DS Ideas To Maximize Dual-Screen Gameplay?

Thanks to IGN Pocket for its feature suggesting a range of game ideas to make the most of Nintendo DS' dual-screen touchpad features, since, as the introduction argues, the forthcoming DS "offers the most vast number of opportunities for unique game design types than any handheld or console in quite some time." The theoretical, not in-production suggestions include a Total Control Boxing title where "the touchpad of the Nintendo DS gives developers a lot more room to explore and move the controller in an analog space", a touch-screen based version of previously mentioned Ragdoll Kung Fu ("Like shiny shirts are the new black, physics is the new jumping"), and double-character platform gaming ("The large touchpad and double-screen system means that doubled playing fields could easily be the norm rather than an abnormality.") What gameplay ideas would you like to see the DS innovate with?

Comments

It just requires more thought

[Fiz Ocelot]

It's not like every game idea out there came to the designers very easily. Some required a lot of thought, while others where obvious or just a fluke. I mean you could have said the same thing about the mouse, oh it's just a gimmick, I'd rather use a keyboard for my games (which are mainly text based at the time)

Then come along whole new generes of games that simply require the mouse. What I'm saying is that sometimes a new thing like a second touch screen is just push designers need to explore things that are truly revolutionary.

return of cursor-based games

[radimvice]

The touch-screen alone will allow you much more intuitive control of games that depend on selecting objects in a 2-dimensional playing field (think Maniac Mansion, Lemmings, any RTS game). Basically, the days of manipulating that clunky joypad-controlled cursor all over the screen are gone. And this is a GREAT thing with tosn of possibilities.

I'm still a little skeptical of how it'll turn out in practice, though. My experience with touch screens in the past has been that they're still kind of clunky themselves because they're not precise enough to use with your thumbs and I wouldn't even think of trying to tap a screen with a stylus while simultaneously holding the controller in both hands and having access to the d-pad and action buttons.

As far as the second screen, as a three-year dual-monitor user I know how much easier it is to multitask with a set of applications open on separate screens and simply switch your gaze (and mouse) between them as opposed to constantly shuffling windows around. At the same time, I don't see streamlined console games having the same multitasking requirements, and I think the second screen will just be used as a place to put those mini-maps and status windows that used to be squeezed into the corner of the screen. It might make the main gameplay windows less cluttered, but I'd rather just have a larger single screen.

I give Nintendo credit for trying something new, but I'm still haunted by Virtual Boy flashbacks. They'll have to do a lot more than produce a gimmicky hardware platform if they truly intend to reintroduce innovation to the dying video game industry. Like, for example, I hope they design new games for the platform as opposed to port existing franchies and retro remakes with cursory touch-screen and dual-screen support. But this is definitely a start.

Re:Q3

[DrEldarion]

but if they can get this going I'll be playing on-line from my recliner. I think that'd be awesome!

You can already do that. It's called a PS2 w/ wireless controller. Sit in your recliner, no pay per month, life is good. Or, if you don't mind paying a small fee, XBL is worth it.

Re:How about...

[KDR_11k]

How about a handheld I can take on holiday with me and play something like GT4 on, then port the save over to the big console when I get home?

Face it, people will only whine that they'll need to buy the same game twice (for console and handheld, they can't differ much if you want the saves to be compatible). Unless Sony bundles the UMD and DVD versions of, say, GT4 for the same price or maybe five bucks more people will complain that it's too expensive for simple save porting. I mean, people already complain when you need a GBA, or in this case if you'd need a PSP to get everything out of a game, but a who-knows-how-expensive PSP plus a second copy of the 50 buck game (or 70 bucks, if you don't live in NA) in a different format, now that's going to attract a lot of complainers. Sure, they could make a PS2 addon that plays PSP games, but wouldn't that end up being the same as the Game Boy Player?