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Nintendo DS Launch

S

Samurai

Sep 13, 2003
158
0
42
California
#1
I can't wait.

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Official Nintendo DS Launch Details
Nintendo of America reveals all. Release date and price!

September 20, 2004 - Today, Nintendo finally broke the news on the Nintendo DS system.

The Nintendo DS, it's upcoming dual-screen handheld system, will launch in North America on November 21st for a retail price of $149.99.
PictoChat, the software program that enables DS owners to sent text and pictures wirelessly to nearby DS systems, will be embedded in the system hardware. The DS system will spring to life out of "sleep mode" if it senses any other systems in the area, giving gamers the opportunity to chat spontaneously with each other.

More than 100 companies have signed on to create games for Nintendo DS, while Nintendo itself is already developing its first 20 titles. Electronic Arts' Madden NFL, The URBZ: Sims in the City, Need for Speed Underground, Tiger Woods and GoldenEye are being made for the system. The complete lineup of games planned for the launch of Nintendo DS will be announced in the near future.

Nintendo has confirmed that the system will be backward compatible with Game Boy Advance games, but will not support system-link multiplayer in GBA games due to the DS' lack of link cable port.

Nintendo chose the United States to lead the worldwide launch of Nintendo DS because of overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic reaction from consumers and to take advantage of the holiday sales season. After the subsequent launch in Japan, the system will be available in Europe and Australia in the first quarter of 2005.

"Nintendo's mission remains unchanged: expand the game experience," says Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo Co., Ltd. "Nintendo DS is the road map to the future of video games, and most clearly demonstrates the type of innovation that players demand."
 
#4
I don't think I'll get one, mainly because I was never a very big fan of portable gaming. But the wireless stuff *is* awesome. It's shame that the backwards compatibility with GBAs doesn't enable linked games, it'd be neat if you could get a bluetooth add-on for the GBA to enable that.

Sony's PSP probably won't compete, unless it sells for less.
 
#6
gazman_res said:
Sony i think will compete very well. Simply because they have an excellent range of Titles. It has worked for them twice Ps1 & 2.
D
Click to expand...

um...the GBA has the most titles of any system because it's compatible with GB games, the DS can play GBA and GB games as well as new DS games. No competition there. Sony doesn't have a legacy product to latch onto this time, they are going to need to rely on good games and price. But chances are nintendo will lower the price soon enough, leaving sony out of luck.

However, the one piece of technology that sony has in it's favor are mini dvds for the PSP, I think that's brilliant for a portable system, I'm surprised nintendo isn't using it, but then again, flash memory has gotten so huge, that it might not be an issue.
 
#9
Wrong Robot said:
yea, I heard that it's expected somewhere between $150 and $300, if that's the case, sony can forget about it.
Click to expand...

yeah, i don't think the psp will be very competitive.

although there haven't been any major games announced for either (except for a mario and metroid for DS), i just don't know about whether quality games will be released on the psp. the metal gear related game is just a metal gear version of something kind of lame. forget which. not quite rock paper scissors, but that's the idea.

i'm not to sure whether i'll get a DS (plus, wasn't nintendo gonna change the name?), but we'll see...
 
#10
Wrong Robot said:
um...the GBA has the most titles of any system because it's compatible with GB games, the DS can play GBA and GB games as well as new DS games. No competition there. Sony doesn't have a legacy product to latch onto this time, they are going to need to rely on good games and price. But chances are nintendo will lower the price soon enough, leaving sony out of luck.

However, the one piece of technology that sony has in it's favor are mini dvds for the PSP, I think that's brilliant for a portable system, I'm surprised nintendo isn't using it, but then again, flash memory has gotten so huge, that it might not be an issue.
Click to expand...

Actually yeah your right. The amount of Titles on the GBA line was pretty huge.. So in theory it would do very well.

However i still stand by the fact that Gamecube (in australia at least) didnt do so well because of the poor marketing.. And the lack of titles..

umm i think.
 
#11
I think one of the biggest reasons the GC didn't do to well(compared to PS2) is because it didn't have a DVD player. Seriously, I can't think of a "which game system should I get" discussion that didn't have "well, the PS2 has a DVD player, and it can play PS1 games" in it. Additionally, how many kids were able to convince their parents to get them a PS2 over a GC because of it's DVD player?

