I bought a Nintendo DS Lite - it is truly awesome

[wienerdog]

I picked up Nintendo DS Lite, a totally redisigned version of their latest hand-held console with much better screens and industrial design. In fact, it's design looks so much like an Apple iPod, it's amazing.

It's a fun and sleek system that benefits from a year's worth of some really innovative new software. It was all the rave in Japan earlier this year and I hear still a pain to find there.

The DS had a terrible line-up of games when it debuted in the fall of '04. But since then, a load of good games utilizing Nintendo's WiFi network makes use of the built-in WiFi. Playing Tetris with 4 people all over the globe from my couch through my wireless router upstairs is just something else. I must get ahold of Mario Kart, Metroid, and the new Brain Games- mind-challenging mini-games that are intended for all ages.

Anyone else have one of these?

[reuber1]

Dude, I love the DS. Get New Mario Bros. if you haven't. It stomps so much ass that it's ridiculous. The Castlevania games are supposed to be pretty sweet too.

I have the original, clunky DS. I just saw a commercial for the new one, it looks slick.

[wienerdog]

For my first games, I picked up Tetris DS and New Super Mario Bros. Both games are a blast. I'm a Tetris addict, and lost my only Tetris game when I sold my old cell phone. The DS version is sick, with all kinds of fun retro Nintendo graphics, and the on-line play is a riot. I have to convince more friends to get a DS.

[reuber1]

I'm not satisfied until they make a port of Ikaruga for it. That system is perfect for that game. Actually, I'm plenty satisfied. Mario kart makes me want to commit vehicular manslaughter sometimes (damn you blue spiny shell).

[nyc_skater]

The Castlevania games are supposed to be pretty sweet too.

Haha, i have the old old little nintendo, the one that had no backlit screen, the only game i ever had for it was castlevania...maybe it's time for an upgrade :)

[reuber1]

It'd be nice to have time to play them though. If they'd allow, I'd bring them here. I haven't touched the console I own in like two months, and before that it was like for ten minutes.

[Satchel]

My brother-in-law picked up a DS lite on the first... they weren't supposed to be released until the 11th but some places messed up - word got out and they pulled the plug on it, but he was able to swoop in at sears (online purchase with an instore pick up) before they put the kibosh on it. They are nice!!!

[Silence04]

i just can't get into the hand held gaming devices...

<--- big hands

[ekosix]

Speaking of Nintendo, anyone watched the Wii videos on their website? If gameplay is truly as it appears in their promos, and judging by G4 journalist reaction - it is, then this could be the system to shake things up in the arms race between X-Box and PS3. I was on board with Sony until they announce a $600 price tag. Screw that. But the Wii is starting to look pretty damn intriguing.

I have a dream, and that dream is to one day play a Half-Life game with the Wii controller.

[reuber1]

The Wii looks amazing. I got a buttload of store credit at a local game shop from selling my XBox and PSdeuce, and I used all of it for a Wii preorder and 3 games (Mario, Metroid, and Zelda). They assumed the high price scenario for the games, and I just have my name down for a system. I don't imagine I'd have to pay much out of pocket then. I'll be damned if I'm waiting in line though, that's why I preordered and will get it that day sometime like on lunch or something.

See, I know I just complained about not getting time to play, but dammit I plan on having time by then.

[Patrick Shannon]

The DS Lite looks cool, unfortunately I needed some cash to help finish off some old bills (faster) and decided to sell one of my handhelds and games, the DS. (I have everything on Ebay right now if anyone is interested, wink wink) I might get one again if they drop in price later in life, but right now I guess it's kind of silly to have two handhelds.

Castlevania is definitely kickass on the DS, get it if you loved Symphony of the Night on Playstation. I was a little disappointed in the New Super Mario Bros, very very easy and I tore through the game in two/three sittings. (Definitely holds no torch to Super Mario World.)

