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400,000 Additional DSs Available by Year's End
SetupWeasel writes "The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is reporting that 400,000 additional DSs will be shipped to the US by year's end. This will bring the US total to 1.4 million by the end of 2004." There's also a story running on Gamesindustry.biz regarding DS sales being in line with the sales of the Gameboy Advance.
Harrison said the company did not try to keep the initial Nintendo DS supply artificially low to attract extra attention. Whereas reports of shortages can increase the buzz around a product, inadequate supply can also result in lost sales.
What he didn't think of is to give the perception of inadequate supply, but continue to fill up shelves. This way Nintendo gets the extra attention as well as sales.
Just give some lame excuses like the Chinese government did what to the Taiwanese Tibetan thing, AC where are you?!?
Rock that crushes, Paper & Scissors that don't matter.
I wonder what Sony has to same about all this. :P
Do Not Eat iPod Shuffle
"Harrison said the company did not try to keep the initial Nintendo DS supply artificially low to attract extra attention."
;)
However with demand high and supply low... it makes the news! Strange that...
but is it $150?
I had the chance to play one of these with Metroid. I really liked it. There seems to be some discussion over the usefulness of the touch pad and I've found that the touch pad servers to mimic a mouse in fps's quite well. I felt at home pretty quickly. It was quite responsive too. I'm still holding out for the PSP though. I think nintendo games are a little too cute for me.
Reality is nothing but a collective hunch.
Touche. I'll be first to admit I'm intrigued by the technology, but I wonder if kids will care, since that's primarily the target audience.
Mercy was given to me by Christ...I must give the same to others.
he ability to increase the shipments for the holidays resulted from higher-than-expected volume at production facilities in China
Here's a dumb connection: IBM sells its PC group to Lenovo, a company in China. Suddenly, China starts producing more DS's? You thing that's stupid?
Perhaps, a new Starbucks opened in the production sector...
~Ilyanep
To get message, take amount of carrier pigeons at each stage mod 2. Then decode binary.
My EBay DS Sales will go down the tubes... Now where am I supose to make all my Christmas Money?
- Your stupidity got you into this mess, why can't it get you out? -Will Rogers
...what DS stands for... Dual Screen
It's a deadshit. And where the hell are you gonna put 400,000 of 'em?
I think he meant NINTENDO DS.
That should help.
SNACKS ARE AWESOME
I dunno.... maybe you should try clicking on the article link and finding out? That's assuming you haven't seen the numerous other stories about the system over the last few months. You can even put 'ds' into Google and find out really quickly. Dolt.
-Shippy
...if these people just artificially inflate demand around the holidays through talk about "undersupply", and then pop a load of 'em on the market just in time. Nah, couldn't possibly be! [Just like every other year.]
SNACKS ARE AWESOME
While Nintendo has a large buffer in case of a failed console, ($1b) they still try to minimize possible economic hardship. Rather then have a massive run, then lose to a failed console, they slowly introduce new consoles to the marketplace, maintaining profits throughout.
That being said, PSP vs. DS should be fantastic. Both systems have fantastic games lined up for them, and both look to be really, really cool.
I had a chance to play with a DS. First impression? Nifty, but nothing to make me buy it... yet.
no
what the heck is a "DS"? Did I miss anything?
A monkey is doing the real work for me.
Well, I am 23 and Im intrigued, but not enough to buy one.
Im waiting for the RPGs (Final Fantasy III especially), then I will probably pick up one.
...of other substances hitting the touchscreen worry me far more, especially when they "hit" the secondary market.
SNACKS ARE AWESOME
It's not an acronym, DS is the name of the system.
The Nintendo DS
The vast majority of my GB games are for the original gray GB. Looks like I'll be hanging on to the trusty ol' gray one (and my GBC and GBA) until there's some killer "must have" game, like a new Mario Kart.
On my PC (Athlon XP 2800+ & Win XP) sometimes I still run games that I first played 14 years ago.
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
Hmm... Sure Nintendo competitors have a history of failing, but this is Sony we're talking about. It beat Nintendo at game console sales with the Playstation, and it's got a pretty good chance of doing well with the PSP. Analysts seem to indicate that many gamers will be picking up both systems. I, for one, am considering picking up only the PSP.
AnimeNEXT anime convention
This is one device that was available in the US first. (Slashdot: http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/12/09/163521 7&tid=126)
Find out about the Lexus Rx400h Hybrid!
(now guess the reference)
SNACKS ARE AWESOME
Wow that is a suprise: American units outselling Japan Units. I applaud Nintendo of America for boosting available units. Unlike what happened with that tragic accident with the Nintendo 64.
----- You know you have ego issues when you register a domain in your name.
Whew! Thank goodness I'm impervious to marketing and hype!
ooo there's a platinum version of helloworld.c coming out...must have *drool*
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
I'll certainly be giving both a shot, and overall, since I collect, even if I like one over another, chances are I will own both. They seem to both have their strengths and weaknesses, all fanboyishness aside.
SNACKS ARE AWESOME
I'm not sure I can agree with you there. PDA's, while still high in sales, have been falling as multi-function cell phones increase.
You also have to consider your target audience...kids simply don't care about managing a contact list of 100 business cards or balancing their checkbook...they want to play games. I think handhelds are here to stay, and I don't see them being replaced by pda's any time soon.
Mercy was given to me by Christ...I must give the same to others.
One hopes that Sony can possibly keep up when it comes to launching the PSP. If history is of any precedent, this won't be the case.
I was thinking just the opposite... Sony has the big "PlayStation" name, and I don't think previous examples really apply in this case. Nintendo won the handheld war at times when they were also winning the console war (or at least right up there), but that's not the case right now. Unfortunately.
