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Nintendo DS to Feature Wireless Connectivity?
Decaffeinated Jedi writes "As reported by GameSpot, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata indicated in a recent interview (Japanese-language) that the company's upcoming dual-screen portable (previously covered on Slashdot) will feature wireless Bluetooth-esque connectivity for multiplayer gaming. Iwata goes on in the interview to describe the Nintendo DS as a 'unique' machine, noting that 'not everybody will understand it right away. There might only be 10 to 15 people applauding during its unveiling at the E3, but they'll understand it once they touch it. At the least, it should serve as a hint towards [our] next-generation console.'" Although we've covered Iwata interviews recently, this now makes a little more sense given the context of the DS announcement.
This is going to be the jesus portable console. It will probably fail because I don't see how they will keep the cost down enough to justify it. But I'm sure it will have an effect on all types of gamers. I realize I'm just reiterating everything that was said the last time this came up, but I think we're now starting to see how feature-packed this may become. So the question is, will it be bloated? We'll have to wait and see.
I just read an interview on IGN yesterday with Nintendo of America's vice president of corporate affairs Perrin Kaplan.
He hinted that the DS would have some fancy features other than just the dual screens. Good to see that there may actually be meat behind this little handheld.
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WTF does a PDA have to do with anything? Nobody said anything about a PDA!
There might only be 10 to 15 people applauding during its unveiling at the E3, but they'll understand it once they touch it. At the least, it should serve as a hint towards [our] next-generation console.'
This is great! Finally a console that can connect to two television screens at once! I mean, a television and a computer monitor! Err... a DVD rom drive with two lazers? A DVD / Cart combo? Power lights on both sides?
Hmmm... Not much of a hint there, but if history is to be any indication, my guess would be this means the Cube2 will have a screen built into the controller, ALA Dreamcast. Likewise, the Cube Boy will be better integrated with the Cube 2, with the analog sticks so badly needed for Final Fantasy.
Still, Nintendo is known for experimenting with some outlandish ideas, so here we go again...
The ______ Agenda
I knew it would have wireless to be awesome. However, to be even more awesome both screens have to seperate from each other. If two people can play one game with one system and one cartridge and the two halves of the system connect wirelessly it will be the king of handhelds. Imagine the possibilities that before were difficult. Like battleship for instance.
I'm definitely buying one. At best it rules and I get my moneys worth. At worst its another Virtual Boy and I can be that one guy who still has a working Virtual boy. It's a win/win situation.
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nothing iwata says makes sense let alone more sense.
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Is it me or is nintendo seriously lacking competition in the handheld arena... to the point where they now release a new system just to fight among themselves. As if regular gameboy, gameboy color, gameboy advance isn't enough.
Don't worry Sony will come by and clean up this mess.
Hey, maybe the DS will be much like those "Donkey Kong" and "Green House" LCD handhelds they had back in the day. That would be a blast from the past!
Man those were the days... imagine playing your Final Fantasy like that!
READY.
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GBA: 80%
PSP: 18%
other: 2%
Looks like Sony's eating into the market share. However, if they release the DS at the same time as the PSP taking the wind out of their launch sails it might come out more like:
GBA: 80%
PSP: 11%
DS: 7%
other: 2%
Now things look a lot more shaky for the PSP, and Nintendo has said themselves that the GBA will not be replaced so PSP and DS both fail and GBA continues its dominance.
It's a kamakazie system that tries a lot new ideas, and if those ideas take off then great, and if they don't...well it still served its purpose.
I have no idea what the screen layout is going to be like, but if they're side by side it would be neat if they had a lightweight shutter glasses peripheral or polarized screen covers along with polarized glasses so you could have Virtual Boy the way it should have been.
That makes me think of BAD (as in very evil) user interfaces at museums, some stores, etc. I have no problem with normal controls in videogames. They are quick and are precise. A touchscreen is slow and er...unprecise.
That would suck.
Some choice quotes from the linked interview (thanks to babelfish):
You say that it evolves graphics and should have kept making function complicated "golden law of success" is the collapse red sandal wood.
I think Iwata says that design is a natural evolution from graphics, and that the DS will be collapsible and come in a nice wood finish. Bold move, in this age of clean, plastic designs! I had assumed it would look more like the SP, but we all know that big N aren't satisfied with jumping on bandwagons. I agree with Iwata here, the design needs to convey a more adult sense of purpose, so it doesn't have to compete with the GBA.
The creator having suffered hardship 100 times, 100 times it can sell, instead of, in the circumstance that, even even maintenance of the status quo it is difficult, in the former route which wastes time and energy, as for future of the game as for without being it is clear.
From this quote, I gather the DS will break easily. Iwata suggests that once you've bought a DS, you'll readily buy 100 more if they keep breaking (indicating that it will be a cheap unit, I suppose). I'm not so sure about this strategy, as Iwata says it will probably be a waste of time and energy to try and repair them yourself - but I'm still concerned about the cost. Time will have to tell on that one.
Very useful information! Hopefully slashdot can keep posting interviews like these. This really helped shed some light on Nintendo's strategy with the DS.
Honestly, over the time that Nintendo has been in existance and in gaming they have established quite a track record. I am willing to give them a chance because nothing they have done in their console/handheld history has been really bad (Virtual Boy was revolutionary, but was just released before the technology was ready). The marketing folks at Nintendo are smart, I am sure that the new DS will NOT compete with the GBA, but will occupy any market share that Sony was aiming at. In that case, even if the handheld sells slowly, it will take a lot of people out of the market for the PSP before it gains steam.
Nintendo knows that the worst thing that can happen in the next year is for Sony to gain a foothold in the mobile market with the PSP, NOA's monopoly of the handheld market is what kept them around when the Gamecube wasn't selling well.
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Why is the GBA DX starting to sound a lot like the NGage?
I am thinking my original theory regarding the DS is correct: The DS is primarily designed to be the controller of the next gen nintendo console.
I can't give my name lest the man gets wind of my knowledge.
I'd say that the PSP is heading more along those lines.
What the....?
There is no such thing as the "GBA DX." You're trolling.
And nothing about the Nintendo DS sounds like the Ngage.