New DS confirmed

[MagNetCZ]

Any chance the touch screen is multi-touch now?

no

Just asking. A multi-touch screen could replace the Guitar Hero grip accessory (to a point). The game would be fooled into thinking the grip is there, but you'd be playing on the screen. Maybe.

You'd have to get another version of guitar hero anyway. And it wouldn't play well at all.

 

[Veho]

You'd have to get another version of guitar hero anyway. And it wouldn't play well at all.

Auto patching?

 

[imz]

I'm not tempted at all, not much of a change, and the changes they have made are absolute bullshit

 

[Psyfira]

I'm really surprised, I really didn't think they'd announce a new DS so close to christmas because of the dent this'll make in sales in their other territories. Although thinking about it does this mean the price of the Lite is going to come down?

And I won't be upgrading. I'm perfectly happy with my Lite.

One question though; why would you want a camera on a DS?

 

[CockroachMan]

I'm really surprised, I really didn't think they'd announce a new DS so close to christmas because of the dent this'll make in sales in their other territories. Although thinking about it does this mean the price of the Lite is going to come down?

And I won't be upgrading. I'm perfectly happy with my Lite.

One question though; why would you want a camera on a DS?

I remember a lot of people asking "Why would you want 2 screens on a game boy?" when the DS came out

 

[Mr Noob]

This is ign report on it:
Whatever you might think of Nintendo's slightly alarming tendency to repackage its hardware line-up ad infinitum – and we're desperately fighting the urge to make a GameCube 2.5 joke here – there's no denying the company has a knack for making its subtle upgrades almost irresistibly enticing.

From fat original Game Boy to small, sleek Game Boy Pocket; from Fisher Price GBA to the unarguably sexy, slinky GBA SP and alluringly diminutive GBA Micro; from breeze block DS to slender, streamlined DS Lite; previous handheld hardware reiterations have introduced sufficient refinements to warrant an upgrade. With the announcement of the DSi though, is there really enough incentive to lay down the cash this time around? Join us as we flit through fact and fancy, while we await more details on the latest member of the DS family.




DSi notable features:


Slimmer, smaller form factor

Larger screens

2 x built-in camera

Updated Wii-style interface

Music playback

Photo manipulation software

DSi Shop/DSWare download service

Increased internal memory / SD Card support

No GBA port

On the face of it, there's not much to shout about on the upgrade front. Certainly, there's nothing that immediately screams out as a 'must-have' addition to the existing DS Lite feature set. For instance, while it's always nice to have more room in your pocket for spare change, we can't say we've too much of a problem with the size of the current DS Lite form factor. Additionally, the included camera functionality doesn't really set our world on fire, given its specification and the ubiquitous nature of digital cameras and camera phones. Let's not forget too that most modern day phones also support both AAC and MP3 playback and the latter isn't included in the DSi, presumably due to typical Nintendo penny-pinching measures.

Where things get interesting though is in the DSi's potential. For instance, although not much has been made of the fact, the handheld features both a rear and front-mounted camera. While Nintendo hasn't talked specific applications for the devices beyond obvious on-the-move photo snapping, it's certainly not beyond the realms of possibility that we'll see features as diverse as face mapping and video chat in this new DS iteration. Of course, the latter rather depends on the wi-fi standard the new system supports – something Nintendo has yet to reveal.

It would certainly make sense for the company to ditch the aging 802.11b standard in favour of 802.11g. That means tighter wireless network security and faster transfer speeds. Given Nintendo's announced intention of establishing the DSi Shop service and DSWare, a little bit more oomph in that department would certainly be appreciated as DS downloads to the beefed-up internal memory become more commonplace.

Speaking of the DSi shop, we still don't really know what Nintendo has planned – beyond the installable browser software (which would also benefit greatly from increased connectivity speeds, given the original DS browser's tortoise-like performance) and digital notebook application – but the notable absence of GB and GBA titles on the company's Virtual Console might give some indication that classic portable games are on the way, a suspicion further compounded by the obvious removal of the DS Lite's GBA slot. Of course, while older Game Boy titles aren't exactly known for their proliferation of bytes, we're sure Nintendo is more than wary of making the same storage-related mistakes of Wii. And, with the announcement it would open up its home console SD Card slot for storage, we expect the DSi to make use of similar technology.




