Can Nintendo Really Be Planning Another DS Variant?

Finally ! by assemblerex · 2009-10-27 18:38 · Score: 4, Interesting

I have asked nintendo in their surveys for such an improvement. Nice to see they listen.

Re:Finally ! by davester666 · 2009-10-27 18:54 · Score: 2, Funny

They have keep up with the PSP Go...

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Re:Finally ! by Artraze · 2009-10-27 19:03 · Score: 4, Insightful

Indeed. This is actually a very good idea, especially because it costs Nintendo very little but could (further) open up a largely untapped market segment.
I'm honestly rather surprised the blogger is upset by this; it's really just a different option, rather than "upgrade". It's like he's saying that a publisher should be out finding new books instead of making a large print version of an existing best seller.
Re:Finally ! by UnrealisticWhample · 2009-10-27 20:44 · Score: 1

Seriously. If Nintendo decides that it wants to improve upon its current device in a manner that will not change Peter Smith's current DSi in any way that isn't psychological, I have a hard time seeing a problem. I have a friend who still uses the original DS. Playing with his DS convinced me to go out and buy my own which, by that time, was a DS lite and I don't plan on buying another one unless I break this one. Trumping all that, it's a bit silly to get huffy about something that's only speculation anyways.
Re:Finally ! by macshit · 2009-10-27 21:52 · Score: 3, Insightful

If Nintendo decides that it wants to improve upon its current device in a manner that will not change Peter Smith's current DSi in any way that isn't psychological, I have a hard time seeing a problem.
I've noticed that many gamers seem to feel "cheated" if they buy something and the manufacturer subsequently releases an improved product -- even if it's only slightly improved, and even if it's a fair bit later. I think it's silly, but as far as I can tell, they feel that the manufacturer "owes" it to them to preserve their pride in owning the latest and greatest. Or something.
Slashdot should have omitted the silly moaning by the blogger though, and just posted the interesting info.

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Re:Finally ! by BikeHelmet · 2009-10-27 22:14 · Score: 1

He's saying Nintendo should do what Sony did. Strip out a bunch of features, and make it incompatible with existing games, while giving it a big hardware boost.
So... I totally agree that Nintendo has the right idea! Nintendo shouldn't put out anything next-gen until they get downloadable games and a patchable/upgradeable OS sorted out.
Re:Finally ! by Purity+Of+Essence · 2009-10-27 23:28 · Score: 1

I completely agree, this is a needed option. The screen size is a major factor in my decision to indefinitely delay purchase of any Nintendo portable. If they can also get me past the hand cramping, they may have finally sold me.

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Re:Finally ! by cowscows · 2009-10-28 01:38 · Score: 1

It's just another self-professed "gamer" complaining that a game company is focusing its products and marketing at people other than him. Nintendo started making strong plays towards the casual market years ago, and yet there are still nerds out there who refuse to accept that their beloved video game company doesn't exist for the sole purpose of serving them specifically.

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Re:Finally ! by Vigile · 2009-10-28 01:42 · Score: 1

Don't forget about the possibility that NVIDIA's Tesla is involved: http://www.pcper.com/comments.php?nid=7876
It was posted on Slashdot last month.
Re:Finally ! by AmiMoJo · 2009-10-28 01:52 · Score: 1

In other news readers were horrified to learn that the latest Dan Brown novel is going to be released in large print format. After already paying out for the paperback, hardback and then the audio book one blogger called on the industry to "stop the upgrade madnees!!1!"

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Re:Finally ! by artemis67 · 2009-10-28 02:00 · Score: 1

Isn't that what Nintendo did with the DSi? They took out the GBA port, losing access to ~1400 game carts, in favor of selling content over the internet, which you can't resell or transfer ownership.
Re:Finally ! by CelticWhisper · 2009-10-28 02:08 · Score: 3, Funny

There's an easy cure to that: Become a Mac user. You get so used to being shafted by major improvements mere months (or weeks, days...) after you buy your shiny new system that eventually you're numb to it. Stupid MDD G4s...*grumble*...

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Re:Finally ! by Ceiynt · 2009-10-28 02:28 · Score: 1

I have an original DS since launch. I love it. The screen size doesn't matter much once you start playing it. I recently got a PSP. After playing the PSP for a while and went back to my DS, it looked so small, and felt small. If I forgo my PSP for a while, it becomes less noticable. The hand cramping, that's still an issue. I don't have small Japanese school girl hands. I have corn fed American adult hands.
If they do launch a DSi2 with a screen bigger then the original DS screen, I may look into getting one.
Re:Finally ! by Golddess · 2009-10-28 02:35 · Score: 1

If I did not have a 2nd gen GBA SP (the one with the _true_ backlight), I'd have cared.

But forget backwards compatibility for a second. What about the DS games that used the GBA port?

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Re:Finally ! by tlhIngan · 2009-10-28 02:58 · Score: 2, Informative

If I did not have a 2nd gen GBA SP (the one with the _true_ backlight), I'd have cared.
But forget backwards compatibility for a second. What about the DS games that used the GBA port?
There's only a few games that used the GBA port - oens that used the rumble pak (a handful of games), and Guitar Hero. Most of the others have clever addons to the slot 1 (e.g., the one with the pedometer) cartridge.
Anyhow, it's not like Nintendo's stopped selling the regular DS lite. You can still buy them brand new, enjoy the GBA games you always did, and the few games with rumble pak/guitar hero. It's just a modification of the DS lineup.
Re:Finally ! by artemis67 · 2009-10-28 03:31 · Score: 2, Informative

What's wrong with retro-gaming? The GBA had a ton of A-list games. A lot of those titles will be resold through the DSi store (Nintendo ALWAYS recycles old titles). So, it won't matter that you own the physical cartridge; you'll have to pay for the software again if you want to play it.
Re:Finally ! by The+Wooden+Badger · 2009-10-28 04:56 · Score: 1

I'm honestly rather surprised the blogger is upset by this; it's really just a different option, rather than "upgrade". It's like he's saying that a publisher should be out finding new books instead of making a large print version of an existing best seller.
I can see the point. Release the latest iteration. Wait a bit and release one that the only difference is a larger screen. If it is about more choice, they should have made them both available at the same time. Otherwise it is just a mostly cosmetic upgrade. I think the book analogy doesn't work because the book buyer already knows a larger print version will be available if it isn't already available, and/or they already have a solution in place with a magnifying glass or something.

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Re:Finally ! by Yvan256 · 2009-10-28 05:43 · Score: 3, Funny

Nothing beats the feeling of finally buying a Mac mini G4 and seeing Apple switch to intel processors a week later.
Re:Finally ! by HaZardman27 · 2009-10-28 06:29 · Score: 1

I think that's referring to Nintendo's next all-new handheld, rather than the latest version of the DS.

