Thinking about buying a Nintendo DS

Miscellaneous Topics
#1

What do you think about this console folks? There is not a lot of games yet but the inovative game play provided by the two screens and the use of the stylus in games seem to provide really cool and fun games! Mario DS is a remake of Mario 64 but with the added screen you have a map and play the game differently in interaction with the ennemies. And the stylus give you the opportunity to play mini games using it. Really cool isn’t? What do you think? Maybe I should try one first to see what level of fun this new gameplay innovation brings. Also the price seems accetable. I though about buying a game cube or a PS2 but it’s rather impcompatible with my life style since you monopolyse your television and my girl friend could not watch it while I’m playing.

And what about the PSP? Seems too expensive in the first place.

#2

Get one, good games I can recommend are:

  • Zoo Keeper, simple yet massivly addictive
  • Yoshi’s Touch And Go, unique gameplay, good fun.
  • Meteos, interesting puzzler
  • Wario Ware Touched, lots of touchscreen based mini games
#3

OK thanks for the recommandations!

Is the console a big success in north america as in Japan (or in the Orient)?

#4

I got one for my girlfriend, so far only Wario Ware Touched on the game front. It’s especially good to introduce females and older people to videogames with, as the interface is so obvious.

Looking forward immensely to Nintendogs too.

One worry/good thing (depending on your point of view) is that unless a game design is going to use the unique features of the DS (2 screens, touchscreen, microphone), there isn’t any point in developing it for the platform. The bad news of this is: less games. The upside is: less generic games you’ve seen a million times before.

I reckon the DS will get a more meagre crop of interesting games, when compared against the flood of PS2 conversions that you’ll see on the PSP.

#5

Thanks for your comments.

Having the capability to play 3D games in a portable way is an interesting point and the fact that Nintendo provides games that are not available on the PSP is another point. And the new gameplay features of the DS is a big advantage in my opinion.

[quote]The bad news of this is: less games.
[/quote]
I guess it’s only a question of time.

Nobody else owns a Nintendo DS? If yes, do you like the system, the games?

Thanks

#6

I own a PSP.

For me, its the better system. Nice big and beautiful screen for these old eyes.

Not just a game box but also a MP3 and Video player. Full 80211 and Bluetooth.

Now if they would just get smart and open it for homebrew it’d be perfect.
(And before we get into THAt argument, no thisd DOESNT mean losing control.
There are lost of ways to seperate homebrew cotnent from rpefessional content,
the easiest beign digital signing. Homebrew content could always bring up a
pre-run screen saying “HOMEBREW MODE: Warning, this software is not approved
by SOE. It is illegal to use homebrew mode for commercial content.”

#7

PSP seems very cool I agree but seems expensive for a portable system. Can you insert any brand of flash card in it or just Sony’s ones? Any capacity (1 Gig or more)? For movie I doubt that companies will embrace the so particular UMD format. Is it profitable enough condidering the popularity of the system?

And what do you think about the gameplay particularities of the DS?

#8

The NDS is great fun, Pac Pix is just fantastic.

And what do you think about the gameplay particularities of the DS?

Great, but I don’t know how much more New Stuff can come out for it, before it is just more of the same.

#9

Sony form factor (Memory Stick Duo) but a number of folks make them (Sony, San Disk, a few others.)

I dont know of any built in restrictions. The largest stick available currently I believe is 1 gig.

[quote
And what do you think about the gameplay particularities of the DS?

I havent played with one. I have friend who really lieks hsio, but he tend to go through personal “fads” wher he loves a device for 3 months then buys the next new thing out.

For the msot part the dual-screen and touch screen seem gimmicky to me. Id much rather hjave one, good sized screen, which is what the PSP gives me. I had a Game Boy Advanced and even with a third party internal light I still found the screen hard to play on just because of size.

#10

Bought myself a DS a week ago, and I believe it to have alot of potencial - though obviously not realized yet.
From a technical perspective O(1) access via the touch screen is a huge boon, that when used right offers the potencial for much more interesting content.

I don’t see the PSP as a step forward at all - just a portable PS2 with better networking capabilities.
Putting in all the extra features (MP3, Video, wireless etc etc) might make it attractive to the techno geek types,
but it isn’t going to make it a better games console - which afterall IS its intended function.

