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Nintendo DS to Launch November 21
mcc writes "PlanetGamecube is reporting the upcoming Nintendo DS handheld has been given a launch date of November 21st and a price of $150 ! It is also being reported that the Nintendo DS will ship with PictoChat (a sort of chat/whiteboard software) and some form of the Metroid Prime Hunters multiplayer FPS bundled in. A fact sheet is also available."
Nintendo dominates the handheld market, and will probably continue to do so. And the handheld market is what this article is about.
Unlike the GBA, the nintendo DS doesn't allow you to play your favorite nintendo games from other consoles... no NES, no Super NES, no N64
Maybe it's just me, but I haven't seen the N64 -> GBA ports.
There's no reason they can't release NES or Super NES games for the DS, and I'm assuming they most likely will considering the huge profits they make on them.
I've just signed legislation that'll outlaw Russia forever. We'll begin bombing in five minutes.
Yeah, they said 6-10 hours. Takes an hour longer to charge than the GBA, but still kicks ass.
The GBA never had NES, SNES, N64 or Gamecube compatibility. But the GBA did have GB/GBC compatibility, and the DS will have GBA compatibility (at least). That built-in library, along with low cost and good battery life give Nintendo the same huge edge they enjoyed when the GBA first came out.
Ita erat quando hic adveni.
PS/2 and XBox are royally kicking Nintendo's ass at the sport that Nintendo once ruled.
If I had a nickel for every time i've heard this...Look up the sales figures.
The PS2 is slaughtering the other two, but in the US, figures put the GC and XBox running either neck-and-neck in 2nd place or with the GC slightly ahead. And that's to say nothing of Japan, where the GC is beating the XBox by something like 20:1 in total sales atm.
I think they mean, you have to be 30-100 feet to a WAP. At least that would make more sense. The protocol is based on 802.11, and Nintendo did mention that the DS would be compatable with Wireless Access Points.
It IS in the Games news.
The battery life is estimated to be about 10 hours. (I looked on a few forums and they were consistently saying 10.) My GBA SP has exceeded my expectations in terms of holding a charge, so I hope that the DS will do the same.
Here's a page with some pictures of the DS, if you haven't seen it.
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
Well, they've already stated that Mario 64 will be ported, and from this article on the launch (lot more responsive than Smoking-Hulk-Of-PlanetGameCube), looks like GBA games will be compatible (although that goes against everything else I've read).
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http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/09/21/news_6107
I don't know what kind of crack I was on, but I suspect it was decaf.
From earlier this month: Running Ancient UNIX On Nintendo Gameboy
Launch Date and MSRP: Nov. 21, 2004, in North America ($149.99), Dec. 2, 2004, in Japan (15,000 yen), Q1 2005 in Europe and Australia
Size (when closed): 148.7 millimeters (5.85 inches) wide, 84.7 millimeters (3.33 inches) long, 28.9 millimeters (1.13 inches) tall
Top Screen: A backlit, 3-inch, semitransparent reflective TFT color LCD with 256 x 192 pixel resolution and .24 mm dot pitch, capable of displaying 260,000 colors
Touch Screen: Same specs as top screen, but with a transparent analog touch screen
Wireless Communication: IEEE 802.11 and Nintendo's proprietary format; wireless range is 30 to 100 feet, depending on circumstances; multiple users can play multiplayer games using just one DS Game Card
Controls: Touch screen, embedded microphone for voice recognition, A/B/X/Y face buttons, plus control pad, L/R shoulder buttons, Start and Select buttons
Input/Output: Ports for both Nintendo DS Game Cards and Game Boy® Advance Game Paks, terminals for stereo headphones and microphone
Other features: Embedded PictoChat software that allows up to 16 users to chat at once, embedded real-time clock, date, time and alarm, touch-screen calibration
CPUs: One ARM9 and one ARM7
Sound: Stereo speakers providing virtual surround sound, depending on the software
Battery: Lithium ion battery delivering six to 10 hours of play on a four-hour charge, depending on use; power-saving sleep mode; AC adapter
Languages: English, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Italian
Color: Silver and black
I don't think he's comparing the price of the DS and the gameboy.
Maybe he's comparing the price to the previously speculated price of the DS?
Gameboy != DS
You apparently didn't RTFA. This is the first time that Nintendo will be releasing a system in the US first. Japan's DS will be released a few days later, and Europe and Australia will see it in 2005.
Officially, the DS is meant to be a third platform to go alongside the Gameboy and Gamecube lines. Unofficially, the DS is the GBA's successor and will soon take its place in the market. Though I have a feeling a lot of people will cling to the GBA-SP's svelte form-factor for as long as possible.
Ita erat quando hic adveni.
I think sony has a real fighting chance. They have alot of good 3rd parties behind them. They dominate the console market for god's sake!
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
Since all previous Nintendo handheld systems have had no region blocking, It'd be a safe bet that this one doesn't either.
Note: There is no "PAL" version of the DS as it doesn't output a television signal. However, the European version will have a different charger than the North American version, just like on the GBA.
"Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs. We have a protractor."
And GB/GBC compatability has been confirmed. :) I think the first game i'll play is the old school pack-in tetris when I get my DS. :)
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. - Anais Nin
My GBA SP gets at least the advertised 10 (backlight)/18 (no backlight) hours, so I've no reason not to believe the advertised battery life for the DS.
The Gameboy Color also had a Z80 CPU that was twice as fast as the original and an IR port (I think). Though not major changes, they still go beyond the cosmetic GBA -> GBA-SP improvements.
Ita erat quando hic adveni.
All I want are battery life figures that aren't coming from the manufacturer. From some game mag or game site that actually has the thing in hand and has been playing games with lots of bells and whistles, not some basic settings with the backlights off in some crappy "battery save" mode or something.
Why? Nintendo historically has said the truth; They said the SP would have 16-20 hours of battery life with the backlight off, and half that with the light on. It does that. They said the gamecube would move 7-12 millions of polys for second. In fact it moves more.
If Nintendo said that the DS will allow you to fly between countries, I would start making the paperwork to get a passport.
On the other hand, Sony and Microsoft, well, they aren't very reliable about their numbers. PS2 would move hundreds of millions of pollys. Yeah f&cking right...If they say the PSP will have a decent battery life, it means "you will be able to walk from one plug to another, and your battery will last just that".
There are 2 wireless modes on the DS. One is a sort of Ad-Hoc mode, where no WAP is needed (and its not the same as a regular 802.11 AdHoc, its proprietary), where up to 16 DS's can be linked. The other mode is regular 802.11 that connects to a WAP
According to TFA (which I read long before this story was posted), the GB/GBC support has been officially dismissed. They said that the DS will only play GBA games and not even have multiplayer capabilities for those.
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
RTFA, the touch screen provides an on-screen keyboard.
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.