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Portables (Games) Entertainment Games

E3 - First Nintendo DS Pic 337

Posted by CmdrTaco from the its-so-cute dept.
Ravi Hiranand writes "Steven Kent has a look at the Nintendo DS -- along with what appears to be the first picture of the unit (which doesn't look anything like any of the wild rumours suggested it might!). It's still unclear whether the game pictured (a Mario Kart title!) is really a DS game or whether the whole thing is just a render, but the image is credited to Nintendo, so it appears to be genuine..."
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E3 - First Nintendo DS Pic More

E3 - First Nintendo DS Pic

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  • kinda chunky... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by cheesekeeper ( 649923 ) <keeper@mac . c om> on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @07:38AM (#9115445) Homepage Journal
    It looks kinda big... how's it going to stack up compared to my deliciously pocket size SP?

    • Re:kinda chunky... (Score:3, Interesting)

      by JosKarith ( 757063 )
      It depends on how smart they are with the games released. I think that the dual-screen format would be perfect for CRPG's, as you could have a switchable stats/map/inventory/etc screen on one, and action on the other.
      Maybe I'm just biased tho - I prefer CRPG's to anything else.
    • They are still going to shelve it next to the GBA/SP, not going to replace the "old" model. Looks like it will have Bluetooth replacing clunky wires for multiplay, and have backwards compatibility with GBA games. Touch-screen, too. Nifty. Maybe not in your pocket, but definitely still portable.

      Miyamoto is no fool.

    • Re:kinda chunky... (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Pxtl ( 151020 )
      HAH! I called it. I knew it. First screen is top, second screen is touch screen, otherwise same basic layout as GBASP! Knew it.

      You can see what happened. Nintendo's been playing with the dual-screen games based on the GBA+GC combination, and likes it. Now they want that in a handheld.

      Think about it: it runs bluetooth, will have a high price point, so it will be expensive... now thing about the games: a touch screen, which is useless for action - I'm thinking more turn-based and RT strategy game as w
      • As much as a handheld for adults would be cool, I don't know when many adults would have the occasion to play them.

        When I was a kid, we all played game boy on the bus, on long car rides, in restaurants. I don't see adults having that same free time.

      • So now I'll be able to use the touch screen to select my Pokemon from the second screen, with hopefully bigger pictures of them while they're at it? Rock on!

        On a more serious note, I'm more interested in this new game slot they're going to push. My thoughts going back to the days of the GBC were that they needed to dump cartridges all together for a solid state memory card. Might I suggest the Sony Memory Stick? :P

        Does anyone know any more about this new slot, though? I'll admit that I haven't been fo
        • My understanding from the article was just that the card-slot is the new game medium. I assume they've just moved the games to a much smaller form factor, possibly to make it look more "mature" by having them look less like the current clunky plastic. I don't think the new cartridge slot is a flash card slot or anything. Mind you, SD card support would be neat.
      • Judging by the layout it looks like Nitendo got inspiration from its old 'Game & Watch [gameandwatch.com]' game systems. For Nintendo the concept of a dual screen game system is certainly nothing new, though this time you aren't limited to one game. I see it as a fusion of Gambeboy and 'Game and Watch'.

  • GAME & WATCH LIVES!!! (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @07:39AM (#9115450)
    Now if only they still have that ear-piercing tone that nearly drove my parents insane, we're in business!

    (better still have the alarm too!)

  • Well.... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by cableshaft ( 708700 ) <cableshaft@y a h o o . com> on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @07:41AM (#9115473) Homepage
    At least Nintendo finally decided to give their handheld four face buttons. I couldn't believe they chose to leave them out of the GBA design. Especially considering the mass amount of SNES ports it received.

    • Re:Well.... (Score:2, Interesting)

      by ildon ( 413912 )
      I know this will make me sound like a fanboy, but after playing a lot of the GBA versions of the same basic SNES games, the large majority of the games didn't NEED the extra buttons and, in my opinion, dropping the useless buttons was an improvement. The GBA Metroid games are the best example. Got rid of the annoying dash button and implemented an autodash, and the missile system and the aim up/down system are also superior. Zelda wasn't harmed at all in my opinion. And look at Aria of Sorrow Vs. Symphony o

  • Looks interesting. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by ajutla ( 720182 ) <ajutla at gmail dot com> on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @07:42AM (#9115476) Homepage
    This looks like a weird idea, but it could also be used to make a lot of really interesting games. The two displays have a lot of possibilities. In an RPG or something, one could display the dungeon map while another could contiunally montitor your characters' status, or give the player other useful information in some way. Is this idea really gimmicky? Sure. But it might lead to a couple of neat games...

