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Quote:
Nowhereman said:
I say lets wait til its released before we start judging what it can & cant do!
You're right in the sense that all this talk is just speculation. Some of the rumours have more foundation than others, but we won't really know how good the PSP is until it hits the shelves and people get to experience it firsthand.
What I'm saying is that Sony have an unproven track record in this area. The PSP is a very ambitious machine and I have reservations about its reliability and its ability to perform well across the board.
Because of the production costs, the company are going to have to sustain huge losses before they see any profit and they have a hell of a lot to lose if the console fails in some respect. They are going to have to weather a storm and continue to invest capital in the PSP, in the same way that Microsoft did with the XBOX.
Sony recently had their credit rating downgraded, having rashly announced the low retail price of the PSP in Japan on the same day that they also announced a large downturn in profits in their electronics unit. The consensus in the business community seems to be that Sony are lagging behind their competitors when it comes to producing machines that capture the public's imagination.
Maybe this sword hanging over their heads will drive them to excellence. From Sony's perspective, the PSP has to work and it has to be good.
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backwards 7 said:
Quote:
Nowhereman said:
I say lets wait til its released before we start judging what it can & cant do!
What I'm saying is that Sony have an unproven track record in this area.
And what I'm saying is the same was true of their first console the Playstation,but they still took on & beat the two giants,Sega & Nintendo!
Sony dont go into things totally blind,they will have done a hell of a lot of research & they know full well brand loyalty will come into play here as well!
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nowhereman notes that i talk about the "swiss army knife" mentality as if it were negative, and he's right -- i hate it. i don't want a lack luster mp3 player. i don't want a crummy dvd player. i don't want a weak internet access. i want a kick ass gaming machine, and don't care about the others regards.
but i'm clearly in the minority in this thought, as the "swiss army knife" approach is amazingly successful; a result of the marketing. as a business, its the market that matters, not the gamer. and sony's biggest attribute, something that remains to this day, is their marketing. its flat out genius.
nintendo has the legacy. microsoft has the money. sony produced the lowest quality, lowest performing console of the current generation ...and is outselling the others ten fold, their attributes be damned. less impressive graphics, less impressive sound, less impressive in-house development... its all for naught. sony knows how to sell its systems. with system sales comes third party support and loyalty. sony lets the developers figure out the problems, afterward. sony concentrates on creating, generating, and regenerating a large fan base, and does so amazingly -- even nintendo in the 80s has nothing on sony's push of recent years.
my point through all this is that it doesn't matter how good the psp is; its sony. it will sell. and it will sell huge. sony has an unparalleled ability of making things look cool, and making "must have" items. the psp will be no different.
if the western psp is like the japanese psp and its battery life is a similar 4 hours, thats awful. its not like everyone will be playing their handheld 4 hours straight, however to have to charge the system once every 2-3 times you play is very poor, and will hurt the system in the long run (the more times you recharge a battery, the worse it becomes). but that wont matter to sony -- their concern is that everyone wants it more than air.
that goes for any of the psp's flaws, just as with the ps2's. they'll be ignored, because there's no reason to address them. xbox can make deeper games with graphics a zillion times better? ...who cares? gamecube brings loading times to an all-new low? ...whats the point?
i just have a different skew on things.
personally, from my hardcore gamer's perspective, i look for other aspects. i did this review from my own perspective, however different it may be. i look for gaming and i look for fun. additional aspects dont impact me.
thus, the psp's non-gaming points (which are already less than stellar) don't count as anything for me.
the ds, on the other hand, is a gaming machine that brings so many new elements to the field of video games. its made for smiles.
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Rob Kamphausen said:
but i'm clearly in the minority in this thought, as the "swiss army knife" approach is amazingly successful; a result of the marketing. as a business, its the market that matters, not the gamer. and sony's biggest attribute, something that remains to this day, is their marketing. its flat out genius.
I'm with you here, I don't want to see a bunch of features that aren't going to have operation with maximum efficiency just for face value and then end up with half assed gaming just cuz' the other features are taking up room.