[TheBluePanda]

I recently did some quick graphic work for a friend who happens to own a video game store. He gave me a GameBoy Advance SP in exchange. I then bought a Flash-Card adapter with a Mini-SD slot, and a 1gig Mini-SD card. It enables me to play roms on my GameBoy. So now I have a few hundred GBA games with me at all times. Its very sweet. I can also put movies and music on it.

I enjoy riding the bottom edge of the gaming world, and I don't really have a choice since I can't afford the bleeding-edge technology. Its fun to pay almost nothing and experience a system I've never played along with a large library of games. I havent owned a portable system since the Game Gear, so all of these games are brand new to me. I'll eventually get a DS, in a couple of years when the price is cut in half. ;)

[wienerdog]

The DS Lite looks cool, unfortunately I needed some cash to help finish off some old bills (faster) and decided to sell one of my handhelds and games, the DS. (I have everything on Ebay right now if anyone is interested, wink wink) I might get one again if they drop in price later in life, but right now I guess it's kind of silly to have two handhelds.

Castlevania is definitely kickass on the DS, get it if you loved Symphony of the Night on Playstation. I was a little disappointed in the New Super Mario Bros, very very easy and I tore through the game in two/three sittings. (Definitely holds no torch to Super Mario World.)

Wow, really? I'm digging New Super Mario Bros. I never bought Super Mario 64 DS (how confusing this THAT title?), so the mini games in New Super Mario were a surprise, and there were a BUNCH of them.

The Lite is such an improvement over the old DS. I really was so unimpressed with the original because of lack of software and it's clunky design. I think once Nintendo saw the success of the DS in Japan (and here with Nintendogs and software that's come out since then), it was worth invested some time and $ into a nice portable.

Even though my wife made an excellent point that I don't commute by train anymore, so I wouldn't have any use for a portable system. But considering the amounts of games that are on there, as well as the ability to hang out with my wife while she watches some girly show and play Tetris, or during my lunchbreak at work is too appealing to me. It makes me wish I did still commute by train, because I could justify buying more games. :)

[reuber1]

You can play DS games in either system, Lite or Clunker. Mario 64 DS is basically a remake of Mario 64 from the N64. It's fun, but kinda tough to get the 3D controls down. Still fun though.

In New SMB, you pretty much have to go for 100% completion to get the most out of it. If I would have played it straight through without looking for the secrets, I would've cleared it during the ride back from South Dakota.

[Broacher]

My son's a Nintendo gamer. He's 11. He's got the Cube, GBA--and he even picked up a 64 system and the original Nintendo game system for almost nothing at garage sales.

I have to say that as a dad, the whole Nintendo philosophy of designing games primarily for fun vs. for how close you can simulate so-called 'maturity' ranks it much higher for me than their competition. And the quality of the hardware itself is superb (ask any game store staffer which is the sturdiest brand by hardware, and they'll confirm this).

We're also looking forward to the Wii release. Personally, I think Nintendo's stated objective of expanding the gamer definition to include the whole family speaks volumes about their commitment to the 'not so dark' side. Editing back the overall reliance on complex controller moves is what they're really banking on with the Wii system technology to achieve this. I'm hoping that their gamble really pays off.

[reuber1]

I have to say that as a dad, the whole Nintendo philosophy of designing games primarily for fun vs. for how close you can simulate so-called 'maturity' ranks it much higher for me than their competition. And the quality of the hardware itself is superb (ask any game store staffer which is the sturdiest brand by hardware, and they'll confirm this).I feel the same way. "Look, the 360 is shiny!!" Thing is, the better graphics get, they need to get more time to artists to take advantage of that, and thus, development costs rise. The games play the exact same though. I played Fight Night 3 at a buds house on the 360, and yeah it's purdy, but it's also relentlessly boring. The Wii looks really friggin' awesome, and it's going to be $250 at the most, not $600. Hell, just ask the people who waited 4 hours in line to play it.

Read this article on "the video game crash," it's hilarious, but on the money as well:
http://www.pointlesswasteoftime.com/games/crash.html

Oh, and on the durability of Nintendo products, I'll second that. During my Target tenure and after dealing with the power cable failure ordeal of the XBox and the recall of slim PSdeuce's from two years ago, I recommended the big N left and right. Sony and Microsoft left headaches for us retailers.

