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[donny2112]

My expectations:

* The Nintendo Conference on October 2nd will be all about the DS Next. I had expected a storage solution for the Wii to be the big thing from the conference, but now I'm doubtful, again, that one is coming soon.
* The GBA slot is still there. The GBC didn't stop playing all GB games, and Nintendo aren't idiots. The GBA slot will still be in this new model.
* Some type of Wi-Fi video chat, either in a specific game or as an addition to Pictochat, will be put in to this model. Friend Codes or another type of external verification will be required for however it's implemented.
* SD cards will allow the movement of VC games from a Wii to be played on the DS Next. Not N64 games, though.
* The DS Lite is not going away. This will probably become the "Pro" model with the DS Next being the "Elite."
* I will finally buy a new DS and pass my non-Lite DS on to someone else.

 

[sprsk]

Pretty much by even the most basic definition this is not true.

I don't think you get what I mean.

We prolly won't see a complete and total new portable for a long while.

From GBA to GBASP to GBMicro and from DS to DS lite, there has never been an upgrade with substantial hardware additions like this one.

Hence, DS2.

 

[TheGreatDave]

I hope they don't hold the design hostage to the GBA slot. Make a little converter thing that plus in to the DS, then the GBA cart goes in to that. I want the device super slim.

 

[Hcoregamer00]

I'm sure of only two things:
1) Not DS2, just another re-design.
2) I really want one.

Here's hoping it won't render my flashcarts obsolete! I'd hate to have to start using and carrying around my retail carts again...

That's probably the main reason for doing a redesign.

Kind of like what Sony has been doing with the PSP revisions.

 

[sprsk]

If there is anti-piracy stuff, they probably revamped the OS too.

Oh snap DS2

I do not understand what on earth Nintendo could release that would compete with the iPhone.

In Japan if anyone could topple apple, it'd be Nintendo.

 

[Juice]

I do not understand what on earth Nintendo could release that would compete with the iPhone.

I love Nintendo, but I can't imagine anything that wouldn't require completely impossibly advanced technology that would get me to buy a hypothetical DS2.

 

[Rpgmonkey]

There are more people here with just a "DS Phat" than I thought (including me)...

I want a new one anyway. Provided it looks like I would be comfortable using it and it's not super-expensive, I'll buy it.

 

[Somnid]

Once again, the idea of removing the GBA slot is less likely than ever (unless this is a model that's supposed to sell side-by-side with the Lite) now that more titles have used the slot for peripheral functionality. Nintendo even did a bundle with Guitar Hero DS; that slot is not going anywhere on whatever the core DS system is.

It wouldn't be the first time a game is rendered unplayable by a system upgrade. But the side-by-side sales is highly likely as was their plan with the Micro. DSLs are starting to drop to $99 at some stores and it sounds like this will come in at a higher price making it logical that they'd sell the DSL as the budget line and this as a higher end line. It doesn't sound like a total replacement.

 

[CrunchinJelly]

* SD cards will allow the movement of VC games from a Wii to be played on the DS Next. Not N64 games, though.

This is almost too good to be true. Definitely won't happen.

* The DS Lite is not going away. This will probably become the "Pro" model with the DS Next being the "Elite."

Didn't they do the same thing with the GBA > GBA SP? What actually happened was they just eventually shifted over to the GBA SP entirely. I'm sure they'll keep the Lite for a while, but I bet a year from now they'll be close to non-existent at retail.

 

[DeathbyVolcano]

I would like a true successor. Can't wait to see what whatever this is looks like.

 

[kittens]

fuck yeah. i've been thinking about buying a DS lately... i'm really glad i heard about this before buying.

 

[Brofist]

In Japan if anyone could topple apple, it'd be Nintendo.

Just curious, topple them as far as what?

 

[Fireblend]

Woah. And I've been about to upgrade to a lite like 15 times this week. Sounds like I'll wait and see. Hopefully my flash cart still works, I want my portable physics and Every Extend the MP3 and camera don't exactly appeal to me, so there's still the option I'll end up with a lite.

 

[Vilix]

Will the gimmicks never end? What advantage are they going to get from the camera that they're not already getting from the touch screen? Having to hover over it rather than touch it doesn't seem particularly intriguing to me.

Now we got ourselves a thread.

 

[comedy bomb]

Maybe it'll still have a GBA slot for GBA games, but it'll come with an adapter that you can plug SD cards into that fits into the GBA slot for downloadable GB/GBA games through the Wii VC.