  • Confusion (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    So, Nintendo is going to continue selling GBA's, claiming these two systems compliment each other instead of outright replacing the GBA? You know what that's going to cause: confusion in the marketplace. Let's not forget the rumour that there's a complete GBA replacement in the works for sometime next year.

    Anybody remember the Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn, 32x Extension, and CD-Drive extension? Nobody knew what to buy because nobody knew what games were going to be made for which combination of hardware.

    • Re:Confusion (Score:3, Interesting)

      by kennedy ( 18142 )
      if you had bothered to actually read the article, you'd have seen they clearly state the unit has a slot for gba carts, as well as new DS game cards.

      Also- the GBA was created to allow more time for the DS to be completed (it was code named Nitro, and rumors have been going around for EVER regarding this name. originally it was though the GBA was nitro, but well, it wasn't).

    • Re:Confusion (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Babbster ( 107076 )
      Nintendo should make the DS 100% compatible with GB and GBA games, and stop selling GBAs.

      I don't think there's been any indication that the DS won't be fully compatible with GB/GBA. The article itself notes that there are two slots - one for GBA (and GB?) carts and one for the new DS type (cards or carts?) - meaning that there is, at minimum, GBA compatibility.

      As for having both on shelves at the same time, I don't see a big problem. Folks will still be able to drop $90 or less on a GBA with its giant

    • First, it does play GBA games. If you would have read the article they mention this. Second, it was designed to play entirely different types of games with bluetooth multiplayer in mind. Something two screens is not a gimmick for. Third, Nintendo is not giving Sony any prime spots to take their market share - Sony has said many times before that the PSP is not going to compete in their market, they're going multimedia with the PSP .. PDA, Movies, MP3s etc .. People who strictly want to play games will stick

    • Re:Confusion (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Psykechan ( 255694 )
      I was actually hoping that this would be a new product line instead of just another GameBoy. You're right though, this is problematic.

      Nintendo has to have a sub $100 portable for the average user. If the DS can fill this need, then fine; replacement of the GBA SP would be acceptable. The only problem now is that the upgrade cycle is too quick. The SP was released in the states in March of 2003. Releasing the DS in the fall would only be a year and a half away. Consumers may simply ignore it.

      So we ha
    • > Anybody remember the Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn, 32x Extension, and CD-Drive extension? Nobody knew what to buy because nobody knew what games were going to be made for which combination of hardware. That along with the prices deep sixxed all of the above hardware.

      I can practically guarantee that the DS will be able to run GB/GBA games at the very least. Remember Gameboy Color? It did well, because it was backwards compatible. Nintendo may not be saying anything about it yet, but they're not stupid

    • Re:Confusion (Score:2, Insightful)

      by ExoticMandibles ( 582264 )
      And the dual screen? It's a gimmick. Anything the Dual screen can do could also be done by a bigger or wider screen.

      Ah, but a "bigger or wider screen" would be bad for several reasons. First, the unit itself would have to become larger to accomodate a larger screen. Atari's Lynx taught the industry lots of things, one of them being "don't make handheld units bulky". And second, as you make LCD screens larger they quickly become much more expensive. Small screens are cheaper because the yields are hig

  • Well that's sealed it's success. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Yorrike ( 322502 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @07:43AM (#9115490) Journal
    Well that's sealed it's success;

    The DS also has Bluetooth wireless communication to connect with other units within range for cordless competition. DS has separate slots for current Game Boy Advance cartridges and new, smaller DS game cards.

    Backwards compatible and built in wireless? Where do I sign up for a pre order?

    • I agree. I've not bought a new handheld since my Game Gear (fine system that it was!), but backwards-compat with every GB/GBA title ever made is really going to be hard to pass up. The only way PSP could compete is if they had a CD drive to play PSX (or even PS2) games!

      I guess my only concern would be weight and battery life - two screens are going to suck down those batteries like crazy, and it doesn't look particularly light in general.

      -Erwos
    • Great. I've already lost my Dr. Mario, which was a "big" GB cart; the GBA carts are even smaller, and now we're getting even smaller cards? They're going to make a killing selling new games to people that lose their old ones!

  • The mini-map in picture (Score:3, Funny)

    by FATRanger ( 516532 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @07:43AM (#9115491)
    Is it just me, or does the mini-map of the race track look like a dinosaur (barney) that needs too pee (the crossed legs at the bottom) ?