Sure, Xbox can play DVDs, but it was also released after GC and PS2 it was more expensive, and it wasn't an established brand yet.

GC has some amazing games, some of the best console games around, but PS2 just had everything that PS1 had and then some, which people like.

Nintendo would be really smart to use standard DVDs in their next system, and enable the system to read GC discs.
 
#14
Sonorous said:
As far as I know, people have stopped purchasing consoles on what the console can do, but rather what games it has available.
Click to expand...

That may be true now, but when the PS2 was first released, DVD players weren't exactly everywhere, and that was the beginning of the next gen wars, where, in the early stages it WAS about what they could do, because there were so few games around...etc.
 
#15
Wrong Robot said:
I think one of the biggest reasons the GC didn't do to well(compared to PS2) is because it didn't have a DVD player. Seriously, I can't think of a "which game system should I get" discussion that didn't have "well, the PS2 has a DVD player, and it can play PS1 games" in it. Additionally, how many kids were able to convince their parents to get them a PS2 over a GC because of it's DVD player?

Sure, Xbox can play DVDs, but it was also released after GC and PS2 it was more expensive, and it wasn't an established brand yet.

GC has some amazing games, some of the best console games around, but PS2 just had everything that PS1 had and then some, which people like.

Nintendo would be really smart to use standard DVDs in their next system, and enable the system to read GC discs.
Click to expand...
Great post.


I'm a huge GB fanatic -- I've got a GB, GB Pocket, GBC, GBA, and a GBA SP. I got the GBA for Christmas, and bought the SP as my first "Oh my god, I have a job, and thus, money!" expendeture. I got the GB about 12 years ago, GB pocket in grade 6, and GBC in grade 8. I loves my gameboys.

I'm gonna be all over the DS...eventually. The price is gonna have to come down a bit, but I'm really pleased they're doing the backwards compatability thing AGAIN. Woo!
 
#16
I've seen a bunch of the stuff about the DS that make me not want one. At all.

Everything mentioned in Samurai's post is awesome, and sounds GREAT, but I think the double screens are a gimmick, and not a particularly nifty one. It just means that now you have to take your eyes off the action and refocus them to look at your inventory, map, etc, and it's a screen that's easier to smudge with your hands.

Also, Wrong Robot is right. The DVD player and backwards compatatbility are exactly why I chose the PS2 over the Cube or Xbox...Although I did eventually buy an Xbox too.

And I just got Xbox Live today...Anyone else on there? My Friends list is still empty...
 
#17
The PSP doesn't play mini DVD's, it has a new format, UMD's, which are disks in a case, like what mini disk players use. If you want to watch a movie on it or listen to music you have to buy the exact PSP disk of it. Also, it might have very short battery life. Most people are concerned with it's durability, as spinning disk players are fragile, it has an analog stick which always get worn out, and the screen doesn't have a cover. The price is estimated to be more like $300 - $400, which is probably close to true as the DS was predicted to be around $150.
 
#18
Samurai said:
The PSP doesn't play mini DVD's, it has a new format, UMD's, which are disks in a case, like what mini disk players use. If you want to watch a movie on it or listen to music you have to buy the exact PSP disk of it. Also, it might have very short battery life. Most people are concerned with it's durability, as spinning disk players are fragile, it has an analog stick which always get worn out, and the screen doesn't have a cover. The price is estimated to be more like $300 - $400, which is probably close to true as the DS was predicted to be around $150.
Click to expand...

I was under the impression that UMDs were proprietary type of DVD, similar technology, hence why I said DVDs.
 
#19
Only said:
I've seen a bunch of the stuff about the DS that make me not want one. At all.

Everything mentioned in Samurai's post is awesome, and sounds GREAT, but I think the double screens are a gimmick, and not a particularly nifty one. It just means that now you have to take your eyes off the action and refocus them to look at your inventory, map, etc, and it's a screen that's easier to smudge with your hands.
Click to expand...

it is something of a gimmick, but the whole pictachat/wireless thing is too cool!
 

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