Does that make any sense? :lol

 

[Y2Kev]

My old powerbook g4 (867 mhz) can't video chat because the processing muscle isn't there. Would the DS be able to do it without new hardware?

 

[Hcoregamer00]

If there is anti-piracy stuff, they probably revamped the OS too.

Oh snap DS2

It would be pretty interesting if they added another chip and more RAM for OS functionality and Camera features, but that would be a little too much work for DS version 3.

Odds are that it will just be a shrunk DS with no GBA slot (assuming it is a redesign). If it is a DS with Camera features, with more ram, a more powerful CPU and an OS that can play videos and MP3's (Hell, might as well as GPS functionality while they are at it), with a larger screen, then it would be a DS 1.5.

A DS2 should not be out for a while.

Whatever the case is, I will likely buy it because I need to replace my DS lite with the dead L-trigger.

My old powerbook g4 (867 mhz) can't video chat because the processing muscle isn't there. Would the DS be able to do it without new hardware?

If they added a Digital camera and added other functionality to the OS, they will likely need a more powerful CPU.

Which would work because there are ARM9 processors that can go up to 220 Mhz (the same CPU as the one in the DS).

Edit: Oops, ARM9 processors could actually go up to 330 Mhz, which would put it in PSP territory.

 

[donny2112]

Didn't they do the same thing with the GBA > GBA SP? What actually happened was they just eventually shifted over to the GBA SP entirely. I'm sure they'll keep the Lite for a while, but I bet a year from now they'll be close to non-existent at retail.

Think GBMicro and GBASP but an upgrade for the Micro instead of smaller and less featured. This is the third iteration of the DS, just like the GBMicro was the third iteration of the GBA, too. However unlike the GBMicro, this should actually do well. :lol

My old powerbook g4 (867 mhz) can't video chat because the processing muscle isn't there. Would the DS be able to do it without new hardware?

The answer is in how many frames per second and what resolution. It could be as small as sending one picture per conversation and that becomes their avatar, but I think they'll send multiple pictures per conversation. If it's not doing anything else but the conversation, it should be able to do fine. Your powerbook had an O/S to run.

 

[charlequin]

I don't think you get what I mean.

That's because you said some silly crap instead of what you apparently actually meant. I agree that we won't see a new-chips-and-software-platform Nintendo handheld for a long-ass time.

That's probably the main reason for doing a redesign.

If the cow was already out of the barn on PSP piracy by the time Sony closed the door, the cow of DS piracy is already out the door, through airport security, and on its way to Aruba.

It wouldn't be the first time a game is rendered unplayable by a system upgrade.

And how many examples are there of big, high-profile games which had previously gotten hardware manufacturer pushes? There's FFXI, which pissed off Square-Enix executives kind of a lot, and... what?

 

[The Hermit]

OH FUCK, BOTH PSP AND DS GETTING NEW DESIGNS?!

FUCK, WE'RE DEAD!

WE'RE ALL DEAD!

KISS YOUR ASSES GOODBYE GUYS! THE END IS NEAR!

But seriously, now I won't have to buy an Ipod.

Fucking Ditto! You can keep my old busted Ds brother, I´m gonna have fun with the new stuff

Spoiler

considering it looks as good or better than the current one

 

[Somnid]

And how many examples are there of big, high-profile games which had previously gotten hardware manufacturer pushes? There's FFXI, which pissed off Square-Enix executives kind of a lot, and... what?

I didn't say it happens a lot, but that it has happened. There are a handful of Playstation 2games that do not work properly on later models. Kirby's Tilt and Tumble wasn't supported by the GBA:SP due to the slot orientation. FFXI would be the best example though.

 

[JaMarco]

bigger screens?
camera exclusive games?
what the hell?

 

[sprsk]

That's because you said some silly crap instead of what you apparently actually meant. I agree that we won't see a new-chips-and-software-platform Nintendo handheld for a long-ass time.

Nintendo is perhaps trying to change the way we view hardware iterations.

Hence the use of italics on the word IS.

 

[donny2112]

camera exclusive games?

Hopefully just exclusive parts like Oracle of Seasons/Ages having an extra ring if played on a GBA and Zelda DX having another playable dungeon on the GBC.

Hence the use of italics on the word IS.

Putting it in quotes might've gotten your message across clearer, for what it's worth.

 

[Hcoregamer00]

Nintendo is perhaps trying to change the way we view hardware iterations.

Hence the use of italics on the word IS.

It would be interesting if they evolve hardware iterations in a different manner.

