Nintendo DS

[Sammy]

This next handheld generation is gonna rock.
Don't get me wrong, I'll be purchasing a PSP ... I'd love a handheld virsion of Metal Gear, but it's still just a tiny PS2.

It's like N said at their conference 'Why go a little bit faster down the same road, when we can take you down a whole new path'.

2d or 3d on a screen of the developers choice, pressure sensetive tablet screen with stylis, wireless link, wai-fi multiplayer, voice recognition.
Nintendo DS (http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/513/513188p1.html)



Check out the demo for Metroid Prime Hunters (http://media.gameboy.ign.com/media/682/682835/imgs_1.html) ...
you control Samus' movements with the D-pad and you aim and fire with your finger or stylis! Tapping the screen as fast as you can to fire.
I was also pretty suprised that it involved Wai-Fi multiplayer and messaging.... And voice recognition, I've yet to see a demo that takes advantage of it tho :\

Oh, and check out the Mario 64x4 (http://media.gameboy.ign.com/media/682/682831/imgs_1.html) ! 4 player mario 64!

They also had demos of portable Art programs and 3d sculpting tools to get your 'art' on and send it to other friends screens. And the Baby Mario demo where he was falling from the sky and you had to draw clouds for him to land on.

I'm pumped, when nintendo decides to innovate they usually create industry standards. I wish this thing the best of luck.

It's so inspiring, so many game ideas bouncing around in my head now... I can only imagine how developers feel.
I'm crossing my fingers for a tiny RTS that I get to order my troops around with my fangers!

[Pencil Soldier]

The whole stylus thing is gonna suck imo. How are you suposed to play it in class without getting caught? ;)

But seriously, it owuld look pretty idiotic to a bystander if a person is jabbing at the screen.

However, id be cool if someone made a sketchbook 'game' for it. It would be nice and compact.

[JoshuaTheJames]

I'm not a nintendo hater. I have a Gamecube even, but Nintendo's GoldenAge Ended with the SNES.

It's the PSP alll the way for me. I just can't look backwards at that N64 look while I can be playing the equivalent of MGS2 on the PSP.

-Joshua

[Groover McNab]

This could be really sweet. I like that they take chances with going in a totally different direction instead of the 'safe' alternative. Doesn't always work (virtual boy) but hey, someone's gotta do it.

[epiphany]

the battle of the handheld begins....

[Sammy]

The battle will be amazing indeed.

JOSHUATHEJAMES: The PSP will rock, I love handheld.. and I'll love a portable PS2 .... I loved that the Advance was basically a portable SNES. I wish the PSP luck too, but I do think it will be short lived because how thin they are spreading themselves... the fact that they are fogetting what new generation game-play is all about -----> innovation and evolution.

Grover: Yea, the V-boy was a stain ... created by a very senile man that had been hit by a car :D
It failed 'cause it offered no gameplay innovation... only visual manipulation.

Pencil Soldier: Hehe, if you care that much of what peeps think about you then maybe portable gaming isn't your thing ;p

It's amazing how many poeople shoot me the 'stank-eye' when I'm playing a portable game in a social environment... like I'm some scumm of the earth.... Games are my passion, they're what I love... so I wanna play every one so I'm educated in the industry...
Nobody shoots me the 'stank-eye' when I'm drawing.

We study Nintendo a LOT in Industrial Design ... mostly concerning the man that created Mario was an industrial designer and had never played a game before.
But I like to consider a few of N's innovations that are industry standard now when I see them out on a limb with new thoughts:
The controler pad, the D-pad, the anologue stick, multi-button pad, sholder buttons, 4 controler ports, Saving a game on an internal battery, true 3D environments, AV-connection..... oh and portable gaming (Game & Watch to Gameboy) ... Just to name a few...
You should hear about how much the world laughed at them when they came up with the concept of the Gameboy ... so many companies turned down support only to come begging right back again.

competition within gaming has gotten inspiring, expect many new things between all the companies within' the next few years.

[Groover McNab]

Great points, Sammy. It does seem like they always come out with things that no one has ever done before, and most other companies just follow suit. I used to be really big on Nintendo stuff, but I pretty much only play Frozen throne nowadays :D so my console gaming knowledge is limited.

