iDevice vs DS slugfest!

[donner]

I thought this would be fun. The iDevice is growing so rapidly in great games that i feel that its really standing toe-to-to with nintendo's handheld powerhouse, the DS.


//////HARDWARE//////

PRICE - DS wins

POWER - iDevice wins
a much more capable processor if devs want to use it.

GRAPHICS - iDevice wins
hands down

CONTROLS - Tie
Depends on game: (although I know many would say the DS wins)
- idevice wins for - puzzle games, racing games, fps games (arguably), TBS games
- DS wins for - action games, platformers, rpg's,

BATTERY - DS wins

PORTABILITY - iDevice wins
phone - hello

//////SOFTWARE//////

PRICE - iDevice wins

FORMAT - iDevice wins
digital download, huge hardware storage space.

EXCLUSIVE GAMES - DS wins
hands down. Hard to compete with mario & zelda, and all those great Atlus RPG's

ONLINE GAME EXPERIENCE - iDevice wins
hands down

CASUAL GAMES - iDevice wins
Tons of them, great price, creative content and always with you.

PUZZLE GAMES - iDevice wins
Tons of them, great price, creative content and always with you.

RPG, SRPG GAMES - DS wins
hands down, better, deeper rpg collection. But with the amount of cool stuff coming out. It may only be a matter of time before this changes.

TURN BASE STRATEGY GAMES - DS wins (barely)
idevice - wesnoth (better than any ds tbs imo), and many other 'pretty good' tbs games.
DS - hard to beat advance wars.

REAL TIME STRATEGY GAMES - iDevice wins
DS really doesnt have any good RTS games. iDevice has several 'pretty good' ones.

FIRST PERSON SHOOTER GAMES - iDevice wins
DS FPS games suck. bad controls and graphics.

SOCIAL GAMING - iDevice wins
the online thing just works well on the idevice

RACING GAMES - iDevice wins
arguably the best handheld racing experience is on the iDevice

ACTION ADVENTURE GAMES - DS wins
buttons and physical controls make all the difference here

//////////////////////////

iDevice = 12 points
DS = 6 points

Interesting way to look at it. I'd love to see others thoughts.

[drelbs]

Having them both: I WIN ;)

[donner]

Having them both: I WIN ;)
Ha! So true. That 1 point I gave to the DS regarding RPG's holds a lot of weight for me. I love RPG's and the DS is the best RPG platform since the SNES or PS2. I really want that to swing in the iDevices direction some day.

[Noman]

Hopefully Chaos ring will help to start a trend. Though I doubt the idevice will ever be able to beat mario, zelda, pokemon, advance wars, fire emblem.....etc. There are a lot of great franchises on the ds that are unbeatable in my opinion.

[squarezero]

Ha! So true. That 1 point I gave to the DS regarding RPG's holds a lot of weight for me. I love RPG's and the DS is the best RPG platform since the SNES or PS2. I really want that to swing in the iDevices direction some day.
RPGs are the only reason I picked up a DS in the first place. It's also the only reason I still use my PSP (Grandia anyone?).

[donner]

Honestly though. I think the iDevice is overall a huge winner over the DS. More competition from the other smartphones coming out will only make the games better. I think that within 2 years the DS will Be KO'd. Smartphones will take over the handheld gaming market, with Apple as the lead.

Another Mario or Zelda game simply wont be enough to stop this.

[drelbs]

Ha! So true. That 1 point I gave to the DS regarding RPG's holds a lot of weight for me. I love RPG's and the DS is the best RPG platform since the SNES or PS2. I really want that to swing in the iDevices direction some day.

Actually, since the GBA.

I once had a guy at EB Games ask me, "Why do so many people buy role playing games on the GameBoy?" to which I answered, "Because since the graphics are limited and/or simpler to implement, the developers can focus on story and gameplay..."

[Hmar9333]

Well I hate Mario, Zelda and Pokémon, so I don't care.

For me iDevice wins.

[GDSage]

Wow, talk about an incredibly skewed category system, also a tie in controls is an absolute joke.

