I was only 8 years old when these consoles came out. I decided to ask my mum for a Playstation, after playing on my older brothers console and being blown away by Ridge Racer and Alien Trilogy. That and I remember thinking my mum wouldn't fork out an extra £100 for a Sega Saturn lol.

I can't believe these arguements still go on. The PSP Go is out soon, which is a simple life extension to the PSP, designed to compete alongside the DSi for the next year or so. Sony themselves have stated this, saying that the reason they chose not to include a second analogue stick on the PSP Go was because the PSP was so late on into it's existence that to do so would alienate the existing PSP audience. Clearly any major changes or upgrades would be included on a whole new console. The new console does now enable users to download exclusive PSP Go games, which older PSP users will not be able to play. However, it's clear Sony doesn't see the PSP Go as a long term solution and will likely be readying a new handheld for the end of next year.

Similarly, the DSi is a simple life extension to the DS Lite, with an ever-so-slight hardware improvement, camera and an online shop comparable to the Wii. It allows users to download DSi exclusive software and games. However developers are few when it comes to making DSi exclusive games because it alienates the existing DS and DS Lite audience, which still drowns those DSi owners. Considering the DSi takes up such a small share of the DS market, and that once again the majority of owners will be casual, developers will unlikely alienate an entire audience to make use of such a minimal upgrade. Especially when only the core gamer will care about the ever-so-slightly improved graphics anyway.

Like Sony, I suspect Nintendo doesn't see their latest handheld as a long term project. They too will be planning an all-new handheld in the near future. If the DSi really was an all new handheld format, it would already be a big marketing mistake. There was little hype about it for one thing. It's sits in shops next to the Lite, acting as an advanced DS model. Much like the 360 Elite is to the 360 Premium. The console launched with no major software titles and it didn't get anywhere near the same level of promotion as the DS and DS Lite. It's clearly not expected to outsell the DS Lite or DS. It's simply a life extension that's testing new waters for a future handheld console.