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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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The DS is different, revolutionary and innovative.
No matter what you say, Bonus.
No matter what you say, Bonus.
Strafio wrote:
> I can see that it was designed by the usual bunch of bright sparks -
> the analogue stick is tucked away in the corner. To comfortably place
> your thumb on it, you need to grip the console by the fingers rather
> than the palm! Stupid Sony!
Apparently - from those who've actually held the thing - the stick's actually in a very comfortable place. The only problem was the shoulder buttons, it seems.
> I can see that it was designed by the usual bunch of bright sparks -
> the analogue stick is tucked away in the corner. To comfortably place
> your thumb on it, you need to grip the console by the fingers rather
> than the palm! Stupid Sony!
Apparently - from those who've actually held the thing - the stick's actually in a very comfortable place. The only problem was the shoulder buttons, it seems.
Just seen the PSP.
It looks alright.
I wouldn't say sexy, I wouldn't say ugly. :-)
I can see that it was designed by the usual bunch of bright sparks - the analogue stick is tucked away in the corner. To comfortably place your thumb on it, you need to grip the console by the fingers rather than the palm! Stupid Sony!
No analogue stick at all? Stupider Nintendo!
Typical. The new generation gives us all the wireless connected, internet accessable, DVD playing, multiscreened features and polygon throwing powers that we'd only ever dreamed off and they go and screw up on the basics!
Go Microsoft. This generation can be yours.
You own Rare, you have enough money to re-buy the rights to Goldeneye.
You have the experience to create perfect interconsole networking.
Just a nice handheld console with decent controls launched with Goldeneye and you've done it... SO DO IT! :-D
It looks alright.
I wouldn't say sexy, I wouldn't say ugly. :-)
I can see that it was designed by the usual bunch of bright sparks - the analogue stick is tucked away in the corner. To comfortably place your thumb on it, you need to grip the console by the fingers rather than the palm! Stupid Sony!
No analogue stick at all? Stupider Nintendo!
Typical. The new generation gives us all the wireless connected, internet accessable, DVD playing, multiscreened features and polygon throwing powers that we'd only ever dreamed off and they go and screw up on the basics!
Go Microsoft. This generation can be yours.
You own Rare, you have enough money to re-buy the rights to Goldeneye.
You have the experience to create perfect interconsole networking.
Just a nice handheld console with decent controls launched with Goldeneye and you've done it... SO DO IT! :-D
Bonus wrote:
> I bet it's because you are going to uni, and the PSP is the best
> platform for a student to watch movies, listen to music and play
> networked games on a single device :D
No, because the Xbox is! ;-P
Edit: Although perhaps that doesn't count as a single device because you need a bloody TV to play it! :-D
Anysway, it's official - Mario 4x4 suffers for lack of analogue stick.
[URL]http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/513/513155p1.html[/URL]
It doesn't cripple the game as such but considering Nintendo's main strength is meant to be pure playability...
When people say the design as not been finalised, perhaps Nintendo can still sneak one in... I mean, the foldable case will protect it from damage and all that. They could just nick the Gamecube's one...
> I bet it's because you are going to uni, and the PSP is the best
> platform for a student to watch movies, listen to music and play
> networked games on a single device :D
No, because the Xbox is! ;-P
Edit: Although perhaps that doesn't count as a single device because you need a bloody TV to play it! :-D
Anysway, it's official - Mario 4x4 suffers for lack of analogue stick.
[URL]http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/513/513155p1.html[/URL]
It doesn't cripple the game as such but considering Nintendo's main strength is meant to be pure playability...
When people say the design as not been finalised, perhaps Nintendo can still sneak one in... I mean, the foldable case will protect it from damage and all that. They could just nick the Gamecube's one...
Tiltawhirl wrote:
> Does the PSP come in a case or anyting like that? I could imagine
> that screen getting scratched to pieces.
Yeah... and wouldn't it need an in-built memory?
> Does the PSP come in a case or anyting like that? I could imagine
> that screen getting scratched to pieces.
Yeah... and wouldn't it need an in-built memory?
Mr Snuggly wrote:
>
> The PSP looks like a modern gadget, sleek, cool and thoroughly bloody
> expensive.
Agreed
> The DS is grey plastic, dull, looks like it's wprth £29.99 and
> looks like it belongs in Toys R Us.
It doesn't look better than the PSP but, in real life, the screens i saw of it on this website, it looks much better than those mocked up pictures. And it's still early design.
>
> The PSP looks like a modern gadget, sleek, cool and thoroughly bloody
> expensive.
Agreed
> The DS is grey plastic, dull, looks like it's wprth £29.99 and
> looks like it belongs in Toys R Us.
It doesn't look better than the PSP but, in real life, the screens i saw of it on this website, it looks much better than those mocked up pictures. And it's still early design.
Bejam wrote:
> A DS version of iSketch/Pictionary could be great fun too, especially
> if Nintendo bring their cretive talents to it.
>
> Edit: Or is that what PictoChat is going to be like?
As far as I gather it's an msn like IM program, but you can send doodles to each other and you can edit recieved doodles.
> A DS version of iSketch/Pictionary could be great fun too, especially
> if Nintendo bring their cretive talents to it.
>
> Edit: Or is that what PictoChat is going to be like?
As far as I gather it's an msn like IM program, but you can send doodles to each other and you can edit recieved doodles.
A DS version of iSketch/Pictionary could be great fun too, especially if Nintendo bring their cretive talents to it.
Edit: Or is that what PictoChat is going to be like?
Edit: Or is that what PictoChat is going to be like?
That sounds quite good :D
I'd also like to see a Super Monkey ball style idea, but where you actually push the level down where you press on the screen. I think that would be a good idea to have :D
Also it could be the first opportunity to have a handheld version of Command and Conquer :D
Just using the stylus, you can have one screen to look at the battlefield, and the other to show the map and building options.
I'd also like to see a Super Monkey ball style idea, but where you actually push the level down where you press on the screen. I think that would be a good idea to have :D
Also it could be the first opportunity to have a handheld version of Command and Conquer :D
Just using the stylus, you can have one screen to look at the battlefield, and the other to show the map and building options.
Bonus wrote:
> But anyway, has anyone actually thought of a useful way to use the
> touch screen capabilities in a game??
From Gamesradar, "Far and away the most immediately entertaining and accessible title for DS is Pac-Pix, a Pac-Man spin-off that solely uses the stylus - you don't have to press any buttons whatsoever. A handful of ghosts move around an otherwise blank screen. You have to draw a Pac-Man of whatever size you choose, who will then set off in the direction he's facing. Draw lines in front of the pill-munching maniac and he'll change direction by 90 degrees (you'll die if you veer off the edge of the screen). Gobble up all the ghosts and the next level is opened up. While a bigger Pac-Man seems the obvious answer to begin with, it actually makes him (it?) harder to control while also using up more 'ink', of which you only have a limited amount."
> But anyway, has anyone actually thought of a useful way to use the
> touch screen capabilities in a game??
From Gamesradar, "Far and away the most immediately entertaining and accessible title for DS is Pac-Pix, a Pac-Man spin-off that solely uses the stylus - you don't have to press any buttons whatsoever. A handful of ghosts move around an otherwise blank screen. You have to draw a Pac-Man of whatever size you choose, who will then set off in the direction he's facing. Draw lines in front of the pill-munching maniac and he'll change direction by 90 degrees (you'll die if you veer off the edge of the screen). Gobble up all the ghosts and the next level is opened up. While a bigger Pac-Man seems the obvious answer to begin with, it actually makes him (it?) harder to control while also using up more 'ink', of which you only have a limited amount."
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