[GDSage]

Honestly though. I think the iDevice is overall a huge winner over the DS. More competition from the other smartphones coming out will only make the games better. I think that within 2 years the DS will Be KO'd. Smartphones will take over the handheld gaming market, with Apple as the lead.

Another Mario or Zelda game simply wont be enough to stop this.

Wow, you surely don't stop with your jokes.

Another Mario or Zelda... good thing those aren't the only games Nintendo produces.

Nintendogs - 24 million units sold
New Super Mario Bros - 21 million
Brain Training - 19 million
Mario Kart DS - 18 million
Pokemon Diamond / Pearl - 18 million
Brain Training 2 - 14 million
Animal Crossing - 11 million
Super Mario 64 DS - 8 million
Pokémon Platinum Version - 6 million
Mario Party DS - 6 million
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - 4 million+
Pokémon Heart Gold / Soul Silver - 4 million (just Japan sales)
Flash Focus (eye / reflex training) - 3 million+
English Training - 3 million+
Yoshi's Island DS - 3 million+
Clubhouse Games - 3 million
Personal Trainer: Cooking - 3 million
Friend Collection (like The Sims) - 3 million (just Japan sales)

Need I go on? Nintendo has over 45 million sellers on the DS, that is just Nintendo produced games. With third-parties it is 63 million sellers, making 108 million sellers in total. Nintendo is one of the few companies within this industry that has the 'games for everybody' formula down to a perfect art. So to say they will simply be KO'd, no less in two years time is perhaps one of the most foolish statements made regarding this industry. Which takes some doing considering the amount of clueless analysts so-called predicting in the videogames industry.

I'd like to see Apple or other manufacturers pull the above off, and at full price... but before doing that incredibly unlikely act they would first have to dominate the Japanese market in order to have any pull over JPN devs. Good luck there.

It is truly amazing how people underestimate Nintendo to such an extent.

[donner]

There are many games (but def not all) that I'd rather play with touch controls than buttons and a D pad.

All you're stats are really impressive, but there's a lot of App Store game stats that could be thrown out as well. It's gotta be a shocker to Nintendo that the iphone has so quickly become a serious contender in the handheld market.

I really do think that if nintendo doesnt do something truly innovative with the DS2, then they will be in trouble. Tech is moving way too fast, and Nintendo has never been one to be the biggest innovator in that category.

You may think I'm joking, but seriously - Dedicated handheld gaming devices will quickly become an obsolete peice of hardware.

Of course if Nintendo came out with a piece of hardware that could actually compete with the iphone - they'd win me over in a second. But that's unlikely

[GDSage]

There are many games (but def not all) that I'd rather play with touch controls than buttons and a D pad.

All you're stats are really impressive, but there's a lot of App Store game stats that could be thrown out as well. It's gotta be a shocker to Nintendo that the iphone has so quickly become a serious contender in the handheld market.

I really do think that if nintendo doesnt do something truly innovative with the DS2, then they will be in trouble. Tech is moving way too fast, and Nintendo has never been one to be the biggest innovator in that category.

You may think I'm joking, but seriously - Dedicated handheld gaming devices will quickly become an obsolete peice of hardware.

Of course if Nintendo came out with a piece of hardware that could actually compete with the iphone - they'd win me over in a second. But that's unlikely

Except that's just it, only you are saying it is a serious contender. As for stats of the App store, it doesn't compare to Nintendos. A few rare games might have hit 3 million, but at a prices such as 0.99 (compared to 21 million for NSMB at $34.99). The future of the industry and the majority of devs need a hell of a lot more than 0.99 even if they sell 3 million units.

Also your underestimation of dedicated hardware is also amsuing. If it was so obsolete the DS would not be at 130 million units sold and still going strong. Indeed, it is still selling 1.5 million units a month worldwide and is set to become the greatest selling videogames system when it's done (on another note, despite your so called serious contender last year was the DS systems best year yet in hardware sales despite being five years old). There are just as many people that see worth in dedicated systems as there are people who see worth in convergence hardware.

The reality of the matter is far different than your perception of it.

