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Agent Proto
05-13-2004, 03:31 AM
http://www.nintendo.com/e3_2004/ds/index.jsp

This thing is gonna have the following:

"Dual Screens: Two LCD screens offer one of the most groundbreaking game-play advances ever developed: experiencing a game from two perspectives at once. Imagine the possibilities. In a racing game, drivers might see their own vehicle's perspective on one screen and an overall track view on the other. In a role-playing game, the action could take place on the first screen while the second provides a reference for a player's tools inventory. Game play also could use both screens at once, offering a giant boss for heroes to defeat. In the future, games could be created allowing users to play games on one screen while text messaging other DS users on the other. Each 3-inch screen can reproduce a true 3-D view and is backlit to assure comfortable play in any lighting condition.

Touch Screen: The lower screen will offer something never before provided by any game device: PDA-like touch capabilities. Players no longer have to rely on just buttons to move characters or shift perspectives. They can navigate menus or access inventory items simply by touching the screen with stylus or fingertip. A software-based keyboard might even allow the screen to be used as an input center for games and messaging. The possibilities are limited only by developers' imaginations. The screen will have a tougher film cover for durability, and will come with a stylus.

Microphone: An available microphone port means that in the future, players might need only to tell their games what to do. DS software could identify everything from voice commands to hand-clapping. Players might be able to move their characters simply by telling them which way to go. The voice capabilities also could allow gamers to chat with one another over the Internet while playing.

Wireless: DS users will be able to connect with a local wireless network of up to 16 players. Nintendo's guaranteed range is 30 feet, but will extend far beyond that depending on circumstances. It assures high response rates required for real time game play, and will make use of both IEEE 802.11 and Nintendo's proprietary communication protocol, which provides low battery consumption. Players will be able to chat and play games without any connecting cords, completely untethered. The DS technology also provides for a wireless LAN connection, which could allow a theoretically infinite number of players to connect at a hot spot and compete at a central game hub on the Internet, even if they're thousands of miles apart.

Wireless Game Sharing: If software developers desire, multiple players can compete in wireless games, even if only one person has a game card inserted. Players could also test-play games for themselves as long as they stayed connected.

3-D: With the newly developed graphics engine, DS can reproduce impressive 3-D renderings that can surpass images displayed on the Nintendo® 64. Games will run at 60 frames per second, and allow details like fog effects and cel shading.

Sound: The 16-channel sound allows for greatly expanded use of voices and music, and a richer, more immersive game experience. A plug for headphones transmits stereo sound.

Battery & Power Management: The battery is rechargeable and the unit features a low-energy-consumption design. The DS also has Power Management functions of Sleep mode and Standby mode. In Sleep mode, players can stop and resume game play whenever they like. If the user receives a message from a friend or user nearby, DS activates itself from Standby mode.

Processing: The unit will run on two processors, one ARM9 one ARM7.

New Media: For its compact cards, the unit uses newly developed semiconductor memory, which allows for lower cost, shorter manufacturing time and memory capacity of more than one gigabit of information.

Dual Slots: Nintendo DS makes a vast library of Game Boy® Advance games readily available. Developers could find ways to make new connections between GBA games and DS games. The GBA port could be used for new hardware, enormously expanding the functional expandability of the DS. "

Some screenshots can be found in the link listed above. I think this is gonna be really awesome.

Discuss.

Erdrick Holmes
05-13-2004, 03:36 AM
Sounds cool. I'd bet some cool fighting games are coming out for it and maybe some sort of online gaming applet will be available sometime.

Chzn8r
05-13-2004, 03:46 AM
It's coming out in another year, so all the future things they say about it will probably have happened by it's launch.
Also, Nintendo already has over 100 developers that want to make games/software for it...

Yamaneko
05-13-2004, 05:03 AM
Why god? Why?

This is what I hate about all hardware developers. We could've done without the SP and waited for this, but I guess Nintendo wants to follow the GB > GBP > GBC trend, but in a shorter amount of time. I'm not that enthusiastic. I have much more hope for the PSP.

metCloud
05-13-2004, 01:09 PM
Sounds good but im waiting for the PSP instead. I cant wait to see what Sony can do for the hendheld market.

LH
05-13-2004, 02:21 PM
I'm a huge Sony fan but at the moment I'm looking forward to this more than than PSP. Sony has a decent amount of broken promises for me to believe anything they say until I see it with my own eyes.

Flying Mullet
05-13-2004, 02:42 PM
I read about all of this and I can't see how Nintendo can still claim that this has nothing to do with the PSP.

metCloud
05-13-2004, 07:01 PM
I take back my post...I just got done watching all the movies at Game Informer.com of E3 and it look great. Metroid Prime Hunters looks insane! :D

Shoeberto
05-13-2004, 08:23 PM
Holy crap dude.

