Slashdot Mirror
Nintendo DS Review and Internal Pictures
OctaneZ writes "Lik Sang couldn't help themselves, and have already torn open their Gameboy DS. Among other things they found, the DS shares both its power and battery with the GB, and the 802.11b range is 10 to 30 meters, depending on the surroundings."
http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/11/20/ 2351253&tid=207&tid=137
It's the Nintendo DS. Gameboy is a completely different product line.
Duplicated articles!!
"Not to mention the cheating tool it can become... "
How could you pass this off. "Mr. Jones, your Civics test is so easy I am putting myself at the liberty of playing some metroid while taking it."
Then again people used Ti-85 calculators in English class in my highschool.
God spoke to me.
I can't wait for warDriving DS to come out.. It will be the BEST GAME EVER!
The Wireless mode of the Nintendo DS is really impressive. Whether you play VS mode with Mario 64 DS, or if you send messages to each other using Pictochat, the range goes as far as 10 to 30 meters, even passing through walls and doors. We expect kids to go wild with it during boring school sessions in the next couple of months. Not to mention the cheating tool it can become... Nintendo just opened itself another niche market. The technology used for wireless connectivity is IEEE 802.11b, which some of you might already know from Wireless home or office networks. I can just imagine schools setting up jammers for 802.11b just because everyone brought in their DS to play during math class. Or even cheated on tests. On the Other hand, I think that this brings portable gaming another step closer to computers (even possibly further). 3D rendered graphics, and in-game chat? That's awesome. Now we just need to be able to interface the DS with a Computer network for multiplayer that way!
~Ilyanep
To get message, take amount of carrier pigeons at each stage mod 2. Then decode binary.
Heh, so who is going to be the first to make a netstumbler type app for the DS?
but will it have wireless internet access? is it capable of rendering websites via html, wml or perhaps msntv techniques? and can its 802.11b hardware act as a repeater, so wireless games and wireless internet can be daisy-chained?
lol. Only problem is with the limited power output of the console is that by time you find an open network, the administrator will be chasing you out of his cubicle!
_
Free 27" Sony WEGA TV
OK, so I have my Nintendo DS, and so far it's great, but what I was *hoping* for was that Picochat could be configured to go over the internet via 802.11b. Unfortunately that doesn't appear to be the case.
;)
The graphics are *amazing*. I've been playing the demo version of Metroid. The DS is somewhere between the N64 and GC in graphics quality. Gameplay is a little hard at times with the touch screen. You have to use the same thumb to move that you use to make contact with the screen. Oh well.. I guess it's time to evolve a third hand..
I also got Super Mario 64DS. No surprises there, per se. The split screen does give a nice perspective of the playfield while you're playing, however.
All in all I think Nintendo has the foundation of a truly classic gaming system.
Polymorphism -- It's what you make of it.
First camera phones http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/11/17/22 20224&tid=133&tid=215&tid=158&tid= 1
Is nintendo DS next?
is does it run Linux yet?
. there used to be a sig here.....
Can someone mirror this please? can't view that website at work..
President Bush Supporter
Ofcourse, now that both the DS and the PSP use WiFi for networking, if the two companies could do away with their differences for the customers and made games that are available for both platforms like PuyoPuyo Fever to network between the two systems, that would really rock.
I woke up yesterday morning, checked my phone and realized the DS was on sale. I stopped by the Best Buy in Old Town expecting them to either be sold out or to not have received a shipment, but was pleasantly surprised to find they had dozens for sale. If you're lucky, there may still be some in stock. I'm not sure why Lik Sang's claiming the DS is hard to find; there seem to be plenty available in the larger cities.
SHARES ITS POWER. Is it that difficult get that right? Is it? What the hell is the problem?
It can do whatever any other device with an 802.11 wireless ethernet repeater can, as long as you can get software that does it.
... can be daisy-chained?
At this exact moment there is no software available for the DS which uses the wireless to connect to the internet. The only announced software so far which is known to use the wireless to connect to the internet is Nanostray, a shooter by the Iridium 3D people, which uses wifi to connect to an internet high score board.
Nintendo representatives seemed enthusiastic about the idea of a web browser for the DS, so I assume if someone goes to Nintendo asking for a license to make a DS web browser they'll get it.
and can its 802.11b hardware act as a repeater, so wireless games
This can be done; there's a DS game (I think Japan only right now) called "ping pals" that repeats in such a way that up to 128 people can connect to each other over the wireless, so long as there's an unbroken chain of DSes between them to relay the signal. I think most games require all the players to be in a 10-30 yard radius though.
