NextGen Consoles - Are they really that Great ?

[wraggster]

Im sure many of you own multiple consoles or at the least have access to them. How many of you are unhappy that the console you brought isnt as good as you were lead to believe.

Heres a few of my personal nitpicks about each console.

PSP

The PSP is by far the most poweful handheld and should play to its strengths, i want to see games such as Conflict Global Storm and the very best from the PS2 to arrive on the console.

I also wish that battery life was longer, that UMD Drives didnt fail so often and finally that the bloody screen didnt get so greasy and scratched up.

Nintendo DS

Easily the console which has brought more non gamers to the console arena than any other.

Why the likes of Nintendo need to use the stylus to control every game is beyond me, certain games like Starfox was ruined because of the stylus method.

Xbox360

Why cant Microsoft sort out the bloody overheating problem, surely after all this time it would be fixed. Other than that some type of Wiimote clone controller would be great.

PS3

Sony really need to get back to releasing killer games for this console, too many crap games has stopped me using my PS3 and we really need a game that grabs your balls and says buy this system.

Nintendo Wii

The Wii and its unique controller is excellent but some games are much better played in the conventional way, surely a mix of games would please the hardcore and casual gamer.

Thats just my views but if you agree or disagree or have issues i havent mentioned then please post via the comments

[Broadus]

Well, the PSP does have a few gems that are top-notch at every angle, though my personal favorites are Killzone and Fireteam Bravo just for their online multiplayer.
I was pretty bothered by the strong emphasis on the stylus for everything on the Nintendo DS.
I've actually never gotten an overheating problem on my XBOX 360... Probably because the room is freezing.
Can't say anything about the Wii or PS3, never even touched them before.

[Sonny_Jim]

I don't know why everyone says that Starfox was ruined by having touchscreen only controls, I found no problem with it. Also being a 'flight sim' of sorts it benefits with having an analogue rather digital input.

As for games on the Wii using unconventional input methods, if it didn't have this it wouldn't be selling so well. Nintendo realised there was dick all point in chasing a target market (hardcore gamers) that was already saturated with Sony and Microsoft's consoles. Let's keep the Wii games original and let all the cookie cutter crap go to the other consoles.

But yes, the PS3 desperately needs a killer title. I held off buying a PS2 until Gran Turismo came out and I'm probably going to do the same with the PS3. In fact I'm guessing Sony would have sold umpteen more boxes if GT5 was available at launch.

Oh and for MS to fix the overheating problem would mean that MS would have to admit a problem with the 360, which they aren't likely to do.

[Justise]

Wii is a cheat!
They took a console that is actually a generation behind!!! They make some minor improvements to Gameqube, they added a good controller that could be added in any other console with a firmware update, and they name it "next gen console". Of course it's price was obviously lower since it is prevgenenration, and its controller manage to attract the female community what made it look so successfully.

Xbox360 is useless.
It is no different than a good PC that can play only games. Also almost any good game for 360 will come to PC eventually. The good thing is that Microsoft learned their lesson with the previews xbox and draw as many J-game developers and games as they could find! Yet 360 didn't manage to sell in Japan.

PS3 drives the developers away.
Sony made some big mistakes here. Unlike 360, PS3 is not friendly at all to the developers! Unlike Microsoft, Sony didn't please any developers. Also Sony let the developers release multiplatform game that were obviously worse than the 360 version, and thats because even thought they sed that developers need to learn PS3 to take out it's capability's, they delayed it's release to one year later than 360.

PSP is unforgivable!
It is unthinkable to say that this powerful console is out 3 years now and yet it doesn't has a proper game! All PSP gets are remakes (usually worse than the original) and multi platform game. It's big advantage of playing PS1 games is locked for those who don't own a PS3, and even if have a PS3 you have to re-buy your old PS1 game if you want to play it! Even thought PSP gets tons of remake they didn't think the obvious moves, like to finally send the the popular "tales" games to Europe...

DS is light!
I can't think of many problems for this console... It is obviously weaker than PSP, so Nintendo tries to use the console advantages in every single game, even there were they are not needed... Just like Wii it manage to draw the female community.

