|
GBA SP
Nov 29, 2004 15:16:35 GMT
Post by Rabbit on Nov 29, 2004 15:16:35 GMT
As a result of a christmas jobat Toys R Us and being locked in the games 'booth' all day I have started to love the pink one - Are the actual console things any good or is the pink just swaying me?
|
|
|
GBA SP
Nov 30, 2004 11:27:01 GMT
Post by Mimternet on Nov 30, 2004 11:27:01 GMT
As a result of a christmas jobat Toys R Us and being locked in the games 'booth' all day I have started to love the pink one - Are the actual console things any good or is the pink just swaying me? It is a really good console. But as the DS is out in March and umpteen times better it seems a safer bet to hold out for that or import it now from the US. It's not pink (boooo!) but it is an awesome little machine.
|
|
Jonny
Jane Asher
the difference between me + you is that im not on fire
Posts: 238
|
GBA SP
Nov 30, 2004 13:22:05 GMT
Post by Jonny on Nov 30, 2004 13:22:05 GMT
And you can play old GBA games on it. I think.
|
|
|
GBA SP
Nov 30, 2004 15:45:35 GMT
Post by Mimternet on Nov 30, 2004 15:45:35 GMT
Yup you can play all GBA games (not GB / GBC games) although you can't play multiplayer or link to the Gamecube.
The DS games coming out early next year though are absolutely amazing including an online Animal Crossing. It's up to you whether you feel you need GBC and GB compatability or not. In my eyes it isn't essential as the only games I would play are DS and GBA games now anyway...
|
|
si
Su Pollard
Bad Wolf! No biscuit!
Posts: 460
|
GBA SP
Nov 30, 2004 17:55:56 GMT
Post by si on Nov 30, 2004 17:55:56 GMT
Yup you can play all GBA games (not GB / GBC games) although you can't play multiplayer or link to the Gamecube. The DS games coming out early next year though are absolutely amazing including an online Animal Crossing. It's up to you whether you feel you need GBC and GB compatability or not. In my eyes it isn't essential as the only games I would play are DS and GBA games now anyway... Yet I'm more excited about my eBay'd copy of Mario Picross than ever I was about Minish Cap. I think, Rabbit, that if you didn't spend years as a teenager playing on your gameboy, you're never going to miss the retro. Do as Mim says and hold out for the DS.
|
|
|
GBA SP
Dec 1, 2004 8:01:03 GMT
Post by Rabbit on Dec 1, 2004 8:01:03 GMT
W O W - I just looked up the DS you talk of and it is indeed very cool! And maybe one day it will be pink and my problems will be solved
|
|
ste
Jane Asher
Posts: 132
|
GBA SP
Dec 16, 2004 1:06:24 GMT
Post by ste on Dec 16, 2004 1:06:24 GMT
Don't be swayed by the nerd-talk. The SP is fucking cool, and probably all you want. I've been unimpressed by the DS thus far - it certainly lacks the aesthetic charm of the SP, it's much more bulky (whereas the DS fits comfortably in my pocket) and the first round of games have failed to amaze.
We will see, but the only people I've heard raving about the DS so far are the people who've just spunked 200 quid on an import and a handful of games they're still trying to squeeze the novelty value out of.
|
|
|
GBA SP
Dec 16, 2004 14:04:02 GMT
Post by Mimternet on Dec 16, 2004 14:04:02 GMT
It's not nerd speak. The DS does everything the GBA:SP can do and a whole lot more (with the exception of playing old Gameboy games). It is twice the width of a GBA:SP but it is still damn stylish with a silver and black casing and still small. It costs $150 in the US (around £85) and will be released in the UK in March for around £100. It is fully region free so there's no need to wait til March.
