I think putting a spinning disc drive in a handheld system was a far stupider decision, tbdesu

>>736243674
The spinning discs were an necessary evil because flash memory was complete dogshit at the time. Lacking input parity with mainline consoles was retarded.

>>736243486
>>736243674
It was 2004/2005 hardware. Certain lessons still needed to be learned.

>>736243486
Many games weren't using the second analog stick for the camera yet back then. You have Jet Set Radio Future and Ninja Gaiden Black on Xbox using the triggers to readjust the camera.

>>736244564
>discs
>necessary evil
Cartridges had been the de facto solution to handheld game distribution since the late 80s. Sony kicking Nintendo's ass with the PS1 by using discs instead of cartridges does not apply to hardware that isn't intrinsically stationary.

>>736245724
>doesn't include an extra pair of triggers
>>736245765
The problem is that flash memory was expensive as fuck. It was roughly 50 bucks for a 256MB memory stick for the PSP. The average "big" PSP game was about a gigabyte. If Sony had used cartridges, the games would have not been remotely affordable.

>>736243486
the only genre that actually needs a second stick is shooters, which still suck on console which is why they all have aim assist. you just have a pathological need to baby the camera at all times because you grew up playing games that worked that way

>>736246585
And so they pivot into the equally damning problem of putting discs, a technology whose efficiency is particularly sensitive to sudden movements, into a handheld. Barring that inherent problem, UMDs were also loud as fuck and the plastic shells could break.

>>736243486
Foregoing input parity with PS2 was a really stupid move.

>>736246957
NTA but you’re fixating on this for no reason. UMDs were not a problem and literally no one complained about them.

>>736246957
Once again, Sony had no other choice. While UMDs sucked when it came to loading times and noise, they were still usable.
>breaking
Never had one break on me.
>>736246919
There are plenty of games that could have benefited from a second stick. Ace Combat X suffers from being unable to look around without using the target button.
>shooters
Unrelated, but I'm still astounded with the Metroid Prime Hunters and how well it controls on the DS. Being able to use the touch screen for mouse like aim is amazing.

>>736247282
I could say the same about "input parity" or whatever. No one cared when the Game Boy Advance didn't have an analog stick like the N64 or PS1, despite being able to run (very rudimentary) 3D games. Mario Kart alone would justify the inclusion. If we can bitch about that sort of thing, I can bitch about UMDs.

>>736247429
>Ace Combat X suffers from being unable to look around without using the target button.
if you don't play ace combat in first person you're doing it wrong, all you need is 1 stick and two shoulders to simulate pitch/yaw/rolling

>>736247639
>being unable to look around without going on autopilot due to missing right stick
That's still a massive problem even in first person. Have you never scanned the AO when looking for your next ground target?

>>736246585
>doesn't include an extra pair of triggers
Neither did the Dreamcast or Xbox controllers, even the Gamecube only included 3 and the babby one was barely used. The PSP is a product of the time it was released.

>>736248173
>dreamcast
irrelevant flop that didn't even have a second stick
>Xbox
Had an extra pair of face buttons which later became bumper buttons.

>>736246957
There was no other way to cram that much data into a portable storage device cheaply, the alternative was games that came on $100 (in 2004 money) cartridges.
As a comparison, UMDs can go up to 1.8GB and games getting close to that were coming out within a few years, while the DS can only go up to 256MB and games that size only started coming out towards the end of its lifespan.