  • very Nintendo (Score:5, Insightful)

    by tgibbs ( 83782 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @07:45AM (#9115502)
    It looks very Nintendo. It sounds like Nintendo has no plans into getting into a computing power/graphics race with Sony, but intends to focus on their dominance in innovative game design. Consider this is the company whose original low-resolution original black&white GameBoy stomped color portable systems into the ground, I wouldn't dismiss it. A Zelda or Metroid game with N64 quality graphics on one screen and a map display on the other would be very appealing.
    • It's quite an interesting tactic. Instead of trying to compete head to head with Sony (A possibly dangerous tactic) they've instead created something very different from Sony which hopefully gives them a system that people want *as well as* a PSP.

      I hope it works for them. I'll probably end up buying both.
      • The article did not mention whether Nintendo plans to continue to maintain backward compatibility in the GameBoy line. This would be a very strong selling point.

      • I don't want a PSP. Nothing about the PSP entices me. Video? Yawn. Music? Meh, there's better. And we'll get a raft of PS2 ports. All for the low, low price of $250 (!), possibly higher.

        I do want a DS. Desperately. It has 100 developers very excited for what might be the first time in a long time./p.

    • Re:very Nintendo (Score:3, Interesting)

      by 13Echo ( 209846 )
      It is pretty amazing that the original GameBoy stomped the rivals from NEC, Atari, and Sega. I personally own a TurboExpress, which is a fantastic portable, even though it is a battery hog. Even today, the GBA is now finally topping the TurboExpress' capabilities of more than 10 years ago. The dot-matrix monochrome display of the original GBA didn't stop it from being the number one portable in the world though. It simply had the best portable game library of any of the systems, for that era. Sure, Gam

    • Re: Very Nintendo (Score:3, Interesting)

      by swerk ( 675797 )
      I agree, and one of the things I like so much about Nintendo's hardware and software is that they act as though there aren't other big players out there, they come up with stuff they think will be fun and interesting.

      One of my favorite "games" ever is Mario Paint on the SNES. I can only imagine how cool a modern, portable, touch-screen-enabled version of that would be.

      Plenty of developers might not "get it", as has been discussed here, but I think those who do will start putting out really creative and f

  • ...more powerful than the 64... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @07:47AM (#9115518)
    It's worth pointing out that the DS is expected to be more powerful than the nintendo 64. That means 3d becomes not only a possibility, but a reality for this system.

    Goldeneye on the tube via bluetooth anyone?

  • Deja vu? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by WegianWarrior ( 649800 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @07:47AM (#9115519) Journal

    Wathch out.. the early eighties are back [gameandwatch.com], at least as far as casedesign is considered...


    Mind you, there isn't too many ways to pack dual screens into a handheld unit in - and the clamshell will help protect the screens, unlike on my GBA.


    As for wether it'll flaot or sink... it depends on many factors, not least price and avilability of games that require two screens.

    • Ahh Donkey Kong. My first and only handheld game. :P Given that when I think nintendo, I think of Donkey Kong, I struggle to see how people can claim the two screen design is going to make this product fail.

  • specs (Score:5, Informative)

    by Janek Kozicki ( 722688 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @07:50AM (#9115542) Journal
    I googled after some specs [theregister.co.uk] for nintendo DS

    [...] the system will have two processors, with an ARM-9 CPU running at 67MHz and an ARM-7 unit running at 33MHz. Retail DS devices will have 4Mb of main RAM (while debug development units will have double that), with additional chunks of cache and shared RAM for the processors and 656Kb of video RAM. [...] The system will possess decent 2D capabilities, but it also has a 3D graphics system which, the spec. claims, is capable of drawing 120,000 polygons per second, representing a fill-rate of 30 million pixels per second. [...] Wi-Fi [802.11] and, touch panel input device.

    • the system will have two processors, with an ARM-9 CPU running at 67MHz and an ARM-7 unit running at 33MHz. Retail DS devices will have 4Mb of main RAM (while debug development units will have double that), with additional chunks of cache and shared RAM for the processors and 656Kb of video RAM.

      You know, despite the fact that these specs don't wow the average desktop gamer, after seeing this 96kb first-person shooter [theprodukkt.com], I think the sky's the limit as long as they've got competent programmers. Moore's la

      • You know, despite the fact that these specs don't wow the average desktop gamer, after seeing this 96kb first-person shooter, I think the sky's the limit as long as they've got competent programmers.