[andk1005]

aii ps3 is great for us but a nightmare for developers but it does play some full 1080p games which are nothing short of stunning on my 1080p samsung 40" panel

360 overheats my friends does he bought same tv as me and he put its in 1080 p mode and hell get bout 2 mins outta jus clicking round the menu and listenin 2 music and the biggest shitter ive had so far is tht my hd dvds via the addon drive wont play in 1080p but only in 1080I which makes a huuge difference compared to my ps3 tht plays blu rays in glorious 1080p

but like said before ps3 dunt have any really great games yet but give it time it aint even bin out a year yt or only just in other countries you gotta remember 360 didnt get gears till like 1 and half years into its lifespan and for the fist 6 months 360 basically had upscaled xbox games at least theres sum very nice looking and reasonably good games atm for ps3 which for a year aint doing to bad at all

[lightningquickguy14]

I do see what people mean about StarFox (I really only have a DS). I don't really like the stylus in the game either, but it's probably the best way to control it. The other ones are beyond me.

[94dan]

I know I don't post here much, if ever, but I want to nitpick your nitpicks.

Xbox 360: Wiimote clone? Honestly? That'd be horrible. Xbox360 is the console that FPSers like, Wii is the console people who like innovation like, and one copying off the other is just... Wrong. I mean, you're saying that because the Wii is successful, its competition should copy off of it.

DS: I don't think Star Fox was screwed up. Yes, some games sucked due to stylus control, but you picked a bad example. Besides, a lot of games benefit from stylus control. I love Zelda's control.

Wii: Now, if you have a new controller, how are you going to play it the classic way? Force us to buy a classic controller? Besides, the first party games are good. The release schedule keeps up with my budget

PSP: Basically has failed... I'm not going to get into it. I know some fanboys who are in denial... "PSP is better than DS! More people buy PSPs than DSes! PSP has a better variety of games! PSP is more innovative, with its wide screen! PSP movies cost $2! PSP is more popular! My DS broke after dropping it once, but my PSP can be dropped from a 2nd story window without breaking!" And stuff like that. Idiots...

And, I think the PS3 is horrible and over priced, but there's one game I want to play on it, but I'm not spending $492.18 for a single game.

But, man, Ratchet and Clank is my favorite game series... Even though I've never owned a Sony system.

EDIT: Wii is a cheat? Honestly, if you really care about graphics, you want a movie, not a game. Sure, lower processing power, but I don't NEED that. I don't NEED Blu-Ray. All that stuff is expensive and unnecessary. Yeah, yeah, call me a fanboy, but if the games are fun, that's all that matters. I don't need it to play DVDs, I have something called a "DVD Player".

Besides, it IS better than the previous gen, just not as much as the others. That much carries it halfway, and the innovation helps the rest. It's fine the way it is.

Another thing: Hardcore gamers. Yeah, you beat Halo on legendary. Sooo? I can call you a FPSer (or whatever the term may be) but certainly not hardcore. Hardcore is not an M rating. Hardcore is devotion to ALL video games. Not just FPSes.

I still think Metroid (On NES) is harder than Halo...

[Sonny_Jim]

Wii is a cheat!
They took a console that is actually a generation behind!!! They make some minor improvements to Gameqube, they added a good controller that could be added in any other console with a firmware update, and they name it "next gen console"
Personally, I'm siding with Will Wright (http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/oct/26/willwright) on this one:


Somebody asked me what I thought next generation meant and what about the PlayStation 3 was next generation. The only next gen system I've seen is the Wii – the PS3 and the Xbox 360 feel like better versions of the last, but pretty much the same game with incremental improvement. But the Wii feels like a major jump – not that the graphics are more powerful, but that it hits a completely different demographic. In some sense I see the Wii as the most significant thing that's happened, at least on the console side, in quite a while.

I'm one of these people who like to play interesting games. I feel that having too much CPU power is distracting game designers from thinking about good solid gameplay. Instead they seem to be concentrating on how real the graphics look or how big and detailed the maps are.


Its controller manage to attract the female community what made it look so successfully.
Is this such a bad thing? If anything it showed that many people who wanted to play games weren't being catered for.

[mike_jmg]

IMAO

PSP
It is the best thing ever only if you can put homebrew in it, but for general public is kind of a failure, I've only liked like a dozen games so far

DS
Nintendo has been focusing in the casual or not usual gamers by changing the controls to make it more user friendly same as with the wii (I don't own one, so I don't know much) but for ordinary hardcore gamer this is like, why do I need a pen to play

Xbox360
This is like FPS paradise and that's it, don't take me wrong, I really like Gears of war

PS3
Too expensive, too much crappy games, desperately needs a killer title, hope killzone 2 and DMC4 get released soon, then I'll buy one.

