The State of Gaming: Pocket PC vs. PSP

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pdaground.com/articles/pocketpc-and-sony-playstationportable.html' target='_blank'>http://www.pdaground.com/articles/p...onportable.html</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20060720-PPCPSP.jpg" /><br /><br />Just this week, Janak and I had a brief chat about the state of gaming on Pocket PCs and dedicated gaming handhelds such as the PSP and DS. Well, it seems like PDAGround.com was eavesdropping, because the site managed to write up an article on the exact topic. The author raised a good deal of the points that Janak and I spoke of, and then some more. Give the <a href="http://www.pdaground.com/articles/pocketpc-and-sony-playstationportable.html">article</a> a read and let us know what you think. Would you like to see Windows CE/Mobile become a dedicated gaming platform, and if so, how do you think it would be best achieved? What lessons have we learned from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PWNED">"pwned"</a> <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&start=1&oi=define&q=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gizmondo">Gizmondo</a>? ;)

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

I can't speak for the DS which is obviously doing extremely well, but since I purchased my PSP, I can't recall the last time I've even thought of playing a game on my PPC (granted I don't play the PSP that often either, but if I think of portable gaming, it's a no-brainer). I agree with all of the author's comparisons between the games on the two platforms (i.e. - there is no comparison). There would need to be some significant incentive for the big boys to pay attention to the WM platform and polish up the games that could compete.

I'm doubtful a WM-dedicated gaming platform will ever come. It's taken over 15 years for a Nintendo-competitor to even remotely compete against Nintendo on this level the way Sony is competing currently... and I don't see any company outside of Microsoft that could afford to take this kind of risk given that track record.

If there's any glimmer of hope, it's that Microsoft is the only major console gaming manufacterer who hasn't yet ventured seriously into the handheld gaming arena... so perhaps in the future, a portable XBOX could be discussed? I think it would take both Sony and Nintendo opening up a significantly larger market than what we see currently... and both companies would have to exhibit tremendous success before I think Microsoft would consider it.

[haesslich]

Eh, the PSP's selection is a little bland right now... and the gameplay's nothing special. Graphics are great and all.. they're not everything. My DS is WAY better at gaming than the PocketPC is though - the software selection's there, and the controls are far, far better than that of the D-pad on the Axim or most any other PDA on the market at the moment, the now-defunct Tapwave Zodiac included. The PSP was designed for multimedia and some gaming, just as the DS is designed for gaming and (a little) multimedia... while the PocketPC's main purpose was to carry around a bunch of information and let you do various things with it.

Being honest? WM isn't designed for gaming very well, and most of the Windows CE-based game platforms I can think of (Dreamcast being the main one) have since gone the way of the dodo, primarily because of software (or lack of it). I can't imagine using an Axim the way I'd use a PSP or DS, just as I can't imagine whipping out a PSP or DS during a meeting; they're designed for different things, and people's perceptions of the devices differ because of this. The hardware on the PSP or DS is optimized for gaming in a way that even a top-end PocketPC can only dream about; they usually have dedicated graphics processors which either make the Intel or ATI-based accelerators look sick (see the PSP), or else have more memory available... or at the least have better controls.

Software selection is the key here, along with efficient use of hardware - that's one reason that Nintendo's various portable gaming platforms have done as well as they have; their primary strength has always been the software and the games available, which pushed their platforms to their limits, or else were fun in a way which made solitaire look like... well.. dated. I don't see any games on the PocketPC platform wowing me the way a Final Fantasy game on the PSP or New Super Mario Brothers or Mario Kart DS on the DS do... and to be honest, I wouldn't even TRY playing something like that on an Axim, or any of the currently available platforms.

[AndreyK]

Hey!

Thanx for the link to my article :) It is really nice. But... the article was written somwhere in the middle of march. So i think it wasn't good to write that i eavesdroped you :P

[Darius Wey]

Hey!

Thanx for the link to my article :) It is really nice. But... the article was written somwhere in the middle of march. So i think it wasn't good to write that i eavesdroped you :P

Oh? That July 17 post date is a bit misleading then. Anyway, the "eavesdropping" comment was just a joke, in case you hadn't noticed. ;)

[juni]

I have a hx4700 and a PSP and I must say when it comes to gaming the PSP beats the hx4700 without competition.

