Nintendo DS Gets Sleeker Final Design, Same Name

Ravi Hiranand writes "Nintendo has announced the final name of their Nintendo DS handheld, and it will be called... Nintendo DS. The final design of the system is viewable on their official site (screenshot) - looks sleeker and far less chunky, but still a bit awkward. There's also an English-language press release full of waffly language, but the only things you need to know are that there are 120 DS games in development (20 from Nintendo) and that the price, release date and launch lineup will be announced later."

Comments

I also need to know...

[DdJ]

...the feature set.

The one thing I'm dying to know that I haven't been able to discover is if this thing will be able to function as a GBA connected to a GameCube. Does it have the connector the Cube uses to connect to a GBA? Can it download code over that port and execute it as the GBA does?

If so, I'll probably buy one. I was going to buy a second GBA just for when people come over to play Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. If this thing can serve that niche as well as do everything else they say it'll do, I'll buy one of these and delegate "backup GBA controller" status to my current GBA SP.

Codename DS

[fbrain]

Its a good job Microsoft project code names don't get taken through to release. XP is easier to type the Whistler.

Any one else know of any products being released with their code names?

I know not all products have code names etc. I'm just interested.

extra button?!?

[Norb]

one thing i noticed was that button above the d-pad. i hope that is just the power and not like a regular button.. it would suck to have to move your thumb to use that one.

Homebrew Coding...

[dmayle]

Let me just say that I want to be one of the first to start doing some homebrew coding on this. I imagine it would work wonderfully as a double-function PDA/Gameboy. What with the Wifi, Blutooth, touch screen, and the ability to scroll a web page across the two screens, I can't wait to get at it...

Battery Life

[bunburyist]

I find that battery life has been a big deal with new handhelds from nintendo, the gba and gba had excellent battery life, I hope I can expect more of the same out of the DS. I'm concerned that with higher performance will come lower battery life, which greatly limits the portability of the devices.

Portable Games

[Klar]

I've been held back from buying portable systems for the last few years because of past problems. My first portable was the Atari Lynx(which came out just after the gameboy, and had a colour screen), within a few months of paying the big cash it took to buy, games became very hard to find, and stopped being produced. After this, instead of buying a gameboy, as I wasnt a big fan of the cartoony graphics, I bought a sega Gamegear.. although this system lasted me a bit longer than the lynx, games became much harder to find.

Now, I think I will wait to see the actual release and game development of the new sony and nintendo portables before I shell out the cash. I guess I will have to settle playing games on my laptop for now.

Re:Portable Games

[Kirby-meister]

After this, instead of buying a gameboy, as I wasnt a big fan of the cartoony graphics

Well, there's the problem right there - you generalized all Gameboy games as cartoony, and figured cartoony graphics makes for bad gameplay. While you do have Pokemon and such, you also have your Zeldas, your Metroids, and your Castlevanias.

I really think it weird people let cartoony graphics get in the way of having a good time with a game. It sounds like the person is a teenaged boy who wants to prove his "matureness" by buying what he perceives as adult things.

I guess I'm comfortable with my maturity enough that I can play games like Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo or Zelda: The Wind Waker without feeling like I'm playing a kid's game; I'm just playing a fun game, after all.

You should really rethink your priorities on what you think makes handheld gaming goodness...

Original Ideas: 0

[koi88]

Quote:"Original Ideas: 0 /only half joking"
Actually, Nintendo is one of the few gaming companies where you can expect original ideas.
The whole device is a nice new idea (more original than "play PS2 games everywhere", isn't it?)

Re:DS vs PSP

[tuffy]

Since Sony announced 100 developers for their device and its portable music/vid capabilities, will the DS lose out to the PSx juggernaut (can 20 more games make/break a game)?

If the PSP comes to market at $300 with 3-5 hours of battery life compared to 10+ hours for the DS and a probable $150 price tag, the DS will bury the PSP easily - despite the PSP's obvious technical merits. Battery life and initial cost are everything in the portable market, and the backwards-compatibility with the huge GBA library gives the DS even more of an edge.

Finally! A/B/X/Y!

[Kredal]

It's about time a portable Nintendo device has four right-thumb buttons! Now they can do GOOD ports of every SNES game, and not have to mess with the controls to make them fit in the confines of the GBA!