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Can Nintendo Really Be Planning Another DS Variant?
itwbennett writes "'There was a lot of talk yesterday about an article in the Japanese publication Nikkei which claimed that Nintendo was readying a new iteration of its DS line of handheld gaming systems,' writes blogger Peter Smith. 'The report claims the new unit will have 4" screens (the current unit has 3.25" screens) and is designed for older gamers who have trouble seeing the small screens of the current DSi. This new model is otherwise identical to the existing DSi and will ship by end of year in Japan.' As an 'older gamer' himself, Smith calls on Nintendo to stop this annual upgrade madness and do something truly innovative for a change, and he calls on gamers to put some pressure on Nintendo and not buy the new DS."
I have asked nintendo in their surveys for such an improvement. Nice to see they listen.
As long as there is no competing hand held on the horizon, Nintendo has no reason to compete with itself by creating a completely new hand held. Also keep in mind that Nintendo is one (the only?) vendor that actually makes money with their hardware, while others sell their's at a loss to make money with games. As long as people keep buying the new NDS deluxe pro 9000 GT Nintendo will keep producing them. Which makes perfect sense, so why bother?
Let's not call for a full boycott of a product we know next to nothing about, people...
Nintendo has been the only one who HAS innovated. Sony sure hasn't!
Visit the Arcade Restoration Workshop @ http://www.arcaderestoration.com
I would really like if you didn't do this, but as long as its still compatible you should be ok. You were there when Sega pulled the constant hardware change and killed their own hardware sector. I kinda like you Nintendo so keep it compatible and the bitching will be a minimum.
Your Fan,
bertoelcon
Anything can be found funny, from a certain point of view.
All progress should stop, because a blogger said so.
2d games are designed and developed for a certain resolution. It wouldn't be a Nintendo DS if the resolution changed. Higher resolution would require more oomph from the hardware as well.
If the description is right, it's simply a variant with a larger screen. Not much more different than a new color. It's not an 'upgrade', and if you feel obligated to buy this to keep current, you are the one with the problem, not Nintendo.
Tell it to the iPhone community. It seems like there's a better cheaper iPhone every six months.
If it offers nothing new, why are you people wasting money on something that is going to be and do the same exact same as something you already have? To me the OP's article just sounds like "I'm stupid and wasted money on two extra DSes that I didnt need or want, now we should boycott nintendo because I'm too stupid to read about something before I buy it". Nintendo has notoriously been at the back of the system upgrade cycle, get used to it. I realized that sometime around 1996
I mean try something new. Two screens? Touchscreen? My Microvision had that back in '83 after I took a hit of acid. Get with the times, Nintendo!
two words: Christmas Shopping
I hope it is; otherwise, it really WOULD be a new model.
This is business as usual. Seriously what is wrong with an upgrade? Sony cuts their PS sizes in half every couple of years, and Nintendo has always been about selling hardware anyway. If you don't want it, don't buy it. Just, plenty of people want it, so it will go on sale.
Of course it is since it's just a new revision and not a new console. I doubt anyone would complain about having bigger screens rather than smaller even if the resolution is the same.
Good enough reason to upgrade? Most likely not.
Still an improved console for those who haven't bought one already? Yes.
To me it just sounds like the OP's article is nothing but "Wah, I'm too stupid to read about something before I buy it" I realized Nintendo was at the bottom of the system upgrade cycle in around 1998. If he's a true "Old school gamer" I find it hard to believe he is bitching about something that has been more than obvious now about Nintendo for more than a decade. I'm still mad about them taking blood out of Mortal Kombat...
I have 2 DS and 1 DSi. The DSi really didn't offer anything extra. It was like they threw in the extra bits because they had to, rather then showing them off.
Since getting the iTouch (and then iPhone) I have not once picked up the DS/i. As a gaming platform it is much better. The main winning points.
- Proper wifi and net interaction automatically built in (eg. mail, web, etc).
- Can buy games online, store them on the device (no cartridge hunting)
- Fully touch screen, motion sensitive.
- Smaller in your hand.
- Battery life is ok (on newer devices).
Some of my friends made fun of the device when I mainly use an "mp3 player" (their words) as a game console. But after they see some of the games they stopped that, and two of them bought an iTouch because of this. Like.
