Nintendo DS news!!

[Draff]

$150.00 US, with 802.11

http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/6ec84695-254b-4fdf-9781-f40683ab5915.jpg

It comes bundled with Picto-chat (that is the unit senses nearby DS units and automatically wakes up from sleep mode allowing you to use the stylus to send messages or draw pictures, similar to MSN's whiteboard, via wifi).

Possible additions to Pictochat that were patented:
Wireless Voice Mail Services
Wireless Electronic Transmission of Voice Signals
Online Videogame News and Hints
Data Transfer
Demo Downloads
Message Boards

Also bundled with Metroid: First Hunt. It's a demo however it has four player WIRELESS multiplayer!

This will be Nintendo's largest launch with 40 million dollars planned in its budget.

http://images.usatoday.com/tech/_photos/2004/07/28/nintendods-main.jpg

Release on November 21st, 2004.

The system is also backwards compatible with the GBA.

Goldeneye will also be released on the system. ;)

More info here:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/gear/entertainment/2004-09-21-nintendo-ds-launch_x.htm

[sfu_lifer]

Now THAT price is more like it.
I'm definitely in. I can't wait for people to adopt the GBA Media player on this. Imagine, divx running on 2 screens at full 30fps ;)

[Draff]

Yes the price is great!

Comparatively, the PSP will be 33000 yen or 300 dollars US.

[akira112]

Great, new info!
Price looks good, glad they are bundling stuff as well.

[ElvishMerchant]

The DS will rock the portable gaming world. Sure, the PSP will have better graphics & some cool games, but the DS will be a Modding/Homebrew paradise. Between the VoIP compatibility, demo downloads, etc. this system will be the clear winner in the Handheld war (PSP meet GameGear). The ONLY problem with this system, is that it won't play GB/GBC games.

[Viz79]

Release on November 21st, 2004.

The system is also backwards compatible with the GBA.

Goldeneye will also be released on the system. ;)

More info here:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/gear/entertainment/2004-09-21-nintendo-ds-launch_x.htm

The ONLY problem with this system, is that it won't play GB/GBC games.

What? It will be backwards compatible with GBA, but not backwards compatible with GB/GBC games? :confused:

~V79~

[Fantaz]

I'll have DS in my left pocket and PSP in my right. :P

[sfu_lifer]

I have no care for GB/GBC games.
They'll be emulated by then (heck you can play emulated Famicom/GB games off the GBA media player now).

[kyo_death]

but will it be able to link up with the GC for link play ala Four Swords or FF: Crystal Chronicles???

[felix]

No game-link play as it doesn't support that extension port. Only via wireless link so games made for DS.

I had a feeling they weren't going to put it out at $200US, judging from their history, Nintendo always keeps prices low as they know their target market.

[TenzoR]

lets hope this Christmas Nintendo do a good deal on DS :)

[kyo_death]

No game-link play as it doesn't support that extension port. Only via wireless link so games made for DS.

I had a feeling they weren't going to put it out at $200US, judging from their history, Nintendo always keeps prices low as they know their target market.

yeah read about it after i posted, BAh... does that meani need to buy 4 sps.... NOOOO T-T

[thedon]

they'll probably come out with a wireless hook up for the cube

[Cruel_Angel]

GAH!!

Golden EYE!! yeah, i'ma go and preorder mine today.. And realistically is anybody still playing GB and GBC games??

[babaji]

arrgghh

this is so tempting
I would prefer the DS rather than the psp for sure, but my problem is time.
I don't know if i have the time to play this thing.
I am worried that my marks would start to decline.

any advice?

[sfu_lifer]

DON'T buy ANY game console if you're worried about school.

I'd buy this over the PSP though just because of Sony's proprietary protection crap you KNOW they'll put into the PSP so you can't run just any homebrew software/movies on it.

[Draff]

Nintendo DS wireless hub trick up its sleeve?

