Nintendo Gameboy DS

[N2OInferno]

1.) That's arguable. There are tons of people that loved SNES over the Genesis.
2.) The head guy of Nintendo (forget his name right now) has expressed his disinterest in internet gaming because "it isn't profitable" so I woudln't expect to see many internet capable games. It IS a system selling feature. Either that or my customers just act surprised and think it's even better when they find out that it will be able to play over the internet.
3.) Translated from the Japanese Yen, the currenty system price to be released Dec 12th in Japan is roughly 185 US dollars. Target price for the PSP will be between 185 and 200 dollars, with the bundle pack that comes with a case and some other accessories to be targeted at 220-230 US dollars.
4.) I love the idea of having a system that will do everything. Why the hell would I want to use my PS2 or Xbox as a DVD player? How about instead ask "Why NOT?" The N-Gage tanked because it wasn't a great design first of all. The QD is MUCH better than the original N-Gage. Plus it's a Nokia system and also acting as a cell phone people tend to think that it's just a phone with extra games on it. In fact, many people don't even know that it exists. Do you really think Sony would not let people know the PSP exists?
5.) Well, right now after seeing Gran Turismo Mobile and some other game footage it looks like it is going to be great. GTM is a perfect translation from GT4 and many of the software developers can speak for themselves having a great record. Sony also has the biggest support from software developers which you mentioned quantity.. But there are a TON of great games on the PS1 and PS2. I own all three consoles so I'm not a fanboy of any particular one, and they all have their own great games but I do think there are more better games on the PS2.
6.) If you're a big into AV guy like I am (just don't have the space for a big screen yet) then the PSP will be even more targeted towards you. Look at the sales of portable TVs and DVD players and that should speak for itself.

 

[Micah]

Wanna watch movies?

http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=279&products_id=3983&

done

Personally, I'll stick with my gp32 for that and just do divx playback.

 

[CommieSpeed]

Got my DS and love it...I once again made the promise to actually PLAY this handheld!!! Now that us kidz is all grown up and we dont have to ride in the back of cars it's hard to find time to play a portable unless I am being reeeeeeeally bad at work. Anyway, I love the touch screen, which I thought would be a lame gimmick. It's like having a great pad mouse to control games with! The graphics RULE...Metroid(demo) and Mario are awesome games as well. I will probably buy the PSP as well, I have issues with toys. EGM tested both side by side and they said most PSP games look like early PS1 games!!! That sucks...but you know Metal Gear Acid will be cool!

 

[N2OInferno]

That video player for the GameBoy is very cool. Haha but I have to tell myself not to get it. I can't afford it AND a few 1gb memory cards, lol.. Although watching EuroTrip on my SP sounds like a good idea...

I dunno about EGM, but everything I've seen running on the PSP (had a few friends that were at E3 too) said everything looked awesome like it was a flawless PS2 port.

 

[SPEEDHERO]

I'm waiting for PSP, I was gonna get a PS2 just for GT4, but a handheld and still play GT4 sounds better, besides I can play GT4 and sit by my women while she watches those crap ass girly shows and it will be like i'm still spending time with her! haha

 

[offroad_sport]

damn it, i've got gameboy advance. i just bought it too, june i think. this new one looks pretty cool though.

 

[Micah]

Got my DS and love it...I once again made the promise to actually PLAY this handheld!!! Now that us kidz is all grown up and we dont have to ride in the back of cars it's hard to find time to play a portable unless I am being reeeeeeeally bad at work. Anyway, I love the touch screen, which I thought would be a lame gimmick. It's like having a great pad mouse to control games with! The graphics RULE...Metroid(demo) and Mario are awesome games as well. I will probably buy the PSP as well, I have issues with toys. EGM tested both side by side and they said most PSP games look like early PS1 games!!! That sucks...but you know Metal Gear Acid will be cool!

First off, don't discount PS1 graphics, that little console was quite able to impress. Think about the fact that you won't be looking at a TV, and will be looking at a small LCD - this helps the graphics appear sharper. If you need a reference on this, use the GAMEBOY ADVANCE PLAYER on gamecube and take a look at how Metroid Fusion looks on a TV. Still a great game, but - everything is a bit larger than a standard console game.

Here's how I see things going. By the time the PSP comes out, the NDS will have quite an available library of games. Not to mention that it can still play all the GBA games. The unit also protects both screens when not in use. PSP - it's sony, and sony is no stranger to games - but, they are essentially releasing a 3d handheld that will follow the same standards of gameplay that are already available on a console. This is good and bad. Good because we are already comfortable with the interface more or less. Bad, when compared to the NDS - which - with it's touch screen and mic(not sure if the PSP has a mic) allows for games which are unlike anything available else where. While the PSP will undoubtably have the upper hand in the graphics dept, the interface will be another story. There's more to a great game then graphics and sound - gameplay is crucial - and this is where the NDS shines.

