Microsoft Comments on DS vs. PSP Battle 53
geekboy_x writes "At the Halo launch event a senior Microsoft VP took time out to comment on the coming battle between the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP. In a nutshell, he thinks that Nintendo's domination of the handheld market will make this a rough go for Sony. He also, as is apparently required by Microsoft law, makes a candid yet derogatory comment about Linux." A more personal version of commentary made two days ago, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz.
We all know the DS and PSP are different (Score:5, Interesting)
Their prices are $100 apart and their capabilities are a generation apart, it's like comparing a N64 to a PS2. There is certainly overlap between their feature sets and markets but they're not really being sold into precisely the same area. I think there's room for both of them to do fine. Certainly I'm more excited about the DS right now, because I can almost afford one (I'll probably buy a PS2 first, though) and because more of them will be sold sooner, meaning the little chat program may actually be useful.
Re:Chat program (Score:3, Interesting)
How does Microsoft's comments matter? (Score:5, Interesting)
I think most telling is the statement that nobody has or will make a meaningful connection between console and handheld devices. I know it's a gamble to say it, but I think that's going to go down like one of those "640k is enough for everybody" type of statements that are seriously shortsighted. The integration angle is still relatively experimental.
Right now, you've got the most marginalized console trying to perform handheld integration. The content, not technically, but philosophically, for this sort of thing flows more from the console market into the handheld then the other way around. Pokemon is a big exception to that, but it being only a single property with fairly uncompelling console counterparts to it's handheld juggernaut is a good example of why console->handheld integration is likely to be more popular.
When the biggest console, Sony, starts integrating content to a handheld, it's going to be a different story on how profound the effect of console/handheld integration is. The first must have game with meaningful handheld integration could do incredible things for the PSP sales.