What Makes The DS So Popular?

Next Generation is running down the reasons why the Nintendo DS is so popular in Japan, by analyzing an article on the subject from Famitsu. From the article: "In any department store in Japan, there are DS demo stations. Usually the screens are scratched to high hell (I can't imagine what people are DOING with the stylus), and lately, there are a lot of games to choose from. On the launch day of Xbox 360, I recall seeing a line eight persons deep to play Super Mario Kart DS, and not one person even looking at the 360. This was in Shibuya Tsutaya, statistically the most foot-trafficked game retailer in all of Japan."

Comments

Scratches?

[Walkiry]

>Usually the screens are scratched to high hell (I can't imagine what people are DOING with the stylus)

E)Elbereth

Makes the DS safe from meddling kids and store managers, and lets me play for longer! Oh crap...

z)d
Which direction?>
*Crash*

Re:Scratches?

[voice_of_all_reason]

E)Elbereth

While the Light of the Elves is indeed powerful, especially against maiar in the form of giant spiders, it should not be overtly harmful to a DS

Re:Scratches?

[Anonymous Coward]

Have you ever played Nethack? That's where this particular "Elbereth" reference comes from.

Re:Scratches?

[ConceptJunkie]

Wow! If there's Nethack for the DS then I gotta get me one! ;-)

Maybe Not

[pipingguy]

The DS is popular? I don't know anyone that has one. I have a kid that doesn't want one. But apparently they are "popular". With whom?

Re:Maybe Not

[Koiu Lpoi]

In a race to get first post, I see you don't read the article - much lesd the summary! It says Japan and provides reasons. And besides, just because you only know people who don't want one doesn't make you an expert. I don't know anyone who wants a Murcury Sable, for instance.

Re:Maybe Not

[sgant]

My kid wanted one....all his friends wanted one. All his friends are playing DS Wifi games. The McDonalds here is a Wifi hotspot for the DS and they go over there to play and I counted 11 people in there one day with DS systems. They're all over the fricken place!

Where do you live, out in a corn field or something? Or maybe the "fever" just hasn't hit your neck of the woods yet.

Re:Maybe Not

[Anonymous Coward]

No, he/she's a PSP-fanbot.

He claims he can't see, when in fact he REFUSES to see. There's a big difference. Can't believe he got 1 instead of -1, troll.

Re:Maybe Not

[chrismcdirty]

I love my DS, but I don't see anyone with them aside from a few friends. It's all spoiled brats with PSPs around here. In fact, the only people I've seen with a DS are likely over 18. Then again, I don't leave the house so much unless I'm going to work or a friend's, so I may not be the right person to ask.

Re:Maybe Not

[pipingguy]

DS, that's that handheld Nintendo thing, right?

I guess Montreal is the equivalent of a cornfield to some people. Up here, DS is a non-event as far as I can tell. But then again, my kid's now 14 and more interested in his girlfriend and World of Warcraft these days. Plus, we're all French here.

Zonk's game section is dying, I only keep it in my preferences for the occasional good story.

Re:Maybe Not

[sgant]

Could be the age thing then...my kid's only 12 and so are all his friends. I don't see the DS as a teenagers or adults game console really and honestly, I don't see what the draw is. But hey, he's happy with it.

Re:Maybe Not

[leland242]

It appeals to me (I'm 28) because of the innovative games, built in WiFi, and the touch screen.

Plus, I get a mild kick out of using the stylus for gaming...

Re:Maybe Not

[pipingguy]

Maybe it's a status thing, but my kid and his generation was never big on showing of technology at school. He once brought a CD player and that got stolen - you have to wonder about that, but it's probably a "you got something others don't, so I'll take it from you" high school thing.

Now he's got a cel phone that has tracking built-in (plus, his mom works for the company) so it'll be interesting (to say the least) to see what happens if that gets stolen.

Re:Maybe Not

[Hobbitgh0d42]

First of all, the current school aged generation is so about showing off technology at every turn. But perhaps since you are in the wooly wild north you don't notice this.

How many people know someone that has a cell phone, an iPod(or iPodlike device), a DS/PSP and is under the age of 18? I know of atleast 5 or 6 kids like these. But of course since we are Americans we HAVE to flaunt technology to make up for our lack of education... Right?

Re:Maybe Not

[BenjyD]

It's odd, but I've never seen anyone with either a PSP or a DS in the UK. I remember seeing maybe five kids with a GBA SP when I lived in London,but nothing else.

Re:Maybe Not

[pipingguy]

since we are Americans we HAVE to flaunt technology to make up for our lack of education... Right?

Nice try. America has the same percentage of buffoons (OK, maybe a bit more) as any other country. Most other countries don't try to export their middlebrow culture so forcefully though. Manifest destiny, Right?

Re:Maybe Not

[Guppy06]

"I have a kid that doesn't want one. But apparently they are "popular". With whom?"

I was just browsing through the video game section of my local Tar-zhay and there was a 10 year old girl with her face plastered on the glass case, feverishly explaining to her mother how the DS was the "best video game system ever" and how all her friends had one.

Of course, this is just an anecdote, as is your post. You can't rely on them. That's why we have statistics like the one TFA is using.

Re:Maybe Not

[chrismcdirty]

I still see a lot of kids with GBAs, and I laugh at them because my machine is superior. Then my fiance hits me and calls me a jerk.

Re:Maybe Not

[Anonymous Coward]

It's impossible to determing wide spread apeal based on personal experience. Back in the day ...

When I was in High school everyone I knew owned a N64 and played Mario Kart and Goldeneye endlessly; in fact every party you'd go to had one of those games playing with four players (and nearly a dozen watching). I never even saw a Playstation until a friend borrowed one from his cousin, and everyone made fun of how crappy the games looked, the terible load times and how bad Tomb Raider and Metal Gear really were.

Guess what? The Playstation was one of the most popular systems ever and Metal Gear and Tomb Raider were some of the best selling games.

