nintendo DS is AMAZING!!!

[PC-Engine]

DS videos and hands on test. 8)

http://www.gcadvanced.com/article.php?artid=2016

 

[LisaJoy]

I think it looks fun, that carving demo is especially impressive..

Don't write out the "Other" handheld from Via
I am keeping my eyes on the Eve

Would be cool playing Diablo, Halflife, Quake and the other thousands of older PC games/Emulators on a handheld.

 

[Phil]

I think it looks fun, that carving demo is especially impressive..

Don't write out the "Other" handheld from Via
I am keeping my eyes on the Eve

Would be cool playing Diablo, Halflife, Quake and the other thousands of older PC games/Emulators on a handheld.

cool it would be, but then, I'd rather get my hands on some optimized port for either a DS or a PSP as playing (PC) Halflife without a mouse could be quite fustrating. Also, I think "Eve" will have a hard time as it's not quite a portable nor is it a console. The form of it yields a few problems too. :?

 

[bryanb]

I think it looks fun, that carving demo is especially impressive..

Don't write out the "Other" handheld from Via
I am keeping my eyes on the Eve

Would be cool playing Diablo, Halflife, Quake and the other thousands of older PC games/Emulators on a handheld.

cool it would be, but then, I'd rather get my hands on some optimized port for either a DS or a PSP as playing (PC) Halflife without a mouse could be quite fustrating. Also, I think "Eve" will have a hard time as it's not quite a portable nor is it a console. The form of it yields a few problems too. :?

Not only are you left without a mouse (the reason I don't play FPS on a console) but you are also without the traditional console control mechanism of using the analog and dpad simultaneously. It will be impossible to support the PSP, using the tiny dpad, and use the tiny analog with one hand.

So ports of console based FPS will be problematic. You are talking complete map redesign to accomodate use of analog for "seeing" and use of the four buttons on the right for "moving". You only have the two trigger buttons available for weapon changes, firing secondary weapon, jumping, anything else.

I think portable FPS on the PSP will be too simplified to be worth much.

 

[LisaJoy]

I think it looks fun, that carving demo is especially impressive..

Don't write out the "Other" handheld from Via
I am keeping my eyes on the Eve

Would be cool playing Diablo, Halflife, Quake and the other thousands of older PC games/Emulators on a handheld.

cool it would be, but then, I'd rather get my hands on some optimized port for either a DS or a PSP as playing (PC) Halflife without a mouse could be quite fustrating. Also, I think "Eve" will have a hard time as it's not quite a portable nor is it a console. The form of it yields a few problems too. :?

Not only are you left without a mouse (the reason I don't play FPS on a console) but you are also without the traditional console control mechanism of using the analog and dpad simultaneously. It will be impossible to support the PSP, using the tiny dpad, and use the tiny analog with one hand.

So ports of console based FPS will be problematic. You are talking complete map redesign to accomodate use of analog for "seeing" and use of the four buttons on the right for "moving". You only have the two trigger buttons available for weapon changes, firing secondary weapon, jumping, anything else.

I think portable FPS on the PSP will be too simplified to be worth much.

Sorry, we were talking about the EVE from Via, not the PSP.. but I agree

 

[Guden Oden]

So ports of console based FPS will be problematic. You are talking complete map redesign to accomodate use of analog for "seeing" and use of the four buttons on the right for "moving". You only have the two trigger buttons available for weapon changes, firing secondary weapon, jumping, anything else.

Hm, map design redesign? Why? Console FPSes have used analog look + buttons to move for ages now.

Analog = see, face buttons = move, triggers = jump + shoot, D-pad = switch weapons/items/etc, select = use item, start = map/options

Frankly I think that will be enough.

 

[Panajev2001a]

I think it looks fun, that carving demo is especially impressive..