Wii
This console's success is based on the fact that nintendo is aiming to an unexplored market namely, girls, parents, 3 year olds, elderly people... oh... wait and nintendo hardcore fans. That's their success, selling a videogame console to people who had never played with one in their entire life, also DS is kind of like this, a friend's mom has been playing with his DS quite a bit lately

Man we are screwed.....

Sony wake up and bring a killer title for PS3, what's with killzone 2 does that awesome graphics take that long, meanwhile I'll stick around with my PSP and the forthcoming GOW (by the way, put a date on crisis core for the US)

[mike_jmg]

I'm one of these people who like to play interesting games. I feel that having too much CPU power is distracting game designers from thinking about good solid gameplay. Instead they seem to be concentrating on how real the graphics look or how big and detailed the maps are.


You got a point there,
and I think you're right, a game could look like real life and be boring, I'm still having a blast everytime I play F-Zero, Tetris attack, mario64 (on my psp of course:p)... my god Zelda OOT(I'm so looking foward to see this working properly), what happened to games like those, back then gameplay was more important that graphics, on nextgen consoles it should be both as now it can be done, not just graphics

[sukhi-2006]

The ps3 isn't very good at all, games are awful on it and very expensive one of the biggest joke ever,360 suits only pc gamers nothing remarking stunning microsoft and sony both aren't game developers so its useless buying their machines i will never buy their systems they don't have any knowledge on games.
The wii and ds lite are both revolutionary consoles in their own right nintendo has been making games for ages since 1984 till now and has proven them selves their are the best wii sales are higher than 360 and ps3 thats cool,ds lite sales are higher than psp slim which is great you lot are forgetting one thing touch screen and 2 screen games can never be made on psp,psp has to be most awful system ever even gp2x has touch screen and a new interface.

[**1_Man_Matrix**]

I think the PSP cops far more flack than it deserves...

When I turned my PS3 on, I expected it to be awesome, and awesome it was...

But the PSP really blew me away, never had I expected the level of graphical detail, speed and fluidness (fluidity?) of a handheld game before, like when I clicked Ridge Racers on, launch day afternoon.

Grand Theft Auto on the train? Done.
The same Tomb Raider Legend 360 owners got? Done.

Give the little device a break, It is hell'a impressive and the games have some real highlights :D

I love the PS3, but the PSP is far more impressive :thumbup:

[EvilDooinz]

PC pawns all. allways has always will. only nubs that cant fugure out how to run a pc need consoles. consoles are for kids to adults that arnt computer literate. consoles are more usre friendly but besides that and a few "system only" games consoles suck imo.

[royvedas]

Some great points presented in this thread, but shouldn't we stop calling it "next gen consoles"? They are current gen consoles.

They all have problems - it always pisses me off that they can't do it right.

Xbox360 - Why do I have to PAY A FEE for online gaming?
PS3 - Why should I buy you at all?
Wii - Yeah it's popular and stuff, but the industry is really trying to cash in with an endless amount of crappy games. Bad games and last gen graphics doesn't make me happy. Of course there are good games, but they are few and far between - and make a better Mario Party NOW!

[Pilot_51]

This thread obviously has its fanboys and biased people and I've got to say I'm one of them. Anyway I'll get to the breakdown of my opinion...

PC
It's not a console but I need to put it in. It's the best system for gaming because of the ability for the user to upgrade it as necessary for the games he/she wants to play, plus the ability to use any console controller with it and emulators (I'm not promoting the use of emulators without ownership of both console and game). As EvilDooinz pretty much said a couple posts up, I think the PC is where the real hardcore gamers are because of the possibility of very complex controls and limitless customization of both hardware and software.

DS
This is my first of two current-gen systems (besides PC). I got my DS on launch day and have enjoyed every game. I haven't experienced anything bad about the use of the touch screen and I don't understand how the touch screen could be any worse than a digital pad for a flight sim (regarding the StarFox thing). The best thing about the touch screen is that control of games is no longer limited by physical buttons and it adds a PC mouse style of control which makes it easy for PC users to get used to. All the innovative and flexible features make it the best handheld IMO. My lack of a good budget and what I've seen of homebrew and the drop in price of the necessary hardware convinced me to jump in with the purchase of an R4, and since then it has been strictly homebrew (I'm loving it!). I need to wipe off the dust of my real DS games because they're still great games.