Sony had better get their crap in gear and wow me big time, else I know where my money is at for the next portable.

Maxico
05-13-2004, 08:41 PM
Im still going more for the psp even if it is the size of a small office block.

This is going to be... interesting.

Del Murder
05-14-2004, 02:21 AM
Wait, does that mean no more GBA games?

Agent Proto
05-14-2004, 02:26 AM
I'm pretty sure there will still be GBA games seeing that Nintendo DS will be backward compatible.

Estes
05-14-2004, 02:53 AM
Nintendo might not make the best consoles (anymore) but they always amaze gamers with their innovative and powerful handhelds. The games for nintendo's handhelds are good as well even I don't care what happens my next hand held will be the DS.

Erdrick Holmes
05-14-2004, 03:36 AM
With the microphone I'll be we'll see a portable version of Seaman. Oh man, I made my self wanna get one all of the sudden.

metCloud
05-14-2004, 01:16 PM
Wait, does that mean no more GBA games?

There are 2 game slots on this bad-boy. one for GBA, GBC ect. and one for the new DS format which is 1 Gig or higher I heard in size.

BatChao
05-24-2004, 10:17 PM
Hopefully this doesn't count as a dead thread... it's only benn 10 days since anyone posted in it, but I just wanted to post some stuff.

First of all, the DS's cartridge is only about 512 MB I think... I read something on IGN about how Nintendo uses bits instead of bytes, so 512 MB would equal something of 1 Gigabits or something like that...

But I gotta say, I went to E3 and took at look at the DS and I'm really excited about it. Not so much about the dual screens (I don't think many developers outside of Nintendo itself will really utilize both screens to their full potential), but the touch sensitive bottom screen. This thing has so much potential, not only for using touch to control onscreen things, but developers can use the entire lower screen as a custom control pad. The possibilities are endless! A lot of the tech demos were very impressive... and the touch pad is pressure sensitive as well... they can tell the difference between a tap, a press, a run, etc, etc.

The wireless connectivity is also a really neat feature, but it would be nice to have a built in wireless internet connection like the PSP... of course, one of the main selling points of the DS will probably be the price... I'm predicting $150 or lower.

All in all, I'm really looking forward to this thing. The only thing I'm scared of is that developers won't use the DS to it's full potential. They might just take the lazy way out and slap a map or status screen on one of the screen and ignore the touch sensitivity... but besides that, the DS has creativity, fun, and originality written all over it!

Chzn8r
05-25-2004, 03:27 AM
Hopefully this doesn't count as a dead thread... it's only benn 10 days since anyone posted in it, but I just wanted to post some stuff.

First of all, the DS's cartridge is only about 512 MB I think... I read something on IGN about how Nintendo uses bits instead of bytes, so 512 MB would equal something of 1 Gigabits or something like that...

But I gotta say, I went to E3 and took at look at the DS and I'm really excited about it. Not so much about the dual screens (I don't think many developers outside of Nintendo itself will really utilize both screens to their full potential), but the touch sensitive bottom screen. This thing has so much potential, not only for using touch to control onscreen things, but developers can use the entire lower screen as a custom control pad. The possibilities are endless! A lot of the tech demos were very impressive... and the touch pad is pressure sensitive as well... they can tell the difference between a tap, a press, a run, etc, etc.

The wireless connectivity is also a really neat feature, but it would be nice to have a built in wireless internet connection like the PSP... of course, one of the main selling points of the DS will probably be the price... I'm predicting $150 or lower.

All in all, I'm really looking forward to this thing. The only thing I'm scared of is that developers won't use the DS to it's full potential. They might just take the lazy way out and slap a map or status screen on one of the screen and ignore the touch sensitivity... but besides that, the DS has creativity, fun, and originality written all over it!

-Cartriges are 1.8 gigabits
-DS will have wireless internet capabilities (besides simple wireless DS to DS networking)

Doomgaze
05-26-2004, 06:16 AM
"The Metroid: Hunters thing you might have read about, a multiplayer Metroid Deathmatch, was almost indecipherable as a game experience. You use the d-pad to move around, and the stylus to determine not only what direction you are facing, but also to shoot, by tapping on your opponent. If it seems cool, I'm not explaining it right. In practice, you are covering up the screen - where, as you might recall, things happen - in order to accomplish the most basic movement tasks. "

-Tycho

BatChao
05-26-2004, 06:19 AM
Metroid Hunters...yes... obviously they are going to polish that game up a bit before release. I think that demo was made just to show off the DS's hardware capabilities. In all honesty, it was incredibly awkward to controld (as you had to slide the stylus around to look around - turning 180 degrees was slow, unprecise, and strange). I highly doubt that they'd ship a game that was so wierd to play, but it's just a tech demo... so yea.