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Rob Kamphausen said:
nintendo has the legacy. microsoft has the money. sony produced the lowest quality, lowest performing console of the current generation ...and is outselling the others ten fold, their attributes be damned. less impressive graphics, less impressive sound, less impressive in-house development... its all for naught. sony knows how to sell its systems. with system sales comes third party support and loyalty. sony lets the developers figure out the problems, afterward. sony concentrates on creating, generating, and regenerating a large fan base, and does so amazingly -- even nintendo in the 80s has nothing on sony's push of recent years.
The one thing you left out is the Sony has far better games & more of them than any other system.
They also gave us backwards compatibility on the PS2.
No matter how you market something,if its total shit nobody will buy it!
As I've said many times before,I know people who own both a PS2 & an X-Box & they all say the same thing,games are far more playable on the PS2!
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The PS2 also came out a year earlier. Thats why its not as powerful.
November 6th, 2012: Americas new Independence Day.
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Nowhereman said:
The one thing you left out is the Sony has far better games & more of them than any other system.
They also gave us backwards compatibility on the PS2.
True. The only thing that matters for any game is fun factor. I'll take San Andreas over Halo 2 any day of the week.
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Nowhereman said:
The one thing you left out is the Sony has far better games & more of them than any other system.
no, that was included.
sony doesn't worry about console woes. they don't have an in-house game design unit. they don't need to focus on either. they simply generate a machine, then generate the machine's popularity.
the reason why sony has more games is because a third party developer wants to maximize their money, so they'll release their game on the system with the most consoles out there, to guarantee a better chance at more earnings (especially if porting it is too challenging or two expensive). sony generates "cool" which sells more consoles than any other, the developers do the rest.
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Nowhereman said:
No matter how you market something,if its total shit nobody will buy it!
thats not true at all.
a fad is a fad is a fad.
even to parallel with the wrestling world, you hate hulk hogan and he clearly can't wrestle as well as someone like benoit or lance storm ... but its the packaging that sells. same is true of any movie or tv show or record that you've heard or seen that is infinitely better than anything out there... it just doesnt have the support it needs to get big.
sony is, and has for years before the ps1 (since the new teams took over after "beta max"), vastly succesful at generating what is cool. in the 80s, you couldn't have a portable cassette player, you had to have a walkman, even if it wasn't as compact or fast or durable or advanced as the other brands. sony knows how to push it self.
defeating the quality and legacy of nintendo is enormous. but more so devastating is tricking gamers into thinking nintendo isn't cool, and that nintendo games aren't cool. viewtiful joe comes out for gamecube, and its a "cartoony joke -- typical nintendo," despite its critical and gamer acclaim. one year later, viewtiful joe 2 comes out for gamecube and, later, ps2, and all of a sudden, its the coolest game ever, with message boards being flooded with the great niche concept praise. sony marketing has an enormous power.
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Actually Sony do have their own in house gaming!
Polyphonic is their own software house from my understanding,I also seem to remember they own Studio Liverpool which used to be Psygnosis until Sony bought them!
And no Rob,its nothing like Hogan,not really.
Watching Hogan is not the same a laying out hard earned money to buy a gaming system that is shit.
If the machine & its games were crap,people would stop buying them!
You are right about Hogan though as a marketing phenomenon,but thats because the average wrestling fan doesnt have the highest IQ.
Also,Hogan does have some good points such as being able to work a promo.
Could a marketing push have made someone like Funaki into the kind of superstar Hogan is/was?
You gotta have at least something to work with!
Lets face it,if the movie studio had put a huge ammount of advertising & great marketing behind the film Gigli,would it have been more well liked?
No,cause you cant polish a turd!
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i knew you'd get all caught up on hogan 
lets not get all drastic here, and just speak with logics. let me re-address: no, you can't sell absolute shit as if it were the greatest thing ever, and hope to top the charts. however, you can put something out there that isn't at all that great and still have it out-perform things easily superior. gigli might flop, but batman and robin can gross 100 million, as long as it has the force of warner brothers, summer-time blockbusters, and mega action stars to push it.
content and quality aren't always so important.
there are hundreds of examples like that in music, movies, television and video games. it just so happens that, of all of them, sony is amongst the best on putting a better spin on things, even before their days in the gaming world (i.e; their walkman line)
the viewtiful joe example is priceless, because it shows sony's control over the minds of fanboys everywhere. sony's grasp to skew, then reskew, is almost mythical, giving fandom a pliable mob mentality.
with batman and robin, you have studios pushing out a mediocre movie to as many people as possible in hopes of developing a following that will purchase shirts, posters, bedsheets, backpacks, pencils, and figurines. the concept is no different to sony, who pushes out there console, even at a major loss to themselves, in order to spread their name and brand around.
don't look at this as me painting things in a negative light, because i'm not. i'm simply calling things as they are, and differentiating the majority's opinion from my own gamer's opinion.