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Re:Finally ! by irenaeous · 2009-10-28 06:50 · Score: 1

Yes, I understand that better integration with Wii gaming was desired, so the New DSi will have Wii personal options and will be called the Wii-P.
Re:Finally ! by Hurricane78 · 2009-10-28 16:04 · Score: 1

How about buying a brand-new shiny CPU, that gets its price cut in half (literally) less than a week later? (And then again 14%, a few weeks later.)
Man, was I angry! I had to buy a 500 water-cooling set, to smile again. :P

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Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
Re:Finally ! by ukyoCE · 2009-10-29 02:55 · Score: 1

Check out Mac Buyer's Guide, it's excellent at tracking when the last time a given product was upgraded, and when it is likely to be upgraded again.
http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/
Re:Finally ! by forgotten_my_nick · 2009-10-29 03:50 · Score: 1

Not sure what country you are in, so it may vary. But where I am Apple would take the machine back and replace with later one.
I actually got my MacMini for cheaper and better spec for the exact same reason (bought it just as the new line came in).

Is there any competition? by SlothDead · 2009-10-27 18:41 · Score: 5, Insightful

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?

Re:Is there any competition? by A12m0v · 2009-10-27 18:43 · Score: 2, Interesting

There is nothing wrong with the DS as is, I just wish there was a way to hook it to my TV.

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Re:Is there any competition? by roguetrick · 2009-10-27 18:47 · Score: 1

And more specifically, why should we be outraged that people are engaging in such rampant consumerism. A fool and his money, and all of that.

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Re:Is there any competition? by aliquis · 2009-10-27 19:02 · Score: 2, Interesting

There was a post earlier here on Slashdot about the rumored follow up using Tegra.
In the case of this "news" item I don't see why we are supposed to give a shit about this bloggers opinion. It's not like they are forcing someone to buy it and not everyone buy each new iteration of the DS. I think it's rather good that they fix issues and improve it as much as they can. The DSi added more features which somewhat hurt the old DS but except that to just improve it is just fine. The old ones don't get worse because there exist better versions. Sure it's not much but that's kinda the thing, they don't WANT it to break compatibility so he should stop whining.
Sooner or later of course they will release a new system to, but if they made that every year there wouldn't be so many games and people would complain how they had to buy a new one all the time and how Nintendo abandoned their old system and users.
And there ARE competition. The PSP is succesful, the phones have gained the touchscreen capabilities of the DS and probably even come with more powerful hardware and of course if Nintendo slack off to much they will lose.
It's not competing with themselves, the DS was kinda weak hardware wise when it arrived, heck it was even considered a third line of consoles beside the Gameboy and the stationary consoles. Most likely more of "I wonder if this would work on the market, but well, better save the Gameboy brand just in case .."
Sure it seem to have replaced the Gameboy line by now but anyway. Maybe it was so weak because it was more of a test rather than supposed to be the next Gameboy from the beginning?
The DS _IS_ limited, and would serve well being more powerful (yes I do have one ..)
And I think Microsoft made money on the Xbox since some time to, don't remember when I read it.
At some time people WON'T keep buying it which is freaking obvious so that's why they should bother with it. Haven't they already sold to like 1/5 of the people in Japan? Maybe the rest don't care much for it? So how are they supposed to sell more? If they released a new one of course more people would start buying that one.
Re:Is there any competition? by aliquis · 2009-10-27 19:08 · Score: 2, Interesting

I think the sound capabilities leaves a lot to wish for.
I think game songs do to (guess they use sampled music but don't have much space so it gets very repetive.)
Better speakers and higher quality sound output would be good to.
Resolution is decent but could be better.
3D capability leaves a lot to wish for.
Old ones (pre-DSi) didn't even do WPA.
The DS lite (which plenty of us have bought ..) don't do diagonal upper-right movements very well.
Of course lots could be improved.
Personally I would from the beginning had preferred one screen with the total resolution of the current two there the developers themselves could had decided how they wanted to use it. And of course better 3D capabilities.
Also in the case of the DSi I guess one could argue that at least the loss of the GBA slot is something "wrong" with it. That and the very high price, the DS has been around for like 5 years but still kinda cost as much since each new version starts off at a slightly higher price the the current one.
Re:Is there any competition? by aliquis · 2009-10-27 19:10 · Score: 2, Insightful

... 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?
And since it has support for a microphone higher specs helping it handle the additional processing for VoIP while playing would had been nice to.
Re:Is there any competition? by Grey+Ninja · 2009-10-27 19:29 · Score: 4, Interesting

I think the sound capabilities leaves a lot to wish for.
The DSi has a much improved DAC, allows 16 simultaneous mono voices in hardware (I think, it could be 8 mono)

3D capability leaves a lot to wish for.
True, but it was done this way due to battery reasons. When someone writes a software renderer for DSi, we'll likely see a pretty big jump in graphics (for DSi only)

The DS lite (which plenty of us have bought ..) don't do diagonal upper-right movements very well.
What?

Personally I would from the beginning had preferred one screen with the total resolution of the current two there the developers themselves could had decided how they wanted to use it. And of course better 3D capabilities.
Then you would have a PSP. The second screen is an artifact of the design of the system. I think Nintendo really wanted a clamshell, because it makes the system far more portable. You don't need a case, and can slip one into your pocket without ruining the screen. I own a DS, DSi, and PSP. The PSP remains at home, while the DSi comes with me wherever I go. Reason being that it doesn't require a case, and is a good deal smaller.

Also in the case of the DSi I guess one could argue that at least the loss of the GBA slot is something "wrong" with it. That and the very high price, the DS has been around for like 5 years but still kinda cost as much since each new version starts off at a slightly higher price the the current one.
DSi is Nintendo's new handheld. It has 4x the power of the DS, and is a significantly better system in every way. It's a fair price to pay for the new system. The problem is the lack of DSi exclusive games, because Nintendo is currently selling it as a new DS. This is really not the case. Next year, we will likely see the rise of the DSi, after there's an established market. I think Nintendo is just rolling it out slowly because they don't need to rush, and they don't want people to feel cheated.
Re:Is there any competition? by Threni · 2009-10-27 19:59 · Score: 1

> In the case of this "news" item I don't see why we are supposed to give a shit about this bloggers opinion.
I've seen this sort of thing in newspapers recently - there'll be a story about rail fare increases, and half way through it'll say something like "not everyone sees the need for the increase. For example, sadboy1082 says "rail prices are already high enough". Excuse me? Who the hell is sadboy1082 and why should I give a shit about his opinion on the current affairs of the day? Unbelievable.
Re:Is there any competition? by LKM · 2009-10-27 21:03 · Score: 3, Insightful

3D capability leaves a lot to wish for.