The reality is that everyone lives in a pocket of like minded individuals, which react in a very similar way (this is why in certain communities all you really see is Fords/Lincolins and in other communities you see more Hondas/Acuras. I'm not surprised that You and Everyone you know doesn't want a Nintendo DS; it could be that the DS isn't your thing, or you could be the type of braindead morron who thinks that Realistic Breast Physics is the most important thing in gaming.

Re:Maybe Not

[pipingguy]

Of course, this is just an anecdote, as is your post. You can't rely on them. That's why we have statistics like the one TFA is using.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but "statistics" regarding videogame/machine sales are likely to be highly suspect (no, I don't have data to back that up).

Just the fact that the primary market is kids would indicate that there is manipulation going on, since kids are notoriously indiscriminate when it comes to getting stuff (since they usually don't have to actually pay and want to look cool to their peers).

Re:Maybe Not

[Anonymous Coward]

On a forum my sister's on, a forum for mothers and pregnant women, a lot of moms are praising it and want one... for themselves.

Like a previous poster has stated, Nintendo's going for the untapped market, which doesn't include "hardcore gamers" that are obsessed with graphics, violence, half-naked women 'superheros' and looking cool in front of their peers.

It's a much broader market... one that's less likely to brag about what video game systems they have around their friends and their friends' fathers.

Re:Maybe Not

[Guppy06]

"Please correct me if I'm wrong, but "statistics" regarding videogame/machine sales are likely to be highly suspect"

So instead you're just going to pull anecdotal "evidence" out of your ass?

"Just the fact that the primary market is kids"

It is?

"since kids are notoriously indiscriminate when it comes to getting stuff"

"Indiscriminate?" Apparently you weren't one of those kids that ask for Optimus Prime for his birthday and got a Go-Bot isntead. More often than not it's the parent that's indiscriminate ("Maybe he'll shut up if I just get him this...").

Re:Maybe Not

[pipingguy]

I'm 43, all we got to play with were Hot Wheels and Play-Doh.

I've been pulling stuff out of my ass for years, eventually I graduated to pulling stuff out of my nose. Do you generally believe corporate sales figures and advertising?

If you think that videogames are not primarily marketed towards kids, you'll be in for a big surprise when/if you have some.

But, by then you'll be a good parent and *not* buy the evil spawn what it wants, right?

For the record, I sit and watch my kid when he plays his games (not so much these days, since he's becoming adulty).

Re:Maybe Not

[MilenCent]

The reality is that everyone lives in a pocket of like minded individuals, which react in a very similar way (this is why in certain communities all you really see is Fords/Lincolins and in other communities you see more Hondas/Acuras.

Yes, this is the danger in relying on anecdotal evidence; we all have a pitifully limited sphere of experience, and things may be very different outside of it.

But also remember that, in this area, reality is in effect the sum total of everyone's experienece. So the parent poster's observation has value as a representative sample.

It would be a better sample, though, were it randomly collected instead of volunteered. Hm.

I guess my point, ultimately, is... er, hey! Look over there!

(runs)

Re:Maybe Not

[deinol]

you could be the type of braindead morron who thinks that Realistic Breast Physics is the most important thing in gaming.

Wait, I think you got it wrong. Nobody wants Realistic Breast Physics!

Re:Maybe Not

[justchris]

You can trust sales figures from Japan. Japanese sales figures are compiled by a 3rd party company that does nothing but gather data and release it. They have no stake in what the numbers are, only in how accurate they are. They've been doing it for over 10 years. Japan is the only country that has reliable games sales numbers. In the US we have the NPD, but their numbers are not currently 100% reliable, but they're at least 80% reliable, and they're the best we've got.

Re:Maybe Not

[Anonymous Coward]

The primary market is kids? Did you even look at the article?

The primary market for the DS is most certainly not kids. It's anyone, and everyone. That's kind of the point, and it's the reason that the DS is doing so well in Japan. While the DS and the PSP may have the same number of traditional gamers (the PSP may have more, in fact), the DS is selling far better (until Nintendo ran out of them), the games are selling better, and (shock!) the games that sell the best are the kind of games that gamers don't like.

On the other hand, the primary market for the PSP is kids / teenagers / American adults who are so insecure than they wouldn't touch a DS in case someone thinks they're a kid / people who don't like change.

Why I think it's so popular

[Anonymous Coward]

Online play.
Huge library of GBA games (RPGS! FUN!).
No loading times. Not that expensive.
Kinda looks like a PDA.

Re:Why I think it's so popular

[Ailure]

I'm surprised that there are no PDA software yet. It's probably only a matter of time... then it might not be attractive for the market. But you could only hope. :)

Re:Why I think it's so popular

[Lemental]

In the launch material recieved by the store I used to work at, some company was producing software of that type. They had sun in the name. I cant remember though as I no longer work there.

Re:Why I think it's so popular

[Anonymous Coward]

In the launch material recieved by the store I used to work at, some company was producing software of that type. They had sun in the name. I cant remember though as I no longer work there.

Yeah, I hate it that they erase your memory when you leave a job.

At least, I think I do.

Hmm...

[Koiu Lpoi]

Curiouly, the article mentions that Shigesato Itoi may develop Mother 3 (That'd be Eathbound Two in America) for the Revolution.

*crosses fingers*

Re:Hmm...

[shoptroll]

*bzzt*

Wrong, it's coming out for GBA... doesn't really matter since DS people will be able to play it anyways.

This detail has been on his website for a while now.