Still, I couldn't justify purchasing it.. There's just nothing compelling software-wise that makes me want to jump and buy this thing. I'd love to see some classic PC remakes like command and conquer on there. That would be cool.
www.lonseidman.com
"with one excaption, sony's handheld plays all those old ps1 games that you already have, now it might be worth it with such a large and *inexpensive* game base, unlike nintendo"
If I remember correctly, the PSP does not play PS1 games, it uses a proprietary mini-disk type format for each of its games, videos, etc.
As for Nintendo having a large, inexpensive game base, the DS is backward compatible with the GBA, which is backwards compatible with the original Gameboys. That's years and years worth of old games, many at thrift stores.
Your new system doesnt play the old games??? What planet are you from, every version of the gameboy ever made was backwards compatable, hell even the DS will play gameboy advance games.. (i think it will also play regular gameboy games as well.. but not posative of this so wont' claim it to be so) So that right there is a good 10 years or so of backwards compatability. Now speaking of computers, go grab any 10 year old game, I bet you'll have a hard time getting the thing to work on a modern operating system without jumping through some hoops first.
Just thought I'd point out a few flaws in your logic while taking a break at work.
Whodunnit out.
Well, Nintendo announced a few weeks ago they were bringing another factory online for manufacturing these things, so it's no surprise they'll be able to produce more at this point.
Better to promise a low number and then boost it, than to pull a Sony and promise 2 million PS2, and only deliver 500,000. I'd rather have the impression that there's demand, than the impression that they'll be in stock when I get to the store and they're not!
I'm speaking mre in terms of initial production quantities. I have no doubts the PSP's quality will be up there, but let's remember the PS1 and 2 launches -- undersupplied.
SNACKS ARE AWESOME
What is a "DS"?
HELLO, down there in the cave!
It's a Nintendo DS, the GBA replacement. You know, the thing that gets posted about here a couple of times a day?
Jebus, wait until the PSP comes out...and whatever handheld billy boy comes out with (x/2 Box?).
and I can tell you that of that 400,000 more that are supposed to ship by Christmas, I will see four more tomorrow and maybe four more next week.
Of course, I have a waiting list of over 30 customers who want one. Supply and Demand isn't exactly working the way it should, hype aside.
Same with the PlayStation 2 remake. We're getting eight in stock tomorrow, and I have almost 50 people on the waiting list.
As more and more people become interested in DS hacking and home-brew development, I must personally say that this is the best news we have heard in a while. The Ni-Fi hacking scene as well as the DS cart dumping scene is moving along quite nicely, and every bit of help we can get, the better.
Actually the Genesis beat the SNES in sales, yet the Game Gear did not beat the gameboy.
If they sell them all (at Amazon prices)...
1.4m DSes sold, that's 0.3bn dollars, or 0.02bn pounds. Remove the ammount they pair their retail channel...
Just goes to show how truely insignificant the market for games consoles is. IBM's now-ex PC business has an $11bn turnover, 37 times the size of Nintendo's DS turnover (ignoring SPA sales for now), and IBM isn't even a big player in the PC market.
Curiously enough if you owned the US monopoly on DSes then you could purchase 150 million beers. Sufficient for any party one might think.
Beep beep.
Just to nitpick a bit, the DS is not a replacement for the GBA. Note that the DS doesn't carry the "Gameboy" name on it, it just happens to be backwards compatible with the GBA games. Game development will continue for the GBA, which probably has a good bit of life left in it. The DS is Nintendo's attempt to conquer the wireless handheld market that may or may not exist.
The DS is not a replacement for the GBA. Nintendo is still having developers working on GBA and the DS. Nintendo has said that there will be a new Gameboy and the DS isn't it.
"Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs. We have a protractor."
Like Mario Kart DS?
just in case anyone is not aware, the Nintendo portable systems are the most popular consoles on the planet. I don't have the hard #s in front of me, but I think there are probably twice the # of GBAs owned by people than Playstation 2s. And we all know how much of lead the PS2 has on the xbox and gamecube.
Does this mean the PSP will be doomed because the previous generation of handheld gamers are used to nintendo? Certainly not. As technology increases and people become more tech-savvy, i think people start to lose more brand loyalty and start going to the items that have the features they want. If the PSP is what someone is looking for in a handheld device, they'll pick one up. Similarily for the DS.
The one big advantage I see is that the DS can play all previous gameboy games. For those millions upon millions of people with GBAs already, the DS gives them a new system with new and innovative games, and a way to play their old games too. Don't underestimate that. Hell, that may be one of the reasons the Playstation 2 has done so well throughout the years, even though it's graphics technology is inferior to the other consoles... Food for thought
You can pick your nodes, and you can pick your friends, but you can't pick your friend's nodes
You can preorder Mario Kart DS here.
Actually the Genesis beat the SNES in sales, yet the Game Gear did not beat the gameboy.
Time to show your work. I'll go first:
In 1992, the SNES was released in Europe as the rival to the Sega Megadrive. In Japan, the Super Famicom easily took control of the gaming market. Despite a slow start, the SNES in North America eventually overtook the Sega Genesis, thanks to franchise titles such as Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Street Fighter 2, and the Final Fantasy series. In the U.S., the Genesis barely outsold the SNES, however total worldwide sales of the SNES were higher than the Genesis.
Wikipedia
Three Problems with your statment.
1) Handhelds with better functionality and quality replace handhelds. It's not like you can play a PC game using your tower and monitor, or an xbox game with a TV on the bus.
2) The cost of replacing/upgrading PC components can cost as much as buying a new handheld.
3) Sony can only play games and content on UMDs and the new Sony stick. It cannot play PS1 games as of right now. The PSP cannot even fit a CD in its slot. In contrast the DS can play the majority of the GBA library with 100% functionality.