- Monkey Island
- Rolando 1+2
- Geodefense +GD Swarm
- Sway
- iBlast Moki
- Monkey Ball, Sonic, Pacman remix
- Peggle
and so on.
I'll admit that I'd like a bigger screen, but that's just eyecandy, what it needs is controls that weren't made for undersized adolescent hobbits.
Let's face it, the shoulder buttons are virtually useless, and all four of the diamond buttons (ABXY) just disappear under my thumb.
Try making a model for adult size hands. Better yet, adult sized Western or European/American hands...
While correct and it wouldn't work well with a higher resolution I guess one COULD do 2D games using vector graphics or simple 3D-models kinda looking like if they was 2D (not fitting for the DS though.)
Regarding the hardware the DSi already got a bump on processor speed from 66 to 133 MHz and also have more RAM.
So technically possible but still retarded. Don't ask me how the grandparent thought.
"Smith calls on Nintendo to stop this annual upgrade madness"
Why? It's not as if Nintendo are making it incompatible, they are just providing a better product that plays the same games. It's like shouting at Apple to stop with the "annual upgrade madness and do something truly innovative" because they release a new MacBook every year.
It's not as if someone is making you upgrade (or did I miss something). In the case of the DS variants, they have (as with the Gameboy) been largely compatible between minor version changes.
And this cretin seems to be under the impression that designers just sit down and say "right, this morning we need something truly innovative" and it just happens.
Truly innovative ideas come along once in a decade, and both the DS and the Wii are examples of that (whether you personally like them or not).
Both the DS and Wii are also fantastically popular still, why should Nintendo muck around too much with the winning formula? If they did he would probably be complaining because he couldn't play his existing DS games in the new "innovative" system
Paul Leader
Last night I spent the better half of the evening replacing the busted shell of my daughter's Nintendo DS Lite which took a hard fall and the hinges busted leaving the screen dangling by the wires. For the $12 for a new shell, it is well worth it to repair the unit.
The DS is an excellent piece of equipment. It's small, but not too small. It's light, but heavy enough to be comfortable. It has great battery life and even my original Nintendo DS (pre-lite) still functions for hours on a single charge.
If I were to make any improvements to the DS, I would make the charger USB based and make it so that save games and such could be backed up similar to the iPhone.
There is a fantastic software library for the DS with hundreds if not thousands of titles. The unit still plays Gameboy Advance games and was even quite entertaining to play guitar hero on.
In fact, game play on the DS is wonderful. I've never stopped enjoying playing on the unit. From Mario to Final Fantasy it's an awesome unit. What I'm most surprised about is that no one has developed a gyro/motion sensor that would fit into the advance cartridge slot to make games more Wii like.
The only thing that a "Revolutionary New Design" would bring would be the need to buy higher resolution versions of the same titles. Fact is, for the screen size, the games are more than good enough already. Using classic address hacking methods (similar to the original 8086 LIM/EMS extensions) it's possible to make games bigger and bigger.
I haven't felt an urge to buy a DSi since it doesn't appear to offer anything over what I already have. It might be different if the game store were more like Apple's so that I could install the same game on both of my kids' devices, but for now, switching game cards between devices is good enough.
The Playstation Portable is a much more advanced device and still to this day, I've yet to see any games for it that make me say "Wow I need that". I'm sure that Nintendo could probably build a market for new games on a new device, but really, what's the point? Nintendo makes far more money off of licensing than off of the console. The more games that get sold, the more they make. The console can actually be sold at a loss (like they would actually need to hehe) and they'd still get rich.
I hope that if they ever do come out with a successor to the DS, they make it so that DS games play without any problems. I think if it came down to choosing a new Nintendo device which couldn't play the old games, I'd just get the kids iPod Touches instead.
Now all we need is Pokemon or Bakugan for iPhone.
Comes with Super Mario Incontinence Bathroom Run
What the fuck, they just came out with the Wii--a console significantly underpowered compared to their competitors, and proceeded to kick their asses in a number of interesting ways.
I don't think it's Nintendo who needs to prove their capacity for innovation, buddy.
expandfairuse.org
If you could print money legitimately, wouldn't you do it?
