Nintendo DS (just got mine)
My thoughts.
Before turning it on:
- Nice looking system. I am a fan of the look (though I would have liked a plastic place-holder to put in the GBA slot).
- Extra stylus. Good thinking, I'll lose mine because I am clumsy and stupid.
- Jesus, these game carts are tiny. I am going to need a nice carrying case for this stuff.
- The system isn't as big as I thought. I can fit my cell phone and DS in the same pocket (it looks weird, but hooray for baggy jeans!).
- It feels very solid. Typical Nintendo construction, feels like it will last for years and years.
- It didn't come with the thumb-nub and strap.
(Edit - Yes it did. It fell under the couch cushion as I was opening everything.)
After turning it on:
- I've got a stuck pixel (pink) on the top (non-touch) screen.
- The hinge has set positions for different viewing angles (depending on how you hold it). Works beautifully. God I love Nintendo.
- The touch screen is bright and responsive. (I hope I get a cool easter egg gift for my birthday!)
It comes with Metroid Prime: Hunters - First Hunt.
I'm not a big fan of the 3D Metroid. Metroid Prime on the GC is fun, but I prefer the 2D side-scroller. But with the touch screen I was having a lot of fun. I always hate FPS on consoles, but the touch screen makes it feel like a mouse & keyboard, which IMO is the only way to play FPS. Awesome. I didn't expect to like this game, but I do. (And if you didn't already guess, it looks great, I would have mentioned if it did not.)
I bought Mario64 DS with the system, but I'm still hooked on First Hunt and I've still got over half of Paper Mario 2: The Thousand Year Door to go on the GC. I'll put this thing through its Mario paces over Thanksgiving.
Gaming on the toilet is back, baby!
If anyone has any questions just ask.
Before turning it on:
- Nice looking system. I am a fan of the look (though I would have liked a plastic place-holder to put in the GBA slot).
- Extra stylus. Good thinking, I'll lose mine because I am clumsy and stupid.
- Jesus, these game carts are tiny. I am going to need a nice carrying case for this stuff.
- The system isn't as big as I thought. I can fit my cell phone and DS in the same pocket (it looks weird, but hooray for baggy jeans!).
- It feels very solid. Typical Nintendo construction, feels like it will last for years and years.
- It didn't come with the thumb-nub and strap.
(Edit - Yes it did. It fell under the couch cushion as I was opening everything.)After turning it on:
- I've got a stuck pixel (pink) on the top (non-touch) screen.
- The hinge has set positions for different viewing angles (depending on how you hold it). Works beautifully. God I love Nintendo.
- The touch screen is bright and responsive. (I hope I get a cool easter egg gift for my birthday!)
It comes with Metroid Prime: Hunters - First Hunt.
I'm not a big fan of the 3D Metroid. Metroid Prime on the GC is fun, but I prefer the 2D side-scroller. But with the touch screen I was having a lot of fun. I always hate FPS on consoles, but the touch screen makes it feel like a mouse & keyboard, which IMO is the only way to play FPS. Awesome. I didn't expect to like this game, but I do. (And if you didn't already guess, it looks great, I would have mentioned if it did not.)
I bought Mario64 DS with the system, but I'm still hooked on First Hunt and I've still got over half of Paper Mario 2: The Thousand Year Door to go on the GC. I'll put this thing through its Mario paces over Thanksgiving.
Gaming on the toilet is back, baby!
If anyone has any questions just ask.
Comments
Originally posted by groverat
If anyone has any questions just ask.
Can I borrow it? The DS doesn't come out in Europe before March. 8)
Why do they not do global launches?
I just got my Gameboy Color out of a dusty box and the DS is *slightly* larger. Fractions of an inch wider, thicker and longer.
Still can't stop playing Paper Mario 2, though. Nintendo makes the best games.
Popcap seriously needs to release a DS cart full of their games. It would sell like mad.
Originally posted by groverat
If anyone has any questions just ask.
Can I move this to General Discussion?
Thanks
Nintendo has been disappointing me lately. What's their next GC lineup? Mario, Metroid, and Zelda. What's their next mobile lineup? Mario, Metroid, and Zelda. What's their next-gen console lineup going to be? It's not hard to guess. And the game formula is always the same, with maybe a slight twist added. I suppose if Nintendo characters still do it for you. I think the only exclusive I liked was Ikaruga. The real art is coming from the other two systems, gems are better to come by in these large libraries.
Originally posted by JonE
This is gonna come off snobby, but I checked one of these out at the store, can't say I cared for it. I see desperation at an attempt to be innovative, instead of actually being. The control felt very unituitive, from owning a tablet I have to say that stylus gaming only works well for 2D games (pool, strategy). I can't wait to see how the PSP plays out.
Nintendo has been disappointing me lately. What's their next GC lineup? Mario, Metroid, and Zelda. What's their next mobile lineup? Mario, Metroid, and Zelda. What's their next-gen console lineup going to be? It's not hard to guess. And the game formula is always the same, with maybe a slight twist added. I suppose if Nintendo characters still do it for you. I think the only exclusive I liked was Ikaruga. The real art is coming from the other two systems, gems are better to come by in these large libraries.
Whats Sony's next lineup? Grand Theft Auto, Grand Turismo, Jak, Etc.
What about Microsoft? Halo, Dead or Alive, etc.
You can't single nintendo out and say that- all of the companies are in the same boat- only nintendo does it a little better.
Be sure and tell everyone else you see what you think of Nintendo's unimpressive lineup, I am sure they will be very interested in your wisdom.
