GameBoy DS *Discuss*

[geoffd]

"The Nintendo DS specs
Nintendo's New System specs was leaked to the net and we got em:

http://image.lik-sang.com/content/nintendo-ds/wide-DS.jpg

Official Nintendo Description:

CPU Core Main Processor - ARM946E-S (Running at 67 MHz) Cache: 8 KB Instruction Cache, 4KB Data Cache TCM: 8KB Instruction, 4KB Data Sub Processor - ARM7TDMI (Running at 33 MHz)

Memory Main Memory - 4 MB (Debug version has 8 MB) ARM9/ARM7 Shared - 32KB (16KB x 2) ARM7 Internal RAM - 64 KB VRAM - 656 KB

LCD Display Size - 256 x 192 RGB Screens x 2 Display Colors - 262,144 colors 2D Graphics Engine Background - Maximum 4 layers Objects - Maximum of 128 3D Graphics Engine Geometric Transformation - Max 4 million vertex/sec Polygon Rate - Max 120,000 polys/sec Pixel Fillrate - Max 30 million pixels/sec

Sound 16 channel ADPCM/PCM (Max 8 channels can be set to PSG) Microphone input

Wireless Communication 802.11 Protocol

Input Device Touch Panel Direction Pad, A, B, L, R buttons, Start, Select (X, Y buttons being considered)

Power Save Sleep mode (WakeUp possible at set times or by wireless communication) Power save for 2D engine, rendering engine, geometry engine, LCD screen possible"

sounds pretty cool to me. interesting to see how the dual screen works out for gaming

[NoUseFrAName]

coolness.... I had imagined that with the touch screen technology it'd have one screen as a custom controller for the various games, and the other for playing the game..

.....I don't really get the point of the dual screens now.....
unless maybe it's like for FF Crystal Chronicles.....one screen for menus and hte other for gameplay?
...not sure if that'd be useful for single player games though...it wouldn't be a problem to pause & stuff.

neat stuff anyhow...

-Rob

[Sammy]

I'm pretty sure that pic's a fake.

duplicate later - move to the right - stamp tool.

Nintendo confirmed that it was virticle screen too, and that one is touch sensative. I'm pumped to see what games can be made for such a device.
When nintendo decides to innovate they usually hit it on the money, afterall they did bring us the D-pad, anologue stick, 4 controler ports, portable gameplay, light guns, ect.
Their attempts at innovation usually end up being industry standards. (Virtual Boy failed 'cause there was no innovation, and the creator was senile and dying :P

so yea, I'm pumped ... there's so many things you can do with duel screens, so many problems of 3d gameplay you can solve too.

I can't wait to play an RTS and have the touch-screen a full on map I can guide my troops with my fingers :D

[Prometheus|ANJ]

I dunno, I was always a fan of older games (NES or C64) cuz the figures weren't so big onscreen, 16x16 or 16x32 is perfectly okay for me @ 320x256 (C64 games had even smaller figures, like lode runner, manic miner etc).
The GBA often has larger figures @ 256*192 which is too claustrophobic and jerky for me. Jerky because the figures has to move faster at that scale, which means they move too many pixels (or % of screen) per frame (at a poor framerate or physics update rate). Your character basically just flickers over the whole screen when you move. I could maybe accept the size of those figures if the res was 400*300 (which I consider the perfect retro res).

A touch screen is however a good mouse substitute and could work well in rts games etc. Interesting to see what they do with that.

[Sammy]

hopefully since the screens are larger they'll shrink the characters some, 'cause I agree with Prom on the "large character - syndrome" they have goin' these days.
They're not modest enough with their characters, they want them to be large and gorgiouse, but that takes away from the fluidity of gameplay.

but lately I've seen them start to shrink back the characters, pokemon ruby/saphire had some tiny little sprites, I was happy with that. The Sonic Battle game had tiny little sprites that were chock-full of animation, so hopefully they'll shrink 'em for us.

Portable games are gonna be 3d now, I really wanna see how that works on such a small scale.

I will buy the PSP, but I'm not that excited about it... it's not sounding much like an innovation of any sort... just a tiny PS2, which is okay ...
But I wanna see something push the industry.
The last real innovation/revolution was the polygon more than a decade ago ...

interaction's gotten very stale, so I wish the DS best of luck ... duel screens and wireless connections, so so many things to do with that.

I can't wait 'till E3!!!