#22794 - benjamin - Tue Jun 29, 2004 6:34 pm
I have a slightly odd (and sort of OT question) about the DS.
I have seen all the pictures and video demos from E3, but what I'm wondering about is the actual design of the machine itself, the external aesthetic design.
Are the pictures we're seeing indicative of the actual final product? Maybe I'm nitpicking but I think that thing needs some serious work. It's uglier than I can bare to carry around. Compared to the crisp edges and slick design of the GBA SP, I'm a little dissapointed.
I realize that is a superficial view, the hardware is more important, but I have to say, style does count here.
#22796 - sgeos - Tue Jun 29, 2004 6:45 pm
I like the way it looks.
-Brendan
#22797 - benjamin - Tue Jun 29, 2004 6:51 pm
Fair enough, its absolutely a subjective matter, so I don't begrudge anyone for liking it.
But I am still asking, is that the final appearance, or is there a chance it will change before its released?
#22799 - MonkeyBoy666 - Tue Jun 29, 2004 7:14 pm
I am asumeing thatn it is the final physical design. This is just a guesse because on all of nintendos website they have that image as being that and even in the latest nintendo power the have it splured on halve the pages. I don't think they will give this much promotion to the device if they haven't dechole case thingy yet.
I agree i doesn't look that nice either. but i also didn't like the orginal GBA shape when it first came out either but it grew on me.
#22800 - MonkeyBoy666 - Tue Jun 29, 2004 7:16 pm
| MonkeyBoy666 wrote: |
I don't think they will give this much promotion to the device if they haven't dechole case thingy yet.
|
sorrry i don't look when i type that should say.
I don't think they will give this much promotion to the device if they haven't decided case thingy yet.
Last edited by MonkeyBoy666 on Wed Jul 07, 2004 4:32 pm; edited 2 times in total
#22802 - benjamin - Tue Jun 29, 2004 7:48 pm
*sigh*.. that's too bad.. it doesn't look like a lot of thought went into it.
i'll have to see about creating a custom molding for a casing that beter suits my tastes, naturaly it would be roughly the same dimensions, but the outside edges would be much sharper and the bevels (what little thereof) much less pronounced.
#22817 - Zero - Tue Jun 29, 2004 10:24 pm
what happened to don't judge a book by it's color. I am fine with it as long as it isn't pink and contains no Hello Kitty like designs on it.
edit: heh color... i meant cover....
#22826 - MonkeyBoy666 - Wed Jun 30, 2004 12:31 am
| benjamin wrote: |
*sigh*.. that's too bad.. it doesn't look like a lot of thought went into it.
i'll have to see about creating a custom molding for a casing that beter suits my tastes, naturaly it would be roughly the same dimensions, but the outside edges would be much sharper and the bevels (what little thereof) much less pronounced. |
sound like i good idea but i would do the same but as of now i am not planning on buying it when it comes out. Classic me i will just have to wait a year before the next one come out like i did with the GBA yah i bought it in January. and it was the orginal GBA.
#22827 - benjamin - Wed Jun 30, 2004 12:47 am
| Zero wrote: |
| what happened to don't judge a book by it's color. I am fine with it as long as it isn't pink and contains no Hello Kitty like designs on it. |
Well I'm not saying I won't buy it because of its "cover", nor am I saying its bad because of its looks, I'm just saying I don't like its looks. I'm keen on its contents..
And I'm not whining, after all I plan on doing something to change it :)
#22836 - DiscoStew - Wed Jun 30, 2004 1:50 am
I'm with benjamin, although I kinda like the design. It could the butt-ugliest thing to ever be made, but if it fits snuggly in my hands (even with its touch-screen), and its games are worth every penny, then I'm sold.
However, the techs at Nintendo may have something up their sleeve about the current design, or perhaps a design for the DS SP (if that ever happens).
_________________
DS - It's all about DiscoStew
#22866 - Fatnickc - Wed Jun 30, 2004 5:35 pm
It has been said by Nintendo that the system may undergo changes - that means it will. Everyone at Ninitendo will say it will I think..