Translated from his webpage here: http://forum.starmen.net/?t=msg&th=17861

Innovation

[neillewis]

The DS is a strange and unique beast for gaming, with its dual screens, touch screen, stylus, microphone, etc. I think its this innovative approach that has led to some interesting games. I have a PSP and a DS, and evn though the PSP is more spangly in design and screen size, the PSP is positioned for the trad gamer market and the DS is going after a wider non-traditional market. That's why its puzzle games and sims are so popular. I never expected much from the DS, but I can't find many compelling games on the PSP. Whereas I've spent hours on Nintendogs, its just so clever. The DS is much cuter than I expected.

portability

[romit_icarus]

I think the answer lies in the fact that it is so portable and that in the urban japanese scenario, they can be used while travelling, waiting etc.

It's the same reason why mobile data services are so popular in Japan. i-mode hit japan a lot before the rest of the world understood 2G or 3G...

Re:portability

[badasscat]

I think the answer lies in the fact that it is so portable and that in the urban japanese scenario, they can be used while travelling, waiting etc.

I think you kind of missed the point. There are two handhelds out right now - the PSP and DS. The PSP is more powerful, has a lot of games ported from the PS2, etc. But the DS at its peak (before it sold out) was selling 600,000 units per week in Japan about a month ago, whereas the PSP rarely breaks the 100,000 barrier. That's where the "why?" question comes from. It's not really a question of home consoles vs. handhelds.

Re:portability

[damsa]

The Ds is more portable. It has a standby option where you can instantly put it on standby and come back few minutes or couple of hours later and be at the same level. I did this when I went to my doctor. Play a little while waiting at the doctors, then my name is called go into the little room where they make you wait for 20 minutes. Then afterwards to get blood work done you wait for another 20 minutes. Its easy to close your DS talk to your doctor, and then wait for Xrays, blood tests and what not. Put in your pocket go home and finish your game. You don't get that kind of stop and go action on a PSP.

Re:portability

[VertigoAce]

I have not used the DS, so I can't compare, but the PSP does have a sleep mode. You just hit the power button and it goes into sleep mode. When you hit the power button again, you'll be right where you left off. To actually shut the PSP off you have to hold the button for at least a second.

Because its good at what its bought for

[el_womble]

You don't realise how much a PSP is missing a touch screen until you use a DS.
You don't realise how slow UMD is until you buy DS.
You don't realise how time consuming transcoding video is until you buy a PSP.

The one area where the PSP kicks the DS is graphics. The graphics on the PSP are incredible for a handheld system, but they come with a heavy price: game loading time and battery life. Whats worse is that once its loaded your still left playing with an analogue stick and 6 buttons. Its a platform thats been done to death.

Cartridges make a lot of sense for a mobile platform. Low battery consumption and instant on are what gaming on the move is all about. Having two cartridge slots was a work of genius. Not only do you get a huge back catalogue, but you also get an explansion slot. How long will it be until you can buy a DS game that comes with a tilt cart, or a rumble pack? Thats simply not an option for the PSP.

As for games?

I haven't been as consumed with a gaming system since I got my first console, a NES. Mario 64 took a while for me get into, but now I'm hooked. Mario Kart is genuily the best in the series and Nintendogs is the most bizarly addictive game I've ever played, it really snook up on me. I'm looking forward to the port of Viewtiful Joe, Mario Soccer and the inevitable Pokemon game. I think, as a platform it shows a lot of promise.

However, I only know of one other person with a DS, everyone else owns PSPs... so what do I know?

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[leland242]

I have a DS and your comment struck me - especially the bit about no loading times.

I realised I've grown so accustomed to optical media that I forgot games used to just....work.

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[damsa]

Metroid Pinball comes with a rumble pack and Nintendo sells it online for 10 bucks.

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[antifoidulus]

The PSP video function is the ONLY thing that keeps on making me come back to the games section to drool over the gigapac. If they even had 2 games I was remotely interested in I would buy it, but I just keep on getting more games for my DS(both DS games and GBA games)
I keep on finding myself having to resist the temptation of that damn sexy screen though....

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[apoc06]

re: rumble packs or tilt carts

the PSP /could/ have both funtionalities. due to the USB port at the top, it would only be a matter of someone releases an addon to the top much like the talkman software has. there are innovators in this industry in both camps, but you've got to hand it to nintendo for finally setting fire to developers imaginations. lets see how long it burns...

the game loading time is more than most of us are accustomed to, simply because i cant recall any other handheld that needed to access optical media. with a few notable exceptions, the loading time isnt as bad as i thought it would be. [i was reading about 1+ minute loads]

battery life is a non-issue in my opinion. nintendo does spoil users in this regard, but just as i dont expect to use my laptop off of batteries for extended periods of time, nor my cell phone either... i dont expect to use my psp for long great periods of time either; for the record my psp battery lasts longer than both.

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[Anonymous Coward]

>You don't realise how time consuming transcoding video
> is until you buy a PSP.

WTF?
You don't have PSP, do you?

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[pnice]

You beat me to it. The rumble pack also works with Mario & Luigi Partners in Time I think.

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[Cutriss]

Not only do you get a huge back catalogue, but you also get an explansion slot. How long will it be until you can buy a DS game that comes with a tilt cart, or a rumble pack?

As was mentioned by another poster, Metroid Prime Pinball comes with a rumble pack, and the rumble pack is also compatible with Mario & Luigi: Partners In Time. I expect this is the reason that DS cases have a GBA cartridge holder in them.

Not to mention the growing number of games that support GBA linking features.

I finished playing Castlevania DS the other night, and in reading a FAQ while looking for some things I had missed, I found out that if you start a new file with Aria of Sorrow in the GBA slot, you get a free Rare Ring. Since you can get that pretty easily later in the game, it's basically a free drop of cash, *plus* it helps you get more junk early on in the game, so it's super-helpful.

Megaman Battle Network 5 for the DS also supports a large amount of linking features. If you play it with any of the previous Battle Network GBA games inserted, the battle music and environments change to match those in the GBA game you used. They also each unlock extra chips for use in the DS game.

