57 replies to this topic

[Renegade]

The Nintendo DS, or Dual screen, arrived in the USA on November 21. I think the system is great. It's roughly (sp?) the size of one and a half Gameboy Sp's, but it is not a continuation of the Gameboy series. It can play DS and Gameboy advance games. the new DS games are about the size of a postage stamp. The graphics are great. They are better than the N64 and a little less than the Gamecube. the bottom screen serves as a touch screen that provides for very inovative games. It costs $150.00 and the games are $30.00 each. You can chat wirelessly and play multiplayer games with a radius of about 65 feet. The battery life is very good too.
Anyway, I am asking what do people think about the DS, if you like the concept, and if you have or want one.

Edited by Renegade, 25 November 2004 - 02:29 AM.

[taita cakes]

I think the PSP will literally blow it out of the water in terms of sales, graphics, and overall coolness, but i know people who have already bought them. They're not my personal taste, but those who have bought them have been quoting barely noticable dead pixel problems, as seen on the front page of the GPrime website here.

He has screenshots of the dead pixel, and also the video of the dog game. Its so damn cool its not funny. It can be found here. Again. It's awesome.

[Fuse]

I never got much use out of my GameBoy Advance, but Ive been thinking of getting one of the next gen handhelds. The question is, which one? hehe

PS. That site does not allow you to directly link to media.

[Renegade]

The PSP has better graphics than the Nintendo DS, but I've read in some magazines that it could have very bad battery life. The Nintendo DS has very goood batterylife that's about as good as the Gameboy SP. The PSP will be a good system if they can give it longer battery life. I like how Nintendo's handhelds have alway's had very good battery life. Systems with bad batteries EAT batteries and your money. I have a SEGA Game Gear handheld and it's battery life is 5-6 hours. It uses 6 AA batteries too. But I still like it since it has 32-bit graphics and most SEGA Genesis games.

[Talio]

Someday people will realize the playstation sucks and it's made for whinny, dick blotting gamers who whine about storyline and graphics...By all means, go fuck yourselves. The X box is cooler then you, and Nintendo has Mario and a shitload of other cool stuff, and Crash Bandacooter is a pussy. I've never played a game on playstation I like, the controller sucks, it's slow, you have to spend half your fucking life savings on accesories and even with a library of games that counts higher then the US deficit, nothing will save that game. Asain culture sucks...I blame everything evil on the playstation...Dance Dance Revolution to begin with...I know it's on X box, but thats because it's Microsoft, and they are god.

As far as the PSP goes, may I remind of you of some other failed attempts at handhelds? Game Gear, Linx...remember those. Nintendo makes cool handheld game consoles. The SP was bitchin, and I haven't seen this, but from the sound of the specs, it's a spougefest. You Playstation lovers out there I think are barking up the wrong tree. I know you want a hostile take over of the gaming community, but when it comes to Nintendo, even if their consoles go down the tubes, they can constantly market old shit for handhelds and we'll all buy it up, cause no matter how advanced the technology is, Super Mario Brothers 3 fucking owns everything on the playstation, Final Fantasy anything on playstation is a god damn joke compared to Zelda and Chrono Trigger (or my personal favorite Soul Blazer).

So yeah, you can think PSP is going to blow Nintendo out of the water, but I'll tell you right now, I'm going with the Gameboy, because Nintendo has a constant history of making kick ass handhelds, and Playstation sucks.

Talio.

[Renegade]

I couldn't agree more with you Talio.

[Talio]

Actually I'll give them credit for the GTA games, those things are hard core, but sucked on the playstation and X box. Go play that on the PC and see truely awesome gaming.

[texmustache]

I might get the DS when it goes down about 50$ and gets some good games. It looks cool, the wireless works very well, and the touchscreen is great, just a little awkward.

[ompa]

Talio, I agree with you on playstation- however, I enjoy the final fantasy series more than Zelda. It's just different game types. You can't just say one game is better if you are partial to another type of game. That means you're a narrow-minded asshole.

I'll also agree that Nintendo has an excellent history of making games, and I have every portable they've made so far and loved every one of them, and I still make good use of my sp. I also love the game selection, even if it's old, the games are still great.

And the PSP battery life isn't absolutely atrocious- 6 hours isn't that bad. And the battery is rechargable, so you don't really need to spend money on batteries.

I agree that the DS may be the better system as of now, but I think it's not right to bash Sony outright simply based on history.

Yes, I am a Nintendo lover, yes, I agree with you on most of your points, but no, I do not agree with you on how you stated it. It makes Nintendo lovers look like a bunch of un-informed idiots.