The DS uses 802.11b technology for wireless communications. No current software titles support TCP based communication, so they cannot be played online. team xlink is working on "tunneling" the existing DS software titles. Future DS titles will support internet access, but it is currently unsure which titles and when they will be available.
....if Nintendo can get their attention. This may be the first console that Blizzard could release a successful game for, since all their best games rely heavily on the mouse.
Starcraft on a DS.... 'nuff said.
I've got more mod points and GMail invi
This is all fine and dandy but when is the UK, and the rest of Europe, getting the DS?
I like muppets.
Actually, this handheld will still play GBA games. If you still have GBC/GB games, then invest in a relatively cheap GBC. Less than twenty bucks used.
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
Wrong on one there thing. The DS is backwards compatable with GBA games, BUT NOT Gameboy Color or the regular Game Boy.
Just wanted to clear that up.
In a lot of ways, it's better than most other touchscreens - since the DS folds up clamshell-style, both screens are protected. Nintendo also took pains to make sure that you don't have to touch the screen with your fingers for control by adding the thumbstrap pointer. Mostly it just falls to being careful, I guess. One thing I was surprised at, however, was how responsive the touchscreen is - in Pictochat (the included chat program), drawing and "typing" with the on-screen keyboard was far more accurate than on my Palm device.
--- Bwah?
I stand corrected about the worldwide sales. I must have gotten my info from a site that didn't care about things outside the US. Sorry about that.
Exactly. It might mean "Distributed Spam".
Slashdot: Where nerds gather to pool their ignorance
That's funny, I thought they stopped making the DS in 1975...
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-- INSERT --
It also has pegs in the slot that prevent you from even inserting a GB or GBC cartridge.
You definately can NOT play GB/GBC games on a DS.
It's easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.
The biggest reason why I got a DS was that I can play GBA games without a Gamecube + Game Boy Player or play games in not-so-well-lighted places (I have the first GBA, passed on the GBA SP).
Remember, it can play GBA games, but NOT gameboy or gameboy colour games.
It doesnt have a Z80 processor and there are little pegs in the slot that prevent you from even inserting one of the old games.
No real loss, for me anyways, but just thought I'd let you know.
It's easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.
I may be wrong but the DS's backwards compatibility is somewhat hamstrung. I think it only plays Advance games, though I have not actually stuck in a Color or older cart to check for sure. Also you can't link them in anyway, supposedly not even using the wireless in games that support the wireless link for just Advance games. Given that, playing on the back lit instead of front lit screen of the SP is a world of difference, akin to playing on a SP vs a regular advance. In other words a drastic improvement, and given that 99% of my portable game playing is by myself (with Advance games) its ok. It is really sweet to be able to have a couple of friends pull out DSs and in seconds we are playing Metroid multiplayer against each other, all without having to get comfortably close for the link cables.
As an added bonus, fewer people would call you ignorant, and you might just become a little less ignorant in the process.
Not to go on about your ignorance far too much, but are you the kind of person who walks around the office asking for someone to define a word for you, rather than picking up a dictionary or typing "define:ignorant" into google? Damn that's annoying. Please stop.
You're right, sorry. Never trust everything you read on the Internet. =P
The GBA compatibility is still very, very nice. I'm just loving carrying around my DS with Mario 64DS in the top slot, and Final Fantasy I & II in the bottom. I am never, EVER bored...
Or better yet, selling PSP batteries on eBay ;)
</sarcasm>
--Rick "If it isn't broken, take it apart and find out why."
Except that it's not an acronym. The DS is the official name. Nintendo DS. That's it. DS doesn't stand for anything in particular anymore. (Previously, it stood for Dual Screen or Developer's System.)
If you wanted to know what it was, why not just click the link and RTFA or google for it? It wouldn't take that much longer than putting up a post bitching about it.
"But I trust in the people's capacity for reflection, rage and rebellion." -Oscar Olivera
That would also be a great game for the DS.
Especially with two screens.
The product's name is Nintendo DS. How can they possibly get more specific than to tell you exactly what it is. Do you want a couple of sentences of summary after ever time the mention it? "The Nintendo DS, a portable game console" etc... It would be silly to do something like that for the PS2 or the Xbox, right? "The Xbox, Microsoft's video game console..." It gets a little redundant.
Also, this is the *games* section of Slashdot. Since the DS has been mentioned in other posts in this section, and even linked to repeatedly, you should know what it is if you're paying attention.
And FYI, I'm also not 14, and I bathe regularly.
It plays older games, its not natively compatible but there is an adapter.
Regards,
Steve
it sure is. it even runs linux. check out a used Zaurus SL-5500 on ebay..
400,000 more systems is all well and good... but what about selfish bastards such as myself who've already managed to get theirs and just want more games? The DS itself is quite nice indeed (as other posters have already mentioned... check it out yourself at Best Buy or your local game store if you doubt), but the only game that's really worthwhile at this point is Mario 64 DS, which got kinda old kinda quick. It's a great game and all, and yeah, they changed some stuff around from the original, but it's still just Mario 64. Where's the Metroid game? Where's Final Fantasy III? Where's any mention whatsoever of Zelda? Give me a new Kid Icarus, dammit! This is Nintendo, I expect more first party goodness than the lackluster launch titles are providing me with.
Citizens demand more games!
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." -- Groucho Marx
There are at least TEN people above you complaining about the same thing... guess what? Products have NAMES. They don't call the new ATI card "ATI Really Cool Video Card with Pixel Shading". They give it a name. The name is usually a couple of letters and numbers stuck together. The fact that you don't know the name of a video game console isn't really /.'s fault. You might as well say "What the hell is a Nintendo?"
