Master Chen wrote:
I take both.
None of them are better or worse, each has it's own flaws.
About emulation:
PSP has integrated PSOne emulator that runs finely almost 98% of every PSOne game ever released, but you must use soft like POPSTATION2 to convert PSOne game images to the needed format.
I've completed full walkthroughs of Parasite Eve, Dino Crisis and Dino Crisis 2, Star Ocean II, Dewprism/Threads of Fate, Vagrant Story, Persona 2 Tsumi (Devil Hackers's Translation, of course), Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII, Tekken 3, Guilty Gear, The King of Fighters '96, '98 and '99, Silent Hill, Slayers Royal, Eretzvaju, Volfoss, Xenogears (Undub), Soul Edge, Oddworld's Abe's Odyssey, Metal Slug, Chrono Trigger (PSOne version, of course), Chrono Cross (kinda hard to make a good working image, and even then it freezes from time to time - but it can be completed), Omega Boost, Bust A Move 2 Dance Tengoku Mix, Soul of The Samurai, Tenchu Birth of The Stealth Assassins, Tenchu Stealth Assassins and Tenchu Shinobi Hayakusen, Resident Evil 2 Dual Shock (LOL, on PSP) Edition, Kensei Sacred Fist, Arc The Lad II, Suikoden and Suikoden II, Alundra 2, Samurai Spirits Warrior's Rage, Rhapsody A Musical Adventure AND Marl Oukoku No Ningyou Hime+1 (Japanese version of Rhapsody) - all those I did while playing on PSP.
Most of the older console emulators (like SNES and Genesis) for PSP work quite fine, but it's a matter of choosing good emulator (since there's tons of them), and most of them are used with old firmwares (POPSLOADER should help) only.
PSP is very good for emulation of PSOne, emulation of older consoles and for playing several PSP games (like Crisis Core, for example). It has better graphics, bigger screen and comfortable controls (for the most part). But it lacks good internet service, has ugly Wi-Fi, it is heavy and it's analog stick is just horrible, also no L2 or R2 (during emulation you'll have to macros them on some of the simultaneous inputs, like for example - if you're playing PSOne game, you can map L2 on Analog stick's "Down" movement+L1 input and etc. - kinda ugly, IMHO).
NDS has kind of a bad sound, graphics, screen and controls, and it's very bad with emulation - but it has great library of games (not like PSP, where you have to choose carefully, almost every 2-nd NDS game is absolutely playable and enjoyable), the materials it's made off are WAY better than PSP (more durable, lighter and nicer to touch - I'm talking about NDS Lite of course, which I had for some time now) and the Wi-Fi internet is just AWESOME.
Also, PSP looses it's battery charge VERY fast, especially when you play something as graphically cool and resource-eating as Crisis Core or Silent Hill Shattered Memories, or watching video.
Where you can play on NDS without re-charging over than 7 hours without stopping, you will play only 3~4 hours on PSP.
ALSO, NDS can be charged by SIMPLY plugging it into ANY USB 1.0/1.1/1.3 or 2.0 (Must find and buy special connector, first. I has two).
By "any" I really mean ANY. You can charge it from a PC (even if it's turned off), you can charge it from a PS 2 (EVEN IF IT'S TURNED OFF!) and EVEN FROM A DREAMCAST (But it takes quite a trouble to do so - first you need to buy a special Dreamcast keyboard model rev.2, which has an integrated special port FOR USB connectors (not the USB itself, but a port to connect the USB connector), which is VERY HARD TO FIND these days, but I have one - second you need to to get an USB 1.0/1.1 connector hub that merges with this keyboard and ONLY THEN you can connect NDS to it, and besides - unlike PS 2, Dreamcast will charge your NDS when it's only turned ON)!, you can charge it at any doc-station that offers charging of mobile phones (through special USB-to-Phone connector...also this way you can charge NDS from a MOBILE PHONE ITSELF!...killing that phone's charge, of course, lol). PSP offers only charging by plugging the DC into the electric socket...thus, PSP sucks hard, spiky balls in this means.
To sum it all up:
If you plan to play only greatest classics and some new PSP games like Crisis Core or Parasite Eve III, with good graphics, awesome sound, comfortable controls and big screen - use PSP.
If you plan to play original, cool and awesome games, for a long time, with an option to charge from almost anywhere, dual screen effects, microphone and touch screen, enjoy new unknown gameplay experience - use NDS.
My opinion: use both and be cool. Let them console-war oozing macaques deal with it. Wear cool shades and a nice suit. And look at them spitting and crying fanboys, with a contempt look, while standing on the top, lol.
This is what I do, and feel absolutely fine. Console Wars? Ecstatic Fanboyism? Meh, I'm waaaay above and beyond all that. Only games matter. Not the platforms they are released on.
So, you basically give them a tie.
Well, I still wish the super games I have for the NDS had been done for the PSP and not in dual screen so I could plug them into a 50-inch HDTV. The WIFI thing I don't use, except one NDS game I played allowed me to temporarily download and purchase some additional and occasionally useful items in the shop as the game progressed, an interesting innovation.
Speaking of portable game consoles with WIFI, it's a good thing I have a wireless broadband signal, but it doesn't carry over the entirely of our acreage. That's something else I need help engineering where I live most of the time, an elevated wireless router antenna that provides a stronger private network signal that will allow connectivity to all three home sites my family occupies, a span of about ten acres of land plus part of the adjoining waterway where we have docks and beaches (and sometimes kids who like to have an internet connection for their gadgets while lounging on the boats).
Oh, and I special-ordered a PSP aftermarket cable for about $2 that has USB on one end and dual leads on the other. One of the duals is a mini USB that fits into the PSP for data transfer. The other dual is a power jack that recharges the PSP battery, but it is much slower than the factory charger, and the juice flow is not strong enough to power the PSP as you play if the battery has run down all the way. It's useful to have when the charger is left in one place, then I carry the PSP to different buildings or floor levels in our home complex. The USB attachment works fine for leaving the unit to charge all day or night during work and sleep.