Nintendo DS Reaches UK Shores

SAS

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Nintendo's hand-held game console has arrived in the UK. The two screen clamshell design includes a touch screen and allows players take on up to 16 other gamers via wireless.

With Sony's PSP due for release very soon the question is do you buy a Nintendo DS or wait? Currently the DS has a price tag of £99, where the PSP will weigh in around £130.

Current Games at Launch:
Super Mario 64 DS
WarioWare Touched!
Pokémon Dash
Polarium
Tiger Woods PGA Tour
The Urbz: Sims in the City
Spider-Man 2
Project Rub
Mr Driller: Drill Spirits
Rayman DS
Asphalt Urban GT
Zoo Keeper
Ping Pals
Robots
Sprung: The Dating Game
 

nath

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Tried a couple of games on the DS at the cinema where they had a whole bunch of them set up to play. Tbh, I find it far too fiddly - perhaps it's something you could get used to, but it just doesn't do it for me.

The PSP however, that looks spanky - hope it delivers though.
 

Yaka

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ive got mine and am not too impressed with it tbh
 

Yaka

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aye for somat thats meant to do a lot of other things apart from gaming its far too chucky
 

Aada

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I was going to buy one but then i looked at the selection of games laughed and decided to wait for the PSP.

Really though the only game i saw worth getting was Mario64 the rest of the games looked like something off my old Atari.


For starters why do nintendo insist on using fucking cartridges? why can't they have cds/dvds like sonys psp?
 

jaba

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You are joking right? please tell me youre joking? "Why do they use cartridges?" because its better for the type of machine, a motor in a handheld eats batteries like there is no tomorrow. The whole point of a handheld is so its portable and you don't need to be near a plug socket whenever you play it. Cartridges are the best medium for handheld games, nintendo know this and are experienced with it. Its even better now because the media can hold a lot more than they used to be able to so you can still get tonnes of gameplay from one.
Im not trying to start the psp vs. ds debate here, I like both, but I think its a dumb idea to use a data format that requires a motor to read it on a handheld.
 

DaGaffer

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jaba said:
You are joking right? please tell me youre joking? "Why do they use cartridges?" because its better for the type of machine, a motor in a handheld eats batteries like there is no tomorrow. The whole point of a handheld is so its portable and you don't need to be near a plug socket whenever you play it. Cartridges are the best medium for handheld games, nintendo know this and are experienced with it. Its even better now because the media can hold a lot more than they used to be able to so you can still get tonnes of gameplay from one.
Im not trying to start the psp vs. ds debate here, I like both, but I think its a dumb idea to use a data format that requires a motor to read it on a handheld.

As long as PSP has a decent amount of playback time (I'm hearing about 4 hours) then who cares?

The biggest disadvantage of cartridges has nothing to do with their performance (generally cartridges are superior to discs), and more to do with manufacture; one of the (many) reasons why N64 lost out to the original PlayStation was simply that manufacturing lead times for cartridges are a real pain in the arse, and every time Nintendo had a successful game, it ran out of stock and Sony could resupply their games 2-3 times as fast as Nintendo. Nintendo haven't had any real handheld competition for a while, so the cartridge issue wasn't a worry, it is now. Frankly PSP is going to spank DS in a major, major way; it'll be more interesting to see if PSP also has a knock-on effect on other portable devices like iPod as the must-have gadget.
 

jaba

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DaGaffer said:
As long as PSP has a decent amount of playback time (I'm hearing about 4 hours) then who cares?

I care, if I am on a long train journey/flight then I dont want to have to lug extra battery packs around with me (admittedly, I don't know what type of battery the PSP uses but I'm guessing its not your average AA).

I see your point about the manufacturing, but these days memory is easy to manufacture, and sony still have to fanny about putting those little discs into thir plastic casing. Also with the movable parts in a motorised drive there is more chance of something breaking or going wrong with it, another minus point against sony in my opinion.

The psp is a beautiful machine, sony wins in the looks department by far, but I still don't think the DS is going to get spanked at all, but it is going to be a close run race and an interesting one to watch. I personally prefer the DS as I want to see some more creativity in the games industry and Nintendo are allowing developers to show this with the DS. I think the PSP is going to churn out the same old stuff you can get on a ps2, nothing new or exiciting there.
 

DaGaffer

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jaba said:
The psp is a beautiful machine, sony wins in the looks department by far, but I still don't think the DS is going to get spanked at all, but it is going to be a close run race and an interesting one to watch.