As for that SD Card functionality, we already know it'll be useful for photo and music storage and transfer (Mac support, please Nintendo). In all likelihood, that's where you'll keep downloaded DSi content too as your internal memory clogs up.

What else could be in the pipeline though? It's pretty much a given that we'll be looking at increased DS/Wii interactivity further down the line here. Take a look at Nintendo's upcoming DS sizzle reel – specifically in the direction of Walk to Know: Lifestyle Rhythm DS and Friend Collection. Both segments clearly show Mii support – a first for DS games - and if we're not flicking our Wii-created Miis across the wi-fi ether at the very least next year, we'd be very surprised.


We have a few other questions too. For instance, will Nintendo finally offer an upgraded, online version of Pictochat? Ever since we sat in an auditorium two years ago at GDC surrounded by other DS users, the potential for massive online communication on DS has been pretty apparent. Predictably, that occasion was mainly dedicated to an orgy of genital drawing and, given Nintendo's notoriously restrictive online policy, we can't imagine anything quite so open. Of course, the ability to chat online with friends via the internet whether through text or using the DSi's built-in camera and mic would be much appreciated.

Ultimately, we wouldn't blame anyone for dismissing the DSi after a mere peek at its specifications – on the face of it, it's a cosmetic upgrade with fairly redundant lifestyle inclusions. However, the potential of the machine – particularly given the ease in which its software-based feature list can be expanded – makes us at the very least intrigued and at most extremely excited about the DSi. Of course, the future is unpredictable, especially where Nintendo is concerned, but we look forward to learning more of the company's plans in the coming months.

 

[Psyfira]

I remember a lot of people asking "Why would you want 2 screens on a game boy?" when the DS came out

Very true

Now I've actually bothered to read some of the past pages in this thread (damn this thing's long!) I've realised it's a video camera, not a static camera like I thought. So blonde moment aside it's making a bit more sense now.

Also I forgot, there is something good about the new DS; the virtual console / downloading aspect of it. If they use this for demos that'd be awesome, they've needed some way to distribute those on their handhelds for years, and download stations in shops didn't quite cut it. Heck, I sold a game to someone earlier this week by downloading it and letting them try it first.

 

[Orc]

I remember a lot of people asking "Why would you want 2 screens on a game boy?" when the DS came out

Very true

Now I've actually bothered to read some of the past pages in this thread (damn this thing's long!) I've realised it's a video camera, not a static camera like I thought. So blonde moment aside it's making a bit more sense now.

Also I forgot, there is something good about the new DS; the virtual console / downloading aspect of it. If they use this for demos that'd be awesome, they've needed some way to distribute those on their handhelds for years, and download stations in shops didn't quite cut it. Heck, I sold a game to someone earlier this week by downloading it and letting them try it first.

It looks like there'll be Pocket Camera style mini-games and other fun shit.

 

[DarthYoshi]

I remember a lot of people asking "Why would you want 2 screens on a game boy?" when the DS came out

Very true

Now I've actually bothered to read some of the past pages in this thread (damn this thing's long!) I've realised it's a video camera, not a static camera like I thought. So blonde moment aside it's making a bit more sense now.

Also I forgot, there is something good about the new DS; the virtual console / downloading aspect of it. If they use this for demos that'd be awesome, they've needed some way to distribute those on their handhelds for years, and download stations in shops didn't quite cut it. Heck, I sold a game to someone earlier this week by downloading it and letting them try it first.

It looks like there'll be Pocket Camera style mini-games and other fun shit.

I loved my old gameboy camera!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy_Camera

 

[cutterjohn]

The DSi has more ram. That's how it runs the inbuilt web browser I'd imagine. They also said the browser was faster, so maybe even more ram than the expansion pak? The processor would remain the same though I'd imagine.

But more ram doesn't necessarily mean games that will support it. The PSP Slim and Lite has double the ram the phat PSP has, but they both support the same games.

