Gaming When will the GBA die?

[reaperman@home]

'when will it totally die?'--I say by next xmas systems won't be on shelves, and any games a store has will be very dusty.
there have recently been some *very* good games for it, but gone are the days of 5-6 releases a week, and most of the big software developers have moved on.

It's really a shame, but it's still a fact that it's winding down. They've sold enough of the things to the point where there's probably more GBA's out there than any other console/handheld in the last few generations. but flashy new hardware drives everybody on to the next new thing, and the games will always come out where the money is. It will cost less and less to produce games for it, and the odds of seeing oddball small shops making games (like mazes of fate) goes up, but even that wave is pretty well over.

usually, though the 'next new handheld' is more interesting than psp/ds/gp2x--which each have some good games, but I still think that gba's simple, compact hardware and wealth of titles make it a superior system even today. there's also a chance that gba's holding on has managed to hurt DS a bit.

 

[adgloride]

I would say christmas. But I've notice a lot of muti game carts coming out with a few games on them. Maybe they'll just start releasing them until people stop buying them. The GBA SP is still the ultimate handheld system because of its size. If I had to queue somewhere for a while I always take it with me. The DS lite is still a little bit big. The GBA as had a really good run so if nintendo dropped it tomorrow no one could complain.

 

[Veho]

Oddly enough, GBA sales went up recently (according to DS Fanboy). Maybe people are preparing for the end, and buying new GBAs while they are still available. I know I'll buy a new one soon, because my old one is getting, well, old, and in some ways, the GBA is more practical than the DS, and I'd like to have one handy.

There's still life in the old boy. The question now is what will the developers do. Milk it for all it's worth, or leave it in favour of the DS. (Which would be rather short-sighted.)

There's still a huge customer base for GBA games, and with GBA support on the DS, there's a potentialy huge market for GBA games. Good GBA games. DS owners would buy a good GBA game, they wouldn't buy some half-assed crap spattered with manga art calling itself "RPG", or yet another installment of "Barbie's Adventures in Wonderfulland".

Is that a problem? Is that what devs are doing? Abandoning the GBA because they'd have to make good games for it, in favour of the DS, where they don't have to try hard; just slap together some code, stick some random graphics, force the use of a stylus (because featuring keys into gameplay would take imagination, not to mention a few hours of extra work), and shove it out onto the market. You can get away with any sort of crap on the DS, because it's new and popular and widespread, and people are buying on momentum alone, and whatever you make is sure to be sold in a decent number of copies, by customer mistake, if nothing else.

Let us compare the two, shall we? Spending a lot of time creating a good game, a storyline, pixel art, game mechanics, optimizing code to get 100% out of the GBA, or spending no time at all slapping some random bits of gameplay together, hammering out some code that uses about 20% of the capabilities of the DS, and putting it to the market? For innoticeably less money? While they still have the chance to get away with it? Yes. That's right. Abandon the GBA for the cash cow.

This is a cynical outlook, and I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Hadrian]

Sadly Veho you are right, I dont think its the developers I blame the publishers.

There were a few publishers that wish they didnt abandon PSone games, EA was one of those.

 

[Veho]

You're right, it's the publishers... Developers might be willing to spend time and effort on a game that might not be very successful, but that would make them into legends of gamemaking, but publishers want more profit at less cost, and they want it now. They suck.

 

[VmprHntrD]

Veho having years ago worked for a game developer (Midway) during the death of the GBC into the GBA which has the same thing going for it (runs the old too) you're not cynical you're 100% correct.

Take it from me, Midway has little care for any handheld, they put small teams on them and even then yet usually whore it out to some no-name or semi-worthless but known outsourcing group. As soon as the GBA came along they finished what was nearly complete, and anything drawing board or 1/2 done or so was scrapped. There's no point to make a quality game for a lot less money and effort (outside creativity) than to put something on newer hardware that may require a little more cash and manpower but can be uninspired as hell as it will get bought on the newer hardware due to market stupidity.

 

[moshii]

Nothing will out live the Amiga. Not even the GBA.

Edit: Forgot to say... The GBA will live as long as they can pump out these kid friendly bargin bin games and the price stays around £20 lower than the DS.. Parents much prefer to give their kids the cheaper option because kids break stuff.

 

[H8TR]

The GBA will die. November 18, 3:09pm.

 

[FNORD]

Who bets we will have a #3000 GBA rom? xD

 

[jimmy j]

It'd be nice to see a gba/mobile phone hybrid

 

[go185]

It'd be nice to see a gba/mobile phone hybrid

Most Symbian phones can run GBA games via an emulator

 

[jimmy j]

It'd be nice to see a gba/mobile phone hybrid


Most Symbian phones can run GBA games via an emulator

I mean a proper, nintendo-developed mobile phone. Like a gba micro with a touchscreen for the keypad.

 

[Yoshimashin]

Two years ago.

 

[OrR]

It'd be nice to see a gba/mobile phone hybrid


Most Symbian phones can run GBA games via an emulator

I mean a proper, nintendo-developed mobile phone. Like a gba micro with a touchscreen for the keypad.

What would be the point? They could put a DS into it, that'd make much more sense.

 

[xflash]

Nevah!!!

 

[Veho]

What would be the point? They could put a DS into it, that'd make much more sense.

But that would be friggin' huge. Take a DS, and then add a GSM module (more hardware), and you're back to the size of the DS Phat.

 

[Xeijin]

What would be the point? They could put a DS into it, that'd make much more sense.But that would be friggin' huge. Take a DS, and then add a GSM module (more hardware), and you're back to the size of the DS Phat.

It would likely be bigger, but I don't think it would be DS Phat sized I mean they shrink the technology into some pretty small phones these days. The problem is that even the DS Lite is too big for a phone by todays standards.

 

[OrR]

The Lite is only so big because it has to be so big to be playable. It should be easy to squeeze a phone into there.

 

[R4seller]

2008

 

[AWESOME_noob]

The GBA will die. November 18, 3:09pm.

and the PS2..approx 10mins later..

Seriously though with these dinosaurs dead the DS & PS3 sales will rocket IMO