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See the reason you analogies dont work for me is that I have never seen any of this Sony marketing you talk of.
Yes they advertise their games more than Nintendo & Microsoft but I've never seen any of this negative competition marketing you speak of.
Its quite possible that it is a US thing as the consumer market is obviously vastly different from one country to another.
Yes their are magazines exclusive to different brands but you usually only buy these magazines after you have bought your machine not before so negative marketing towards another machine is pointless.
Now I cant speak for Nintendo here as I dont actually know anyone who bought one,but I do know that Sony provide a far better customer service than Microsoft as I have had dealings with Sony & friends have had dealings with Microsoft.
I cannot fault Sony but they have had nothing good to say about Microsoft.
If this is part of the Sony marketing you speak of then I aint gonna complain about them & Microsoft only have themselves to blame!
I know you arent trying to bad mouth Sony per se,but I just think that judging a machine before it actually hits the stores is a wee bit judgemental.
Specs are one thing,what the machine does with them is another thing entirely!
Remember the last days of the first Playstation & how software houses were finding new tricks that actually made the games look & play better than the machine was sposed to be capable of.
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a lot of the sony marketing has to do with generating buzz and a "cool factor." sony will pay top dollar to associate themselves with whatever is hip at the time: mtv, wwf, paris hilton, cartoon network, marvel movies, etc. they put a name out for themselves that position the company as the cool company, by default devaluing (or attempting to) the competition.
in the past five years or so, sony has taken this strategy, and beautifully, to the internet, hyping on mtv.com, wwf.com, etc. they also take full advantage of coverage on gaming sites, where they can grab the most rabid of fanboys. gamespot or ign or amazon, etc. they taint their competitors games, from halo to zelda, and praise their own, sometimes aggressively, in open forums, interviews, and commentaries.
the viewtiful joe example is one of the more blatant. its a 2.5D scrolling action game that came out for the gamecube last year with a cartoony feel and anime style. it was hailed by many critics but panned by other, more sony-loyal (not just through preference) sites. sony executives and developers would speak out on the "kiddie" style (a term i'm sure you've heard applied) of the game, and how their games are "harder core." message boarders and magazines took the messages and ran with them, seemingly mocking the game.
the game had great success on nintendo's console, and a year later, the sequel is announced ... to appear on gamecube first, and later the ps2.
instantly, the process is reversed. the side-scrolling action is now retro and classic. the fast paced style is a brilliant addition. the in-game effects are genius. the "cartoony" style is corrected to be defined as the more hip "gritty anime."
again, none of this is bad -- its brilliant. and obviously succesful. to forcibly swap opinions of the masses like that is not just difficult, its amazing. if nintendo or microsoft had that ability, the console race would be much more even-tiered.
as for my opinions on the psp...
yes, in many regards, its too early to judge. but i made no prejudgement on anything that was yet-to-be-determined. the facts of the system are that it is a gaming unit capable of ps2-level games. the only (main) differences being that it is portable and the games are on a different media (smaller dvd-like discs).
the graphics and sound of the games (from what is seen in the demos) are beautiful. they're every bit as great as they are on the ps2. madden looks and plays like madden. GTA looks and plays like GTA. all of your favorite ps2 games will respond just as well on the psp. ... and thats exactly my problem.
to me (!!), thats a loss right there. its offering no additional gaming experience past what i could get on the ps2. except now, i have to re-buy the games in a different format, since the psp can't play ps2 discs.
thats why, to me, it sounds like sony is simply taking a chunk out of themselves, since, as of now, it seems pointless to own both a psp and a ps2. thus, sales of the psp are just cutting into sales of the ps2, and vice versa.