I actually feel ambivalent about this. While it is true that the DS is essentially incapable of doing many genres of 3D games, I personally am not unhappy about this. As a result of this hardware limitation, the DS has become the main console for people who like 2D sprite-based games. I love those games; there are few of them on "larger" consoles, but on the DS, new 2D games like Mario & Luigi, Advance Wars, New Super Mario or Professor Layton are even more common than 3D games.
Re:Is there any competition? by aliquis · 2009-10-27 23:17 · Score: 1

I like 2D sprites to.
But then the PSP does 2D sprites better to with more details in both the environments and characters. No-one force people to use higher res or 3D capabilities just because it's there.
I'm playing Lunar knights now but take New super mario bros for instance, looks great on the DS but would you argue it (the new one) looks worse on the Wii? Or take Mario & Luigi on the DS vs Paper mario on the Gamecube.
Mario & Luigi looks worse than Paper mario imho.
Advance wars looks worse than say C&C, WC2, WC3, SC, ... arguable I guess but of course it could look better! Battalion wars on the Gamecube looks awesome! "3D" don't have to look boring or realistic, one can use imagination in 3D to. Or use it to render things which looks 2D but without having pre-drawn stuff. (Or one can draw stuff in higher res on more capable hardware.)
Super mario world and yoshis island on the SNES may look better than some DS games to I guess?
New super mario already use some 3D though looks 2D, capabilities for more details would always be good imho aslong as the artists know what they are doing.
Haven't played the Layton games.
I assume things like the Namco game... asteroids? Wtf is it called? looks better on the PSP to. Like if you wanted to make something like Galaga on the DS or the PSP of course it would look better on the PSP. Same for RPGs and such.
I wouldn't mind more details in Lunar knights, the final fantasy games, the zelda, so on so on.
Re:Is there any competition? by cerberusss · 2009-10-27 23:41 · Score: 1

As long as there is no competing hand held on the horizon [...]
No competition? Think again, buddy. The iPod Touch is a strong competitor for the Nintendo DS and the PSP. Not for all gamers, sure, but there is lots of talk for instance by Joystiq and C|Net comparing the two.
The big thing is that the games for the iPod Touch are very, very cheap compared to the prices for the DS and the PSP. The price difference for professional games like Madden 10 are astounding. Tetris is between zero and two bucks on the iPod Touch, while it grosses more than $30 on the DS. Studio GameLoft produces professional games for the iPod Touch, always around $10.
If I was Nintendo, I'd piss my pants.

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Re:Is there any competition? by ericlondaits · 2009-10-28 00:21 · Score: 1

GameLoft produces games which look and sound good, but are utter and absolute pieces of [poop]. Comparing cell phone games to console games is like pretending that internet fan fiction competes with normal books.

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Re:Is there any competition? by cerberusss · 2009-10-28 01:31 · Score: 1

Comparing cell phone games to console games is like pretending that internet fan fiction competes with normal books.
The quality of games on the iPhone/iPod Touch wildly varies, but NFL 2010 from Gameloft is an NFL-licensed game, and a full-3D game with playbooks and complete league-accurate rosters.
That's not comparable to poop or internet fan fiction.

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Re:Is there any competition? by ericlondaits · 2009-10-28 01:45 · Score: 1

Every game I've ever seen from Gameloft had absolutely no concept of gameplay... some actually as far as not being games at all, just something that resembles a game. Granted, I didn't see the NFL game... ... but just having 3D, playbooks and accurate rosters says nothing of the quality of the game as a game.

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Re:Is there any competition? by LKM · 2009-10-28 02:44 · Score: 1

But then the PSP does 2D sprites better to with more details in both the environments and characters. No-one force people to use higher res or 3D capabilities just because it's there.

Actually, Sony does (or did), as others have pointed out. And there's also the market to consider. On a platform like the PSP, most people will buy 3D games ahead of 2D games, which makes it harder for developers to go with 2D graphics. The games currently available mirror that. I think a majority of DS games have 2D sprite-based graphics, while a huge majority of PSP games are 3D.

take New super mario bros for instance, looks great on the DS but would you argue it (the new one) looks worse on the Wii?

I don't really know, I've only seen YouTube videos of the Wii game. But my point wasn't really that 2D games on the DS look better than on the Wii. My point was that there's a huge number of 2D games on the DS, and very few (if any) on other consoles.
Re:Is there any competition? by Golddess · 2009-10-28 03:38 · Score: 1

I don't like motorcycles.

I think the stereo system (or lack thereof) leaves a lot to wish for.

Stability is decent but could be better.

Environmental protection leaves a lot to wish for.

Older ones couldn't even carry much beyond a single rider.

Of course lots could be improved.

Personally I would from the beginning have preferred an enclosed vehicle with room to fit 3 additional people + some extra junk, and a kick-ass stereo system. And of course 4-wheels for better stability.

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Re:Is there any competition? by Eil · 2009-10-28 08:35 · Score: 1

Precisely. I think today's gamers forget that handhelds have typically had a much longer life expectancy than traditional consoles. The original Game Boy was "active" from 1989 to 2001. If we're to compare the DS to this, then it's not even halfway through its life-cycle.
Re:Is there any competition? by Sparton · 2009-10-28 08:38 · Score: 1

The big thing is that the games for the iPod Touch are very, very cheap compared to the prices for the DS and the PSP.

Which is why there are DSi Ware titles and PSP Minis. Both are pretty sad attempts to capitalize on the market (DSi Ware has a few gems, but is otherwise extrordinarily small, and PSP Minis right now are basically just a few iPod Touch ports for double the price), but they do exist.

Tetris is between zero and two bucks on the iPod Touch, while it grosses more than $30 on the DS.
That's also because the DS game has wicked multiplayer (including an excellent handicap system and revenge system), items, superb gameplay physics, and other features. You're not going to get that at even half the quality on an iPod Touch (unless all you want is solo, simple gameplay, in which case you can easily get what you want for less with a Touch).
Re:Is there any competition? by cerberusss · 2009-11-02 01:56 · Score: 1

I thought I'd revisit this old-ish thread and support my arguments with a link:
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/blog/eyeonasia/archives/2009/10/even_nintendo.html
Quote: "Sales of the DS, the top-selling portable game machine, were just shy of 113.5 million units at the end of the second quarter, but they're not as strong as they used to be, either. The DS's problem has been competition from Apple's iPhone, now a popular gadget for games."

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For a Change? by ArcadeNut · 2009-10-27 18:43 · Score: 1, Insightful

Nintendo has been the only one who HAS innovated. Sony sure hasn't!

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Re:For a Change? by A12m0v · 2009-10-27 18:50 · Score: 5, Funny

True, PSP brings nothing new in terms of gameplay or fun, and this is reflected on its sparse library and low sales.

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Re:For a Change? by Toonol · 2009-10-27 19:13 · Score: 5, Interesting

This comment made me laugh, no insult intended, because I really can't tell if you are being straightforward or being terribly sarcastic.

