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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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Mr Snuggly wrote:
> The PSP looks like a modern gadget, sleek, cool and thoroughly bloody
> expensive.
Maybe so, but can you actually imagine playing it? It looks so fiddly and annoying. I didn't like the mock-up image from ages ago and I don't like the final version. The DS may not look slick or overly impressive to carry around with you, but it's a gaming console, and it's obviously based on getting the most out of actually playing.
I respect that from a technical viewpoint the PSP is stunning, I mean MGA looks absolutely amazing, but I really can't see it working wth the control set-up it has.
Also, seeing the DS actually being held by Miyamoto etc. makes it look a lot better, not as massive as bulky as you may think, and in no way will Sony be able to compete with Nintendo's line-up, which is already looking like the strongest launch ever.
Oh, and if the duel screen really is just a gimmick, or at least that's how people see it, if anything it'll make mroe people buy into it. If you can't see beyond maps and dialog, you really have no imagination; if devlopers explore (which I'm sure they will, all this raving will lead somewhere) not before long we'll come across something utterly unique and stunning.
If you asked me many moons ago what I was looking foward to more out of the DS and PSP, straight away I would have gone for the PSP. But Nintendo have really gone all out with this and other than a sleek look and plethora of extras, the PSP appeals to me very little.
Of course I could be wrong, but Sony will have to get soem big-name developers on board if they want to try and rival Nintendo's machine.
> The PSP looks like a modern gadget, sleek, cool and thoroughly bloody
> expensive.
Maybe so, but can you actually imagine playing it? It looks so fiddly and annoying. I didn't like the mock-up image from ages ago and I don't like the final version. The DS may not look slick or overly impressive to carry around with you, but it's a gaming console, and it's obviously based on getting the most out of actually playing.
I respect that from a technical viewpoint the PSP is stunning, I mean MGA looks absolutely amazing, but I really can't see it working wth the control set-up it has.
Also, seeing the DS actually being held by Miyamoto etc. makes it look a lot better, not as massive as bulky as you may think, and in no way will Sony be able to compete with Nintendo's line-up, which is already looking like the strongest launch ever.
Oh, and if the duel screen really is just a gimmick, or at least that's how people see it, if anything it'll make mroe people buy into it. If you can't see beyond maps and dialog, you really have no imagination; if devlopers explore (which I'm sure they will, all this raving will lead somewhere) not before long we'll come across something utterly unique and stunning.
If you asked me many moons ago what I was looking foward to more out of the DS and PSP, straight away I would have gone for the PSP. But Nintendo have really gone all out with this and other than a sleek look and plethora of extras, the PSP appeals to me very little.
Of course I could be wrong, but Sony will have to get soem big-name developers on board if they want to try and rival Nintendo's machine.
And how they play depends on the controls.
What do YOU make of this analogue malarky?
What do YOU make of this analogue malarky?
As I'll be playing the DS at home, or over a mates house, I couldn't care less what it looks like (but I think I'll stay clear of any pink versions...)
It's whether the games it plays interest me that counts.
It's whether the games it plays interest me that counts.
Bonus wrote:
> As for the lack of analogue stick, the touch screen ca easily be used
> to simulate an analogue controler, I'd be able to program an analogue
> control system using it, the same way a mouse, or an actual analogue
> stick works.
Hmm... I was toying with that idea earlier...
A stylus would be no good, so it would mean thumbprints on the screen (hopefully that wouldn't matter because the screen is designed for it and a stylus is only required for precision pointing), and also, it would have to be VERY well done to work properly, taking into account the different sizes of thumbs and all that...
But if Nintendo did pull it off then I'd see the DS as almost flawless.
Especially as seeing a real analogue stick would possibly be unergonomical on the handheld...
Not sure! :-)
As to the PSP, I've not really seen it yet so I can't say anything for or against it, but I expect the pricing won't help it, and Nintendo games have almost always been noticably more playable than anything the Playstation offered.
Whether that'll matter to the mass market remains to be seen, but wireless Goldeneye with "touch screen analogue" would give Nintendo a HUGE advantage.
> As for the lack of analogue stick, the touch screen ca easily be used
> to simulate an analogue controler, I'd be able to program an analogue
> control system using it, the same way a mouse, or an actual analogue
> stick works.
Hmm... I was toying with that idea earlier...
A stylus would be no good, so it would mean thumbprints on the screen (hopefully that wouldn't matter because the screen is designed for it and a stylus is only required for precision pointing), and also, it would have to be VERY well done to work properly, taking into account the different sizes of thumbs and all that...
