Sony's handheld continues to drive profits to mega-publisher EA. According to Pocket Gamer, PSP games generated $258 million last fiscal year. In comparison, DS games only managed to generate $104 million. Similar figures were revealed last year, when EA admitted that they'd rather focus on Nintendo's handheld than Sony's, calling it a more "fun" system.

Although PSP sales make the largest portion of EA's handheld revenue, the company may spin the fact negatively. While $256 million is a sizable figure, it represents a 28 percent loss compared to last year. On the other hand, the DS platform seems to be gaining momentum for EA, as it has shot up 149 percent. We don't care too much about these numbers, though. As long as EA continues to make good, original games for our platform, PSP gamers have nothing to worry about.

Videogame creation is a combination of art and technical skill. It's easy to look at next-gen titles on Xbox 360 or PS3 and marvel at the miracle that is their existence, but many gamers ignore the difficulty and special challenges that come from making a portable game. There is a special art of reduction that comes from a developer trying to make a game that can be enjoyed on the go. To act as a sort of reminder of some of these challenges, I thought I'd highlight a few.

• Making a game that has substance, but can be played in quick intervals
• Having the graphics and gameplay at least partially compare to next-gen titles while being created on far inferior hardware
• Dealing with unruly memory restraints and small media to fit the entire title on
• Having controls work despite having less buttons and control elements than home systems
• Balancing amount of attempted loads so that the battery isn't taxed and yet load times aren't too long
• Ensuring color and lighting allow the game to easily be seen on a portable screen

Then of course there's all the regular challenges of making a game. Like I said, the issues listed aren't all of the issues that come into play, just some of the more common ones. Do you consider any of these elements when you play a game on a portable or is a game just a game to you no matter the circumstance?

Mercury News has some fighting words from Microsoft's Robbie Bach. The President of E&C goes on record saying that Sony is unable to successfully compete in the upcoming generation as Sony must focus its efforts across three platforms: PS2, PS3 and PSP. "I think Sony, frankly, suffers a little bit from this problem, which is they're spread really thin across all these areas. And trying to do PSP, competing with Nintendo, PSP to DS; competing with us, 360 to PS3, I think it does strain -- it would naturally strain any organization."

It's interesting to point out that Microsoft, a company with quite possibly the largest monetary battle chest in the world, has avoided the handheld market, simply because the battle against Nintendo would be too resource-draining. While two-front wars have never been too successful, the consumers should feel comfortable in knowing that at least Sony puts dedication behind its products, unlike Microsoft. I'm confident that Sony will support the PSP for years to come, just like they have with the PS2. And that's something millions of currently abandoned original Xbox consoles can't vouch for.

[Via GameDaily]

The name might not be too familiar, but Mr. O'Rourke is the man responsible for the PSP-bashing report he created for the analyst group In-Stat. In an interview with Gamasutra, O'Rourke explains his reasoning behind Nintendo's continued success in the handheld market. Here are a few excerpts:

• "The DS's shipment advantage has been overstated somewhat."
• "The key to a successful handheld is not necessarily graphics. Several of Nintendo's challengers over the years (e.g., Atari, NEC) have had superior graphics performance. But they did not succeed. More important is strong software support, and recognizable characters, that appeal to what has been primarily a pre-teen, early teen demographic. This is what Nintendo has understood well, and has executed on."
• "Sony does not have the same number of breakout titles for the PSP as Nintendo has created for the DS. In addition, the PSP costs substantially more than the DS ($199 vs. $129 in the US)."
• "No, publishers will not move away from the PSP. Sony is selling too many of them. Publishers are not in the business of throwing away revenue opportunities."

I think the man's on-the-money with his analysis. While it's clear that the DS is "winning," that's not going to stop publishers and developers from delivering games to us. And in the end, that's what we fanboys want (more than a victory in the handheld "war").

One thing the PSP and Gamepark handhelds have in common is homebrew is very popular on both systems. But what separates the two is Gamepark actually encourages it, while Sony does everything in its power to stop it. And with that, Gamepark is set to release its third portable – the XGP kids – which looks like its design may have been inspired by the PSP.

However, the design is pretty much where most comparisons stop. The XGP kids, which stands for eXtreme Game Player kids, is set to retail for a measly $75 and will use two AA batteries.

Here are other specs:

• 140MHz ARM processor;
• A 2.2-inch, 220 x 176 LCD screen;
• 8MBs of RAM;
• 2MBs of flash memory;
• USB 1.1 file transfer support; and
  
• SD card slot

While the XGP kids will most certainly not compete with the PSP or DS in commercial software, it may be possible to see success with its homebrew support and low price tag.

(Via Engadget)