Nintendo DS to Feature Instant Messaging?

Decaffeinated Jedi writes "Following rumors of wireless connectivity, movie playback, and a touch-screen interface, CNN/Money reports today that Nintendo's upcoming dual-screen portable will also incorporate instant messaging into its ever-growing feature set. The DS would most likely offer local IM service via its radio-frequency wireless networking hardware, with users typing messages on the portable's touch screen using a stylus. The article also discusses physical design of the DS: 'The form factor will feature two three-inch screens that fold together, similar to that of the Game Boy Advance,' says one industry analyst quoted in the article. 'There will be two flipper controls, two directional pads, and an 'A' and 'B' button. The stylus will be used for gaming, Instant Messaging, and other multimedia functionalities.' The Nintendo DS: it slices, it dices, it juliennes!"

Re:SNL?

[chrismcdirty]

The only problem is, there have been no press releases from Nintendo about this product since they announced it. Most of it has been speculation from CNN analysts.

Re:Is this really a "third pillar" anymore?

[consolidatedbord]

why would you want a GBA when you have a more powerful, more versatile machine available?

It may turn out to be a strong unit on it's own, but not a unit that is for everyone. Not everyone needs the speculated features that this will have. Some prefer simplicity. Not everyone needs a luxury car, some are fine with a honda.

Re:Question...

[chrismcdirty]

I think you're crazy. Making them a computer PCI/AGP card would just require people have a PC that is up to date to run them. That's the last thing console makers want. It's better in their eyes to just be able to plug the thing into your TV and start playing, not have a bunch of prerequisites.

Re:Is this really a "third pillar" anymore?

[bsharitt]

Well some people just want to play games, and I'll bet this usint will be quite a bit more expensive. SO if I just want to play games I'd rather pay $79-$99 for a GBA, not in excess of $200 or $300.

Re:Pure Gaming

[chrismcdirty]

Perhaps it is included as a way to start a multiplayer gaming round. Maybe some people don't want to connect to just any person, they want to ask them first, and see how long they can play. They can use the instant messenger for that. And they can talk smack with it, too.

Re:Pure Gaming

[Anonymous Coward]

I for one don't believe any of this crap from unnamed sources. Untill there is an official comment chances are just as good, or better, that none of the stuff reported will happen.

Re:N-Gage

[orion024]

The problem with the N-Gage is it was made by a cell phone company. They had no previous experience in the hand held (or even console) arena. This is blatantly obviously when you look at the ergonomics (or lack there of) of the unit. Furthermore, it really had no games.

Nintendo, however, DOES have experience in this area. They have many years of experience to bring to the table, as well as good gaming title backing. I expect they will come out with a unit very comfortable to use, as opposed to the N-Gage. They KNOW how to design the interface. I would go so far as to argue, that IMHO, the controller for the GC is the best that has ever been made... but that is getting off topic.

The DS will show some success, if for no other reason than for being made by Nintendo. If the DS turns into a must have hit, only time will tell. But if anyone were to pull it off, it would be Nintendo.

This wasn't an official announcement

[Anonymous Coward]

Everything you listed (other than the simple existence of the DS) is simply rumours right now.

PLEASE give us more than two buttons!

[Man In Black]

At first, I was going to go on a rant about how all I want is a game system, none of this instant messaging, movie playing etc... but then I read the line about it only having A and B buttons!

For Gods sake Nintendo: PUT MORE THAN TWO FACE BUTTONS ON YOUR HANDHELD! Seriously! One of the biggest problems with the GBA in my opinion is that there simply aren't enough buttons to do proper ports of SNES games. I know Nintendo wants to make games simpler and all, but this is only going to hurt the possibilities! Forget about that second D-Pad and give me X and Y buttons!

Re:Pure Gaming

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't you mean all this from CNN, who is the acme of video game analysis?

Nintendo has not released any statements yet, other than the dual screens.

Marketing Machine

[chrismcdirty]

Say what you will about Nintendo's inept marketing department, but they've got it right this time. Analysts are creaming over what this thing will do. Look at all of the free publicity that's come by simply announcing the product and the fact that it has two screens.