#22870 - alek - Wed Jun 30, 2004 6:04 pm
| Fatnickc wrote: |
| It has been said by Nintendo that the system may undergo changes - that means it will. Everyone at Ninitendo will say it will I think.. |
Maybe so, but in that case I don't think there will be any changes...
#22877 - Fatnickc - Wed Jun 30, 2004 6:55 pm
I still think there will be some changes. After all, they had to have something to show at E3, and as with most products, it should undergo a makeover. It looks dodgy in pictures sometimes, but if you see it in video (or real life.. If you're lucky) it does seems better. I like it at the moment a bit as well, but a good revamp might not be a bad move.
#22880 - alek - Wed Jun 30, 2004 7:30 pm
| alek wrote: |
| Fatnickc wrote: | | It has been said by Nintendo that the system may undergo changes - that means it will. Everyone at Ninitendo will say it will I think.. |
Maybe so, but in that case I don't think there will be any changes... |
Sorry, what I meant to say was I don't think there will be any major changes :)
#22882 - Fatnickc - Wed Jun 30, 2004 7:49 pm
Oh, of course. I doubt they will completely change it, but i believe 2 things need to be addressed (not for me, so that it becomes more succesful) A), it needs to look better in pictures! This could be done by changing the design from being so curved at the edges (I like them, but..) and flattening the fron tedge a bit to stop it looking like it goes back so far and B), The control on certain games (Metroid for instance) Might have to be redesigned a bit, as it has been said by many a-website that the control fells 'weird'. Although, it could just be the new-ness of the touch screen.
#22915 - dagamer34 - Thu Jul 01, 2004 1:05 am
The buttons are too small. They need to be raised off of the system a bit more. There's space for it anyway.
_________________
Little kids and Playstation 2's don't mix. :(
#22942 - Fatnickc - Thu Jul 01, 2004 5:19 pm
Yep, and also, I may be wrong, but the buttons seem to be all made of hard plastic (even the d-pad..) and I would prefer softer rubbery ones. The 4 main buttons can stay hard as can everything else apart from d-pad.
#22972 - benjamin - Fri Jul 02, 2004 12:43 am
On the topic of buttons...
I noticed how the GBA buttons were soft and quiet (all of them) where as the SP became hard and loud. I play at night in bed and my wife gets annoyed at the sound of the A and B buttons on the SP..
That was a weak change from the non SP to the SP.. I hope that is fixed.
#22996 - PhoenixSoft - Fri Jul 02, 2004 11:43 am
I think they used different buttons because they needed to do everything they could to minimise the system size.
And on the topic of the DS design, it has been confirmed that the DS will come out with a different design and name.
#23004 - dagamer34 - Fri Jul 02, 2004 5:40 pm
| benjamin wrote: |
On the topic of buttons...
I noticed how the GBA buttons were soft and quiet (all of them) where as the SP became hard and loud. I play at night in bed and my wife gets annoyed at the sound of the A and B buttons on the SP..
That was a weak change from the non SP to the SP.. I hope that is fixed. |
I think they were afraid of putting in larger soft plastic buttons because it might of scratched the screen. No worries this time though.
_________________
Little kids and Playstation 2's don't mix. :(
#23006 - benjamin - Fri Jul 02, 2004 5:59 pm
I didn't mean the hardness of the touch of the A and B button, just the sound they made underneath their surface when pressed. I don't see the connection between that and their size. Surely they could have had a softer padding underneath, like the original GBA.
#23007 - benjamin - Fri Jul 02, 2004 6:02 pm
| PhoenixSoft wrote: |
| And on the topic of the DS design, it has been confirmed that the DS will come out with a different design and name. |
Not that I doubt you, but can you point to where this was stated? I would like to show it to a friend.
#23015 - dagamer34 - Fri Jul 02, 2004 8:03 pm
| benjamin wrote: |
| PhoenixSoft wrote: | | And on the topic of the DS design, it has been confirmed that the DS will come out with a different design and name. |
Not that I doubt you, but can you point to where this was stated? I would like to show it to a friend. |
I know is was said in the latest issue of GameInformer(not sure if they are reliable or not). It's probably on the Nintendo website also.