(I've been a pinball fanatic ever since the great pinball games on the Amiga and the Gottlieb collection for the PSP is really excellent) :)

[ChristopherTD]

I originally got an iPaq 5550 some time ago thinking it would work for music, games, books and PDA functions on the move.

Listening to and managing music on it was never a simple task, certainly not enough to wean me from my iPod. Scratch one converged task.

The games available and the controls were adequate but never stellar, and rarely made me want to play a game instead of read a book. I added GBA SP (now DS) to gadget bag now and there are no games on my current PDA. There is simply no comparison in terms of quality and depth of titles between the current crop of handhelds and PDA games. Scratch another converged task.

So I read books and use simple PDA functions on my PPC (iMate JasJar) now.

The idea of a Windows Mobile (or CE) platform doesn't interest me. It is like trying to play games on the PC, you have to make sure there isn't anything else running that will interfere with the game, check your drivers are current, check for patches, check that the DRM isn't going to lock you out of your legally purchased game, then you might just be ready to go.

Even if the rumoured XBOX portable is released I think it will struggle for the same reason that the PSP hasn't ruled the universe - trying to be master of too many functions. No one device can possibly be best of breed in all these areas, the physical requirements prevent that.

Ultimately, of course, it will come down to the quality of the software, and its suitability for mobile gaming.

[Menneisyys]

Let me chime in...

First, thanks for the source credits :)

IMHO, the current Pocket PC games aren't that bad as many remarks in this thread say. Take a look at for example SkyForce Reloaded, Enslave or some of the great platformer games released laterly (Gold Miner Joe, SuperTux). The same stands for (some!) 2700G-optimized games - a DS (which, BTW, has a pretty disappointing, low-res screen with very weak warm colors) will never be able to produce such visual quality as a hi-res 2700G game running on the x50v/x51v.

Of course, 2700G games are pretty rare. Still, non-2700G games completely controllable with the stylus like SkyForce Reloaded and delivering the same (or even better!) gaming experience as on the, say, Amiga 500 some 15 years ago are

And I haven't even spoken of some of newer adventures (the forthcoming VGA Broken Sword) or RPG's (see Creatonia released yesterday; review here at PPCT (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=50058)).

Also, multiplayer gaming on the PPC is pretty strong - some 4 or 5 new multiplayer games have been released in the last 3-4 months; some of them (Great Gold Rush for example) are even arcade titles (not the usual board/card stuff, which are really common on the Pocket PC - see the multiplayer-enabled RealDice titles).

That is, I don't think the Pocket PC platform has absolutely no chance against dedicated gaming platforms. Indeed there are less quality titles for the PPC than for the DS or for the PSP. Still, there are really-really good titles for PPC users too - at, generally, a much lower price point. A PSP game is around $50; SkyForce Reloaded is $10.

[haesslich]

Let me chime in...

First, thanks for the source credits :)

IMHO, the current Pocket PC games aren't that bad as many remarks in this thread say. Take a look at for example SkyForce Reloaded, Enslave or some of the great platformer games released laterly (Gold Miner Joe, SuperTux). The same stands for (some!) 2700G-optimized games - a DS (which, BTW, has a pretty disappointing, low-res screen with very weak warm colors) will never be able to produce such visual quality as a hi-res 2700G game running on the x50v/x51v.

Of course, 2700G games are pretty rare. Still, non-2700G games completely controllable with the stylus like SkyForce Reloaded and delivering the same (or even better!) gaming experience as on the, say, Amiga 500 some 15 years ago are

And I haven't even spoken of some of newer adventures (the forthcoming VGA Broken Sword) or RPG's (see Creatonia released yesterday; review here at PPCT (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=50058)).

Also, multiplayer gaming on the PPC is pretty strong - some 4 or 5 new multiplayer games have been released in the last 3-4 months; some of them (Great Gold Rush for example) are even arcade titles (not the usual board/card stuff, which are really common on the Pocket PC - see the multiplayer-enabled RealDice titles).

That is, I don't think the Pocket PC platform has absolutely no chance against dedicated gaming platforms. Indeed there are less quality titles for the PPC than for the DS or for the PSP. Still, there are really-really good titles for PPC users too - at, generally, a much lower price point. A PSP game is around $50; SkyForce Reloaded is $10.

