Slashdot Mirror
Nintendo DS Hands On
The Big N's media event went off well, and people have finally had a chance to experience the playability and feel of the DS system. Penny Arcade has commentary from Gabe and Tycho, and Gamespot gives it a look as well. Quoth Tycho: "The final analysis: I am overjoyed that Nintendo isn't completely nuts, which was my fear initially. This is a pretty cool little machine. But the opening salvo is a little soft in the genres I prize most, and there's no stand-out title that forces my hand on the system."
.. Minidisc drive, cartridge port, dual analog sticks, d-pad and twin shoulder buttons.
Goodbye 10 hours (PSP)
Very little in the gaming world requires you to actually *watch* two screens.
It's called innovation, it's a great idea that's been improperly utilized up to date. I know a lot of people who would love to have multiple views in an RTS, one being a touch interface for troop management. The creative options are endless..
The second screen isn't nessesary. In fact, they probably would have done better to make a portable with a larger screen with a better 3Dchipset.
See PSP. How long you want this thing to run for? Also notice the phenomenon that we're currently playing SNES games at least 2 generations behind on the GBA, and having a hell of a time doing so. Sure it would have been nicer to have at least DC quality, but I'm not complaining.
It's cheap, powerful, innovative, and backwards compatible with the biggest selling video game machine ever made. That's worth something.
Very little in the gaming world requires you to actually *watch* two screens.
Perhaps, or perhaps you just have no imagination. People once thought that a mouse would be useless as well.
// file: mice.h
#include "frickin_lasers.h"
Gamespot Movie
In this movie, it's incredibly clear that not only does the device work, but Metroid Hunters actually has more PC like control than any console based FPS I've seen - essentially, the stylus acts as the mouselook, and the d-pad works like your standard WASD keys. I'm convinced; that's all it comes down to. I can also see things like Flight sims, which, with the stylus, will now have enough area for complete controls, and can do more than one plane. For more "innovative" games, I'm sure we can rely on Sega and Nintendo, but I'm happy if this is what we get.