[postmanmanman]

I have both, and can safely say I love them equally. They're two different styles, however - DS games are generally much more substantial and "full", if you will, whereas the the iPhone is good for quick gaming sessions and the like.

That's not to say that there aren't substantial iPhone games (case in point: Chinatown Wars) or that there aren't pick-up-and-play DS games, however.

[Random_Guy]

The iDevice has a better look.

[Somerandomdude]

Personally, I've pretty much put my DS to rest since I got my iPod. I only play a few games on there now, like Mario & Luigi, Resident Evil, the Call of Duty games (even though the iDevice has the full version of Nazi Zombies), and Phoenix Wright, but once the iDevice gets Phoenix Wright, I think that it will almost completely shift to the iDevice.

[donner]

Except that's just it, only you are saying it is a serious contender. As for stats of the App store, it doesn't compare to Nintendos. A few rare games might have hit 3 million, but at a prices such as 0.99 (compared to 21 million for NSMB at $34.99). The future of the industry and the majority of devs need a hell of a lot more than 0.99 even if they sell 3 million units.

Also your underestimation of dedicated hardware is also amsuing. If it was so obsolete the DS would not be at 130 million units sold and still going strong. Indeed, it is still selling 1.5 million units a month worldwide and is set to become the greatest selling videogames system when it's done (on another note, despite your so called serious contender last year was the DS systems best year yet in hardware sales despite being five years old). There are just as many people that see worth in dedicated systems as there are people who see worth in convergence hardware.

The reality of the matter is far different than your perception of it.
I'm glad you're so amused - I'm not a professional, just saying that I think the iDevice wins on multiple levels, and alot of other people do as well. And I do think the future of handheld gaming will go to the smartphone arena. With or without Nintendo.

[frendil]

well DS has its own exclusive version of GTA, o wait...:rolleyes:

[fi2-shift]

Wow, you surely don't stop with your jokes.

Another Mario or Zelda... good thing those aren't the only games Nintendo produces.

Nintendogs - 24 million units sold
New Super Mario Bros - 21 million
Brain Training - 19 million
Mario Kart DS - 18 million
Pokemon Diamond / Pearl - 18 million
Brain Training 2 - 14 million
Animal Crossing - 11 million
Super Mario 64 DS - 8 million
Pokémon Platinum Version - 6 million
Mario Party DS - 6 million
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - 4 million+
Pokémon Heart Gold / Soul Silver - 4 million (just Japan sales)
Flash Focus (eye / reflex training) - 3 million+
English Training - 3 million+
Yoshi's Island DS - 3 million+
Clubhouse Games - 3 million
Personal Trainer: Cooking - 3 million
Friend Collection (like The Sims) - 3 million (just Japan sales)

Need I go on? Nintendo has over 45 million sellers on the DS, that is just Nintendo produced games. With third-parties it is 63 million sellers, making 108 million sellers in total. Nintendo is one of the few companies within this industry that has the 'games for everybody' formula down to a perfect art. So to say they will simply be KO'd, no less in two years time is perhaps one of the most foolish statements made regarding this industry. Which takes some doing considering the amount of clueless analysts so-called predicting in the videogames industry.

I'd like to see Apple or other manufacturers pull the above off, and at full price... but before doing that incredibly unlikely act they would first have to dominate the Japanese market in order to have any pull over JPN devs. Good luck there.

It is truly amazing how people underestimate Nintendo to such an extent.

I agree but at the same time I DON'T....

Remember bro, Nintendo started their electronic games business back in 1975.... AppStore: 2006....

Nintendo is a Japanese enterprise started in 1889 (yes, google it), while Apple was established in 1976 in USA, japan has a bigger gamer market than USA.

I think that could explain the big difference in game sales....

But w/e that's NOT the point of the thread, we are talking about processor, graphics, controls, etc.... In that hand, Apple's iDevices wins :D

[Kamazar]

Well I hate Mario, Zelda and Pokémon, so I don't care.

For me iDevice wins.

Looks like someone didn't have a childhood :rolleyes:

It's all apples and oranges. Both devices work in their given market, but can't necessarily compete with each others. It's a phone vs. a dedicated gaming console. They each have their pros and cons, but do what they were intended to do. There's definitely room for both.

