New Handhelds... Please?

I just realized that the DS was released in 2004 and the PSP was released in 2005. Can we get a serous upgrade to these systems please? Sony, Nintendo?

I'm pretty sick of getting mild upgrades to these systems. I love my PSP (sold my DS lite), but, at this point it's considerably last generation. Hell, I'm seriously considering getting an iPod Touch as a new handheld game machine.

Why the hell is a glorified music player/wanna-be phone creeping up on my wish list for mobile gaming?!

I expect news at next years E3... please don't let me down.

Sorry for my rant. I just want some next-gen mobile gaming dammit! :lol:

What about the PSP Goo?? :what: :D Kidding aside, I would not get the touch for mobile gaming. The "tilt" control is a gimmick. The touch does make a fine portable media, PDA, etc tho.

Screen resolution and power supply limitations still makes PSP the most powerful system possible. I'm definitely go for a Go after a price drop (if I can wait that long).

The DS fills the other roll nicely.

Maybe Nokia will make a new taco phone with a Tony Hawk port.:lol:

Screen resolution and power supply limitations still makes PSP the most powerful system possible. I'm definitely go for a Go after a price drop (if I can wait that long).

The DS fills the other roll nicely.

Maybe Nokia will make a new taco phone with a Tony Hawk port.:lol:

I don't really want a Go. And even if I did, it's still just a PSP. I want a true successor which the PSP Go is not.

I don't really want a Go. And even if I did, it's still just a PSP. I was a true successor which the PSP Go is not.

I understand. But it's a rebuild with a broader horizon for more scalable (ie: $5-$40) games and even apps (twitter, youtube, iWhatever, etc.).

But like I was saying, it's all Sony or Nintendo can do because of hardware size, power and heat constraints.


Sure I'd like a handheld with a GPU like a 5780 shrunk and shoved in there, but I can't carry a 700w power supply and the power of the GPU wouldn't really do much since the screen resolution is inherently low in portable sizes.


What feasible ideas do you have for next gen handheld that aren't available in the PSPGo?

Also, I see developers moving back to the PSP once the Go get's into better circulation. Piracy killed the PSP. The physical nature of the Go really negates the ease of piracy the original PSP enjoyed.

Doesnt the new Palm Pre and iPhone 3Gs have 3-4x the processing power and memory?

They survive off a semi standard battery these days, then again cell phones are very expensive if bought without a contract.. I wonder how much they actually cost to manufacture....

What feasible ideas do you have for next gen handheld that aren't available in the PSPGo?



Well, just off the top of my head, a second joystiq. But aside from that, like Mase, I was under the impression than the new iPhone 3GS had a stronger processor and more ram.

Also the DS could definitely use a graphics upgrade.

Nintendo DS
One 67.028 MHz ARM946E-S and one 33.514 MHz ARM7TDMI
4 MB tRAM

PSP 1000
MIPS R4000-based; clocked from 1 to 333 MHz
32 MB

PSP Go
MIPS 333 MHz
64 MB RAM

iPhone 3G s
833 MHz underclocked to 600 MHz
64 MB RAM

Palm Pre
600 MHz Texas Instruments OMAP 3430 (ARM Cortex A8 + PowerVR SGX)
256 MB DRAM

From Wikipedia

Just looking at the numbers, I think Sony and Nintendo could do a whole lot more if they just made a legit successor. Twice as much computing power and in the Pre's case a whole lot more Ram... All in a small device where resolution is not a big deal as the screen would be small so it does not need to be HD per se..

That's the original PSP CPU speed.

A higher clock was already patched in once and the stock CPU has an even higher clock than that.

Also, the PSP has a dual core 133mhz GPU, and a 333mhz 'media engine' that's the same part as the CPU.

I don't think any of the cell phones you mentioned have anything further than a processor.

I don't really want a Go. And even if I did, it's still just a PSP. I want a true successor which the PSP Go is not.

The PSP Go is the PSP with all it's errors and flaws removed... then some other ones introduced :lol:. (Battery Life is poor and lack of UMD drive is a downer to some) the PSP 4000 is rumoured to be being unveiled next year, could be a Go with a UMD drive?