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
If you quit Picochat, it shuts the DS down. You can't get back to the main menu once a game has launched, without powering down. Gameboys have always not really cared about managing memory in a conventional way, and it would appear the DS is no more sophisticated in this regard. Makes it difficult to see it becoming more PIM or phonelike (which, with its feature set, would have seemed to be an obvious thing to do).
I'm just curious what the wi-fi communication does to the battery life on this thing. Anybody read numbers on the max. battery life playing with wi-fi and without?
There's been a lot of hype about how the Nintendo DS is going to be in short supply here in the US.
I didn't make a reservation and Sunday morning I went over to Best Buy (here in Salt Lake City, Utah) and they had a big stack of the Nintendo DS systems. And they said they had lots more in back -- and laughed at the idea of a shortage.
Are there shortages? Or is it just hype to get publicity and increase the demand?
Invalid Checksum. Retrying.
From what I've heard so far:
:(
It seems the shortages are real, not hype, but it is not really something to worry about. Basically there are serious shortages in some areas but no problem whatsoever in others. It seems that outlets of the big video game chains (EBGames/Gamestop) often had shortages, and sometimes didn't even get enough units to cover their preorders, but more general stores that don't generally do the preordering thing (Best Buy, Target) you can just walk in and buy one.
There are also reports of shortages of a couple of the games, specifically Feel the Magic and Mr. Driller. I don't know how accurate these reports are. It's unfortunate it seems there's been a shortage of the good games but no problems getting the EA stuff
Now, whether there will be shortages after Black Friday is another question altogether.
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
I never realised the Nintendo DS ran windows
Can anyone tell me why there is a RSASecured logo on the back of the unit and on the box?
I don't think so. I think the DS has this round. I am by no means a Nintendo Fan Boy, but The way I see it is this:
Yes, the PSP has those advantages, but the battery life cost of spinning a motor is probably way more expensive than the WiFi which can be selectively on or off.
The PSP does not have WiFi. Not even looking at the battery life issues, the social aspect of this alone is what will probably be the determining factor.
The downside for the DS like you said is the size, but I don't think that's enough to compensate for the other lacking things.
Unless the games for the DS really suck, I think the DS has it.
/still not regretting getting a GBC on the release day
--
"Open source is good." - Steve Jobs
"Open source is evil." - Microsoft
That may be all well and true(arguably of course), but when your handheld dies by the time it's booted and loaded a game you'll appreciate the NDS's 10 hour battery life. Personally I disagree with everything you said though, you can't appreciate the dual screens until you've used them. The hinge is nice in some cases because you can have you hands horizontal and the screen more vertical so you can avoid having to sometimes hold your hands at awkward angles to play the game. And Sony really screwed up by using discs. But hey... thats all just my oppinion.
Regards,
Steve
...comes out with a mod to run on the DS? :)
SYS 64738
"Wide and _big_ screen" + "_no hinge_" = SCRATCHED low battery life + runs hot != "perfect internals" I'm not saying the PSP isn't going to do well, but your reasons seem to be marketing hype.
PSP DOES have wifi. Sony Japan's PSP hardware page clearly indicate it as such. It's in japanese, but do a search for 802.11 even if you don't read japanese.
This brings new meaning to ASL. Instead the 'L' would now be "2 rows behind you"
KARMA POLICE ARREST THIS MAN HE TALKS IN MATHS- radiohead
EBgames, WalMart, Amazon, and Best Buy all have them marked as "Sold Out"
Lik-sang.com is sayign that they most likely won't be able to get new orders out until next year sometime.
I'd say there is a definite shortage now, but the question is will that shortage remain through Christmas?....
These pretzels are making me thirsty.
If you can't read/reder Japanese, then how do you know that it doesn't say "This product does not contain 802.11"?
The Tools Of Ignorance wanna be a tool?
this is the exact same company the microsoft tried shutting down for distributing mod chips for the x-box.
my blog
That's what the teeny little Pringles cans are for.
pimpin girls
I'm returning my DS this morning. It has some major flaws.
I really wanted to like this machine. I *ached* to like it, because I want to see draw/chat becoming a daily thing.
I can sum it all up very neatly. It says that it has an "alarm." You would think that you set this alarm and the machine beeps at the time you've set, whatever you happen to be doing.
No such luck. The "alarm" is a special mode you put it in. While the "alarm" is active, you can't do anything else with the machine. It just displays the current time and the time the "alarm" will go off.
It's the same with every part of the DS software.