I've seen so many console wars in various forums that I just can't tell anymore.
Re:For a Change? by aliquis · 2009-10-27 19:15 · Score: 4, Insightful

Relax it's slashvertisment for some guys blog and his ads.
Re:For a Change? by RyuuzakiTetsuya · 2009-10-27 20:13 · Score: 2, Insightful

As a NeoGeo Pocket Color owner, I can say this.
You're full of fucking shit on sales.
The PSP is still on *sale*. Do you realize how revolutionary *that* is? The PSP outlived any other portable machine that competed against the Big N, and continues to sell. Except *maybe* the Game Gear, but I predict the psp is going to outlive that.

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Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
Re:For a Change? by Toonol · 2009-10-27 20:46 · Score: 1

Haven't you spread enough fanboyism already?

In the comment you linked to, he had written one line: "There is nothing wrong with the DS as is, I just wish there was a way to hook it to my TV."

You consider that spreading fanboyism? I think you need to reign yourself in a little bit. Otherwise, I agree with you about the PSP; it certainly wasn't a failure (although I suspect the PSPgo may end up being one). It wasn't near the massive success the DS was, but on the other hand, it may be the first serious competitor Nintendo's ever had in the handheld realm.
Re:For a Change? by theeddie55 · 2009-10-27 22:04 · Score: 1

52 million, that's still less than half nintendos sales in the same time period, which in what is essentially a two horse race, isn't that good.

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Re:For a Change? by aliquis · 2009-10-27 23:08 · Score: 1, Flamebait

It's not a Sony vs Nintendo race.
Sony can sell 52 million PSPs.
Or they can decide to not sell 52 million PSPs.
I think they prefer to sell 52 million PSPs.
Simple as that, it would be very retarded not to. It's a huge fucking success for Sony, doesn't matter that the DS is an even bigger success for Nintendo.
Re:For a Change? by tepples · 2009-10-28 00:19 · Score: 1

The PSP outlived any other portable machine that competed against the Big N
That's only because the iPod Touch hasn't been out long enough.
Re:For a Change? by Lumpy · 2009-10-28 01:48 · Score: 1

What do you mean... Microsoft has innovated! I saw bill Gates on TV talking about playing virtual golf or virtual tennis at home by swinging your hands and holding a controller!
This is pure innovation! Microsoft will do something that Nintendo cant do!

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Re:For a Change? by RyuuzakiTetsuya · 2009-10-28 02:17 · Score: 1

wtf is this meme about the iPod touch being better than Jesus?
The iPod Touch is a great iPod, 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. Peggle, Myst, and a version of Sonic with God Awful controls are nice, but they're no Metal Gear Portable, Pokemon, or much more recently, Dragon Quest.

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Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
Re:For a Change? by TOGSolid · 2009-10-28 03:23 · Score: 1

Who cares about sales though? What are we, volunteer marketing and PR guys for Sony and Nintendo? Should we really be giving that much of a shit about who sells more?
If you're really going to use sales as a way to debate the merits and quality of a system, then by that logic the PC gaming market is truly a barren wasteland of absolute fail considering how consoles obliterate it.
Re:For a Change? by XxtraLarGe · 2009-10-28 07:37 · Score: 1

The iPod Touch is a great iPod, 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.
Actually, it does. I used to own both a Nintendo DS Lite & an iPod Touch. After the App Store went live, I came to the conclusion that the iPod Touch was sufficient for my mobile gaming needs, and I sold my DS on eBay. So now I'm buying my games from the App Store. I've purchased a number of titles I had for the DS for my iPod Touch at a fraction of the price, including "Civilization Revolution" and "Puzzle Quest".

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Re:For a Change? by Anonymous+McCartneyf · 2009-10-28 09:57 · Score: 1

Even if it had, that would just make the PSP the second longest-lived portable of its era.
Sony is stubborn with its tech, hoping to get market share through persistence. You could get blank Betamax tapes well after that format lost its format war -- it took DVDs to make them disappear. You could get MiniDiscs (introduced 1989 and never popular) well into this decade. You can still get Memory Sticks. And you can still get PS2s!

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Re:For a Change? by mokus000 · 2009-10-28 10:49 · Score: 1

Who here on /. has not yet figured out that the only ones who seriously and pejoratively use the word "fanboi" are the "fanbois" from the other side, whatever the pissing match may be about?
Grow up, people... It's a consumer product, not a cult (for most of us, anyway).

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Re:For a Change? by RyuuzakiTetsuya · 2009-10-28 14:55 · Score: 1

Yes but you're pretty much casual gamin' it in a way that threatens the DS, but not the PSP. PSP doesn't have games like Peggle and Puzzle Quest in comparison with the rest of the PSP's library. You're not going to see Castlevania or Metal Gear on the iPhone. You're going to see dozens of other impressive games, but not the stuff that's fodder for the PSP and DSi

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Non impediti ratione cogitationus.

Re:Hair trigger by roguetrick · 2009-10-27 18:46 · Score: 1

Seriously, particularly when its merely a minor diversification. Are they complaining that they have to upgrade to have the latest and greatest and be trendy? Sounds like its no different from offering different colors.

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Don't Pull a Sega. by bertoelcon · 2009-10-27 18:57 · Score: 3, Interesting

Dear Nintendo,

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

--
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Re:Don't Pull a Sega. by Yvan256 · 2009-10-28 02:30 · Score: 1

Actually Nintendo already pulled it once, from DS Lite to DSi. There was quite a number of years between the two, however. But the DSi has more powerful hardware than the DS/DS Lite, so it's only a matter of time before we see DSi-only games.
bertoelcon is just saying that this new model better be a DSi with bigger screens (but same resolution) otherwise they'll be entering the same path as SEGA once did.
The DSi launched in november 2008 in Japan and april 2009 everywhere else. It's WAY too early to be talking about yet another new-and-incompatible Nintendo DSi version.
Re:Don't Pull a Sega. by petermgreen · 2009-11-01 11:44 · Score: 1

other than wii sports resort (which comes with the motionplus bundled) are there any games that actually need the motionplus?

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Absolutely. by Anonymous Coward · 2009-10-27 18:58 · Score: 5, Funny

All progress should stop, because a blogger said so.

Re:Absolutely. by mwvdlee · 2009-10-27 20:21 · Score: 1, Interesting

Couldn't we just call slashdot "slashblog", and call the commentors "co-bloggers"? That way all our opinions would become newsworthy too.

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Nothing wrong with this by Toonol · 2009-10-27 19:02 · Score: 5, Insightful

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.

Re:Nothing wrong with this by CopaceticOpus · 2009-10-28 03:21 · Score: 1

Frankly I'm tired of re-buying the same basic handheld over and over again (and yet terrified that if I don't buy each new iteration I may miss out on some great new nuance of the system).
But he's terrified about missing out on nuanced features. Terrified! I hope he never finds himself in precarious, life-threatening situation -- he will have no words left to describe his condition.

Does Apple know this? by iCantSpell · 2009-10-27 19:04 · Score: 2, Funny

Tell it to the iPhone community. It seems like there's a better cheaper iPhone every six months.