Tbh, having playing God of War, Rock Band Unplugged and Secret Agent Clank, the PSP doesn't need any more horsepower, it just needs more developers taking it seriously. Those games hold up against HD console equivalents IMO and the visuals on them are stunning. I don't think the iPhone/iPod touch are actually any more powerful than the PSP in grunt power.

iPhone 3G s
833 MHz underclocked to 600 MHz
64 MB RAM



Um.... iPhone 3GS has 256MB of RAM. Just saying...

Even the 3G had 128.

Um.... iPhone 3GS has 256MB of RAM. Just saying...

Even the 3G had 128.

I took some quick notes from Wiki, ummmm just saying :lol:

I took some quick notes from Wiki, ummmm just saying :lol:

Which Wiki? Even the original had 128...

Memory Original & 3G: 128 MB DRAM[12]
3GS: 256 MB DRAM[10]

Wiki's 3GS link... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iphone_3gs)

Which Wiki? Even the original had 128...



Wiki's 3GS link... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iphone_3gs)

You are right, I was wrong, I must have had too many pages open and did not realize I was copying the PSP's memory twice..

Just looking at the numbers, I think Sony and Nintendo could do a whole lot more if they just made a legit successor. Twice as much computing power and in the Pre's case a whole lot more Ram... All in a small device where resolution is not a big deal as the screen would be small so it does not need to be HD per se..

Have you seen the price disparity though? The iPhone suffers IMO from lack of physical inputs. Tilting the screen isn't great for racing games, etc.

The PSP Go is a design miracle. If it had a touch screen, it would be the ultimate portable device and could very easily be converted into a "PlayStation Phone".

Nintendo DS
One 67.028 MHz ARM946E-S and one 33.514 MHz ARM7TDMI
4 MB tRAM

PSP 1000
MIPS R4000-based; clocked from 1 to 333 MHz
32 MB

PSP Go
MIPS 333 MHz
64 MB RAM

iPhone 3G s
833 MHz underclocked to 600 MHz
64 MB RAM

Palm Pre
600 MHz Texas Instruments OMAP 3430 (ARM Cortex A8 + PowerVR SGX)
256 MB DRAM

From Wikipedia

Just looking at the numbers, I think Sony and Nintendo could do a whole lot more if they just made a legit successor. Twice as much computing power and in the Pre's case a whole lot more Ram... All in a small device where resolution is not a big deal as the screen would be small so it does not need to be HD per se..

Numbers are just numbers, one has to look at how the numbers are used.

Look at the dinky little DS, those numbers are horrid, yet the system can produce decent graphics.

Also the Pre/3GS run a fledged out OS that the handhelds don't. Those consume clock ticks, RAM space, and any cross fetching needs to get factored in. Back ground apps such as the actual phone itself or a buffer for any "alt-tabbing" required. PSP/DS don't offer you that. Once you're in the "game mode" you're sort of stuck there (aside a few XMB options on the PSP.)

And then factor in efficiency. Clock speeds don't always equal more output. Compare a GPU versus a CPU, and if the 3GS/Pre use general CPU designs (heavy floating logic) their efficiency as a graphical horse are crippled.

Just saying. I haven't seen any of the iPhone games look better than any of the PSP games, yet. Some of the ports not even on par but could be cuz they are ports.

Numbers are just numbers, one has to look at how the numbers are used.

Look at the dinky little DS, those numbers are horrid, yet the system can produce decent graphics.

Also the Pre/3GS run a fledged out OS that the handhelds don't. Those consume clock ticks, RAM space, and any cross fetching needs to get factored in. Back ground apps such as the actual phone itself or a buffer for any "alt-tabbing" required. PSP/DS don't offer you that. Once you're in the "game mode" you're sort of stuck there (aside a few XMB options on the PSP.)

And then factor in efficiency. Clock speeds don't always equal more output. Compare a GPU versus a CPU, and if the 3GS/Pre use general CPU designs (heavy floating logic) their efficiency as a graphical horse are crippled.

Just saying. I haven't seen any of the iPhone games look better than any of the PSP games, yet. Some of the ports not even on par but could be cuz they are ports.

Numbers mean jack these days anyway. Play something like Resistance on PSP, then put the new Star Wars game on, looks like 2 completely different hardware sets. Same for God of War versus some other PSP titles. It's not what you've got, it's what you do with it.

