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Nintendo's Busy Week
GameDev.net has a wrap-up from Nintendo's busy week. They touch on the release of development kits, production delays for the DS Lite, and the ongoing DS vs. PSP war. From the article: "It seems Nintendo, who have in the past tended to rely heavily on first-party games, are eager to elicit support from third-party developers. According to some big-name developers who have had their kits for some time there have already been several versions of the kit: the first was just the console and a wired controller, while the second had a few minor tweaks and the third a boost in CPU power."
But nothing beats the ol' 8 button NES gamepad! http://www.retrousb.com/
[Insert Witty Sig Here]
who have in the past tended to rely heavily on first-party games, are eager to elicit support from third-party developers
One consistent problem in video game reporting surrounding Nintendo is that Nintendo acts entirely different in the console and handheld markets.
Yeah, Nintendo largely shrugs off third party developers for their consoles like the N64 and Gamecube. But third party titles are the lifeblood of the Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo is treating the DS as if it ought to be in the same state.
I remember on my original 8 bit nintendo, most of the games I had were not made by nintendo..... Konami, Data East, Square etc...
I remember on my original 8 bit nintendo, most of the games I had were not made by nintendo..... Konami, Data East, Square etc...
True. In fact, Konami's planning quite a bit of fun with both the Nintendo and Sony game consoles that are coming out, according to all the presentations at the annual shareholders meeting I watched.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Maybe I'm just a jerk, but nothing makes me smile more than the Xbox's Japanese sales figures. From TFA:
* Nintendo DS: 52,099 (403,901)
* Sony PSP: 27,430 (337,682)
* Game Boy Advance SP: 5553 (57,890)
* Game Boy Micro: 2941 (35,529)
* Game Boy Advance: 105 (1584)
* PS2: 23,433 (241,273)
* GC: 1814 (32,392)
* Xbox 360: 1314 (23,971)
* Xbox: 92 (762)
http://www.vidaextra.com/images/revones.jpg
"Reggie Fils-Aime revealed today that Nintendo has sent out around 1,000 Revolution development kits. "The response to the controller has been fantastic. Developers are truly embracing the innovation. They're embracing the approach and quite frankly, they're embracing our vision" Reggie said."
.. I knew there was a reason I was holding off buying the DS. Not to mention it is going to be released in "crystal white", I really have no idea what that looks like but it sounds HOT!!!
Good to see the Revolution is getting embraced. I hope it rocks the socks of the other next gens. Nintendo really love to innovate and they deserve alot of popularity.
I can't wait for the DS lite
I just did a google on crystal white DS lite it looks really good. http://ds.ign.com/articles/687/687783p1.html
The new Nintendo DS Lite is smaller (just 133mm x 73.9mm x 21.5mm, compared to 148.7mm x 84.7mm x 28.9mm ) and lighter (weights just 218g instead of 275g) than the previous model. The Start & Select button positions have been changed, they are now located below the four action buttons at the lower right. Also the microphone and power LED indicator are now at a different position. Further the screen backlight can be adjusted in 4 steps. The name "Lite" consists of the words "light" and "bright".
Not to mention that redesign is hot. I am not afraid to admit one reason i didn't buy an original DS is because the silver and shape looked tacky.
Somehow I doubt that $2k figure is for a complete dev kit (including software libraries, compilers, documentation, etc.) considering that DS kits are in the $10k range. More likely that's for a debugging/testing rig that just gives you the ability to run unsigned code (Xbox testing kits are priced similarly).
When exactly did this monopolistic past happen?
"Thanks for all the money you paid to us. We've used it to buy off ISO among other things" -Microsoft
When exactly did this monopolistic past happen?
Nintendo had a monopoly on video game consoles in North America from roughly 1985 (end of the first 8-bit crash and release of NES) through early 1990 (rise of Sega Genesis). Nintendo had a monopoly on video game handhelds in North America from roughly 1989 (Game Boy) through early 2005 (rise of the PSP).
Probably some time around the point where Nintendo forbade companies to make games for any platform besides the NES.
I still say the grandparent is flamebait, though.
"When the atomic bomb goes off there's devastation...but when the atomic bong goes off there's celebraaaaation!"
"Try turning the Revolution controller on it's side..."
Exactly. I hope they use this configuration a lot. The controller still senses tilt and movement, too.
"When the atomic bomb goes off there's devastation...but when the atomic bong goes off there's celebraaaaation!"
I'm amazed.
I have the feeling that anything shiny has a similar effect on you.