Re:Does Apple know this? by BasilBrush · 2009-10-27 20:00 · Score: 2, Informative

It's once per year. In the summer.

I agree with the no innovation part. by SetupWeasel · 2009-10-27 19:05 · Score: 4, Funny

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!

Re:I agree with the no innovation part. by AniVisual · 2009-10-28 02:39 · Score: 1

Come on, everybody knows that it is far cheaper to market obscure, old ideas as new and innovative rather than develop your own untried and untested next-gen technology for the market. c.f. open-source games.
Re:I agree with the no innovation part. by mokus000 · 2009-10-28 10:56 · Score: 1

If it's obscure and someone can make a cool popular product out of it, then they have innovated, no matter how old the component technologies may be.

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the reason they do this by keiofh · 2009-10-27 19:06 · Score: 1

two words: Christmas Shopping

Re:What about the resolution? by Toonol · 2009-10-27 19:08 · Score: 1

I hope it is; otherwise, it really WOULD be a new model.

Why what!? by v(*_*)vvvv · 2009-10-27 19:08 · Score: 1

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.

Re:Why what!? by Lumpy · 2009-10-28 01:51 · Score: 1

Yup and everyone I see with a PSP2000 drools over my old PSP1000 because I get 3X the battery life (5200Mah battery in the stock location) Sound is better and louder, the UMD slot is far better built instead of the plastic foil door. I dont have some of the failures of the power switch.... etc....
Sony makes them smaller to make their profit margin higher. the PSP1000 is the best built of the line... I have not touched a PSP go yet, but I'm betting the sliding part has a major failure point waiting to happen.

--
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.

Re:What about the resolution? by aliquis · 2009-10-27 19:12 · Score: 5, Insightful

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.

Re:Hair trigger by aliquis · 2009-10-27 19:14 · Score: 1

Some people probably went nuts then the US didn't got the black one at the same time as Europe and then it was released they "had to" sell their old one and get a new one at a loss ..

Here in Sweden more people seemed to buy the white one anyway, don't ask me why :D

Or well, I remember the "omg finger prints!"... kids.

Read before you buy? by Golbez81 · 2009-10-27 19:16 · Score: 2, Interesting

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...

Re:Read before you buy? by Nossie · 2009-10-27 22:04 · Score: 1

"I'm still mad about them taking blood out of Mortal Kombat..."
Just thought I'd add this
Me too!

The real problem... by meerling · 2009-10-27 19:27 · Score: 1

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...

Re:The real problem... by walshy007 · 2009-10-27 19:55 · Score: 1

Try making a model for adult size hands. Better yet, adult sized Western or European/American hands...
They did.. the original model. while the DS lite had a much better screen, the controls became horrid.
Re:The real problem... by _merlin · 2009-10-27 20:22 · Score: 2, Interesting

You're doing it wrong. I have big hands, and thick thumbs (Dutch/Indian), and I have no trouble using the DS Lite. In fact, if the A/B/X/Y buttons were further apart, I would find it hard to play games that require you to hold one button while tapping another, or rolling between buttons (e.g. Yoshi's Island). I thing the key is that you have use the buttons in the same way as you use the D-pad: by rolling your thumb from the central position.
Re:The real problem... by Totenglocke · 2009-10-27 21:48 · Score: 1

I've never met anyone who had a problem with it.....
Wait a minute........Andre the Giant, is that you?!

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Re:The real problem... by hal2814 · 2009-10-28 00:39 · Score: 1

Inconceivable!
Re:The real problem... by IndustrialComplex · 2009-10-28 04:27 · Score: 1

I've got the same problem. I don't think I have large hands. (I'm only 5'8") But the DSlite really hurts if I play for more than 20 minutes. I'd really love something a little more ergonomic.
As it is now, it first reminded me of the original nintendo controller. If you pick up that thing now, after trying a 360 controller it feels like you are holding a damned caltrop.

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Re:What about the resolution? by aliquis · 2009-10-27 19:40 · Score: 1

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.

Err, why? by NoNeeeed · 2009-10-27 19:47 · Score: 5, Insightful

"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

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Re:Err, why? by rsmith-mac · 2009-10-27 22:49 · Score: 5, Insightful

It's a fairly complex issue among Nintendo fans, but I'll try to break it down.
When it was launched, the DS was an experimental console, Nintendo's so-called "3rd leg". Nintendo had no significant faith in it, but threw it out there anyhow as an experiment while working on a proper Game Boy.
One consequence of this is that the components of the DS weren't necessarily picked as they would have been for a handheld designed to match the long life of a Game Boy. Nintendo made the DS underpowered, with a 66MHz ARM9, 4MB of RAM, and a 3D rasterizer that was hard-capped at 2048 polygons per frame with only nearest-neighbor texture filtering. Granted this sounded more impressive in 2004 than it does now, but they could have (and would have) used more powerful components if they expected the console to last.
As it stands, the hardware isn't as powerful as a Nintendo 64 or a PS1, and most attempts at full-3D games are downright pitiful because of this limit (the good ones, like Mario Kart, use a lot of sprites to hide this, but that strategy only works for certain kinds of games). So you're left largely with 2D games. And I like 2D games, but a certain degree of monotony sets in after a while as no one is pushing any boundries, not to mention the sheer amount of shovelware the platform generates.
Compounding this issue is the fact that Nintendo did finally do something about the hardware this year with the DSi, ramping up the clock speed of the ARM9 to 133MHz, and quadrupling the RAM to 16MB. Performance-wise, this is a token change, especially since the 3D rasierizer is still capped at 2048 polygons per frame. The additions were mainly to give the console enough extra umph that it can play with its camera.
But at the same time, it creates a clear difference in hardware classes, one Nintendo is going to exploit. There will be (and in fact may already be released) DSi-only games, which pisses off the DS Lite owners to no end, because they are now faced with being unable to play all new games for the thinnest of reasons. These people aren't going to buy the DSi, both because unlike the DS Fat to DS Lite transition the new console isn't clearly better for their needs (the Lite's screens were much better, and it was actually pocketable), and because they resent the upgrade treadmill.
Meanwhile in Sony-land, manufacturing technology has finally caught up with the ridiculously overbuilt PSP, which was an absolute brick when launched. The Go has some pricing/design issues, but fundamentally it finally gets Sony's near-PS2 hardware down to a size and battery life on-par with the DS. So DS owners are looking across the field at a handheld that's nearly a next-gen part, and they want that - they want some solid 3D games in their handheld gaming diet. Of course the grass isn't really greener on the other side since North American PSP game development has slowed to a crawl (and so few of the games are gems in the first place), but the hardware potential is clearly there.
This brings us to TFA. A new DS variant signals that Nintendo is remaining committed to the DS for at least another year, as they don't want to commission a new design and have it languish on the shelves. So this means that any hope of a "DS2" just got pushed back to at least 2011, which is pushing the frustration level over the top. The enthusiasts see what the PSP, the iPhone, etc are doing, and they want a DS with proper 3D capabilities, while Nintendo is signaling that they don't intend to deliver it any time soon. They don't want to abandon the platform, so they do the only thing they can do given their situation: they complain. And thus you have TFA.
On a side note, some of the complaining in this case is a product of just how silly this change is. The DS screen is only 256x192 pixels, which even at the original 3" size was pretty coarse (dot pitch: 0.24mm, and your head maybe a foot away). At 4" diagonal, this only gets worse. You end up with a screen with a dot pitch of 0.3175mm, and with your head at the same distan
Re:Err, why? by techstar25 · 2009-10-28 00:08 · Score: 1