Posted Sep 28, 2004, 12:38 PM ET by Joshua Fruhlinger
Related entries: Gaming, Wireless

A recent flurry of rumors and pictures has handheld gamers going nuts with speculation over the thought that Nintendo still has a huge trump card up its sleeve. A batch of pictures featuring creepy marionettes with the words “Find(s)me� along with a shot of a lone boy in a forest using a DS as some sort of navigation device seem to point to the possibility of a massive DS wireless network that’s bigger and badder than we previously thought. The DS could act as both a wireless 802.11 device and as a repeater hub. In other words, you won’t need a wireless router nearby to get online with these things - you’ll just need someone close enough to connect to, and he’ll be able to connect you to someone just as close to him even if that person isn’t so near you, and so on. Potentially-huge networks of gamers could appear organically and play against one another regardless of pre-installed routers or proximity. While we worry a bit about the lone boy in the forest (should people know he’s out there alone, and should his DS be announcing as much? Go home, boy, go home!), the possibility of a spontaneous wireless gaming network of multiple hubs is straight up amazing. Or is it downright creepy?

http://www.weblogsinc.com/common/images/6550124023490879.jpg?0.9801643486183688

[cmge]

DON'T buy ANY game console if you're worried about school.

I'd buy this over the PSP though just because of Sony's proprietary protection crap you KNOW they'll put into the PSP so you can't run just any homebrew software/movies on it.

actually u can sorta run homebrew stuff on the PSP... in the Tokyo Game Show all the games were running off sony's magicgate ports... the gumstick memory cards... the UMD were taking up too much juice on the PSP...

so that means the games were on the meory cards.. meaning they already have software with it u can tinker and etc... not to mention ths PSP supports divx and mp3... which can be loaded on the gumstick... hehehehe..

PSP > DS .. imo

[Draff]

2 hours of movie watching, not even enough for a lot of movies these days.

The battery life is a pretty big problem, as is the pricetag. I'll be surprised if it sells for anything more than $300 USD or $250, depending on how much Sony is willing to lose.

Additionally:

Sony plans power restrictions on PSP games
Concerns over battery life become a problem for developers

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=4667

Developers working on PlayStation Portable titles will have to ensure that their games don't over-tax the battery on the device or risk falling foul of Sony's technical guidelines, according to sources working on games for the system.

Draft guidelines sent to developers, which will eventually evolve into the technical requirements checklist (TRC) for the system, are alleged to include a demand that games should not exceed a certain level of power consumption.

This apparent response to concerns over the battery life of the system - which is quoted as around 10 hours for music and two hours for movie playback - places the problem firmly in the developers' court.

Sony apparently intends to include a "battery emulator" as part of the PSP development tool set, which will evaluate the projected battery use of a game over an extended period of play. Titles are likely to be judged based on how many hours of play a single battery charge can provide.

(...)

While the PSP has been generally praised for being exceptionally easy to develop for, this new restriction will add a layer of complexity to the development process - and will almost certainly rule out the type of disc streaming technology which has become commonplace in PlayStation 2 titles such as Grand Theft Auto 3, as constantly accessing the disc in this manner would seriously impair battery life.

I do think the PSP is an incredibly sexy machine though.

[sfu_lifer]

actually u can sorta run homebrew stuff on the PSP... in the Tokyo Game Show all the games were running off sony's magicgate ports... the gumstick memory cards... the UMD were taking up too much juice on the PSP...

so that means the games were on the meory cards.. meaning they already have software with it u can tinker and etc... not to mention ths PSP supports divx and mp3... which can be loaded on the gumstick... hehehehe..

PSP > DS .. imo

HAHAHAHA. In your dreams. yes they ran games off the MemSticks at the TGS. You'd be naive to think Sony is gonna let that slide and allow you to run homebrew code. Developers all know they have to publish games off the UMD media. There WILL be some protection to prevent you from running your own media/software on the PSP. And who's to say PSP can run DivX media. They say mpeg4, they did not mention Divx nor xVid. Sony being a media company savvy to piracy, until there is huge customer demand for the piracy-prone format (see mp3), I doubt you'll see them promoting some format that has little/no form of distribution control.
So until the PSP is hacked, DS >> PSP IMHO since the DS is gonna bring something new to the table and is already partially hacked (see GBA support).

[Draff]

Here is the package we'll see in a couple of months :)
http://home.comcast.net/~brendan/ds.jpg