the psp does have some extra features, yes. mp3 play back for one. one of the more touted abilities is that the psp also plays movies, and they look just as crisp and clean as they do on the big tv -- the psp's handheld screen truly is amazing and beautiful. but, again, now i'll have to re-buy all of the movies in the newer format, since the psp can't play dvd discs.
these are just all things i see as huge negatives.
and thats not being pre-judgemental. thats not jumping to conclusions -- thats based on the actual product and what it can and can not do. thats what sony is releasing. yes, it could include a few surprises here n'there, and yes, we should (and i will) wait to pass full judgement on them (hopefully, after testing it out for a few hours!)
but as of now, thats what we've got.
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1:Nobody would be forcing you to rebuy all your DVDs,and quite frankly why would you if you have a DVD player at home?
2:Its a portable unit,people will still play their PS2s which will usually be connected to a tv permanently!
3:PS2 sales must be dwindling by now anyway as most people who want one already own one,so a hand held isnt gonna cut into their sales that much.
4:Why should they care which unit sells,they are making money one way or another.
5:I've never even heard of that game you keep talking about!
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1) true, no one is forcing you. i'm not saying that. i'm just pointing out that any movie you'd want to watch on the psp, you have to buy in the unique psp-format. thus, if you have "terminator 2" on dvd to watch at home, but wanna watch it on the go, you'll have to "re-buy" the film in your psp's format. 2) true. though the portability aspects are, as of now with the japanese release, suspect. 3) "dwindling" ps2 sales are still explosive! especially while they pitch the new slimmer model. even still, its only my personal theory that it will hurt ps2 sales, sony obviously doesn't feel that way. 4) while its true they're making money either way, they're making significantly more money in a market where they dominate, the home consoles. the psp is being sold at a pretty heft loss per unit, even if it was priced at $300, like many thought it would have been. 5) he's the mascot over europe!. the first game came out last christmas time to rave critical acclaim. the second game was just released on the gamecube to similar praise.
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Still never heard of it!
Must have had a great advertising campaign!
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well, i can't speak fer ya, so i dunno. i also dunno if they released it in europe, at all, truth be told. i dont follow those kinda stats. if yer interested, here is info on the first, and here is info on the second.
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I think that sorta at least semi-proves one of my points,that Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft/Whoever might use a tactic in one territory but not another. Althought as an American you talk the same language as me (sorta) our cultures are vastly different meaning an advertising campaign that works here might not work there & vice versa! I do agree theres always been a case of fans of one manufacturer putting down all others,and some journos as well,but I think the marketing of these companies adapt their marketing strategy depending on the country! I think as this discussion has gone on,we've both started to see the other persons point of view might be more valid than we first thought which makes a change from us both calling each other gay! I fully admit I am currently a Sony mark just as we all know you are a Nintendo mark,but hey,you cant help being gay 
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Nowhereman said:
I fully admit I am currently a Sony mark just as we all know you are a Nintendo mark,but hey,you cant help being gay
not while you're on the open market! 
Quote:
Nowhereman said:
I think that sorta at least semi-proves one of my points,that Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft/Whoever might use a tactic in one territory but not another.
very true.
its also true that the european market is supported less than the american market. thus, if a system or game doesn't take off immediately, it likely wont be supported. so if ps2 grabs a foothold, it might not just mean small nintendo/microsoft campaigns, but none!
Quote:
Nowhereman said:
I do agree theres always been a case of fans of one manufacturer putting down all others,and some journos as well,but I think the marketing of these companies adapt their marketing strategy depending on the country!
fair enough.
i do know that, at least in the american market (and from what i've heard, the japanese), sony is by far and away the best at marketing and nintendo is by far and away the worst.
its always been a weak point for nintendo, even back during the snes/genesis rivalry. the higher-ups have a very old, japanese-approach of being reserved and more traditional, where as sony has accepted and embraced their western brashness, which has obviously proven effective.
nintendo has shown a slight evolution of sorts... they've started grouping with third parties a little better. they've started linking up with "cool" markets, like wwf and mtv. they've started hipping up their commercials (namely: the retro GBA, metroid prime 2, and the sexy DS ads).
but they're all still drops in the bucket, compared to the relentless and continual "cool machine" sony has. they're simply different leagues.