The question is not "why?" but it's "why not?". If Nintendo thinks there are few people left on the planet who have not yet bought a DS (like me for instance), then why shouldn't try to make a product that fills that niche? Why not?
If they really want to get the attention of older gamers they should make a "Classic NES" edition like they did with the GBA. That's the only handheld system I own.
Re:Err, why? by Nevyn · 2009-10-28 03:18 · Score: 1

When it was launched, the DS was an experimental console, Nintendo's so-called "3rd leg". Nintendo had no significant faith in it, but threw it out there anyhow as an experiment while working on a proper Game Boy.

One consequence of this is that the components of the DS weren't necessarily picked as they would have been for a handheld designed to match the long life of a Game Boy.

It was an "experiment" sure, they didn't know it would succeed and likely had some backup plans. But to pretend it wasn't meant to succeed is just insanity. Nintendo haven't made a "top of the current gen. specs." console since the N64, so the fact they do that for the DS means nothing.

Meanwhile in Sony-land, manufacturing technology has finally caught up with the ridiculously overbuilt PSP, which was an absolute brick when launched. The Go has some pricing/design issues

hahaha ... you mean like the "issue" that it isn't backwards compatible AT ALL. So you can't buy any cheap used games, and PSP owners are basically forced to not upgrade. And combine that with the fact that it's digital only, so your gamefly subscription is useless and you need to buy two games if you have a spouse/brother/roommate/friend who likes to play occasionally (compared to the DS which not only let you share disks but often let you play limited multiplayer on one disk) and they are the same price as original PSP games (which have none of those restrictions).
I was interested in the PSP Go, when I first heard about it 3-6 months ago (mainly due to the size), but there's no way I'm getting one atm.

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Re:Err, why? by LWATCDR · 2009-10-28 03:51 · Score: 1

Or every PC maker. I mean really.
They all run Windows and have an X86 cpu. They just get faster. Let's freeze PCs for a few years as well.

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Re:Err, why? by ChaosDiscord · 2009-10-28 07:55 · Score: 2, Insightful

Oh noes! My pixels are too big! My graphics aren't 3d enough!
I'm sure Nintendo is weeping over your suffering. Or perhaps they're weeping because they got a papercut while diving into their enormous pile of money.
A big chunk of the DS audience is outside of the 18-35 male demographic. It's the 40+ year old women and others. People whose eyes are starting to strain a bit looking at that little screen. People who don't follow the cutting edge of game technology. These are the people who complain that their new computer's text is "too small" and would rather run the computer in 800x600 instead of just using the "Large Fonts" option. (Understandably, since so much software fails when you enlarge the font size. (PS to Apple's Windows iTunes team: kiss my ass.)) These people also aren't clamoring for better 3d. When they're not using their DS, they're playing Snood, Bejeweled, and the Flash game of the week. The DS is delivering a stream of entertaining distractions for them. You're like the people looking down their nose at Flash games; while you're enjoying the high ground, millions of people are busy enjoying themselves.
The DS has been a phenomenally well managed product. It continues to move systems and games, blowing the PSP out of the water. Some people are frustrated because as "real" gamers they feel all gaming systems should target them. Sorry, if you're a "real" gamer, you're not really the target market. (What's a "real" gamer? Owning an Xbox360 or PS3 is a good clue. Thinking that "real" or "hardcore" applies to you but not other people is solid evidence. Having this discussion at all pretty much cinches it) I'm okay with not being "for" me; I enjoy my DS as something different from my more involved and expensive console and PC gaming.

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Re:Err, why? by Tacvek · 2009-10-28 10:03 · Score: 2, Interesting

These people aren't going to buy the DSi, both because unlike the DS Fat to DS Lite transition the new console isn't clearly better for their needs (the Lite's screens were much better, and it was actually pocketable), and because they resent the upgrade treadmill.
Very true. Let's look back at the Nintendo Handhelds from the beginning.
Game and watch. Simple, but they played only one game.
Gameboy. A reasonably versatile little platform. It was not as powerful as some rivals, with only mono speaker (but stereo headphone support), had only four shades of grey on the screen, and required four AA bateries.
Next up we had the Gameboy pocket. Based on the next generation of circuit components, this was much smaller than its predecessor, and provided similar battery life using only 2 AA batteries, but was otherwise similar. There was no reason to upgrade existing Gameboys unless the changes interested you. To the best of my knowledge it was not possible for a game to detect the difference between the two in any supported manner (although information may have leaked from some timing edge cases.)
The Gameboy lite was an interesting upgrade that came next, but was japan only. Once again from the game side, this was identical to the original gameboy.
The Gameboy Color was the first one different from game's perspective. This one would be a necessary upgrade to play some of the latest games, but had perfect backwards compatibility, and supported games that would run on the original with additional pallet information or even additional features on the GBC. The full feature set was available in GBC only games. In theory, a color/regular cart could have used all the GBC's features when available, but only a subset was used, specifically, double speed mode and full set of pallets was not used, as those could not be used with only simple branching to skip the GBC only parts on the original GB, so code path duplication would be needed. Also any well made GBC only game would still run on the original GB, if you could get in in the cartirdge slot, but would simply display a warning that the game was GBC only.
Nobody complained about the GBC too much, because it was a definite upgrade from the old system.
Next we got the GBA. Once again a definite upgrade so there were few complaints, although the backwards compatibility was a bit less then it could have been, with a few games having small issues, and the lack of the GBC's IR port. The shoulder buttons, larger screen, and significant processor improvements made this a much better machine than its predecessors.
We get the GBA-SP. The biggest complaints here were about some flaws in the GBA-SP itself, like no headphone port without adapter. It was completely compatible with the GBA, and the difference could not be detected in software. People generally did not complain because there was no reason to upgrade unless you wanted the light, or built-in rechargable battery. The old ones worked just fine for everything.
--------------------
Now we reach the end of the traditional upgrades where there were few to no complaints. most were either optional, being indistinguishable from software, or were significant improvements. Backwards campatibility was lacking a bit, in a few spots, but only with a really small number of games, or if
We get the DS. This is introduced as a third prong, and dropped backwards compatibility with everything but the Gameboy Advanced. The GBA games had pretty good compatibilily, but slightly worse than the GBC->GBA transition, and the lack of support for link cables was a real killer. So it should not be viewed as a GBA replacement, but a new console with the possibilty to play some old games, communicate with old games though editing the game's savefiles, or use the second port for expansions.
The DS-lite came out, to only limited complaints, most about the GBA carts and accessories sticking out. It was fully compatible with the existing DS in both directions

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Re:Err, why? by ukyoCE · 2009-10-29 03:08 · Score: 1

There will be (and in fact may already be released) DSi-only games, which pisses off the DS Lite owners to no end, because they are now faced with being unable to play all new games for the thinnest of reasons.
Eh. I've got a DS-Lite from a few years back. Buying a new console that is faster and has new features for $100 every 2-4 years is not a big deal. I'm struggling to muster up any rage about this.