Even *neater* is the cross-company connectivity. The creator of MMBN (a Capcom employee) is good friends with the creator of Boktai (a Konami game/employee), and the two of them have worked together to put little tributes to each other in the games. You can unlock an extra Navi chip after you've finished the game if you play MMBN5 DS with one of the Boktai games in the GBA slot.

Also, there's a Japanese music game called Daigasso! Band Brothers which now has an expansion pack sold in GBA cartridge form.

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[andy9701]

NDS Metroid Pinball comes with a Rumble Pack that fits into the GBA slot. I know that Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time has support for the Rumble Pack as well - not sure about other games.

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[eamonman]

And it's great for mulligans! (try playing Tiger woods golf; you'll be doing it too.)

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[Jim Hall]

The one area where the PSP kicks the DS is graphics. The graphics on the PSP are incredible for a handheld system, but they come with a heavy price: game loading time and battery life. Whats worse is that once its loaded your still left playing with an analogue stick and 6 buttons. Its a platform thats been done to death.

Yeah, but you can play a lot of games with a config like that. And for me, portable gaming was a huge factor in choosing between the DS and the PSP. Game library should also be a large component.

Look, I ride the bus to work. That's 30 minutes each way. Sure, the DS has some cute games, and Nintendogs was right up there with the good ones. But what blew it for me was the bus ride to work. I imagined playing Nintendogs on the bus, making voice commands for my "puppy". Or using the stylus to draw elements in other games (i.e. WarioWare Touched) on a sometimes-bumpy bus ride. Are you kidding me? That kind of shit doesn't go over well on the downtown bus.

But when I took a closer look at the PSP, there are lots of games there that I would love to play (Battlefront II, Ape Escape, Grand Theft Auto, Prince of Persia, Daxter, ...) and they are all playable with the standard 6-button layout and single analog stick. No silly "speaking" to my games, no interruptions because my bus just hit a pothole. It just plays the games, and does a great job of it. Minor irritations with camera control aside, the PSP has been a great portable gaming platform! I haven't brought my iPod to work with me in weeks.

One thing I was concerned with, going in, was all the loading from the UMD. I'm playing Ape Escape right now, and you know ... it just doesn't spend all that much time loading. When I get to my bus stop, I don't need to exit the game and save. Instead, I just push the power slider to "Hold" and the game stays right where it was until I go home that evening. And when I "Resume", it's instant on.

Seriously, my PSP is good at what it was bought for - playing games.

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, just games that are franchise ports.

Unlike the DS:

Akachan wa Doko Kara Kuru no (Where do babies come from? in the US)
Iron Feather
Daigasso! Band Brothers
Electroplankton
Jump Superstars
Kirby Canvas Curse
Lost in Blue
Meteos
Metroid Prime Pinball
Nintendogs
Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan
Phoenix Wright
Polarium
Trace Memory
Trauma Center: Under the Knife

Even the games on this list that involve franchise characters PLAY completely differently from their older counterparts, and this isn't even a complete list! I'll give you the fact that Nintendo didn't 100% plan out the 'on the bumpy bus' scenario, but come on.

PROTIP: You still look like a nerd no matter what you play on the bus.

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[cornface]

Yeah, because if someone owns a PS2 and likes all their games, there's no way in hell they'd ever want to play those same games that they love on the bus. That would just be stupid!

Sheesh.

I say this as a DS owner: if you can't understand why having a portable Playstation 2 and it's associated franchises would appeal to a large number of people, you're an idiot.*

* You may be an idiot, anyway.

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[Phisbut]

When I get to my bus stop, I don't need to exit the game and save. Instead, I just push the power slider to "Hold" and the game stays right where it was until I go home that evening. And when I "Resume", it's instant on.

The DS, with its clamshell design, does the very same thing when you close the shell. It goes into instant sleep-mode. Some games even add a little extra: Mario says "Bye bye" when playing MarioDS, your puppy will bark with Nintendogs, etc.

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[Anonymous Coward]

I also commute (an hour each way by train) and I've had no problem playing stylist based games on my DS and this is playing Metros. A game that puts WTF levels work on screen. IMHO it really is no harder or easier then pushing buttons. If the stylist really bothers you just plug in Mario Kart or Advance War or one of the many games that don't require it. You seem to imply that all games require the stylist when it is clearly not the case.

I do see why you woundn't what to say vocial commands in public but Nintendogs is more of a kick back kind of game then a roadie kind of game anyway and since it is the only "speaking" game out there - and this only to a limited extent - I don't see what your problem is.

On the DS you just close the lid to pause the game although this dosen't work with GBA titles. A better design since it actually protects the screen.

Maybe there are games that you find to be more fun on that platform - it's all subjective - but since you are paying more to play what you can on a PS2, which is also cheaper btw, I have question your decision. And by question I mean close my eyes and shake my head with my thumb and index finger holding the bridge of my nose.

However I call bullshit one your entire post because I do not believe you are using the PSP on the downtown bus for two simple reasons;

Firstly, The motion sickness you experience while playing these games. Which for me still normally takes about 20 minutes to overcome with minimal stops. You're basically saying you play 3D based games (as opposed to the DS' mostly 2D) while being while in motion and while constantly slowing down and speeding up and while being bumped around and you don't feel the least bit sick, sorry bullshit.

And the way daylight (even overcast) makes any sort of LCD screen unreadable and brings out every flaw in the design - A fact anyone who has ever tried to have a nice day out of the office can attest to. This combined with the PSP, a screen you already have to constantly wipe, A screen which almost everyone has issues with dead pixels or dark areas. So unless you are going to work at 5 in the morning or live in Canada I also call bull on this statement. The DS also has this problem but to a lesser extent.

I think you are just someone who got taken in by the PSP hype machine who having realised they made the wrong choice, in terms of value, now feels the need to pull out complete an utter crap just to justify their choice by repeating it over and over again when any one with half a brain can see right through it. If you what to make decent argument based on *actual* personal experience go right ahead - say you like the PSP because to what to watch movies on the way to work or it makes you feel like you have a big swinging dick to others of your peer group - just stop repeating things when you're *clearly* lieing.