[egerie]

ported games Vs original gameplay
250 $ vs 150 $

Nintendo is going to fight on those principles. I think both handelds look promising but I find flaws in both of them. Nitpick yadda yadda.... PSP's screen looks too vulnerable to scratches. DS's cassing looks like a cheap plastic brick out of the 80's. All things aside, so far I'm leaning more toward the DS.... Content and originality baby !

[cartoonfox]

OH!MY!GOD!!!!....

my jaw literaly dropped when i saw mario 64x4!! thats reason enough to get it.


i cant really say any more, this nintendo has yet again suprised and delighted me. i cant wait, this is gonna rock!!


excuse me while i re-connect my jaw ^-^




peace

[Sammy]

egerie: Great points... I'm pretty certain that Sony is purposefully pushing the look of a very vulnerable screen. With that look they can create as many first party carying cases for it... childlike ones, executive ones, etc.
the PSP looks so damn sleak and sexy, it's very nicely designed ... I'd like to have a very professional carying case for it :beer:

Nintendo said that the DS on display wasn't the final design... good thing too, it's a bit ugly in my opinion ... not nearly as sleak and sexy as the SP is ... Nintendo's always had very nice industrial design, the gamecube definately stands out very much next to all my other systems from the past... which are pretty much ALL black! argggg...
I'm still waiting for their final design, and what duo-colors it will be available in.

cartoonfox: I hear that :D when it comes out we'll both have to get it and play over a wai-fi connection together! OHHH MAN multiplayer mario 64! I'm sold

[cartoonfox]

man, would you be able to play me over the distance? if so, this is gonna fucking ROCK!! i'm so gonna get it. this. will. own!!! multyplayer mario 64? its what i have been waiting for for 8 years (or near enough)!!! man, i think i will now go and fly away, i'm so HIGH ^-^ !!!!!




peace

[Sammy]

Yea, the DS has Wai-Fi capabilities

If you're in a zone that offers it you can play across the world like an internet connection.

[cartoonfox]

holy shit in a bucket!!! thats so awsome. i will SO play mario 64x4 with you. i wonder how it'll work.


i just saw metroid too, man it looks awesome. and touch screen for shotting? genious ^-^ i love the idea. it'll be awesome for getting high scores. how has the fastest finger? ^-^

and whats this about art and 3d software? can you explain this to me? i'm confused. y ou can draw and model like on a computer? that is so awesome. nintendo rock my world ^-^



peace man, looking forward to it ^-^

[Sammy]

Hehe, yea that's what the developer was talkin' about. The faster you can aim and fire with your finger the faster you win!

it has two processors, one that can run 3d a little better than the 64's abilies and one that can run 2d a little better than the GBA... but it's able to display on whatever screen, but the bottom screen is the touch sensetive one.

here's a link to all the demos they ran.
demos (http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/516/516016p1.html)

very inspiring, I wish I was a developer right now.

[DanSTC]

I have only this to say:

Gimmee Super Smash Brothers DS, dammit!

Oh, and not simply a port of the N64 version with bonus features! I'm talkin' a spankin' new game. Here's hoping Nintendo's already one step ahead of me there.

[Spacemanchuck]

I,ll be a nintendo junky for life!!! I just wish the graphics were alittle more than the 64, but hey!!! Mario 64x4 will be sooo cool!!!

And its coming out before the years end?

How about the PSP will it have anything like the DS' wai-fi capabilities???

ANother thing I cant help but to think about is good old SEGA!!! Playing sonic on Nintendo is still kinda wierd! I wonder what a new aged SEGA game gear would be like! Game gear was a great system I still play mine!

[Lee Perhaps?]

but the touch pad will be so hard to use for us lefties... :(

[cybercyst]

I was never into handheld games like GameBoy and such for one reason...the graphics SUCK. When GameBoy Advance came out I asked, "why did they do that?" It's like a step back in the graphics evolution. This new DS thing isn't any better, graphics-wise. I actually never liked any of the games Nintendo came out with--that's why I have avoided the Nintendo franchise entirely. I stick to PC games and such.

[Lee Perhaps?]

any real gamer knows that graphics dont matter. if you're looking for eye candy then watch a movie. :P

[wassermelone]

Originally posted by Lee Perhaps?
any real gamer knows that graphics dont matter. if you're looking for eye candy then watch a movie. :P

Indeed, gameplay is where it is at!

I mean... GBA:
Advance Wars 1+2 rocked my world,
Golden Sun 1+2, again... freaking awesome.
Mario and Luigi! ...Jesus Christ this game is fun!
Final Fantasy Tactics... drool.
And there are so many others that just rock!