Better yet, write Nintendo a letter and tell them. I am sure they have just not figured it out.
And I'm still not finished with Paper Mario 2.
I need to dedicate more time to my precious (FOR CHILDREN LOLOLOLOL) game systems and show them the love (GAY LOVE LOLOLOLOL SHOOT COPS!) they deserve.
Quite a bit of revenue.
5 million DS units at what, $100 a pop for Nintendo?
At least 2 or 3 million games at $15 a pop for Nintendo?
I don't know how much this thing has cost with regard to design, production and marketing, but $540 million in revenue ain't bad.
They are a clear #3 in the US with regard to market share, but they are strongly in the black.
But what do I know, I am gay and I like kids games (NO TITS LOL!).
The last truly FUN game system I've bought was a gameboy with Tetris! Could anyone ever need another game?
Sony and M$ ? I see plenty of teens and tweens gaming away, and I can't help but think of most all the games as boring. Yeah, the graphics are nice, but I can't get into it. Somehow they're all souless, shoot 'em testorone clone repressed geek phantasy electro-porn serials.
Now if someone had a nice REALISTIC tactical shooter/sim available with high quality replica handguns (with some form of realistic feedback!), I might clear my living room and set up a big screen at twenty paces. As it is, the only fun to be had for me is in the racing sims,so it's not worth it.
I always think it's funny when people critique nintendo as too childish. Seems to me, I only see children and the more mature people I know playing Nintendo games (often with their children, but just as often once they sent their kids to bed.) How horrible of a company to make games that are actually fun to play.
If nintendo has managed to squeeze an SNES into the DS, it's gonna be great. I hear the Sony has a big battery life problem.
oolololol I'm such a snob! To be honest, I was hardcore Nintendo myself recently, and I've found that I and a lot of others really are just now finally getting the picture. Can't we keep the insecurities at a minimum, I just wanted to express an (equally valid) negative opinion of where my once-favorite company is heading. Has nothing to do with kid's games. Just a formulaic, stagnant approach. To be fair they all do this, which is why Nintendo Needs third-party pretty desperately.
I will give the DS another shot, I am interested to see how third-parties react to the system. But I am rooting for the PSP as the successor.
Originally posted by Matsu
If nintendo has managed to squeeze an SNES into the DS, it's gonna be great. I hear the Sony has a big battery life problem.
Nintendo already squeezed a SNES into the very decent Gameboy Advance. The SNES was a great system, and while in portable form it's a bit like beating a dead horse, though a good one. On the other hand, the DS is a portable N64, which is like beating a dead as^H^Hburro instead.
In other news, Sony can't manufacture enough PS2s to meet demand again this Christmas season. How's that for a system which debuted in 2000? Amazing. Considering the PSP is basically a portable PS2, Nintendo doesn't stand a chance even with the headstart. Here's hoping that Nintendo has a back-up plan for a real GameBoy with a Christmas 2005 release.
There's a lot of N64 material out there that'll be a load of fun on a DS, especially with networking, Golden Eye, Mario Party...
I had been told that PSP was something between a PS1 and PS2, kinda like a PS 1 & 2/3rds, which really should be awesome, but perhaps not more than a half step ahead of the DS in terms of gaming. Certainly the Sony unit seems more capable of delivering some eye-popping visuals on that nice big wide screen.
I wonder, what will the price be?
Originally posted by Eugene
Nintendo already squeezed a SNES into the very decent Gameboy Advance. The SNES was a great system, and while in portable form it's a bit like beating a dead horse, though a good one. On the other hand, the DS is a portable N64, which is like beating a dead as^H^Hburro instead.
In other news, Sony can't manufacture enough PS2s to meet demand again this Christmas season. How's that for a system which debuted in 2000? Amazing. Considering the PSP is basically a portable PS2, Nintendo doesn't stand a chance even with the headstart. Here's hoping that Nintendo has a back-up plan for a real GameBoy with a Christmas 2005 release.
The same thing was said about the original Gamboy and the Sega colorscreen competitor. Still the gameboy prevailed. It's the same logic as with the ipod. On a portable device, specs are not everything. Price, ease of use, core audience, type of games and so on are very different from the console market.
I'm afraid the PSP will be a rich kid/adult toy for a long while. The DS is positioned both in price and style as a mass market commodity. Every kid is gonna have one...
This time around may be different. Sony's 1.8GB disc is a neat thing, but it requires a whole other order of build quality in the device. Spinning a disc means greater demands on the battery and the overal device build quality.
This time around, it may work out that flash memory is the cheaper solution. The way flash prices are going, it won't be long before 512MB costs less than 10 bucks, and even then, developers need only spec as much memory as is needed for the game. I'm sure discs will only cost pennies, but it's going to be a lot closer, and there are the penalties to portable system architecture that a spinning medium entails to consider.
The DS costs 179 Canadian right now, it'll surely be 100 USD within a year or so.
Could be interesting.
Nintendo doesn't stand a chance even with the headstart.
Stand a chance at what?
Unless Nintendo starts losing money and not meeting sales projections I don't understand this whole "race analogy".
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I don't think the UMD thing will burn a lot of battery on the PSP. After seeing how much mileage a mini-disc player can get out of a couple AAA batteries I do not question their ability to reduce that impact.
The big-ass screen, though, they're going to have to power that. The luminance is cut down if not plugged in automatically and they say 4 hours on max luminance, sound on headphones (not speakers) and no LAN.