Have you seen the price disparity though? The iPhone suffers IMO from lack of physical inputs. Tilting the screen isn't great for racing games, etc.

The PSP Go is a design miracle. If it had a touch screen, it would be the ultimate portable device and could very easily be converted into a "PlayStation Phone".

There is only a disparty in price because phone companies want you to sign your life away. If it were not for that and these were made for games only, prices I would think could be comporable..

Numbers are just numbers, one has to look at how the numbers are used.

Look at the dinky little DS, those numbers are horrid, yet the system can produce decent graphics.

Also the Pre/3GS run a fledged out OS that the handhelds don't. Those consume clock ticks, RAM space, and any cross fetching needs to get factored in. Back ground apps such as the actual phone itself or a buffer for any "alt-tabbing" required. PSP/DS don't offer you that. Once you're in the "game mode" you're sort of stuck there (aside a few XMB options on the PSP.)

And then factor in efficiency. Clock speeds don't always equal more output. Compare a GPU versus a CPU, and if the 3GS/Pre use general CPU designs (heavy floating logic) their efficiency as a graphical horse are crippled.

Just saying. I haven't seen any of the iPhone games look better than any of the PSP games, yet. Some of the ports not even on par but could be cuz they are ports.

I know I am missing a lot just going by the numbers, but to judge a port or game that has no money or dev time behind it to a game that was made specifically for those handhelds is not apples to apples..

I bet if someone took the time to make a game for the iPhone from the ground up, it would look better and if it had controls it could control better as well than any handheld today.. No one will do so though, I mean why would you spend the money to make a game for a device that is not recognized as a gaming device.. Although I have seen some great looking and great controlling PSP games, but those were dedicated PSP titles only, given proper dev time and most likely a solid budget.. Imagine what could be, if these devices would just upgrade already and be backwards compatible like the DS was to the Gameboy..

I dont think its too much to ask for, because for now I am not spending $250 for a device that is not even taken seriously. I would rather spend the extra $50 and pick up a spare PS3!!!!

There is only a disparty in price because phone companies want you to sign your life away. If it were not for that and these were made for games only, prices I would think could be comporable..


iPhones cost £400+ because thats how much they cost to make. Phones aren't cheap (especially with ninja processors in ;)). You are paying for a lot of extra components that have nothing to do with the gaming side. (wouldn't be so bad if the all singing all dancing iPhone wasn't such a poor actual phone)

As railven said, the iPhone and other complex phone gaming combo platforms are also running all the gumph for the phone which removes a lot of the processing power from the gaming side. The PSP and DS are pure gaming platforms. There is nothing else draining their resources meaning code can be 100% optimized to the hardware spec.

It's not what you've got, it's what you do with it.

You keep telling her that Mike :haha:
Railven is correct, though I'm sure if somebody *really* tried the iPhone could handle a pretty decent game... anybody got Nokia's phone number :banana:

I know I am missing a lot just going by the numbers, but to judge a port or game that has no money or dev time behind it to a game that was made specifically for those handhelds is not apples to apples..

I bet if someone took the time to make a game for the iPhone from the ground up, it would look better and if it had controls it could control better as well than any handheld today.. No one will do so though, I mean why would you spend the money to make a game for a device that is not recognized as a gaming device.. Although I have seen some great looking and great controlling PSP games, but those were dedicated PSP titles only, given proper dev time and most likely a solid budget.. Imagine what could be, if these devices would just upgrade already and be backwards compatible like the DS was to the Gameboy..

I dont think its too much to ask for, because for now I am not spending $250 for a device that is not even taken seriously. I would rather spend the extra $50 and pick up a spare PS3!!!!

I agree, about native versus port. But after playing a lot of the native iPhone apps, none of them come close to the lush graphics on the PSP. There is no game on the iPhone that looks as good as even Loco Roco in my opinion.

It isn't a slap of the iPhone platform. They most likely have more limited resources to work with. My old PDA had more horses than the PSP but it could barely run an SNES emulator (optimzied for it, god I love the hack crew haha) and it still ran sub par. Yet SNES emulators on the PSP run godly (non-optimized.)