~ompa

[Talio]

You do realize this is video games we're talking about? Uninformed is not really a proper term to be using. People take video games way to seriously. I do attack playstation cause it's hugely popular and just a goofy system thats inconvienent and not fun to play.

As far as the Final Fantasy games go, I don't see the purpose...You read a bunch of stuff, push a button, go get a sandwich, come back to watch the blow finally get dealt (which by the time they finish it, you've finished the sandwich) only to see the words "miss" on the screen. We had game like this in the past we called pen and paper, only we got to roll a set of dice without watching then turn into a dragon, eat their own head, and dance around like a furby on techno music. Not to mention, your doing all that reading and spending 60 hours doing so...why not just read a damn book? It will make you smarter.

As far as the way I came off, well, it's video games. If we were talking about fine literature or something along those lines, perhaps I'd use a little more dignity. As of now I see video games as a fun distraction, and nothing more. I'm not willing to put in more thought past...this sucks, it's not fun. Those making video games a way of life or a hobby are losing touch wit reality. You wonder why people go after video games saying they cause damages, well it's true. I've seen guys waste their lives away worrying about this and that game, and what they do or don't like about it, when they should be getting a job and moving out of their parents house. I've seen dudes physical selves waste to nothing from sitting around on beutiful days drinking mountian dew and having their precious lives sucked into a box.

I love video games, they amuse me when I have nothing better to do or on a rainy day, they offer as a distraction, but let's just say I'm not about to drop major cash or precious moments of my life scrutinizing every last detail of the system. I keep it simple...wow, I really like this, wow this sucks, hey this is fun, hey this blows. What more do you need. If you need more, your taking it too seriously,

Talio.

[ompa]

I'm talking about the system, not the games. You can be informed about system specifications, and stuff like that.

~ompa

[ItalionStallion]

When i first heared about this i was kinda pissed off. I just got my SP lst christmas, and now after a year its outdated? Hopefully they will still release games on advance.

I honestley believe that both these handheld units will fail. People dont want to buy a horizontal handheld system. Thats why game gear, neo geo all failed. Nintendo's original advance wasn't as successfull as they though so they had to release a vertical version of it. I personally am probably never going to buy another handheld system. Im perfectly satisfied with my SP and the gigantic libreary of previous gameboy games.

[macman]

thats because it's Microsoft, and they are god.

Oh, Jesus, help me, Talio, you did not just say that....

I want a NDS just to hack it up. I can't wait to port some Linux to this, liek they're already working on at DSLinux Forums. I'm also looking forward to hacking up the Nintendo proprietary wifi protocol so we can tunnel through the 'Net to game... hehehe

Talio, you deserve death.

[JSkater]

Wow, can't you just leave a gaming system as gaming system and not some "uber-cool"
watch-the-fuck-out-i've-got-linux-in-my-pocket machine? The whole LinuXbox thing was kinda cool, but that's because the thing is basically a computer masquerading as a game console. But putting linux on a ds? For God's sake, leave nintendo alone.

[ompa]

Well, the system itself has quite a bit of power to it (for it's size and function), why not utilize it to it's max? If he's got the time, ability, and will to do it, why not? It's not like it's going to kill you.

~ompa

Edited by ompa, 25 November 2004 - 05:12 PM.

[Zero Talent]

Oh my, the geeks and freaks rage it out over another hedonistic entertainment...

Videogames are just another form of entertainment, like movies or literature. Literature only gets respect because the written word is old, and offers us a perspective of history. If society continues to improve, movies and videogames will gain similar notoriety. One can see the prototypes of this already in the way people are able to relate with each other through childhood memories of old 8-bit and 16-bit games.

Needless to say, the programming, design, marketing, and public consideration that goes into creating videogames can be paralleled to the work that goes into motion pictures... Just with a little less money and public acceptance, I suppose. Like movies, there will be genres of videogames some will like and some will abhor, and like movies there will be formulaic wastes of time, as well as local masterpieces. My respect goes out to the people directing, designing, modelling, and programming videogames. It's damn hard work to do a good job.

I agree with Talio that videogames can be really deleterious to one's life. However, I have to extend that idea to just about any entertainment. I've seen people waste entire lives just reading literature. Sure, they're respected because they're able to reference all sorts of dead people, but aside from the ability to read quickly, and a slightly wider perspective of history, all they have to show for it is knowledge of random events: facts and fiction. Same goes for just about any other hobby. It all means the same sum of nothing. That's not why we get so engrossed in hobbies.

