The ultimate battle begins. The reigning champion, Nintendo, just unleashed its most powerful handheld system, the Nintendo DS, and Sony prepares to surface its Sony PSP, the offspring of the Playstation consoles. Which one will consumers embrace and which one will they forever banish to the Shadow Realm? We shall find out soon!

While we wait, I'd like to offer my own opinion on the future of these two systems, particularly the Nintendo DS. I don't have a Sony PSP, but I've learned enough about her to know to compare the two.

I'll purchase both systems, but as a gamer from the ol' school, I officially support Nintendo. However, many actions Nintendo's taking worry me. Sure, its system is much more innovative with her bodacious pair of screens and sensuality, but she lacks the brute force of the PSP. The PSP might not be as innovative, but with superior hardware that can boast superior graphics and with her ability to play games, audio, and a variety of other types of media, she'll garner more attention from the boys. Unless Nintendo can make use of the DS' hidden potential, it'll suffer the same fate as SEGA, Sony's last (and hopefully last) victim.

Will Nintendo exploit the DS' power to her fullest though? Not if her library consists mainly of ports. I love replaying classic games as much as any other Nintendo fan boy, but it's such a mockery to her abilities to bombard her with such simple antiques. Nintendo, however, is already recycling previous games to launch on the DS. Not a good idea. Even if the PSP recycles too, the PSP will do it sexier while providing other functions. Nintendo has to continue its innovation beyond the hardware and into the software.

Nintendo also has to realize that even if the DS isn't the next Game Boy, everybody else thinks it is. I've read that Nintendo intends to release another Game Boy in 2006. Competing with oneself was the tragic flaw of SEGA. It'll be a shame if Nintendo repeats the same mistake.

Fortunately for Nintendo, the DS has many positive aspects. Although much weaker than the PSP, her design is much more durable and inexpensive. She also doesn't rely on expensive accessories to complete her. Another great feature she boasts is her compatibility with Game Boy Advance games. What might be most noticeable by gamers is the lack of load times that will bombard the PSP. We now tolerate them on home consoles, but will we tolerate them on handhelds? She also has much more longevity, with battery life that shames the PSP’s which, depending on what its doing, can last less than four hours.

But it all might be futile when compared with what Sony is offering. Besides graphics around the level of the SEGA Dreamcast and a much larger screen, the PSP also promises a very healthy library to accompany her in the upcoming months. Meanwhile, only a small supply of games are scheduled to be released in the next few months for the DS. With a vast library of quality games in development, a gigantic widescreen, beautiful graphics, and the ability to play a variety of media, its fragility, cost, battery life, and curse of load times might not matter much. Unless Nintendo harnesses the full power of the DS, it’ll be an easy victory for the PSP.

Although I focused on the DS, I'm excited about both systems. The DS can provide a fresh gaming experience and the PSP can host games almost as glorious as the masterpieces on the PS2. Whoever loses, we win. 3D gaming, online gaming, and online 3D gaming are now portable, and it's beautiful!

Referring to the handhelds as beautiful women was intentional. After all, they are like beautiful women, except better.