The nintendo DS is a fine little system. It's strength is in it's durable case design. Unlike the PSP, the nintendo ds is better suited to the hands of young children and teens who may be a bit rough or careless with their new "toy". It has a durable scratch resistant outter casing. It folds to a closed position similar to a cellphone. This is great because it protects the screen from smudges or scratches.

The price value is also better suited to the budget concious family. When I got mine at launch day it was 149.99. When i got my psp it was $250. So you save 100 dollars by choosing the nintendo DS.

So what do you lose? Well you lose the analog control. After about 40-50 mins your thumbs will be sore from the lil tiny directional pad.

You also lose the graphic power. NDS has graphics equal to the N64. A technology that is about 6 years sold. The psp in comparison has graphics similar to the ps2 (a modern day console).

You also have different gamess. Although there are always exceptions, nintendo is better known for sports games, children's games, platform games (akin to mario etc), and quirky games. PSP has more serious adult orienated games, rpgs, fighting, action, etc. Yet another reason the NDS is a great choice for children or those who are young at heart.

I'm not really sure about the practicality of the dual screen of which the nds getss it's name. I have yet to see many games use this feature effectively. I feel it would have benefited more from a larger single screen similar to the BEAUTIFUL lds screen of the psp. The screen of the nds is very small in comparison and deffinately not as crisp and sharp.

You also lose the other benefits of the more expensive handheld... the mp3 player, movie player, file storage, etc. But none of that will really matter to young children who only want it to play games.

Nds also oddly enough weighs more than the psp even though it is much smaller. This is perhaps due to the very nice durrable outter caseing. It's a hardy little machine.

The fact that the nds uses a cartridge based system is also of note when having young gamers in mind. discs tend to get scratched, lost, stepped on, broken, etc. Cartridges are longer lasting and have much faster load times to boot. The downside to this is they do not hold as much information as the cd, dvd, and umd.

I think the nds has a ways to go before it realizes it's full potential but it is deffinately worthy of a spot in any gamer's home or pocket.

Recommended: Yes