If, after many dozens of stories on this item, after 500,000 of them have already been sold in the space of weeks, after marketing campaigns and endless flamewars about DS vs. PSP, you still don't know what the thing is, you know what? You just might be out of the fucking loop.
(If you don't know what DS means, how do you know it's not an acronym? Use your mind, son.)
If you don't know what it is, why ASSUME it is an acronym? And I believe the point still stands, if you want to KNOW what it is, follow the link. If not, then let it pass.
"But I trust in the people's capacity for reflection, rage and rebellion." -Oscar Olivera
Nope - it sure isn't. I spent way to much on a Pocket PC PDA and I admit one of the primary reasons was retro gaming. I own GBs and GBAs (yes - multiple) but I hate having to carry around multiple small cartridges which can be easily lost.
My PocketPC handles NES, GB, GBC, PC Engine, Sega Master system, Game Gear, Atari 2600, Commodore 64, Spectrum and Apple 2 games as well as some SNES and Genesis (not as well). There is also GBA emulation but its not very good.
The great thing - aside from the nostalgia, is that a lot of these older games are perfect for quick pickup play. Most emulators support memory saves as well - meaning you can put it down at a moments notice even if you are close to getting that high score.
You can fit a hell of a lot of games on a 512MB SD card and Compact Flash drives go up to 4GB if you need more storage.
The added bonuses aside from the usual PDA features are that it plays both audio and video. You get mp3, ogm, avi and mpg playback.
There are also excellent native Pocket PC games including ports of Age of Empires, Warlords 2 and Ultima Underworld. RTS, RPG even FPS games are available.
So yeah its expensive, but it is a hell of a toy if you can justify the cost.
If you have a model with bluetooth and or 802.11b its great for ssh or terminal services too.
My biggest complaint is that someone needs to come out with a gaming oriented model, so we can get a decent button layout. One of the main considerations in my purchase was the dpad and button setup.
Sometimes my arms bend back.
You are basing your opinion of an entire system on a commercial that showed one possible use for a color touch screen?
Have you even tried one yet? They've got the demo units out in stores to try.
Yeah the PSP LOOKS great, but battery life is going to be horrible. Looks aren't everything. Companies have tried in the past to de-trone nintendo with better looking portables and they have all failed so far.
Maybe you are using it Wrong?
The stylus is suppossed to touch the screen, not the finger. Just like you don't Fist your pda screen. And the dual screens is suppossed to be a redundant measure to make sure that you don't have finger prints. The Upper screen is suppossed to stay clean.
There are ways around this little caveat, but the legality of it all is a little questionable. .gba or .bin rom file. It's then just a matter of transferring the file to the flash cartridge and you're away.
Firstly you need to get hold of a GBA linker and flash cartridge. You also will need download Goomba, a Gameboy emulator for the Gameboy Advance. Use the linker to dump your Gameboy games on your PC, then combine them with Goomba into a
Life is like an analogy
This makes me think: if the GameBoy Advanced
(released in 2001) has the capabilities of
the NES (early 1990s?) and the DS has the
capabilities of the N64 (released in 1996),
it means handheld technology is catching up
with consoles with a delay of about 8 to 10
years. Therefore, in 2012-2014, we can expect
a handheld device that will have the power
and versatility of today's GameCubes and
XBoxes!
But then, maybe the delay isn't that long,
since the PSP is rumored to be more or less
as powerful as the PS2...
Because you can buy pocketPCs for that price that have a much larger touchscreen.
They won't have wifi, but the models that do aren't too much up in cost.
01101001 01100001 01101101 01101110 01101111 01110100 01100001 01101100 01100001 01110111 01111001 01100101 01110010
By the way, the DS is AWESOME!
Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." -- Groucho Marx
Hello, Sony shill! I plan to get a PSP and not a DS, but the second screen really does offer a lot of potential (and the way some of the games are using it already make it useful to have color and graphics acceleration) and the battery life of the PSP is, while acceptable, only just.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Tetris IS in color on my GBA SP, it's just not in very many colors.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
*Ahem* Correct - the product's name is "Nintendo DS". Not "DS".
Much easier to recognise the company Nintendo than the model name of one of their multitude of time-wasting devices.
But wouldn't it be nice to speak clearly in the first place and save them the trouble. I agree with the parent to your post. Very sloppy editing.
Heaven forbid a submitter assumes someone reading the gaming section would know what one of the world's largest game companies is up to.
I mean, really...I bet it took you more time to make your post than it would have to do a quick Google search or actually click the article link. This whole idea of whining if the summary doesn't give a 100% clear idea of what the article's about is getting to be just plain silly.
thanks for the clarification. I wasn't aware that it only had limited backwards compatibility. Still, I do own a dozen gba games and have a *cough* flash card for gba games, so to still have access to that entire library of games, of which there are probably close to a thousand? (based on the release of gba roms, which are up in the 1700s i think now, but many of which are simply localized versions of games)
You can pick your nodes, and you can pick your friends, but you can't pick your friend's nodes
- Sony PSP (Playstation Portable): It's only the most anticipated handheld gaming device ever -- a portable wonder that packs all the power of the original PlayStation in one palm-size package. And it doesn't just play games: according to Sony, it'll also deliver music and MPEG-4 video, display photos and offer 802.11 Wi-Fi connectivity for wireless gaming and messaging. It's going on sale in Japan this weekend. The United States, however, doesn't get it until March 2005 at the earliest.
As far as the N-Gage, its described as "part game deck, phone, organizer and MP3 player". Users can participate in 3D multiplayer games online, using Bluetooth and GPRS wireless connections. I believe that phone connectivity and airtime minutes apply, correct me if I'm wrong...Sig cancelled due to lack of interest
So, what's a DS?
