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Why did Nintendo rush out the NDS to the market?

SantaC

Member
I am wondering because GBA SP was released just 1 year prior to the DS, and the GBA SP was a slick and great handheld. My favorite handheld of all time actually.

Nintendo said that the DS would be a third pillar, but instead it effectively killed off the GBA. They could easily waited two more years and release something more refined, but apparently they were in a hurry. On top of that, the first NDS was a fat ugly piece compared to the sexy GBA SP.
 
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DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
Sony spooked 'em. They announced the PSP at E3 2003, just two years after the GBA launched.

I'm guessing that had something to do with it. That isn't to say that Nintendo began development the DS in response to the PSP. I assume it was in the works already, but the PSP's announcement surely played a role in its accelerated launch and prototype-quality form factor. Both systems launched late 2004.
 

Griffon

Member
tumblr_m2njyrvJwA1rtfdl3o1_400.gifv
 

Naibel

Member
PSP was the biggest threat in the handheld space Nintendo has ever faced, and they were quite nervous to lose the only market they still have a grip on. Rightfully so, as the PSP sold nearly as much units as the GBA !

So yeah, they rushed the DS in order to secure a launch alongside Sony's machine and squash its momentum.

It was the same situation with the Game Boy Color, rushed to the market in order to crush the Wonderswan (the only difference being that the DS project began years before its launch, during the Yamauchi era whereas the GBC was a quick 'n dirty project).
 
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Blond

Banned
I expected this to decimate the DS. How wrong I was.

I mean the main problem with the PSP from what I saw was the same reason I have a hard time playing the switch for anything but it's exclusives. Lesser console ports at console prices "but it's portable!"

The PSP did have the best versions of THUG 2 and The Warriors, though
 

jigglet

Banned
You were wrong, but the PSP was still a very successful console. It sold about as many units as the PS3 or 360.

No, I was wrong, no point sugar coating it :) I didn't predict the DS would simply do worse, I predicted it would be curb stomped.
 
Despite that I still enjoyed my PSP games far more than the DS Games as I felt the non-traditional games on the DS were not as fun.

It had some great games, but sadly many did not appeal to me and I feel that rushing the DS meant some genres were not as great on it as others.
 

Vawn

Banned
No, I was wrong, no point sugar coating it :) I didn't predict the DS would simply do worse, I predicted it would be curb stomped.

Yeah, the handheld market is a lot different. Nintendo dominates that market. It's a shame, because I liked the hardware that pushed the limits like PlayStation provided.
 

JimboJones

Member
Psp did have a good run, wasn't until Ds lite and nintendogs and brain age they Nintendo started to turn things around.
It needed more exclusives that mattered, it never got it's Pokémon moment and all its first party efforts where mostly D tier efforts.
They both signaled the end of high end machines being top dogs in japan too
 
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Naibel

Member
I always thought the original DS looked like a prototype unit. As if they skipped a few steps to get it out as quickly as possible.

They really threw quality control out of the window with this one. My launch DS has big scratches on the touch screen and painting removals galore. At least the hinges haven't broken yet. Appalling piece of crap by Nintendo's standards.

On the other hand, my launch PSP still works like a charm and looks daaaamn great.

Games like Nintendogs, Mario Kart and AC : Wild World really salvaged the DS early on.
 

teezzy

Banned
I expected this to decimate the DS. How wrong I was.

This was the general consensus at the time.

The DS was so strange! Two screens, and one of them was a touch screen?! It's hard to imagine what life was like before touch screens were everywhere. People were perplexed as to how this would translate into gaming at the time. Seems silly now.
 

jigglet

Banned
This was the general consensus at the time.

The DS was so strange! Two screens, and one of them was a touch screen?! It's hard to imagine what life was like before touch screens were everywhere. People were perplexed as to how this would translate into gaming at the time. Seems silly now.

And also bear in mind I was a huge Nintendo fanboy at the time. But after the Gamecube my confidence in Nintendo was starting to waver, and Sony was on such a high with PS1 / PS2...I guess no one expected them to come back with such a devastating 1-2 punch with DS / Wii.
 
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Naibel

Member
Did you use both devices the same amount? Be honest! :messenger_winking:

Damn, you got me :messenger_grinning_squinting: !

Yeah no, not at all in fact ! Me and my sister spent countless hours with it playing Mario Kart, Nintendogs and Animal Crossing. Good times.

BUT STILL, I played on my 3DS nearly just as much, and it still works and looks pretty damn good. My DSi also has small scratches on the touch screen but nowhere near the amount and level of my tank DS, and I played a lot with that too. For as long as I'm into gaming, I've always taken very good care of my stuff.

I genuinely believe they f'ed up with the original DS (its build quality flaws are very well documented), and that the DS Lite was pretty much the actual, final product.
 
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SantaC

Member
I always thought the original DS looked like a prototype unit. As if they skipped a few steps to get it out as quickly as possible.
First NDS was clearly rushed.