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One thing I'll say is that you are correct about the advertising campaigns.
Over here I have rarely seen a Nintendo add on tv unless its a game on all formats.
Sony advertise the shit out of their games & systems,and I have seen the odd X-Box game advertised,but I cant remember the last time I saw any Nintendo advertising outside printed medium!
But this isnt about Sony putting anyone else down,its about them taking the initiative & promoting themselves while Nintendo just doesnt seem to wanna push itself out into the public eye!
Its entirely possible that they dont see the UK market as being that strong for them,so they dont wanna waste money advertising (but how will they know until they give it a real go).
I know Sega always had the upper hand on them over here for system/game sales & I know the N64 didnt really take off,but surely they should have gotten behind the Gamecube more if they wanted any chance of taking a big slice out of Sonys pie.
The only place Nintendo have excelled over here is in the hand held system market,which sorta brings us back to where we started!
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Nintendo have practically given up on the Gamecube in the UK. It didn't have to happen that way and I think the system's under performance, in terms of getting a foothold in the market, can be partly put down to the company failing to properly judge and then meet the requirements of their fans.
Buyers of the cube wanted access to the same big titles that appeared on the other major formats but they also wanted the quirky and inventive games that Nintendo are well known for. There were numerous titles, released in Japan, which, in spite of the demand, never reached the UK or, if they did, got belated low key releases.
I got the sense that Nintendo threw in the towel too soon with this console and the Gamecube could have gained in popularity if a coordinated effort had been made.
On the other hand, I've seen numerous advertisments in magazines and on billboards for the GBA. With the odd exception, most of these advertisements are targetted at boosting sales of the handheld itself rather than the games.
The word of mouth buzz surrounding the DS is phenomenal. Most people I know, who are interested in this kind of thing, want one. When it gets it's release in the UK, in Spring 2005, it will fly off the shelves.
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I've gotta say this is the only place I've heard it mentioned.
People at work were talking about the PSP months ago but havent mentioned word one about the DS.
Once again I'd put this down to Nintendo not using the marketing tools that are available to them.
The biggest benefit they will have here is the fact it will hit the shops first,giving it a head start,kinda like when Sega launched the Dreamcast.
The thing they will have to do once the PSP is launched is maintain that momentum & keep pushing,but I'm not sure they will!
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interesting tidbit:
the early reports of the holiday weekend are that the DS sold amazingly in the states, cleaning out half a million units very quickly.
however, in the same span of time (which i believe was the four day holiday weekend, but i'll have to double check), the GBA sold 800,000 units.
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More than likely down to the fact GBA is a known product with a large software support!
If you are gonna give someone a christmas present & you aint that up on whats better,you'll prolly go with the name you know & the one that has more games available!
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Nintendo gets touchy feely: DS offers new ways for gamers to connect
By Tom Loftus - Columnist, MSNBCNintendo wants you to know that its new handheld is not just another blob of circuitry encased in cold silver plastic. To make this point, my review copy of the Nintendo DS came in unusual packaging.
Missing were the obligatory product photos and lists of features. Instead, the slogan "Touching is good" was splashed in big silver letters across the box, which was also decorated with textural swatches of things such as football rubber and Astroturf.
Welcome to the touchy-feely age of digital entertainment.
The slogan "Touching is good" refers, of course, to the DS' two three-inch LCD screens: The top screen displays game action; the bottom is an actual touch screen that reacts to the prods, pokes and drags of dirty fingers and included stylus alike.
What exactly the touch screen controls depends on the game. In "Madden NFL 2005," the bottom screen is devoted to picking plays in formations.
In "Super Mario 64 DS" and "Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt" the touch screen is how you move and navigate. Dragging a finger or stylus over the map on the bottom screen in "Super Mario 64 DS" moves your character on the top screen with the fluidity and smoothness of mouse-like control. No more button mashing. In "Metroid Prime," touching controls your first-person perspective.
Breaking new ground
The touch screen comes with its share of challenges. Fingers can get in the way of the action. Plus, when you combine the touch screen with a four-button control, a control pad and an additional pair of shoulder buttons, you get a confusing array of controls for anyone over the age of 18.