Don't write out the "Other" handheld from Via
I am keeping my eyes on the Eve

Would be cool playing Diablo, Halflife, Quake and the other thousands of older PC games/Emulators on a handheld.

cool it would be, but then, I'd rather get my hands on some optimized port for either a DS or a PSP as playing (PC) Halflife without a mouse could be quite fustrating. Also, I think "Eve" will have a hard time as it's not quite a portable nor is it a console. The form of it yields a few problems too. :?

Not only are you left without a mouse (the reason I don't play FPS on a console) but you are also without the traditional console control mechanism of using the analog and dpad simultaneously. It will be impossible to support the PSP, using the tiny dpad, and use the tiny analog with one hand.

So ports of console based FPS will be problematic. You are talking complete map redesign to accomodate use of analog for "seeing" and use of the four buttons on the right for "moving". You only have the two trigger buttons available for weapon changes, firing secondary weapon, jumping, anything else.

I think portable FPS on the PSP will be too simplified to be worth much.

You have never played GoldenEye on the N64, have you ?

 

[bryanb]

So ports of console based FPS will be problematic. You are talking complete map redesign to accomodate use of analog for "seeing" and use of the four buttons on the right for "moving". You only have the two trigger buttons available for weapon changes, firing secondary weapon, jumping, anything else.

Hm, map design redesign? Why? Console FPSes have used analog look + buttons to move for ages now.

Analog = see, face buttons = move, triggers = jump + shoot, D-pad = switch weapons/items/etc, select = use item, start = map/options

Frankly I think that will be enough.

What about Halo? I totally concede ignorance on console based FPS cause the auto aiming and the controls are so totally inferior to PC.

Haven't most of the games gone over to the Halo control scheme?

You can't "look" using the tiny PSP analog and simultaneously use the small dpad. You would have to lose control over the analog (there by centering your viewpoint) and then use the dpad. Sounds incredibily clumsy.

 

[Natoma]

A TIME magazine review:

Battle of the Handhelds

Sony and Nintendo came out swinging with handheld game systems at the E3 expo.

Round 1: Sony announces the PSP (PlayStation Portable), due out in a year. Not only is it supposed to give the Nintendo Game Boy a run for its money, but the PSP will also play music and movies.

Round 2: Nintendo says its next Game Boy won't be a Game Boy but something called Nintendo DS. The DS stands for dual screen: one screen to watch the game on and another touch-sensitive screen to control the game.

Round 3: the PSP prototype is unveiled at E3 -- though with few dtails and no playable games. But surprise! The Nintendo DS prototypes show up at E3 with cool dual-screen games, like air hockey with a touch-sensitive puck, and chat capabilities.

Our verdict: Nintendo DS by a knockout

Now if only someone with an eye for design had made the DS, I might actually be slightly interested atm. :?

 

[Farid]

A TIME magazine review:

Battle of the Handhelds

Sony and Nintendo came out swinging with handheld game systems at the E3 expo.

Round 1: Sony announces the PSP (PlayStation Portable), due out in a year. Not only is it supposed to give the Nintendo Game Boy a run for its money, but the PSP will also play music and movies.

Round 2: Nintendo says its next Game Boy won't be a Game Boy but something called Nintendo DS. The DS stands for dual screen: one screen to watch the game on and another touch-sensitive screen to control the game.

Round 3: the PSP prototype is unveiled at E3 -- though with few dtails and no playable games. But surprise! The Nintendo DS prototypes show up at E3 with cool dual-screen games, like air hockey with a touch-sensitive puck, and chat capabilities.

Our verdict: Nintendo DS by a knockout

Now if only someone with an eye for design had made the DS, I might actually be slightly interested atm. :?

They just looked at the videos of demos from early PSP dev kits, and played a few "tech" demos of DS and they came up with a "verdict"? A "knockout verdict"?
Or maybe it's not the entire article, is there anything else on that article Natoma?

 

[Natoma]

newp that's it.

 

[Guden Oden]

Will be more productive to name a victor once both units are actually available to BUY.

 

[Farid]

newp that's it.

Will be more productive to name a victor once both units are actually available to BUY.