        That shooter is a 96K executable. When run, it procedurally generates textures and geometry and ends up using many, many megabytes of memory for what's essentially a tiny level. That's hardly the same thing as writing a shooter that runs in 96K total.
      • That's a bad example. A more apt example would be this GBA 3D engine [theteahouse.com.au]. A relatively impressive 3D engine for a considerably weaker system. So, I imagine that the DS could do a lot... especially when you factor in the screen-size and, obviously, the resolution that it has.

    • Re:specs (Score:2)

      by YE ( 23647 )
      120 000 polygons per second is very, very meagre. For a relatively smooth framerate of 20 fps, this means only 6000 polygons per frame, which is what you need to display e.g. five barely recognizable humans in front of two barely recognizable houses and three barely recognizable trees. It's "checkbox" 3D, not the real thing.
    • Are those specs are ripped from the "leaked" DS specs?

      They haven't been confirmed, and could have been invented by someone else as a PR stunt.

  • Extra buttons (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Audigy ( 552883 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @07:53AM (#9115549) Homepage Journal
    Yay, X and Y buttons.

    ...but... ...where are the shoulder buttons?

    Damn.

    This thing does look pretty sweet, though. I wonder how long it'll be before some type of ... homebrew software is developed for it :D (*cough* SNES emulator~@#~@#$!@#$)

    </delurk>

  • Yeah. Ok. I'm sold. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Qbertino ( 265505 ) <moiraNO@SPAMmodparlor.com> on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @07:53AM (#9115552)
    Being a techie and a geek for a very long time I have to say I'm buying into this overall-consitency thing Nintendo and Apple like to emphasise.
    I bought a GB SP earlier this year and just got a new iBook the other week. And their overall desing and feeling makes the extra money worthwhile. And that's a former Linux-only user saying this!

    This dual screen thing seemed stupid, but now I understand what they where talking. It's not about a screen but about coping with the lack of GB buttons!!! That's why the bottom one is a touchscreen. And a touchscreen where you can change the writing size and amount of buttons instantly is the next best thing to a mechanical keyboard. IMHO this has all the chances of becoming a neat engineering/solution stunt.
    For my part I can say that I'm sold. I'll definitely check this gadget out when it hits the shelves. I hope it has enough ooomph and controlability to get some neat RTS and FPS games on it. Duke Nukem GBA is neat but not really stunning.
  • This is a very interesting gamble for Nintendo. On one hand, the GB advance really does not need a replacement yet. It is still the top selling handheld. With Sony's handheld at/above $200, it clearly is not going to take the market by storm. Most people are either at work, or at home. If I am at home, I have several game systems to choose from, and then I have to screw around on the internet and play games on my pc too. I really am not interested in a console "replacement" for "on the go" gaming.

  • oh shite (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Apreche ( 239272 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @08:11AM (#9115677) Homepage Journal
    It has bluetooth. That means you can connect it to the internet via a bluetooth cell phone. That means you can play game on it against anyone on the internet. That means I can play advance wars with people in cars in CA while I'm in a car in NY. If Nintendo makes a move on that technology they'll be the first to have multiplayer online gaming that is also portable. If they emphasize this feature they will rock the house. Two screens only helps this out. Put the score and the chat on one screen with the action on the other. I'm buying this no matter what, poo poo to all you naysayers.

    • Re:oh shite (Score:3, Insightful)

      by dasmegabyte ( 267018 )
      It has bluetooth. That means you can connect it to the internet via a bluetooth cell phone.

      Slowwwww down there, cowboy. Bluetooth is just a way of connecting devices wirelessly. It does not provide automatic driver support for every wireless device. The Playstation 2 has a USB port on it, but that doesn't mean it can read images off my USB camera or print to my USB printer.

      Personally, I DOUBT Nintendo will have cell-phone gaming for some time, because while BT-enabled cell phones are everywhere in Ja
  • Koei To Bring Dynasty Warriors To The DS [n-philes.com].

    Those of you who've played Dynasty Warriors on the Playstation 2 will know just how useful the map is (much more so than having a screen for Mario Kart's map.). It not only shows you troop movements, but which troops are fighting (losing/winning), where your body guards are, and where key events are occurring. Getting lost is easy considering the huge maps--trying to get anywhere without a horse is frustrating.

  • My take on the DS (Score:4, Interesting)

    by CokoBWare ( 584686 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @08:18AM (#9115732)
    Like most /.ers, I think we've all been following this story about the DS for sometime. I was skeptical at first, but now that I've had the opportunity to see the device, I am really not that overly impressed with the design. It looks like an old Compaq Pocket PC!