_________________
Little kids and Playstation 2's don't mix. :(
#23053 - tepples - Sat Jul 03, 2004 4:34 am
Go to an arcade. Find a fighting game or just about any other machine that isn't a light gun game, racing game, or dancing game. Don't insert coin. Press the buttons and move the joystick in a circle. You'll hear and feel the clicking of microswitches, which are more precise and more durable than the rubber keys that consoles have used since the NES. If you're worried about the clicking of GBA SP buttons, then why aren't you more worried about the clicking of your keyboard during a late-night coding session? Or are you still on those mushy keyboards, not having upgraded to the buckling-spring technology of the One True PC Keyboard?
Rumors of an analog pad on the DS started after Metroid was so hard to control. If they're true, then a pressure-sensitive + Control Pad similar to the one in the Dual Shock 2 controller will not make clicky sounds.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.
#23091 - dagamer34 - Sat Jul 03, 2004 11:17 pm
| tepples wrote: |
Go to an arcade. Find a fighting game or just about any other machine that isn't a light gun game, racing game, or dancing game. Don't insert coin. Press the buttons and move the joystick in a circle. You'll hear and feel the clicking of microswitches, which are more precise and more durable than the rubber keys that consoles have used since the NES. If you're worried about the clicking of GBA SP buttons, then why aren't you more worried about the clicking of your keyboard during a late-night coding session? Or are you still on those mushy keyboards, not having upgraded to the buckling-spring technology of the One True PC Keyboard?
Rumors of an analog pad on the DS started after Metroid was so hard to control. If they're true, then a pressure-sensitive + Control Pad similar to the one in the Dual Shock 2 controller will not make clicky sounds. |
Well the good thing is that they haven't officially released the specs of the system to the public yet. If that leaked doc hadn't of gotten out, we wouldn't have anything to base our opinions on. Meaning, there is still a good chance things will change.
I thought the D-pad was pressure sensitive? I hope the buttons are too.
_________________
Little kids and Playstation 2's don't mix. :(
#23098 - PhoenixSoft - Sun Jul 04, 2004 7:16 am
| benjamin wrote: |
| PhoenixSoft wrote: | | And on the topic of the DS design, it has been confirmed that the DS will come out with a different design and name. |
Not that I doubt you, but can you point to where this was stated? I would like to show it to a friend. |
http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/513/513150p1.html
"...Nintendo demonstrators were keen to point out that the system shown was actually a non-final prototype that will more than likely go through a few more revisions before its debut at the end of the year."
#23175 - benjamin - Tue Jul 06, 2004 4:29 pm
| tepples wrote: |
| Go to an arcade. Find a fighting game or just about any other machine that isn't a light gun game, racing game, or dancing game. Don't insert coin. Press the buttons and move the joystick in a circle. You'll hear and feel the clicking of microswitches, which are more precise and more durable than the rubber keys that consoles have used since the NES. If you're worried about the clicking of GBA SP buttons, then why aren't you more worried about the clicking of your keyboard during a late-night coding session? Or are you still on those mushy keyboards, not having upgraded to the buckling-spring technology of the One True PC Keyboard? |
Uhm, I'm not sure what is so wierd about what I'm saying. It comes down to this basic fact, on the original GBA, the dpad and the AB buttons were nearly silent, on the SP version they are loud.
I can't state it any simpler than that. I don't know what keyboards or late night coding has to do with this, I don't do that in my own bed.
Bottom line, I didn't appreciate the new noisier buttons on the SP, and wish they were left alone. Capiche? :)
#23181 - Gramps - Tue Jul 06, 2004 6:51 pm
| Fatnickc wrote: |
| The control on certain games (Metroid for instance) Might have to be redesigned a bit, as it has been said by many a-website that the control fells 'weird'. Although, it could just be the new-ness of the touch screen. |
Nintendo has already stated that Metriod has already been adjusted to give the user the option of traditional controls (button) or to use the new stylus/touchscreen.