It's with that kind of articles that great reporters, such as the one that wrote this one, remind us why we should keep off crack.

Time magazine should at least wait for real games demos to name a winner...
And why naming a winner since the two handheld are so "differents" in the senses of the term. The handheld console market is big enough for 2 manufacturer, anyway.

 

[see colon]

Time magazine should at least wait for real games demos to name a winner...

the way it came off to me was more of a judging of the E3 presentation. nintendo definatly won in that respect, allowing people to actualy play games and demos on the units, while sony played a (very nice looking) video.
c:

 

[Evil_Cloud]

A TIME magazine review:

Battle of the Handhelds

Sony and Nintendo came out swinging with handheld game systems at the E3 expo.

Round 1: Sony announces the PSP (PlayStation Portable), due out in a year. Not only is it supposed to give the Nintendo Game Boy a run for its money, but the PSP will also play music and movies.

Round 2: Nintendo says its next Game Boy won't be a Game Boy but something called Nintendo DS. The DS stands for dual screen: one screen to watch the game on and another touch-sensitive screen to control the game.

Round 3: the PSP prototype is unveiled at E3 -- though with few dtails and no playable games. But surprise! The Nintendo DS prototypes show up at E3 with cool dual-screen games, like air hockey with a touch-sensitive puck, and chat capabilities.

Our verdict: Nintendo DS by a knockout

Now if only someone with an eye for design had made the DS, I might actually be slightly interested atm. :?

At least Nintendo had working Nintendo DS prototypes. It's far from definitive (minor changes of course, but they could enhance the overall look).

 

[Natoma]

No need to yell. I have a GBA (non-sp) and have owned every nintendo console since the NES days. But this DS looks like a real stinker. Just like the Virtual Boy imo.

Of course, it aint out yet so they could theoretically change the design. But as it stands right now, I wouldn't be caught dead with that clunker.

 

[Teasy]

Now if only someone with an eye for design had made the DS, I might actually be slightly interested atm

Do you plan to wear your next handheld as a necklace?

 

[Fox5]

I think it looks fun, that carving demo is especially impressive..

Don't write out the "Other" handheld from Via
I am keeping my eyes on the Eve

Would be cool playing Diablo, Halflife, Quake and the other thousands of older PC games/Emulators on a handheld.

For a $500-$600 price point and less power than a psp, and not too many controller friendly pc games to play(though fallout would be nice).
For emulators you could get a PDA cheaper. You could also get a DS or PSP and use a memory stick for the PSP or a blank flash cart for the DS and you can get emulators for those too.(PSP may even emulate n64 games, take that nintendo ds!...well gba has a nes and snes emulator, but has plenty of those ports)

 

[Natoma]

Now if only someone with an eye for design had made the DS, I might actually be slightly interested atm

Do you plan to wear your next handheld as a necklace?

I don't see what the laughter or uproar over caring about the design of something you're going to spend hundreds of dollars on is about.

For example, why did I choose an Apple IPOD over a Creative Zen Jukebox, even though the Jukebox is cheaper and had more storage? The IPOD looks fantastic. People care about looks and design. And in that department, what came out of E3 from Nintendo looks like a cheap piece of plastic. You're telling me they couldn't have made it look better than that?

These are the same people that came up with the GB SP for crying out loud. Design is a legitimate factor in deciding whether or not to purchase a handheld for me. And in that regard, the PSP wins hands down.

 

[Teasy]

I wasn't really laughing at you. The laughing smillie is just to say that what I'm saying is a joke. Of course there was a serious point in there. Which was that this is a gaming device not a fashion accessary.

On the IPOD vs JukeBox comment. Well that's where you and I differ. Frankly I'd cringe if someone I know paid more for an inferior product simply because they like the way it looks. That's just the way I am, I'd have gone for the JukeBox (funny I've been thinking of getting one actually).

My view on DS's look is that I think it looks ok but it could look quite a bit better and I hope that it ends up looking as good as the GBA-SP. But either way it won't stop me from buying it if its features and games interest me.