Games should be ported over fairly quickly for launch titles - just like Mario 64 was for NDS (great game by the way, so far I'm up to 15 stars - hard as hell remembering all the secrets in this game from when I played it on N64 all those years ago). I'd expect Gran Turismo, all the EA games, GTA, Crash Bandicoot, and all the other staples (Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, Jakk and Dexter, etc.) will all be making an appearance.

Lastly - Battery life. The PSP is spinning a disc, which is always going to consume more power than accessing solid state memory such as that used in game cartridges. I hope that the PSP will not have any loading times - but likely, it will. Loading times suck - but loading times when it's killing your battery with a "please wait/loading" screen is inexcusable.

Still, I'll be buying the PSP when it comes out. I've been a gamer my entire life. I started off with a Magnavox Odyssey2, then Intellivision, Atari, Coleco, NES, Sega Master System, NEC Turbo Grafx-16, Sega Genesis, SNES, Neo Geo Gold MVS (best system I ever owned, never should have sold it - gonna pick one up off ebay someday), Nintendo Gameboy, NEC Turboexpress (great to play the console games on a portable, but the thing took like 12 batteries and didn't last long), Atari Lynx (the huge one, not the second smaller one), Sega Saturn with modchip(Marvel/Street Fighter awesome arcade translations when you bought the imported games with the 4meg ramcart), Sony Playstation, Nintendo 64, Sega Nomad (gave it to my little brother - he still has it), Sega Dreamcast, Sony Playstation 2, Neo Geo Pocket Color, Gamepark 32(greatest portable ever - in the words of C.Heston "from my cold dead hands"), Nintendo Gamecube, M$ Xbox (I have 2 one modded, one regular), and now the Nintendo DS.

No, I never owned a Virtual Boy. - No I don't still own all the machines above (still have the PS2, 2 xboxes, gamecube, neo geo pocket color, gp32, GBA, N64, and of course the NDS) nor do I really have time to play games much anymore. If I said I got in 5 hours of gaming a week, I'd probably be exagerating.

Jesus H. Christ I just typed alot - I'm stuck here at work on Thanksgiving because I like making money a little too much. But, I want to buy a 2nd car and a house eventually, and the steady influx of toys and occasional road-trip/vacation isn't going to stop anytime soon.

 

[N2OInferno]

haha offroad, don't feel bad. I bought my SP to replace my (original) GBA just last month knowing full well that the DS was coming out. I dunno I'm just not as hyped about it as everyone seems to be.. I've tinkered with it at work a bit and I just don't really think it's a comfortable system to play with.

 

[Micah]

haha offroad, don't feel bad. I bought my SP to replace my (original) GBA just last month knowing full well that the DS was coming out. I dunno I'm just not as hyped about it as everyone seems to be.. I've tinkered with it at work a bit and I just don't really think it's a comfortable system to play with.

Don't use the stylus at first, try using the thumbstrap. That is, take the strap, and secure it to your thumb so that the little hard end is under your thumb - use that on the screen, gets pretty intuitive quick.

Then again - as evidenced above - I do play alot of games, not saying I'm any good - just saying that I am used to adapting to new control schemes.(second)

 

[N2OInferno]

haha yeah i just finally got used to using an xbox controller from a ps2 control.. now i'm going to have a hard time playing GT4 when it comes out.. haha..

and our demo didn't come with the thumbstrap. cheap nintendo.

EDIT: oh yeah.. are you worried about your screen getting messed up like how a PDA would? Cause ours at work always always has fingerprints on it and i think someone even scratched it already..

 

[Micah]

I use screen protectors - I have a palmphone, and an ogo - so it was the first thing I did.

 

[yashooa]

First off, don't discount PS1 graphics, that little console was quite able to impress. Think about the fact that you won't be looking at a TV, and will be looking at a small LCD - this helps the graphics appear sharper. If you need a reference on this, use the GAMEBOY ADVANCE PLAYER on gamecube and take a look at how Metroid Fusion looks on a TV. Still a great game, but - everything is a bit larger than a standard console game.

Here's how I see things going. By the time the PSP comes out, the NDS will have quite an available library of games. Not to mention that it can still play all the GBA games. The unit also protects both screens when not in use. PSP - it's sony, and sony is no stranger to games - but, they are essentially releasing a 3d handheld that will follow the same standards of gameplay that are already available on a console. This is good and bad. Good because we are already comfortable with the interface more or less. Bad, when compared to the NDS - which - with it's touch screen and mic(not sure if the PSP has a mic) allows for games which are unlike anything available else where. While the PSP will undoubtably have the upper hand in the graphics dept, the interface will be another story. There's more to a great game then graphics and sound - gameplay is crucial - and this is where the NDS shines.

