Nintendo Announces Dual-Screen Portable

[V3]

So what will be possible with these specs?

Nothing Beyond3D You'll probably get some 3D like Zodiac or the current GBA. No where close to PSP spec.

However if it includes MBX for each ARM processor, it might get interesting. And its really stupid for Nintendo not to use it. But knowing Nintendo, the chance of them not using it is very high

 

[rabidrabbit]

I'm trying to think of games that would justify the dual screens, but can't think of any :?
The example where you can see a different angle in football games just doesn't sound very exciting to me.
The second screen could be used for statistics in rpg's and strategy games, and for inventories, health bars etc... but to make a second screen just for those does sound a bit too much.
But if the price is competitive, and size of the macine is compact, then I have nothing against two screens. It really depends on how they'll manage to make the design look good, ergonomic and small enough.

 

[Deepak]

Why is it dual screen? What is the benefit?

 

[Cyborg]

w ow...

The first thing that springs to mind is 'why?'.

Why not? DS is not a replacement to neither the gameboy platform nor the console market.

Nobody here has a tiny bit of imagination of what they could be doing with that kind of platform? Gaming is solely for one screen and there's no other forms of entertainment? What about Mario & Luigi where you could make the brothers go into seperate levels or even worlds but all while in coop? Its not because WE cant see further than our nose that nintendo cant, obviously they've invested into this idea and i believe if there's someone who can pull off something as wacky as this, its them. They did afterall have a dual display Game & Watch in the 80's. PunchOut arcade was also on two seperate screens.

 

[V3]

Why is it dual screen? What is the benefit?

It can have something greater than PSP 4.5" screen and be clamshell design (see old Game&Watch) and still be resonable size for portable. That's the only reason I can think of.

Though the idea is nice, like I said before nothing on 2 screen can't be achieve using 2 viewports on a bigger screen.

 

[V3]

Gaming is solely for one screen and there's no other forms of entertainment? What about Mario & Luigi where you could make the brothers go into seperate levels or even worlds but all while in coop?

You can use 2 viewport on a bigger screen. Just like most consoles multi players game. This 2 LCD is either cost, it might be cheaper to use two 3" LCD or like I said it can be clamshell for something smaller than PSP.

 

[Cyborg]

Why is it dual screen? What is the benefit?

Though the idea is nice, like I said before nothing on 2 screen can't be achieve using 2 viewports on a bigger screen.

A single unit 6" screen aint gonna happen on an handheld, and going for smaller screens, it would give headaches to see anything on it while splitscreened. This allow two reasonable 3" sized displays in a clamshell design. Seperate processors for each displays also can allow the screens to be rendering entirely different scenes as if they were two completely different games without cutting performances if it would be on a single processor. Developers cutting corners on a single processor and having simplistic ideas about the dual screen just to save ressources are eliminated, with each screen having its processor, unless perhaps they can work in parallel and in tandem (would make GREAT schmup vertical scrollers /drool)

 

[RaolinDarksbane]

I see a lot of benefits for dual screens.

Sports: Obvious reasons
RPG/Strategy: Stats, Maps, etc....
Games like Metroid/Castlevania: Stats and Maps
Shoot em Ups:

 

[V3]

A single unit 6" screen aint gonna happen on an handheld, and going for smaller screens, it would give headaches to see anything on it while splitscreened. This allow two reasonable 3" sized displays in a clamshell design.

That's what I said. Besides two 3" doesn't gives bigger viewing area than one 6" anyway. So really all the Dual Screen usage except for allowing for bigger viewing area is just PR talk.

Seperate processors for each displays also can allow the screens to be rendering entirely different scenes as if they were two completely different games without cutting performances if it would be on a single processor.

No, not really. This is just power consumption thing IMO.

Developers cutting corners to save ressources on a single processor and having simplistic ideas about the dual screen arent no longer possible with each screen having its processor, unless perhaps they can work in parallel and in tandem (would make GREAT schmup vertical scrollers /drool)

I don't understand what you just said, but I assume at the moment the processors will work together either in tandem or parallel.

 

[Guden Oden]

It's really sad to see so many being so negative for no reason to new ideas and possibilities.

I've seen too many "it will suck" or "I'm confused, I don't understand, I have no imagination, please help me!" posts already without anyone knowing full specs, what it looks like or indeed even what games will appear for it!