As in no formal DS2, but they just keep changing the innards of the console while marketing it as a DS.

 

[donny2112]

It would be interesting if they evolve hardware iterations in a different manner.

As in no formal DS2, but they just keep changing the innards of the console while marketing it as a DS.

At somepoint they have to give the thing GameCube level 3D graphics. That will be the DS2, and we won't be wondering "is this it?"

 

[Somnid]

Nintendo is perhaps trying to change the way we view hardware iterations.

Hence the use of italics on the word IS.

The iPod model seems to be one of the most successful among consumers and it is heavily implemented by Sony and MS. It wouldn't suprise me if that's the future of all game systems.

 

[HK-47]

Nintendo is perhaps trying to change the way we view hardware iterations.

Hence the use of italics on the word IS.

Or possibly bullshit made up in your head without all the facts. Doubt they are gonna call this DS2, they are trying to pull a Slim to get new costumers.

How does this change anything about hardware iterations?

 

[Stumpokapow]

I didn't say it happens a lot, but that it has happened. There are a handful of Playstation 2games that do not work properly on later models. Kirby's Tilt and Tumble wasn't supported by the GBA:SP due to the slot orientation. FFXI would be the best example though.

Except that the PS2 loss of hard drive enabled Sony to very substantially redesign the form factor of the PS2, and the GBA:SP's slot orientation allowed Nintendo to do the same. With the Micro, Nintendo actually removed a process which dropped costs by no insignificant amount.

Removing the GBA slot on the DS allows Nintendo to make a small product that's already near the bottom end of most larger hands' comforts zones very slightly smaller. It doesn't make a big product small. It doesn't make an easily breakable product more sturdy. It doesn't cut manufacturing costs by a substantial amount.

I don't think it's impossible that they would remove the GBA slot, but I really wonder why people CONSTANTLY speculate that they will. Does it provide a real advantage? Is it necessary? Is there any real motivation to do it? No, not really, and that's not even taking into account the fact that it does break backwards compatibility as well as a large amount of DS games.

In fact, I can count five Nintendo DS products as well as the now-discontinued browser that require the GBA slot. Plus there's the rumble pack. Plus Guitar Hero DS which is an emerging franchise and a priority for Nintendo of America in terms of third party promotions.

 

[perfectchaos007]

I, for one, would welcome our DS camera overlords.

 

[sprsk]

Or possibly bullshit made up in your head without all the facts. Doubt they are gonna call this DS2, they are trying to pull a Slim to get new costumers.

How does this change anything about hardware iterations?

Where did I say they would call this DS2?

I have an 4G Ipod nano, do you see any commercials where they call it "IPOD NANO 4!"

 

[Hcoregamer00]

At somepoint they have to give the thing GameCube level 3D graphics. That will be the DS2, and we won't be wondering "is this it?"

Well, the next gen of chips are already here.

There are ARM chips (since Nintendo seems to ONLY use this design) that are 665 Mhz, which should pull Gamecube level graphics with a good GPU. Nintendo could easily get this chip and make the DS2 and it would be a HUGE jump over the DS and a noticeable jump over the PSP.

 

[WORLDWIDEWII]

Some of you need to understand that if one of the specs is "larger screen", it is fake.

No redesign of the current DS will ever have a larger screen.

The DS2, sure, but not a redesign.

And the DS2 is NOT coming out in Japan in the next 3 months.

they can have larger screen if the the new model support the same aspect ratio as the original.

i personally hope they will remove the gap between the two screens.

 

[HK-47]

Where did I say they would call this DS2?

I have an 4G Ipod nano, do you see any commercials where they call it "IPOD NANO 4!"

Do you see any reason why Nintendo would start doing that now when it hasnt worked for their competitors and they have never done it before, just cause its got some unimportant gadgets added on. They arent enough to make it anything near a Touch or an Iphone. Ds is made for game, Nintendo's one strength is games. Why change it now?

 

[HK-47]

Well, the next gen of chips are already here.

There are ARM chips (since Nintendo seems to ONLY use this design) that are 665 Mhz, which should pull Gamecube level graphics with a good GPU. Nintendo could easily get this chip and make the DS2 and it would be a HUGE jump over the DS and a noticeable jump over the PSP.

And a noticable jump in costs yet somehow the better graphics will make them sell more? Worked great for PSP

 

[Hcoregamer00]

And a noticable jump in costs yet somehow the better graphics will make them sell more? Worked great for PSP

The PSP doesn't have Nintendo's handheld console lineage and strong 3rd party support.