By the time it is released in the UK it will have wireless online multiplayer and movie and mp3 storage and playback (memory is done with the same flash memory found in digital cameras so it is fully expandable). That's not even getting started on the touch screen, second screen and voice input. Then there's the fact that it is entirely capable of full 3D graphics. And there have been strong rumours of a headset that you can use to make calls across the internet, effectively creating free telephone calls to anyone that has a DS - anywhere in the world. Calling the US for free? Now you're talking. You wouldn't even need a headset as the machine has a built in mic and stereo sound.
The Playstation Portable is also pretty cool but I highly doubt it will be able to compete against DS in the long run.
I'm very excited about all of this, especially about Animal Crossing DS and Pokemon DS as they are both going to be massive online RPG's in which you can visit other people's villages etc. Also Mario Kart DS and a whole host of new games in the works.
Most importantly of all, it's Nintendo so everything is incredibly easy to use - so don't be scared by the "nerd talk".
|
|
ste
Jane Asher
Posts: 132
|
GBA SP
Dec 16, 2004 22:11:47 GMT
Post by ste on Dec 16, 2004 22:11:47 GMT
More nerd speak. Technology, featured, future promises, boring. You can wait until 2006 for something even better, 2007 for something better than that. Or you can have something that'll do exactly what you want right now, cheap, and with more appropriate functionality than tomorrow offers. Most people couldn't give two shits about any of the stuff you mention.
And I am telling you, as someone who has spend a good deal of time playing one (and has passed up the opportunity to own one): it is neither small enough to be comfortably portable (unless you own a trenchcoat, or always carry a bag), nor the slightest bit stylish in any mindset except that of a slavish Nintendoite. It is a fat slab of silver plastic. It is as stylish as a cheap glasses case; as stylish as a school calculator.
|
|
|
GBA SP
Dec 16, 2004 22:53:08 GMT
Post by Mimternet on Dec 16, 2004 22:53:08 GMT
Or you can wait 3 days for it to be delivered from a seller off of Ebay.co.uk...
Don't be absurd! All of that is perfectly relevant to the every day consumer. Let the guy decide on his own I am assuming that noone on this site is stupid so they could easily understand all of that.
It's not future technology - I got mine a week ago off Ebay for £120 with Mario 64 DS and it is small enough to fit into a coat pocket (coat size small from Zara) or bag (a Diesel record bag) and looks damn neat. Admittedly not as small and compact as the SP but who cares when it can do so much more? As an SP owner also I always carried that in my bag as I don't like having a square shape in my pocket. I would assume that most people would do the same so it makes no difference.
In 3 months the GBA:SP becomes redundant and the DS goes online, I know I wouldn't buy an SP at this point in time no matter how much I love the thing. I am only trying to be helpful.
|
|
Jonny
Jane Asher
the difference between me + you is that im not on fire
Posts: 238
|
GBA SP
Dec 17, 2004 12:41:22 GMT
Post by Jonny on Dec 17, 2004 12:41:22 GMT
We will see, but the only people I've heard raving about the DS so far are the people who've just spunked 200 quid on an import and a handful of games they're still trying to squeeze the novelty value out of. I did that about my Virtual Boy It is now in my wardrobe and only gets dusted down when.... ...actually, it never gets dusted down. I'm hoping to sell it to a museum in the future though. People might want to look at it. Like a Sinclair C5
|
|
ste
Jane Asher
Posts: 132
|
GBA SP
Dec 17, 2004 14:06:08 GMT
Post by ste on Dec 17, 2004 14:06:08 GMT
Quite. Never, ever, ever trust an early adopter's hardware advice. They are not always wrong, but they are certainly hilariously skewed.
As neatly demonstrated above by the assertion that the SP is 'redundant'.
|
|
|
GBA SP
Dec 18, 2004 9:00:54 GMT
Post by Rabbit on Dec 18, 2004 9:00:54 GMT
We've sold out of the pink ones now and I can't afford one so conversation closed
|
|
Snuff
Su Pollard
The Tibble Twins.
