NGP vs. 3DS

Don't think I'd be considering the NGP (Next Generation Portable, successor to PSP, but you probably can't tell from the not-so-smart name), but I'll just briefly compare the new features of the two hand-held game systems. Of course, since NGP won't be out much further down the road, the specs is still somewhat speculative.

[NGP]
- HD/close to HD display
- 5" multi-touch screen
- dual analogue sticks
- GPS & Near feature
- new game card type, not backward compatible with UMD

[3DS]
- processing power comparable to GameCube/Xbox
- 3.53" 3D screen without glasses on the top, 3.02" touch screen on the bottom
- addition of analogue stick above the d-pad
- new game card type, backward compatible with current NDS games

Looking at the new features, it's pretty obvious which one I would go for (3DS, although I'm a bit unsure about the analogue stick since I'm that old school). While it's tempting to be able to play games in HD with the convenience of a hand-held, and that there will likely be games taking advantage of the multi-touch screen feature, it'll need a lot more than that to lure me to Sony on this one. I'd probably want to acquire a Famicom before I fall for a NGP.

The biggest argument against NGP, for me, is the incompatibility with UMD. Software is what really drives the success of a game system. It's not that easy to get people to abandon their game library just so they can play games in HD (already done on consoles) and maybe touch screen (common feature for owners of NDS or iPhone/iTouch, which would be a sizable population). Okay, the game library for PSP is almost only half of that for NDS, so it might not be as hard a sale. But still.

I might be tempted to get a NGP eventually if I didn't have a PSP. But I do. And while I only have a measly 3 games so far, I do plan to procure a good number more when I have access to those Japanese games. As of now, I don't see myself getting a NGP in the next five years.

Although it'll probably be year or two before I consider making my move on a 3DS. My current NDS games and potential PS3/PSP/NDS games will keep me busy enough...