Sony PSP vs Nintendo DS / DS Lite

As some of you might have realized by now, I have the pleasure of choosing from 2 of the world's most popular handheld gaming consoles whenever the gaming bug bite me. There also has been talk of how DS is kicking PSP's butt. Well, go here to get the low down on what's what & what's not between these 2.

How expensive is it to develop a game for a game platform?

* Last year in Japan, the average cost to develop a game for the Sony PS2 is $1.2 million.
* For the Sony PSP, it's only $541,000.
* But for the Nintendo DS, the average cost is a measly $342,000.

Now compare these numbers with some familiar facts.

* The PSP came out and sold for about $250 ($249 or so), while the DS came out at $149 or so.
* New games for the PSP cost around $50. New games cost about $35 for the Nintendo DS.
* Nowadays, you can find bargain bundles. A PSP bundled with a game (usually a "not-so-popular" game) can go for around $199. But a DS bargain bundle goes for about $149.

In terms of price, it seems like Nintendo is the way to go.

But the PSP is a powerful multimedia device. It's a technological heavyweight. Those strengths will help explain these facts:

* Last year, Nintendo exported only 7.34 million DS units while Sony exported more: 11.36 million PSP units.
* Within Japan, Nintendo did amazingly well: Nintendo sold 4.25 million DS and DS Lite units. Sony sold 2.61 million PSP units in Japan last year.

Does this mean the Japanese go for price? While the rest of the world (especially the USA and Europe) are more likely to go for expensive technology? Maybe.

Is this important? Well actually. I don't care about it one bit. Why? Because all this talk of "PSP pwns Nintendo DS sucks" and "PSP suxxorz LOL bye" doesn't change the important things. Gaming is on the rise. This is according to a report released by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association or CESA (it makes a report every year about the state of the Japanese console game industry; the sales figures in this article came from their report).

Total worldwide gaming sales (both hardware and software) have grown since 2004 because of the DS and PSP. They resurrected the dying handheld market, and in the process, they rekindled interest in gaming (for example, people who would never have bought a console found it easier to buy the affordable handheld units, and now that they realize how much fun they're having, they're waiting for the next-gen consoles).

So, after all the spamwars and flamewars and all the forum hating, both the DS and the PSP are to be thanked for this healthy upsurge in gaming sales. This is a sign that we should all hold hands. Can't we all just get along?

Ja neh!!!