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[justchris]

Or, alternately, you could be reasonable.

Not everyone gets motion sickness. I can read, play 3d games or 2d games, on a bus or in a car, and I have no problems. I know other people who get horrible motion sickness trying to do either.

You're right about the daylight thing, it's a problem with either system, but if you really want to play a game, you can get over it.

All you other arguments are perfectly valid though.

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[Anonymous Coward]

The only idiots I see are PSP owners paying up to $50 for PS2 leftovers, sorry

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[forgotten_my_nick]

UMD isn't slow. DS is fast because it uses less memory and not as good graphics/sound. Thats all.

PSP comes internet ready out of the box, it can hook up to a PC out of the box, you can play movies, podcast, surf the web.

DS sells well because it is cheap and its easy to get (PSP is getting easier now though).

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[The-Trav-Man]

If you count shoulder buttons then the DS has 6.
If you use the thumb tack strap the bumpy bus can be negated to some degree.

I hear you on the silliness of speaking to the games, but it's a feature I wouldn't be without, Two of my friends and I pulled out our DSes at a party and were blowing up our baloons at the start of every mario kart battle and people thought it was hysterical...
and then they all wanted a go.

As an aside, yes we played hand helds at a party, and about 40% of the people who go to the same parties as me are IT people (mostly sysadmins or programmers). Whoever said computer users were unsocial was obviously jealous :P

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[Guspaz]

There are a boatload of video solutions for the DS. Most are gameboy games and as such are limited to GBA screen res, but some use PassMe type devices to run at native DS resolution.

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[catprog]

DS also come internet ready out of the box. (Or do you mean HTTP (web browser)?)

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[forgotten_my_nick]

It does have wifi but is not using a standard protocol that you can just hook to a wireless router and access the internet (not just HTTP).

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[catprog]

Are you talking DS>DS where there is a non-standard protocol because I've played online with my DS on my friend's wifi router.

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[forgotten_my_nick]

Must be different models of DS then because my DS does not have any way to connect to my wireless router. Even checking up on it I found that it is not using a standard protocol and you have to buy extra stuff to get it to work.

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[catprog]

Do you have a wifi enabled game (animal crossing,mario kart,tony hawk)?

Re:Because its good at what its bought for

[catprog]

Just read what I said and OOPS made a mistake it's not internet ready. I got confused with having wifi support and being able to use it.

It's Amazing that's why!

[MrJack5304]

I think the reason the DS is so popular is a simple one... It's fun to play with.*Gasps* There have been alot of fresh games come to the market that really showcase how bland gaming has become lately. It's these games that give the DS such appeal. Gamers want something new, even if they say they don't. I think the article points that out very well.

Not to mention that people who don't play video games want the DS because it looks like something manageable. It has a simple interface and looks like fun. Little kids are starting to want it because of games like Nintendogs, The Urbz, The Sims 2, Mario Kart, etc. For somebody like me, a hardcore gamer, there is just and endless supply of awesome games, that are portable to boot. There seems to be a little something for everyone in the DS whereas the PSP doesn't have that kind of appeal at all.

I agree whole-heartedly with the writer that we shouldn't count Nintendo out yet. They have a better head on their shoulders than some may think. The Revolution just may be the system everyone is looking for and personally I am curious to see where Nintendo takes this crazy world of gaming. All I have to say is, Nintendo, you have my vote, continue kicking ass.

Re:It's Amazing that's why!

[Merle Darling]

I think the reason the DS is so popular is a simple one... It's fun to play with.*Gasps*

Exactly. I'm not curious enough yet to plunk down money for Nintendogs or Animal Crossing (although I might get them "for my wife") but Mario Kart DS is the best game I've played in a very long time. That new Tony Hawk game looks promising too. Six to ten hour battery life, free internet play via WFC, touchscreen, $130? I'm there, screw PSP in the eye.

I've spent more time playing on these piddly little 3" screens since I got my DS than I've spent playing any of my PC games. In fact, aside from the occasional game of Subspace I haven't bothered with other games at all since I got the DS. I usually hate consoles, it's weird.

The only thing that could make the DS better for me is if I could get my hands on a developer kit for it.

Re:It's Amazing that's why!

[chrisbtoo]

You might want to try Aaron Rogers's tutorial as a starting point. Links there to getting homebrew devkits and WiFiMe.

I haven't actually got any further than downloading a devkit yet, but I'm off to my local wifi card emporium tonight to try and get a WiFiMe-compatible card.

Re:It's Amazing that's why!

[apoc06]

i disagree when you say that nintendo has a good head on their shoulders. they like to gamble. luckily for them they gamble and they win. alot ...and BIG! lol.

every system theyve ever released has been a gamble as far back as the NES. console gaming was dead in the water. they gambled with even coming into the scene. they gambled using ROB the robot to garner shelf space.

they gambled with releasing the gameboy; the first interchangable handheld console. the strength of tetris winning over countless casual gamers.

they gambled with the virtual boy. [no comment... we all know how that one turned out]

they gambled with releasing the n64. crossing sony on the creation of a cd-based console, sticking with cartridge based media, and sticking to their rigorous third party contract agreements spelled the end of their reign of having the best third party developer backing.

with the n64, luckily they succeeded with creating reliable 3d control using the analog pad, and introducing the world to force feedback. making four control ports standard meant it was safer for developers to create "party" multiplayer games.

they released the gameboy advance while the original gameboy was already selling like hotcakes. they splintered their own market, but were able to reap the rewards accordingly since their major competition was already dead in the water.

with the gamecube they switched formats to optical media, but shunned using standard dvd. more publishers shied away from the company. the reorganized controller layout made many games difficult to port across consoles. [odd man out?]

they release the DS while the GBA is still the top selling handheld console in the world [and continues to sell strongly]. the ds has a radically different control scheme compared to a traditional handheld. something consoles have never seen before. nintendo admits that they were worried that the control scheme would frighten developers out of designing games around the "touch" concept.

and now along comes the revolution with its radical departure from the direction theyve lead controller designs in for the last 20 odd years.

nintendo is a gambling company, but what can you expect from a company that made its start selling playing cards?

