Gameboy DS?

[downtime19]

don't know anything about E3 this year since my subscription to G4 and GI magazine were cancelled. So I don't know what the Nintendo DS is.

[fishbonetaher]

There is a probability that there is no DS, but like what rabunis said, there might be a next GB in the works, but won't be released until the DS fails. I don't think that the DS will fail, but that is just an opinion of one person buying it, it might not be your opinion, so will you BUY THE DS?

[Dark_Cloud]

*crosses fingers and waits for DS to fail*

[Gopherchux]

i definitley want the DS, but i'll wait a while after it is released for the price to hopefully drop, and to make sure there are good games for it. A kickass system is worthless unless it has great games.

[koten]

Totally true. But i think that the DS is going to have some great games. Look at all the titles announced. Metroid, Zelda and then there are over 100 developers signed up. We should have about 7 good games at launch!

[Shoxx]

The way I see it, the Nintendo DS is like the next generation Gameboy, but, at the same time, it's not. It is a handheld, and in the Nintendo tradition, people would automatically assume that it is the next Gameboy. But, Nintendo doesn't want us to think that it is. Now, we're going to see the next generation Gameboy probably around the same time we first see the Nintendo Revolution. The way that the new Gameboy works will probably be something that none of us will ever expect, and it'll release probably around the same time as the Revolution.

[forfungamer]

I believe that nintendo wasn't exactly ready to compete with Sony and other companies. They threw the gameboy DS which was cheap and creative (a brillaint plan) so that they could bide some time to finish the new gameboy to finish em off. So the Ds will get them loads of cash so they can have their other systems. And i plan to see a lot of those systems before nintendo is auctually taken down. (Can't see that happening any time soon.)

[Viper]

The DS was the brainchild of Yamauchi and it was in creation before the PSP was so despite the announcement of the PSp, the DS was coming anyway.

It is not a GameBoy. GameBoy is a brand with certain characteristics and the DS is different enough to warrant it a new brand. Nintendo already has a succesor to the GBA in development and will determin its release by the success of the DS.
http://www.nintendonow.com/news.php?news=2163

Think of a car manufactuer, they make various different models of the same thing, cars and they come out with new brands of cars all the time. Just because its a handheld, doesn't mean it's a GameBoy. That's like saying all home consoles from Nintendo are NES's just upgraded.

[Michael]

^that is true, but I think they should have spent more time with the actual power of the cartages alittle bit longer, just so they could complete alittle more with the psp, though I know that the DS was never meant to do that, they could have benifited from the extra power...I still think it'd be good though, even know they didn't do that...

[Viper]

I see it like this, it will take twice the resources to make a PSP game than a DS game. That means a developer can make two great, innovative DS games while that same developer could only make one same ol' same ol' PSP game.

Also remember that Nintendo is known for comng out with cartridges that are as much as 8 times as large as the launch cartridge.

N64
Mario 64 - 8 MB
Resident Evil 2 - 512MB

[Michael]

^It's true, I made this that point before (aka Eternal Darkness)but you have to admit that initial power is something that gamers look at first before anything... You know if RE4 would have come out at the beginning of GC life then it would have faired much better then it is now, graphics, and maturity...in fact, it might have made GC great begin last even longer then it did...but, that's not always true...Power never concerns me if I have the good games to back it up, but to everyone else it does...

[Viper]

Sadly it does seem to be a selling point to many gamers. PSP will get some sales simply because of it, however, as the story I wrote about the new GB shows, expect on ein 2006-7 range with graphics that will put the PSP to shame ans you know Sony won't release a new handheld that soon so Nintendo is poised to to keep majority ownership in the handheld market for quite some time.

[off topic]This reminds me, Xbox graphics were a huge selling point. Being first out of the gate with Next X means they won't have that title this time around. Wonder how that will pan out[/off topic]

[Michael]

There has been one thing that shocked me about the GC...It set so many world records of sales when if first came out, 17 units a minute and it still ended up being in 3rd....why didn't 3rd parties pick up on this, it seems everyone was getting if for a while, even all ages, for a minute it looked like gamecube was going to rule the market, it did better then ps2 when it first came out...I hope the same thing happens to Ds, but they make it last, even just for the wireless aspects of it...

[Viper]

Lack of marketing plans and attacks on the age group by Sony and MS killed it.

The DS already has the major developer support that was missing with the launch of the GC and we know have Reggie in marketing. He will scare people into buying them.

[Michael]

^Oh that crazy guy at E3....I'm already scared...But I see nintendo is trying to make amends and they seem to be getting back there former power, and adapting to the new market...I know Revolution has potential of being the best, but with all the potential that they gain they lose...It seems that nintendo only wants to appeal to there current fans, but as I said there changing alittle more to catch the causal gamers eye. They need to make the right moves at the right time to truly take advantage fo the market and make the revolution revolutionary, if they can get the boost that they got when GC first came out, Nintendo will be fine...

[Viper]

The DS is just a test for Revolution. It's to see what types of new features can work with developers, what gets used and what doesn't. How do gamers react to them? As you stated, they are trying to move in new directions. Iwata being in charge now means they are not stuck to Yamauchis' iron fist rule and 3rd party ethics. We have seen this with all the collaborations in Nintendo franchises. For the Revolution, expect new types of collaborations similar to Eternal Darkness and Geist with 3rd parties to coincide with a new marketing scheme and innovative, mainstream friendly features.

[Michael]

I for one do call the Ds the Developer system, simply because that's what it is. I do hope that the touch screen and the Wireless features work out and are good for developers to create with. One thing I would like to see is if nintendo works with the game developers to help make the actual system, and still be different. I know you said the ds is made to give developers freedom, but I would like to see more imput on the revolution, just because while wireless is good for a portable, it might not be the thing for a home console, unless they fix certain things about it like the area in particular...make it 2 miles not 500 feet...and of course Wifi is the thing right now, I hope it get added to the N:R...I know I can expect alot, at the same time I don't want to expect to much...And the touch screen, since it's so different, I want that to suceed so they can take some calculated risks with the system design it self, and make develope go crazy when they see what they can do with it...

[Viper]

I think we'll see a new input type for Revolution along with the standard controllers. I wouldn't be suprised at the idea of eye dialation sensors or pulse rate sensors built into the controllers (all the more reason to play party games drunk). I honestly see something radical about to happen.

[Michael]

^I do too, but I don't think it'll end just at eye dialation and pulse rates. That has virtually hundreds among thousands of different uses, but many people would ride it off like Ps2 did on there button pressure system. I'm not the one to get into anything flashy, but flashy sells alot better now, and I think when we see the N:R that they'll pick up on this (at least in america). Nintendo is also family friendly, so I'm interested in how they will market this to get Causals, Hardcore, Not caring, Children and fans to all get into this and still please everyone. No system has ever really been able to do this, the closes one was ps2, and it is strait inferior to everything else. All I can see Nintendo doing is being loss, which they shouldn't be...and anyways, sony right now is lose with there system, but I don't think they know that losesness is a phad...

[Viper]

It will take multiple marketing plans used simultaneously. Show those kids hour commercials but drop a few during Smackdown too. Throw on a Superbowl ad (pricey but effective). More theatrical adds like OoT. More EGM ads. The family will always know the N name so advertising to them is simple. Not saying give them up in advertising just don't focus so hard oon it.

Offer two case designs. All components being the same, just one series targeted for kids, one for older buyers. Expensive proposition...yes. Effective.....probably.

Return of SpaceWorld.