 

[comedy bomb]

i personally hope they will remove the gap between the two screens.

But then older games would look slightly off because the image does not line up.

 

[Somnid]

Except that the PS2 loss of hard drive enabled Sony to very substantially redesign the form factor of the PS2, and the GBA:SP's slot orientation allowed Nintendo to do the same. With the Micro, Nintendo actually removed a process which dropped costs by no insignificant amount.

Removing the GBA slot on the DS allows Nintendo to make a small product that's already near the bottom end of most larger hands' comforts zones very slightly smaller. It doesn't make a big product small. It doesn't make an easily breakable product more sturdy. It doesn't cut manufacturing costs by a substantial amount.

I don't think it's impossible that they would remove the GBA slot, but I really wonder why people CONSTANTLY speculate that they will. Does it provide a real advantage? Is it necessary? Is there any real motivation to do it? No, not really, and that's not even taking into account the fact that it does break backwards compatibility as well as a large amount of DS games.

In fact, I can count five Nintendo DS products as well as the now-discontinued browser that require the GBA slot. Plus there's the rumble pack. Plus Guitar Hero DS which is an emerging franchise and a priority for Nintendo of America in terms of third party promotions.

-They removed the Digital out from the Gamecube because the online-only, never stocked cables weren't selling.

-GB and GBC BC chips were cut from the GBM, most likely to reduce space.

-On the SP they removed the headphone jack, I can only imagine, for space reasons.

-They've redesigned the Micro's plug to be both a gamelink port and a power port and required an adaptor to use normal link cables. Ironically they added the headphone jack due to outcry.

-The e-card reader is not fully compatible with the GBA:SP or DSL. It is completely incompatible with the Micro, and DS fat.

Loss of peripheral use happens and Nintendo has consistanly removed near cost-less parts to impove cost or form factor. Neither the DS rumble pack nor the Opera browser were very popular and they weren't required. GH is an issue but it means the for the next iteration it will have to be redesigned. Luckily for them GH is a yearly thing so it won't matter so much in the long run.

It's also possible that in the case of rumble, browser or GBA games that any of those can possibly be included as either a hardware feature or as software via the proposed SD card slot. It seems possible that older gameboy titles ranging from GB all the way to advance can simply be incorporated into the VC if they so will it. This is not unlike PSPs Playstation Classics.

As far as comfort goes the system can be redesigned to a different form shape but more likely they don't care because it's not a problem in Japan.

 

[HK-47]

The PSP doesn't have Nintendo's handheld console lineage and strong 3rd party support.

they did have strong 3rd party at launch compared to Nintendo. And lineage means shit, Playstation anyone. As the Wii and the DS should show, graphics mean little to Nintendo and little to success. They are not gonna spend more money on something like that

 

[ThatObviousUser]

This would be awesome if next week they announced not only that the SD slot can play Virtual Console games, but that they're also launching DS Next-only GameBoy and GameBoy Color games.

 

[Oblivion]

Good god, Nintendo is really taking this whole 'don't announce anything, now matter how important it might be' thing to a new fucking level.


I must say, it's also quite hypocritical of Nintendo to put in all these other media functions after talking about how they're only a gaming company for so long.

 

[charlequin]

Nintendo is perhaps trying to change the way we view hardware iterations.

Not really. Nintendo has already successfully gotten people to accept iterative improvements of the non-game features, so in that sense this isn't anything new, and Nintendo is not going to never release a new handheld software platform until the end of time, so... when that happens, that will be the DS2.

The iPod model seems to be one of the most successful among consumers and it is heavily implemented by Sony and MS. It wouldn't suprise me if that's the future of all game systems.

The iPod model is based around selling a product whose core functionality (the ability to play music) was already essentially perfect in the first iteration, and driving continued sales by upgrading the peripheral qualities with each new generation. The platform (the AAC and MP3 formats) is identical on every iPod from the first to the latest, and no one has to upgrade their songs to get a new iPod. Nintendo (and other manufacturers) will get a lot of mileage out of iterative purchases of their hardware, but the generation cycle is not something that can really be eliminated at this time.

Removing the GBA slot on the DS allows Nintendo to make a small product that's already near the bottom end of most larger hands' comforts zones very slightly smaller. It doesn't make a big product small. It doesn't make an easily breakable product more sturdy. It doesn't cut manufacturing costs by a substantial amount.

