The DS: A case of economics
As Nintendo revealed the Revolution controller, many people made comparisons to the DS. Most commented on how they are still playing the DS, while their PSP is put away, which was the opposite to what they expected a year ago. The comparisons tend to say that the games are more compelling on the DS because of the touch screen and other features, while the PSP poors out the same games we seen hundreds of times.
While I will say that is a factor, I can't help but think this isn't the major factor on why the DS is so much more successful. The reason is simple: the DS is cheap.
When I say the DS is cheap, I don't mean to the consumers (although they too don't have to pay as much); I mean to developers. The best graphics you will see out of the DS is just above what you saw out of the Nintendo 64. The PSP gives at least near PS2 level of graphics. Convention says that the DS will be the simplier of the two systems to develope for.
But there is one thing that is helping out Nintendo; freedom. Sony, while they let pretty much anything go on their console, try to get as much 3D games as possible, to the exclusion of 2D. Nintendo, ever since they dropped their censorship policies, has let developers do anything, including 2D. Sony more often wants to show what their systems are capable of, while Nintendo is letting developers do what they want.
The problem with Sony's 3D-centric policy is that it forces developers to rack up their production costs. Games on the PSP have the same cost to develope as PS2 games. That is one reason you don't see too many $30 games, but plenty of $40-50 games on the PSP. These games just aren't the budget games that normally have come out off the portible market. And with these costs publishers, have to start choosing between home console games and portible games, because they can't afford both.
The DS doesn't have this limit. A developer can make a game that doesn't break the budget. DS games will cost only a fraction of what it costs for home console games. They become side projects that anyone can do.
We already have seen that development costs on home consoles are skyrocketing, forcing publishers to hedge their bets and make fewer, mostly surefire, games. The PSP just shows what will happen if this trend continues: we won't get any good games because too few of them will be released.
While I will say that is a factor, I can't help but think this isn't the major factor on why the DS is so much more successful. The reason is simple: the DS is cheap.
When I say the DS is cheap, I don't mean to the consumers (although they too don't have to pay as much); I mean to developers. The best graphics you will see out of the DS is just above what you saw out of the Nintendo 64. The PSP gives at least near PS2 level of graphics. Convention says that the DS will be the simplier of the two systems to develope for.
But there is one thing that is helping out Nintendo; freedom. Sony, while they let pretty much anything go on their console, try to get as much 3D games as possible, to the exclusion of 2D. Nintendo, ever since they dropped their censorship policies, has let developers do anything, including 2D. Sony more often wants to show what their systems are capable of, while Nintendo is letting developers do what they want.
The problem with Sony's 3D-centric policy is that it forces developers to rack up their production costs. Games on the PSP have the same cost to develope as PS2 games. That is one reason you don't see too many $30 games, but plenty of $40-50 games on the PSP. These games just aren't the budget games that normally have come out off the portible market. And with these costs publishers, have to start choosing between home console games and portible games, because they can't afford both.
The DS doesn't have this limit. A developer can make a game that doesn't break the budget. DS games will cost only a fraction of what it costs for home console games. They become side projects that anyone can do.
We already have seen that development costs on home consoles are skyrocketing, forcing publishers to hedge their bets and make fewer, mostly surefire, games. The PSP just shows what will happen if this trend continues: we won't get any good games because too few of them will be released.
posted by SeanM at 12:07 PM
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