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View Full Version : Nin's secret product released - the Nintendo DS.



Sexaya
01-21-2004, 09:00 AM
I figured this belongs here more than the XBox vs Gamecube discussion, since this isn't really GC related, it's just general Gaming related. Without further adue:

The source, Spong. (http://spong.com/detail/news.asp?prid=6084)

Nintendo has finally revealed its mystery product at long last, ending rampant speculation as to what it plans on bringing to the console market in the coming years.

In a press release issued at close of business yesterday. US Eastern time, Nintendo describes its new machine as “…an unprecedented approach to video game play. Holding two separate game screens in the palm of your hand hits the scene later this year when Nintendo introduces a new portable game system, code-named Nintendo DS.”

Essentially a portable games machine with a shock USP, the DS has two screens, and, incredibly, two separate processors. We are still reeling from this news and it’s possible ramifications.

First of all, let’s break down the facts and figures:

There will be twin 3” TFT LCD screens of Game Boy Advance SP standard. The screens will be back-lit; the processors are confirmed as an ARM9 main unit, with an ARM7 sub-processor; the DS will be cartridge-based, with semi-conductor memory maxing out at 1 gigabit.

Games will be split into two fields of view, with one screen hosting the main game action and the other managing data and information. Nintendo of Europe confirmed this morning that the screens will be vertically aligned and flush fitting, this layout combining to make one larger screen. No control system was revealed.

As well as first-party software, Nintendo stated that it is already in discussions with third party manufacturers for DS support.

The DS will be available in playable form at this year’s E3 conference in Los Angeles, and the console will be handled as a stand-alone unit and marketed as such. No specific Game Boy or GameCube tie-ins are forecast.

No connectivity functionality, software, pricing or region encoding was announced, and no media capabilities (video/audio playback etc.) were revealed.

The launch date for the Nintendo DS wasn’t announced, though Nintendo committed to getting the machine on the global market before the end of this year.

And that’s about all that is known at this point. The device is likely to take its cue from the recently released iQue, essentially a cut-down Nintendo 64. It’s likely that the DS will share more than a little DNA with the China-only console.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, in the DS press release, seems in buoyant mood. “We have developed Nintendo DS based upon a completely different concept from existing game devices in order to provide players with a unique entertainment experience for the 21st century.” However, if the DS becomes the next Virtual Boy, incidentally the last portable Nintendo machine to feature two separate screens, Iwata’s position at the head of Nintendo will by no means be as secure as that of Hiroshi Yamauchi, who dictatorially rode the Virtual Boy storm with consummate ease.

It’s also worth noting that it was Iwata who pioneered the ill-fated Pokemon Mini, a machine whose failure was simply overlooked in the glow of massive global sales elsewhere in the Pokemon range. If the DS does not succeed, Iwata will surely fall on his own sword.

Pricing of the unit and where it fits into today’s portable gaming market is a concern for the DS. For example, current Game Boy Advance hardware sells at around £60, with the SP fetching in the region of £90. Given that the DS will be a far more complex device than the Game Boy range, it will surely demand a higher retail price.

So, if it’s fair to assume that the Nintendo DS will be positioned at around the £150 mark, where does it fit into the portable market as it will stand at the end of 2004?

Given that Sony Europe boss Chris Deering recently said of the company’s upcoming portable - the PSP - that it would be “…closer to £200 than £300”, can Nintendo seriously consider that the DS is a contender? The extra functionality afforded by the PSP - video playback, audio playback - surely makes it worth the extra £50, assuming that the pricing forecasted is accurate.

Then there is the generational gap that Nintendo will have to bridge. And it’s likely that it’s here that the old man of Japanese gaming will find its most testing challenge. The PSP will, as one Sony developer put it, “…be as close in performance to the PlayStation 2 as possible.” The DS is widely expected to perform at around the same level as the Nintendo 64, or perhaps slightly better. Again, the PSP outstrips Nintendo’s machine, this time in terms of core gaming performance. And for a mere £50 extra…

Perhaps one senior development source summed up the DS situation perfectly. “If Nintendo had released a portable GameCube, it would have rejuvenated GameCube development in the wider context. This way, the firm is a generation behind Sony, and is split across supporting three separate platforms, and will incur the R&D costs of developing an entirely new machine. It seems like a mistake.”

Stay tuned for concise feedback from the games industry soon.

Chaotic
01-21-2004, 10:39 AM
Yea i just heard about this.

Sounds pretty sweet.

Ninja
01-21-2004, 10:48 AM
Old news:

http://www.xboxaddict.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=605363#post605363

Sexaya
01-21-2004, 10:51 AM
Bah. Just so that now, and I couldn't read that article anyway o_O.

Ninja
01-21-2004, 11:07 AM
It's going to a bigger flot then the N-Gage, the dev are going to hate this thing(Two Cpu's Nightmare). Sony's PSP is going to kick the sorry ass of this thing.

