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Backward Compatible
Nintendo has remained very hush-hush about whether or not the DS portable, which will be positioned as the "third pillar" next to GameCube and Game Boy Advance, will actually be able to play current GBA software. However, insiders out of Japan have told IGN that the device in fact will be backward compatible with Nintendo's handheld and fully able to play GBA software.
Touch Screen
The Nintendo DS features not one, but two screens. According to insiders, at least one of the LCDs will in fact be a "touch screen," or capable of receiving and transmitting input from fingers and pens by the touch. It is not known if the device will also ship with a stylus for tablet-like functionality.
No More Wires
The DS will feature high-speed wireless support. Though it's currently unclear what standard Nintendo will adopt for the DS, we're certain that it will utilize technology similiar to what it has just released on the Game Boy Advance in Japan.
The Issue of Price
Nothing confirmed, but at least one source alleges that the Nintendo DS would retail for approximately $129 in Japan, just slightly more expensive than what the GBA retails for in that market. No word on American or European prices.
Contradictory Reports
It gets a little iffy here. We've heard both that the DS will feature N64-like graphics and that it will deliver mostly 2D sprite-based graphics. Both come from historically reliable sources.
Cartridges Quicker, Cheaper
The DS cartridges feature memory technology by Matrix Semiconductor. This will allow Nintendo to produce cartridges far more quickly and cheaply than what the company is able to do with the Game Boy Advance. Currently third parties must manufacture GBA carts at costs from six to 10 dollars a unit depending on size and save RAM.
No Kits in the US Yet
When Nintendo announced the DS in January most North American developers were as surprised to hear about it as everyone else. This week several developers told IGN that Nintendo said "kits are on the way."
Japanese developers have been working with DS hardware since last year.
IGN contacted Nintendo of America but the company had no comment
> "If we are unsuccessful with the Nintendo DS, we may not go
> bankrupt, but we will be crushed. The next two years will be a really
> crucial time for Nintendo." - Satoru Iwata.
>
> Kind of worrying.. I just REALLY hope they know what they're doing.
Of course they do...
*Dringo nods with an air of doubt*
cubed-3.co.uk/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1787
Kind of worrying.. I just REALLY hope they know what they're doing.
> Because the more functions they encorporate the less clear it becomes
> what it is. Look at N Gage. Is it a phone, a games machine, mobile
> internet? It's all of them but also a massive flop whatever Nokia
> tries to say.
The problem with the N-Gage is that it's a phone with games as an extra, so the games suffer.
So long as the games come first, any other extra's added on are pointless at the worst, and won't let the system down.
The Playstation and Saturn etc could play CDs and VCDs. But we still thought of them as consoles because the main purpose was to play games and they only had those extra capabilities as a result of the media format.
How many places will support the format given
> the user base?
Sony have their name behind many MANY films.
They could easily transfer their movies to this format the PSP uses.
Touch screen would be great, although unless it's used for menu navigation only, I could see it get a bit annoying. Imagine trying to shoot by stabbing at a screen.. much prefer some beefy trigger buttons to squeeze down.
Plus I'm liking the idea that its integrating lots of funtionality into one unit. Rather than ending up with loads of little devices that do all sorts of things, its nice to have it all in one unit.
And as for watered down PS2/PSone conversions. Well thats fine by me. I liked my PSOne games, I don't have alot of time to sit down at home and play through everything I've ever owned. But if I can have something like Final Fantasy 8 to play through while sat on the bus to work, while waiting for the ol' fiancee to get her hair cut ... well thats a bonus for me.