April 6, 2007

Gaming on the Go: Size Doesn’t Matter
By: Steven Hopper

As the console wars go into full swing, the power of handhelds cannot be denied.

Sitting in an airport is a trying exercise in monotony if ever there was one. I still have an hour and a half until I get to board the plane, let alone fly home. While being 6’4” is no fun on a plane, since I basically have to jam into the coach seats like a spider crawling into a hole in the wall, it still beats sitting in an airport surrounded by yelling kids, cell phone yammering, and muffled announcements over the loudspeakers. Luckily, I’m prepared for the wait. I reach into my bag and pull out my PSP, and let the battery-draining fun begin. Next trip out, I’ll make sure to have my DS on me, as I still need to beat Final Fantasy III.

Given the constant on-the-go nature of today, it’s no wonder that handhelds may overtake consoles by a healthy margin this generation. And they’ve certainly come a long way since they’ve been pioneered way back when. The first real handheld system to make a splash was the original Game Boy in the late 80’s, a time where cell-phones were impractical, expensive objects the size of a man’s shoe. Now, in the age of “smaller is better”, cell phones are tiny and our social desires for portability are pushing us to keep on the go, be it while gaming, talking, or whatever.

Likewise, handheld systems are more popular now than they’ve ever been. Not only is the Nintendo DS selling systems in record numbers, but Nintendo actually has a viable competitor for the first time in over a decade with the Sony PSP. Both systems are doing surprisingly well, offering completely different gaming experiences, but keeping things on a mobile scale.

Nintendo's svelte and stylish DS Lite looks great and plays different from any system out there.

What’s the reasoning behind the push behind handhelds? Some analysts are actually predicting that the PSP and DS will outsell the Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 combined, which is absolutely huge. It seems like this generation should mark a huge shift for video games, and could mean big things for little systems.

The technology line has been substantially blurred this generation. Both the PSP and Nintendo DS are leaps and bounds beyond the Game Boy Advance (remember, the original GBA didn’t even have a backlight). Handhelds are capable of reproducing a console-rivaling experience in a portable device, giving people even more of an incentive to play on the go. In the case of the Nintendo DS, you can have a wholly unique experience that moves beyond having a stripped down port of a console game or, at best, an enhanced version of a 16-bit title from more than ten years ago. Games like Brain Age and Nintendogs allow for experiences that simply couldn’t be done on pre-existing systems. While these games may be quirky and different, the numbers don’t lie. People are looking for something unique, and are picking up the DS for its accessibility and just plain fun factor.

Not to say that the PSP is sitting on its laurels. After a somewhat slow debut, the system seems to be coming onto its own and focusing on some truly compelling game experiences. Games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops show how the system is capable of creating a truly console-like experience on a handheld that no one really believed was possible. Plus, with an upcoming price drop, as well as a potential system-moving entry to the God of War franchise, it could mean big things for the handheld in the future.

Games like Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops for the PSP prove that a console-rivaling experience can be offered on a handheld.

Certainly one of the biggest announcements so far this year on the handheld front would have to be the revelation that Dragon Quest IX would be launching for the Nintendo DS. While many gamers are no doubt still scratching their heads about this one, this speaks volumes about the system’s success. The most beloved RPG series in Japan (out-selling Final Fantasy even), Dragon Quest has sadly not gotten its just due in the U.S., but by putting their next installment on the hot-selling portable system instead of a flashier (albeit much more expensive) next-gen console, they may just ensure themselves a hit stateside.

This year is going to be huge for the two handhelds. The fact that both of them can co-exist, let alone thrive, in the same marketplace shows just how much people are feeling the love for portable systems. Not only that, but they’ll each see some pretty big numbers, and will carve out a serious place in the gaming pantheon. While it may be up in the air as to whether or not the Wii, PS3, or Xbox 360 will emerge victorious in living rooms across the world, the power of the handhelds cannot be underestimated.

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