I am looking forward to Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories too!

So much gameplay..
But personally I like the colorful sprite based graphics on the GBA. 2D is just as good as 3D.

As for the DS... I am not sure. It looks a little gimmicky with the touch screen. I am not sure as to how many developers will really use it all that much. The WiFi is awesome though.

-toasty =)

[No defence Nelly]

Originally posted by DanSTC
I have only this to say:

Gimmee Super Smash Brothers DS, dammit!

Oh, and not simply a port of the N64 version with bonus features! I'm talkin' a spankin' new game. Here's hoping Nintendo's already one step ahead of me there.

Heh, Super Smash Bros: DS would absolutely rule, especially with the control options presented by the lower touch screen. Imagine if you could directly control your character's movement, instead of using the D-pad-There could also be the possibility of new moves and combos presented by the touch screen.

But they would have to change Fox back to how he was in the N64 version, not the Fox in Melee which sported a crappy laser that did NOTHING! And what was the point in Pichu he was exactly the same as Pikachu, apart from he inflicted damage on himself when dealing out electrical attacks.

[Sammy]

Lee Perhaps?: I saw a vidio running of a left-handed guy playing it, it did seem a bit aquard... Is that usually a big crutch for when you wanna get a game? Have you played games before that are hard to control because of being left-handed? ... I'm curiouse, it's definately a different demographic.

cybercyst: In the eye of the beholder... I guess you've never played Advance Wars... or seen Yoshie's Island running on a tiny screen.
If you like graphics then PC games are probobly the best for you to stick with, since they're rarely any bit developed as a game and more-so just elaborate video-card benchmarkers.


Toaster: Mario and Luigi is one of the best damn games I've ever played! The damn game had me gigglin' like a school-girl the whole time.

I want a wai-fi Advance Wars! Something similar to an instant messenger type Advance Wars for it's turn-based nature.

The word "gimmicky" gets thrown around a bit too liberally nowdays... lets not forget that it was once considered a gimmick to use a tiny stick to control a little space-ship on a television...
That handheld gaming was considered a gimmick at first... the anologue stick... Z targeting...

A sequal to a game can be considered a 'gimmick' if you wanna get down to the nitty-gritty...

I guess these days a company has to prove the worth of its new ideas.... which is a good thing.

The 'gesture' system employed in the game 'Black and White' could have a lot of uses with a touch screen. It was a bit aquard with a mouse, but verry effective to the gameplay.

[Lee Perhaps?]

sammy: i've never had a problem playing a game because i'm left handed (although that got me thinking that i'd probably do better at video games if the buttons and control pad switched places) but it seems like using a stylus thing with my right hand would be more similar to trying to write or draw with my right hand... which isn't easy..

but ive always used the mouse with my right hand, so i'd probably get used to it.

[Sammy]

A good friend of mine is left handed, he's always had his mouse on the left... but now he just uses his tablet set up just the the left of the screen.

The guy in the video was using the DS stylis with his left hand, the demo didn't seem to use any of the other buttons, he was rolling pac-man around. But I'd imagine it would be difficult for a game like Metroid Hunters where you used the direction-pad and the styllis for control.

[No defence Nelly]

I'm right handed, but I find it strange that the conventional controller set up allows me to use the directional control (D pad or analogue stick) with my left hand. I'm sure this will apply to the stylis.

What exactly does the stylis look like anyway.

[Max Rockatansky]

Well im already selling my GBA, :), regarding the look of DS Nintendo said it wasnt final, so the unit is probably going to suffer some changes, also the portable also has a microphone for voice recognition too. I just want to see the real games because if the tech demos are just a tiny little thing of whats to come then i cant wait really.

[Presence]

Oh my gosh does anyone remember the jaguar?

And maybe it is just me, Maybe I am being a little over nostalgic, but what about....


Turbo Graphics 16!

Bonk! I miss that little cave man.

[Android]

I spent 2 days at e3 and the DS system was by far the most creative ind inovative that the industry had to offer the consumer, I may be a bit bias but i had the oppourtunity to play the metroid hunder game and I have never played anything like it before,

its easy to compare the ds spec to the psp because they are both handhelds but they are entirely different animals alltogether

[N D Hill]

Crap. Another metroid game for a system I don't have. Nintendo's bleeding me dry.