I am kinda salty because i loved my GBA SP and didnt care for the touchscreen games. Neither did I care about the dual screen.
 

SCB3

Member
I mean the main problem with the PSP from what I saw was the same reason I have a hard time playing the switch for anything but it's exclusives. Lesser console ports at console prices "but it's portable!"

The PSP did have the best versions of THUG 2 and The Warriors, though


Funny how now that's what people get with the Switch from alot of 3rd party debs

How times change, I loved the PSP more than the DS, but piracy killed it and the Vita just didnt get the games it needed despite being a better console
 

The Snake

Member
This was the general consensus at the time.

The DS was so strange! Two screens, and one of them was a touch screen?! It's hard to imagine what life was like before touch screens were everywhere. People were perplexed as to how this would translate into gaming at the time. Seems silly now.

Not only that but man, I remember being blown away that you could put videos and music on it, and it had a web browser. That was such a huge deal then. I'll never forget everyone crowded around Ryan when he showed off--I think Sam Raimi's Spider-Man--on his PSP in class. Everyone was astonished.
 

diffusionx

Gold Member
IIRC the DS really didn't show up until Mario Kart and then the DS Lite. That launch library is rough. I love the PSP, even today - mine is sitting on my desk next to me in fact. I think it's the best portable handheld just in terms of size and aesthetics. I used to watch movies on the go way before I ever had a smartphone, and the games, even taking into account the control issues, were just phenomenal on a handheld device. I remember when I bought Final Fantasy Tactics, I couldn't believe how cool it was to play such a great game on a portable.
 
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-Arcadia-

Banned
Yeah, it’s key to remember that Sony back then had never had anything but a world-dominating success. People were talking about the PSP as the next iPod.

In that climate Nintendo couldn’t really afford to sit still and let the GBA get shanked, while later launching against something like that.

I do agree, though. It would have been nice to see the GBA get some more love as the last gasp of non-indie 2D games. Summer 2001 to November 2004, three years, is also a pretty short run. Stuff like Minish Cap came out after, but things were effectively over.

Much like the Dreamcast and it’s two years, it’s surprising how meaningful and packed with quality those three years were, however.
 
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stranno

Member
PlayStation Portable was probably a bit rushed too. UMD is a 720x480 video, while PSP features a 480x272 screen, so TV output was probably intended for PSP1000. Or at least there was a project for a UMD player.
 

Dane

Member
Sony spooked 'em. They announced the PSP at E3 2003, just two years after the GBA launched.

I'm guessing that had something to do with it. That isn't to say that Nintendo began development the DS in response to the PSP. I assume it was in the works already, but the PSP's announcement surely played a role in its accelerated launch and prototype-quality form factor. Both systems launched late 2004.

Yeah, i've hard that back in the day it was the very reason why NDS was the third pillar (third product to be sold alongside others), Nintendo tought that the PSP would ram over GBA. In fact, I think for the first year the sales were in a head to head spot, but DS surpassed it, the rest is history...
 

Codes 208

Member
It definitely seemed rushed. Two of the first games revealed were new super mario bros and metroid prime hunters and both of these launch for years after the system launched.

Thankfully the system was BC with gba so it had a pretty massive library out of the gate.

also the ds Lite was the goat of the gba/ds line fight me.
 
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TexMex

Member
Probably to compete with Sony, but I agree on the SP. GBA SP is probably my overall favorite Game Boy.
 
It wasnt rushed. Its how nintendo makes hardware. Poorly thought out. Thats why they need 2-3 generations for same hardware to get it right.

For Switch they needed two console generations to put processing system in tablet of wii u.
 

Chastten

Banned
Because the GBA going up against the PSP was an impossible prospect. The NDS was a bit of a desperate move.

They lucked out with the casual games catching on. Before Nintendogs and Brain Training and stuff the PSP was pretty much destroying the DS when it came to exposure and things. My dedicated game store at the time had the PSP games on a wall akin to the consoles at the time, while the NDS got a tiny sale-like thing in the middle of the store. The first year of the DS was pretty dire.
 

Azelover

Titanic was called the Ship of Dreams, and it was. It really was.
I am wondering because GBA SP was released just 1 year prior to the DS, and the GBA SP was a slick and great handheld. My favorite handheld of all time actually.

Nintendo said that the DS would be a third pillar, but instead it effectively killed off the GBA. They could easily waited two more years and release something more refined, but apparently they were in a hurry. On top of that, the first NDS was a fat ugly piece compared to the sexy GBA SP.
I don't think it was meant to replace the GBA until around 2006 when the DS was really taking off. By then it had been 5 years since the launch of the GBA..
 
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PSP was the biggest threat in the handheld space Nintendo has ever faced, and they were quite nervous to lose the only market they still have a grip on. Rightfully so, as the PSP sold nearly as much units as the GBA !

So yeah, they rushed the DS in order to secure a launch alongside Sony's machine and squash its momentum.