Want to PictoChat? The chatting's nice, but if you want to exit to the main menu you have to reset the machine. If you then want to check the time and date you have to reset the machine. If you change any of the user settings, like which screen GBA games will show up on when you run them, you have to reset the machine. If you're in Pictochat and you want to change your background color you'll end up resetting the machine twice!
Every time you reset it displays a several second startup screen and a health warning you have to click through.
What they had described was a multitasking system that would keep an eye out for other players, do the alarm stuff, and sleep when you weren't using it. What they gave us was a system with many modes, but no reasonable integration between them. It's a collection of kludges.
The game functionality is very nice if you just want to pop in a GBA or a DS game and play, but the bells and whistles are refugees from a 1994 handheld PC. So no, I really don't think a PDA card would work. A PDA requires an uninterrupted background OS of some sort to be watching out for your appointments. The DS just can't do that.
Oh, while I'm griping, the sound's got so much interference from two processors and two screens that in a good set of headphones the buzzing is nearly unbearable.
Well, if someone wants to drop by my cube with a brand new DS, I will be the last person to chase them away.
SIGFAULT
I disagree with you, but I don't think you should have been modded down to Troll. That's pretty inappropriate. I think the 2 systems will actually be able to coexist pretty well.
fair enough. here is info in English.
"When Sony PSP comes out it will crush the DS, it's obvious."
No, it's not. The PSP doesn't have everything the DS has. It'll be a while before anything becomes 'obvious'.
"Derp de derp."
Because Babelfish says so.g econtent?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scei.co.jp%2Fproduct s%2Fpsp.html&lp=ja_en
"Main I/O:
IEEE802.11b conformity (Wi-Fi)
USB2.0 (mini-B)
Memory stick PRO duo
IrDA
IR remote"
http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pa
http://teamxlink.co.uk/, famous in the console world for their console tunneling software, have taken on the task of tunneling the DS. Check out their forums. Starting with pictochat, we may be playing matches of Hunters on the webnet within a few weeks.
Its a handheld gaming gadget. Not a smartphone. Not a PDA.
Why dont you whine that it hasnt got a digital camera or tv-reciever either?
HI O WISE PRINCE. WHT TOOK U SO DAM LONG?
yeah, the psp won't have the second screen. which is why i won't be getting a ds.
All the reviews talk about the piece that goes over your thumb that you can use instead of the stylus. Has anyone played with that extensively yet? I haven't seen it yet (except for the photos,) but it sounds to me like it has the potential of causing some serious repetitive stress injuries.
The DS apparently has a feature where if you want to play a multiplayer game, only one DS actually has to have the cart, the others will download it.
:)
Needless to say, such a scheme is going to need some very well thought-out security.
Any bets on how many days it takes before it gets cracked and you can set up your own "DS server"?
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
Much like SEGA Nomad, SEGA GameGear, Atari Lynx, NeoGeo Pocket, Wonderswan, Pocket PC Engine etc all crushed the Gameboy?
They were all much more powerful than the GameBoy and all died more or less horrible deaths (well, one or two still has a new release now and then but...). What makes you think it will be different this time round?
Personally I have pretty much every gaming system out there, but I'm not even sure I'll be getting a PSP. Why ? Battery life.
The DS Games come in plastic boxes, not the cardboard Advance boxes. And yet, every box has a place to store an Advance game. This is good for sorting your GBA games for a trip. I sense another intention. They may use specially made Advance cartridges for memory cards.
Does anyone have any info on this MXIC 23L128 flash part ? And what is behind that cover on the PCB exactly (Wifi chip model)?
Go grab those torrents.
Accurate NES/SNES emulators that don't have to stretch the screen anymore, and can download ROMs wirelessly instead of requiring a flash cart. :)
I CAN'T WAIT to play Starfox, Final Fantasy III, and the original Super Mario Bros. 3 on the road.
After scanning through the comments on today's duplicate post I still don't see any mention anywhere of the problems we experienced with the Nintendo DS, probably because most people who have one don't know anyone else who also has a DS to try the wireless network games and functions with.
I'm wondering if the problems that we encountered on a few Nintendo DS units were anomalies or if the problem was addressed with updated firmware. Please comment below if you are experiencing any of the same issues we saw, or new ones.
The details below are crossposted from the original, in the spirit of dual-screen/dual-posting goodness.
A month ago, after spending a couple of hours with the hardware and games, we published our Nintendo DS hands-on review / preview that includes discussion of some problems that we haven't seen anyone else mention even once.