    This format just gives game developers opportunities to make more gimmicks into their games. It's a new paradigm, and so the games will fundamentally change to accomodate this. I bet you only 25% of the games that come out in the first year will use those two screens effectively. Let's look at the numbers the other way. That means my estimate is 75% of the games that come out in the first year for the DS will get the dual screen WRONG. It's a new platform, a new paradigm. I hope for the best, but I expect the worst. And I am not even going to shell out any money for this gimmick device.

    I think that if they wanted a shot at attracting an older market, they should have made a screen that was like 4"-5" wide and have built in APIs to split the screen side by side into 2"-2.5" halves. Give gamers the opportunity to see handheld games in a wider format. Maybe use a 16:9 ratio, and give your device half a chance of succeeding outside of Japan...

    Honestly, I smell another Virtual Boy on the horizon...

    • Re:My take on the DS (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Stray7Xi ( 698337 )
      I disagree. A single double-size screen would not work well with the features they're trying to add. First off since its foldup (which is important to adults since they want something that can look professional) if the screen is on top half its hard to use the touchscreen with stylus. If the screen is on the bottom half the controls are ackward. The big deal isn't the second screen, the big deal is the TOUCHscreen.

      The touchscreen may seem gimmicky but I really like it. I do some homebrew developmen

  • Emulation (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Jeneaux ( 725320 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @08:20AM (#9115749)
    What will happen in 10 or so years when this system dies? Will the games, obviously designed with dual screens in mind, be able to be emulated on any future hardware? Or will the games that appear on this system be lost forever once the system gets superceded!

    • With a horizontal resolution of 192 pixels, a 640x480 screen will be able to comfortably hold both DS screens. No problem.

    • I'm sure playing on a PC will be easy enough. The small resoultion can easily be handled with two windows. One takes input from keyboard/joystick only, the other takes input from the mouse.

  • 2 screens, bluetooth... I see this happening... (Score:3, Funny)

    by plexxer ( 214589 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @08:28AM (#9115820)

    Guy 1: Hey Mark, when did you start carrying a purse?
    Guy 2: Oh. I bought the new Game Boy. This is the battery.

  • Looks exactly as described. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Viewsonic ( 584922 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @08:32AM (#9115856)
    Wonder what the original poster was reading? They already said it was a flip open unit with 2 screens that are ontop.
  • Why isn't it designed to draw power from a GC when they're connected?

    Nintendo doesn't seem to realize that The #1 annoyance of mobile devices is having to take care of batteries. (NO, in this case, a separate power supply is not a solution)

    • While I think the drawing-power-from-GC idea is a good one, in reality the GBA SP's LiIon makes that very close to a non-issue.

      Actually, I'm curious if the controller ports even could power a GBA -- I wouldn't be surprised if the answer is "no".

  • For those who didn't RTFA yes, it has slots for supporting old GBA games.

  • Apple : Desktop :: Nintendo : Console (Score:4, Interesting)

    by ganiman ( 162726 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @09:08AM (#9116180)
    Apple and Nintendo seem to have fallen into the same hole. Both make excellent and fun to use hardware. Both are very innovative. Both make things we may not like at first, but grow to love. And both share the same competition. Microsoft and Sony are both making products to shut down Apple and Nintendo. I can think a hundred examples where Apple comes up with an idea, and Sony and Microsoft use that idea to make more money than Apple. You can almost say the same for Nintendo.

    Now why don't these two companies merge? Think of the great ideas that would come out of such a merger! The iPod would be even more kick ass because it would have a GBA cartridge slot and you could play games on it (and maybe copy them to the iPod's hard drive?). The next Nintendo console would look so cool that everyone would have to have one, and the Apple guys would be smart enough to make it play DVDs or whatever new media is out at the time (Nintendo foolishly made their game Gamecube discs mini-dvd, so you cannot play movies on it).

    I may not be the first person to think of this, but I feel like it almost doesn't make sense as to why this hasn't happened already.
    • The other similarity is, of course, that both Apple and Nintendo have a tendency to dig their own graves. Both stick to their own proprietary, tightly controlled hardware, which tends to both alienate developers and drive up costs. Nintendo stuck with the cartridge format after everyone else had abandoned it not because they felt it was inherently superior, but because they had better control over production. Similarly, they went with their weird little mini-DVD format for the GameCube for similar reasons.

  • USA Today (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Rallion ( 711805 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @12:24PM (#9118384) Journal
    Just want to point out that this was, according to my girlfriend, on the front page of the dead tree version.

    Glad to see the world is finally sorting out its priorities to my satisfaction.

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