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Nintendo DS to Feature Instant Messaging?
Decaffeinated Jedi writes "Following rumors of wireless connectivity, movie playback, and a touch-screen interface, CNN/Money reports today that Nintendo's upcoming dual-screen portable will also incorporate instant messaging into its ever-growing feature set. The DS would most likely offer local IM service via its radio-frequency wireless networking hardware, with users typing messages on the portable's touch screen using a stylus. The article also discusses physical design of the DS: 'The form factor will feature two three-inch screens that fold together, similar to that of the Game Boy Advance,' says one industry analyst quoted in the article. 'There will be two flipper controls, two directional pads, and an 'A' and 'B' button. The stylus will be used for gaming, Instant Messaging, and other multimedia functionalities.' The Nintendo DS: it slices, it dices, it juliennes!"
With the evergrowing list of capabilities of the DS, it seems like it's reaching well beyond being a supposed "third pillar" of the Nintendo empire.
Originally it was pitched as a machine that you'd want to have ALONGSIDE your Gamecube and Gameboy, that it'd provide some seperate function which the other two didn't and vice versa and versa vice. But what it sounds like is an all-around superior portable gaming machine to the GBA... why would you want a GBA when you have a more powerful, more versatile machine available? That smells of 'replacement' to me, not 'supplemental'.
The only problem is, there have been no press releases from Nintendo about this product since they announced it. Most of it has been speculation from CNN analysts.
It's like sex, except I'm having it!
Just out of curiosity, is this thing going to play games, too? ;)
DecafJedi
my weblog: apropos of something
It seems to me that Nintendo leaked small bits of vague information about the DS (2 screens, etc...) and scoured the 'net reading all of the fan speculation regarding it, only to incorporate the most popular ideas. ("Let's say it has TWO screens and see if any of them has an idea about how to use them effectively")
/crackpot theory
We still have no idea just what the DS -is-. Everything's very vague at first, and it's taking definition pretty-well along the lines of the rumours.
Free market research == teh awesome.
Oh yea, I heard that the DS has a special feature that steals your credit card number and sends it to some slashdot user named Schezar. ^_~
GeekNights!
Late Night Radio for Geeks!
I'm wondering if it will get to the point when we can just buy a 'Game Card' so to speak. Somewhat like an Xbox/PS2/GC PCI/AGP card containing the console itself, otherwise our living rooms are just going to get more and more clustered. Dont get me wrong, I'm all for touchscreens, IM, etc.. but we already have most of the hardware needed for it sitting at home now.
Anyone else think pcs/consoles will ever become one? Or am I just crazy...
If this is true, which I'm suspicious of, because, frankly, Nintendo is not a very leaky company, but if this is true, it looks like the speculation that Nintendo was going for some place between the GBA and the cube. That is to say, this is not something you whip out and play a few rounds of at the bus stop, but it is something that you can bring over to your friend's house and play with - it doesn't require a TV and a bunch of wiring.
I wonder if we're dealing with something that's portable in the same way that a laptop is portable - that is to say, usually going to be run off an outlet, and rather bulky, but still movable.
It would certainly be a new type of gaming device.
Philip Sandifer's academic website
Touch screen? Clamshell case? Stylus? Sounds like a Handspring Treo with an extra screen and game controls to me. Add a camera, and you can see the guy you're playing on the second screen while you kick his butt on the first screen.
The Nokia N-gage may suck right now, but Nintendo can't help but see that sort of device as a potential threat to their handheld gaming dominance. As it is, the console market is moving away from them, with the next generation of consoles almost certainly focused more on media center features instead of only games. Nintendo can't afford to let the handheld market move away from them in a similar way.
All just wild speculation, but plausible....
Wow, all this from a company that defended its lack of a DVD player in the GC by saying it was purely a game machine. You don't need a dvd player!
Yeah, and I don't need a clamshell instant messenger, either.
Jack of all trades, master of none? Convergence strikes again.
To understand recursion,
you must first understand recursion.
