It has been billed as the great hardware battle of the 21st Century- The hardened warriors Nintendo, having seen off numerous pretenders to the handheld crown, enter the ring once more, this time with the Nintendo DS. It is faced by a newcomer- Sony's PlayStation Portable.

In truth, though, comparing the two consoles is akin to likening chalk with cheese.

In the great debate about the respective merits of both consoles since this year's E3 exhibition in Los Angeles, something crucial has been lost- they are both different beasts, which are not in direct competition with each other. The majority of the media though has unsurprisingly failed to notice this. Now is the time to set the record straight.

Why the DS? Why not take on Sony directly by coming up with a high-powered successor to the existing Game Boy Advance, with a large screen and GameCube-quality visuals, playing games, video and internet access? Why not blow them away like only Nintendo can?

This question has been asked by too many Nintendo fans of late. There is a simple answer- Nintendo have not come up with such a system because it is not Nintendo's way.

The DS is a monumental risk- But then Nintendo are a company that have always been about huge risk-taking.

The decision, taken decades ago by outspoken former president Hiroshi Yamauchi to enter into the videogame business was an extraordinary risk at the time. Risk-taking is at the heart of the Nintendo way of doing things. It's part of the reason why I love them.

The PSP, on the other hand smacks entirely of playing it safe. But then, that too is entirely consistent with Sony. The games demonstrated at E3 were technically very impressive, but imaginatively vacant. They brought nothing new to the table, and I've yet to hear from anybody who thinks otherwise. And that's unforgivable. Is 'the future of handheld gaming' really going to consist of endless PS2 ports and FIFA 2006 with more realistic character models? It sounds very much like it. But, curiously, that doesn't interest me in the slightest. I can almost hear the cries of 'Ah, but it's portable, isn't it? You can take it with you anywhere' from the Sony contingent.

Unfortunately, the PSP, for all it's undoubted sleek sophistication and admittedly impressive clout, is effectively about as portable as a laptop computer. Like a laptop, yes, you can bring it wherever you want, but you'll have to be within close range of a power supply if you want the PSP to function for more than three hours (and considerably less if you're watching a film on it- in fact, you'd be very lucky to watch a complete film without having to recharge). Thanks to some canny power management features, the DS, conversely, will have battery life comparable to the Game Boy Advance SP (i.e more than enough). Suddenly Sony's insistence on using both disks and powerful processors is looking a little ill-advised. But even if Sony manage to solve this problem, then the PSP still has comparatively little to recommend it over the Nintendo DS.

The DS and PSP are products of diverging philosophies from two very different companies. Now that technology has advanced far enough and is affordable enough, Nintendo are now able to go boldly where nobody has ever gone before. The DS really is a journey into the unknown. Where would you like to go today? Touch-screen technology, combined with the dual-screen mechanic and voice-recognition features form a trinity of newness which hasn't been seen since the Nintendo 64. The third dimension may not be the final frontier we once thought it was. And while Sony and Microsoft are still thinking all too conventionally, Nintendo are reaching for the stars with the DS, and the Revolution in the future.

Nintendo's showing with the DS really was top-notch. The likes of Metroid Prime: Hunters, Mario 64x4, Pac-Pix, Animal Crossing and Wario Ware showed off the capabilities of the console to great effect. Just as pleasing was that Nintendo have opened their arms to online gaming, with full Wi-Fi functionality. Wireless local multiplayer, as well as instant messaging (with drawings, courtesy of the stylus) also open up new horizons. Reggie Fils-Aimes at E3 did a very good job of communicating to the world why the DS was going to revolutionize the handheld market in a way that the PSP can't hope to, no matter how many units it sells.

Another aspect to the DS Vs. PSP debate is that games can't simply be converted between the two- no longer will simple ports cut it on the DS. Developers face new challenges, but also extraordinary new opportunities. The last time they could do something truly 'new' with games was with the Nintendo 64. It has taken Nintendo again to move the industry forward.

When I think about the DS, I think of opportunity- the features the DS possesses can be used in almost limitless ways. Nintendo are laying the foundations for years of innovation on the DS. Sony's PSP simply can't do this.

The PSP wins in the design stakes though- a bright, large widescreen makes the DS's look quite paltry and overall it's a well-designed, attractive machine. However, you can be sure that Nintendo will give the DS a considerable lick of paint before release. A full and final DS unveiling, with many near-finished games, the final DS design and new name, along with firm release dates, will be forthcoming in the next few months. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the PSP will indeed play host to many interesting and brilliant games- I genuinely look forward to seeing and playing them. But because of the total lack of originality inherent lack of hardware innovation that the PSP brings, Nintendo's new console gets my vote every time. A semi-portable PS2, which offers nothing new in terms of gameplay won't cut it in this new handheld world.

The motivation for launching both consoles is also quite different. The PSP seems to be entering the market specifically to end Nintendo's dominance in the handheld sector. The DS is motivated by a desire to shake up what we expect from our games, and to provide a new and different playing experience. I say this because if Nintendo were intent on beating out Sony's effort in terms of sales and economics, then the DS would not have existed. Nintendo would have come up with the console I described at the beginning of this article. By sticking to their guns, by remaining true to their core gaming values, by taking such a huge risk in the name of moving the games industry forward, Nintendo have already beaten Sony's new console ideologically. I think that's something to be applauded.

Nintendo have always been imaginative, daring, and willing to be different. But the DS fires up my imagination more than any other console has done in the past. Suddenly, the conventional isn't good enough any more.

Nintendo have gone back to doing what they do best- refusing to follow the crowd, and innovating like only they know how. Nothing else comes close.

Vive la Revolution!

By Mark Cullinane
(Comments, queries or complaints- [email protected] is my email address and you're welcome to send any comments you may have there- and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.)