PSP Loading Time question...

[aphex]

Im going between getting the PSP or a DS lite, checking out some video reviews online..

Is this the case for most PSP games?

 

[Dacalo]

I own Lumines, GTA Liberty City, and Metal Gear Acid and my loading times are nowhere near that. GTA's loading times are pretty impressive considering city + radio stations.

I haven't played that wrestling game so I can't speak for it's loading times. That looks like BS or REALLY poor coding.

 

[Rage187]

eh some, I know the poker game I have has a rediculous load time. GTA and Lumines are fine though, well GTA isn't fast but better then quite a few.

 

[effowe]

If you buy a PSP with firmware at 1.5 or 2.0 you can backup your games to your memory stick to dramatically improve loading times. It also allows you to play all sorts of homebrew.

 

[Gunslinger08]

That's about 6 times longer than most games. That said, cartridge based games will always load faster.

 

[AlgaeEater]

I own a PSP.

Yes, loading times can be pretty damn long depending on the game. It's not universal for all games, but only for some games. But when it does affect a game, boy does it annoy the hell out of you.

Like I said in the other thread of DSL Vs PSP, get a DSL if you play by yourself more, and get a PSP if you have friends to play Ad-Hoc with most of the time. The games for both consoles tailor different crowds, with the PSP mainly being multiplayer focused.

 

[aphex]

hmmm, well i cant decide between the two...

I like the lower price of the DS, and some of the games look fun (mario kart, brain age), but the PSP's larger screen is very nice and the graphics seem to look MUCH better than the DS....

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: AlgaeEater
I own a PSP.

Yes, loading times can be pretty damn long depending on the game. It's not universal for all games, but only for some games. But when it does affect a game, boy does it annoy the hell out of you.

Like I said in the other thread of DSL Vs PSP, get a DSL if you play by yourself more, and get a PSP if you have friends to play Ad-Hoc with most of the time. The games for both consoles tailor different crowds, with the PSP mainly being multiplayer focused.

None of my friends own either, so i would be mainly limited to playing strangers on the net.

 

[AlgaeEater]

Originally posted by: aphex

None of my friends own either, so i would be mainly limited to playing strangers on the net.

Then get the DS Lite hands down.

 

[state 08]

If I were you, I would buy the DS lite.

You can still do Homebrew (albiet a little more complex, but nothing crazy, and a little more expensive, but still probably cheaper then PSP), thus being able to play classics, and watch videos.

Yes PSP's screen and GFX trump the DS, but I believe FUN FACTOR (and this is what counts) is in the DS's favor, not to mention the uniqueness of the DS games.

Also, online play is on DS too. It's still growing in my opinion, but I believe it will be big. Final Fantasy III is going to be online enabled (probably just a small feature, but still cool none-the-less), and I hear Mario Kart DS is loads of fun online.

Hope you are happy with whatever you pick!

 

[Dacalo]

Originally posted by: aphex
hmmm, well i cant decide between the two...

I like the lower price of the DS, and some of the games look fun (mario kart, brain age), but the PSP's larger screen is very nice and the graphics seem to look MUCH better than the DS....

I own both and here is my take.

PSP's graphics blow DS away, no contest. But DS wins in fun factor by wide margin. The games are more original and handheld specific, instead of all the ports you will find with PSP. That said, PSP is still a sexy handheld with good games coming out (Tekken, FF VII Crisis Core). I hate the fact that Nintendo refuses to support WPA like Sony.

As far as homebrew, PSP owns DS lite, no contest.

If you had to get one, I would say go with DS Lite.

 

[pcnerd37]

No, this is not the case, Smackdown vs Raw 2006 is a horrible example of load times. I bought this game the day it came out and never even try to play it unless I have at least 30 minutes to spare. This game has the worst loading times of all the games ive ever played on the psp and probably all games ever made. Dont let this taint your opinion of the psp, this is just a really really bad example. the typical loading times arent that bad, much less than half that usually. that game is a fun game, but the loading times such. I think you should get the PSP, its can do more stuff than the DS Lite could ever dream of.

 

[aphex]

What about battery life? I wanna have something that will last me a bit of playing time...

 

[pcnerd37]

The battery lasts quite a while, all depends on what you are doing and a game with more UMD access uses the battery faster, as well as using wifi. The standard battery still last a long time anyway, plus there are higher capacity batteries out there that will really increase the battery life.

 

[AlgaeEater]

They both have pretty good battery life. I think the DS Lite compared to the original DS has a shorter battery life, but that's because of the new screen and lighting which really is a good tradeoff for it. (It looks really nice)

You really shouldn't base that decision on battery life. For what's it worth, I'm also pretty sure both have USB power adapters that can charge your battery via a PC, or let's say a laptop. So you don't need to drag the AC charger around with you.

 

[aphex]

well i really like the screen and graphics of the psp, so i'm starting to lean that way... i wish i could buy and try them both

 

[Vortex22]

They usually have displays you can play around with in BB/Target etc.

I've played with both and ended up with a DS. You just can't beat Mario Kart online.

 

[aphex]

can you browse the web on the DS lite?

 

[AlgaeEater]

Doesn't your local gamestore have them on display? Mine usually has the DS Lite and the PSP out on a controller harness thing and you can give it a whirl.

 

[Vortex22]

Originally posted by: aphex
can you browse the web on the DS lite?

They are releasing an Opera browser in the near future for DS I believe.
http://my.opera.com/organicchunkysalsa/blog/show.dml/309706

 

[pcnerd37]

There is no U.S. release date for the DS Lite Opera browser that I am aware of, but unlike the PSP, you will have to pay for the Opera browser on the DS.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: aphex
can you browse the web on the DS lite?

would you really want to browse the web on either a DS or PSP? it would seem silly to me.

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: AlgaeEater
Doesn't your local gamestore have them on display? Mine usually has the DS Lite and the PSP out on a controller harness thing and you can give it a whirl.

well, i checked around yesterday and today.. they all have the older DS, and the PSP's always have baseball games in them...

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: aphex
can you browse the web on the DS lite?

would you really want to browse the web on either a DS or PSP? it would seem silly to me.

i browse the web on my cell phone 4-5 times a day, it comes in handy.

 

[pcnerd37]

Browsing can be a little slow, but im told on newer firmwares it is much improved, plus with 2.7 it has flash support. I use the browser fairly often, but some sites dont show up right, Slashdot being the worst of them.