But with only eight games on the market -- an additional four are due by the holidays -- the DS is only scraping the surface of what can be done with two screens. Already, some available games are breaking new ground.
With its reliance on stats and skill levels, "The Urbz: Sims in the City" would be a rather annoying game to play on the Game Boy Advance SP, the single screen handheld precursor to the DS. But DS' two screens allows the bottom screen to always keep a running tally of the stats as the action unfolds on the top screen.
"The Urbz" even takes advantage of the touch screen in creating your character. Rather than relying on endless button clicks to customize your sim's clothing, hair color and so on, you use a DJ turntable. Spinning or scratching the record with your stylus changes your sim's assets. It's a brilliant combination of the DS' touching interface with the game's street-smart sensibilities.
Sega's "Feel The Magic: XY/XX" is both the most bizarre as well as the most forward-thinking game of the new DS titles. Bizarre because the goal involves courting a potential girlfriend and some of the tasks involve holding her hand or rubbing mud on her body via the touch screen.
Forward-thinking because of how "Feel The Magic" uses the DS' new features. There's rubbing. There's poking -- no, not your girlfriend, but killer bees and charging bulls. One task requires that you yell into the DS' built-in microphone. Other tasks such as extinguishing candles or propelling sailboats require that you blow onto the touch screen.
The available games provide just a hint of what game developers will be able to do with the two screens. In the future we may see games where scenes stretch across both screens. Or games where players use the bottom screen to talk to fellow gamers, courtesy of the DS' wireless connectivity, while playing on the top screen.
Crisp graphics
Or imagine drawing games. During a demo at last May's E3, I played a prototype where you were required to use the stylus to draw a Pac-Man and guide him after the ghosts. The demo was both more difficult and more engaging than one might imagine.
The DS already ships with one drawing program, “PictoChat,” a wireless communication program where up to 16 players can type messages or send images to each other.
The DS has a wireless range of 30 to 100 feet. Some games, like "Super Mario 64 DS," require that only one of the players involved in multiplayer play need own the game cartridge.
In addition to the twin screens, the built-in microphone, the wireless functionality, backwards compatibility with Game Boy Advance games and stereo speakers, the DS boasts two CPU's with the power, according to Nintendo, to match the graphics of the Nintendo 64 console.
The end results are crisp graphics way beyond the blocky pixels we've grown used to on the Game Boy Advance. In fact, you'll be surprised with the level of detail.
"Super Mario 64 DS" is a jaw-dropping good-looking 3D game that successfully marries the illusion of depth with color-soaked graphics. "Spider Man 2 DS" is another title that looks better than expected on the DS.
All these new features on the DS come with a price. How does $150 retail sound? Games run an additional $30 to $40 each.
And the Nintendo DS is not exactly something you can fit in your pocket. While the older Game Boy Advance SP is about three inches wide, the DS' duel speakers and button controls located on either side of the bottom screen push the overall DS width to nearly six inches -- wider even than the ancient Game Boy Advance handheld.
That's a pretty hefty portable and whereas popping the Game Boy Advance SP into your pocket may have been a no-brainer, lugging around the DS requires commitment.
But can it survive Sony?
So far neither the price nor the size has stopped the Nintendo DS from becoming the holiday gift to buy. Earlier this week Nintendo announced that it had sold 500,000 units, or 90 percent of available units in the United States, during Thanksgiving week alone.
This early success should trigger more game developers to create games, which is good since, as everyone knows, a gaming platform is only as good as the games developed for it. Already such big name publishers as Electronic Arts, Activision, Sega, Ubisoft and Namco have signed on.
Of course one cannot talk about the Nintendo DS without mentioning Sony's venture into handheld gaming, the PSP. Due to hit the U.S. market as soon as March 2005, the PSP is almost the anti-DS. Whereas the Nintendo DS is built to play games and facilitate short-ranged wireless communication, period, the PSP will also handle music and movie playback.
The two portables represent the companies’ two philosophies. Sony naturally wants to leverage its consumer electronics know-how and entertainment properties in a slickly-packaged all-in-one device.