Re:It's Amazing that's why!

[Merle Darling]

A thousand blessings upon your home, good sir!

Re:It's Amazing that's why!

[vexx0]

They put out the Game Boy Color before they put out the GBA.

Scratched to high Hell

[steveo777]

Usually the screens are scratched to high hell (I can't imagine what people are DOING with the stylus)

I allowed my nieghbor's kid to play with my DS a few months after I got it. I knew by then that the screen was pretty durable, so I wasn't concerned if she was a bit rough. But this kid didn't know what "tapping the screen" ment. This kid maliciously stabbed my screen... as if it were her arch-enemy. She dragged the stylus across the screen like she had to cut a trench in it to get things to move (I think I had her playing Feel the Magic XX/XY). I gave her a few gentle reminders to be gental. I told her that the weight of the pen was enough for it to be recognized. She didn't let up. I took it away and held the power button saying, "Oh, sorry the batteries are dead." She never saw it again.

I imagine many a DS suffers this fate when the owner is young or away. Especially when in the stores. A lot of people know how to treat electronics, and a lot of people don't. This is why a few months after the 360's displays were out the tops of the control sticks were already missing.

Re:Scratched to high Hell

[Dark Paladin]

that's why I got myself a screen protector - something I learned from the palm pilot days. A fairly low cost - at least compared to another $130.

Re:Scratched to high Hell

[rhandir]

The reason why kids do this is simple.
The nerves that do "position sensing" in their fingers are the last to develop.* The ones that operate their fingers, the ones that do sense of touch come in first, naturally, so they are left with figuring out feedback from how much pressure they are experiencing at their knuckles, finger joints and fingertips.

Every watch a grade schooler or middle schooler write? See those callouses on their middle fingers? The white knuckles? The crappy handwriting? That's why. (Possibly this is why young teens kick ass at FPS's and other types of twitch gaming - once their bodies finally start obeying them in detail, they get pretty excited about getting good.)

-r.

*there's more technical explanations out there than this, but basically the nervous system develops from the center out to the furthest points, in this case, literally the fingertips and toes.

Brain Training?

[lpangelrob]

What the heck is Brain Training? I haven't heard of it, and it certainly hasn't shown up on Slashdot. It seems to be a Japanese-only release, coming to America, and is very confusing. Sort of like other past exports (Pokémon and Animal Crossing, anyone?).

Anyone reading this have the game and can give a brief summary as to what it is? Is it a glorifed Magic 8 Ball? The game 20 questions for the DS?

Re:Brain Training?

[Merle Darling]

It's featured here:
http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/01/13/ 1759224

It's mentioned here:
http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/01/16/ 1723256
http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/01/13/ 2132222

Heh, it seems all of these were posted by the same editor. You wouldn't be filtering Zonk's articles, would you?

Re:Brain Training?

[cluke]

haven't heard of it, and it certainly hasn't shown up on Slashdot

You sure? ;-)

Re:Brain Training?

[pnice]

I haven't heard of it, and it certainly hasn't shown up on Slashdot.

Brain Training Coming to the West

It has mini tests and questions to help stimulate your brain on a daily basis. Like simple math problems, reading questions, visual tests, etc.

Re:Brain Training?

[lpangelrob]

Heh. I missed all those articles, and I even have a RSS feed to the Games section.

I'm why they post dupes.

Re:Brain Training?

[Russellkhan]

Probably not, this article was posted by Zonk too.

Re:Brain Training?

[cornface]

I'm why they post dupes.

I thought it was because they were lazy and hated the readers.

Learn something new every day! (Except alternate Tuesdays)

Opposite

[the computer guy nex]

"On the launch day of Xbox 360, I recall seeing a line eight persons deep to play Super Mario Kart DS, and not one person even looking at the 360."

And this suprises you, how?

Nintendo = Japanese company. They heavily advertise and have a very deep market penetration there. Microsoft = American, they heavily advertise and have great market penetration here.

If you go to a game store here you see the exact opposite. The 360 has people huddled around and fighting over the chance to play COD2, and the DS is laying around unplayed.

Re:Opposite

[oGMo]

"On the launch day of Xbox 360, I recall seeing a line eight persons deep to play Super Mario Kart DS, and not one person even looking at the 360."

And this suprises you, how?

Oh, it certainly doesn't, but probably not for the reasons you want to believe.

Nintendo = Japanese company. They heavily advertise and have a very deep market penetration there. Microsoft = American, they heavily advertise and have great market penetration here.

"Great market penetration". That's funny.

You also left out the third and fourth lines: Nintendo advertises here, and has deep market penetration. Microsoft advertises there, and has next to no market penetration.

If you go to a game store here you see the exact opposite. The 360 has people huddled around and fighting over the chance to play COD2, and the DS is laying around unplayed.

Rarely. In both the local Best Buy and EBGames, I see someone walk up to the 360 and play COD once in awhile. Usually not for long. Certainly not "fighting over it" or lining up in any way. There are however people regularly playing the cube and DS.

This is not suprising. No one is suprised, because everyone already knows that's how things are. It's telling. Especially about how the next generation is going to play out.

Over a year after release

[inajamaica]

What's amazing with this system is that an article like this is being written 1+ years after the system debut! The system went through quite a slum in Spring/Summer 2005 (in my opinion), but a mix of loyalty and good games allowed it to sustain AND climb in sales and popularity. AWEsome. DS-to-DS play is unbelievably fast & responsive, online play is fast & responsive, plays all my GBA games, closes like a clam-shell so you can throw it around without damage, touch screen makes for easy menu navigation... ...and a mix of unique games and age-old platform games. Games for everybody. No wonder it's popular.