[Electric_Shaman]

Considering we're comparing devices released more than two years apart (over three years if we're taking it from when the App Store was launched), I would say the DS is fairing incredibly well

We're also comparing two purposes. The DS is gaming platform, which has slowly had other functionality added to it. The iDevice is a media/communications platform, which has slowly evolved into a gaming platform.
It's no mystery to anyone that the iDevice has been a game changer, changing everything from how much we pay for games to how we receive and experience them.

So essentially, we're comparing two devices from different generations. Sure the DSi introduced the DSi Shop but it lacks the same scope as the App Store, and was added as a result of the App Store's success.
We wouldn't try to compare the PSP to the GBA. The same rule applies here.


Mostly the fact that DS 2 is likely to be announced fairly soon kinda obsoletes this whole debate.

[MidianGTX]

I agree but at the same time I DON'T....

Remember bro, Nintendo started their electronic games business back in 1975.... AppStore: 2006....

Nintendo is a Japanese enterprise started in 1889 (yes, google it), while Apple was established in 1976 in USA, japan has a bigger gamer market than USA.

I think that could explain the big difference in game sales....

Why you think Nintendo starting in 1889 has anything to do with it I don't know, they had little to no power or influence over anything until they started in the games industry.

As for the bigger market... the DS has sold more in America than it has in Japan.

[mrchennyken]

Has Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver
DS Wins! - 1,000,000 points

Haven't touched my touch ever since I got Pokemon :D

[synther]

I think DS controls are better, (MUCH better, compare Metroid Prime with Eliminate), Multiplayer experiences are better, I don't have to worry about next generations wich are faster than my current DS, and most games last longer.

That's it, iDevice wins at casual pick up and play games, racing games, graphics, size, and many more.

[MidianGTX]

I think DS controls are better, (MUCH better, compare Metroid Prime with Eliminate), Multiplayer experiences are better, I don't have to worry about next generations wich are faster than my current DS, and most games last longer.

That's it, iDevice wins at casual pick up and play games, racing games, graphics, size, and many more.

That pretty much sums up how I feel. For a lot of games, racing, platform, FPS, I'd go with DS controls... although I prefer playing simple games with the iPhone's touch controls in general. Puzzle games and the like.

I mean come on, the DS has Castlevania. I've probably sunk more time into each of those than I have into all my iPod apps put together.

[Noman]

Why you think Nintendo starting in 1889 has anything to do with it I don't know, they had little to no power or influence over anything until they started in the games industry.

As for the bigger market... the DS has sold more in America than it has in Japan.

Compare that to the population of America and Japan. Per person, the ds has sold way more copies in Japan than the us.

[Electric_Shaman]

Compare that to the population of America and Japan. Per person, the ds has sold way more copies in Japan than the us.
Someone should probably check out the stats for Singapore then if we're going to be using those kinda stats... but to prove what point I'm not sure

[super6ft7]

Having them both: I WIN ;)

Yeah true, maybe too true???

[Electric_Shaman]

I'm bored, so I picked over the thread starter's post a little...
PORTABILITY - iDevice wins
Why? Sure the DS lite is bigger, but it's still very portable. If you're going to include a category that one set of devices will clearly win over the other but doesn't affect the games, then include durability :D
ONLINE GAME EXPERIENCE - iDevice wins
hands down
I don't get this, Mario Kart and Metroid are both a treat to play online, and are leaps and bounds more reliable than any online iDevice game I've encountered yet.
Unless you're including online leaderboards (which doesn't really create an 'online game experience' imo), this doesn't seem right, especially as it was said to be 'hands down'
FIRST PERSON SHOOTER GAMES - iDevice wins
DS FPS games suck. bad controls and graphics.
Definitively have to disagree with you on this one, Metroid Prime: Hunters is still one of my fav handheld FPS games, the graphics and controls are far from sucky; but then that's really a matter of personal taste more than anything
SOCIAL GAMING - iDevice wins
Again like the portability thing, why include this; the DS doesn't even have any that I'm aware of (Pictochat maybe? :rolleyes:).
RACING GAMES - iDevice wins
arguably the best handheld racing experience is on the iDevice
I would contest this decision, but only because I'm a big Mario Kart fan :p
Real Racing (which I guess is what you're referring to) can win the Simulation category (there isn't one on your list at the moment)

[FilthyCanadian]

Has Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver
DS Wins! - 1,000,000 points

Haven't touched my touch ever since I got Pokemon :D

So you haven't played it for less than a week?

