Handheld Gaming Guide
Things have come a long way since 1989, when the godfather of modern handheld systems, Nintendo's GameBoy, 
hit the streets. The screen was a reflective LCD featuring two colors, black and green. There were two action buttons and an eight-way directional pad and the medium of choice was the simple cartridge. What gamer in their 20s or 30s today didn't waste countless childhood hours shifting Tetris blocks on the old system? Yet things are no longer as simple as they were back in the early '90s. The current giants of gaming have put their hat into the handheld gaming ring. We’re here to fill you in on what to expect from each of the current handheld systems in terms of design and cost before you head in to your local retailer to take the fateful plunge. For a comprehensive comparison between the PSP and the DS Lite, check out our DS vs. PSP Buying Guide.
DS vs. DS Lite
Nintendo released the DS in 2004 and replaced it with the smaller, superior DS Lite in 2006. The systems have the same hardware and play the same games, but the DS Lite includes adjustable screen brightness, a larger stylus, better button design and a lighter weight. As time passes, the DS Lite is increasingly being referred to simply as the DS, because it's more prominent in the marketplace.
Design
We’ll start with the Nintendo DS (the DS stands for dual screen). This unique design is implemented by a notebook format featuring two vertically stacked screens; the lower of the two is a touch screen. The system features the standard directional pad, A, B, X and Y buttons along with two shoulder buttons. The layout should feel familiar for those who have toyed around with Nintendo’s earlier console, the Super Nintendo. Make a note that the DS is being phased out in favor of the slimmed-down DS Lite. The revised hardware features the same functionality as the original but is much lighter and smaller in its dimensions.
The more traditional Nintendo GameBoy franchise is still very much alive in kicking with its latest iteration, the GameBoy Advance, which is now in its third design phase with the GameBoy Micro. The Micro is easily the smallest handheld ever created as its dimensions are a tiny four inches wide and two inches tall, or roughly the same size as an NES controller. The standard controller configuration of two action buttons and a directional pad still apply. There’s also the GameBoy Advance SP, which was the first of Nintendo’s handhelds to apply a foldable clamshell design. The SP (short for "special") is the second design of the original GameBoy Advance -- commonly referred to as the GBA.
Sony has entered the handheld war with its stylish PSP, which stands for Playstation Portable. The system sports a gorgeous TFT LCD screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio, in other words you’ll be able to watch movies in widescreen format. The controller configuration is similar to the original Playstation controller (sans analog sticks which came later in the console’s life cycle) in that it uses the standard circle, X, square and triangle action buttons along with a directional pad and two shoulder buttons.
Cost
This is likely the heaviest factor to be weighed by most consumers and in this regard Nintendo has the edge. Its Game Boy Advance SP currently retails for $80, with the Game Boy Micro selling for $100 and the Nintendo DS costing $130 and the DS Lite is locked in at a similar price point. On the opposite side of the spectrum the PSP just recently cut its price $199 to $169. The gap is closing, but for the budget-minded consumer Nintendo’s systems are still the way to go.
External Links
- IGN DS -- A one-stop resource for all your DS information needs.
- IGN PSP -- IGN's PSP section provides reviews, previews, and news on Sony's handheld.
- Yahoo Handheld Guide -- Yahoo's guide to handheld systems.
- Wikipedia -- Wikipedia's entry on handheld games.
