Poll: Torn between buying a DS, PSP, and Tablet

[muaddib87]

Hello all,

So I have some money to kick around ($200 to be precise), and I am torn as to what I should use it on. Originally I was thinking of buying a Tablet (a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7). I thought it would be nice to have a device that has my music, ebooks, and some gaming in one. Upon further research I found that I might be happier with a few devices that accomplish these goals well then one that does them kinda well (that and I already have an Ipod so the music thing is a little moot). As a result I wanted to get the cheapest Kindle (ebooks) and either a DS or a PSP.

So after that rambling introduction I would love to get your expert opinion.

I would like a system that has the best catalog of RPGs,and strategy games (i.e. Advance Wars or FF Tactics style)that have good story lines.

With the PSP I was attracted to the FF games, the Persona series, the Castlevania ganes, FF Tactics, Tactics Ogre, Valkyria Chronicles II, Star Oceans, Jeann D'arc, Sid Meires Pirates, and other similar games. I was a little displeased by the need for the memory card, the seemingly smaller catalog, and reported problems with the controls from the PSone downloads.

For the DS I was drawn to its FF offerings, the FF tatics, Dragon Quest games, Golden Sun, Zelda games, Fire Emblem, the Mana games, and of course the Advance Wars games. I also like it because of the access to the GBA back catalog and because my girl friend also has a DS (it would be nice to use it for multi-player). I am a little less pleased with the more childish games and limited catalog of downloadable games.

I would be very grateful for your opinions, and I am quite sorry for the length and rambling crappyness of this post.

Thank you in advance.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

In my opinion the DS beats the PSP by far so the real decision is between a DS and a tablet. Obviously the tablet is going to be more versatile but for pure gaming the DS is superior, so the decision really comes down to how important the other tasks, like ebooks are to you. Personally I'd go with the DS and buy physical copies of books, you already have an iPod for music. Better to have the master than a jack of all trades.

While reading ebooks is going to be financially superior in the long run, its not really enough of a superiority to be bothered with it, unless you are some kind of reading machine and go through books quicker than they'd last in a fire. Also, for me at least you can't beat the experience of holding an actual book in your hands, not to mention its easier on the eyes than having another screen to stare at.

It seems to me that gaming is what you really want to get out of your device above everything else, so DS all the way.

 

[veloper]

Wouldn't $200 buy you a PSP AND a DS today? Then you can play ALL the games on you list.

Still, my experience with the PSP sofar is that I only want to play Tactics Ogre and FF Tactics from time to time.
Action games don't really work well, just tactical SRPGs. This has to do in part with the controls (a crude nub instead of a precise dual stick) and more to do with the way I play handhelds: away from the PC, in places where I may have to put away the game several times during play.
The position while holding a handheld is different from holding a controller or sitting in front of a PC aswell. To me it doesn't lend itself well to tension and focus.

 

[Keoul]

I'd go for the DS.
It's got some amazing titles on it, the tablets aren't THAT great, they're nice sure but the novelty wears off pretty quickly. The DS on the other hand has a constant stream of games to keep you entertained so yeah.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well gaming wise a tablet is certainly the worst choice, you will essentially be limited to flash gaming, but at the same time it is the most usable device of it all and games are the cheapest.

DS and PSP no doubt have the best selection of games but you are looking at 40-60$ per game, which is stupid high for these things.

 

[Leemaster777]

Let me say this: If you do end up going DS, do yourself a favor and pick THIS RPG up.


Seriously, you will never play another RPG like it.

 

[Zandarck]

DS for SMT: Strange Journey, Devil Survivor 1 and 2 and Radiant Historia.

But then again the PSP has some Tales games, PS1 support and Persona 3 Portable...

I'd probably say DS for the time being.

 

[Evil Smurf]

Pssssst come over here

POKEMON!

Get a DS man, the game library is amazing and if you want you can even hack it to run homebrew stuff.

 

[Mojo]

Gotta say get a DS too. Got a DS and PSP myself and the game lineup is just miles better on the DS, besides those things are cheap as hell on eBay.

Let me say this: If you do end up going DS, do yourself a favor and pick THIS RPG up.

Seriously, you will never play another RPG like it.

Yes, a thousand times yes. God that was an amazing game...
Lest all listen to this now. ok?
Oh, and get the Phoenix Wright games too!

 

[ultrabiome]

you mentioned Castlevania on PSP, but also realize there are multiple excellent Castlevania games on DS (and GBA). the real question is the utility of the tablet versus the DS. are you willing to sacrifice the excellent games for easier internet access?

 

[ultrabiome]

Also the DS store has some awesome retro games to download

i think he means vanilla DS with the mention of a GBA port, not a 3DS or DSi although you are not wrong with the retro goodness.

 

[Toilet]

Okay here is the official consensus of what is best:

PSP w/cfw > DS w/R4 > DS > PSP > Tablet.

Overall I suggest you get a PSP GO, buy a 32GB memory stick and install some custom firmware (it's so easy a 4 year old could do it) so you can enjoy many games from the PSP, GB/A, PS1, NEOGEO, MegaDrive and the vast libraries of homebrew cooked software.

Then again there is no reason you can also buy a DS, a preowned PSP GO will only put you down £70 and the 32GB can cost you no more than £15 if you buy two 16GB Micro SD cards and a Memory Card Pro Duo Micro SD Adapter for less than £1. I fucking love technology.

Also Tablets are jokes, you will spend £200 on a tablet and then many £1s on really mediocre minigames you will play for 10 minutes and then get bored. My mother purchased that exact tablet, it's alright for 10 minutes but tablets are not really a gaming platform.

 

[sanquin]

If you buy them second-hand you can get a DS and a PSP for 200 dollars. A tablet on the other hand is worse for gaming, yet you will have to spend the entire 200 dollars to get a decent one. So best choice: DS. Then get a PSP as well. That's what I'd do at least.

 

[Jailbird408]

Neither. Save up. Once you've got twice that much money you can decide between the 3DS and Vita.

 

[Susan Arendt]

Personally, I would choose a DS over a PSP, though I wouldn't bother with a 3DS. Such a wonderful library of games for the DS. As for a tablet, what I use mine for is so specific that I'm not sure I'm a fair judge of how useful it is to normal people (i.e., those who don't find themselves constantly on airplanes or at events where they need a laptop).

 

[Yopaz]

DS, if you want gaming then a tablet is a bad choice. I have one and I love it, but it's not because of the awesome games. I have a 3DS for that.

 

[Dragoon]

Definitely go for the DS, it's got a huge library of great games whereas the PSPs library has a few good games but is a lot smaller. A tablet is a waste for gaming really.