[Sammy]

Presence: The TG16 was indeed the bomb, they re-created Bonk for the Gamecube in Japan. I got my import copy ;)
http://cube.ign.com/objects/568/568054.html#news
it's the same exact thing just crazy visuals.

Android: That's good to hear, since the polygon this industry has been in dire need of innovation. I can see a lot of people playing with the system for the first time with big grinns on their faces - that's what 'play' is about.

When I first heard of the DS I thought back to all the times I've been bored and made up stupid little games on my tablet monitor..... ... Wish I'd thought of it for a project.

just give me a new Zelda with some crazy-ass new theme involving usage of my fangers!

[Prometheus|ANJ]

I'm lefthanded so I hope the buttons work as a + pad too.

It's pretty much a mouse substitute though, and that's what consoles are missing (and a keyboard). Now I can finally play rts and fps games on a handheld. (I don't see how you will be able to aim up/down in a 3d fps, it'll prolly be doomish.)

Paradroid 90, Kid Icarus, Worms/Tanks and Soldat would work with this aim technique. I'm a big fan of Quake style controls, esp for 2d games (which we haven't seen much of yet).

I hope they start making ingame character creation programs like we seen a few examples of recently.

[jetpack42]

Nintendo should sell the rights to Mario to Microsoft. Then I could completely not care anymore.

[Sammy]

I would assume that's why the buttons are arranged similarly to a D-pad, for lefties. It worked well enough for the 64 ... I'm glad they didn't put another D-pad over on the left side, I personaly didn't like it on the virtual-boy.

"...we had the Metroid game demonstrated with a "lefty" option, since the system is nearly symmetrical in controls. The layout of the A, B, X, Y is in identical fashion as the D-pad controls, so perhaps Nintendo will require developers to include a "lefty" option in games and software that require one-handed grip."

Prometheus: I'm wanting them to give a heads-up on if the DS will come standard with the chat/drawing features or if other developers will create their own on cartrage... either way would be nice but a more universal application would be better for finding more people.

I read a recent interview with the director of the next Zelda, he said they're in hard-core development of a DS zelda that will be 3d (similar to Ocarina) and will use the full potential of the DS.

[Max Rockatansky]

Originally posted by Android
I spent 2 days at e3 and the DS system was by far the most creative ind inovative that the industry had to offer the consumer, I may be a bit bias but i had the oppourtunity to play the metroid hunder game and I have never played anything like it before,

its easy to compare the ds spec to the psp because they are both handhelds but they are entirely different animals alltogether


Well there were rumours that it was Retro who was working on Metroid Prime hunters, is it true android?Also there's a guy at the ign forum that says that Retro is working on a Kid Icarus game and he says he has solid facts to back him up and a couple of people too.
can you comment on this ?;)

[Prometheus|ANJ]

Yeah any info on Kid Icarus would be greatly appreciated... and TA2 aswell if someone knows anything.

I should work some on that KidIcarina comic I started... oh well, easily distracted am I.

[No defence Nelly]

Besides that, given that the capacity of the new cheaper ROM carts is 1GBit, I would like to see some sort of Zelda collectors edition right up to the N64 Majoras Mask.
This would be feasable as the N64 carts are 256MBit each
and the NES and SNES carts are significantly less.

[lupicani]

No defence Nelly: I was playin' Majora's all day yesterday and thinkin' the exact same thing... would be damn nice to have a portable port... easy for them as well...

I'm sure they'll do sompin' like it, with a multiplayer add-on as well similar to 4-swords (amazing game)

[Sammy]

It's commin' November!

Specs: http://ds.ign.com/articles/549/549922p1.html

[Alex Outbreak]

oh emm gee

http://www2.nintendo.co.jp/ds/movie/syokai.swf

It'll take a little while to load, but my god its worth it.

[Schlo-mo]

Cant wait to get the DS, The network capabilities sound exciting/

[Nero's Master]

OMG!! My jaw dropped to the floor when I saw that they finally announced a date! <3 <3 *saving pennies as i type* I can't wait, especially for Metroid and the new super mario brothers. :teeth: Can't wait for wario ware, 'cause the previous ones were just too much fun! :teeth: I hope that the wireless conectivity is more than just "standing ten feet away from the other person." I want to be able to play with my friends from miles away. Ooo, and an XBox live type headset where I can talk to them *dish out some nasty comments on their Mario skills* would be a major bonus. I'm probably just dreaming. Why is november so far away >:| :heart: