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Well, the DS has been shown, whoopee, I bet Dringo wet his pants this afternoon.
So, anyway, this dual screen malarky, revolutionary? A brilliant change to the way games are played by the industry?
Well, guess what, I don't agree, and I'm going to be called a Sony fanboy, or at very best, an anti-Nintendo zealot for it ;)
Anyway, here's my gripe, there's nothing revolutionrary about the DS what-so-ever. People are talking as though they have never seen dual screen hardware in gamers lifetime, well, I hate to dissapoint you all, but the dual screen handheld format was tried, tested and loved by us golden oldies a little short of 20 years ago.
[URL]http://www.infa.abo.fi/~buck/misc/gizmos/pix/nintendo.game+watch.mickey+donald.open.jpg[/URL]
This picture shows a NINTENDO Game And Watch handheld single game device from almost TWENTY years ago.
[URL]http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/12/nintendo_ds_comms/[/URL]
This image shows an almost identical looking handheld game platform, released by the very same company, but claim this dual screen arhitecture to be new, revolutionary, and well, good.
I'm not saying there may be some niche elements available to gamers, but I feel that most games developers will not use the additional screen for anything useful. Football games will have a top down radar, metroid will have a map, mario kart will have the track and player positions, basically world information about locations and the layout of the world will be used on this screen.
There is a good reason for this too, people can only concentrate their vision to a single focal point at a time. No one can concentrate on both of those screens at the same time, so one screen will be used for gameplay, and the other for displaying information.
This is a good thing given the paltry size of the DS screen, it means the game screen can be uncluttered with HUDs and the like but concentrate solely on letting the player play the game.
I will be truely amazed if anyone on this forum can come up with an original gameplay dynamic which could actively use the two screens of the DS in a way that could not be done on a single screen.
I'm even thinking of having, say, a heat sensor camera on the top screen, and a normal view on the bottom. This would be done MORE effectively on a single screen as a current day frame rate is at a higher reresh rate then the ability of a person to change their point of focus from one screen to the other. Sinply hitting a button to change views whilst focusing on a single point is a more natural way of playing a game.
So, I suppose I have set myself up for a fight by challenging the might of Ninetndo, again, but surely there are more innovative things happening in the world of gaming than a twenty year old handheld design being rereleased to a massive fanfare with no clear cut example of how this creates a revolution.
Nintendo should be commended for spinning up some dust to hide Sony's far nore impressive PSP handheld entertainment device.
The PSP is much more of a students system, good games, good movies, good sounds, wireless and one decent big widescreen which will let people who commute, or like to enjoy the comforts of their bedroom in some glorious sunshine.
The DS is not a gaming revolution, it's a bit like 90s pop music, a remix of something old people liked twenty years ago, just with more colours and more marketing hype. Take the DS with a pinch of salt, it's not worth the hype.
So, anyway, this dual screen malarky, revolutionary? A brilliant change to the way games are played by the industry?
Well, guess what, I don't agree, and I'm going to be called a Sony fanboy, or at very best, an anti-Nintendo zealot for it ;)
Anyway, here's my gripe, there's nothing revolutionrary about the DS what-so-ever. People are talking as though they have never seen dual screen hardware in gamers lifetime, well, I hate to dissapoint you all, but the dual screen handheld format was tried, tested and loved by us golden oldies a little short of 20 years ago.
[URL]http://www.infa.abo.fi/~buck/misc/gizmos/pix/nintendo.game+watch.mickey+donald.open.jpg[/URL]
This picture shows a NINTENDO Game And Watch handheld single game device from almost TWENTY years ago.
[URL]http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/12/nintendo_ds_comms/[/URL]
This image shows an almost identical looking handheld game platform, released by the very same company, but claim this dual screen arhitecture to be new, revolutionary, and well, good.
I'm not saying there may be some niche elements available to gamers, but I feel that most games developers will not use the additional screen for anything useful. Football games will have a top down radar, metroid will have a map, mario kart will have the track and player positions, basically world information about locations and the layout of the world will be used on this screen.
There is a good reason for this too, people can only concentrate their vision to a single focal point at a time. No one can concentrate on both of those screens at the same time, so one screen will be used for gameplay, and the other for displaying information.
This is a good thing given the paltry size of the DS screen, it means the game screen can be uncluttered with HUDs and the like but concentrate solely on letting the player play the game.
I will be truely amazed if anyone on this forum can come up with an original gameplay dynamic which could actively use the two screens of the DS in a way that could not be done on a single screen.
I'm even thinking of having, say, a heat sensor camera on the top screen, and a normal view on the bottom. This would be done MORE effectively on a single screen as a current day frame rate is at a higher reresh rate then the ability of a person to change their point of focus from one screen to the other. Sinply hitting a button to change views whilst focusing on a single point is a more natural way of playing a game.
So, I suppose I have set myself up for a fight by challenging the might of Ninetndo, again, but surely there are more innovative things happening in the world of gaming than a twenty year old handheld design being rereleased to a massive fanfare with no clear cut example of how this creates a revolution.
Nintendo should be commended for spinning up some dust to hide Sony's far nore impressive PSP handheld entertainment device.
The PSP is much more of a students system, good games, good movies, good sounds, wireless and one decent big widescreen which will let people who commute, or like to enjoy the comforts of their bedroom in some glorious sunshine.