I'm with you. I don't have a friggin' clue what a DS is either. Regardless if it's made by Nintendo or freakin' NASA, I wouldn't know what 2 effing letters are supposed to stand for - especially when it doesn't mention ANYwhere in the story what the context of a DS even is. It doesn't even say handheld anywhere in the story.
For the rest of the goons that point out the links in the story - Well, do you follow every link on CNN.com to find out what the hell the story is about or does it explain it in the story?
sheesh.
If you do what you always did, you get what you always got.
OK everybody, considering how often news on the DS has been on the front page for the past few weeks, at what point do we start to mod these constant "What's a DS?" questions as trolls?
Hell, "DS" isn't even really an acronym, it's the actual name of the system: Nintendo DS.
bodrell wrote:
"I can only think of one exception to the rule: if you are talking about more than one "A," such as getting straight A's, omitting the apostrophe makes it looks like "As" which would be very confusing."
Correct. Apostrophes are meant only to be used for pluralization if and when adding the last 's' may cause confusion (i.e. letters [A's, B's, etc.], numbers [1's, 2's, etc.]). At least, that's what I was taught. But in my personal opinion, with so many acronyms and abbreviations being used nowadays, I feel that sometimes either can be acceptable depending on context (though personally, I don't use apostrophes when pluralizing abbreviations, since I capitalize the letters anyway). It's just that too many people can't be bothered to check for readability or correctness. So, it ends up being abused in the way that we commonly see it, just like your example about the wrong pluralization of 'eggs' on that diner whiteboard. Though, in that case, it might be just plain ignorance. ^^;
Seriously. It's the system's name, all of the "What's a DS?!?" posts are essentially the same as going "What's a PS2?!~?!!" in any story that didn't explicitly spell out "Sony Playstation 2 Computer Entertainment System." There's a goddamned Game Boy icon, and the story's in the games section: WHAT ELSE COULD IT STAND FOR?
No it's not.
Just put it in you Gameboy Player... that thing still plays Gameboy / Gameboy Color / Gameboy Advance... alas but it does not do DS...
Some of us do not even play computer games. Not a comment on those who do... whatever lights your fire.
Actually you are completely wrong. The GBA has been out for 4 years, not one or two. The DS is completely backward compatible with GB and GBA games. The PSP will not play PS1 games at all. Stop the misinformation, mod the parent down.
There are two types of people in this world: those that categorize other people and those that don't.
Why handhelds?
I bought a Gameboy Advance used for about $20 USD so I could connect it to my gamecube for things like the Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion link bonuses. After I had picked up a few games for it I invested in the SP because it has a better form factor, a backlit screen, better battery life, etc..
Now I carry it everywhere. Bored on the bus and riding alone? I pull out my GBA and play some Metroid. TV in use? No problem, I've got my own screen.
My username does not make me Apathetic. It's irony, get it?
Idiot. Someone doesn't know what sarcasm is apparently.
can't sleep slashdot will eat me
You are a fucking moron.
The DS has been out for a few weeks (I own one myself) and has appeared on slashdot at least 5 times. Not to mention if you go to a gamestore or best buy one of the very first things you'll see is a display for it. Hell Walmart carries them.
So unless you live in a goddamn cave, there is really no excuse to be so willfully ignorant.
can't sleep slashdot will eat me
I thought there was a story on Slashdot that your flash card wouldn't work in the DS. Maybe I'm wrong...
This is, and I don't think I'm wrong here, for the people that care about the Nintendo DS that headline and story were quite sufficient to tell them what they want to know. If you don't understand the story, why be bothered? There was a story earlier today about a movie about Babylon 5, which I've never watched and don't really know about. I felt free to skip the story. It's ok to be out of the loop on things you don't care about, you won't lose your geek licence.
"Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality." -- Dalai Lama
I should clarify, it's not that ALL nintendo games are cute, it's more that so many of them are. I want a system where most of the games aren't bubbly characters looking to be happy all the time. I like games like final fantasy, metal gear, and the other games that were so big on playstation. I don't remember anything really fun on gamecube aside from zelda. I'm sure there were some good games, but none that made me buy the system. As for the really awesome nes games of the past, well, I have a nintendo. I don't need all the same games on my portable to make me buy a portable. Also, I like the DS. I just can't afford to commit to one system when I still might really like another one.
Reality is nothing but a collective hunch.
Many cards work fine. You can find compatiblity lists on some sites.
I don't think the GBA to PS2 factor really matters as they are completely different markets. Sony has never made a portable before, but if it works anything like their experience in consoles, they'll sweep Nintendo into the corner and let them take the kids' and budget gaming markets.
I have a GB, GBC, GBA, SP, and GCN, and they're great systems, but so far I've seen Nintendo offer a system with minor graphical improvements and some fiddly gimmicks I really don't want on a handheld, with a lineup of games I'm not really interested in because it looks like they were written as DS gimmick demos. (oo, steer/aim with a touchscreen! Blow on the mic!)
In the other corner, we have a system that's like a handheld PS2. The Japanese "mita?" ads say it best really: Someone will be sitting there playing their PSP, and someone else wanders by and just stares in awe at it until they're noticed. A nice large screen should help those advanced 3D graphics stay nice and visible in a variety of situations. Several of the launch titles look like solid games on their own without falling back on awkward "features." In fact, at least the Armored Core game is making a portable AND console release.
I'd go for the PSP, except for one thing, it's not even for sale in North America yet, something that's going to hurt Sony in the long run. Also, the GBA really isn't insufficient in any way, and I haven't come close to beating all the good games for it, so I don't NEED a new handheld... I have a backlog of awesome games as it is! Maybe it's just me, but this whole new "handheld war" just seems like noise from both sides to get sales up again.