As I said - the difference here is not necessarily the hardware, so much as the software and the control setup. The world's best graphics don't make up for a lack of good games, and a bad control setup can make a game virtually unplayable - and thus, keep people from adopting the platform, if enough such games show up.

There have been competitors which were superior, technologically, to Nintendo products in the portable area; the GameGear, the New Geo Pocket, the TurboExpress (TurboGrafx 16 portable version), Atari Lynx, and so on. However, their software libraries were inadequate, and some of the units there weren't very good on battery life.. and that contributed to their demise.

Yes, there are some good 2700g-based games out there; but the 2700g is only used in the Axim x50v/51v and the PepperPad at this time. Game designers, at least on PCs (and I'd consider the PocketPC platform similar in this way) usually design for the lowest common denominator, so they don't block themselves out of a market because not everyone can run the software. Yes, the games look great... but at the same time, I'd argue as to whether a stylus-controlled game is superior, control-wise, to many of the games currently available for other platforms. Even with the DS, I tend not to use the stylus if I can help it - it means holding onto the unit with one hand, and I don't do that if I can help it. Some games (RTS games, RPGs) may do alright with a stylus... but from what I recall, some PDAs, and I believe the Axim falls into this category, have problems with handling more than one button-press at a time, which limits control options.

In the end, while the PocketPC platform may not be doomed as far as gaming is concerned, that's not its primary focus, and it really isn't optimal as far as a platform - you've got a wide variety of systems out there with many different specifications, which makes it almost impossible for a game developer to put out a game which will both look great, control well, AND work on the variety of platforms available. While I may be waiting for Broken Sword with bated breath... well, if I was a developer, I'd probably look at the portable market as a niche market, while the PSP and DS markets are better targets as far as turning a buck goes, because I know the hardware's the same (or close enough) for all my customers, and I can push that to its limits pretty well, and be assured of a uniform experience on their parts.. whereas with a PocketPC, the game may run GREAT on an Axim x51v, but run like a dog on even an Axim x51 just a step down in the same family because it's missing the 2700g acceleration.

And, unlike PCs, you can't really upgrade PocketPCs, so you'd really have to restrict the devices listed in the 'supported' category way more than programmers for PC games do with their products, where they can list a general set of specifications. You can see it in even Palm games, where they specify HiRes devices for some games (like Broken Sword).

[Menneisyys]

Argh, the Windows version of Opera 9 crashed on me (it is likely to crash on me when I try to copy to the clipboard when I have tons of pages open - will certainly investigate the problem because it renders the otherwise excellent browser really unreliable in cases) and I've lost a lot of my work when I tried to correct the mistakes inb my previous message... will try to recreate them.

[Menneisyys]

There have been competitors which were superior, technologically, to Nintendo products in the portable area; the GameGear, the New Geo Pocket, the TurboExpress (TurboGrafx 16 portable version), Atari Lynx, and so on. However, their software libraries were inadequate, and some of the units there weren't very good on battery life.. and that contributed to their demise.

Yup, it's almost always the software support that counts (except for some really bad hardware problems: for example, the very bad battery life of the Lynx) - we've also seen examples of this in, say, the Acorn Archimedes vs others or the, going back in time, the Plus/4 vs Commodore 64 cases.

Yes, there are some good 2700g-based games out there; but the 2700g is only used in the Axim x50v/51v and the PepperPad at this time. Game designers, at least on PCs (and I'd consider the PocketPC platform similar in this way) usually design for the lowest common denominator, so they don't block themselves out of a market because not everyone can run the software.

This is currently a big problem with the 2700G (the x50v/x51v); this is why there're so few 2700G-enabled/supported titles.

Yes, the games look great... but at the same time, I'd argue as to whether a stylus-controlled game is superior, control-wise, to many of the games currently available for other platforms.

On most Pocket PC's (except for the old Casios and the A620) the stylus is the only way to being able to adequately control a game because of the bad gaming support of the D-pad and the other hardware buttons.

With vertical scroller games like the SkyForce-series, however, using a stlyus is a must (just like using the mouse to aim instead of the keyboard D-pad in any FPS games on the desktop), not just because of the bad D-pad most Pocket PC's are equipped with. For example, on PDA's where SkyForce, because of performance problems, doesn't support the stylus (for example, the Zire 71), the game becomes almost unplayable.