Posts: 437
|
GBA SP
Dec 18, 2004 17:01:01 GMT
Post by Snuff on Dec 18, 2004 17:01:01 GMT
The DS does look a bit shit. But the touch screen is fabulous.
|
|
|
GBA SP
Dec 18, 2004 21:42:14 GMT
Post by Mimternet on Dec 18, 2004 21:42:14 GMT
|
|
ste
Jane Asher
Posts: 132
|
GBA SP
Dec 19, 2004 0:26:10 GMT
Post by ste on Dec 19, 2004 0:26:10 GMT
Who said anything about 'why on earth'? Why is that in quotes? And who's assuming it won't succeed?
Tonight I was out with my two best friends, both of whom own a DS, one of whom is absolutely nonplussed, one of whom likes it a lot. Both are ex-videogame journalists, both now comfortably esconced in non-partisan videogaming jobs. They disagree about whether there's a future for the DS, and I sit somewhere between them. One thing they agree on: there is absolutely fuck all support for it. There are no games that will capture the public's attention coming out when the the thing comes out here; nothing at all. I will own and play one, I guess, although I doubt I'll buy one. Many videogame fans will buy one, JUST LIKE THE VIRTUAL BOY, and many owners will profess it to be the next big thing JUST LIKE THE VIRTUAL BOY.
Clearly it won't end up like the Virtual Boy, because this is a different era, these are different circumstances. Videogaming, generally, is a bigger deal. But brutally: I know fuck all about what's going to happen, and you know less. I see nothing to suggest it's gonna work, and no reason to suggest people invest time and money in holding on for a format that could potentially go tits up, when there's something totally successful already out that'll make them happy.
|
|
|
GBA SP
Dec 19, 2004 13:01:04 GMT
Post by Mimternet on Dec 19, 2004 13:01:04 GMT
Why do you assume I know less? I can see that you know a lot about the games industry. It doesn't mean that anyone else knows any less.
I have never said I could predict the future. I have said that the DS makes the GBA:SP redundant because it does everything you would want your GBA:SP to do and a whole lot more. The DS is already a success as it has sold over 1.5 m units in Japan and Northern America in less than 3 weeks. This cannot be called anything but a success even if it goes on to sell no more units at all. Of course the true success will be if it can compete against the PSP, which I believe it will for the reasons I have already mentioned.
Of course the launch of the DS is going to be pretty unspectacular when it comes to software as the launch in each region has been rushed but to say that it has no support is not true. One look at the list of developers and the list of games they are working on for the system within the coming 6 months (so, that's less than 6 months and not 2006) and a year proves that that statement is wrong. It is a system worth investing in.
To go back to what you said about not caring about having to wait until 2006 for the next console. Well, the DS plays all GBA games NOW, admittedly not in multiplayer but by UK launch window you'll have Mario Kart DS, Metroid DS and perhaps Animal Crossing DS as well as many new titles being worked on. You may not be able to wait 3/4 months for these but when forking out £60 for a new console I should have thought most people could hold out that long or just buy the DS off of Ebay now for £40 more.
I see the comparison you are making with Virtual Boy, but as you say, the situation is totally different. The Virtual Boy clearly was never going to succeed as noone would want to be seen wearing a big red visor on the street. The DS may not be a new GameBoy, however the DS is the next step on from that console. To advise people to buy a GBA:SP now is like advising them to buy the PS1 instead of a PS2 just after that had launched.
|
|
|
GBA SP
Dec 19, 2004 13:19:44 GMT
Post by JJ on Dec 19, 2004 13:19:44 GMT
To advise people to buy a GBA:SP now is like advising them to buy the PS1 instead of a PS2 just after that had launched. But lots of people still did that, didn't they?
|
|
ste
Jane Asher
Posts: 132
|
GBA SP
Dec 20, 2004 14:10:56 GMT
Post by ste on Dec 20, 2004 14:10:56 GMT
The reason I'm assuming you know less is because of what you're writing. I'm not saying you're a bad person. I don't have the patience to go over what I've already said, but:
As JJ says, a lot of people went out and bought PlayStations after the PS2 was launched. Because the PS2, like the DS, sold ENTIRELY to people who would have bought that oh-so-new toy it was a lump of shit in a my-favourite-manufacturer branded box.
