... of hand held gaming

If you are oblivious to what is going on in the world of gaming, in particular the world of hand-held gamin, I say it's about time to wake up to the New World.

In retrospective, it was not too long ago that the Game Boy was introduced by Nintendo. Starting out in 1989, it revolutionized the hand-held industry for being the first portable game system with interchangable game cards (compared to the bulky cartridges that Sega and NES uses). It remained a technological innovation, with no worthy competitiors matching its model, and retaining its success, with product improvements such as GB Color and GB Advance. Till 2004 that is.

It was not till mid-2004 when competitor Sony entered the market with its own version of hand held - the Playstation Portable (PSP). It is also about the same time Nintendo defended its kingdom with the introduction of Nintendo DS. It is futile to compare they successes right now, since not only are these products in their growth stage, they are susceptible to changes in the future (eg. PSP's online updates)

What are the fundamental differences between PSP and DS?

Upon physical inspection, PSP has the expected screen of 16:9, while DS offers a dual screen. More equates better? That's for you to decide.

PSP has well-designed, comfortable-to-use buttons, while DS includes a stylus (as advertised "Touch!", an attempt to create the word association in consumers). In fact, DS has risen itself to a higher level: direct interaction with the screen.

PSP reads its data through UMD (Universal Media Discs), while the DS retains its old method of game cards. PSP's motive is clear. UMDs are like mini-DVDs, able to store up to 1.8 Gig of data, including music, photos and movies. What this means is that PSP to moving itself towards being a portable entertainment system. Of course, DS chooses not to follow the same path, since it will mean that the price of the DS would shoot beyond what its customers are willing to pay for.

What I mean to "wake up to the New World" of hand held is the essence here. Sony and Nintendo has brought this industry to another level in terms of interactivity. DS's Touch has involved th stylus in chatting, organising and even gaming. Offering wireless connection, both consoles allows up to 16 connections with other PSP/DS users.

Perhaps the most distinctive high-tech feature within the DS is the microphone. Some games involve voice recognition, eg Nintendogs, where you, as the user, will be able to train the dog with your voice. Another amusement comes when you are required to blow (yes, literally) towards the DS to activate certain features of the game.

Did anyone saw this coming to hand held gaming? Perhaps what this suggests is that with today's advancement of technology, the gaming industy can really push itself beyond any gamer's imagination. And all we can really do is ask "What's next?"