I blame piracy for the sales wise. Review wise, there are some amazing console-type games on the system. It can be done, and the NGP further extends that. I wait for the day where i can take my console game on the go, then come back and continue. 

What I find ironic and sadly funny is the PSP actually had higher rated games until recently, I think it says a lot for how terrible some sites review systems are, they reviewed both PSP and DS games based on how they play as console games rather than on the go and for the average consumer.  Even the DS games that ARE highly rated are for the most part good home console games, the other games that get high scores are those versatile titles I talked about earlier like Mario Kart. 

Ideal isn't what I'd call the DS at all, what I'd call ideal would probably be the original GBA... that aside I play a ton of portable gaming, killed 2 DSes by literally wearing out the buttons, but the placement of the stick on NGP isn't ideally in the center, like your GC, Xbox, or 3DS places it, they try yet again to put it below the D pad for whatever reason.  

Edges never really bothered me, if you want to get into it, basically what gives me issues with the DS is playing FPS games, I played the crap out of Metroid Prime Hunters (one of the games that killed my DS buttons) and yeah holding the damn thing with your left hand only becomes a pain after a while, but that's any console, like holding the DS3 for move games.... but I'd give the first company to figure out a way around that a big shiny nickel.

But even though the NGPs shifted things up it's still not in the center which is the ideal spot, a large control stick in the center with a smaller d-pad to the inside would be most ideal... the 3DS is closer to this though the Dpad being so far down and larger than I want kinda throws me off, but it does give me a big analog in the center so most of my controlling can be done with ease and the occasional D pad use, and it's where it belongs... below the analog. 

Lol, I only play the PSP about everyday.  I don't find the analog nub uncomfortably positioned at all.  I just don't like the feel of it as it slides.  However, the NGP's analog sticks look like they are going to be great for gaming.  And considering the size and design of the NGP, I bet its going to feel even better in the hands than the PSP.

Except, for example, Dr. Mephesto's four-assed critters.

@disolitude  id say 60 mil PSP owners would disagree with you, you want those short flash games for little burst of gaming??? good for you. get a damn Iphone or any smart phone. IMHO why the hell are you going to buy 250 and up DEDICATED portable gaming machine just to play some cheap games that you can play on your phone??? If im paying that kind of money then damn it, I insist that it has console level games otherwise why not stick with your ipod or what have you. Seriously that argument is BS from your logic I guess the Game boy was a piece of crap since those games were nothing but colorless NES ports, GBA was nothing but SNES ports pretty much every damn portable system prior to DS was nothing but console like games.