Different CPUs do different things. A general CPU is horrid at gaming (look at Intel trying to do software rendering, it didn't last long haha, back in the 80's early 90's.)

I'm sure if someone sat and put the effort into it they'd make the best looking iPhone game imaginable, but my opinion is it won't compare to a full fledge (not port, or multiplat) PSP game.

You guys are missing my point, I am using the iPhone and Pre as a reference point. I am saying if Sony or Nintendo would take that basic blueprint and make a comporable device with the same specs. That it would take handhelds into the next gen and could justify a $250 handheld.. I am not saying the iPhone itself can be the best handheld gaming device as is, we all know a jack of all trades device wont ever be the best in all areas, but can be average to above average..

You guys are missing my point, I am using the iPhone and Pre as a reference point. I am saying if Sony or Nintendo would take that basic blueprint and make a comporable device with the same specs. That it would take handhelds into the next gen and could justify a $250 handheld.. I am not saying the iPhone itself can be the best handheld gaming device as is, we all know a jack of all trades device wont ever be the best in all areas, but can be average to above average..

And you are missing our point. You can't use the iPhone and Pre as a hardware comparative against the DSi and PSP on the examples we gave.

It's like arguing the Intel i7 970 would make a better graphics card than the ATI Radeon 4850 because it has 4 cores clocked higher and supports higher memory channels. Trust me, you can stick 16GB of DDR3 in Tri-Channel on any i7 system and it won't beat any of last gen's GPUs. But then again, ATI didn't stick a general processes CPU on its chips and therefore they can't handle on the fly physics. Two different beasts in different cages. It's an Apples to Orange comparative, as some say here.

And you are missing our point. You can't use the iPhone and Pre as a hardware comparative against the DSi and PSP on the examples we gave.

It's like arguing the Intel i7 970 would make a better graphics card than the ATI Radeon 4850 because it has 4 cores clocked higher and supports higher memory channels. Trust me, you can stick 16GB of DDR3 in Tri-Channel on any i7 system and it won't beat any of last gen's GPUs. But then again, ATI didn't stick a general processes CPU on its chips and therefore they can't handle on the fly physics. Two different beasts in different cages. It's an Apples to Orange comparative, as some say here.

I am not saying they should take the hardware as is, I am saying they could add to what their architecture already is to give them that boost in performance to add things like we get from the 360 or PS3 (smaller scale obviously). Its the subtleties and details that are finally giving the games that realism or that added immersion, whether it be lighting, physics, ect ect...

You guys are missing my point, I am using the iPhone and Pre as a reference point. I am saying if Sony or Nintendo would take that basic blueprint and make a comporable device with the same specs. That it would take handhelds into the next gen and could justify a $250 handheld.. I am not saying the iPhone itself can be the best handheld gaming device as is, we all know a jack of all trades device wont ever be the best in all areas, but can be average to above average..

Btw, have you tried the recent PSP releases? Thanks to the smaller screen, technically the games are actually packing punches that are as big if not bigger than most 360/PS3 games.

Btw, have you tried the recent PSP releases? Thanks to the smaller screen, technically the games are actually packing punches that are as big if not bigger than most 360/PS3 games.

I certainly have, thats why it upsets me that we have to wait sooo long for a game to be that good.. It also discourages me from buying any other version of my fat PSP as I cant justify the price for a handful of games (small handful).... That is why I also mentioned they can and do look HD without actually technically being HD, pixel density can do that..

Little Big Planet should be all you ever need :D

I am not saying they should take the hardware as is, I am saying they could add to what their architecture already is to give them that boost in performance to add things like we get from the 360 or PS3 (smaller scale obviously). Its the subtleties and details that are finally giving the games that realism or that added immersion, whether it be lighting, physics, ect ect...

I'm scratching my head, because...

Frankly put the consoles are still far, far, FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR, behind the PC hardware and yet I'm not reading threads about "dude we need next gen, like, NOW! And this is why *copy and paste ATI Radeon 5870 hardware*" and this isn't a slam on you or that approach you are bringing.

But, hardware is constantly being out dated. ATI introduced a micro GPU that made the PSP hardware obsolete. Two months after the 360 launched the new GPU on the block made those "drooling games" ugly. Same for the PS3.

