"But now with all these games selling so well, I'm beginning to wonder if I'm missing out on something here."

You will totally get flamed for being honest.

Personally, there hasn't been much reason to own a DS or a PSP lately. I don't use either of them hardly at all.

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not bad

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Well Chris... you know, some people might actually like those games (or nongames). So yeah, those ar ethe people buying.

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I have a DS and a Psp, and one thing i can say Ds does very well is multiplayer, so i find myself playing Ds more than i do Psp. A bunch of my frnds come over and we Always play either mario kart or metroid (ohh soo sweet), with a single cartridge. I know psp can do that as well, but just how many games use that feature? Seriously dude, i know im gona get bashed for saying this but, cherishe your psp very well, but get a Ds and play a multiplayer game with other guyz that have it. Youll have a blast!!. Alright all you haters...Sigh...bring it on.

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It's all a matter of personal preference... And the Japanese _really_ prefer Mario (and almost anything of that style or type). The PSP just isn't offering much to interest the Japanese market, right now.

For multiplayer, my friends and I go nuts with Burnout, GTA, and Ridge Racers. Personally, I can't stand stylus control in Metroid, but to each their own.

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@ pixelator

No offence, really, im just speaking my mind but are you saying that GTA, burnout or even Ridge racer arent Awesome enough to grab the interest of the japanese. I mean if you actually think about it, whats so interesting about a plumber stepping on a turtle in other to save a princess? I mean how boring can that get, but somehow They love it and prefer it to the blood thirsty GTA. And you cant tell me Japanese hate blood, if youve watched as much Anime as i have, youll know what im talking about. Again....no offence.

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Yes, that's right - GTA doesn't impress the Japanese like Mario does. Nor does Burnout or even their own Ridge Racer.

It's not that the Japanese hate blood. It's that they want their handheld games cute, simple and either puzzlers or 'kawaii' charater-based (like Mario), the same way they want their manga filled with buxom waifs running afoul of tentacled beasts and their anime with robots, cars and monsters.

The PSP is currently light on chara-games and puzzlers. And the DS Lite is the cute, ipod-like redesigned Nintendo handheld - 'nuff said. Market dominance ensues.

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Using your own logic Burnout, GTA, and Ridge racer are all just driving games, you push a button and waggle the pad, What's so interesting about that?

Never use a generalization that can be thrown back in your face.

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You know, I have a DS, and I love it, but you work for PSP FANBOY. The people over at DS Fanboy are DS Fanboys, so you should be PSP fanboys. Don't mention thinking about getting a DS in a PSP Fanboy blog. That makes you a sane rational gamer, not a fanboy.

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LOLOMFGBBQ! teh PSP total suxzorz!

Really tho, the PSP is getting it's face mashed into the poop of the console wars.

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"Burnout, GTA, and Ridge racer are all just driving games, you push a button and waggle the pad, What's so interesting about that?"

You didn't get what he was saying. He's trying to understand what it is about GTA or Burnout that the Japanese don't find as interesting as SMB or Mario Kart.

And no, GTA isn't just a driving game, and even Burnout - a 'racing' game of sorts - is more complex than waggling a pad.

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I think I said it would bounce back like this, or was that on Joystiq, anyway I don't see why people like Gundam, I watched Gundam (forgot which one) and gundam seed and I found it boring, where is transformers and robotech boo Gundam.

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C'mon skyrous GTA isnt all about that. I can agree for ridge racer and a little bit for Burnout. And i was only trying to make a point so i listed the games pixelator mentioned. And @ Andrew, i actually do not work in any Fanboy community. I also happen to be a huge Nintendo Fan but i dnt know if ive reached the level to be called a fanboy. I visit All Fanboys community; psp, 360, DS...everything. I like to know whats going on in the gaming industry as a whole because in the end , its you and me my friend that enjoy when all three companies cut their hearts out in other to impress us regardlss on which gaming machine you prefere.

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Well done Chris, you brought the DS trolls over, congratulations.

But I agree with you, how people find Brain Training, Cooking games, and Dog Simulators fun is beyond me it really is. I seriously hope this isnt the trend for the future, and we'll get most of this stuff selling well on consoles too. What am I talking about? I forgot about the Wii, of course theres gonna be a lot more of this crap in the future... *sigh* thanx Nintendo, you're the best! (sarcasm)

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Here's the deal. The Japanese like puzzles and stylish stuff even if it's somewhat 'shallow' by US standards (ex. Wario Ware compared to SOCOM). They adore Mario, Kirby, Yoshi and other iconish characters behind their games, hence the big-selling titles: Mario Bros, Mario Kart, Mario Hoops, Wario Ware, Kirby Canvas, Yoshi's Island, etc, etc, etc. - The 'chara' games are a huge deal in Japan, especially on handhelds where most gamers are commuters or students riding on crowded trains and trying to escape to something fun and light, something not requiring a lot of deep thought or strict attention to play.

That's part of why they like puzzlers and cute sims that some western cultures might find quirky or strange, like Animal Crossing, Brain Age, etc.

So you're thinking, well, PSP has SOME character games like Daxter and soon Sonic, as well as some quirky stuff like Loco Roco and Katamari. Why aren't those pushing the sales charts?

It's because the general perception of the PSP in Japan is that it's a kind of extension of the Playstation console (neither PS1 or PS2, specifically). Sony fans and early adopters ate it up at first, and the sales are still holding pretty steady, but the DS Lite has combined vastly improved cute/ipod new styling & far more vibrant displays with a rush of much-beloved Mario franchise titles - some of which have new content, but some of which are not offering that much originality. Toss in a fair helping of original stuff that takes advantage of the touchscreen like Trauma Center, Kirby Canvas and others and you have something that not only has nostalgic adult males jonesing for it, but kids and women, as well. Nintendo has a lot of experience marketing the Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance, SP and Micro, so they can hit their various markets with ease. Also, the vast majority are first party titles, and people have a lot of faith in Nintendo-made games. The PSP by comparison has mostly third party titles, which do review/rank better than DS third party games on average, but people have less 'faith' in a Daxter than they do a new Mario Bros.

So, if the PSP can get more games like Loco Roco and other stuff that matches the first party character and puzzler stuff on the DS, with less emphasis on complex gameplay and loading times, we'll see an improvement.

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I've owned almost every handheld gaming system made. The DS is indeed fun. I didn't care for the DS phat or the initial games, but the DS Lite is a beautiful piece of hardware, and many of the games out now are simply good fun. I also have a PSP, which I enjoy as well... but quite honestly the DS gets more use. It's partly the hardware, but mostly the game library. If you don't have a DS, buy one... why cling to hatred of electronics? That doesn't even make sense...

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"Personally, there hasn't been much reason to own a DS or a PSP lately. I don't use either of them hardly at all."

Again, you're mistaking the rest of us with people who care which system you think is worthwhile. Your rampant Sony bashing is well documented. Most of us here are pretty happy with their PSP, DS, or both.

15, I don't see any DS hate going on, here. I have both and have owned just about everything too, and I play my PSP more right now. The DS got some major up time when I got my Lite and SMB, Mario Kart and Age of Empires, but right now I've got about 3-4 games I keep juggling as time permits on the PSP, and my Gamefly queue is full of PSP (and 360) titles I'm looking forward to trying.

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@ 11 (pixelator)

Exactly.

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well, mario kart is just a racing game too.
but from some reason its alot more fun!

the psp still kicks alot of ass though.
but not so much in the gaming department.
in everything else, its pretty awesome.

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