It was the same situation with the Game Boy Color, rushed to the market in order to crush the Wonderswan (the only difference being that the DS project began years before its launch, during the Yamauchi era whereas the GBC was a quick 'n dirty project).

Nearly? DS sold almost double what PSP did and just barely missed PS2 numbers. PSP sold respectably, but largely because of Monster Hunter.
 

stranno

Member
For Switch they needed two console generations to put processing system in tablet of wii u.
Gamecube, the Wii/WiiU hardware, already worked perfectly out of the box, aside the splitted memory, unified on Wii. It was a highly reliable hardware, like Wii or WiiU.

Switch's Tegra T210 was already included in a few devices (like the Google Pixel-C tablet) way before Switch release. So it was a fully tested and probably cheap solution. It wasn't the best idea of the day in the long term, since T210 delivered 20 million of Fusee Gelee vulnerable units to the market. But oh well.
 

FStubbs

Member
Psp did have a good run, wasn't until Ds lite and nintendogs and brain age they Nintendo started to turn things around.
It needed more exclusives that mattered, it never got it's Pokémon moment and all its first party efforts where mostly D tier efforts.
They both signaled the end of high end machines being top dogs in japan too

No it did. Monster Hunter was huge on PSP. So huge Nintendo made sure it ended up on 3DS and not Vita.
 

JimboJones

Member
No it did. Monster Hunter was huge on PSP. So huge Nintendo made sure it ended up on 3DS and not Vita.
Completely forgot about Monster Hunter, that franchise kept psp relevant in Japan for years.
Sony handhelds probably would still be relevant if it was a worldwide phenomenon but it was strange they let Nintendo get it, Vita could have put up a better fight in Japan with it.
 

Rest

All these years later I still chuckle at what a fucking moron that guy is.
The GBA was dated, and the GBA SP wasn't a meaningful enough upgrade for the time.
 

Daniel Thomas MacInnes

GAF's Resident Saturn Omnibus
ObVpnbXl.jpg



The popular consensus in 2004 was that Nintendo was heading for the exits, just like Sega. It was only a matter of time before they quit the hardware market and either returned to making playing cards or became a Playstation developer. The announcement of the Playstation Portable only seemed to cement that belief. Thankfully, Nintendo had other plans.

It's also important to remember that nobody--and I mean nobody--understood what Nintendo was doing at the time, giving long speeches about getting out of the technological rat race and pursuing something called a "blue ocean" strategy. The arrival of the Nintendo DS was met with puzzlement, curiosity, a little bemusement. Nobody knew what to make of it.

It's clear that Nintendo was carefully planning their strategy for some time, but it's also quite understandable if the DS was rushed to market a year earlier than they might have originally wanted. As much as I love the Gameboy Advance (the GBA SP model has always been a cherished favorite), there's no way it could have competed directly against the far flashier and more powerful PSP.

The DS captured Nintendo's stubborn quirkiness perfectly, arguably better than any system they ever made. It calls back to the ancient Game & Watch handhelds while also looking forward to capturing the "casual" and "lapsed" players who would be interested in something novel and new. I remember seeing touch screen mini-arcades at neighborhood coffee shops and bars, and was impressed by how popular those machines became among patrons, especially women. Nintendo was very clearly paying attention to that as well, and they understood their future lay in returning to the very roots of videogames. The new message: simplify everything.

The touch screen opened up exciting new possibilities for videogames, breathed new life into puzzle games--Meteos and Zoo Keeper became stone cold classics--and brought gamers back to the glories of long lost eras. New Super Mario Brothers brought back 2D platformers from the dead, Animal Crossing taught us the wonders of digging around and goofing off, Brain Age was micro-gaming genius (also helped to have one of the best Sudoku programs anywhere), Clubhouse Games played like a stack of Atari 2600 cartridges (the shuffleboard game was fantastic). And let's not get started on the massively successful Nintendogs franchise.

The best thing was that DS wasn't even interested in trying to compete against PSP. The two handhelds might as well have existed on two different planets, and that's just fine by me. Let them coexist. Sony ended up selling 80 million units of their portable system, which was oddly dismissed as a "failure" because Nintendo nearly doubled those numbers.

Of course, from DS you get to the Wii, and from there you get iOS, Android, Virtual Reality and, eventually, Nintendo Switch. Sony's PSP did well, but its successors--both the PSP Go and Vita--failed to sell anywhere near the numbers of the original, and now the company has left the portable market. Smartphones eventually ate up everything, including the 3DS, but Switch has proven to be a sustainable counterattack, blurring the boundary between "console" and "portable."

Is there a point to this story? I dunno. I like stories. The important thing is that I was wearing an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time.
 
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Ten_Fold

Member
The PSP, Sony was already dominating the console space. I believe Nintendo didn’t want them owning the handheld space as well. It worked out good for them.
 

Yoboman

Member
1. PSP
2. They had a cool technology with dual screens and touchscreens, sitting on that may have meant somebody else did it first (which smartphones effectively did with touchscreen)
 
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