But if Nintendo did pull it off then I'd see the DS as almost flawless.
Especially as seeing a real analogue stick would possibly be unergonomical on the handheld...
Not sure! :-)
As to the PSP, I've not really seen it yet so I can't say anything for or against it, but I expect the pricing won't help it, and Nintendo games have almost always been noticably more playable than anything the Playstation offered.
Whether that'll matter to the mass market remains to be seen, but wireless Goldeneye with "touch screen analogue" would give Nintendo a HUGE advantage.
Rickoss wrote:
> The PSP's design looks awful, the DS' doesn't.
Good god man, no. Reading through this thread, I've agreed with some points on one side and some on others. But this is the only thing I felt compelled to respond to.
The PSP looks like a modern gadget, sleek, cool and thoroughly bloody expensive.
The DS is grey plastic, dull, looks like it's wprth £29.99 and looks like it belongs in Toys R Us.
> The PSP's design looks awful, the DS' doesn't.
Good god man, no. Reading through this thread, I've agreed with some points on one side and some on others. But this is the only thing I felt compelled to respond to.
The PSP looks like a modern gadget, sleek, cool and thoroughly bloody expensive.
The DS is grey plastic, dull, looks like it's wprth £29.99 and looks like it belongs in Toys R Us.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but specs-wise, the PSP beats the DS, right?
I'm surprised at this, the DS is launching with a Nintendo online system (jaw dropping enough) three games that use stylus modes of play... the ability to to play viewtiful joe and FF:CC in totally unique ways.
The Gameboy DS as far as I am concerned is online, offers brand new types of games.... and they all look damn good.
A little bit more than the PSP does.
Although the PSP does look sexy.
I'm writing a post about this upcoming war soon... biased but not as biased as you may think. I do actually have an argument.
The Gameboy DS as far as I am concerned is online, offers brand new types of games.... and they all look damn good.
A little bit more than the PSP does.
Although the PSP does look sexy.
I'm writing a post about this upcoming war soon... biased but not as biased as you may think. I do actually have an argument.
Darwock wrote:
> Answer that as straightforward as you can, always keeping in mind the
> thing you said about not shunning a system you've barely seen and
> never played.
Because people HERE have faith in Nintendo to produce games which they will like. You don't hear people saying "I can't wait to see what Ubi Soft will do with the PSP", do you?
That's why people prefer the DS, because it has Nintendo games on it, and the people here prefer Nintendo games. It doesn't make them starry eyed Nintendo freaks, it just means that their tastes are different from those people who prefer the PS. Just like some people prefer the taste of Cadbury's chocolate to Galaxy chocolate.
If there was a new Galaxy bar, and a new Cadbury's bar, why would people who don't like Cadbury's buy their new chocolate bar?
Why would people who don't like Playstation games (in general), buy a Playstation? Why would they get excited about a new Playstation?
Hope you can understand.
> Answer that as straightforward as you can, always keeping in mind the
> thing you said about not shunning a system you've barely seen and
> never played.
Because people HERE have faith in Nintendo to produce games which they will like. You don't hear people saying "I can't wait to see what Ubi Soft will do with the PSP", do you?
That's why people prefer the DS, because it has Nintendo games on it, and the people here prefer Nintendo games. It doesn't make them starry eyed Nintendo freaks, it just means that their tastes are different from those people who prefer the PS. Just like some people prefer the taste of Cadbury's chocolate to Galaxy chocolate.
If there was a new Galaxy bar, and a new Cadbury's bar, why would people who don't like Cadbury's buy their new chocolate bar?
Why would people who don't like Playstation games (in general), buy a Playstation? Why would they get excited about a new Playstation?
Hope you can understand.
Darwock wrote:
> Answer that as straightforward as you can, always keeping in mind the
> thing you said about not shunning a system you've barely seen and
> never played.
Personally, I'm eargerly anticipating the PSP and DS releases, and the games and apps you can use with them. Q4 2004 - Q1 2005 will be a rosy time indeed, much less so for overdrafts.
> Answer that as straightforward as you can, always keeping in mind the
> thing you said about not shunning a system you've barely seen and
> never played.
Personally, I'm eargerly anticipating the PSP and DS releases, and the games and apps you can use with them. Q4 2004 - Q1 2005 will be a rosy time indeed, much less so for overdrafts.
The PSP's design looks awful, the DS' doesn't. Oh, and those things called games, that you're meant to actually play on handheld consoles? Nintendo has lots of good ones.
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