We previewed and played Nintendo DS games Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt, Super Mario 64 DS, Spider-Man 2 DS and the onboard PictoChat instant messaging software.
We've been testing out the production models of the Nintendo DS for about a week now. When we've put the DS through a few weeks of use we'll let you know how how it rates.
AP reporter Matt Slagle has his review of the device as well, and he loves it (the headline is Nintendo DS a Sleek Powerhouse, also at USA Today), although we are a little more reserved until we see how it holds up, if the problems are persistent, and until we see some more applications that support and take advantage of the platform, and live up to the hardware's potential.
As for the DS, I really don't plan to buy one until a little time has gone past, and I can find one at my leisure without having to contend with the trench coat-wearing hoarders, frantic Tickle-Me-Elmo-esque shopping mall brawls, and eBay scalpers.
This guy is right. Who cares if your GAME system has to be reset between games/pda functions/system setting changes/menu exit, etc. Is 2 SECONDS too long for you?
I'm sure it probably even has a soft reset. I know my GBA SP does. It is L+R+SELECT+START. Comes in handy. Oh and the DS sleeps when you close it? That's awesome! I totally wish the SP did that!
zosxavius photography
This is arbitrage. A shortage in a good, such as a game console or a concert ticket, occurs when the price of a good in the market is set at a point where the quantity demanded exceeds the quantity supplied, either because the producer underestimated demand or because some other entity fixes prices below the equilibrium price (figure). Scalpers notice the potential for a shortage and start buying goods at the set price P and then reselling them at the (higher) price P' on the demand curve where quantity demanded equals the (constant) quantity supplied by the producer. Whether you call it "arbitrage" or "scalping" depends on what scope of rights under a government-granted monopoly you are willing to give to a producer.
"yeah, the psp won't have the second screen. which is why i won't be getting a ds."
Kind of funny. If I were paying more for a product, I wouldn't anxiously accept less.
"Derp de derp."
The wi-fi capabilities are going to sell millions of these things to little kids. Think about how big the IM market is with these guys. Haven't you ever seen the little faux PDA's that actually have some wireless text messenging built in?
Think about it this way. When little 10 year old Johny wants a new handheld cuz his GBA broke, what's his mom gonna buy him? My guess is that a DS would only make sense if she wanted to get him something new. Nintendo sold us all as kids with the NES, and has continued to do so with the gameboy for many years. They really have no competition. The PSP will either sink or become a niche item for 20 somethings with money. I can't see many people spending $200-300 for a portable console, especially on kids. How many times do you think one of those finely sculpted bricks will take a 4 foot drop.....with the drive spinning?
I'm getting nearer to 30 and I love the SP, but I think that is probably not the norm. I really liked the classic SP and seeing the familliar grey lines on black definately imparted some sense of nostalgia. When I get on the bus and I fire my SP up, usually the only other people actually playing video games on the bus are the really greasy fat nerdy kids (oh, no offense intended to 60% of you here) and 5-10 year olds. For some reason adults sometimes try to watch me play because I think it bewilders them that someone other than a kid would be playing video games in public.
The gameboy will certainly take this round because Nintendo knows its market so incredibly well and have always pushed for what it considers the golden pricepoint. >=$100
While the DS is $150, remember that the SP and maybe even the GBA started out at $120 or so and has slowly fallen to $100.
Clamshell is a great design too. It protects the pricey LCD screens that so easily scratch and break.
I mean really. Is there any debate over who will end up with the lion's share of the market here?
zosxavius photography
You do get more. The PSP is quite a bit more powerful than the DS, has a larger screen (I don't need a separate screen for maps), supports MemorySticks and uses UMD media that has a higher storage capacity. People complain about the battery life, but it's fine. Anyone who plays on a handheld gaming system for more than 5 hours at a time, needs to find something else to do.
Just my thoughts.
After scanning through the comments on today's duplicate post I still don't see any mention anywhere of the problems we experienced with the Nintendo DS, probably because most people who have one don't know anyone else who also has a DS to try the wireless network games and functions with.
I'm wondering if the problems that we encountered on a few Nintendo DS units were anomalies or if the problem was addressed with updated firmware. Please comment below if you are experiencing any of the same issues we saw, or new ones.
The details below are crossposted from the original, in the spirit of dual-screen/dual-posting goodness.
A month ago, after spending a couple of hours with the hardware and games, we published our Nintendo DS hands-on review / preview that includes discussion of some problems that we haven't seen anyone else mention even once.
We previewed and played Nintendo DS games Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt, Super Mario 64 DS, Spider-Man 2 DS and the onboard PictoChat instant messaging software.