Have to wait for the full specs, but a few pages back (in the 40s default post/page size) a guy had the dimensions, screen size, battery run times (and v. current DSL), along with software support which for the DSi specifically listed DSi games.

So, to me without any hard specs on the DSi could mean use of additional RAM by games, use of camera by games, and/or use of SD storage maybe as additional space for game data, i.e. maybe some games can ship with SD cards containing the additional game data rather than larger DS cards. Who knows until some real specs on the new DSi come out, but I'm prepared to be underwhelmed, as this is Nintendo after all, day-late dollar-short but still ocassionally able to create winners from garbage, e.g. Wii, DS as compared to their respective competitors.

As to DSi specific games, unless the DSi REALLY sells WELL, I expect to see very few or no DSi specific games excepting from Nintendo itself. (I'm really thinking that it'd be a combo of SD storage and extra for DSi specific as 1 or 2GB SD cards have GOT to be well below $1 apiece for large wholesale orders(given current retail cost) making them a fairly cheap v. custom Nintendo cart for storage of game data, however I'm still guessing that they'll be blocking execution of apps from the SD or at least attempting to in the fw. Nintendo would still make a little extra money on them as I'd bet that they insist that the SD cards have the game data written at the same Nintendo plants that make the actual carts adding a surcharge for the "service", but it's probably already included in the licensing just get apps on the DS already, more profffitttssss for Nintendo.)

As to GBC games, AFAICR there were no GBC only games, as IIRC all 10 or so GBC games that I ended up with still worked fine in my GBA pocket even if they did NOT bear the compatibility logo. (Tried them as, mainly, I lost track of box/manual (in boxes somewhere) and forgot what the colors of the carts meant as they were also color coded(the carts, blue and black IIRC).)

I just wonder how much Nintendo is making on ea. DS lite sale now, and what they'll be making on the DSi as if they changed only what is currently apparent it'd have to be a minimal price difference other than having to re-design the main board and fw for DSi. i.e. They've got to already be making a profit on hw sales.

[EDIT]
I'm still pulling for an upped speed ARM9 in the DSi even though they didn't specifically mention it... must have details! not marketroid babble...
[/EDIT]

 

[imgod22222]

What are you talking about^?
When Star Wars Podracer came out for N64, they released an identical game for GBC, which does NOT work with GB Pocket. It goes to a black screen saying that you don't have a GBC. For anyone with that game, it has a AAA battery in the cartridge and a rumble motor as well.
[only thing I have to disagree about. everything else you said was cool, ^]

 

[prince3r]

@above
I remeber that.
The Dsi does have a lot of room for expansion, think of games using the camera.

Also a quick question does it stll have a microphone?

 

[Deleted User]

OMGWTFBBQ THIS IS FUCKING GREAT!!!

Let's hope it has these processors:

ARM7TDMI-S

and a

ARM968E-S


All code would still be compatible with current homebrew and games. If it had these we would have a nice ~370MHz base speed.

 

[mysticwaterfall]

There were several games for the GBC that would only run on the GBC and would give an error message if put into a plain GB, Mario Golf comes to mind as one. Most games made after 2000 are GBC only, in fact.

Edit: color coding - black: gb and gbc clear: gbc only

 

[manobon]

hey, i Know it was asked before, but not sure if it was answered- SD or SDHC-compatible?

 

[playallday]

hey, i Know it was asked before, but not sure if it was answered- SD or SDHC-compatible?

Most likely it's not going to have SDHC, Nintendo is cheap.

 

[tinymonkeyt]

whats the possibility of the DSi being a portable webcam?

 

[playallday]

whats the possibility of the DSi being a portable webcam?

I'd say 80% if flash carts work.

 

[Ferrariman]

whats the possibility of the DSi being a portable webcam?

quite possible, but the quality would suck

 

[Toni Plutonij]

Well, I hope that cam chat will be enabled trough Pictochat....That would be cool, chatting, writing, looking with somebody in other room!
And I hope they improve web Browser, because with the previous browser, webchat would be impossible, too slow....but if they improve it.....Possibilities are endless..