[Broacher]

Great article! I think he's right on too. Except for the possible 'Nintendo's hostility towards older players" suggestion. The new Wii videos show golf, football sims. I think that Wii is going to represent a turning point in gaming-- it's not going to be perfect, but it will signal the turn away from evolution through video power and effects, to evolution through player interactivity. And accessible interactivity. AKA: old fogies playing video games again.

Also, I can see a lot of potential for collateral marketing here. Imagine a Wii controller built into a much more real-weighted golf club, or a tennis racket. Or shoes with built in 'smart' controller 3D data hookups to the Wii console.

The other big boost that Wii could get is from health activists who are desperate for ways to get kids away from the old-school controllers and get more physically activity into their daily routine. Heck, I bet it's only a matter of time before some school, somewhere, is going to install a couple of big plasmas in a 'workout' room with a bank of Wii consoles in front of them. Maybe even see this coming as a bold experiment in some cutting edge fitness centre.

[reuber1]

^Exactly.

I've heard a lot of people (Bill Gates even, but I'm sure he says this to minimize the blow of sales) have stated that it's too tiring to play games that way. This is PERFECT then. If it's too tiring to hold a controller like a TV remote forward, with a nunchuck attachment in the other hand, you need to start working out.

I've also imagined like an extra weight for a tennis type game. If they could get the precision perfect, I would own it immediately. They need to make the physics as perfect as possible. A great way to practice your game without spending $40-$60 per hour for a lesson. I like what Nintendo is doing, though a lot of the hardcore crowds are scoffing. I think American gamers are far too conservative.

[Broacher]

>>I think American gamers are far too conservative.<<

Maybe it's the circle the wagons reflex. I mean, like any other 'skill' area, anyone who's invested a good chunk of their life in developing these game console skills (even though, okay, they may not do much for your resume) would be intensely protective of what they perceive among themselves as valuable. If Nintendo reverses the trend for the vid game market to narrow itself vertically, they're yesterday's warriors.

Hmm... remember when only true graphic designers knew what 'point size' or 'leading' meant? (I do!) Same kind of resistance to change from the 'in' crowd.

[Patrick Shannon]

The article is interesting, but the writer's argument flaws in many area (especially on the element of scripting, that argument could be made with anything including books), the biggest one in particular is the video game crash and video gaming as a novelty. Back then it was, but the biggest reason for the crash was that the games frankly were becoming absolutely horrid and oversaturated with so many companies releasing bad games (hell, Ralston-Purina even had one). Good and fun games were taken away, and the demand is there even if one does not realize that. That is exactly what Nintendo took advantage of and the rest is history.

Typically, the turnaround for new consoles is every five years, but you have to wonder if that is simply too fast for the public sometimes. As the articles states, the majority of Playstation 2's didn't sell until at least two years into it's lifespan. Yes, the price drop is one factor, but the other one is that there were hardly any new (or good) PSOne games coming out. Right now, I honestly think that the current gen consoles has a lot of life left, and if they went about three more years, I don't think too many people would honestly bat an eye so long as the good games are there. Right around that time, the techology and HDTV adoption would be at an affordable enough cost to build things like the PS3.

But it works in this way, one company announces a new console, then everyone's heads turn at the other companies wondering when they're going to come out with something to top it. And if they don't, then that puts pressure on them.

Look at the original Gameboy. It had a 10+ year lifespan and it's successor was released in a time when it was very affordable to build that kind of technology (well, minus the backlit screen) and didn't cost an arm and a leg. But Gameboy Advance didn't have the life span that it should have (yes it's still around, but what's really being released for it?). The PSP is the first handheld to come along to truly challenge it, and naturally the answer is a brand new handheld, the DS, which honestly isn't entirely the graphical/experience upgrade that should have been. Many of it's games, as kickass as they are, could have been done on GBA like Castlevania, Advance Wars, etc, and as for the touch screen, only Nintendo themselves (and perhaps Sega) had really used it to it's fullest advantage. (It's funny how third-parties are reluctant, sometimes.) Anyway, my point is that I don't think Nintendo would have bothered with the DS this early if not for pending competition. Sure they might have said that the DS isn't Gameboy's successor, but no one really believed that and it practically is now. (If not, why the drought on GBA games?)

