Glad to see the obituary being delayed. When the PSX was originally produced by Sony, no one expected it to unseat the juggernaut that was Nintendo, yet that is precisely what happened, and Nintendo's fall from grace was as awe-inspiring in its rapidity as it was in its breadth. Only in the handheld market, where it was the only game in town (not including the abortive, half-hearted attempts by Atari and Sega), did Nintendo retain a shadow of its dominance. One of the reasons Sony crushed Nintendo so soundly was the transition to CD's away from cartidges. Yet Nintendo has not learned from its mistakes. I'm not saying the DS lite will, in the face of the PSP, go the way of the Nintendo consoles. Heck, I've thought of getting one solely on the basis of the ever-excellent Castlevania offerings. But if Sony gets a solid game library for the PSP, I can't see how the DS Lite will not be relegated to the fringe the same way Nintendo's cartridge consoles (and even their disk based systems) were. If history is any indicator, Sony has proved itself the far better combatant.

I disagree that carts are a big problem. Handheld gaming is different to sitting in front of a TV, and waiting a minute and a half to get the data from a PSP disk looks pretty lame compared to the twenty seconds the DS takes to boot.

Daniel seems to be saying Nintendo have already died, when the N64 and Gamecube were profitable (niche, perhaps, but then the Xbox was a success that barely made MS any money), and the DS seems to be holding its own against the PSP. Obituaries would seem to be premature for both lines.

Carts definitely have the advantage in load time, but they lack capacity. Since I play RPGs mostly, I like great (long) FMVs, and the load time isn't as big of a concern for me. Still, you have a good point that carts have some advantages. Given the dominance of disc-based systems; however, I feel (scientific, isn't it?)CD/DVD systems are inevitably going to force carts out, even in handheld systems (i.e. Nintendo will eventually adopt a disc format in future handhelds).

Nintendo consoles aren't dead, and I didn't mean to imply they were. However, their market penetration has been, to put it mildly, decimated and third-party support has largely gone the way of the dodo. Hopefully, the Wii will bring some parity back to the market and encourage competition that benefits everyone. As for the DS Lite's obit, I agree and, in fact, said I didn't think the DS Lite would suffer the same fate as their consoles. But, I wouldn't be surprised if Sony became the dominant handheld should they put together a good game library (which they are sorely lacking currently).

Wow, you guys are really missing the point. Cartridges are definitely the way to go on a handheld system. I have both a PSP and a DS Lite. As cool as I think the PSP hardware is (with the exception of the unforgiveably slow refresh on the display that never gets mentioned) I hardly ever ended up playing the PSP. Why? There are SO FEW GOOD GAMES and even when there are, THEY TAKE LIKE SIX MINUTES TO LOAD. You don't need to show animated logos for four different companies before the game starts, I'm looking for a quick play while I'm on break at work, or while my wife is brushing her teeth before bed. Sony treats the PSP and it's games like a console. Except for the consoles-having-good-games part. And having limited space on the cart usually makes developers create actual engaging gameplay rather than bloating a title with a million stupid cutscenes. If you like FMV then go buy a playstation. When I'm sitting on the bus, I don't have time to learn the twenty minute backstory of the crystal sword of justice. I just wanna play.

Even if you don't care about cutscenes, graphics are getting better with every new system, and those graphics require more space. The comments about the load times are the same regurgitated comments that fueled the discussions between disc-based and cart-based consoles, and it should be self-evident to everyone on who were the better prognosticators in that debate. Gamers are gamers, regardless of whether they're playing in front of their TV at home or on a handheld on the bus. Great gameplay will make up for a lot of faults, but the market has long left behind those few poor souls who are interested in playing GB games, I don't care how good the gameplay is/was. People are going to expect graphics that approach consoles, and that expectation is only going to get more pronounced as time goes on. More importantly, third-party support strongly favors disc-based media because the profit margins are so much greater given the relative cost of producing a disc v. a cart. The cartridge is on a collision course with fate, and the only thing that has forestalled that collision so far is the advances in storage capacity in carts (and Nintendo's dedication to it). But that capacity pales in comparison to what can be stored on a disc. Nintendo didn't figure that out with its consoles until after the market had long been taken from them (and please note that they, too, trumpeted the carts because of the load-time advantage even when it was grossly apparent that no one gave a @#$%)... the question is whether they've learned with their handhelds.

Are you saying you want more disc-based handheld systems? Have you PLAYED the PSP? You can't tell me that disc-based systems aren't irritatingly slow and hard on the battery life. My point is that when you're sitting at home in front of the TV, sitting around for six minutes to get into a game is fine. When you're on the go, you're ON THE GO. You need fast access and bright, colorful, easy to read images. Who cares how detailed the game is when it's running on a 3" screen. A console needs that detail because you're playing it on a 20"-80" screen. They're different beasts dude. Consoles and handhelds are fundamentally different.

Nintendo gets that.

If someone can come out with a disc-based system that gets the non-existant load times and massive battery life the DS does, then fantastic. Until then, carts are the way to go.

I have played the PSP, and I agree that I'd just as well do without the load times. In that, absolutely correct, and if that were the only consideration in the equation, I would agree with you wholeheartedly. But the space limitations on carts combined with their inherently lower profit margin will, I predict, ultimately sound their death knell. You argue space isn't important because no one "cares how detailed the game is when it's running on a 3" screen." I respectfully, but categorically, disagree. I've played games with friends all my life, and I cannot imagine anyone seriously postulating that the majority of gamers are unconcerned with the presentation of the game as well as how well the game plays simply because it is on a handheld v. a console. Graphics are, always have been, and always will be an important part of any game (why even advance cart-based graphics and handheld systems if they're irrelevant, as you seemingly assert). You haven't addressed the economics of carts v. discs, which is an even more compelling point in favor of disc-based systems. After all, Nintendo produces amazing games, but the N64 and Gamecube has taught us that even their expansive ingenuity can't go it alone and maintain market dominance.

I concede your point regarding a difference between consoles and portables, but I disagree that portables are only for (or even primarily for) people who use them exclusively "on the go."

Sony gets that. And if they get a good game library to go along with that knowledge, the PSP, far from being "not dead… yet," will be tough to beat.