People: sharpen up, okay? You're really starting to worry me. You seem like a bunch of narrow-minded retirees frowning and waving your walking sticks at them new-fangled atto-mo-biles or something.

Don't bash it before you tried it, alright?!

 

[ChryZ]

Gotta give Nintendo some credit for trying something new, but far too less details to form a real opinion atm.

 

[darkblu]

i definitely can see one serious benefit from a 2x screen + 2x cpu handheld - MP/VS games where the players can split in different locations. up to now only fighters allowed for VS games on a single screen w/o visual sacrifices. so let's hope that NIN will include some decent wireless com caps.

 

[rabidrabbit]

It's really sad to see so many being so negative for no reason to new ideas and possibilities.

I've seen too many "it will suck" or "I'm confused, I don't understand, I have no imagination, please help me!" posts already without anyone knowing full specs, what it looks like or indeed even what games will appear for it!

People: sharpen up, okay? You're really starting to worry me. You seem like a bunch of narrow-minded retirees frowning and waving your walking sticks at them new-fangled atto-mo-biles or something.

Don't bash it before you tried it, alright?!

I don't see people bashing it that much, but isn't it natural to be a bit confused and speculative about this?
For all we know this could be the best thing happening to handhelds since rechargeable batteries. Because nothing concrete yet exists, there's no other option but to be a little inquisitive.

 

[Dio]

i definitely can see one serious benefit from a 2x screen + 2x cpu handheld - MP/VS games where the players can split in different locations.

I wonder if there might be a joypad and buttonsat each end of the device - in which case you can have two players on one system?

 

[Deepak]

i definitely can see one serious benefit from a 2x screen + 2x cpu handheld - MP/VS games where the players can split in different locations.

I wonder if there might be a joypad and buttonsat each end of the device - in which case you can have two players on one system?

But that sounds impossible physically....

 

[rabidrabbit]

i definitely can see one serious benefit from a 2x screen + 2x cpu handheld - MP/VS games where the players can split in different locations.

I wonder if there might be a joypad and buttonsat each end of the device - in which case you can have two players on one system?

In that case they should also start selling helmets as an accessory.
...and what if the other player 'jerks' the other end of the device a little too violently, wouldn't the other player loose control of the device, or worse the device would break in half!

 

[darkblu]

i definitely can see one serious benefit from a 2x screen + 2x cpu handheld - MP/VS games where the players can split in different locations.

I wonder if there might be a joypad and buttonsat each end of the device - in which case you can have two players on one system?

well, they could, but the device should have either its button/joy pads flexibly connected (e.g. wires) or be required to be positioned on a firm ground when used by two persons, otherwise it'd be a serious challange for the players to hold it together ; )

 

[Rodéric]

That was actually my first thought when I heard two screens. But this... this is too bizarre to comprehend. It doesn't seem to make any sense now, but I'll *try* to hold judgement until I see it in action.

Makes sense to me, and find it interesting, I'm sick of having to use part of the screen to monitor my character status in a RPG for example. An aux screen would help, I'm sure it can be nice in other games as well, the 'map' idea for example.

Let's wait and see, coming from NINTENDO I think it might very well work.

 

[London Geezer]

Well, if RPG's stats portion of the screen, or the space maps take on a screen bug so many people, then why note just make bigger screens? I mean, if all the second screen is meant to do is those kind of things, then it's quite a waste in my opinion.
Although i must say, there isn't much you can do with 2 screens, a players eyes will only focus on one point (one screen) at a time, therefore there shouldn't be much action on the second screen...
The 2-screens-for-2-players idea is cool, but how comfortble would it be for 2 guys to play, one at one end and the other at the other end? Multiplayer cable link-up is much easier, without even mentioning Bluetooth, which i think could be a saviour in future handheld generations...

 

[V3]

I'm sick of having to use part of the screen to monitor my character status in a RPG for example. An aux screen would help, I'm sure it can be nice in other games as well, the 'map' idea for example.

Two 3" screens assuming 4:3 ratio (vertical) I guess would give about the same size (maybe slightly less) as one 4.5" screen with the same ratio. They could have used just use one bigger screen and use 2 viewports, why two and make all the fuss even calling it as Nintendo DS (Dual Screen). I hope that name don't stick in the final product.

They should really try using a bigger screen, or using two bigger screens instead of small 3".