On launch day, they should at least be curious

[ianscot]

Nintendo = Japanese company. They heavily advertise and have a very deep market penetration there. Microsoft = American, they heavily advertise and have great market penetration here.

MS fully intended the 360 to at least crack the Japanese market. It just hasn't. We're not even talking about people buying the system; we're talking about whether they're even curious about it on launch day, yes? And they're not.

If you go to a game store here you see the exact opposite. The 360 has people huddled around and fighting over the chance to play COD2, and the DS is laying around unplayed.

Judging by my kids and their friends, the reason they're looking at the 360 in the store is because their parents aren't going to be spending that kind of coin. The circle around my kids, anyway, definitely do own the DSes though. Because I could afford it. (And honestly because I wanted to send mail to my kids in Animal Crossing. They're 12, it's good to communicate.)

Re:On launch day, they should at least be curious

[jchenx]

Those who forecast doom and gloom for the 360 in Japan need to wait a little bit longer. Wait until the Mistwalker games come out (Blue Dragon and Lost Oddysey). For those who don't know, Mistwalker Studios is head by one of the guys that left Square-Enix. There are a couple of other Japanese RPGs on the horizon too. Those are what the Japanese gamers (and myself) really enjoy, which explains why Dragon Quest VIII did so well in Japan but did so poorly in the US. Finally, there's the wildcard of what Square-Enix is going to do for the 360. I can only imagine that FFXI for the 360 is just the beginning ...

Now, if all those games tank, then yes, doom and gloom it is. :)

(Yes, I have my 360, but I'm playing DQVIII on the PS2. And I'm trying to finish that up before Grandia III comes out, again on the PS2)

Re:On launch day, they should at least be curious

[Mattintosh]

which explains why Dragon Quest VIII did so well in Japan but did so poorly in the US

No, the explanation for that is a complicated two-part rant. Let me bullet-point the ways...

- Dragon Quest sucks. It has always sucked. When compared to the (much more popular in the US) Final Fantasy series, it lacks polish. It doesn't impress at all. And since they left off sending them over here after the demise of the NES, Chrono Trigger took the spot of Akira-Toriyama-Artwork-RPG (a.k.a. "It Looks Like DBZ!" or "Oh God It Burns!") in our minds, thus making DQ8 a "copycat". However, the Japanese grew a fondness for them before we ever saw a DW release here in the States. It holds a sentimental place in their hearts for them. They're all over the stuff when it's released.

- Enix sucks. They never made a game that worked for US audiences. US gamers were bombarded with Dragon Warrior. It didn't catch on. DW2-4 didn't either. Why? Probably for the same reasons none of their SNES efforts caught on. 7th Saga? Too hard, not interesting, and buggy. SoulBlazer? Religious-themed (a big no-no in the US) and not widely distributed. Then we got bombarded with hype about Illusion of Gaia. Again, religious themes showed up and people turned their noses up at it. Oh, and IoG had bugs where you could get stuck in certain places. Brain Lord... too short, too "brainy" for most people. They just don't "get it". We want a good story that doesn't involve preaching at the player. We want that story to be told to us, not hinted at for us to guess. We want a non-buggy stats and battle system. We want good graphics. We don't want to replay the first 14 hours of a game because of some stupid bug that got us stuck and we can't escape.

Personally, I don't hate every Enix game out there, and I'm sure they were trying hard to make something original, fun, and interesting enough for someone to buy. I actually enjoyed some of the Zelda-esqe SNES games they made (SoulBlazer, Brain Lord, Terranigma). But DQ8 isn't as charming as those one-off attempts at selling to the US audience. It's Y.A. Turn-based-battle RPG Like Final Fantasy, and as such, isn't going to do well without that name, or at least some promotional materials that say "From the makers of Final Fantasy". The US market is all about Final Fantasy. Until Squeenix leverages that fact and starts billing traditional Enix titles as "from the makers of Final Fantasy", they won't sell to any but the Japan-watchers. And though it's on the increase, Japanamania hasn't reached critical mass yet. DQ8 just isn't going to sell until that happens.

Re:On launch day, they should at least be curious

[jchenx]

I happen to like DQ8, although I can easily see many folks turned off by the "old school" aspect of it. I happen to think it has a lot of polish (voice acting is quite good, and I was surprised by how much I ended up liking the character design ... cell-shading can be so much better than 3D). However, I haven't played any of the other DQ games, so I can't comment on them.

I just think games like DQ8 are made and designed for a different "niche" of RPG fans. In Japan, that niche is pretty huge (probably the majority), which is why we see still see a lot of "old school" games like Grandia III, Wild Arms 4, and Disgaea. Unfortunately, the US has a lot of "Final Fantasy VII" fanbois. To them, FF7 was their first RPG and Square can never do better. All they want and see is Final Fantasy games. Everything is, as you mention, uninteresting. Which is too bad, since I think there are far better RPGs than just FF7. (That also happens to be the ONLY FF game I have never played)

Re:On launch day, they should at least be curious

[Mattintosh]

FF7? Ugh. Allow me to clear your mind of that notion. FF7 is one of the worst abominations done against the franchise, FF11 being the only one worse, and only because they wanted to bilk extra money out of me.

No, I'm from the old school. Here's how they break down in my mind, in order from best to worst:

- FF6 (3 US)
- FF5
- FF4 (2 US)
- FF1
- FF3
- FF8 (Yes, I actually liked 8.)
- FF2
- FF9
- the ones I haven't played (10, 12) since they can't be worse than 7
- FF7
- FF11 (worst because it's a fricking MMO game)

Unfortunately for the DQ series, I've only played the NES-era ones, and they rank somewhere just below FF9. I don't hate "old school" at all. I'm not wild about voice acting, since it doesn't stop when I have to get up and pee (like text that doesn't move on until you press a button). Cel shading is not a bad thing (I liked Wind Waker, despite the raving anti-fanboyism that it attracted). Maybe it's just a personal preference. I had the same turn-off reaction to Baldur's Gate as I did with Dragon Warrior. It's somehow just too much Ye Olde English and not enough "fantasy" for my tastes.