(I also think that this proves Nintendo is listening to the public and trying to give them exactly what they want)
#23201 - Fatnickc - Wed Jul 07, 2004 9:38 am
Yes, i do remember Nintendo saying that, but I would like to use the touch screen as the control. Perhaps a total mixture. for instance if you wanted to turn whilst shooting, use the d-pad to turn, and the stylus to shoot. But, i think Nintendo could do it where in you tap the screnn to fire, but you hold it down (whilt you are turing it) to turn, that way it shouldn't produce too many shots whilst turning. Also, i mean the fact theat you oculd only move about 15 degrees (does anyone know how to get the little o for the degrees?) at E3 (or so I am told by many websites + magazines) and since i want to use the touch screen (you have to admit it would be cool) they should make something at the bottom, possibly adjusting the turn. God! There were alot of () in that sentence! maybeit is because I am to 'into' this new c++ project of mine (the amount of times i have to write () scares me!)!
#23203 - keldon - Wed Jul 07, 2004 1:14 pm
well I don't fancy a touchscreen pad until I touch one. We might be lucky to play the latest DS at ECTS; but touchscreens generally are not good for gaming.
How they have adapted it, I don't know; but they always seem to go off target, and if you put more of you thumb down its accuracy decreases.
#23207 - Fatnickc - Wed Jul 07, 2004 2:15 pm
I'm going to gamestars live (wouldn't pay for a ticket, i won 1) and apparently Nintendo are going to have quite a lot there, so hopefully I might get the chance to play it in the next 2 months..
#23239 - PhoenixSoft - Thu Jul 08, 2004 8:54 am
| Fatnickc wrote: |
| does anyone know how to get the little o for the degrees? |
Hold ALT and tap 0, 1, 8, 3 then release ALT.
#23240 - Fatnickc - Thu Jul 08, 2004 9:58 am
alt 0 1 8 3 doesn't seem to work......
#23244 - PhoenixSoft - Thu Jul 08, 2004 2:47 pm
Woops, I meant 0 1 7 6. If that won't work either, go to "Run..." and type in charmap and then look for the symbol there. Here it is: ?
#23250 - Fatnickc - Thu Jul 08, 2004 7:10 pm
˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚ 0176 doesn't do it either.... charmap is better.. but hey.. when i type the numbers, whilst holding alt, it just does the beep sound, you know, when you aren't allowed it or something...
meh..
#23255 - alek - Thu Jul 08, 2004 9:00 pm
| Fatnickc wrote: |
˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚ 0176 doesn't do it either.... charmap is better.. but hey.. when i type the numbers, whilst holding alt, it just does the beep sound, you know, when you aren't allowed it or something...
meh.. |
You shouldn't push all the buttons at the same time
hold down alt
press 0 release 0
press 1 release 1
press 7 release 7
press 6 release 6
release alt
if this is the way you are already doing it then I'm out of ideas
#23257 - tepples - Thu Jul 08, 2004 10:18 pm
And it has to be done on the numeric keypad, not the number keys above Q through P. If you're on a laptop, there may be a NumLock key (you may need to hold Fn and press something) that converts the keys around UIO to a numeric keypad.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.
#23284 - Fatnickc - Fri Jul 09, 2004 11:12 am
I was doing them separetly already, but, thanks tepples, not on the proper number keys, i did it above q-p. i turned num lock on, so here goes: ? ? ????
#23301 - RiZeUp - Fri Jul 09, 2004 4:13 pm
I saw this E3 video with one of the booth reps stating the design wasn't final and there wasn't even a place to put store the stylus in the current prototype.
_________________
~RiZeUp
#23316 - benjamin - Fri Jul 09, 2004 8:22 pm
Yeah you've all pretty much convinced me that its not the final design. I hope that they find time to de-uglify the thing before it gets released :) (sorry to those who like it know, but I imagine if you like it now then you'll like it no matter how it looks :P
#23323 - col - Fri Jul 09, 2004 10:00 pm
| Fatnickc wrote: |
˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚ 0176 doesn't do it either.... charmap is better.. but hey.. when i type the numbers, whilst holding alt, it just does the beep sound, you know, when you aren't allowed it or something...
meh.. |
hold ALT and type 1 6 7 on the numpad
col
#23343 - Gramps - Sat Jul 10, 2004 5:07 am
The design of the DS doesn't bother me that much, but I do think it would look a lot crisper if they were to mimic the lines of the SP.