It's all about game design. Pocket PC games should rely on the stylus to avoid the D-pad related problems; games that don't do this (for example, Resco Sokoban comes into mind - it's an excellent title in most other respects BTW) are just not fun or plain impossible to play on some Pocket PC's (for example, the hx4700's touchpad).

Even with the DS, I tend not to use the stylus if I can help it - it means holding onto the unit with one hand, and I don't do that if I can help it.

The DS has a great D-pad - unlike most Pocket PC's.

but from what I recall, some PDAs, and I believe the Axim falls into this category, have problems with handling more than one button-press at a time, which limits control options.

Yup, some does have problems with multiple button registration (the most important example being the 36xx/37xx iPAQ series). Axims don't have problems like this - it's just their (compared to a gaming console, a Casio E-xxx or an Asus A620) sub-par D-pads that makes it harder to play with them than with dedicated gaming consoles.


In the end, while the PocketPC platform may not be doomed as far as gaming is concerned, that's not its primary focus, and it really isn't optimal as far as a platform - you've got a wide variety of systems out there with many different specifications, which makes it almost impossible for a game developer to put out a game which will both look great, control well, AND work on the variety of platforms available.

The Pocket PC is still in a better position than the Palm OS in this respect. For example, Broken Sword doesn't support HiRes+ (480*320) on the Sony Palm devices because of the entirely different (and not any more available) API's to be used (see this official AstraWare post (http://www.astraware.com/support/showQuestion.php?id=123) on all this if interested).

I too have pretty good experience with Pocket PC compliance. The various game/emulator titles I've tested lately (say, in the last half a year), generally, run on all my Pocket PC's I've tested them on (the two most prominent exceptions being the iPAQ 3600 - because of the less-and-less-supported Pocket PC 2002 - and the hx4700 - because of its WM5 being a bit incompatible with several titles), ranging from the HTC Wizard through the iPAQ 2210, the Pocket Loox 720 ending with the x51v.

That is, I'd say the intra-platform generic game compatibility is very good on the PPC. This, of course, doesn't mean a 2700G-specific game/emulator will run on a non-2700G-enabled device.

While I may be waiting for Broken Sword with bated breath... well, if I was a developer, I'd probably look at the portable market as a niche market, while the PSP and DS markets are better targets as far as turning a buck goes, because I know the hardware's the same (or close enough) for all my customers, and I can push that to its limits pretty well, and be assured of a uniform experience on their parts..

That's right - it's always easier to develop for a platform that doesn't vary. However, again, the Pocket PC (or, for that matter, the Windows-based - unlike in the old MS-DOS-based days) platform doesn't really cause incompatibility problems either - as opposed to, say, Palm or Symbian. (Symbian has more incompatibility problems than Pocket PC.)

You can see it in even Palm games, where they specify HiRes devices for some games (like Broken Sword).

Well, non-HiRes(+), low-end, 160*160 Palms couldn't really be used for gaming - no wonder almost all titles require HiRes (and, if you're fortunate enough, they also support HiRes+ at least on the Palm-manufactured devices.)

Summary: the hardware, the lack of different models, the (guaranteed) presence of 2D/3D accelerators, the lack of piracy, the paying customer base etc. are all in favour of dedicated handheld gaming consoles. Pocket PC's, on the other hand, are also gaming-capable and the gaming scene on the Pocket PC is thriving, at least compared to the case 2-3 years ago. In the last 2 months, for example, at least two-thirds of my reviews have been game reviews. You can find at least 2-3 really excellent titles in every game category, including action games (Enslave, SkyForce (Reloaded), the various multiplayer titles etc.), which isn't at all bad. That is, the Pocket PC is no longer a boring-puzzle-games-only platform.

[Fishie]

Live anywhere will make full use of Windows Mobile platforms.
Imagine playing Bejeweld2 on your XBox360, leaving home and playing it on your Smartphone or PPC phone addition or on your laptop, then trough your windows Live messenger sharing your achievements of the game between your Win Mob device, laptop/desktop and your XBox 360.

Thats Microsofts plan.
Get XBox Live Arcade games and even full X360 games with computer counterparts or light games like Bejeweld and zuma etcetera and share them across platforms.

So yeah there definitly IS a future.


Oh BTW, I remember being blasted several times at this board for even daring to suggest that the PSP wouldnt do all that well and that DS would easily outsell it.
Looks like reality finally set in for people and they now accept the PSP as a moderate failure.