Where are the photos? A gaming magazine had photos of the Nintendo DS recently, but I've not seen them surface anywhere online. A buddy of mine works at a gas station, and in his many bored hours reads many of the rags they stock. I saw thems myself, but when I went in again on Monday to buy it so I could make scans, the issue was gone, replaced by a new edition. I'm going nuts- I wish I would've bought the thing right then and there- but I figured someone would have scans up by now...
Grr!
Working toward a usable PDA environment in the spirit of Newton OS: Dynapad
Not to say I am not gonna give this a try just because. I wait patiently for the reviews and I do hope that it is something great. Nintendo has rarely disappointed me and I sure hope this is no different.
"Armed forces abroad are of little value unless there is prudent counsel at home" - Cicero
The problem with the N-Gage is it was made by a cell phone company. They had no previous experience in the hand held (or even console) arena. This is blatantly obviously when you look at the ergonomics (or lack there of) of the unit. Furthermore, it really had no games.
Nintendo, however, DOES have experience in this area. They have many years of experience to bring to the table, as well as good gaming title backing. I expect they will come out with a unit very comfortable to use, as opposed to the N-Gage. They KNOW how to design the interface. I would go so far as to argue, that IMHO, the controller for the GC is the best that has ever been made... but that is getting off topic.
The DS will show some success, if for no other reason than for being made by Nintendo. If the DS turns into a must have hit, only time will tell. But if anyone were to pull it off, it would be Nintendo.
Everything you listed (other than the simple existence of the DS) is simply rumours right now.
At first, I was going to go on a rant about how all I want is a game system, none of this instant messaging, movie playing etc... but then I read the line about it only having A and B buttons!
For Gods sake Nintendo: PUT MORE THAN TWO FACE BUTTONS ON YOUR HANDHELD! Seriously! One of the biggest problems with the GBA in my opinion is that there simply aren't enough buttons to do proper ports of SNES games. I know Nintendo wants to make games simpler and all, but this is only going to hurt the possibilities! Forget about that second D-Pad and give me X and Y buttons!
-"One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man." -EH
Say what you will about Nintendo's inept marketing department, but they've got it right this time. Analysts are creaming over what this thing will do. Look at all of the free publicity that's come by simply announcing the product and the fact that it has two screens.
It's like sex, except I'm having it!
I'll be buying one. I held out on purchasing a Gameboy Advance until last December, and out of all my consoles I think it's one of the most amazing. Hard to explain why, I should be jaded with all the 3D graphical powerhouses I'm surrounded by - but the GBA has tons of charm, just throw in Wario Ware, FFTA, or Metroid Zero Mission and you'll see why.
Bring it on Nintendo! (just make it affordable will ya?)
As long as we're posting wild speculation and rumors, why not take a look at this *achem* "mock-up" of the DS?
You probably shouldn't click this.
The Nintendo DS will have wireless multiplayer! And instant messaging! And a stylus, and handwriting recognition!
And of course, backwards-compatibility with the Gamecube, with the second screen acting as connected GBA! (Why do you think they made the Gamecube discs so small?)
Also, they are porting the three Zelda games created for the Philips CD-I to the DS, and releasing them exclusively, one-game-per-box, with new systems!
The OS is going to be an open-source BSD variant!
It'll have a built-in hard drive like an iPod, and the games will be distributed from wireless point-of-sale terminals in stores!
It actually has seven screens! Nintendo's just fucking with you!
Anonymous sources from Nintendo tell me that it comes with its own remote-controlled robot with speech recognition! Nintendo feels this provides "unique game design opportunities."
The Nintendo DS will give you the power to fly! Like Superman!
Imagine a Beowulf cluster of these!
I'm not claiming this is real, just a picture that I thought you might enjoy.
I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it.
More likely the next Tapwave. Except unlike Tapwave, they'll have more than 2 or 3 mediocre exclusive games for it, and it won't have a controller that breaks within a week after you buy it.
Unfortunately, unlike the Tapwave, it won't run any emulators, at least not unlicensed ones. Maybe this is the real reason Nintendo went after that emulator?