A bigger screen? BFD. It's not like old games suddenly break on this thing. It's a feature enhancement, not a completely new platform. Calm the fuck down please.
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
While I personally have no problems seen the DSi's Screen, I know a lot of 40+ gamers who love the idea of playing interesting DS games like Scribblenauts, but can't play them because they can't see the small screens clearly enough. This would definitely be a great idea, I think, and since it would not be meant as a replacement for the current DSi, I don't really see any problem with it for existing DSi owners either.
Nintendo really is dead as company. They have so little to offer. The Wii is a disaster hardware and software wise.
I'd love to have a few disasters like that....
You just don't get it.
Buy what you want when you want it, and don't whine when the next model comes along -- especially when the release of the upgrade model doesn't render the one you have obsolete or shorten its usable life in any way. You're only stifling advancement for potential in-market buyers of the upgrade model.
If anything, a big monumental upgrade would accelerate the market "death" of the existing DS platform. And given your own stated consumer behavior, you'd whine about the inevitable incremental upgrades on that, too.
Quit being such an irresponsible spender. You can't handle it. At the very least don't be a loudmouth about it.
TFA: "As an 'older gamer' himself, Smith calls on Nintendo to stop this annual upgrade madness and do something truly innovative for a change"
Smith, if you can't "see" that this is in fact offering something to appease an entirely new group of older gamers as you claim to be, then it is very well likely you are in fact NOT one of them.
I don't see the difference between a pair of hearing aides that cost $2000 vs. $8000, but chances are those in need do.
I initially read the article summary as "...new unit will have 4 screens". Pity. Here was i thinking we were finally getting somewhere.
There is also a rumor of a new version that prints money.
Other companies are releasing yearly iterations of hardware with bigger screens.
Are people going to realistically complain about Sony releasing a 50" LCD TV because they already produce a 40" one? No.
Makes sense....
oh, and the freaking "friend codes" system should had never been implemented. What fun is Internet enabled games if you have no-one to play with?
Without friend codes, what fun is Internet enabled games if your kids have sexual predators to play with?
If Nintendo thinks it'll sell and make them money, they'll made a DSi with the bigger screen. If Smith is truly satisfied with his 3.25" DSi screens then he should enjoy using it as he presumably does now, and get over the fact that he doesn't have "the latest" that Nintendo has to offer. Sheesh.
No-one force people to use higher res or 3D capabilities just because it's there.
At various points during the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 eras, Sony Computer Entertainment America all but banned games with 2-dimensional sprite graphics.
Nice analysis, but I wonder about one point:
This is a really minor upgrade. It's almost like a "speed bump" on a Macbook. I wouldn't see that as a sign that Apple wasn't going to release a new device in the next year.
Doesn't Nintendo keep selling the old console for a while after a new console is released? After all, that old console has an enormous library so there might still be some buyers left, or some fans needing to replace/duplicate/upgrade their old unit. So maybe this is the model that will remain in production for a couple years after the Nintendo TS is released in 201X.
For a minute, I read that as 4 screens, rather than 4" screens, and thought we were going to see some razor blade type "innovation" here (i.e. the next one will have *5* screens, so you can have always-on pictochat!)
Well, i held off upgrading from my DS fat, mostly because of money, but I may need to jump on this bandwagon. Either get the DSi before it's discontinued or get this new large screen DS thing. Guess I'll wait till nearer the launch and see if I can find comparisons between the two.
Game Boy > Game Boy Pocket > Game Boy Color
Game Boy Advance > Game Boy Advance SP > Game Boy Micro
DS > DS Lite > DSi
It prints money!!!.
It's very likely that Nintendo will use NVIDIA in their next generation handheld console. http://www.brightsideofnews.com/news/2009/10/13/nvidia-tegra-wins-contract-for-next-gen-nintendo-ds.aspx
But... it's too early for that. It think this 4" screen DSi is probably just that: DSi with a 4" screen. My dad and my uncle both like the DS (particularly chess and puzzle games on it) but they have trouble seeing the tiny things on the tiny screen, the larger screen would definitely help. They should call this the "Geezer Edition DSi".
