Wow... I thought that choosing between Marvel VS Capcom 3 and Dead Space 2 was a tough decision, but I think this one takes the cake.
Usually I rant about Sony VS Micro$oft but today it is Sony VS Nintendo. Both companies have kicked ass in the portable gaming market. Nintendo has probably been the dominating force with their history of handhelds: Game Boy, Gameboy Color, Game Boy Advanced and the Nintendo DS. Sony, while not as experienced in the portable gaming scene, has struck gold with their powerful Playstation Portable.
Both companies have now reached the next generation of handheld gaming:
Nintendo's 3DS which boasts stereoscopic 3D imaging without the need for glasses possibility of graphics that could be as good as the PSP. (The 3DS has already been out for a few months).
Sony's NGP (next generation portable) which will be released later this year, will have a slew of features and connectivity and the promise of graphics that could almost rival the PS3.
Both handhelds show lots of promise for me as a gamer which makes my decision SO much harder. Do I save up for a 3DS or do I hold on to that money and save up for the NGP? Let's compare the two in depth! (most info was obtained and quoted via WikiPedia but have also been confirmed by Ign and other publication).
Sony NGP (Next Generation Portable)
First thing to note about the NGP is that it is still currently in development. There are probably features yet to be announced. What I do know is that it will be a powerhouse. Possibly reaching the kinds of graphics seen on the PS3 which is something the 3DS wont be able to even dream of touching! The console is apparently supposed to be powerful enough to even run a dumbed down port of Metal Gear Solid 4.
Aside from pretty graphics, it will also have a touch screen input (along with the usual Playstation buttons AND sixxaxis controls) and will also have a rear touch pad on the back of the device. I'm not sure exactly how this will be used in gaming but it has my interest definately piqued. Along for the ride will also be full PSN connectivity, including trophies, PSN store, etc.
Also, the NGP will feature a front and rear camera, possibly adding the possibility for augmented reality games similar to Invisimals.
That all kicks supreme ass but there might be a few negatives.
-First obvious negative will probably be the price. No price has been officially announced but it is safe to assume that it won't be cheap. Considering all the powerful hardware being packed in, I would be willing to bet that it will cost somewhere between $300-400.
-Second negative: The NGP doesn't use UMD discs, which means that it wont be backwards compatible with all your PSP games. You could re-buy them off the PSN and download them, but that is money you shouldn't have to spend AGAIN. Actually, this brings me to a possible third negative:
-The games will come out on NVG cards (similar to flash cards). It has been confirmed that some of the space on the game cards will be reserved for save data, patches, etc. This might mean that Save data might be exclusive to the game card and lack the ability to save to an HDD for easy transfer or back up. I also haven't found any evidence online to confirm whether or not there is even a SD card slot or even internal memory. I hope that these fears are denied. I am hoping that there is expandable memory and that saving to the NVG card is simply an option to save memory on the SD cards or internal drive. Fingers crossed!
Nintendo 3DS
Good ol' Nintendo. Every time I start to think that there is no way you can do anything else different, you prove me wrong. First it was the Power Glove with it's motion sensing capabilities. Than there was the Nintendo DS with it's Dual Screens, one of them touchable. Then you raised the bar with the Wii's motion sensing for gaming. Just when you think they are out of ideas, not only do they show you a new idea but it is also new technology: 3D gaming without the need for glasses. That is CRAZY and obviously the main selling point for the 3DS.
3D aside, the 3DS has a slew of somewhat gimmicky but super awesome functionality!
-Augmented Reality with the front and rear cameras
-Backwards compatibility with virtually all DS games (I say "virtually" because like unlike the first model of the DS, there is no GameBoy advanced port. So any DS games that require the use of that port will obviously not work).
-Like with the Nintendo Wii, you will be able to create Mii's for your 3DS.
-There is a cool feature called Street Pass and spot pass. In short, it allows you 3DS to connect to other 3DS consoles and even WiFi hot spots while the system is in sleep mode possibly downloading data automatically to the console. For more info go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_3DS#StreetPass_and_SpotPass_Mode
- The 3DS also suppors video content. Apparently deals have been signed with the likes of Warner Brothers and Disney to deliver 3D movies to the 3DS in the future.
Now, the most exciting feature for the 3DS which is scheduled to be released early next month via an software update, is the Virtual Console Service. "Why is that exciting?" you ask. Good question! I mean, the Wii already has a virtual console service that allows you to play classic games on your TV! Well, that is true. However, the Wii has classic CONSOLE classics for you to download. The virtual console service on the 3DS will feature classic handheld games from Gameboy Color and even some classics will be in 3D. It hasn't been confirmed whether or not GBA games will be released but one can only hope.
Honestly, I can't think of many negatives with the 3DS but there are a few in my opinion:
-First off (and this is a more of a personal issue which may not apply to everyone) but the glasses-less 3D effect may not be compatible with my eyes. Your eyes must be capable of taking a separate image from each eye and blending them together. People like me, who has an eye that dominates over the other might not be able to see the 3D effect. So I might have to turn off the 3D effect which is possible thankfully. Still unfortunate... Also, most people have apparently reported eye strain because of the 3D effect but it doesn't last forever and you get used to it.
-Second Negative is still the price for me (I guess I am a cheapskate). At $250, it is still fairly steep. But its better than whatever the NGP is probably going to be.
-I guess if you are a graphics junky, a third negative would be the graphics. While significantly better than the DS, it wont compare to the NGP in terms of power.
Oh, I forgot one positive about the 3GS: They are releasing a remake of Zelda: Ocarina of Time!!!! That almost makes any argument invalid.
Anyway, regardless of an Ocarina of Time remake, I am still very conflicted. I obviously want BOTH of these but that isn't really possible in the foreseeable future. Even saving up for one of them is going to be tough. The question is, "Which one will it be?"
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