So if you look at it that way, the consoles are kind of hurting one another by helping themselves. They are trying to outdo the other and that's perfectly fine as competition drives good products, but eventually the affordability just isn't there. Ahead of their time, you could say.

At this point, I think the ball is in Nintendo's court (and to a degree, Microsoft's as well), but only because Sony ridiculously outpriced themselves. The Wii is definitely something new and different and I am looking forward to seeing what it can do, but not only does Nintendo have to provide new and different things for it, but the third parties MUST come around for it as well. Nintendo needs to branch out from their franchises as well and come up with some new things, especially stuff for older gamers...the third parties could help in this department if they come around. That doesn't mean they should stop releasing all the Mario/Wario/Dario/whatever games as they serve an audience too (and they're a profitable franchise, why stop?), but the majority of players who are into PS2 and XBox type of games who can't afford a 360 or PS3 aren't going to be seduced by Nintendo's current image, even if the Wii's control is revolutionary. Fortunately, the Wii has so much potential to start some profitable new franchises that will appeal to older gamers and is something people haven't seen before. (I still stand by my opinion that the name will ouch them to a small degree, though.)

On a side note, I think Microsoft has a lot to gain as well. There is one huge strength to graphical upgrades and embracing the home entertainment system, emmersion. One only needs to play a level of Call of Duty 2 on that getup to feel that. PS3 will do this too, but naturally they've outpriced themselves, which is why Microsoft's choice to use DVD as opposed to HD-DVD for games might have been a smart move after all.

[Broacher]

>>I still stand by my opinion that the name will ouch them to a small degree, though.<<

If I were in charge on Nintendo marketing... wait a sec, let me check what kind of car I'm driving. Nope. Definitely not. Anyhow, if I were... I'd run and play with the Wii-Wii controversy. Personally, I think it has terrifc potential and fits their whole new strategy brilliantly. And even though simple words can have tons of connotations and interpretations, this one, especially due to it's international heritage and homonynic range, has tons of useable ones.

We Wii? Of course we Wii. Or as they say in France, oui Wii! Or in Scotland, "Och, look at that wee Wii!" Or Germany, "Ve [heart] Vii!"

Accessible to everyone? You bet! Why don't take my word for it-- here's what an old English monarch has to say: "We ARE Wii amused."

There have been many instances of companies having fun with controversially questionable brand names making lemonade out of lemon. Or at least, some kind of yellowish fluid.

Wasn't there recently a yogurt product named 'Whack' targetted at the teen market that featured a bunch of short testimonials from teenage boys talking about how giving themselves 'a Whack' made them feel so good? That kind of thing.

[reuber1]

Yeah, I thought playing with their "Wii" could be beneficial to them.

Honestly, I haven't touched my vid game system except the DS for like a month, and then it was brief. Maybe I'm too busy, maybe I've lost interest, whatever. Thing is, so far the experience that has been delivered has been the same for the past 10 years; N64 came out in '96, PS1 a little bit before. It's just that everything is prettier, and Microsoft and Sony is continuing down that same path, offering the same experience for now probably 15 years.

All I can say is Mario Galaxy looks friggin' sweet, and with Metal Slug Anthology as a launch title along with Metroid, Monkey Ball, and Zelda, Nintendo has a strong launch to look forward to, and according to IGN they are looking to release before the PS3. concerning 3rd party support, lots are interested, the addition of Snake from Metal Gear into the Super Smash Bros. game is HUGE and I think that has a lot of other developers realize the potential here. What I'm interested though is the home-brew gaming that will be possible. I want to see what cheap but innovative games random groups of people around the world can make. If I knew the slightest thing about game programming (which I don't), I would definitely hop on that.


