man that thing looks HUGE! then again I thought the PS2 looked huge when the first pics came out then I actually saw it and I was a bit suprised, also thought the same thing about the current gameboy too
I saw this yesterday morning and really liked it. This is a GREAT move by Nintendo. I'm not sure if I like the design better than the PSP, but it looks 100 times better than the E3 design. Only real problem I see with the design is basically the biggest problem I always hear about and that is how it is going to be held. A person will probably have to use their hand as something to support the handheld, (makes sense) but it would be difficult to do that and use the stylus and use the buttons. Sometimes, I feel like being Goro from MK. Still looks a lot better though. Kind of trying to imagine it in different colors like a metallic blue.
So does it have two screens? I'm having issues trying to figure out if that is two screens or if that is a touch pad on the bottom.
the 2nd screen will just be used for unneeded BS like maps and inventory in 99% of games. This will be a flop of Virtual Boy proportions.
Nintendo DS design, name finalized While the Nintendo faithful embraced the early design of the company's new DS portable when it was unveiled at E3, more skeptical gamers held back for the final model. Today the company unveiled the final version (pictured) of the Nintendo DS. The control layout remains essentially the same, as does the placement of the speakers, the lower, touch-sensitive screen, and the upper, standard screen. However, the DS looks significantly different. Instead of being the boxy gray device shown off at E3, the new-and-improved DS is a combination of glossy black plastic and silver metal in a slimmer, sleeker case. The face buttons and shoulder buttons have been made larger and have been slightly reconfigured. PDA owners will be relieved to know that the device has a new storage slot, while audiophiles will be pleased to hear that the DS speakers now broadcast in 16-channel stereo sound. In a Japanese press release, Nintendo also reiterated the DS's technical capabilities, emphasizing that the device's dual processors will allow for 3D graphics and that a "newly developed graphics engine" will provide a frame rate of "60 frames per second...outperforming the N64." Nintendo also used the occasion to reveal the final name of the DS, which had been the device's code name up until now. After rumors of various acronym configurations--including "DGB," "EGB," "GBE," "XGB," "GBD," "XGB," and "WGB"--the company has chosen to call the device...the Nintendo DS. Nintendo outlined its complex reasoning for the choice in a statement: "The Nintendo DS name evokes the idea of a portable system with 'dual screens,' providing the rationale for the final name." Naturally, the DS's top backer, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, had only good things to say. "The Nintendo DS will change the future of handheld gaming," he mused. "Dual screens, chat functions, a touch screen, wireless capabilities, voice recognition--these abilities surpass anything attempted before, and consumers will benefit from the creativity and innovation the new features bring to the world of video games.” While Nintendo did not use the unveiling to announce the DS's final price, it did take care to remind the media of the device's vast backing by developers. "Software companies worldwide have more than 120 Nintendo DS games in development," read the company's statement. "Nintendo alone is developing more than 20 titles, and in excess of 100 companies have signed on to create games for the new system." The Nintendo DS is scheduled to hit store shelves this fall in the US and Japan, with a European release planned for early 2005. http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/07/28/news_6103616.html
It's all about the games. I'll wait and see what they got to show me, until then I'm going to have to be skeptical, but I love Nintendo, and would love to be surprised with a success by them.
Yeah, the games will probably make the difference. Both of the handhelds, the PSP and DS, will have over 100 games each, so whichever one has the better games will probably get sold more. I, personally, am not to excited for the DS game list. Kind of like that guy on one of those games shows on G4TechTV said at E3, the DS is pretty cool, but none of the games are that appealing, or at least they weren't to him. The PSP has some pretty cool games I'd like to play, ranging from Gran Turismo, Metal Gear Solid, NFL/NBA Street, Dynsasty Warriors, Tony Hawk's Underground 2, NFSU, ROT3K, Spiderman, and a game called Tales of Arcadia that is supposed to be like the other "Tales of..." RPGs that came out a while back. Oh yeah, plus they have Sticky Balls, made by our own DaDakota and his company. I don't know if the DS has any of the games mentioned above, but they probably wouldn't look quite the same as they would on the PSP since it is the more powerful handheld, probably WAY more powerful at that. Only problem is there looks to be some Final Fantasy games, although looks like just the Crystal Chronicles game and not any real FF. Hopefully, the PSP will sell well next March and Square will then make one for the PSP, or at least some RPG. Just throw Star Ocean or something on it. I think according to a leaked report, the DS is supposed to come out like in November for like $180 or something like that. Don't know if all that is true, but sounds like it could be. The PSP, like I mentioned above, should be out around March and the cost I have no idea on. I've read as low as in the $150-200 range, supposedly said by some developers, and also up around the $300-350 range. (I think anymore than that would be a bad move). It will cost a lot to make the handheld, but Sony may try to sell it at a lost and try to make up for it in profits made from the games mentioned above as well as in accessories. I know I will probably want to spend a little extra on an extra battery pack and get a good memory stick.
Sony has to charge a lot for it because their only revenue source is the hardware. To get exclusive rights to a game costs money too.
They could also get extra money from accessories and making movies on UMDs. And Sony could also get some help from their other branches, like their movie branch. Since they now own MGM, their movie library should be pretty good and they can add that to a source of profit for the PSP and UMDs. Accessories could also end up getting a lot of money as well, seeing as how some people would like getting cameras, GPS, keyboards, new covers, etc., for it. IIRC, the UMDs also cost less to make than the DS's cartridges and can hold more, so they can make some money off of them. If they could come out with a GTA for the PSP, they could practically give away the PSP and make a profit. I just don't see Sony pricing it around $300 if the DS costs practically half of that. I remember reading somewhere that they wanted it to be similar in price to the GBA SP I think when it came out, and not some crazy expensive item. I think that since Sony is a huge electronics company, they can afford to sell it at a lost and make up for it in other areas.
I'm not a huge fan of portable game systems, don't really know why. Most of the time I'd just rather wait until I get home.
I'm not a fan of portable gaming either, especially since I hardly travel and airplanes come with their own entertainment. But I'm not going to pay 180 for any hand held system to just play it at home when I can pay less for the much better home version.