Right. Unlike cost-cutting moves we've seen on other systems, you can't do the thing that would really save money (remove the BC chip) because the ARM7 (?) that is used for GBA mode is also a core component of the DS architecture and used by DS games. That means there's basically no money to be saved by removing the slot -- and the DS Lite is already plenty small enough.

In fact, I can count five Nintendo DS products as well as the now-discontinued browser that require the GBA slot. Plus there's the rumble pack. Plus Guitar Hero DS which is an emerging franchise and a priority for Nintendo of America in terms of third party promotions.

I don't understand why people don't think this is significant. Activision has already announced their intention to extend the GH DS franchise past two installments, and Nintendo of America considers it one of their major third-party franchises, one that they've dedicated a system bundle to and everything. It would be crazy to cut that off.

 

[blu]

Nintendo DS Next model
- (digital) Camera included
- music playback function
- Wireless connection function power up
- larger screen
- to be released this year in Japan
- under 20000 yen
- new types of games by using the camera
- get/exchange data from Wii and SD card (SD card slot included?)

and so begins the 'touch myself' generation..

Will the gimmicks never end? What advantage are they going to get from the camera that they're not already getting from the touch screen? Having to hover over it rather than touch it doesn't seem particularly intriguing to me.

i guess the input of camera images through the touch screen would be slightly complicated.

once we accept that, we can consider the following:

* video picto-chat.
* skype down the road.
* a gazillion augmented reality games, among which 'nintendo hair stylist' selling quadjibbazillion of copies, replacing mario as the most sold game in history.

etc, etc.

 

[Eteric Rice]

they can have larger screen if the the new model support the same aspect ratio as the original.

i personally hope they will remove the gap between the two screens.

It would be like the book from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Don't think its really possible atm, though.

 

[Rewrite]

I'm a happy Phat owner. I don't feel the need to upgrade!

 

[Stumpokapow]

-They removed the Digital out from the Gamecube because the online-only, never stocked cables weren't selling.

-GB and GBC BC chips were cut from the GBM, most likely to reduce space.

-On the SP they removed the headphone jack, I can only imagine, for space reasons.

-They've redesigned the Micro's plug to be both a gamelink port and a power port and required an adaptor to use normal link cables. Ironically they added the headphone jack due to outcry.

-The e-card reader is not fully compatible with the GBA:SP or DSL. It is completely incompatible with the Micro, and DS fat.

You're looking at two different categories here:

- Stuff that was of material benefit in terms of cost and form-factor; the GBM cutting the Z80, the PS2 dropping the hard drive, Tilt 'n' Tumble not working with GBASP.

- Stuff that didn't matter at all in terms of games being playable; the digital out, the SP headphone jack, the Micro power adapter. These are not examples to support the idea that the GBA slot would be removed any more than the dogbone NES or the SNES Jr. are.

The DS losing the GBA slot is neither. It still needs the ARM7 processor. Its physical proportions can't get much thinner for comfort and durability reasons. You're proposing that either Nintendo drop the slot and say fuck it to a bunch of games and to a selling point or that Nintendo drop the slot and implement a major daisy chain of replacements for that slot, partially new hardware, partially software, work with 3rd parties to deal with it... and to what end?

Activision, BTW, would not just redesign the software for new yearly editions. Retailers already have expressed their anger at SKU creep for rhythm games, and adding a third SKU to the DS games besides costing more in terms of production and support will really irritate retailers. Plus, the R&D required for such a new peripheral would screw up their product cycle and the existing games would not likely be compatible with the new peripheral since it's virtually certain the games use special roll-your-own hardware calls to get input from slot-2... so Nintendo would have to have added a slot-2 hardware call emulation layer for any future SD peripherals to work with games expecting slot-2 peripherals. This is getting very complicated, and we're still seeing no benefit.

The eReader is a wildcard but remember that this is a device that was not needed for anything, merely supplemented a few games, required retailer or manufacturer support in terms of new cards, and flopped worse than any other project Nintendo embarked on in the last decade. As exceptions go, this one has limited predictive power.

 

[rollingstart]

It would be like the book from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Don't think its really possible atm, though.

I think it can be done, or at least much closer than it was before.

 

[Lindsay]

Whats with the camera? Trying ta keep up with the new PSP model or something?


Anyways my fat DS will last forever so there!

 

[Guyver]

May be its just some new add-on rather than new ds system. In comparison to the wii add-on strategies e.g wii fit

 

[HK-47]

Whats with the camera? Trying ta keep up with the new PSP model or something?


Anyways my fat DS will last forever so there!

Phat forever