From TA: "Software houses say that architecturally the system is very similar to the GameCube but roughly twice as powerful. One source elaborates, "At first, we were discouraged that it would be less powerful than Xbox 360, but once we got everything working with the controller, our concerns faded"."
Does God treat us as servants or friends? Check my homepage.
They learned that lesson about 3 years ago. You know, about the time they signed deals with Capcom & Namco promising them cheaper license fees in exchange for developing exclusive content for the gamecube.
just some guy
Nintendo was cited for price fixing back in the N64 days, and they forced many third-party developers to be nintendo-only, which is one of the reasons they don't have very many now.
Nintendo may seem like the underdog now, but when they were on top they were never very nice about it.
The DS was never intended to replace the Gameboy line any more than the Super Gameboy cartridge for the SNES or the Virtual Boy was. It's simply another handheld on the market and a platform for Nintendo to do all the bizarre shit that they can think of doing.
Weren't Nintendo quite keen on getting third party developers already for the Gamecube? Still, all their efforts will amount to nothing if they can't keep their platform commercially attractive (again, Gamecube).
You need a cream, not a DS Lite.
Professor Karmadillo Songs of Science
anybody have any clue when the ds lite will be released in the u.s.?
If the Game Boy Light is any indication, don't get your hopes up.
Isn't sony causing lots of companies to be sony only? based on sales from the last generation, i'd say they are pretty much in a monopoly position.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
Yes, they've stated it's not intending to replace the GBA, I know that. That doesn't mean it has to be crippled. If it's going to support advance games at all, why be half-ass sbout it? Why not take full advantage of the potential capabilities of your products? If they wanted to say "DS is for DS games and not a replacement, go buy a GBA if you want GBA stuff", why include the support at all? For that matter, it's sure not listed on the DS packaging anywhere that GBA compatibility is not 100% and multiplayer is NOT actually supported. It's a cock-tease by nintendo.
Sony is signing a lot of exclusivity contacts for individual games, which is fine. What Nintendo did, if I recall, was tell developers that if they make games for any other system, they would not be allowed to make Nintendo games. That is far different from anything Sony does in this regard.
If Sony's system is so popular that market conditions suggest games be Sony only that is not at all a monopoly. There is still competition, and there is even room for the competition to gain ground, should they think of something really clever.
monopoly? not really. sony doesnt stop most companies from creating cross platform games.
/are/ a few key franchises that sony signs exclusivity contracts with. however even these contracts eventually expire. that is the reason why many sony based franchises eventually make their way to the other consoles too. think: grand theft auto, metal gear solid... sony gets x amount of months being the exclusive company with a certain game published for them. these contracts are few and far in between in comparision to the cross platform games.
that is why you see so many simultaneous releases for all three major consoles. there
the companies that are sony-only are usually first party developers. SCEJ, whatever they call sony europe, SCEA and SOE. you will not see first party titles ported to the other consoles under normal circumstances. ie, gran turismo, god of war, etc... every console has first party titles, you will not see ports of halo or super mario brothers on any other major console either. it just so happens that due to the large userbase of sony consoles, developers tend to release more software on their platform in order to maximize their profits.
until the 16 bit era, cross platform games were almost non existent. nintendo effectively sought to punish those that created cross platform software. until the playstation emerged as lead console during the 32bit era, companies didnt have many options; i hear that sega at the time was no where near as friendly as sony was from a business and hardware standpoint. when sony offered the chance for third party developers to break free of nintendos stranglehold, most companies jumped at the opportunity. its just now that nintendo seeks to regain much of their once infamous third party support. solid third party support is what will win any generations console war.
"...play all your favorite Game Boy Advance games in single player mode."
The reasoning is quite obvious: the DS has no link cable port, since it's 100% wireless. Including one would have been a waste of money for Nintendo, because 95% of users would have ignored it anyway. The other 5% most likely own a GBA, so why bother?
Other than multiplayer, GBA compatibility is pretty close to 100%, AFAIK. There might be one or two exceptions, but that's been the case with every backwards-compatible console. Perhaps you should have researched the product a bit more before purchasing it, particularly if you care so much about multiplayer GBA games.
'If they wanted to say "DS is for DS games and not a replacement, go buy a GBA if you want GBA stuff", why include the support at all?'