Like the parent post says though, it comes down to what you're looking for in a handheld and people will grab whichever has what they want. I just can't help but see Nintendo's other "innovations" when I see the DS. Things like the Track & Field pad, U-Force, ROB, Power Glove, Super Scope, Virtual Boy, GB camera, FF: Crystal Chronicles GBA link cable, etc... Innovative for sure, but useless outside the scope of the one (or up to a half dozen sometimes!) games they were made for.
Hell, "DS" isn't even really an acronym, it's the actual name of the system: Nintendo DS.
I think it stands for ' Dual Screen. '
If all else fails... RTFM
Amen to that. Well put, and with much less fuck than I'd have used. :)
ok cool, just wondering. (i don't have one, just thought i read that somewhere).
Simply because it's Sony doesn't mean they will do well with the PSP. The only reason the Playstation even exists is because of a failed partnership with Nintendo to make a CD-ROM peripheral for the SNES.
"I think so, Brain, but 'instant karma' always gets so lumpy." - Pinky
"Decepticons FOREVER!!!" - Ravage
You know who stores often put empty boxes on display if the item is small and expensive? You bring the box up, pay for the item and then they bring you a real one from the back? Well...
A few days after release, once I had determined that there were no DS system left in Huntsville, I wandered into a Software Etc. store in the mall and there were three boxes, with price stickers, sitting on the shelf above the demo unit and games. Already feeling like an idiot for asking, I said, "Do you really have these three in stock?" The clerk said, "No, those are the boxes for the pre-orders that haven't been picked up." Jerks.
Skip ahead a coupla weeks. I go in Toys R Us to do some Christmas shopping. They have a board up toward the front of the store listing new video game releases. In big letters, they list "Nintendo DS". I already know they're lying, but when I get back in electronics, they have 30-40 boxes with price tags in a huge display in the middle of the electronics dept. Again, knowing the answer, I ask a clerk if they actually *have* the product they are displaying and she says, "No, those are just display boxes. We sold out two weeks ago, but we haven't had a chance to pull the boxes." Yeah, right. They've got middle of the aisle toy displays all over the store, overstock stacked to the ceiling, and two many people trying to maneuver shopping carts through the maze, but they haven't had time in *2 weeks* to pull 40 empty boxes off a shelf and toss them behind a counter. I guess they enjoy answering the same question over and over and having pissed off people stand in line for 20 minutes holding an empty box for a non-existent item. I'd hate to be a cashier.
The other day, I heard Sears had some, but I didn't even bother going to look.
What confuses me about this is that I can see (in a misleading way) displaying these empty boxes to get people into the store, but in all three stores, you couldn't see them until you were already in the store shopping. What possible reason could a store have to mislead shoppers and piss them off?
-- stream of did I lock the front door consciousness
You took the words right out of my mouth ;)
I also hate the tangy, greasy barbeque sauce all over my screen, let alone my pants..
Apparently asking what the DS stands for is the new "In Soviet Russia". Guess I missed that memo when it came out last week ;)
God I love trolls..
Love the Google link, I can't wait to use that in future posts..
I'd say Feel the Magic is another killer app, but other than that and Mario, it's very bland.
For every report that there's a lot in stock, there are many cities with absolutely none in sight, and no mention of when the new shipment will come in. I t is not hype, Nintendo had no idea it was going to be this successful on a launch system.
No, it stands for "DS." The box says "Nintendo DS," the software says "for use on the Nitnendo DS," Nintendo's website has information on the "Nintendo DS." How and why Nintendo came to choose those two particular letters doesn't really matter any more because the name is the two letters, much like the "real" name of the Game Boy Advance SP really is "Game Boy Advance SP" with no explaination of "SP" offered or warranted.
Think of it like "KFC," only moreso. Or the fact that I subscribe to "DirecTV" and not "DirecTelevion."
Nintendo owns the handheld market at this point. And who says they're not up there in the console market? Last I checked, worldwide the GameCube is the second biggest console. As for the U.S., GameCube and X-Box are neck and neck, but X-Box doesn't sell well outside of the U.S. I, for one, can't explain why PS2 is so far ahead this generation. PS2 is obviously the least of the systems as far as graphics and processing power go. Hype and such put the PS2 ahead (as well as games). I hope for great things with the DS.
"As technology increases and people become more tech-savvy, i think people start to lose more brand loyalty and start going to the items that have the features they want."
Then explain the continued profits of AOL.
At any rate, we're not talking about PCs or even palmtops, these are game consoles. People don't look for features, they look for games. The entire purpose of the device is to play games and, no matter what bells and whistles a device comes with, if it doesn't play the games people want to play then people simply won't buy it.
So, you're new to the world of technology?
Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
"Guess I missed that memo when it came out last week"
Actually, last week's memo stated that "only old people in Korea" was the new "In Soviet Russia."
I'm afraid to wonder what the new trolling favorite will be next week...
"Jesus fuck, people, would it kill you to stick "Nintendo" somewhere in the summary text?"
I wonder if you complained when they stopped mentioning Apple in every story about the iPod...
"The hell makes you think that "DS" is to special and unique a term that even an average slashdot reader would immediately know what it is?"
Um... perhaps the subject of the article? The fact that these things are selling like hotcakes, something that doesn't happen if people don't know anything about it? One would think that your hypothetical slashdot reader should know more than, say, your average Wal-Mart electronics employee, who by now is sick of being asked about when they'll get the next shipment.
If you don't know more about electronics than the average retail wage slave, you're at the wrong website.
"I'm sure there's a subset of nintendo geeks who will find this instantly obvious, but could you please make things clear to the rest of it?"
Again, look at the article. If it was just "Nintendo geeks," the DS would be selling like the GameCube, not the Game Boy Advance.
"It'd really streamline my process of not caring."
The truly apathetic don't bother posting.