We've been testing out the production models of the Nintendo DS for about a week now. When we've put the DS through a few weeks of use we'll let you know how how it rates.
AP reporter Matt Slagle has his review of the device as well, and he loves it (the headline is Nintendo DS a Sleek Powerhouse, also at USA Today), although we are a little more reserved until we see how it holds up, if the problems are persistent, and until we see some more applications that support and take advantage of the platform, and live up to the hardware's potential.
"The PSP is quite a bit more powerful than the DS,"
It can throw a few more prettier polygons on the screen. That's not a clear indicator that you can do 'more'. Compare the N64 to the original Playstation. The N64 could push prettier polygons, but the Playstation could throw more 'ugly' ones on the screen. About 3x the amount the N64 could. Sadly, niether system was really capable (graphically) of a game that the other couldn't.
" has a larger screen (I don't need a separate screen for maps),"
Funny, if you're ever pushing a button to pull up a map, then yes you'd actually be quite happy to have that second screen. Never mind what the stylus interface on the second screen adds to the mix. Again, not sure why you'd want less here.
"supports MemoryStick"
BFD.
" and uses UMD media that has a higher storage capacity."
The cost of that 'good' is battery life and durability of the machine. Though I'm a Nintendo zealot/fanboy, I'm envious of this simply because I think it'll instantly mean better audio for the PSP. However, for a portable, I'm not impressed with this media. I loves my battery life. I loves my no-load-times. I loves my portable stuff not having moving parts to break.
"Anyone who plays on a handheld gaming system for more than 5 hours at a time, needs to find something else to do."
You realize that comment sounds really stupid to anybody who's ever flown internationally or ridden in a car for 4 days straight driving to WallyWorld?
"Derp de derp."
I follwed your link, but change the referrer ID to some random number.
Hope that was okay.
Forgive me for posting that the article is a dupe during the same minute that everyone else did. In the future perhaps you could look at timestamps before passing your infantile judgement.
Lasers Controlled Games!
or ridden in a car for 4 days straight driving to WallyWorld? man, our walmart is only 15 minutes away....
No one has mentioned the PSP yet, and I was wondering whether those who have a DS (I don't) have found anything new that could influence the war between the DS and PSP that may be coming. is there any newfound info that could be important?
All comments are properties and trademarks of the voices in my head. Not like I'm gonna claim them.
It's amazing how much they cramed into that little bad boy. But just like the SP I'll wait until everyone else has their DS. But I won't trade my SP in for anything, I'm in love with it I actually sleep with it at night! It's my baby!
--- hows it taste mother f$#@er!!!
The GBA slot can be used as an expansion port. The documentation for the DS states this explicitly. This is because games running in DS mode recognize and can transfer data over the GBA slot.
Because of this, GBA games and DS games can interact with each other (on the DS side, of course). Feel the Magic XX/XY for the DS can detect certain Sega GBA games and will unlock certain Easter eggs in FtM, like Sonic, Nights, and Ulala headpieces for the girl character (among other things). I'd like to see a Zelda game for DS rewarding me for having a complete game save in Link to the Past, or Final Fantasy III for the DS (which is already under development and has been announced) checking for game saves in Final Fantasy I & II for GBA (which is also coming in a few weeks). Heck, it would be nice to see Phantasy Star IV for DS using game saves from Phantasy Star Collection, or some DS Golden Sun game using GBA Golden Sun data. Same with Advance Wars/DS Wars, Boktai, etc.
Long story short, maybe Nintendo has some serious DS/GBA tie-ins planned, and those GBA cart storage prongs are just in anticipation of such games to come.
I'm not returning it because I expected it be a PDA. I'm returning it because the UI is very bad and the sound quality is poor. There's no way that I should have to reset the machine this often.
Half the functions on the main menu are a trap. If you just want to play a game, you start up in the menu. That takes 2-3 seconds, yes. 40% of the screen real estate on that tiny touchpad is taken up by functions that involve submenus. If you go into *any submenu* by accident, you will have to reboot the machine.
Let me repeat. Exiting any submenu to the main menu reboots the machine. That is NOT the same as any console. On the Gamecube you can access the clock, the memory menu, and the television settings menu without individually power cycling to switch menus. You can then exit those settings menus and select your game. Ditto the X-Box dashboard. The way the DS is set up is archaic and reminds me of my Apple II.
My comment on the PDA was only in relation to the comment to which I was replying. He suggested a PDA cart. I wanted to give him a heads up that it's impossible. I tucked the UI gripes in as an aside.