It's just, the hardware currently isn't even dated. 340x240 is what, a quarter or half of 1280x720. The hardware in the PSP and DS are producing great games, and some even said it "the more recent games are bad ass.!" Why are you trying to justify buying something else? Enjoy what you got man! haha. Don't buy every new revision (note the 360/PS3 have had as many revisions as the PSP.)

Little Big Planet should be all you ever need :D

I love LBP, media molecule hit not just a homerun, but a grandslam with that title.. This is also the first ive heard of the PSP version, this is a must have title for sure!!!

I'm scratching my head, because...

Frankly put the consoles are still far, far, FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR, behind the PC hardware and yet I'm not reading threads about "dude we need next gen, like, NOW! And this is why *copy and paste ATI Radeon 5870 hardware*" and this isn't a slam on you or that approach you are bringing.

But, hardware is constantly being out dated. ATI introduced a micro GPU that made the PSP hardware obsolete. Two months after the 360 launched the new GPU on the block made those "drooling games" ugly. Same for the PS3.

It's just, the hardware currently isn't even dated. 340x240 is what, a quarter or half of 1280x720. The hardware in the PSP and DS are producing great games, and some even said it "the more recent games are bad ass.!" Why are you trying to justify buying something else? Enjoy what you got man! haha. Don't buy every new revision (note the 360/PS3 have had as many revisions as the PSP.)

Rail, when your right, your right (once again :o). I should be asking more from the devs than just bumping up specs that will be dated by this time tomorrow :D

It just sucks having a PSP and DS and only getting those great titles once or twice a year.. Its a waste, is how I want to feel, but once you get that taste its what you want and expect everytime!!!

I love LBP, media molecule hit not just a homerun, but a grandslam with that title.. This is also the first ive heard of the PSP version, this is a must have title for sure!!!

Must have been asleep at E3... or too busy following the big consoles (more likely) I dunno what Sony are playing at with regards to marketing the PSP, the thing is having it's best run of games since it's inception (Gran Turismo, Motorstorm, Jak and Daxter, Little Big Planet and the definitive version of Chinatown Wars aka the best GTA game since the original on the PC/PS1 and a fair few others) and yet nobody seems to even realise the thing still exists other than to (cruelly) ridicule the PSP Go which is IMO the finest thing to happen to portable gaming since the release of the DS.

Little(r) Big Planet review (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/littlebigplanet-psp-review)

Thanks for the info Mike.

Must have been asleep at E3... or too busy following the big consoles (more likely) I dunno what Sony are playing at with regards to marketing the PSP, the thing is having it's best run of games since it's inception (Gran Turismo, Motorstorm, Jak and Daxter, Little Big Planet and the definitive version of Chinatown Wars aka the best GTA game since the original on the PC/PS1 and a fair few others) and yet nobody seems to even realise the thing still exists other than to (cruelly) ridicule the PSP Go which is IMO the finest thing to happen to portable gaming since the release of the DS.

Little(r) Big Planet review (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/littlebigplanet-psp-review)

I'm aware of all those games Mike! Course, I'm not buying them all! haha.

I hope they transfer those updated controls to the PS3 version. I'd have to say that awful implementation of foreground/background really broke the game for me.

Make it a simple platform and I'll come back.

And I don't care what anyone says about GT:Mobile, that game is AWESOME! The best portable racer EVER. Yeah, I said it. It's like they took all the hassle from its big brothers (the grind) and just gave you the racing. It feels way more arcader than sim.

I hope they transfer those updated controls to the PS3 version. I'd have to say that awful implementation of foreground/background really broke the game for me.


Sadly I doubt that'll happen. The PSP version is developed by SCE Cambridge rather than Media Molecule and also features fewer "layers" to make it a more pure 2D platform experience.

The post about all the games wasn't really aimed at you, it was just for Mase incase he'd missed this years PSP push that Sony forgot to market. I was actually not very fussed by the PSP at all barring Outrun 2006, God of War and CastleVania: Dracula X Chronicles until this year and so didn't actually own a console (I just nicked my dads) until the Go came out.

This year it has really delivered, yet it seems to have been completely unnoticed.