Just please don't confuse me with those people that swear that "FF7 is the best evar!!!one1!"

Re:On launch day, they should at least be curious

[jchenx]

*phew* Just had to make sure, you know. There are a surprising amount of FF7 "fanbois" out there.

BTW, your ranking is pretty good. I have to agree that FFIV and FFVI are at/near the top of my list. (And there have been times I think FFIV was better than FFVI). However, I did like FFIX and would probably rank it above FFVIII. FFX was alright, but X-2 was just horrible. I only played a beta of FFXI and didn't like it at all (although it's unfair since I've played WoW and much prefer it, and it came out after FFXI).

Okay, that's enough roman numerals for me.

As for non-FF RPGs, I actually liked Baldur's Gate a lot. Same with Neverwinter Nights and especially Planescape:Torment. Then there's also titles like Vagrant Story, Kingdom Hearts (surprisingly), Xenosaga I & II, Disgaea, and Phantom Brave.

Good lord, that's a lot of RPGs. No wonder my PS2 gets so much playtime.

No he is an editor himself

[SmallFurryCreature]

We all know how good they are at searching slashdot for old articles.

Oh and to remain on topic. DS sells because A. it is fun B it can be played on the road C it is fun D it can be played without a tv when dad wants to watch baseball E it is fun.

Nintendo sells handhelds and does it well because they are (repeat from above)

Easy one

[Lisandro]

It's fun. Just fun to play with. Anytime!

And you know what?

[Hamster Lover]

The DS still works! I had the same experience with my nephew on my DS. He borrowed it and scratched the hell out of the screen. The only conclusion I can come to is he used the screen as a cutting board as there's no way the average person could scratch a screen that much. Anyway, when the unit is on you can't see the scratches and the touch sensitivity works fine.

Ninetendo knows how to build a durable machine.

As a high school senior...

[GregNorc]

I'd just like to say that maybe most people who own a DS don't bring it out often.

Any time I'm waiting for a movie, on the bus, in a car, I'm with my friends. It'd be rude of me to sit there and play Mario Kart. I talk with them. My DS isn't really portable to me: I play it on long plane rides, road trips, etc. That, coupled with the fact the DS isn't "cool" looking like a PSP, and not as socially acceptable among non geeks like my iPod is, are also factors.

Plus, my school does not allow electronics of any sort except TI calculators to be used at school, even during free periods. Only on the bus. And who pulls out a gameboy for a five minute bus ride?

If it's like this in high school, imagine how the pressure to conform in the corporate world would influence a DS owner. Considering how many gamers are 21+, and the fact that most people of that age grew up on the (S)NES, it could show why the DS seems less popular than it is.

Re:As a high school senior...

[wed128]

Wait till you get to college. At least here (Penn State) the DS is great between classes, and at night hangin out in the dorms. It's hard to play a regular console when you share a TV with two other guys (especially if the three of you all have CSI addictions.)

Although it rarely leaves my room, the DS get's plenty of play around here.

Re:As a high school senior...

[M.C. Hampster]

I have my DS sitting on my desk at work and will occassionally play it at lunch. Once you graduate, you'll probably realize that the societal pressures don't mean as much when you are out of high school. At least they didn't for me.

Re:As a high school senior...

[Anonymous Coward]

People at work were downright fascinated when I brought out my DS, and it's definitely started some good conversations about Nintendo in general. That restriction only applies in high school. I've played my DS while waiting at a busy gas station; even with Advance Wars I can just play a couple rounds and either save the game or put it in power-save mode.

Good graphics are not needed for portable gaming

[jchenx]

Sony made a huge mistake with the PSP, thinking that "better graphics" was going to make them the automatic winner in the handheld business. Wrong. All you need to do is take a look at the mobile gaming market to realize this.

There are a ton of stupid PC/console ports to mobile phones with "great graphics". Games like Tony Hawk, Splinter Cell, Need For Speed, etc. Yeah, those graphics look great, but gee whiz, the games cost a small fortune and I don't really care about graphics when I just need to play something quick to pass 5 minutes of time. That's why the best sellers for the mobile space are titles like: Tetris, Bejeweled, Zuma, Bowling, Mini-golf. You don't need killer 3D graphics to sell games, just something nice and bite-size.

At first I was hesitant towards the DS, since the touchscreen seemed too gimmicky, and I was annoyed at having to buy a new handheld every year it seems (GBA, GBA SP, and now the DS). But I bit anyway, and I've thoroughly enjoyed the games: Advance Wars, Castlevania, Nintendogs, Animal Crossing, just to name a few. You don't need outstanding 3D graphics, and many of these titles can be played for a short time and then quick-saved as needed.

The only thing I'd like is an "SP-like" form factor improvement for the DS. (I say "SP-like" because the SP upgrade was incredible for the original GBA) I still hit the power button accidentally on the DS, from time to time, and it just feels too heavy after a while. But it's still my platform of choice whenever I go travelling or need to kill some time (jury duty, yay).

Re:Good graphics are not needed for portable gamin

[forgotten_my_nick]

>thinking that "better graphics" was going to make them the automatic winner in the handheld business.

Except that for the PSP there is a lot more then "better graphics". If all you want to do is play games then DS is for you. If you are looking for an entertainment system then the PSP wins out.

Hardcore Fanboys

[Anonymous Coward]

Its because japs are fucking narrowminded and boring people. They only care about pokemon style crappy games, and will happily pay 10 times over for the same game with just a different color!

And not to mention they are ultra fanboys, they will buy anything Nintendo, even if it's total shite.