That's strange, I could have sworn that an acronym had to form an existing word. DS isn't a word in the English language (or any other language that I'm aware of), so it is not an acronym. On top of that, it [i]is[/i] the product's name.
Happiness is relative, Based upon the way we live.
"they tend to get raplaced by newer models within a year or so that don't play any of your old games."
The Game Boy Color plays four-color Game Boy games.
The Game Boy Advance plays Game Boy Color and four-color Game Boy games.
The Game Boy Advance SP isn't even a new system per se.
The Nintendo DS plays Game Boy Advance games, but does not play Game Boy Color or four-color Game Boy games. But this is because Nintendo has repeatedly stated that the DS is not intended to replace the Game Boy Advance, referring to the DS as their "third pillar." The idea seems to be to try doing something new in handhelds without sacrificing Nintendo's bread-and-butter that is the Game Boy line. After all, this is the "Nintendo DS," not the "Nintendo Game Boy DS."
Personally, at this point I don't think even Nintendo themselves could unseat the Game Boy line as the top of the food chain, but it seems their intent is to not even try to.
The thing that confuses me about your comment, though, is that the Game Boy is really the only handheld console that has been around long enough for a new hardware iteration to come out. The Lynx, Game Gear, Tiger.com, NeoGeo Pocket Color (among others) all died in their first generation. The only other handheld I can think of that made it into a second iteration was the WonderSwan, and even then the WonderSwan Color played older b/w WonderSwan games. So where are you finding this "tendancy" you're talking about?
"but unlike a handheld the new one still plays your old games"
You sound like someone who doesn't know the joys of getting XP to play a DOS game well, let alone the tricker problem of some of the really old games (I never had to install an app to slow down my GBA's processor to play Metroid II).
"with one excaption, sony's handheld plays all those old ps1 games that you already have,"
As others have pointed out, no, it doesn't. Sony is trying their hand at making a new proprietary format for their PSP (as if they didn't learn anything from the MiniDisc), which means the PSP will only be able to read PSP software, and the PSP will be the only device able to read PSP software (unless they include that functionality in the PS3).
With Sony paying for a new, proprietary media and Nintendo using an older standard that may end up being less expensive to produce, it's almost as if we're about to see a reverse of what happened back when the Nintendo 64 and the PlayStation were competing with each other.
"now it might be worth it with such a large and *inexpensive* game base, unlike nintendo"
New GBA cartridges tend to be $30. DS cartridges seem to be starting between $30 and $40, but I don't think it will be long before they too are consistently around $30 (after all, Nintendo has been working on cartridge technology for a very long time now). PlayStation 2 games, using relatively inexpensive and widely-available media like CDs and DVDs, usually sell new between $40 and $50. Sony seems to expect to get similar performance out of a PSP as they get out of a PS2 (if not equal), but they will not be using such off-the-shelf media technologies like CDs or DVDs or even ROM chips. At this point, I don't think Sony will be able to publish and sell PSP games at the same price as DS games without taking a loss, at least not until this new media catches on, which would require the PSP catching on. So will they be taking losses on both hardware and software at the same time?
By the way, if anyone in Finland is lusting after a DS or PSP, I can send one to you (for a fee).
o m/psp.php
http://www.bemmu.com/ds.php
http://www.bemmu.c
The unit comes with a thumb strap, it is a piece of plastic which straps to your thumb. You use the same motions as you would with your thumb, but without actually touching the screen.
I know because I have a DS. The thumb strap works GREAT, I wouldn't use the thing without it.
what did you get? I just purchased a ipaq 3115 that has wireless and a nice dpad, but still find it very cumbersome. what really needs to happen is for someone to make a decent bluetooth controller for it....
-and occasionaly a giant moose.
Or am I the only one who love my sp more than the ds? I just kinda hated the early 3d console aera, n64 sucked.
I think I'm going to sit tight with my sp, buy up some cheap games, and then switch to psp when it comes out.
-makoffee
My Flash 2 Advance works fine and my understanding is that most of them work a-ok(The DS boots the cart just like a normal GBA cart(same CPU, etc. etc.)... now getting access to the full DS hardware via a GBA flash cart... that's not doable yet).
The key to the enjoyment of pop music is to replace any instance of "love" with "C.H.U.D."
However, if you get a Flash Linker you can use a program called Goomba (use Google - I dont have a link to hand) to compile many GB & GBC games into a "virtual GBA" cartidge image which WILL work on a Nintendo DS.
You will need a GBA (Classic or SP) to use any modern linker as they use a port that is not on the DS but on the GBA - I think its the one for multi player link up.
This way you should be able to back up your GB/GBC games to your PC, then transfer them to the Flash cart to play on your DS.
The article was on the front page. And it's still a good idea to mention the company. Nobody knows every acronym and gadget model number by heart.
Being someone that reads slashdot only occasionally (1-3 times a week, usually briefly on those occasions). I had no idea what simply "DS" meant. It should be DmS for "dont mean shit." "Nintendo DS" tells me that its the name of a console platform.
I just might venture to guess that "video cassette recorder" just seems too damn long. Plus you add in that VCRs have been around for 20 years and the Nintendo DS is making the news. DS is also a proprietary name so it wont spread in usage like names that are necessary to describe the machine (VCR, DVD, CD, SUV, POS).
Now click the last link in the summary, the very first sentence:
"the Nintendo DS, is enjoying global sales figures broadly in line with its predecessor, the Game Boy Advance
You cant blame people when you cant trust the linked article. While Nintendo calls it a separate line from the Gamboy Advance, the article says and everyone will naturally assume that it is the succesor. Just compare the two, one is a much cooler version of the other.
Hey, who knows what games are going to run on the DS? I dunno, maybe i'd buy one of these portable console, but i know nothing of the games that run on them. Plus, i got ripped getting a gamecube, wich sucked because it runs about only 2-3 good games. SO? WHO'S GOING TO FLAME ME AND HELP OUT?