Re:Hair trigger by spintriae · 2009-10-27 19:49 · Score: 1

Are they complaining that they have to upgrade to have the latest and greatest and be trendy?

That seems to be the case. Nobody cares that car manufactures roll out new versions of their old models every year because nobody feels obligated to keep up with them. The opposite is true for gadgets. I'm sure that most people here know someone who has picked up each iphone that Apple has put out, and I'm sure that Apple knows it can exploit their fanbois like that. I bet they have a prototype somewhere that runs multiple apps plus some other "killer feature" that they won't release until they've exhausted the patience and buying power of their loyalists, and then must finally begin appealing to new users. In the meantime, they'll just add another megapixel to the camera every year or so.

Nintendo sells hardware, but their focus is its software. They may have a new console in the works but they have several games in the works for current console. This is called commitment to the customers who paid good money for the current console. As time passes, technology advances and hardware cheapens, they update the old console, but they're not trying to shove it down their loyal customers throats with keynote speeches and multimillion dollar ad campaigns.

Re:So like, why dont you check the features first? by aliquis · 2009-10-27 19:53 · Score: 1

Yeah, it's interesting how he's retarded enough to believe that he HAVE TO buy a DS lite just because it has brighter screens and better battery life or this new version of DSi just because the screens get somewhat bigger, but still think he deserves to have his voice and ideas spread and people to give a shit.

As long as it didn't made a Slashdot news item it would be all fine though.. But well, as it is now?

DS Improvements a good thing by LostMyBeaver · 2009-10-27 19:57 · Score: 3, Interesting

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.

Re:DS Improvements a good thing by dark42 · 2009-10-27 20:07 · Score: 2, Informative

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.
Oh but they have...
http://nintendo.joystiq.com/2006/12/06/third-party-card-brings-motion-sensing-to-the-ds/
This was a third-party accessory, and because of this only homebrew could take advantage of it. It's not mentioned in the article, but there were versions for both Slot1 and Slot2. There were several homebrew games written that took advantage of this. It seems like the company that made this went out of business unfortunately.
Re:DS Improvements a good thing by Inda · 2009-10-27 21:09 · Score: 1

>> There is a fantastic software library for the DS with hundreds if not thousands of titles.

Each one similar to the last!

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Re:DS Improvements a good thing by Shawn+Parr · 2009-10-27 23:42 · Score: 1

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.
Having had to replace the case on my son's DS for exactly the same reason, hinge failure, I think you missed an important potential upgrade. Metal hinges. Or at least significantly beefed up ones. The DS takes a lot of abuse, and the only place it seems to really fail is those hinges that deform almost like they are made of butter rather than plastic.
But thank goodness for 3rd party resellers that have those replacement parts. We had ours for maybe 2 weeks when his hinges failed the first time. They are starting to fail again, but this time a bit more slowly rather than in one traumatic experience.

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Re:DS Improvements a good thing by Bazar · 2009-10-28 00:05 · Score: 1

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.
They did, at least for the GBA:
WarioWare
It used a built-in gyro sensor to detect movement. Althought it was a GBA game, it still worked on the DS.
Pitty they didn't build it into the DSi. I'd MUCH rather have a gyrosensor then yet another camera to carry around. (cellphone/netbook both provide for that non-existant need)

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Re:DS Improvements a good thing by Arctic+Dragon · 2009-10-28 01:18 · Score: 1

Agreed. I own a DS Lite as well as a 'slim' PSP, but despite it's inferior specs, I enjoy the DS more. The problem is, many people think the DS has nothing more than My Little Pony and Dora the Explorer games, but if you dig past the kiddy games and shovelware, the system has a fantastic library. You have the excellent 2D games (Mega Man ZX, New Super Mario Bros, the 3 Castlevanias and Contra 4), old-school RPGs (Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Dark Spire, Ys, Black Sigil, the upcoming new Golden Sun), puzzlers (Professor Layton), and so on.
Re:DS Improvements a good thing by Lumpy · 2009-10-28 01:55 · Score: 1

not really. go find a copy of "rub rabbits" that one will freak you out and make you wonder what the hell is wrong with Japan as a whole.
http://reviews.cnet.com/ds-games/the-rub-rabbits-ds/4505-10068_7-31481766.html
It is completely freaky and nothing like anything I have ever played.

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Re:DS Improvements a good thing by Hatta · 2009-10-28 02:39 · Score: 1

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.
You can get a USB charger for the DS for a couple bucks on DealExtreme. You can also get a DSTT for $6 (or Acekard, etc), play your games on that and make backups of the saves from the sd card.

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do something innovative? by rastoboy29 · 2009-10-27 20:03 · Score: 5, Insightful

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.

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expandfairuse.org

Re:Needs to compete against iTouch/iPhone by RyuuzakiTetsuya · 2009-10-27 20:21 · Score: 1

ARE YOU SMOKING CRACK

even WITH the less than optimal screen for Sonic, i'd rather play it on the DS/DSi, and I'm a bonafide apple fanboy!

Also, DSi can purchase games over the air via wifi

iPhone DOES trump this because instead of using magic nintendo points, you can use *MONEY*.

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Non impediti ratione cogitationus.

of course they are by saiha · 2009-10-27 20:31 · Score: 1

If you could print money legitimately, wouldn't you do it?

BFD. by RyuuzakiTetsuya · 2009-10-27 20:39 · Score: 1

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.

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Non impediti ratione cogitationus.

Good Idea by LKM · 2009-10-27 21:00 · Score: 1

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.

Re:Good Idea by that+IT+girl · 2009-10-28 00:20 · Score: 2, Interesting

I agree with this post... but I have to ask, is 4 inches really that big of an improvement from 3.25?

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10 FILL MUG WITH COFFEE
20 DRINK COFFEE
30 GOTO 10
Re:Good Idea by liquidsin · 2009-10-28 00:28 · Score: 2, Funny

i was all prepared with a "your wife seems to think so" smartass retort, then i saw your username...

