Consider that the DS has a larger installbase than the GBA ever had right now, and that in a year the Wii will be within a stone's throw of that same number. The PSP increasing userbase is not apparently helping its software sales overmuch - the fact that later buyers apparently don't buy legacy software is indicative of bad trends for games with legs.

I don't disagree.  I agree the DS has more units.

To use a stupid analogy, if you could sell X-rated movies in a movie store or at Disney Land, which would sell more?  I know I have no idea but the X-rated movies fit more in place at the movie store than at Disney Land.

Why use an analogy if you agree that it's stupid?

Let's try this one, which isn't even an analogy:

If FFVII remade would be cheaper to produce and sell more copies on the DS, why make it for the PSP?

Why not make FFXIII for the DS too?  Or TLR?  Or IU?

Why develop on a console at all if the DS is cheaper?  Do you see the fallacy in that thinking?

That's silly. FFXIII was put into poduction before any of the home consoles even landed. If it had started later it would be on the Wii. Same with TLR and IU.

And why not make everything for the DS? Because some degree of markt diversification is necessary in order to move that variety of software at a reasonable level. If they flood one system with all of their games, they are going to end up selling much fewer copies of each individual game because the buying power of the owner of any given system is limited. They will have to pick and choose.

Releasing games on different systems operates on the assumption that they tend to be owned by different people (and they do), and that these different people have the common interest of being willing to buy S-E games. So they have two choices: shrink their development investments and release for one system at reasonable intervals, or throw some of their games onto other systems and hope, oh really hope, that they move as much software as games on the DS and PS2.

That answer your question?

No.  The point I am driving at is that in order to achieve an artistic vision you need a suitable platform.  You could make a version of the games I mentioned on the DS but it would not be the same as those games due to limitations of the DS.  The same would be said for FF7 unless you're under the assumption that they would be shooting for a lower bar than they set with Crisis Core.

Uh....huh.

Square put Crisis Core on the PSP because they had reason to believe that that is where it would sell best. It had little or nothing to do with their artistic vision and everything to do with the all-mighty dollar.

Like I said, I don't expect a FFVII remake on th DS - I expect it to be on the Wii, or perhaps its successor. But the DS is much more likely than the PSP, if only because it will make more money there. More than anything, Square needs and wants money. That is the ultimate deciding factor.

I would not presume to speak for a game developer nor to know things I do not.  SE could literally have flipped a coin and based their decision on the outcome of that coinflip for all I know.  Feel free to make your own assumptions, but I'd rather avoid that.

As for the ultimate deciding factor, it might be feasibility.  If the ROI on their desired platform looks insufficient then they might choose not to pursue that project until the ROI on the same or another desired platform is sufficient.  Considering Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus, it seems that SE is happy to continue milking everything but the original game.  With that in mind, it would be strange to see a FF7 remake at all (as I mentioned earlier).

Anyway, my original point still stands:  The PSP has the most fitting game lineup for FF7 to fit into.

Your original point is still wrong, and based on one game.

Obviously, the PS2 has the most fitting game lineup for FF7 to fit into.