[2hvy4grvty]

All you're stats are really impressive, but there's a lot of App Store game stats that could be thrown out as well.
Like what? HG/SS moved 1.5 million copies in TWO DAYS. The number of iPhone apps to have topped that number in their entire lifetimes can be counted on one hand.

[Will090]

Metroid Prime Hunters is better than any iDevice FPS to date

[super6ft7]

//////HARDWARE//////

PRICE - DS wins
Yes
POWER - iDevice wins
a much more capable processor if devs want to use it.
Yes
GRAPHICS - iDevice wins
hands down
In the way of technically possible yes, but overall the graphics on DS games are better,so Tie
CONTROLS - Tie
Depends on game: (although I know many would say the DS wins)
- idevice wins for - puzzle games, racing games, fps games (arguably), TBS games
- DS wins for - action games, platformers, rpg's,
I will always go for buttons aswell as touchscreen, why do you think they are making a controller for the iTouch
BATTERY - DS wins
Yes
PORTABILITY - iDevice wins
phone - hello
True, it is smaller
Durability
1 DS, 3 years
2 iTouches, 2 years, and my current one isn't fully functional


iTouch 2 - 4 DS

//////SOFTWARE//////

PRICE - iDevice wins
For low price games (doodle jump etc.) you get a lot of value for money but with high priced time/money isn't as good, tie
FORMAT - iDevice wins
digital download, huge hardware storage space.
You don't physically own the games, I have enough space in my room to store all my DS games, but not enough on my iPod (if I want my music) also, if you remove an iTouch game, you lose all your save data, DS wins just for that reason
EXCLUSIVE GAMES - DS wins
hands down. Hard to compete with mario & zelda, and all those great Atlus RPG's
Definitely
ONLINE GAME EXPERIENCE - iDevice wins
hands down
Mario Kart and Metroid are awesome and the download play is an awesome feature, so for iTouch owners, DS is better multiplayer, but for iPhone, you can play anywhere, Tie
CASUAL GAMES - iDevice wins
Tons of them, great price, creative content and always with you.
Fair enough
PUZZLE GAMES - iDevice wins
Tons of them, great price, creative content and always with you.
Professor Layton, nuff said
RPG, SRPG GAMES - DS wins
hands down, better, deeper rpg collection. But with the amount of cool stuff coming out. It may only be a matter of time before this changes.
mmm Pokemon
TURN BASE STRATEGY GAMES - DS wins (barely)
idevice - wesnoth (better than any ds tbs imo), and many other 'pretty good' tbs games.
DS - hard to beat advance wars.
mmm advance wars
REAL TIME STRATEGY GAMES - iDevice wins
DS really doesnt have any good RTS games. iDevice has several 'pretty good' ones.
They both lose
FIRST PERSON SHOOTER GAMES - iDevice wins
DS FPS games suck. bad controls and graphics.
Ds wins, moon, the ward and metro, +CoD all bring fuller and more fleshed out experiences
SOCIAL GAMING - iDevice wins
the online thing just works well on the idevice
Download play on any multiplayer game is a winner for DS
RACING GAMES - iDevice wins
arguably the best handheld racing experience is on the iDevice
I hate racing games except MARIO KART, so DS wins
ACTION ADVENTURE GAMES - DS wins
buttons and physical controls make all the difference here
and longer development time


iDevice 1 - 9 DS

Yeah, opinion really does change things

[FK1983]

I used to have a PSP and DSi, I now have an Ipod Touch instead and i've enjoyed it much much more than both the psp and dsi combined, says it all really!

My mum has my dsi now and I sold my psp.

[Omega-F]

The OP made me laugh.