DS homebrew finally coming of age?
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Aug 5th 2005 at 5:00PM }
Let's not kid ourselves, the PSP homebrew
scene is a lot further along than the DS scene. But recent developments may indicate that things are changing. Drunken
Coders have just released DS Heretic, a port (if you will) of Raven's classic FPS from '94—yeah, it was that
long ago. The DS version even utilizes the dual screens by displaying the map/info on the bottom screen. Very cool.
In other news, Dual-Soft is preparing a release of the original DOOM for the DS. Excited?
[Thanks, MaxConsole]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jd @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
Exiting news!
Rambo @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
Gee... maybe DS's homebrew isnt taking off cus you need to spend close to $200 to partcipate where psp you just need a memory card. And sorry but a port of hexen, a game i despise isnt going to sway me.
Although, honestly, nice work on that whoever did it, it is a fairly impressive accomplishment, even if it is old.
. @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
NINTENDO RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
DOOM FOR THE DS? Holy sh*t!
Cyberblade @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
Rambo, you need just as much to participate in PSP's homebrew scene, so don't start with costs. You need over 200 dollars just to get hte PSP to do it on, then more for the card. I'd say it's about equal in cost to get homebrew on both systems.
ALH @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
I'd give a shit if i didnt already own DOOM on the GBA
mike @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
although DS has the marketshare.. the games are too 'different' from what is already out there..
it's great for people who buy ds games.. they get a cool new experience.. but for same old-same old.. the PSP has those 'ports'..
think about it.. porting to the PSP.. is just easier.. because the game hasn't changed..
porting to the DS means so much more interesting possibilities..
as for REAL developers.. the same is true.. it will take them a year or so before they start putting out games that really take advantage of the DS's cool features.. not surprising
Vagabond Artist @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
stop comparing ds to psp already people good grief...
heres how it compares
n64 w/ no smoothing or anti-aliasing =ds
dreamcast/ps1 w/bloom lighting =psp
I love both systems but come on already....
Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
yea mike i think people are getting sick and tired of all of the comparisons, and when i say people, i mean me. give it up already, ds has won
JPRacer @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
"dreamcast/ps1 w/bloom lighting =psp"
What? Dreamcast/PS1? The DC got better graphics than the PS2, don't compare it to the PS1.
Vagabond Artist @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
wait wait wait.. when I say DREAMCAST/PS1 I'm saying it is a mix of the two...
meaning its more powerful than PS1 but not as powerful as DC.
see?
Whuh? @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
http://www.youngmx.com/ndsdev/
Drugwar on DS ;) It was cool on TI calculator but now it has graphic.
Simon @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
James, you're funny. Maybe you see HTML Tricks as Homebrew, I don't ;)
Homebrew on the DS surely isn't as popular, because you need some extra equipment, but the stuff that's been done so far is much more than emulate or port old games. Do some research ...
Simon @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
Oh, now I see. You just copy'n'paste other sites news ... oh well ... might have thought so ...
Christopher7xii @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
Heh, the DS has won? I haven't seen a single DS in public around me. Seen plenty of PSP's at coffee houses. People chill with their frap and PSP and link up for some Wipeout and such.
ANYWAYS, the DS homebrew scene DOES require more. The PSP you just need the initial package. The 32mb card that comes with it is plenty enough to experiment/run junk off of. I've yet to NEED my gigstick for anything PSP homebrew. So we're comparing $350 for DS+development junk, to $250 for the PSP...
Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
Chris, it doesnt matter how many DS's or PSP's you see in your hick town. The fact of the matter is, the sales dont lie.
chill @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
So how big is the gap between DS and PSP sales numbers? Plus isnt a little early in these two handhelds life to be claiming victory? I dont own either because I have no time or interest in handhelds...LOL I still own a neo geo pocket!
[DC had better graphics then PS2]. lol good one..Guess you dont own both systems.
SetupWeasel @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
at E3 Reggie quoted a 2.5:1 DS to PSP sales ratio. The ratio is likely similar today.
The Nintendo has sold (and continues to sell) about twice as many DSs as PSPs. The US market is trickier to peg down, because there is no reliable tracking company. Sony loves to equate "shipped" to "sold" (it was sold to the retailers!) as well. The last numbers I heard were 1.8 mil DS to 1.5 mil for the PSP.
http://biz.gamedaily.com/features.asp?article_id=10257&filter=
The DS has sold more than 1 million in Europe.
http://www.screendigest.com/news/FC4C9B9EC162F48F80257045005BE1E2.stml/view.html
What you have is the DS running away with Japan and Europe. The US is a tighter race, but the DS is still on top. Nintendogs is set to release in the US on the 22nd.
Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
I only ever played a DC once, ever. And I remember the graphics being very bad. But if they really are worse then the PS2 graphics, then that must be REALLY REALLY bad.
markj @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
ummm since when did you need 200 bucks worth of stuff + the DS to do homebrew.
the DS can be bought for $129 and a high quality flashcart can be had for $80 shipped.
thats pretty damn close to 200 for everything, plus you get free mario 64.
get a clue
Christopher7xii @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
Never seen a DS for $130 myself...
---
SetupWeasel... Of course the DS is going to be winning Europe over, the PSP hasn't even been released there you idiot.
In Japan I was under the impression the sales per week shoots back and forth between the two during different releases. That really doesn't say "clear cut winner" to me. I'm sure it'll jump in America during Nintendogs, as it should. I'm sure the PSP sales will kick some serious ass come Xmas season. There'll be much more market with games like GTA:LCS, Ys, Legend of Heroes, Burnout Legends to name a few. Once some bigger titles start dropping, I know a few people that'll be getting one for Burnout Legends, for when they're away from Burnout Revenge out on the real road.