The GBA slot is used as an expansion port for things like rumble packs and game expansion packs (Band Brothers has a GBA cart full of extra songs for example). Since one of the DS' CPUs is the same as the one in the GBA (although it runs double the clock speed in DS mode) it must have been fairly simple to recycle the cartridge port from the GBA and offer simple backwards compatibility. It was more likely a case of "hey we can make GBA games run" than a design goal to make the DS a fully functioning GBA.
you think it's ignored? It's only been just over a year since release, granted, but there's a relatively limited selection of DS games out so far. 152 is the official library count last I checked, and a lot of those are titles that are yet to be due out. Also, looking in stores, I'm finding mostly the same 5-20 games (average display I've found is about 10) everywhere I go, versus the typical selection of about 25 GBA games. Yes, nintendo players can go online to order them, but whatever happened to instant gratification? :P If the DS ignored GBA games entirely, there'd be surprisingly little to play on it. It doesn't seem like something people would ignore, but maybe I'm wrong.
If they didn't put in a link port, why not include wireless support? If they didn't want to build it in, how about putting out a DS cart that handles the connection details, and accesses the GBA port to play the game? A DS cart "link port simulator" sort of thing. Maybe that's in the works, but I doubt it.
Aw, hell. Ok, you got me. I checked the box, and you're right. Yarr. So I take a hit as a bit of the fool. Even so, why do such a thing? I mean, I can see the logic behind it: "We want to add an expansion port capability. Hey, here's an idea, make it GBA game size and throw in compatibility as a bonus." But the leap to "well, let's not really make it completely work, just mostly. That way, if they really want to play GBA games, too, they'll have to shell out another $80." Kinda slimy, isn't it? Why claim it's "not replacing the GBA", instead of "optionally replace the GBA"? It doesn't even make much sense as a political move to keep recent GBA buyers happy. Just pet them and assure them that their units will still play GBA games and GBA games will still come out so that both GBA and DS owners can use them, they'll be fine. A simple press release could have fixed this problem, and that way I don't have to lug around 2 units to play different games with my friends. Bomberman Advance 2, anyone? Oh, man. It's not nearly as fun to play single-player.
I say to you the same thing I asked the other guy: If they didn't put in a link port, why not include wireless support? If they didn't want to build it in, how about putting out a DS cart that handles the connection details, and accesses the GBA port to play the game? A DS cart "wireless link port simulator" sort of thing. Maybe that's yet to come and some enterprising third party will release it, but I think that's pretty unlikely, unfortunately. So far, the expansion port has been used for just a handful of things - extra tracks in band brothers, feel the magic gives you some bonus items for having sonic team games, and a rumble pack as you said. Doesn't look like anything terribly exciting is coming of it so far, though the words about TV tuners and such do sound promising. But even if there is a TV tuner and a rumble pack, do you think those will justify inclusion of the GBA port at all? How many people are going to buy an $80 tuner, if one is even released in the US?
One could use the 3rd party movie/media player thing that was released for GBA on it, I suppose, but wouldn't it be about ten times cooler if it took advantage of the DS' full processor and touch screen capability?
On a side note, moderators are jerks. I can't believe someone modded me flamebait just for getting a little vocal about some shortcomings I perceive with nintendo. Remember, gang: I say these things not out of hate, but fanboy love. Woo.
Yeah, criticise anything round here and there's always someone who's a fan of it that will mod you as a troll or flamebait.
;)
I've never been sure why Nintendo didn't implement a wireless emulation of the old link up myself. All I can think of is maybe the wired link up was not very fault tolerant, but because it used wires the delivery of data was essentially guaranteed. A wireless solution however could experience lost packets or corrupt data which that could crash older games if they aren't designed to recover from missing data.
And just to really make you mad, did you know the GameBoy Micro only supports GBA games and doesn't play old GB/GBC games? Plus they've also dropped the link cable from it too!
That's a pretty huge maybe there, but could be. From what I read, they didn't want to finish the network stack internal to the DS, as I said in my first post; they leave it up to the cartridge maker to build in TCP/IP or whatever protocol they feel like, which is an interesting choice. Pictochat does its own thing. Other software can call for pictochat links, but they don't (probably can't) use pictochat's protocol to send game data. Therefore, no inherent multiplayer support to the DS; again, the cartmaker has to do it all, probably to save nintendo the time and money, and keep costs down just a little more.
I thought the micro did support old GB/C games, huh! Glad I didn't buy one of those. Then again, the screens are SO tiny on those, I don't think I could even see them properly anyways. But... No.. Link cable.... ARGH! Why oh why do they do this?! I guess the GBM is only for playing the latest single-player spongebob/tv tie-in/barbie horse adventure advance game... Can't even swap unicorns or whatever with friends. Bah.