DF Retro: Revisiting E3 2004 - PlayStation Portable vs Nintendo DS
Let's take a trip back to E3 2004 and re-examine what looked like one of the most one-sided console 'wars' in history. Sony debuted its state-of-the-art PlayStation Portable as part of an E3 that also saw the reveal of the Nintendo DS. The Mario makers' low-tech device was all but written off in the wake of an admittedly feeble reveal, but of course, in terms of sales success it was the handheld device of its era, with PSP eventually finishing up as a worthy runner-up. Both were important machines though and their legacy persists into the core make-up of today's mobile devices, with the pioneering concepts of both platform holders crucial to the make-up of the modern day smartphone - not to mention the Nintendo Switch.
In the latest DF Retro episode embedded below, John Linneman and I talk our way through each of the Sony and Nintendo press conferences, in what would be round one of the battle of the handhelds. It's fascinating to revisit a time where the nature of E3 briefings was very different to the flashy, glitzy events of the E3 of today. Comparing the two also highlights the beginning of a fundamental difference in philosophy between the two firms. Kaz Hirai's PSP reveal spends a good amount of time simply reeling off the technical specifications of the new handheld, right down to the physical dimensions and weight of the unit. Nintendo's Reggie Fil-Aime - making a remarkably combative E3 debut - makes the case for the experience being more important than the amount of horsepower behind it, a philosophy that is expanded upon in the presentation and persists at Nintendo even today.
But what's fascinating about this portable head-to-head is that both Sony and Nintendo did some crucial pioneering work in what would become the standard make-up for a mobile device. Sony saw PlayStation Portable as a mobile machine you could take anywhere that would perform a multitude of functions. You can play games, you can watch movies, you can listen to movies - and that's just for starters. On top of that, there were ambitions to push the functionality of the machine with add-on devices that would offer very smartphone-like features - like GPS tracking, for example. And in terms of the core hardware design, the concept of dedicated 3D acceleration hardware proved crucial in the success of the iPhone - the first smartphone to enjoy mainstream success and the template for the vast majority of phones on the market today
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