As for "was that just what I wanted it to be" they did in fact describe a sleep-mode that would wake you up if another DS was nearby in sleep. They said Pictochat could then be used to discuss with the other owner what game to play. The sleep mode is present. It is documented in the manual, so I'm not just spinning in the world of hype. It's just that the implementation is very poor.
Er, ok. That's pretty puritan, but you can work that way if you like. The way I work is that if the back of my receipt says "Return within 14 days if you are not satisfied" and I am not satisfied, I return it. That receipt governs the terms of sale. I'm not satisfied. The PDA thing isn't important. I was just responding to a guy talking about a PDA cart, and I suggest you read his post to see why. What matters is that the UI is buggy and the sound has a high pitched interference. If you think companies shouldn't accept returns because of dissatisfaction I suggest you talk to those companies.
Also, this health warning is present in consoles that are sold outside the United States.
"It can throw a few more prettier polygons on the screen. That's not a clear indicator that you can do 'more'. Compare the N64 to the original Playstation. The N64 could push prettier polygons, but the Playstation could throw more 'ugly' ones on the screen. About 3x the amount the N64 could. Sadly, niether system was really capable (graphically) of a game that the other couldn't."
FF7, FF8, FF9, MGS. Couldn't be done on N64, even if you could fit them on a cartridge.
"Funny, if you're ever pushing a button to pull up a map, then yes you'd actually be quite happy to have that second screen. Never mind what the stylus interface on the second screen adds to the mix. Again, not sure why you'd want less here."
Zelda. I don't ever recall thinking "Man, this game would be so much cooler if the map were ALWAYS present somehow". The dual screen capability is nothing more than gimmick. Same could be said for the stylus and voice recognition. This isn't a PDA. Nintendo is notorious for producing crap like this (ie. ROB, Zapper, jogging pad, SNES mouse, Super Scope 6, SFC modem, Virtual Boy, 64DD, etc.)
"BFD."
Yeah, nice argument against said technology. Like it or not, MemoryStick has become a standard storage medium that can be bought from any number of manufacturers. They range all the way up to 2GB in size as well.
"The cost of that 'good' is battery life and durability of the machine. Though I'm a Nintendo zealot/fanboy, I'm envious of this simply because I think it'll instantly mean better audio for the PSP. However, for a portable, I'm not impressed with this media. I loves my battery life. I loves my no-load-times. I loves my portable stuff not having moving parts to break."
Tell that to anyone who uses MD-based portable audio players. They seem to be pretty durable and have good battery life. Your admission of zealotry instantly brands you as a biased buttress for Nintendo with no actual clue as to what you're talking about. So far, from the statements you've made, that assessment has held true.
"You realize that comment sounds really stupid to anybody who's ever flown internationally or ridden in a car for 4 days straight driving to WallyWorld?"
You're preaching to the wrong person here. I take international flights quite often. Hell, I'm in the U.S. right now, though I live in Europe. Your comment is what sounds stupid, for jumping to the conclusion that I've never been in similar situations.
My statement still stands, anyone who plays for more than 5 hours a day needs to chill (OMG, what ever did people do BEFORE the GB/DS?!). Try reading a book sometime (they're quite entertaining), listen to some music, hold a conversation with the person next to you, draw something, do some creative writing...the possibilities are limitless. Your remark is rendered even more worthless in a car trip scenario where cigarette lighter adapters can be used.
"FF7, FF8, FF9, MGS. Couldn't be done on N64, even if you could fit them on a cartridge."
Um, actually, yes they could be done if you could fit them on the cartridge. I have NFI why you'd claim otherwise.
" The dual screen capability is nothing more than gimmick."
Really? Then why is it that quite a few people have dual monitor setups? And don't tell me the stylus is a gimmick either, Palm's already proven that to not be true. So has the PC with its mouse.
"Nintendo is notorious for producing crap like this (ie. ROB, Zapper, jogging pad, SNES mouse, Super Scope 6, SFC modem, Virtual Boy, 64DD, etc.)"
They're also responsible for producing crap like the original Game Boy, the Rumble Pack, 4 controller ports on a game system, the analog stick, etc.
"Yeah, nice argument against said technology. Like it or not, MemoryStick has become a standard storage medium that can be bought from any number of manufacturers. They range all the way up to 2GB in size as well."
If two screens and a stylus are a gimmick, then this falls quite neatly into that category as well. At least DS's 'gimmicks' apply to gaming.
"ell that to anyone who uses MD-based portable audio players. They seem to be pretty durable and have good battery life."
