Which is the best handheld video game system?

Just seeking the opinions of Wordforgers. Is it the Nintendo DS, or the Sony PSP? Or is either of them really worth it? I'm thinking of buying my 8 y/o son one for his birthday. I already have the PS3 with numerous games. Any advice?

Well... IIRC the DS is best selling game system in history.

Very simple. Get him the one he wants.

He doesn't know enough about them to make an informed decision.

I see that the PSP 3000 launches in 3 days.....

Turbo Grafx 16. Seriously.

Why is this in the Red Room?

8 years old? I'd probably go with a Nintendo DS.

It basically comes down to the games and I think your kid would enjoy the sort of games available on the DS over the PSP...

check out www.metacritic.com for game reviews.

Red > Press Start

And the thead will now die.

Sega Gamegear.

Buy a Gameboy.

Everyone's gotta kick the bucket sometime. At least its last moments will be among friends.

Neither is "better" than the other overall.

The PSP is far more powerful, but the DS is more popular because it offers a unique experience whereas the PSP just attempts to replicate a PS2 in handheld form.

What sort of games does he like to play on consoles?

Buy both, let him play with them for two weeks.

Take the one that he doesn't want back to the store for a refund.

Honestly, I want a DS myself.

There are a ton of great games for the system.

DS would be far better for an 8 year old. The functionality gained by a PSP is wasted in comparison to the game play enjoyed on a DS, with a small child.

The DS Lite is also $40-50 cheaper, another consideration.....

DS for anyone who is under the age of 12 and over the age of 20.

It might be considered "too kiddy" by preteens thru highschoolers though.

Definitely the DS. The games are fun and varied, ideal for an 8 y/o imo.

So, I had this super long post explaining why I would choose the DS over the PSP, but my internet crapped out. D:

So, basically this is the very short summary of my huge post:

DS has more choices and is more fun. The PSP is more for FPS's and showmanship, I don't really like it.

I'd get him the DS. Better games, unique experience and aimed more at his age group.

Unless, of course, he loves to watch movies where the main characters could fit on a postage stamp.

My son who is now 10 has both. The DS has more and more varied games, but he loves the PSP with it's bigger screen and much better graphics.

I have both, and this is a very good question.

The PSP is certainly the more powerful system, and the games are able to display better graphics. PSP games also seem to be able to handle fully realized 3D models, whereas DS games can only do rudimentary polygons.

PSP can also be used as a multimedia device where your kid can put photos, MP3s, and video onto it. In Japan, people are pissing their pants over the upcoming PSP-3000 because it comes with a built-in mic, turning it into a makeshift telephone. (The PSP-3000 is Skype (sp) compatible.) It can also play UMD movies, and although that format is going the way of the Dodo, it is still pretty easy to rip your movies to be playable on the PSP. (It just takes a long time.) You can also surf the net on it, right out of the box, and I find the wireless sensor very adept at picking up network traffic. You can also surf just about any web page on it, including Wordforge.

*This part is edited out because I'm currently serving as a moderator of WF and do not wish to cause trouble. Please use PM for more in depth information.*
- corp~

The DS, is a lighthearted cute system that has some very good games on it. It is small and compact, and can fit into any pants pocket easily. This gives it a pretty telling advantage over the PSP, because unlike the PSP, it's not always jabbing into you thigh.

Multiplayer, IMO, is where the DS really outclasses the PSP. If you have a game on your DS, and another person wants to play you on multiplayer, the other person does not need to have a copy of the game in order to play. They just wirelessly download the game from your kid's DS, and will be able to play against your kid. (Although not with all the features a full version would have.)

I think two other important considerations to help you decide would be:

1) Where does my child play this? Is it mostly at home, will they take it with them on the bus, to school, etc. If they always have a knapsack, a PSP or a DS would fit into that, but if they only have their pants pockets, a DS might be better.

2) What do most of their friends have? Trading games is a big tradition of being a kid, and if all his friends have a PSP but he has a DS, he won't be able to trade or borrow from them. If your child is more of a social butterfly, chances are, a DS would be better, because it has better multiplayer support. If your kid likes to stay at home more, the PSP is the more hard core gaming machine. Plus, internet can be accessed from the home's wireless router.


For myself, as a system, I like the PSP more, but during lineups at the supermarket or electronics store, I find myself using the DS more, because it fits into my pockets much better than a PSP. I think the DS has a bit better battery life, but that's probably due to the fact that it has smaller screens and their power management during sleep mode is more efficient.

My son is 10 and he's been asking for a DS for...ever now. But I'm not getting him and here's why. At that age, he doesn't do well with keeping up with things and I won't buy something that....probably is cheaper than it was last time I checked but still. Your son might be different, I don't know. I'd go with a Gameboy, whatever the newer version is.

Well, the DS kind of is the new Gameboy.

The Gameboy Advance was released back in 2001 and has a ton of great games but they stopped making games for the system around the time the DS came out. They don't use the Gameboy moniker anymore but it basically is the successor to the GBA.

That could still be an option for you to consider though, Flashlight. You could get great games at a cheap price and there is a deep back catalog.

But its not the newest thing.

There is a new DS coming out and a new PSP coming out too so you might want to wait.

If you do get a Gameboy Advance you might want to check out amazon or ebay first. You could probably get a nice for pretty cheap. And probably a stack of games from the right Ebay auction.

That's what I meant, whatever came right before DS but I couldn't remember. You can go to GameStop/EB Games and get used ones that are pretty cheap.

If you want to go used you can get a used DS for pretty cheaply as well, and it can play all of those Gameboy Advance games anyway.