PSP
I don't have one and I don't think I've even seen anyone with one, only at store kiosks. The library of games doesn't sound very good and almost all the positive reviews I see are focusing on the graphics rather than gameplay. I'm not much of a movie or music guy and I'm not made of money, so it's not something I want even if I would only stick with homebrew.

Xbox 360
I don't have one and I don't have an original. All I really see it being is a traditional console with improved graphics and with a couple PC-style features, plus online multiplayer that you need to pay for (I'd never pay to play games online). Halo looks similar to UT2004 on PC but with a simplified style; I played it on an Xbox a couple times and the aiming was crap compared to PC (can't do flick-turns or anything like that while retaining any form of accuracy).

PS3
Don't have it, don't have a PS2, but I do have a PS1. It's a lot like the PS2 but with improved graphics and processing power. The controls literally haven't changed aside from the 6-Axis Wiimote ripoff thing which as far as I can tell is only being used by maybe 2 games. I could care less about Blu-Ray for reasons I mentioned above. As I understand, online multiplayer is free like PC and PS2, so that's a plus. PlayStation Home sounds a lot like a ripoff of a little-known MMO I play, probably also much like Second Life (which I haven't played); I see a lot of people getting excited about some of its features like in-world voice chat, and I bet those people haven't seen any modern PC virtual world MMO in action.
I think the PS1 was the best of the three because of its massive library of great original games. It's the one system besides PC that I have the most games for.

Wii
This is the other current gen system I have. It was easy to convince my family why it was so great and during the week around Christmas my entire family (including my mom who plays puzzlers) huddled around it to play Excite Truck; I bet you can't do that with any other console. I could care less about paying for old games, but I was gifted some Wii Points and bought 3 games (my favorite being F-Zero, which I used to take turns playing on a neighbors SNES). The controller works great for the few games I've played, although most of the games have been first party. I like the Mii's and the extra functionality of channels, but I don't really use much other than the Everybody Votes channel. The reason the Wii has been attracting more of the female crowd is because it's not all about sports and killing like the other two consoles, not in the least because it's girly.

As a few people have said, gaming isn't about the graphics or processing power, it's about the gameplay and fun factor, which adds up to replay value. Excessive emphasis on graphics and processing power led to the demise of several systems in the past and I can see that happening with the PS3 if third party support continues to drop. The only other major option to improving power is to change the controls, and that's exactly what Nintendo has been doing in a very innovative and successful fashion.

[callsignAPOLLO]

I'm just thinking about the top two handhelds even though I own all the consoles.

The Psp is undeniably the better of the two handhelds in every technical way. The Psp can be easily modded and can hold media etc... It's just a better handheld.:thumbup:

But! I end up playing my Ds about as much as I use my psp!! Why??:eek:

Nintendo Ds has Advance Wars!! This game has (in my opinion) more lasting value than any other handheld game ever made! {some might say that Tetris or something like it has unlimited replay value, but really you can only do the same type of thing over and over for so long before getting bored} If you haven't tried Advance Wars for DS and you like strategy or are the king of person who likes most game genres try it! It alone is reason enough to play a Ds!


I may sound like someone who just likes this one game for Ds. However, I've played nearly every game for Psp and Ds! I'm not picky at all about the kinds of games I play. I'll play anything from Final Fantasy tactics to Grand Theft Auto, to Daxter!

On that note, Pokemon, Mario Kart, among others are also great games for Ds but Advance Wars has so much more lasting value! Pokemon might keep you busy for a week or two. Mario Kart could last you far longer but you'd probably get bored of it after a couple months or earlier. Advance Wars is the only game I've ever played for handhelds that's worth playing for years!!



What I'm getting at is that Psp may be the better system but sometimes game titles can make the difference. And if you're a guy on a budget; buying a Ds and one game, Advance Wars is cheap and is a VERY smart buy. :)

[jaws365]

Justise is the man!!

[10shu]

DS: Own one with plenty games...My girlfriend use it more than me. it s a good little system, but there is to much bad game on it...

PSP: Own one with 1 games...My fav handle system thank s to homebrew...emulator rulezzzz...

Wii: Own one with 3 games...We played the "revolutionary" game system for about a months...since, it s here next to my Tv taking the dust....