And they lack a backlit screen, wireless connectivity, powerful processor, etc. Battery life of an MD doesn't say much here. Partial credit for the MD's durability.
"Your admission of zealotry instantly brands you as a biased buttress for Nintendo with no actual clue as to what you're talking about."
It would be ignorant for you to assume that I don't know what I'm talking about, especially when the purpose of that remark is to somehow discredit me. Boy would you be embarrased to know that one can be a Nintendo zealot without actually hating Sony.
"My statement still stands, anyone who plays for more than 5 hours a day needs to chill (OMG, what ever did people do BEFORE the GB/DS?!). Try reading a book sometime (they're quite entertaining), listen to some music, hold a conversation with the person next to you, draw something, do some creative writing..."
So let me see if I understand this... your solution to the battery problem is to not use the unit you're so adamant about? Sorry bud, this is not a strong rebuttal. That's like saying "My car can only go 100 miles on a tank, but I really should ride a bike anyway." Distraction does not a good rebuttal make. Never mind that nobody ever said anything about playing an entire charge.
"Your remark is rendered even more worthless in a car trip scenario where cigarette lighter adapters can be used."
Actually, no, that doesn't render my remark 'useless' at all. Ponder on the practicality of that for a moment and you'll understand why. If you can't, then don't bother accusing me of being blinded by my biases.
"Derp de derp."
"Um, actually, yes they could be done if you could fit them on the cartridge. I have NFI why you'd claim otherwise."
Perhaps with the polygon count and number of textures cut in half. Because of its design, there is no way that the N64 could ever reproduce those games in their entirety. That is a hard fact. Live with it.
"Really? Then why is it that quite a few people have dual monitor setups? And don't tell me the stylus is a gimmick either, Palm's already proven that to not be true. So has the PC with its mouse."
How many people out there really have a dual screen setup on their PC? Why aren't there dual screen capable console systems?
This is a handheld gaming device we're talking about. The reason for voice recognition, dual screens and the stylus are hype-based. It is not a PDA nor is it a computer.
So your completely irrelevent point was?
"And they lack a backlit screen, wireless connectivity, powerful processor, etc. Battery life of an MD doesn't say much here. Partial credit for the MD's durability."
I never said that the PSP would have a great battery life. You, however. said something to the effect that the drive mechanism itself would be hoarding lots of power. The cited example proves your theory incorrect.
"It would be ignorant for you to assume that I don't know what I'm talking about, especially when the purpose of that remark is to somehow discredit me. Boy would you be embarrased to know that one can be a Nintendo zealot without actually hating Sony."
I see I cannot pull the wool over your eyes. My goal in life is to discredit nameless posters on Slashdot. How very clever of you to discover that.
Moving away from the topic for a moment, think about what you've just said and how you've been making uninformed assumptions of your own this entire time. The last sentence in the above section is evidence enough of that.
In any event, your bias is clear.
"So let me see if I understand this... your solution to the battery problem is to not use the unit you're so adamant about? Sorry bud, this is not a strong rebuttal. That's like saying "My car can only go 100 miles on a tank, but I really should ride a bike anyway." Distraction does not a good rebuttal make. Never mind that nobody ever said anything about playing an entire charge."
First off, I'm not stuck on my position with the PSP nor Sony as it would seem you are with Nintendo. I merely stated my thoughts and the reasons behind my decision to go with the PSP instead of the DS. If the feature sets were reversed, I'd easily be buying the DS.
Secondly, are you really that dense or is your memory just bad? If you'd read my first response, you'd see that my stance against playing games for very long periods of time was one of my original remarks and reasons for my acceptance of the PSP's battery life. It seems you're the one trying to skirt around the discussion.
Thirdly, I offered the idea of carrying a spare battery with you in the event that you can't bear the return to reality when the first one runs down.
"Actually, no, that doesn't render my remark 'useless' at all. Ponder on the practicality of that for a moment and you'll understand why. If you can't, then don't bother accusing me of being blinded by my biases."
Unless you have a car without an outlet or you're just being anal about having a cord attached to the handheld, your preconceived notion of not being able to use your car for power is absolutely moot.
You go on about how it's all a gimmick and blah di blah di blah. Seems to be rather popular for a gimmick, don't you think? Sold out, in short supply, and all that?
Yawn.
Clever signature text goes here.
I can't imagine how I'd avoid losing those games; the GBA games were small enough. The touchscreen could be nice though; but only if games use it well. It always comes down to the games.