#11

Well, the PSP is a great package in my opinion: it offers video games with a big screen (for a portable console) and MP3 playback in one device and you can use it everywhere. It’s not just a console. You have a multimedia device that has greate video game capabilities. The only thing I consider a gadget is movie playback with a so small screen. I think I rather use a laptop or a portable DVD player since the screen is much more bigger.

I think also that the touch screen capability of the DS has a lot of game play potential. Game designers must take the time to do R&D to figure out the full potential. After all, there are lots of new ways a video game could be played and this will be particulary true in the future.

#12

I bought a GBA after DS was released. Who wants to sit there touching a screen? Not comfy! PSP will crush DS, sadly…and I’m a Nintendo guy. DS went with the gimmick. Luckily, they didn’t sacrifice GBA. Different line of product. But they need a version of the GBA which will play like a DS/PSP

#13

[quote]I bought a GBA after DS was released
[/quote]
Curious course of action, I presume you are aware the DS has full backward compatability with the GBA?

#14

Curious course of action, I presume you are aware the DS has full backward compatability with the GBA?
[/quote]
DS doesn’t have GB compatibility (‘only’ GBA) and doesn’t do GameCube link up.

The GBA SP is, frankly, still the best handheld by far. Tiny little machine, great screen and the battery lasts for ages. And its practically bomb proof. Lots of good games for it as well (although lots of crap also).

Although I expect the Europe launch of the PSP to be pretty damn big, and will probably end up getting one when finances permit.

#15

Actually the PSPis surpsiingly comfortable watchign a movie (I did this the other night.) Its JUST big enough to take in my total field of vision at a reasonable arms distance away.

My biggest complaint there is just that I already have a huge DVD collection. I dont want to have to buy movieson UMD. Im hoping eventually for burnable UMD to solve that. Otehrwise as memory sticks get cheaper and cheaper I might rip my favorites to those.

#16

bTW SOny has announced a free 2.0 firmware upgarde coming at the en dof the month in japan (and its assumed in the US soon after) which will add a bunch of goodies including a full web browser :slight_smile:

#17

I bought a ds with mario64, i would have bought a psp but dont want to send that much on a handheld even if it can play movies and mp3s etc too.

#18

Yeah, I’ve got a DS. Bought it for under $100 on eBay, so it was a really good deal. I really like it. I also have a GBA SP, which is fun, but I started to get bored of simple 2D games, and found myself not playing it very much. The DS is a lot a different. As a person who is drawn in my the ADD quick-type games like Wario Ware and who generally likes kiddie over scary, the DS is perfect for me. I have:
Mario 64 DS – Very very fun, just like the original. The included touch screen mini games are awesome.
Metroid Prime Hunters Demo – Playing a shooter with a touch screen is definitely a really cool experience, much better than dual analog.
Kirby Canvas Curse – I absolutely love this game. The gameplay is completely unique, allowing for some really great ideas and strategies, and it actually isn’t easy at all, like I was expecting. Very very fun.
Feel the Magic XX/XY – It’s okay. Pretty much like a simple Wario Ware with funny gimmicks. I’d say rent it.
Nintendogs – Very very very fun. I love my little labrador. I hear it can get old eventually, but I’m still loving it.

The PSP is, of course, very cool, but I really have no desire to play bad versions of the games I can play on my console. The extras included are really nice, too. What really made me decide on the DS are the price tag and the DS’s massively longer lasting battery. The PSP can get as low as 3 hours of life (with really device intensive games) up to 8 hours (with lower quality), while the DS pretty much always stays around 10, give or take a couple hours. As someone who has 12 hour plane flights regularly… this is a good thing.

I am practically drooling for Animal Crossing DS, which will include online play. It should be incredibly awesome. And arriving the same time is an online Mario Kart DS. If Nintendo keeps up their promise on the Wi-Fi hotspots everywhere, then the DS should also be the handheld better suited for affordable and reliable online gaming.

If you’ve got money to burn and don’t need really long battery life, I’d go PSP, but otherwise I’d stay with DS.

#19

Thanks a lot for your useful eval! And as a last word concerning it I would add that the provides touch screen gameplay and voice recognicion. These new gameplay features provide fun new ways to play and are unique to the DS. That is a major difference compared to the PSP.

#20

The psp has a much bigger screen tho which is better for non-cartoon 3d games. :o