Today, a decade after the release of the original PS, Sony has once again upped the ante for Nintendo. The PSP is a more powerful system than Nintendo's latest portable gaming system, the Dual Screen (DS). The PSP is able to drive PS2-quality graphics in games and play DVD-quality movies, all on a gorgeous 4.3" widescreen LCD. The screen is, simply put, the best ever implemented in a portable gaming system; it's comparable to an above average flat screen computer monitor. The DS, on the other hand, offers two screens when opened up. The top screen is a typical viewing screen, but it's in the bottom screen that Nintendo tried something new-it's touch sensitive, which allows you to physically interact with certain games. This is a potentially revolutionary gameplay element, but Nintendo has yet to prove that it's anything more than a gimmick since the system launched in November 2004. Graphically, the DS is slightly superior to the Nintendo 64, but remember that it's competing with the PSP's PS2-level visuals.
When it comes to pure technical specifications, the PSP easily surpasses the DS. And I haven't even mentioned the multimedia capabilities yet, which the DS lacks completely. In addition to being a killer gaming machine, Sony is also marketing the PSP as the perfect handheld device for watching movies. So not only will you be able to take your games wherever you go with the PSP, you will be able to take your movies as well. Of course, this means you have to buy certain films again, but they will most likely be priced competitively with DVDs.
Both the PSP's games and movies are distributed on tiny CD-like discs enclosed in plastic cases. Sony calls this the Universal Media Disc (UMD). The PSP also utilizes Sony's Memory Stick Duo format for saving data, as well as for transferring files from PC to PSP. Out of the box, the PSP will play MP3s stored onto a Memory Stick. While it's not a replacement for an iPod, as the sticks are expensive and limited to a maximum size of 1GB, it's a notable move by Sony, whose recent line of digital Walkmen failed because they didn't support MP3s. Hackers have also made it easy for PSP users to transfer DIVX video files and DVDs onto their Memory Sticks. Imagine being able to watch an episode of your favorite show anywhere you want, in a device smaller than even the most portable of laptops, and you can see how convenient this feature would be.
Given all these features, the PSP is not only the first device to give Nintendo a run for its money; it's also the first true "iPod killer"-at least, it has the potential to be. While it may have the specs to trump the iPod in almost every regard, Sony seems hesitant to start an all-out war with Apple. The announcement of an "iPod Video" is inevitable, and Sony is one of the few companies that have the means to preempt Apple's movement into the portable video market. When Sony decides to be bolder about its movement into the digital file player arena, as bold as it is about the portable gaming market, the consumer will be the real winner in the end.
Despite being a Nintendo fan at heart, I feel that the PSP has done a better job at being a "modern" portable gaming system. While the DS is a decent system and will eventually be home to some great games, right now your money would be better spent on the PSP.
Next week, for our last issue of the semester, I'd like to discuss some of the on-campus technological upgrades for next year with information directly from our IT department.