Ps3: I may buy one if ever one good game is release for it :) maybe killzone2

360: own one with 15 games. would be my fav game system ever if they could fix the overheating issues

PC: my pc don t know what is a video game...

[Gold Line]

PSP:
GAME OVER. the psp is dead it has a few good games but nothing compared to the DS. in the world of homebrew its gold but as the normal sony psp its not worth the money

DS:
a great system for al girls, boys, old people, casual gamers and hardcore gamers if you want a 10/10 handheld system look no more.

Wii:
its a fantastic system but come on does every game need to use the motion controls? yes most of the time the controls work very, very well (zelda TP, RE4 ect) but with some games you can't help but think "why the hell am i waving my remote when the A button would work fine" (manhunt 2 ect) if you can over look the poor graphics its clearly the best game system out there.

PS3:
its not the ps3 its sony, the ps3 could be a good system but sony keeps ****ing up. why can't there be a ps3 without the blu ray player? why are there no good games? why do you think killzone 2 will be any good when the first one sucked? where are the ps3 only games? why does the ps3 look like a fat school teacher? why does it cost 2 times as much as the 360? at this point in time the ps3 is 1 big fail.

360:
another fantastic system...thats if it doesn't blow up, micro needs to sort out the over heating and the red ring of death.

[mike_jmg]

PSP:
GAME OVER. the psp is dead it has a few good games but nothing compared to the DS. in the world of homebrew its gold but as the normal sony psp its not worth the money

Not gold, more like a diamond




PS3:
its not the ps3 its sony, the ps3 could be a good system but sony keeps ****ing up. why can't there be a ps3 without the blu ray player? why are there no good games? why do you think killzone 2 will be any good when the first one sucked? where are the ps3 only games? why does the ps3 look like a fat school teacher? why does it cost 2 times as much as the 360? at this point in time the ps3 is 1 big fail.


The games are in blu-ray format so no hopes there
Yep there are no good games, hopefully there will be
Killzone was the first FPS I really liked, and number 2 will blast your brain out of your skull

Very few ps3 only, but there are some, not as many as I would like, specially DMC4 that was one of the reasons I was getting one, because graphics and gameplay would've kicked ass but now that 360 is getting it too graphics will be only a little better than that POS:p (sorry I just don't feel the xbox, there is just something that I don't like and don't know what it is)

Price and size, I can't argue with that, specially in my country, cause here because of taxes and greedy stores the lowest price you can get is $850 dollars kind of double price (God bless the imports, and my friends that live in the US, LOL:thumbup:)

[callsignAPOLLO]

DS: Own one with plenty games...My girlfriend use it more than me. it s a good little system, but there is to much bad game on it...

PSP: Own one with 1 games...My fav handle system thank s to homebrew...emulator rulezzzz...

Wii: Own one with 3 games...We played the "revolutionary" game system for about a months...since, it s here next to my Tv taking the dust....

Ps3: I may buy one if ever one good game is release for it :) maybe killzone2

360: own one with 15 games. would be my fav game system ever if they could fix the overheating issues

PC: my pc don t know what is a video game...


Dude I agree with you on the Psp but disagree with you on everything else!

Ds has too many "bad games"?! it has more good titles than any other new handheld!!! Even if you're into more mature games! Its got fantastic puzzle and strategy games! -Genres that mesh quite well with handhelds...

The Psp is only as good as YOU or I make it. You NEED to have a PC and mod the psp or download stuff onto it for it to be any good. Some good games have come out for it but nothing as quick and easy to play and set down as Advance Wars. Perhaps GodOfWar will redeem the Psp... But in terms of an overall handheld the Psp does win out in the end. You can make it REALLY COOL! You can put tons of movies and pictures on it:thumbup: and emulators will make you go:eek:!


The Ps3 is the archetype of a ripoff! It has no good games and just enough horsepower not to be illegal to sell for sooooo much money.


The best system right now?

PC Gamecube and PS2!!!

Gamecube is still the best system for Party Games other than shooters!!! That may change once Smash Bros Brawl comes out but right now it remains the best system for people who play with a bunch of friends! It's also cheap!! Really cheap now! and so are the games.

Likewise, why pay for a Ps3 now when you can get a Ps2 and a library of games for a sixth of the price!!! One Ps3 game = 3 Ps2 games in price. And there are more good games for Ps2! -Metal Gear!!!, ghost recon etc...:rofl:

The ps2 is also REALLY cheap now, I just bought one on amazon for 100$ works great and came with 2 controllers! It's also the new 'slim' version!!