The DS is not a gaming revolution, it's a bit like 90s pop music, a remix of something old people liked twenty years ago, just with more colours and more marketing hype. Take the DS with a pinch of salt, it's not worth the hype.
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Maybe not. Maybe it'll only ever be used for maps, radars and inventory screens, but it's still a more exciting prospect to me than the PSP.
Yes, who knows. Nobody can think of anything, so my bet is it will never be used in any spectacular fashion.
Developers haven't had to make games using duel screens and touch sensitive screens before, so who knows what they could do with them?
All kinds of innovative ways...? You mean just like the GBA link-up was used in all kinds of innovative ways? This was Nintendo's idea, if they had any remarkable uses for it you'd think they would have thought them up beforehand, and would be demonstrating them at launch.
I've already seen left-handed gamers saying they'll never be able to play Metroid that way, and how easy is it going to be to hold and use the d-pad with one hand? Nintendo have gone mental, in my opinion.
I've already seen left-handed gamers saying they'll never be able to play Metroid that way, and how easy is it going to be to hold and use the d-pad with one hand? Nintendo have gone mental, in my opinion.
I don't think people need to be reminded about the old Game & Watch systems, everyone remembers them, and I don't believe anyone has claimed that the duel screen element in the DS is a "first for gaming".
The revolution is not about the fact it has two screens, it what those two screens will be used for that will be the revolution.
OK, so at the moment it looks like the second screen is just being used for simple things like maps and radars, but do you really think people won't think up some extremely innovative uses for a second screen?
I'm 100% sure that some developers will utilize the second screen for all kinds of intersting things, and that is where the innovation is to be found.
Just claiming that the DS isn't going to be innovative because it "looks like an old Game & Watch" is laughable and seeing a few early pictures of the second screen being only used for a radar is judging it waaaay too early.
The revolution is not about the fact it has two screens, it what those two screens will be used for that will be the revolution.
OK, so at the moment it looks like the second screen is just being used for simple things like maps and radars, but do you really think people won't think up some extremely innovative uses for a second screen?
I'm 100% sure that some developers will utilize the second screen for all kinds of intersting things, and that is where the innovation is to be found.
Just claiming that the DS isn't going to be innovative because it "looks like an old Game & Watch" is laughable and seeing a few early pictures of the second screen being only used for a radar is judging it waaaay too early.
gerrid wrote:
> You, Bonus, have never played one, never seen one running in real
> life, have no idea about the games that it plays, and have a
> predisposition to colour everything Nintendo with the same Sony
> tinted brush.
You might be surprised to know that I don't actually prefer any manufacturer over any other :D
Unlike some people around here.
> You, Bonus, have never played one, never seen one running in real
> life, have no idea about the games that it plays, and have a
> predisposition to colour everything Nintendo with the same Sony
> tinted brush.
You might be surprised to know that I don't actually prefer any manufacturer over any other :D
Unlike some people around here.
[URL]http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/513/513168p1.html[/URL]
Sega's RUB system comprises of moving the stylus back and forward over the screen.
Marvelous way to create gaiming repetition.
Granted it's only a demo. Just remember, Yuji Naka thought the dire Sonic on the Dreamcast was good.
Sega's RUB system comprises of moving the stylus back and forward over the screen.
Marvelous way to create gaiming repetition.
Granted it's only a demo. Just remember, Yuji Naka thought the dire Sonic on the Dreamcast was good.
In fact, a gamut of developers who are working with, and actually HAVE DS kits say that it's innovative.
You, Bonus, have never played one, never seen one running in real life, have no idea about the games that it plays, and have a predisposition to colour everything Nintendo with the same Sony tinted brush.
You, Bonus, have never played one, never seen one running in real life, have no idea about the games that it plays, and have a predisposition to colour everything Nintendo with the same Sony tinted brush.
This is a quote taken directly from Yuji Naka, managing director of Sega
"DS has various innovative features like Dual Screens, Touch Screen and Microphone. Its great variety of input mechanisms has allowed us to create new forms of gaming that could not be experienced with previous games for the home market. For our first titles - Sonic DS (temporary title) and Project Rub (temporary title) -- we have placed an emphasis on controls using a Touch Screen, which will allow us to achieved the concept of "rubbing," a unique and fun gameplay mechanic made possible by the DS. We will investigate a wide-range of gaming elements unique to DS, so look forward to future SEGA titles."
So who do I trust the managing director of Sega who's actually used the DS and is making software for it....or the Sony fanboy who is just making assumptions?
It's a tough one, I'll let you work out the answer for yourself.
"DS has various innovative features like Dual Screens, Touch Screen and Microphone. Its great variety of input mechanisms has allowed us to create new forms of gaming that could not be experienced with previous games for the home market. For our first titles - Sonic DS (temporary title) and Project Rub (temporary title) -- we have placed an emphasis on controls using a Touch Screen, which will allow us to achieved the concept of "rubbing," a unique and fun gameplay mechanic made possible by the DS. We will investigate a wide-range of gaming elements unique to DS, so look forward to future SEGA titles."
So who do I trust the managing director of Sega who's actually used the DS and is making software for it....or the Sony fanboy who is just making assumptions?
It's a tough one, I'll let you work out the answer for yourself.
Solid facts that the DS is not innovative. That's what I want. You don't have any. It's just your opinion, so stop pedalling it as truth.
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