSP needs portable games, not PS2 / PS1 ports (which btw are handedly very well), and these portable game can be 2D and 3D because it’s not the graphics that count but the playability of the game, that’s where the fun is. One of the most fun games for the PSP is Loco Roco and the graphics are 2D, not very rich but very well made. Anyway, the PSP is more than a games machine, is a Portable Multimedia Device and it does everything is supposed to do, the problem is that people want to turn the PSP into an gaming iPod (which you can more or less with a 4gb MMS). What pisses my off are the rumors and the predictions for a machine that has not yet shown it’s full potential. The PSP has much more to offer.

   What’s happening with the DS is a hype, kinda like the Web 2.0, suddenly the DS is cool and everybody wants one. Sure the DS is a great machine, but people only began to bought it when the Lite version came out (me inclueded), now I have 6 or 7 games and waiting for Zelda because besides that title, I don’t see any great games coming out for the DS, as for the PSP great games are being released on the next 3 months. Hype, Buzz, this is what making the DS growing, not because it has great games, but because it’s trendy.

   I don’t support system wars, I like both consoles for the fun they provide and I’m not taking sides, I just wished people wouldn’t be so obtuse when it comes to that. Sony bashing seems to be the trend nowadays, almost every VG site does it, but when the PS3 comes out everyone will buy one and things will remain the way they are. True gamers don’t care about the system, they care about the games.

   Oh and by the way, the PSP is small enough to read in bed too, and it’s great to listen to podcasts and watch movies… in bed 😛

3. 

   Pedro Timóteo

   October 23, 2006

   Some incoming / just released great games for the DS (of course, it depends on individual taste):

   – Final Fantasy 3 (you can buy the US version next month)
   – Gyakuten Saiban 2
   – Contact
   – Winning Eleven
   – Pokemon Diamond / Pearl
   – Age of Empires: the Age of Kings
   – Star Fox Command
   – Diddy Kong Racing DS
   – Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
   – Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

   Sure, some of those may not interest you (they don’t all interest me), but you can’t complain of lack of games, or lack of variety. FF3, for instance, is looking awesome.

   Anyway, I don’t think the DS is *that* trendy. It just got a break – which is amazing, because lots of people associate Nintendo with kids.

   Oh, and – I’m probably dreaming here, but… – I really, really wish the PS3 crashed and burned. Hard. Sony-bashing isn’t a “trend”, it has a reason. IMO, there’s too little of it, actually. Sony and Microsoft don’t care about games; they just want to “conquer the living room” with their “media centers”, and games are just a means, not an end. Their goal is DRM-filled media centers, playing their proprietary formats.