Re:Gaming Cellphone

[Kyouryuu]

The Nokia N-gage may suck right now, but Nintendo can't help but see that sort of device as a potential threat to their handheld gaming dominance.

How? Nintendo holds a veritable monopoly on handheld gaming devices that far, far exceeds Nokia and which I doubt wil be tempered by Sony's PSP. There has been little that has challenged Nintendo's crown. Even when Sega and Turbo-Grafx was busy pushing 16-bit portables that played Genesis and TG-16 games respectively, the ancient GB with its olive-colored monochromatic screen chugged along unfazed. Nintendo has little to fear. They continue to be the most profitable of the "big three."

As it is, the console market is moving away from them, with the next generation of consoles almost certainly focused more on media center features instead of only games.

Not necessarily. Recall that Sony recently released the PSX in Japan to lukewarm response. It was a DVD burner and played PS2 games. Rather than incorporate all of that technology into the PS3, Sony decided to test the waters. Suffice it to say, it doesn't seem as though they liked what they saw. Sony has already remarked that the PS3 would be heavily focused on gaming rather than multifunctional wizardry.

Microsoft has also announced plans to not include the built-in hard drive for the Xbox 2, potentially opting for an approach involving exchangable flash memory instead.

Nintendo can't afford to let the handheld market move away from them in a similar way.

I think this is in some part true. There's little doubt that of Nintendo's profitable ventures, the Game Boy line is probably the one on top. Nintendo would definitely be hurting if their uncontested reign in portables is lost to the extent their GameCube has. But there are reasons people like the Game Boy and consoles in general. You plop in cartridges and they work. The controls are basic. The machine is built to withstand a 2-story fall onto concrete. And it does one thing really well - it plays games. It is simple. I don't think the average consumer for a portable gaming system really thinks about having a PDA that happens to play video games. And given that the "Pokemon market" characterizes perhaps the majority of Game Boy consumers, would you want to give a 10-year old a PDA and a stylus?

I don't think the push is there for a portable gaming device so laden with additional add-ons and features. Otherwise, the N-Gage should have sold like hotcakes. Nintendo couldn't have kept Game Boy Cameras and Printers on the shelves. And we'd see a host of keyboard and mouse and storage technologies using the EXT port. I just don't see it happening. A console, especially a portable one, is not a PC and is not designed to be.

Re:Pure Gaming

[NanoGator]

"Please. A DVD player option wasn't useful to you. But it was to everyone else, who figured for an extra $50 they'd get one for free. They weren't cheap then"

Yes, they were more expensive. I remember that. I even personally considered getting one for that. However, at best, it caused an interest in the system when there were no interesting launch titles for it. Now Sony's paying for it. The extra $50 or so is making the PS2 the most expensive yet least powerful system. Nintendo's strategy is paying off. The question is, whether it did for Sony. Did the DVD player feature of the PS2 sell many units? Personally, I don't think so. I think it was the expectation that there'd be a zillion games for it. That came true. So people are happy.

"I'd say a lot more people watch movies than chat over IM."

Heh. Okay. The difference is that IM can be part of the gaming experience.

"The point is not that Nintendo didn't have a DVD player. That's fine if they chose that. Their console was $50 less. But at the time, they were taking a very arrogant stance about it: "This is a pure game machine; it doesn't need a DVD!"."

That's arrogance? It's true! And they've provided a console for a LOT less than a PS2. If Nintendo had gone with a DVD based system, the price would be about where Sony is right now. Nintendo would be #3 instead of #2. Arrogant? More like "correct'.

The real issue here is that you are trying to paint Nintendo as being hypocritical. Sorry, they're not. Wireless Communications == multiplayer gaming. (Notice how most modern consoles have 4 controller ports now? Gee, I wonder who started that?) Stylus == More sophisticated input device. This isn't a gaming need? A touch screen wouldn't widen the bredth of gaming availalbe on this machine? IM == Chat with other players. That's not a gaming need?

Use your imagination man.