[Fishie]

Annyone interested in the article linked here should read this old thread from ppct: http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=41399&amp;highlight=sony+psp

[jonathanchoo]

I bought an Axim x50v in September in order to play games but two days before it got stolen my girlfriend bought me a DS and I have been negleting PDA gaming ever since.

Then I imported a DS Lite from Japan in April and never looked back. I bought a used PDA phone (HTC Wizard) and use it now almost exclusively for making phone calls and reading ebooks.

While I enjoyed the 2700g optimised Quake game I prefered the gameplay introduced in Metroid Prime Hunters (stylus + face buttons). Such differences in the way of controlling proofs that the hardware buttons on any PDAs doesn't even come close to those found on dedicated portable gaming consoles.

[DaleReeck]

When talking about game consoles vs PDA for gaming, you have to consider the type of games too. If its a shooter or other action type game, you need the superior controls of a game console, like PSP. But if you are like me and like "thinking man's games" (word games, dice games, card games, strategy and etc), then the touch screen of a PDA is superior. Differnt tools for different jobs.

[Jason Dunn]

But if you are like me and like "thinking man's games" (word games, dice games, card games, strategy and etc), then the touch screen of a PDA is superior. Differnt tools for different jobs.

Indeed, the same is true of consoles vs. PCs for gaming. I generally prefer RPGs and RTS games, and for me the PC is a better platform for those games. My Xbox 360 excels are action games.

[bobkatt]

Here is my 2 cents which means very little but here it goes anyways.

Pocket PC VS Sony PSP?

No comparisons. Sony PSP wins hands down for gaming.

Just like comparing the XBox 360 or Sony Playstation to a laptop PC.

Why gaming consoles like the Sony PSP - Win
- The Sony PSP was manufactured from the ground up with gaming graphics and sound in mind and will excel for the most part in the gaming arena.
- Gaming console game designers do not have to deal in development tools or codes relating to non gaming issues like:
* Accessing the contacts - Who needs names and addresses while playing games? ;-)
* Physical buttons that require remapping for the game and not access the contacts or other non gaming features?
* Games crashing due to in coming phone calls on a Pocket PC Phone Edition or Smartphone.
- Hardware and operating system optimized for gaming
- Higher level of development standardization of the development tools
- Easier access to the games from start up - games are games and not software that are titled as games
- Manufacturer of the hardware pays specific attention to the game aspects during design.

Why computers like the Pocket PC will never excel over most gaming consoles like the PSP.
- Lack of tools specifically geared towards game development that ensures non gaming functions or features are disabled or accessible without the interference to the games themselves.
- Physical controls are not maximized toward game play comfort.
- No Pocket PC from competing manufacturers have the exact same hardware configuration.
- QVGA and VGA differences in screen resolution forces added development issues.
- Non gaming issues critical to the operation of the Pocket PC like issues with Activesync make the enjoyment of games less appealing.
- EXE files installed from a PC - CAB files installed directly on the Pocket PC - main memory or storage card?
- Too many non gaming features in the operating system and hardware that reduces the performance of the processor during gameplay.

Initially I did not expect to write such a long post. The more I got into this issue, the more I realized that these two categories are still far apart.

Bob Katayama

[Timothy Rapson]

I have long compared PDAs to portable games systems. I have never owned a portable game system, but I long to.
They don't need computer knowledge to operate, a 6-year-old can use one.
They have great battery life.
They last forever.
They don't need upgrading.
They are dirt cheap.

Seeing Opera running on the new DS lite is amazing and brings me real hope again. Hope that I will have a little computer in my pocket that can, play music, display videos, keep contact info, remind me of appointments, and most of all do word processing tasks.

If DS Lite hardware is powerful enough to run Opera it is powerful enough to do those other things. Now, for a cartridge, or a ROM, or and OS that would allow it to do all that at once? That may take some doing.

I would just love a DS with a doubled to screen (512 x 192) on the top, even if it was the only screen as long as it was a touch screen, a camera built-in, and either Linux or Symbian OS.

Seems like we are getting very close to that, but I doubt if we ever will really arrive there. Sony has been promising their PlayStation will replace a Windows Internet system for 4 years.

Oh, and DS accesories are CHEAP and work right out of the blister pack. There could be so much to love in a DS Lite PDA.