Better yet, - dare I say it - combine the overall oval shape of the PSP and the crisp lines of the SP and you might have a killer looking DS!
#23454 - mymateo - Tue Jul 13, 2004 9:39 am
My two biggest concerns with the DS system:
Currently, I have not found anything stating that there will be two speakers. With 16 channel audio and the two circular indents on the upper screen, it begs for stereo. Nintendo has done a great job for the most part, but I fear accidental stupidity. [rant]I.E. all the upgrades they had to do to the original GBA in order to make it from a really good system to an awesome system. Sorry, but it should have been backlit from the start, not frontlit at middle-age. And still, they managed to take away the headphone jack. NOT to mention that with either GBA design, whenever I want to play FFCC or Four Swords, and I am using my SP as a controller, I cannot have it plugged in to keep a charge because the link cable covers the hole, and so far no attempt has been made to make a link cable that you can plug power into.[/rant]
SECONDLY (sorry, long rant back there) I fear that programmers (not sensible ones, like the kind found on THIS VERY FORUM) for the new DS will be too awe-struck with new features, and eager to exploit them to make their games more attractive on the box instead of in gameplay.
For instance, I do not want ANY game to use all of DS' new features in one game; it would get too complicated to try and manage everything. Sure, touch screen capabilities in a game makes someone reading the back of its box drool over it, but imagine if the touch screen were the ONLY control you could use? Not bad for solitaire, but in a shoot 'em up or racer where timing is critical, wouldn't you hate to drop the stylus pen?? And I do NOT want to have to learn to hold a pen while puching buttons just so I could switch between the two. And forget about using the stylus alongside buttons in ANY game while holding the DS in the other hand, it's not going to happen. I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN!
In a nutshell, I want two speakers (maybe a little more OOMF to them, sure size is a limiting factor, but modern technology is better than what the GBA has given us!), and I want programmers to test their games on real live people in real live situations, not simulations where nothing goes wrong. If the game is going to be annoying to play, then it's not fun, it's work, and work isn't a game unless you like pain.
Hey, that's a good phrase. I think I'll use that...
#23473 - tepples - Tue Jul 13, 2004 6:14 pm
| mymateo wrote: |
| [rant]with either GBA design, whenever I want to play FFCC or Four Swords, and I am using my SP as a controller, I cannot have it plugged in to keep a charge because the link cable covers the hole, and so far no attempt has been made to make a link cable that you can plug power into.[/rant] |
I have found such a link cable in my local Best Buy store. It doesn't have the Seal, but it covers both the SP's connectors, and it allows for headphone, power, and link at the same time.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.
#23487 - mymateo - Wed Jul 14, 2004 1:16 am
Gee, I'd love to go to a Best Buy and find it, however, I live in Canada and as such do not live near a Best Buy as it is only in the States.
I did find such a cable once upon a time at either lik-sang or lan-kwei (my two favorite sites since I began dev'ing), but they were out of stock (I think it was lik-sang come to think of it) and I have yet to see them re-stocked. If you know of any other stores off the top of your head, I'd be grateful to know them!
DS RULES I WANT TO DEV FOR IT
(Had to put that DS comment in, otherwise I'd be off topic, ne?)
#23494 - Gramps - Wed Jul 14, 2004 4:58 am
| mymateo wrote: |
| Gee, I'd love to go to a Best Buy and find it, however, I live in Canada and as such do not live near a Best Buy as it is only in the States. |
I hate to correct you, but there are Best Buy stores in Canada. It may just depend on where in Canada you live. There are definitely Best Buy stores in the metro Toronto area. I would be suprised not to find them around major cities elswhere in Canada.
Check this link to see if you can find a Best Buy store near you! (in Canada!)
http://www.bestbuycanada.ca/companyinfo/content/storelocator/en/storelocator.asp?lang=EN
Hopefully this may help to solve your problem.
#23496 - mymateo - Wed Jul 14, 2004 5:31 am
I stand corrected. I just didn't find the .ca Best Buy website, only the .com. So when I used its store locator, it asked for which state I lived in with no option to choose country, so I gave up and assumed Best Buy was only in the US.