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http://www.trialclix.com/index.asp?refID=53213
http://consoles.prizecube.com/?ref=9745
Anyone who plays on a handheld gaming system for more than 5 hours at a time, needs to find something else to do. I can agree with that, but those hours are approximately cumulative. Even if you spread the two or so hours over a week, you're still only going to get so many hours out of the batteries before they die.
All comments are properties and trademarks of the voices in my head. Not like I'm gonna claim them.
"Perhaps with the polygon count and number of textures cut in half. Because of its design, there is no way that the N64 could ever reproduce those games in their entirety. That is a hard fact. Live with it."
Hard fact, eh? If the N64 were to drop its graphical standards down to the PS's level, it could push about 5 times as many polys. They wouldn't need to cut the textures in half. You really should look at the specs of a machine before making comments about what it can't do and calling them 'hard facts' somebody has to live with.
"How many people out there really have a dual screen setup on their PC?"
Quite a few. Quite a few more would have them if monitors were cheaper. (Notice most vid cards have two ports on the back.)
"Why aren't there dual screen capable console systems?"
Practicality more than anything. Getting two similar monitors together is significantly easier than getting two 27" TV's together that are similar enough to have a good experience with. There's also the problem of consoles being a little suppressed graphically, making it hard to get two attractive images out. I imagine there are synchronization issues as well. A computer can drive a monitor to refresh at a certain time, I'm not sure that RF or RCA inputs on the back of a TV allow for that. Can't say I'm an expert on that topic, but if they can't get the frames to synch on both TVs, they're not going to have a lot of luck getting a game to work without tearing.
". The reason for voice recognition, dual screens and the stylus are hype-based. It is not a PDA nor is it a computer."
Right. It's a game machine. Now it has two new forms of input and on extra form of output. Games are about input and output. It has more to offer. Very simple equation there. Now a portable can reasonably handle FPS and RTS genres. Playing more games is soOOOoo gimmicky.
"So your completely irrelevent point was?"
Well beyond your grasp?
"You, however. said something to the effect that the drive mechanism itself would be hoarding lots of power. The cited example proves your theory incorrect."
What, you mean I have to mention that Sony's stated that you'd get about half the battery time playing a movie than you would playing a game? I thought all the Sony fanboys were aware of that.
"you've just said and how you've been making uninformed assumptions of your own this entire time."
Really? Like what? And how does that compare to your own behaviour in this regard Mr. Gimmick Gimmick Gimmick?
"The last sentence in the above section is evidence enough of that."
So.. your assumption is that a Nintendo zealot automatically hates Sony, but that's evidence that I am making uninformed assumptions?
"In any event, your bias is clear."
Uh yeah, I clarified that when I said I was a Nintendo fan boy. Are you trying to deny you're not biased?
"First off, I'm not stuck on my position with the PSP nor Sony "
Bullshit. Whether true or not, nobody's going to believe that statement so long as you shoot down every little point with the dullest of dull reasons, then provide lame justifications for the problems that are brought up in the product you like.
"If the feature sets were reversed, I'd easily be buying the DS."
Despite your assumptions, I'm actually interested in the PSP. I might buy one if a few games come out that I'm interested in. I don't hate the unit it all, but I'm not going to kid myself about its cons. Same with the DS.
"Secondly, are you really that dense or is your memory just bad? If you'd read my first response, you'd see that my stance against playing games for very long periods of time was one of my original remarks and reasons for my acceptance of the PSP's battery life."
Your acceptance? You basically said that everybody else should change to accomo
"Derp de derp."
I'll be honest, first off. I'm a frantic Nintendo fan, and I hate Sony. Honestly, I have no desire to see the PSP do anything but bellyflop. However, I feel that it should be explained why battery life really is such an important issue, in the form of a short story. Many gamers may remember a while back, when Sega attempted to topple the Gameboy with their Gamegear system. I don't know the exact specifics of either system, but I do know that the Gamegear, unlike the Gameboy, had full color graphics, backlighting, and better sound (as I remember). However, unlike the Gamegear, the Gameboy had decent battery life. The Gamegear would suck down batteries at a breakneck pace, which ended up being the major detail that lead to its fall (that, and I _think_ Gamegear cost more. Correct me if I'm wrong). Before anyone cites my Nintendo bias as a reason why I would make all of this up, please note that at the time, I had a Sega bias, and owned a Gamegear. I never had an original Gameboy for that reason. Now this could just be me, but the Nintendo/Sega handheld battle came across as very similar to the Nintendo/Sony handheld battle that's coming up. One must wonder if history will repeat itself...
you sir, are seriously troubled.