Nintendo, meanwhile, stresses that its dedication to a games-only platform will naturally result in the best quality games. And in defense of Nintendo, the two-screen option already shows the potential to change the way games are developed and the way we interact with them. Over the last two weeks, I've grown accustomed to using the touch screen interface over the button controls.
And thanks to "Feel The Magic: XY/XX," I am happy to report that yelling at a screen produces results.
Yes, "Touching is good." So is yelling. But is it good enough?
Ultimately the choice between these two hefty handhelds remains between you, your pocketbook and the actual size of your pockets. I recommend cargo pants.
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The thing that kills the PSP is the lack of a second thumb stick. I don't like the idea of a 1st person shooter with only one. As for the DS, it looks good. It may be the thing that makes money for Nintendo over the Christmas season.
My wife is a manager for Toys R Us and runs the R-Zone. She said this is the only Nintendo product moving off the shelves this year. The new PS2 is something they can't get enough of. Besides the new GTA game most sales lean towards the X-titles.
If I spend another dollar on a hand held, as of now it would be the DS. I think the PSP pics looked a little better than the DS but I like what the second screen opens up for game play. I hope the DS works out for Nintendo. I don't think fans will purchase another hand held system as quickly as they did this time around. I am one person that is glad to have stayed away from the SP.
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Quote:
Rob Kamphausen said:
the ds has no current ability to act as an mp3 player, no, though the ability is there for it to happen.
sooner than i thought!
Nintendo Unveils MP3/MPEG4 Player For GBA/DS
The device is buried inside of a standard GBA cartridge, accepts regular SD cards as media, and has a headphone jack directly on the unit, to be used with the bundled headphones. It plays standard media formats such as MP3 audio and MPEG-4 video. There will be a software loader on the cart allowing for browsing and manipulating the media contained on the device.
i guess its cool in that nintendo (or third parties) realize there is a huge market out there for individuals wanting a do-it-all system, but... i much prefer the focus of a game system to be on the games.
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I'm a little disappointed in Nintendo for doing this. I always saw them as a "games only" company and sony as the "all in one" company. I hope this doesn't distract them from making great games.
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Or charging higher prices for games!
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Quote:
rex said:
I'm a little disappointed in Nintendo for doing this. I always saw them as a "games only" company and sony as the "all in one" company. I hope this doesn't distract them from making great games.
i'm also not a fan of the direction.
but business-wise, y'can't fault them for trying, especially with the equalled success ps2 had over gamecube.
all the same, though, i prefer this strategy, of making it possible to include the extras, rather than a manditory addition to the console (which would raise price and lower focus). so now, guys like me who don't give a damn about mp3 ability or watching portable movies, dont have to get involved. where as guys like, say, nowie or wednesday, who want the whole package have the option.
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Except I still wouldnt buy a Nintendo!
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It's sad but reading what game makers had to say in the recent PSM, Nintendo's next console isn't gaining much support. Game makers seem to be loosing faith in the big "N". That's to bad. Nintendo started loosing me with the N64. I sold my GC this past spring with 23 games, 4 controllers, GBA, 4 GBA games, and the GB TV hook-up for $200. Now the guy I sold it to is going to trade it all in for an X-Box once EB gets some more in. You can't find a new PS2, X-Box, or DS in SW Ohio. As for the GC, everybody has them. I still can't make up my mind on either the DS or PSP.
Last edited by Mr. Lesbo; 2004-12-16 11:14 PM.
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The review for the PSP ran tonight on G4TV. I'll have a PSP in March 2005. I'm sold. The games they had a chance to review sold me. The extras the PSP bring to the table are nice as well. They should have the software glitch (for playing movies/ it runs movies needs to be more user friendly) worked out by the time the PSP hits the US. When you see the graphics run on this thing it's amazing. I was glad the hear the games played as good as they looked. I agree with Rob when it comes to buying the PSP alone. The value pack isn't worth it. 
Last edited by Mr. Lesbo; 2004-12-17 2:32 AM.
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I'm getting more and more sold on this thing. . .
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The movie player isn't all that hard to get up and running. As for the games. WOW!!!! They looked amazing. I hope the March release date pans out. I'm sold.
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