You a betting man? ;) I reckon PSP will outsell DS by at least 2:1, and probably a lot higher. Unfortunately, whilst you're right about games quality, this never stopped the PS and PS2 giving allcomers a good shoeing in the past and I don't see things being any different here, unless battery life really sucks or its dead unreliable.
 

jaba

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You are sadly very right about the ps1 and ps2 giving allcomers a very good shoeing in this past, and for this I am a very very bitter man! however, in the handheld market nintendo are unbeaten....now whats them stakes then? ;)
 

CplCarrot

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Ive had both , sold the PSP and kept the nintendo - not as a judgement but just as it was used more by my girlfriend and I (crazy competition going on with the Mario64 minigames and the already legendary "Catch! Touch! Yoshi!".

Heres a list of my personal pro's and cons (for what its worth)

PSP.

Pros:
Games are incredible
Big screen really does seem big
Plays MP3's off the bat , as well as video
All features of the PS2 are included really (as in all the buttons etc)
Wide selection of games already (though most of the ones I hadare pap, I found)
Cons:
Battery Life is truely appalling , yes 4hrs is being banded around, but im sure I was lucky to get 3 - maybe life increases with number of charges.
The SQUARE BUTTON!!! (anyone whos got a PSP knows about this) , the square button is "less responsive due to the fact that we needed to redesign and offset the button sensor to make room for the screen. I told them not to compromise on the screen" - quote from Sony Asia MD
Expensive - base unit is cheap but you NEED the extras included in the "Value Pack" (comes in at an extra 50 quid).


Nintendo DS
Pros:
Can be used with GBA carts, including flash carts - with a lovely backlit screen.
Touch Screen , both with the stylus and the strap on thumb pad really does revolutionise handheld gaming. Unfortuantely you need to play Touch Catch Yoshi for at least an hour to truely appreciate it.
Mic and Voice Recongnition - This is quite a well used feature in touch catch yoshi, warioware (dissapointing) and Rub Rabbits.
Games that are available are quality (well Mario64 is anyway, definately a keeper).
Good surround sound effect - strong speakers
Long Battery Life from a short charge (4hr charge gives 12hrs).
Wireless needing only 1 cartridge for multiplay is ace.
Portable - closing the lid saves your game and stores your progress - a nice feature.

Cons:
The THUMB PAD!! took AGES to learn to use
Only 1 touch screen (works in the end, but in the beginning is very frustrating)
Limited Games Released (really dissapointing, only 3 of them are worth having).
Stylus get lost easily and replacements are not freely available yet.
No Protector for touch screen and a slight gap where stuff can fall into the machine itself.


Overall, the PSP has the bling factor but ultimately doesnt deliver for me - It was really impressive but I have no use for a massive mp3 player , nor will I see myself watching a dvd on such a small screen for 2 hours on the train. No easy standby like the DS.
Games were very good but you cant help getting annoyed at the square button, it becomes personal - its like having a beautiful sister then sony coming along and moving her ear below her chin.

the DS won for me on charm factor and the newness of the design (not the game and watch bit, but the integrated mic features and the touch screen)
Limited release games.

If you want something to show off then the PSP wins first, but everyone wants a blast on the DS when they see Touch! Catch! yoshi!
 

jaba

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Thats probably the best comparison of the two I have read so far, thanks very much!
 

Ethiraseth

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DaGaffer said:
You a betting man? ;) I reckon PSP will outsell DS by at least 2:1, and probably a lot higher. Unfortunately, whilst you're right about games quality, this never stopped the PS and PS2 giving allcomers a good shoeing in the past and I don't see things being any different here, unless battery life really sucks or its dead unreliable.
- PS2 won because of copying (and terrible marketing by nintendo), which won't be possible with PSP games afaik.
- Why use a psp for mp3 playback when you can get an Ipod?
-Dvd playback, yeah, great, buying movies so you can watch it on the psp.
-PSP games will probably be more expensive than DS ones. If you look at the sales figures in America/Japan thus far the DS wins and it's definitly not 2:1 for the PSP. And Nintendo has a huge advantage in Europe with the delay of the PSP release until at least June. Although the 15 year old kids with their "Nintendo is kiddy, only PS2 roxx0rs" attitude might give sony the edge in Europe.

I will buy a DS for sure, played on one for a bit and was really impressed by it. Even though it looks a bit cheap, it plays great. Might go for a PSP, depending a bit on the games, but not impressed with the release list for it so far.

but i do think that both can easily coexist without problems. Sony targets the psp mainly on the 18+ male gamer audience, while Nintendo also targets the non-gamer and female gamer (games like Nintendogs will definitly appeal to females) market.
 

Aada

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Whats the games worth getting for the DS then?
 

Wonk

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I would go for a DS if I had enough money, thats for sure.
Many people (mostly kids) are probably getting a psp for the extra features like mp3, movies etc :) Its atleast useless for me
 

Embattle

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Generally both the PSP and DS will sell well because they are targeting different audiences, , whether intentional or not.
 