I think it's funny that the author says "Try doing something innovative for a change". What does he think the DS was? Granted it's been a few years, but still, what are the other handheld gaming companies doing that's so "innovative"?
wtf is this meme about the iPod touch being better than Jesus?
Which Jesus? The right-wing footballer from Spain?
it's a great apps machine, it's great for games, but doesn't compete in the traditional games markets that the DS and PSP work in
"Traditional games" like Poker, Go, and Soccer can be adapted quite well for touch control. The GBA has accelerometer-controlled games like Yoshi Topsy-Turvy and WarioWare: Twisted!. The PSP has Loco Roco and a bunch of driving games, which could easily have been accelerometer-controlled. The DS has touch-controlled games like Kirby: Canvas Curse, WarioWare: Touched!, Planet Puzzle League, and March of the Minis. Just because a system lacks a D-pad doesn't make it worthless.
Nintendo is looking more like Sega every day. Remember how many accessories the Genesis and the Game Gear had? Regardless of how cool they were at the time, do you remember how long they were useful for?
Granted, the Game Gear's VHF-UHF tuner was pretty badass, but that's not the point. Accessory madness is a bad trap to fall into.
The current DS (the DSi) has twice the processor speed and 4 times the memory of the original DS. WIth a little tweaking in the 3D hardware, it's not unreasonable to imagine them doubling the horizontal and vertical resolution of the screen on a new version - maybe even on this 4" screen version.
Old DS games would run pixel-doubled, and newer games would get the native resolution. That's what I'd do, anyway...
I kinda understand tho. The original Gameboy came out and I was kinda like 'meh, it's not for me.' And then approx. 10 years passed, and it was still a current and active system. I started to kinda want one. Prices were pretty low, and the games library was huge. Then they came out with the GB Advance. The model proliferation has been accelerating ever since.
I can totally see wanting to hold back the tide of technology for the sake of having something that actually lasts.
I understand that this is just a large-screen variant and that it doesn't really obsolete anything, but I see where the guy is coming from.
And really, a lot of the success numbers for the original GB were due to its exceedingly long life span. It flew under the radar until someone noticed that the install base on the thing was completely monsterous. Too bad Nintendo appears to have kinda ditched that strategy. It seems like handhelds would be the appropriate platform for it.
-- "Oh. This guy again."
that the DS is king... its longevity and backwards compatibility have made it ubiquitous in the schoolyard. Availability of used games is also a plus for parents...
I never said the iPod Touch/iPhone wasn't worthless, I just said it doesn't compete in the same space as the PSP and DSi.
Granted, but the spaces still overlap enough that the DSi Shop competes with the App Store.
Gran Turismo wouldn't work on the iPhone because managing gas, brake, e brake and shifting is tough enough on the PSP
Right thumb = right foot; left thumb = left foot. But then in the 16-bit days, things like F-Zero or Super Mario Kart wouldn't have worked on the Genesis.
Compare Sonic on a Genesis or Nomad(Sega, not Creative) versus an iPhone.
"No D-pad. Less buttons than a nomad. Lame." ;-)
http://www.tntshoes.com
The wii has no software.
Hahaha oh wow. I guess none of the games listed here are software.
Ok, let me correct that...
The Wii has no software worth buying.
I'm sorry. My friend has every system setup at his house, including NES, SNES, Genesis, Sega CD, Ps1, Ps2, PS3, Xbox 1, Xbox 360... SATURN even... and a Wii. The Wii never gets played.
The Genesis gets played more than the Wii.
Your friend must be stupid. Why would he buy a game console like the Wii which has a great library of software which is worth buying and never play it? Seems silly to me. As for me, I own an Xbox 360, PS2, N64 Dreamcast and Wii, and the Wii gets the most playtime. Your anecdote doesn't impress me, and it's not going to convince me that my collection of awesome Wii games doesn't exist.
"Why would he buy a game console like the Wii which has a great library of software which is worth buying and never play it?"
Because theres nothing worth playing on it?
Did you miss my point, or are you blindly ignoring it?
There is no point. The Wii has plenty of software which is worth playing.
"The sky is green."
"No it isn't, the sky is blue."
"Did you miss my point, or are you just blindly ignoring it?"