OK, how about this article (this was written after E3 and not edited later)?
http://www.pointlesswasteoftime.com/games/manifesto.html
20 things gamers want for the 7th generation of consoles.

[wienerdog]

I read an article somewhere saying Nintendo lost the market to Sony when Sony saw that original Nintendo gamers were growing up, and wanted something more sophisticated and mature. The average gamer in the US is currently 29 years old, I hear. So many aren't into GameCube, with it's image of cute characters on toy-like hardware.

With the Wii, Nintendo may have frog-leaped Sony past the gamer who sits around playing First-Person Shooters with intense graphics, and went for an entire family audience with new gameplay that's fun for everyone. Kids weren't the only ones throwing quarters into Space Invaders and Pac-man back in the golden era of gaming. Maybe mature gaming doesn't need to be "R"-rated, but accessible and have new universal appeal.

I still don't see too much in simplification for the Wii-mote, there are still loads of buttons, but they're probably not used for simple games.

The one thing that drew me to the DS Lite and Wii is free on-line play with Nintendo's WiFi system. Microsoft's XBox Live on-line system is what, $15/month? I hate the idea of subscribing for playing video games, after dropping $50 to just own the software.

[Broacher]

>>Sony saw that original Nintendo gamers were growing up, and wanted something more sophisticated and mature<<

>>the gamer who sits around playing First-Person Shooters with intense graphics<<

I love how marketing doctors have spun the word 'mature' into something it's now totally not. They're almost as skilled at this as the Pentagon officials.

[reuber1]

I agree with Broacher.

I find the gamer who would rather have a good time playing a Mario or Sonic rather than someone forcing contrived laughs as they shoot innocent civilians in GTA or beat the crap out of gang members in Condemned, a more mature individual. It seems the "mature"ness is heavy handed with the other systems. "Look, you can shoot people in the face in this game!!!" or "This game renders water ripples more realistic than any other!!!" as opposed to "This game is fun and immersive." People see a cartoon like figure, regardless of it's replay value or overall theme and the fact that the game is awesome (Psychonauts is a prime example), and they look away, which is unfortunate. I can't count the amount of people my age who saw the Incredibles and said it was great, or Shrek for that matter. It's cartoony, but it's also fun and entertaining.

And not as many people are online playing games as Microsoft would have you believe. Unless you have a cable connection, which basically means anyone who doesn't live in the sticks or in small towns (which is a lot of people), you don't have the ability to play online. Most online gamers are your college dorm roomers or rich kids who like to call you "gay" every ten seconds. You can try to play, like I did, on DSL with pretty crappy results. The lag in Halo was unbearable, unless I hosted a match, when I was accused of cheating because the other gamers lagged.

There's lots of buttons on the Wii-mote because it's going to double as a DVD player and will have Opera loaded on it as well. E3 attendees said that the games that were played were super simple to play once you got the feeling of the controller down (which most say didn't take long).

[Patrick Shannon]

On the idea of comparing cartoon franchises to Pixar movies, it is a good comparison. On the other hand, if Pixar movies was all there was...no matter how good...I think a lot of people would be looking over the movies. Kind of Nintendo's position with the GameCube if you think about it.

Honestly, I believe that the (good) mature games are stereotyped in the exact same way, just in the other direction. Grand Theft Auto's strength was not all the violence like Hillary Clinton would have you believe. It was it's open world which let you do nearly as you pleased, which really hadn't been seen in a console game up until that point. Condemned was also another good game, but what was complimented about it was it's combat engine and to a lesser degree, it's detective storyline. Gameplay a little tricky to pick up, but rewarding...you can't just go in there and swing and gun. Probably one of my favorite games of all times is Morrowind and Oblivion. So much to do in the games and you can play it however you'd like, a true RPG. Then there's your sports simulations, like Gran Turismo, Madden or Fight Night Round 3 or whatnot. Many people who are into the respective sports like these kinds of games and they are sorely needed, too.

[Broacher]

The thing is, it's very tough for any serious 'gamer' to objectively analyze future changes to the market that include creating new market territory outside of the current, and narrowly established one.