Sorry! :0
Sadly, the closest store is a 4 hour drive away if you don't obey the speed limit, or 5 1/2 if you don't want a ticket, and I'm not big on spending $5 on shipping for a $10 - $15 item. Plus, the .ca site doesn't have an oline store that I can find, so no guarantees that if I did want to drive for eleven hours that I'd even get it. I'll just hope the DS has the same port for GBA compatibility, but can be pluged in to recharge at the same time. There, I stayed on topic again! lol
#23498 - Gramps - Wed Jul 14, 2004 5:44 am
| mymateo wrote: |
| I'll just hope the DS has the same port for GBA compatibility, but can be pluged in to recharge at the same time. There, I stayed on topic again! lol |
As far as the DS is concerned, I do not believe you will be able to use it a a controller (if I understand you correctly). The pictures I have seen show it with a recharging port ONLY, and if I remember correctly, Nintendo has already stated that they intend the DS to be a stand alone platform, with no links to existing platforms. I believe they intend to use the GBA Cartridge slot on the front for perifrials (I think a spelt that wrong).
Sorry that you don't live closer to a Best Buy! :(
#23559 - mymateo - Thu Jul 15, 2004 7:23 am
Hmm... that's odd
I remember hearing somewhere (I can't be sure where or exaclty when) that the DS was going to be built to work with the GBA and GameCube. I mean, this was at least a few months ago, so even if I did hear what I thought I heard, things could have changed.
Any one else have anything to add to support or disprove the existance of a link port on the DS, similar in function to the one on the GBA?
Thx
Edit: Maybe I should make a change here. I just foundan image showing the back and underside of the DS (first I've found so far), but the un-confirmed model (I hear it's probably going to have some changes to it). So I rephrase my question:
Has anyone heard if the final design will have the old GBA style port added to it?
#23561 - Abscissa - Thu Jul 15, 2004 9:02 am
Maybe it can connect to GC and GBA, but only through Wireless? They have announced a wireless do-hickey for the GBA.
#23564 - mymateo - Thu Jul 15, 2004 9:55 am
That would be good enough for me.
On the same subject, I'm curious...
If you have a 4 player game (Let's say, Four Swords for the GBA, the cart that comes with A Link to the Past on it, not the GC version) that requires you to connect 4 GBA's together, will you be able to use 4 DS's through wireless, perhaps emulating a 4 player link cable, set up maybe through a soft bios?
I dunno, I'm just throwing wild ideas around. I personally think it would be a great idea, but knowing Nintendo, they'd like to see the SP still get a few more years on the market if possible, so they wouldn't make the DS 100% GBA compatible. They'd want to make sure that the old hardware still had a place in people's hearts, at least until they felt they've milked it for all it's worth. Not that I want to make Nintendo out to be a money-hungry ruthless corporation, but isn't that the way the cookie crumbles no matter who you are? Oh well, such is life I suppose...
#23579 - dagamer34 - Thu Jul 15, 2004 4:43 pm
| mymateo wrote: |
That would be good enough for me.
On the same subject, I'm curious...
If you have a 4 player game (Let's say, Four Swords for the GBA, the cart that comes with A Link to the Past on it, not the GC version) that requires you to connect 4 GBA's together, will you be able to use 4 DS's through wireless, perhaps emulating a 4 player link cable, set up maybe through a soft bios?
I dunno, I'm just throwing wild ideas around. I personally think it would be a great idea, but knowing Nintendo, they'd like to see the SP still get a few more years on the market if possible, so they wouldn't make the DS 100% GBA compatible. They'd want to make sure that the old hardware still had a place in people's hearts, at least until they felt they've milked it for all it's worth. Not that I want to make Nintendo out to be a money-hungry ruthless corporation, but isn't that the way the cookie crumbles no matter who you are? Oh well, such is life I suppose... |
I think only new GBA games that support the GBA Wireless Adapter can be played multiplayer on the DS. Other than that, I highly doubt it. It'll be single player only for GBA games.
_________________
Little kids and Playstation 2's don't mix. :(