As for the PC, it can't be beat, you can get games from your friends etc... free for it and it has more games available for it than ANYTHING else!! The PC is fantastic, try Blizzard games! and move on from there if you doubt me. They're cheap and don't have high system requirements. I recommend either Starcraft/wARCRAFT3 Or Diablo 2 LOD

Next gen consoles are a money pit right now. Modding your psp is... free!!!:thumbup:

[Sonny_Jim]

So basically it boils down to this:

Like FPS and flashy graphics? Get a PS3 or an Xbox360
Like playing games with friends? Get a Wii
Like emulators on the move? Get a PSP

I've no idea where the DS fits but I don't think slating it because it has lots of below average games makes much sense. Surely it's about how many decent titles a platform has regardless of how many crap ones there are available.

[callsignAPOLLO]

Sonny Jim, the Ds has a bunch of... GREAT! games! I think you need to try them before you can speak for them...:rolleyes:

[ab88]

Sonny Jim, the Ds has a bunch of... GREAT! games! I think you need to try them before you can speak for them...:rolleyes:

I quite agree, I had never played one. Never even thought about buying it but, as soon as my cousin came over and lent me a few of his games and the system I just had to get it.



Oh and for MS to fix the overheating problem would mean that MS would have to admit a problem with the 360, which they aren't likely to do.

Microsoft facing US$1.15bn Xbox 360 repair bill (http://www.crn.com.au/News/55747,microsoft-facing-us115bn-xbox-360-repair-bill.aspx)

Microsoft Admits *ALL* Xbox360's Are Defective (http://www.fastsilicon.com/latest-news/microsoft-admits-all-xbox360s-are-defective.html?Itemid=60)

The articles are quite old, I'm quite baffled that you didn't know.

[Sonny_Jim]

Sonny Jim, the Ds has a bunch of... GREAT! games! I think you need to try them before you can speak for them...:rolleyes:

Erm, my post reads:


I've no idea where the DS fits but I don't think slating it because it has lots of below average games makes much sense.

I think the double negative threw you off. I thought that the second sentence would make it clear that it doesn't matter how many crap games a console has, as long as there are a few good ones. I actually own 3 DS's and have contributed code to DSLinux, so I do like them!



The articles are quite old, I'm quite baffled that you didn't know.

TBH I don't follow 360 news at all and just guessed that MS would screw the users (as always). Although it looks like all they've done is increase the warranty period to 3yrs.

[Hypershell]

Much agreed on Star Fox, not that it doesn't work period, but it is awkward. I mean, Top Gun's "Flight Sim" style actually controls better, and the thing UTTERLY REEKS of low production value, so the fact that it controls better is pretty sad. Not only was the stylus unnecessary, but it's a hindrance. You can't roll your ship as you see fit. That's okay for on-rails games, as the original Star Fox was, and we even bought it for 64's All-Range segments. But in this day and age, if you're going to go for a full All-Range game, then the bar needs to be set higher. Going to Star Fox Command after coming off a good Gamecube flight game like Rogue Leader is just painful.

Wii, I think, has a pretty healthy mix at current. My only complaint is that Nintendo needs to get their act together in the online department. There's already a console-based friend code system, which lets you nickname your contacts as you see fit, so there is no reason we should be inputting codes for individual games, much less to create a list of friends who happened to pick an unfamiliar alias. It's ridiculous. And get a headset out there too, I have no desire to talk to strangers, but I want to hear my pals. Gaming with friends who are muted kinda kills the experience, you may as well not bother and go for a random match.

[wind_mill]

Well i personally own a PSP and a DS. i plan To buy a PS3 very soon.

I have to say that i love both my psp and ds and i see nothing wrong with either of them.

All the games ive played on the psp have been quite enjoyable and so have the games on DS.

I dont understand why people say that "the PSP has failed", when there are a number of good games out there...sure they might be ports...but what other handheld can handle ps2 ports with almost the same graphics and gameplay? I especially love this system when im travelling, because not only does it give me enjoyable games, but it has sufficient multimedia capabilities out of the box to keep me busy on a plane or a road trip.

I occasionally do travel with my DS, but i play it more at home as compared to the psp. As far as stylus control goes in some games, the control scheme feels very comfortable to me and its almost like a pc/mouse control.