Anyway, back to my point... if the rumors we've been hearing are true then this system is fixing up to be a combination PDA/entertainment device, like the Tapwave. It's got movie and mp3 playing, game playing, and probably a touch sensitive screen. All that you need to add is the PDA software.
The N-Gage failed because as you said it didn't have good games, and it had a bad interface. However, there's no inherent reason a combination PDA and gaming device must have bad games and a bad interface. (Many PDA's devices already have a control disk that looks suspiciously like a gaming contoller). Adding a phone to the mix, however, doesn't really work though. The form factors are just incompatible.
Is there a market for such a beast? I don't know. With the PDA functionality, and higher price, they would be going after an older demographic than the GBA. Unlike the Tapwave, this sounds more like a game playing first, PDA second kind of machine. (I viewed the Tapwave as a PDA first, and a game machine second, since it ran the Palm OS). In other words the market for this are those people who want a gaming device, but could be swayed to buy this one by the additional gaming features.
I thought the Tapwave had a chance, but the lack of games, poor marketing, and the poor quality of the controller is going to be the end of them. Nintendo is unlikely to make these mistakes, but they may fail to have good PDA applications. I think the product really is an experiment to test the market, and they know it.
Flamebait????
My life is complete.
Seriously guys, I wasnt talking about the ARTICLE as an official statement. I was talking about other "official statements" that turned out to be false. (such as Nintendo not working in a handheld) and others that aparently could be false (Obviously the article should be taken with a lot of salt ) and I was making fun of that period.
For the record I wasnt flame baiting. I honestly believe what I said and I support it
Go ahead MOD my day!
More opinions here
"Am I the only one who thinks this is the next N-Gage?"
Yes.
"I mean really Nintendo, Do what you do best. It is not making hardware, but games."
Nintendo doesn't make good hardware? The NES wasn't good? The GameBoy and all its variants? The SNES? The N64? The GameCube?! The hardware's great! The only real smudge on their hardware record I can think of is the Virtual Boy. Even that was pretty cool, just needed a little more tweaking. (I.e. lose the red LEDs and go with a more neutral color.)
"Now release Zelda for PS2, and make yourself RICH!"
They have made themselves rich with Zelda.
Nintendo makes great hardware. Even their less successful stuff demonstrated ambition and innovation. Does that mean the DS will be cool? Who knows? I got $1 that says the system as a piece of hardware will be pretty spiffy, the real question is what the games will be like on it. You're not going to be holding the edge of this thing up to your ear, if that's what you're asking.
"Derp de derp."
There will be two flipper controls, two directional pads, and an 'A' and 'B' button.
Interesting that this describes the Virtual Boy *exactly*.
Sounds like some "industry analyst" is playing a joke.
"Mod, mod, mod...and another troll bites the dust."
Just today, I was playing FF:TA at university, waiting for my lecture to start. I thought "it'd be cool if this thing had a todo list an alarm on it" - thus letting me know when it was a good time to save and get going.
Honestly, I used to have a PDA, but it was just a hassle to take everywhere for a few basic features. On the other hand, I usually take my GBA to Uni every day, and having the features I can almost get by without right there on my gaming platform, would be awesome - a little like the Neo Goe Pocket Colour, with it's alarm and calender.
Looks can be deceiving. Or CAN they?
I never said the hardware was bad. The GameCube currently holds third place in the console (hardware) market. Admittedly it owns the portable market, but that is due to the lack of competitors. When the PSP comes out, we shall see who wins the mobile wars.
Mod Wisely.
"The GameCube currently holds third place in the console (hardware) market."
It's been second for a while now.
"Admittedly it owns the portable market, but that is due to the lack of competitors. When the PSP comes out, we shall see who wins the mobile wars."
Perhaps. Sadly, I'm not sure I see a 'war' brewing. Not that I intend to underestimate Sony, but they are an awfully arrogant company. The war might be short lived if it becomes a niche product. Unless they can get the price at around $100, I don't see that as being likely.
However, it is really too early for me to speculate on that. We haven't even seen the system yet. I could easily be wrong.
"Derp de derp."