The central weakness of the videogame industry is that interactive digital entertainments seem to still be considered worrisome to the general public, and thus the industry is still "young" and underdeveloped. Videogames have the potential to be far more engrossing, enlightening, and endearing than any piece of literature, but they are still in their growing stages. Feel free to bash any game, but know it's just another step towards an improved industry. ...Unless it's another archetypal WWII/Sci-fi/paramilitary/horror shooter. Like pop movies, I'm getting real sick of those...

So yes, you can be informed about videogames, company history, and system specs, just the same as you can be informed about car manufactures, literature, and politics. They're all just the different manifestations of the same thing.

On topic, the DS looks pretty cool. The PSP would be cooler if it was backwards compatible, considering the power is apparently there. Likely one would have to hack it or buy a $50 accessory to do so, however, and that's just lame.

So you're saying that the DS will not play Classic Gameboy games?

[ACLakeside]

No, the DS will play any previous Gameboy games, and its own games.

[macman]

think about it... wifi.. ARM9 processor with an ARM7 coproc...

wouldn't it be fun to be able to run anything you wanted on it?

Yeah, i'm a hardcore geek.

EDIT:

I'm pretty sure the DS can only play GBA/SP games. The ARM7 proc is there to emulate the GBA, and it doesn't include a z80 like the GBA and GB/GBP/GBC. The games would run wayyy too fast... unless there is a z80 emulator for the ARM7....

Edited by macman, 25 November 2004 - 05:59 PM.

[DJ Hurley]

It's a good thing I didn't buy the SP. There was no point. It just had a couple extra features that barely did anything. Maybe the backlight was helpful for night playing. But still, for the price of a GC, it wasn't worth it. I just kept my GBA.

Now as far as PSP and DS go, so far DS is winning on my scale. I like PS though, but so far the PSP games look terrible towards its gameplay. I mean Metal Gear Acid, YAY! A portable MGS game for the PSP, but now lets fuck up the whole idea, and use cards. That was the only game for PSP that made me want to buy it, then they say it's some card type game. Fuck that shit, I'd rather play portable Mario 64. So far that is the only other good looking game for DS though.
Now the DS, its got 2 LCD screens, and one of which is a map for some games, and a touch screen. I don't like that. For one, When I play games, I don't want to have to be able and keep track of two things. Would I have to pause the game then touch something on the other screen to make a change in the game? Seems confusing. But it's price... $150, thats not bad. Seemingly that I'm going to sell my GC and GBA cause I never play those. I just hope that Mario 64 for DS is exactly like Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64. Though I've heard it has 4 player and shit and that touch screen, but I hope it also has classic Mario 64. That would be worth every penny.
Then again the PSP has an MP3 player? It can play videos, and take pictures? Not sure about those, but judging from several pictures and articles that it does that.
Really I'd just wait until some good games are released for both systems, and watch the prices drop. Never buy a brand new system at its full price. They have to watch sales drop and realize that it should be cheaper. The PS2 was at $300 for start, and then now it's at $150. Soon $100. Or at least wait for some deals or offers.

[ompa]

The PSP Can play MP3's and movies, that's what's currently tipping it in my favor.. I really like the specs of the DS (except I'd prefer if it was just one long screen like the PSP), but I really also want those 2 features.

I don't think it can TAKE pictures.

~ompa

[Renegade]

No, the DS will play any previous Gameboy games, and its own games.

The DS will only play DS and gameboy advance games. It will not play Gameboy or Gameboy color games. I know, I have one.

[JSkater]

It's not like it's going to kill you.

You never know...

[Fuse]

The movies and MP3 thing is cool. The thing is, so much bullshit is flying around about copy writing that its really a crap shoot as to what you will be able to watch. For example many many portable video players will not play DivX and similar codecs because they are so widely used by pirates. You get me a portable player with a extensive library of codecs and I will sell myself on the corner to get it.

[FBB]

I don't like the dual screen thing, whatever they say two screens are not as good as one big one. And yes the PSP will blow this thing out of the water in every way. One of my friends had one when he lived in England and he said it was really sweet, but it cost about 800 pounds which is a hell of a lot of money.

[ompa]

Several of the sites I looked up said that the PSP would cost approximately $50 more than the DS, and seeing as the DS is priced at $150, the PSP would be $200. Not horrible, but a shitload better than the $400 estimates that were being whacked about before.

What did your friend say about the battery life and movie function? Any first-hand information that you could provide would be infinitely helpful to those on the fence for which one to buy, mainly me.

Although I have to question how your friend got a hold of a PSP before the actual release date.

~ompa

Edited by ompa, 25 November 2004 - 10:11 PM.