[bobkatt]

The main problem with anything relating to Nintendo from a developers stand point is licensing. You need to license the rights to create and distribute software written for Nintendo hardware.

Pocket PC's on the other hand does not require this licensing thus easier to create and release. Be it great or even junk software.

[Darius Wey]

Live anywhere will make full use of Windows Mobile platforms.

I'm really looking forward to Live Anywhere. From what I've seen and heard, it'll give Windows Mobile the boost it needs as a gaming platform. Integration is the key here: bridging the Xbox 360, PC, and Windows Mobile-based device, and sharing Xbox Live services (downloads, gamertags, achievements, etc.). It also means that Hexic will make its long-awaited appearance on the Pocket PC. ;)

[DaleReeck]

But if you are like me and like "thinking man's games" (word games, dice games, card games, strategy and etc), then the touch screen of a PDA is superior. Differnt tools for different jobs.

Indeed, the same is true of consoles vs. PCs for gaming. I generally prefer RPGs and RTS games, and for me the PC is a better platform for those games. My Xbox 360 excels are action games.

The PC for me too - realistic flight sims, battle/war simulations and text based career sports games are my big thing.

Unfortunately, the state of PC gaming is declining. Back in the day, you'd walk into the software stores like EB and there would be walls and walls of PC games. Now, the walls are taken up with console games and you are lucky if you find one small rack of PC games. A lot of PC games you can only get online now, the stores don't even bother to stock them.

[gt24]

Actually, they are quite different... but they might serve similar roles. Let me explain...

Pocket PC devices are turning into phones. This sorta makes sense... since it keeps track of your life and will be sure to sound alarms when need be by going around or behind applications. The core PDA functions are here but are a priority and will take dominence when needed. This is a multitasking environment as well.

Gaming devices are designed to game. They implement DRM (special cartridges on the DS) to ensure that there won't be any copying. This platform however is a single process platform where a program has full access to the system, knows exactly what it can do, and knows that it won't be interruped by any other program. Opera is comming to the DS and I get a hint that perhaps other PDA like applications will follow as well. The Gaming Device might take a new role...

Pocket PC ----> Phone
Gaming Device -----> Handheld Entertainment Assistant

Need an alarm... tell your phone that... just need to look up your schedule for the day then the gaming device and phone can do that. Same for the internet but leave instant messaging and alike to the phone (unless you want to JUST instant message or if an IM client gets integrated into Opera someday). Gaming you leave to the gaming device.

My rambling point? Most people don't need to use more than one application at a time... it would be nice... but it isn't necessary. Thus, a gaming device can fill all the normal applicaion roles if need be... and to a degree it is moving in that direction. The Pocket PC isn't keeping us company, it is going with the phone to turn into some sort of secretary. Both devices should be considered different... but perhaps we should try to figure out what roles they might serve in the future.

Besides... something interesting... there is current Pocket PC devices out there with built in keyboards... well, they are phones... and you cannot enter information into a gaming device... oh wait, the DS has handwriting support in the soon to come Opera, Brainage... interesting how the gaming device is now getting more input areas while the "phone" is the only one with a built in keyboard. Just an observation.

[Magallanes]

Pocketpc is not converting to a cellphone, is the phones that they are converting to a pocketpc. In fact pocketpc are evolutioning to UMPC.

Anyways, i don't find a sense to compare a portable GAMING console with a portable personal assist, it's equal to compare a HP49G (calculator) with a gameboy or to compare a Ferrari with a Jeep. PDA are ALSO for games but not only for games while PSP is only for games (and some sort of multimedia), pda are more focused in office and internet stuffs


ps :PC gaming market are not decreasing, only mutating in a new way called ONLINE. For instance WOW (for naming one online game) is in the top of the sales, also Counter Strike, Sims and such. The trick is that you buy the "box" once but pay it monthy.

[Craig Horlacher]

I tried pocket pc gaming. I probably bought more 20 games for pocket pc's over the years. The pocket pc is just a terrible platform for action games though. I have never played an action game with a stylus that worked as well as the same game with a good dpad.

My casio e125 had a great dpad and a good button layout for gaming. Turjah II and Metalion were pretty cool on that thing. The graphics were far better than anyting on any gameboy.

Since I got my toshiba e830 I've been dissoppointed with action gaming on it. There are some games that work well on a pocket pc. In my opionion some of the better ones are the puzzle and card games, Argentum (I'd love a new build of this that supports vga), Atlantis Redux, Snails, and golf games (I have ZIOGolf 2 with all 6 courses and love it even though it's a number of years old).

I got a PSP when it came out. It was the first hand held game system that seemed to have strong backing and had a lot of potential for other uses. I haven't been dissopointed at all. I've got about 20 games for it and have been amazed at how much the games have improved over the years. Games on the psp are without question the closest things to a mobile console gaming experience. It plays video perfectly, is a great photo viewer, and has built in wifi.

The DS has terrible graphics but that doesn't matter. It has the graphics it needs to do really good nintendo games. You don't need high resolution textures and huge numbers of polygons to pull off a Mario, Zelda, or metroid game and it will still be loads of fun. So, I wouldn't bash the ds. It does what it needs to and does it well. I don't think it's right to compare it to the psp though. They are very different.

Also, I don't blame pocket pc developers at all. I think they have done an amazing job of putting out a number of great games for the pocket pc with, what to me seems like, no help from Microsoft and just problems from hardware developers (make a good dpad and put it in the correct location please!!! Left handers grew up using the same nintendo controller I did!!!)

So support Pocket PC gaming! I have and will as I find games that seem good for the platform. But if you're looking for mobile gaming, make sure you look at the psp! I'm loving mine! oh yeah...and before you believe what people are saying about it having no games, check into games you want for yourself. There are a ton of great games out for the psp. My latest purchase was EA's NCAA Football 2007. I've got Madden 06 for the psp also and NCAA blows it away! The graphics will have you stunned. I thought Madden looked good. NCAA is so much better! Load times are improved dramatically. If you like football I reccomend this. I guess you may want to wait a month and see what madden 07 is like but if you like college football you won't be dissopointed. Another game I got recently is Race Driver 2006. Yeah, there are tons of racing games for the psp and I own a handful. This game is different because it's the first, that I know of at least, that is a simulator. It takes some getting used to but is a very well done game. The scenery isn't as impressive at RidgeRacer or Burnout Legends but it's not bad and the game is very cool. You race real cars. Damage affects how well the car drives. You can use your own music as a sound track for the game. It supports up to 4 player gamesharing multiplayer so you can play against 3 other people with only one umd!

So anyway, I love my psp.

[artax]

There is a market for PPC games, but its not as near as big as the PSP market I'm afraid.

The development time for a PSP games is about 1 year, thats greater than that of an average PPC game. The royalties to Sony for a PSP are lower than that of a PS2 game, so it leaves more funds for development also.

I did my share of game development on the PPC 3 years ago and there are some good middleware out there that take the development time/costs down (like GapiDraw).

When people are willing to throw $50 on the table for a PPC game instead of $20. Then maybe the PPC has a chance of becoming a serious gaming platform. When that happens, I'm sure there will be budget PPC's on the market specially made for gaming.

The games market has grown on the PPC, Sony and other big names have developed for it. But I think it still has a long way to go (unfortunately).

Arturo

[Fishie]

I can't speak for the DS which is obviously doing extremely well, but since I purchased my PSP, I can't recall the last time I've even thought of playing a game on my PPC (granted I don't play the PSP that often either, but if I think of portable gaming, it's a no-brainer). I agree with all of the author's comparisons between the games on the two platforms (i.e. - there is no comparison). There would need to be some significant incentive for the big boys to pay attention to the WM platform and polish up the games that could compete.

I'm doubtful a WM-dedicated gaming platform will ever come. It's taken over 15 years for a Nintendo-competitor to even remotely compete against Nintendo on this level the way Sony is competing currently... and I don't see any company outside of Microsoft that could afford to take this kind of risk given that track record.

If there's any glimmer of hope, it's that Microsoft is the only major console gaming manufacterer who hasn't yet ventured seriously into the handheld gaming arena... so perhaps in the future, a portable XBOX could be discussed? I think it would take both Sony and Nintendo opening up a significantly larger market than what we see currently... and both companies would have to exhibit tremendous success before I think Microsoft would consider it.

Not entirely true.
The Sega GameGear sold more then the Gameboy for about two years.
Something the PSP never managed to do against the DS.
And a WM dedicated handheld gaming console did exist, although I can understand the willingnes of everyone to forget the Gizmondo ever was incepted.