And that's probably why Nintendo invested a lot of bucks into finding ways to expand the market beyond sports and shoot 'em ups. It's not that they won't continue to be part of those market, it's just that they're actually working on a way to go beyond that.

Ironically, then, that the gaming platform most gamers label 'immature' would be the one to start staking out the 30+ and female market in a serious way. Maybe the current meaning of the phrase 'mature market' for gaming might itself be on the way out.

[reuber1]

I liked the openness of GTA, but it was kinda "empty" openness, if you catch my drift. Really, you could go to different places, but it was all kind of "blah", though they tried to force you into finding packages around the place (and tons of them). I had more fun with the openness from Zelda games instead, and Oblivion as well. Each place served a purpose, besides being a soon-to-be destination in another bland mission. And I didn't mind the violence in GTA, but I know that some people play those games solely because of it.

If it was strictly cartoony games on the 'Cube, it would be a boring situation indeed. That system offers more than that than most people give them credit for though. They were the first to have RE4, Killer 7, and the only to have Eternal Darkness, all deservedly mature rated games (all excellent). Sony and Microsoft seem to be polar opposites of Nintendo, with a lot of mature titles (many of them not good) but few "E" titles.

I can't wait to try sports games on the Wii. Madden sounds like it will be awesome. Top Spin or Virtua Tennis developers need to get off their ass and make that for the Wii as well. Punch Out!!! using two remotes, anyone?

[Broacher]

Another endline idea for Nintendo marketing:

A TV commercial highlighting the best pure 'fun' and social components of the new sytem. And finish with: "CAUTION: For immature audiences, only."

The non-violent, non-sexual, videogame market. Maybe in a few years that will no longer be just another oxymoron.

[wienerdog]

Ok, this DS lite thing is so much fun to play, it is interfering with my attempts to get off my ass and do creative work to overcome the monotony of my day job.

But damn if Tetris DS isn't the most fun little diversion, even while my wife is watching some stupid show on TV. :)

[ekosix]

Ok, this thread inspired me to take the plunge and get a DS Lite. Wow. Talk about a good time. The only thing is now I have to wrestle it away from my wife, cause she's just as addicted to the new Super Mario Bros. as I am.

The only thing is that the kid at Best Buy said you can surf the internet with it. I'm thinking she didn't know what she was talking about, or I need some kind of accessory.

[reuber1]

Accessory...not sure if it's ready yet here in the US too.

[Patrick Shannon]

Gotta love those Best Buy salesmen, don't know anything that they talk about. Best one I heard was when some Best Buy salesman was talking to a woman about XM Radio. She asked if her boyfriend who was over in Iraq could receive XM, to which he said it worked anywhere. Uh, the satellites are pointed at the US/Canada, whatever.

On the same subject of XM, another salesman a long time ago said that you could hook a video accessory to XM to receive a video feed of the audio Playboy channel. Where do they come up with this stuff? ;)

[reuber1]

I have to say, though, at Target XM and Sirius both sent us jack shit for research and reading material on their products. Basically we could look through the same brochures that the customers could, which were as informative as a bag of potatoes that have been in the sun too long; sorry, off my "A" game today. Though our Nintendo rep was the most informative and polite vendor I had to work with, unlike MS or Sony. She gave us the lowdown on practically everything, and the info she sent us was pretty damn thorough and busy-worker friendly.

[wienerdog]

I am so damn addicted to this little system, I can't explain it. I'm playing this thing WAY more than I was my GameCube. Maybe it's because of all the new software for it and the on-line play doesn't hurt either. Tetris DS is crazy. I got to level 15 before my game fell apart on me because it just went too fast. I found you can keep spinning the falling pieces even as the hit the blocks to bide yourself time.

New Super Mario Bros. is a fantastic game and the number of mini games to show off the DS's features of microphone and stylus play is absurdly entertaining.

[reuber1]

Glad you brought this back up, w-dog. I saw a link somewhere where someone figured out how to mod SNES games to your DS. Pretty sweet.