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do not read this line twice.
Re:Good Idea by Bai+jie · 2009-10-28 00:59 · Score: 4, Funny

You're in luck /.ers! A girl out there is satisfied by only 3.25 inches!
Re:Good Idea by Korin43 · 2009-10-28 05:36 · Score: 1

It's almost a 25% improvement. And that's just linearly. I don't feel like calculating area based on the diagonal, but that's the difference between a 17" monitor and a 21" monitor (or a 21" and a 26").
Re:Good Idea by EndlessNameless · 2009-10-28 05:39 · Score: 1

It yields 1.5X the current screen area, so that is rather substantial. It is roughly equivalent to moving from an 18" monitor to a 24" screen.

A comparable monitor upgrade was quite substantial for me.

That said, I'm not a DS owner so I don't know---but I'd imagine it'd be quite nice.

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According to the latest ruleset, this post should be modded as Vorpal Flamebait +5.
Re:Good Idea by zizzo · 2009-10-28 05:51 · Score: 1

Well, that's what I told her.
Re:Good Idea by that+IT+girl · 2009-10-28 07:26 · Score: 4, Funny

Read carefully.. I didn't say either was satisfactory, I just asked if 4 was much better than 3.25 ;)

And funnily enough, for once I didn't even think of the pervy connotations of that comment when I made it!

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10 FILL MUG WITH COFFEE
20 DRINK COFFEE
30 GOTO 10
Re:Good Idea by that+IT+girl · 2009-10-28 07:39 · Score: 1

Fair enough. Was just hard for me to picture.

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10 FILL MUG WITH COFFEE
20 DRINK COFFEE
30 GOTO 10
Re:Good Idea by Anonymous+McCartneyf · 2009-10-28 09:46 · Score: 2, Interesting

They shrank the screen size from the DS Lite with the original DSi. They're just shifting it back. And this is good, because not only is the screen ridiculously small on that, the entire unit is ridiculously small.
Yes, I know, portables are supposed to be small... but the original DSi has a footprint barely bigger than an Atari joystick! It looks more fragile than it probably is...
Increasing the screen size will increase the size of a DSi without increasing the depth. This will be good.

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There is a fine line between recklessness and courage... -- Paul McCartney

Re:Nintendo is dead. They just dont know it yet. by MadKeithV · 2009-10-27 21:21 · Score: 2, Insightful

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....

Innovation. by geekmux · 2009-10-27 21:39 · Score: 2, Insightful

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.

Nothing wrong with 'Annual Upgrade madness' by Aphrika · 2009-10-27 23:14 · Score: 2, Insightful

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.

Friend codes keep out the pedos by tepples · 2009-10-28 00:10 · Score: 2, Insightful

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?

Re:Friend codes keep out the pedos by aliquis · 2009-10-28 01:08 · Score: 1

I don't have any kids.
Also what protects them in all other areas?
Silly. Not every non-friend is a pedophile.

The market by al3 · 2009-10-28 00:11 · Score: 1

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.

Sony's historical 2D bans by tepples · 2009-10-28 00:15 · Score: 2, Insightful

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.

Re:Sony's historical 2D bans by quantumplacet · 2009-10-28 01:45 · Score: 3, Informative

you say that like it's a fact (much like the douchebag who wrote the blog you link to) but neither one of you has a shred of evidence, and the list of 2D games for PS2 would seem to directly contradict this ridiculous statement (see http://www.racketboy.com/retro/sony/ps2/2007/10/best-2d-ps2-games-playstation-2.html for a list).
Re:Sony's historical 2D bans by LKM · 2009-10-28 02:52 · Score: 1

It is very likely a fact. Former employees of publishers like Atlus have publicly pointed to this policy as the reason for not being able to bring certain games to the US market. Sony has never confirmed this, of course.
Note that there were periods when Sony did allow 2D games - nobody claims there were no 2D games for the PS1 or PS2. Also note that many of the games in your list are, in fact, 3D.

Last gasp upgrade by AlpineR · 2009-10-28 00:38 · Score: 1

Nice analysis, but I wonder about one point:

this means that any hope of a "DS2" just got pushed back to at least 2011

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.

History repeats itself by LtGordon · 2009-10-28 01:38 · Score: 1

Game Boy > Game Boy Pocket > Game Boy Color

Game Boy Advance > Game Boy Advance SP > Game Boy Micro

DS > DS Lite > DSi

Re:History repeats itself by Yvan256 · 2009-10-28 02:42 · Score: 1

Hardware-wise, however, the picture is a lot different.
GB > GB > GBC
GBA > GBA > GBA
DS > DS > DSi
Re:History repeats itself by Pranadevil2k · 2009-10-28 04:29 · Score: 1

But what about the virtual boy? :(
Re:History repeats itself by Ant+P. · 2009-10-28 12:52 · Score: 1

VB > Trashcan

Obligatory picture by Yvan256 · 2009-10-28 02:39 · Score: 1

It prints money!!!.

Geezer Edition DSi by amoeba1911 · 2009-10-28 03:06 · Score: 1

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".

What traditional games? by tepples · 2009-10-28 03:31 · Score: 1

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.

Re:What traditional games? by RyuuzakiTetsuya · 2009-10-28 07:41 · Score: 1

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.
Gran Turismo wouldn't work on the iPhone because managing gas, brake, e brake and shifting is tough enough on the PSP, i couldn't imagine doing it on the iPhone. it lacking a DPad makes more traditional games difficult to play. Compare Sonic on a Genesis or Nomad(Sega, not Creative) versus an iPhone.

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Non impediti ratione cogitationus.

Resolution can change, as long as it's a multiple by mbessey · 2009-10-28 04:57 · Score: 1

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...

pointless complaint, valid underpinning by AdamThor · 2009-10-28 05:12 · Score: 1

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.

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-- "Oh. This guy again."

You said Nomad by tepples · 2009-10-28 07:53 · Score: 1

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." ;-)

Re:You said Nomad by Sparton · 2009-10-28 08:46 · Score: 1

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.
Saying DSi Ware competes with the App Store is like saying the local Mom'n'Pops store competes with the global chain of Walmart.
Nintendo may be large and popular, but their DSi Shop sure as hell isn't.
Re:You said Nomad by RyuuzakiTetsuya · 2009-10-28 09:43 · Score: 1

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.
There's no clutch in GT PSP.
(GT5 on the other hand...)
Further more, counter steering with an iPod touch would be a little more advantageous but not by much.

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Non impediti ratione cogitationus.

Re:Needs to compete against iTouch/iPhone by forgotten_my_nick · 2009-10-29 03:48 · Score: 1

Personally I've bought Advance War three times. It is a great game for the DS, but I loose carts very easy.

I haven't lost any games for iPhone since getting it. I can even download again when I lose it (similar to Steam).

DS is nice, but personally I found the iPhone a much better game system. The main reason is I am not carrying multiple devices on me. Also price of software is a fraction of the price for a DS yet in a lot of cases the quality is a lot better.

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