Games should be ported over fairly quickly for launch titles - just like Mario 64 was for NDS (great game by the way, so far I'm up to 15 stars - hard as hell remembering all the secrets in this game from when I played it on N64 all those years ago). I'd expect Gran Turismo, all the EA games, GTA, Crash Bandicoot, and all the other staples (Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, Jakk and Dexter, etc.) will all be making an appearance.

Lastly - Battery life. The PSP is spinning a disc, which is always going to consume more power than accessing solid state memory such as that used in game cartridges. I hope that the PSP will not have any loading times - but likely, it will. Loading times suck - but loading times when it's killing your battery with a "please wait/loading" screen is inexcusable.

Still, I'll be buying the PSP when it comes out. I've been a gamer my entire life. I started off with a Magnavox Odyssey2, then Intellivision, Atari, Coleco, NES, Sega Master System, NEC Turbo Grafx-16, Sega Genesis, SNES, Neo Geo Gold MVS (best system I ever owned, never should have sold it - gonna pick one up off ebay someday), Nintendo Gameboy, NEC Turboexpress (great to play the console games on a portable, but the thing took like 12 batteries and didn't last long), Atari Lynx (the huge one, not the second smaller one), Sega Saturn with modchip(Marvel/Street Fighter awesome arcade translations when you bought the imported games with the 4meg ramcart), Sony Playstation, Nintendo 64, Sega Nomad (gave it to my little brother - he still has it), Sega Dreamcast, Sony Playstation 2, Neo Geo Pocket Color, Gamepark 32(greatest portable ever - in the words of C.Heston "from my cold dead hands"), Nintendo Gamecube, M$ Xbox (I have 2 one modded, one regular), and now the Nintendo DS.

No, I never owned a Virtual Boy. - No I don't still own all the machines above (still have the PS2, 2 xboxes, gamecube, neo geo pocket color, gp32, GBA, N64, and of course the NDS) nor do I really have time to play games much anymore. If I said I got in 5 hours of gaming a week, I'd probably be exagerating.

Jesus H. Christ I just typed alot - I'm stuck here at work on Thanksgiving because I like making money a little too much. But, I want to buy a 2nd car and a house eventually, and the steady influx of toys and occasional road-trip/vacation isn't going to stop anytime soon.

What! No Sega CD or X32? And you call yourself a gamer! I remember playing DOOM on my X32 as well as Dracula on my Sega CD.

 

[N2OInferno]

32X. haha what a waste of money. I had one and just about every game they made for it.. All 20. lol

 

[Wha'Happened]

I got a DS too and I have to say that the thing rules. The touch screen is amazing, you feel like you are more a "part" of the game. I dont know it's weird. And multiplayer Metroid battles rock!

 

[505zoom]

I was telling my sister yesterday at dinner about how hard it was to find one of these around here, and how it would be impossible after the shopping fiasco today. She called me up this morning while she was shopping and said that there were 2 left at gamestop out of a fresh shipment of 10 that they recieved this morning. She says "do you want me to snag one for you?", and I of course just said "duh".

So looks like I need to go pick mine up today, can't wait to check out mario 64 on it.


To any of you guys that have it already:

Does it need the same full day initial charge that the SP needed before you can use it for the first time? If so then I am going to have her take it out and get it charging for me.

 

[insanoman2005]

I was just at Walmart and there was an entire case full...I'd say 200 at least.

 

[terbow]

i have that impulse problem thing too. i was at the mall with my wife and i walked by eb and she said ohh look mortal kombat. i said what?? cause i love that game, and it was only for ps2 and xbox and i have GC so we bought an xbox, extra controller and mk deception collectors addition (had to have mk1)

 

[505zoom]

Charging mine up now, looks like a great unit.

 

[Wha'Happened]

Does it need the same full day initial charge that the SP needed before you can use it for the first time? If so then I am going to have her take it out and get it charging for me.

nah, I dont think so. I played mine for a little bit initially just to try out some multiplayer Metroid and Mario with some coworkers who also bought it and then I charged it for about 4 hours until the orange light turned off, and it's good to go. It seem like the battery life is quite a bit less than an SP but that's to be expected considering it's powering two backlit screens.

 

[Wha'Happened]

ps.) if you guys have an questions about it just ask me, I'm a manager at Gamestop and communicate directly with a really informative rep fro Nintendo.