The difference was that Sony had the budget, reputation, and commercial nous to bludgeon gaming casuals into buying into the PS2 too. Nintendo have none of those; they're synonomous with videogaming for kids, and though you and I know there's a lot of fun adults can have sketching pitches in cute cartoon worlds, they will NEVER, EVER be able to persuade the people who've made EA the biggest publisher in the world - 20-something FHM readers who like cars and guns and babes - that that's any more adult than the Powerpuff girls.
THE SP IS NOT REDUNDANT. Look the word up. The SP has several advantages over the DS; OBVIOUS hardware stuff, sure, the fact it can play GameBoy and GameBoy color games, the link up with the GameCube, etc. But also, as I've mentioned already. IT IS PORTABLE LIKE NO OTHER SYSTEM. It is half the size of a DS!
First day sales to hardcore videogame fans don't matter a jot. Do you have any idea how many games a company needs to ship to even break even on a game these days? Do you know what the sell-through rate of a title like Metroid has to be to make it viable? Do you know what 1.5 million units means in real terms? You're believing words written in press releases.
The list of developers is meagre, the number of interesting titles coming over the next six months is low, particularly for a system's first year in the market - the last time publishers leapt on board a Nintendo system after launch was the SNES - and lordy, lordy, do you really think that the number of things announced has *any* connection to the number things coming out? Well, actually, it kind of does, I suppose, in that one number is always significantly less than the other. Announced means nothing.
Nintendo have said many, many times that the DS isn't the next step up from the GBA - it's a sideways step. Just like the Virtual Boy. And, beautifully, finally, why would anyone be wearing a Virtual Boy visor in the street? How can you profess to know that it's a completely different situation if you don't even have a basic understanding of what the hardware is?
|
|
|
GBA SP
Dec 20, 2004 18:11:50 GMT
Post by Mimternet on Dec 20, 2004 18:11:50 GMT
That is the least knowledgeable piece of nonsense you have yet written. I think one thing we have in common is a lack of patience with this conversation - and it's creating a bad vibe I don't want to create with anyone.
Lets just leave it at your next comment and that I suggest he get the DS and you the GBA:SP, that keeps it simpler.
|
|
ste
Jane Asher
Posts: 132
|
GBA SP
Dec 20, 2004 20:24:25 GMT
Post by ste on Dec 20, 2004 20:24:25 GMT
Roll up, roll up! "That is the least knowledgeable piece of nonsense you have yet written." VS"it's creating a bad vibe I don't want to create with anyone."[/center][/i] Besides, I don't know, I've written an AWFUL lot of 'nonsense' before. The difference being, of course, that I'm usually paid to consider it in print; this was charitable, but I'm grumpy now, so except an invoice in January. Just kidding!
|
|
Snuff
Su Pollard
The Tibble Twins.
Posts: 437
|
GBA SP
Dec 20, 2004 22:34:49 GMT
Post by Snuff on Dec 20, 2004 22:34:49 GMT
My brother has a DS and i love it to bits. The mini games on mario 64 are fab.
|
|
|
GBA SP
Dec 21, 2004 0:03:58 GMT
Post by Mimternet on Dec 21, 2004 0:03:58 GMT
I'm usually paid to consider it in print;! As have I been for the past 10 years...
|
|
ste
Jane Asher
Posts: 132
|
GBA SP
Dec 21, 2004 1:50:05 GMT
Post by ste on Dec 21, 2004 1:50:05 GMT
As have I been for the past 10 years... Weird. The general public must have really loved your 'wearing the Virtual Boy in the street' piece!
|
|
|
GBA SP
Dec 21, 2004 10:02:48 GMT
Post by lowculture.co.uk on Dec 21, 2004 10:02:48 GMT
Oh, you boys!
|
|