BananaMan
01-21-2004, 03:12 PM
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/forumfun/positive7.jpg

kenji
01-21-2004, 05:00 PM
I think that my handheld gaming has stopped at GBA. I actually started playing again on the weekdays(because I can't play Xbox if it is a school day:cuss:.) It is pretty entertaining with good games.

mrgeorge88
01-21-2004, 06:01 PM
im surprised nintendo is doing more with the handheld devices considering that they just released the GBA SP last spring. If they wanna have any competition with the upcoming systems they might as well put their effort into their "gamecube sequel" instead.

MerimacHamwich
01-21-2004, 06:12 PM
George, you are surprised they are making more hand helds? That is all they do.

They release like 15 versions of the various handhelds before they go out of production.

Trento52
01-21-2004, 09:03 PM
it sounds pretty bad and expensive and i personally think it is gonna flop because what games support two screens and crap i don't really get what they are trying to do. It all sounds like a big mess.

Koopa
01-21-2004, 10:53 PM
http://pocketmedia.ign.com/pocket/image/nintendods_012104_299.jpg

themoosearmy
01-22-2004, 01:37 AM
LOL Koopa!

Sorry Nintendo, don't plan on buying another handheld. I like to have as big a screen as possible and prefer the handheld only to places where my XBOX and GCN can't go. If there is a TV, i'm playing the xbox or gcn.

Maybe this time they'll get it right, not like virtual boy, (which I owned), which was ok if you liked playing you're games in red lines.

l Maximus l
01-22-2004, 02:07 AM
I genuinly wish for Nintendo to have a lot of success with this...sounds innovative...and we all know that Nintendo does an amazing job with their GBAs... I just can't justify getting one... I bug the crap out of my wife as is while playing at home! :D

mattgame
01-22-2004, 10:13 AM
I was not impressed. I am not a handheld kinda guy. I thought Ninty would improve on the GC first since they already dominate the handheld market.

PapaSKooT
01-22-2004, 10:33 AM
Agreed, Ninja, it sounds like a developers nightmare to program this thing

Spaztic
01-22-2004, 02:42 PM
It will be interesting! I was thinking about getting a gameboy sp but I will probably just wait now! I want to see what the sony psp is going to be like!

l Maximus l
01-22-2004, 03:25 PM
Originally posted by Shaggy
It will be interesting! I was thinking about getting a gameboy sp but I will probably just wait now! I want to see what the sony psp is going to be like!

I definately think that the Sony PSP is going to give Nintendo a run for it's money. So far, it looks like the most solid handheld to date (atleast at this point).

Tim
01-22-2004, 04:53 PM
Gotta give 'em props for trying. Hopefully we will be pleasantly surprised at E3 (I'm still trying to get in!)

As for the size. My money is with PSP. I want something sleek, that will fit in my pocket easily. I don't think two 3" screens will do that. Although....It might impress the ladies!

DocHoliday78
01-22-2004, 07:45 PM
I still think the best handheld device ever was a nomad. It was a portable sega genesis that had horrible battery life but it got me though 2000 miles of road trip by playing Comic Zone, Streets of Rage 2, Toe Jam and Earl, Mutant League football.

NeosNightmare
01-22-2004, 08:00 PM
Originally posted by DocHoliday78
I still think the best handheld device ever was a nomad. It was a portable sega genesis that had horrible battery life but it got me though 2000 miles of road trip by playing Comic Zone, Streets of Rage 2, Toe Jam and Earl, Mutant League football.

Yea, the nomad was awesome. and thats a great selection for a road trip. toe jam and earl were awesome back in the day. ne1 play the 1 for xbox? some1 told me that there was 1 for xbox...

Koopa
01-22-2004, 08:05 PM
Originally posted by Maximus-XBA


I definately think that the Sony PSP is going to give Nintendo a run for it's money. So far, it looks like the most solid handheld to date (atleast at this point).

and we're basing this on what?:D

all we have are some numbers...and everyone knows how those can be manipulated...like the "three times more powerful" claim MS made and the astronomical poly counts that Sony somehow coaxed out of PS2.

but even if we can take those numbers at face value, we have no idea what nintendo will bring to bear against PSP (if anything)..they stated their stupid DP thing is not made to go against psp.

TheCovenant
01-23-2004, 01:42 PM
Originally posted by Koopa


and we're basing this on what?:D

all we have are some numbers...and everyone knows how those can be manipulated...like the "three times more powerful" claim MS made and the astronomical poly counts that Sony somehow coaxed out of PS2.

but even if we can take those numbers at face value, we have no idea what nintendo will bring to bear against PSP (if anything)..they stated their stupid DP thing is not made to go against psp.

yea das true. lil info was given about both, and in all actuality, we have no clue how the DS could possibly look. TWO screens? i dont see that much of an advantage..... i really dont.


anyways, the psp sounds impressive, its just a gameboy advance but upgraded in every way ( and according to the LA time business section it will play DVD's).


As of now, the psp sounds more intrigiung, but thats only because we know nothing of the DS.




I hope to see mroe info on both soon, but my money is with the Xboy......er.......PSP:D