Aada

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I bought one today but i haven't had chance to play because my gf has hogged it!!!!!!!!!!
 

Sharma

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Had my DS since my NYC trip, amazingly it works with my GBA SP charger, seems the voltage is universal.

Been playing on mario DS a lot (Since its the only full game I have atm), I think nintendo are releasing a personal organiser cartridge, which I myself will find very useful and think it will possibly be one of the main selling points, the things ive heard about the PSP (Sticky/unresponsive sqaure bottom and dreadful battery life) have put me off it, besides I already have an MP3 player as it is and I really dont think ill be one to watch movies on the move (I get carsick too easily) and the gfx in all honesty dont seem to be that much better from the DS (More or less equal from the game demos ive watched in chips), and in general the games for the PS2 just seem to be direct ports (Although the DS seems to have a fair few, mind some of the titles that are being released despite having the same name, I think will be different [Doesn't take THAT long to port a game for christs sake]) which has in many cases been the downfall of quite a few old handheld consoles which never really hit EU or in some cases, the US.

List of games I want for my DS:

Sonic DS
Vandal Hearts
The organiser thingy (Can't remember the name for the life of me)
Mario Kart DS
Wario Ware Touched (Looks like a non-sense game but fun)
Bomberman DS
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles
Final Fantasy 3 will be released also I heard
Monster Rancher
Metroid Prime: Hunters (Must-get for me, the demo simply rocks)
Secret Of Mana
Viewtiful Joe

Yeah yeah I know most sound like they will be ports, I hope for the love of god they aren't direct, so i'm not being a hypocrit and a nintendo fanboy per se, but nintendo have been in the handheld business for a lot longer than Sony have, in all honesty I think theyre just trying for a fancy gadget that can play games so in all honesty im just seeing another n-gage failure in the lines as im not really confident in the PSP's ability, I may buy one, I don't know but I really don't have the best of confidence in sony to actually produce a decent mobile games console, they may have pretty much dominated the normal console market, mind I think it's just overconfidence that theyre doing this, mind practically anything with the sony logo on it will sell, so of course it will probably only sell well on the basis that it's got the sony logo on it.

<Rant off>
 

Aada

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The games for the DS are too far spread out have you seen the list of games for the coming months? theres 1 game in april 2 games in may :(
 

Sharma

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Yeah I noticed, that's probably my only concern about the DS, the selection of games is quite frankly, er, crap atm.

There was a total of 8 games to choose from in New York, granted not a lot of new consoles don't always start with a HUGE collection, the release speed and lack of games may result in a lot of lost sales. :mad:
 

Aada

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But this is a problem Nintendo ALWAYS have do you see new games for the GC being released weekly? the GC is lucky if it gets a new game monthly!

PSP release theres really a nice selection of games to choose from racing/sports/adventure/fps/RPG/puzzle.


I have to admit though that the DS games are really ADDICTIVE i haven't put mario 64 down since i got it. The mini games are awsome, me and my GF are always trying to beat each others score.

Il probably get the PSP too, i just hope Nintendo do something fast because as Sony have done with the Console market they will just infest the handheld market too and i don't want that to happen because half of the games released on the PS2 are total and utter drivel.
 

Sharma

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I think the shell knocking mini-game on mario DS is too addictive for words, havent been able to top 40k yet, my mates managed getting like 60k and upwards, either he's just lucky or knows some sort of secret in it. :p
 

Aada

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Shell knocking? i like the game where you have to shoot the bomb dudes out of the sky man thats hard my gf has topped it with 85k so far
 

tris-

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i played a DS today for like 30 seconds at the GAME in sheffield. i was hooked right away and the graphics were the bestest ever. so i thought id wait till i came back to boro to get one but damn it all the shops are closed :( btw, whats the best games to get? with the pack im getting i was gonna chose project rub and rayman DS and buy mario 64 DS
 

Aada

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mario 64 ds and probably zoo keeper is the best imo but so far these are what i have

Mario 64 = great game

Zookeeper= great game

Yoshi touch go= good game

Warioware= this game is shit its so crap its shocking.

Mr Driller= not bad but not good either.

My GF bought one saturday and she got the Sims Urbz aint played that but she aint been off it since she got it lol :)
 

Sharma

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Well, due to certain situation, I think the PSP will possibly be a bit fucked now due to the patent lawsuit against Sony, I don't think they will be able to keep up the financing for it. :p
 

tris-

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zoo keeper? really? i thought it looked cool then i found out you can play it for free in flash on interweb. then all the revies i read said it was crap. then i though cool yoshi touch and go then all the reviews said it was crap. then i looked at mr driller, and all the reviews said it was crap.
why do no reviewers like the DS? :S
 

Aada

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Zoo Keeper is a really addictive game imo i don't go by reviews thats just someone elses opinion not your own.
 

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