The specs suggest that the PSP will wipe the floor with the DS. Perhaps the PSP will suck, just as the N-Gage did, in ways that the specs don't reveal. For example regional encoding is a stupid idea in these devices, and stubby memory stick format is even stupider, considering that memory stick is used by barely anyone except Sony. But the only way to know for sure is stand back and wait until the choices are all in front of you, including a decent selection of games.
Though frankly I don't understand why demand for any console are high at the beginning. Why is everyone rushing out to buy a DS, (or XBox, PS2, Gamecube before that), when there are precious few games for it at launch, where it isn't backwards compatible and the main competition is only a few months away itself. It makes no sense except as a "I want it" knee jerk reaction to anything new.
The colonials^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^HAmericans have different rules for apostrophes. They use "'s" for plural of abbreviations.
The article was on the front page.
And the Gameboy icon, reference to Gameboy Advance sales, and a mention of Gamesindustry.biz wouldn't clue you in that it might be a gaming-related story? C'mon now.
Nobody knows every acronym and gadget model number by heart.
News about the DS has been everywhere on gaming related sites, and Nintendo has been running TV commercials, magazine ads, contests, the works. The DS is a major new product from a huge international company, not a little niche gadget.
And as I said before, if you've somehow missed it all, you could have found out exactly what the DS was after about 5 seconds of clicking the article link or searching on Google. Unless you're just incredibly lazy or looking for something to complain about, like the whiners on this particular topic.
Gillette seems to be failing to generate good revenue on razor sales for Q4 2004.
They claim to be making money off the blades, but that sounds as nonsense!
I almost never spend more than four hours away from a charging source. If I do, I won't need my PSP, because I'll be backpacking or something. If I used a lot of public transportation, I might feel different. The Sony screen is supposed to have some new coating on it, but if that doesn't work out there's always softside protectors. Hell, they have waterproof bags for cellphones that you can talk through. The DS has its functions, but I already have a GBA SP and that fulfills my needs for a small game device with extended battery life. Actually, we have two of them, so we can play head to head even, and a game boy player. I love my Nintendo stuff but I think the PSP will offer me more than the DS.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Plural Noun Forms
From this site it appears you're right. Apostrophes are only used when referring to more than letter or word, such as A's or and's. But there are no apostrophes in CDs, IQs, or DSs.
The NeoGeo Pocket Color was the second generation of the machine. Previously it was the NeoGeo Pocket, which was black-and-white.
[PowerPoint] is a tool for capitalist presentation
I ended up getting an Asus MyPal A716. From the research I did, the graphics performance is very good. The dpad works well. Perhaps the biggest issue is that you only have 2 buttons plus the dpad click that you can really use for in game buttons. The other 2 can be used for select and start or similar functions.
This model has built in 802.11b and bluetooth - but I haven't had a chance to test the bluetooth.
I find it reasonably comfortable for use gaming but the GB form factors are clearly superior (although I would argue the original GBA was more comfortable than the SP version).
It works well enough that my son constantly wants to use it to play.
Sometimes my arms bend back.
My local Target got around 12 in this morning. I needed two (I ain't scalping them, I've got two spoiled kids), but they would only sell me one. I bought one, went and ate lunch, drove back and bought another from a different clerk. They only had 5 when I returned for the second one.
-- stream of did I lock the front door consciousness
Sony is trying their hand at making a new proprietary format for their PSP (as if they didn't learn anything from the MiniDisc)
EVERY handheld gaming format, other than say the GP32 and Palm/WinCE based systems, has been proprietary. Big deal.
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
Proprietary only in the sense that they had different pinouts on their ROM chips. In many ways it's not much different than trying to draw a line between the media of the Sega Saturn and the Sony PlayStation. What Sony is trying to do with the PSP, on the other hand, is pretty far removed from all other iterations of optical media: you're not going to be able to toss it in your DVD+/-RW drive and expect to be able to read it.
other than to pirate it, why the hell would i want to?
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
Whether or not your optical drive can read it is an indiciation of how far removed from off-the-shelf standards the media is.
...so? It's an optical disc, how is this different than using a different ROM cartridge?
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
GOTO
The GDROM was a proprietary media format, but that doesn't mean that the dreamcast failed because of it.
Media formats mean dog snot when it comes to games. All the UMD is is an optical disc in a specialized case. Big deal. It's not like Sony's touting it as a DVD replacement.
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
I was referring to American English. If English elsewhere uses the apostrophe for plurals, then I'll ignore it in the future, just like when I see "color" spelled "colour" and so on.
Si la vida me da palo, yo la voy a soportar Si la vida me da palo, yo la voy a espabilar
Huh? Insult? You are aware that ^H indicates backspace and therefore indicates an attempt at humour, right? Not everyone is out to get the americans.
It appeared to me that the "'s" usage was common American usage. The fact that last book on punctuation I read ("Eats, Shoots and Leaves", unsurpisingly) claimed that it was "American English" to write "CD's", I assumed that you were English and would get the reference to old, stuffy upper-class English farts still referring to countries that were once part of the Empire as "the colonies".
If I were a foreigner right now I'd probably have a fairly low opinion of Americans. The sad part is that people have really tried to pass legislation declaring pi equal to 22/7. There are many, many idiots in this country. I guess I'm a bit touchy when I perceive I'm being lumped together with those people. The same ones who voted for Bush. The same who want to redefine pi. The ones who say "Ham and egg's" when the mean eggs. I am out to get those people, even if you are not, because they've taken the USA backwards far enough.
Si la vida me da palo, yo la voy a soportar Si la vida me da palo, yo la voy a espabilar