Eitherway, my point was/is there is no winner yet. Both systems hold a nice solid spot in the market. It's not like the Gizmondo or Ngage. The PSP will have a solid game base by summer 06, as will the DS by then(finally...). Both sales will steadily increase too I'm sure. So the Big N may be ahead, I'd still say it's anyone's game. It'd be a lot closer if the PSP dropped to 150-200... That's not gonna be anytime soon though.
Oh, suppose we can't forget the fact that the PSP will hook up to the PS3 / X360. Suppose that'll up sales a bit once a game drops for either of those systems with some real support for it.
Simon @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
Markj, you're forgetting that you also need a way to write to that flash rom.
Anyway, for me it's not DS vs. PSP. The PSP is quite a nice toy. But saying that PSP Homebrew is more advanced than DS Homebrew is just hilarious.
It's like saying an ordinary PC is more advanced than Deep Blue, just because you never saw Deep Blue do anything impressive.
PSP is the consumer toy, DS is the geek toy.
They are both cool in their own domain. PSP is shiny, DS is something new.
TJ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
Chris.
The DS is basically demolishing the PSP in Japan, it has grabbed the number one Hardware spot for the last 14 weeks in a row with double the sales of PSP (it being 3rd just behind PS2 for that time).
Even when the PSP has a new game and DS doesn't the DS takes double the sales, but when DS has a new title it goes on a massive run away - like Jump Super Stars out next week with 300 thousand + preorders.
You are right though, besides Japan (where its pretty much done and dusted for DS) its way too early to call a "winner", well apart from us the gamers that is :)
TJ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
Also Reggie stated the DS had around 2.5 Million in America at E3, that'll be around 3 Million+ now. It's closing on 3 Million in Japan and over a Million in Europe. Rough totals to date:
DS 7 Million.
PSP 3.5 Million.
So Sony have closed down the gap a little from the 2.5:1.
Fryhole @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
Remember Nintendogs? That cooky little game that CLINCHED the market in Japan for the DS? I can't recall the numbers sold (someone else know?) but it honestly sold like wildfire over there, it is the must-have game for the Japanese. Now it is pretty well established that the DS is crushing the PSP in Japan, and in Europe, for obvious reasons....but wait till Nintendogs hits america. Remember the Tamagotchi? Yeah, prepare for an invasion...of cute cuddly little pooches!
SetupWeasel @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
Ah Christopher7xii. Only you could take a post with hard facts and links to back it up as a personal attack. Of course the DS is running away with Europe, because Sony is too cheap to open more factories to build the PSP. Do you think this doesn't matter? Remember the promise of a world-wide December 2004 release. Missed that one by a mile.
There have been PSP sales in Europe. About 100,000 have been imported, but Sony can't deal with imports. Probably because they want to sell the PSP at some god awful price in Europe. Good for them!
You know, Nintendo managed an extra million DSs by the end of 2004 when they saw demand was greater than expected. Sony, on the other hand, was "focusing on the PS2." You snooze, you lose.
Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
Fryhole I don't know how many sold but I do know that there were over 500,000 pre-orders for it. And, I hate to say it, there will be a tamagotchi for the DS coming out next month (I could be wrong).
Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
August 22nd - Pre-ordered - Nintendogs: Chihuahuah & Friends - w00t
666 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
I got a DS & Mario for my birthday! Hells yeah!!!
I'm constantly baffled by the pissing competitions by gaming fans. As long as games are still made for my DS, I don't give a shiz who has more marketshare. They're such different machines, PSP is a gadget heads dream whilst the DS is more of a gamers unit, as it offers something new. Next birthday, after it's settled in and hopefully dropped in price, i'll get a PSP for Burnout and to take my photos & movies with me without packing my laptop.
But now, Electroplankton & Nintendogs are on my shopping list!
Me, not you @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
Is Sony getting too cocky? Is that some kind of trick question?
BM5k @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
Someone obviously not been keeping up with the DSDEV. Most of the hardware is pretty cheap, and you can build things like the passme for pretty cheap.
I'm not gunna sit around and b*tch about the PSP & how much its sucks, because I don't own one, nor have I used one much. But I do have a DS and its a great platform.
Knowledge @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
Nintendo hired a professor at a japan university and they developed ultimate brain games which boosted DS sales by about 300K.
Now sony hired the same guy and now there
developing brain games. Sony's tryin to copy nintendo, thats a pretty desperate move.
Jon k. @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
*sigh* Y'know what playsation fanboys don't seem to realize is that better graphics DOES NOT mean that its a better game...
Ebers @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
And what you Nintendo fanboys fail to realize is that more sales does not necessarily mean the system is better.
DsRocks @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
No.. it means that more people like it... CLEARLY!!! how can you not realise that? you go off and play your psp crap with your dead pixels and fragile... everything
SuicideNinja @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM
Do you really think that people will waste money on a PSP or NDS this christmas with the XBOX360 available? Come on. $250 gets you a PSP that plays movies you probably already have on DVD and plays games you probably already have on your PS2 (don't forget another $50 for a game or accessories). $300 gets you an XBox 360 which will be the top of the line console for the time being. Is it a hard decision?
Neither the PSP or NDS are that great. I own an NDS and can use a PSP anytime. The PSP is sleek-lookin' and does have better graphics. I can say that the NDS hardware is better quality and the games are more interesting. Sony uses some of the worst parts for their products. Espeically the PSP and PS2s!
I can say I get a lot more for my dollar with my NDS and CF cart than my room mates do with their $25 movies, $50 games, and $100+ memory cards. I actually play my NDS. They're done showing off their PSPs and all they do is complain about firmware problems. I'm glad I refrained from buying one...I was real close.
Unrelated: I also hate to break it to the PSP-HAS-A-BROWSER supporters....the PSP browser is slow, clumsly, and overall poor. Use a computer.