Author Topic: DS Gripes (Read 9648 times)

raptorspike · « **on:** May 27, 2004, 07:51:49 PM »

Ok, I am as much a nintendo fan as the next guy. I actually bought my GC just for the sole reason that nintendo made it. But I am starting to have second thoughts on buying myself a DS when the time presents itself. The touch screen Idea seems just a little too radical for me. Personally, I was psyched at the original idea of a simple dual-screen portable. But the touch screen kinda removes the portability. You would now need to sit down at a table to use it. Now some of the games that have been presented for the DS, ex. Metroid Prime: Hunters, look perfectly capable of being played with the pad and buttons. Now I am not saying that all games should or shouldn't utilize the touch screen, just make a few that don't. Like racing games, use one screen for the actual race, and the other for gauges and such. Anyone else have some gripes, please, post. I don't want to be the only hater on this system.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #1 on:** May 27, 2004, 08:45:38 PM »

You can play it while standing, at least the reports so far seem to indicate that.

Too radical, eh? That's probably what the mainstream will think. "Couldn't they have thrown more power and multimedia into that thing instead of adding innovation"?

Michael8983 · « **Reply #2 on:** May 28, 2004, 01:58:43 AM »

Why would you think the touch screen would require you to sit down on a table? You just TOUCH the SCREEN. That's it. It doesn't hinder the portability any more than having to PRESS the BUTTONS does.
The games are obviously going to be designed with physical human limitations in mind. You won't need a third hand or anything. I'm sure a lot of games won't rely heavily on the touch screen. Super Mario 64x4 for instance, only appears to use the touch screen for viewing portions of the map display. And that's a heck of a lot more convenient than having to interupt the focal gameplay and use the D-Pad and buttons to navigate the map.

areefer · « **Reply #3 on:** May 28, 2004, 09:25:56 AM »

Before you go hating on the ds and it's two lovely screens consider that having two screens is a new and exciting way to game if done correctly and don't get it twisted that it ain't cool ause i've played touch screen games befor that rocked and just becuse it's a touch doesn't mean you can't just enjoy a game that utilizes the second screen minus the "touching".

With wi-fi we get so many options it ain't funny and once ideas get out there and the games start selling the ds is gonna be the talk of gaming.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #4 on:** May 28, 2004, 08:53:44 PM »

BTW, most people don't need to put dwn their PDAs to use the touchscreen...

WuTangTurtle · « **Reply #5 on:** May 28, 2004, 09:11:36 PM »

I'm really excited about the DS too, but even i have some gripes too.

1. It needs to be redesigned, I like the design but compared to the PSP the DS really does look like clunky and a bit ugly. that being said though i would still buy it because i know it has inner beauty, lol.

2. The L + R buttons look very strange and they felt strange too, lets get some GCN like L + R triggers!

So far those are my only real gripes, and they really are minor gripes, now on PSP.........well do u have about 30min to spare?

.....................awwww #%@# it we both know u don't wanna waste 30min and i know i don't wanna type for the next 30min, lol.

Blackknight131 · « **Reply #6 on:** May 29, 2004, 12:04:24 AM »

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The L + R buttons look very strange and they felt strange too

Damn.

BTW guys, Gamespy has a new interview with Miyamoto san and one of the lead hardware engineers at Nintendo, just in case you havent seen it. Very interesting, Miyamoto actually doesnt talk have too much to say in this one, as they are largely hardware related questions. I thought the comments on designing the touch screen to be rugged were amusing as hell...

-Blackknight131

Jdub03 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 29, 2004, 12:26:36 PM »

What is this submarine game they speak of. I havent heard of it until now

ruby_onix · « **Reply #8 on:** May 29, 2004, 01:44:46 PM »

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Why would you think the touch screen would require you to sit down on a table? You just TOUCH the SCREEN. That's it.

With a regular GBA, you typically use your thumbs for the face controls, your two index fingers are supposed to be ready to use the triggers, and you use your remaining three fingers on each hand to hold up the system.

The DS is looking to be about as wide as the classic GBA, and probably a bit heavier, with most of that new weight making it top-heavy. The control setup is mostly the same.

But if you want to use a stylus on the touch screen, you have to take your right hand off the unit, which might make it a bit tough to hold up the entire unit with just three fingers. And then if that wasn't bad enough, your're expected to start poking at the center of the unit.

And then there's another oddity in that left-handed people don't normally hold pens (or a stylus) with their right hands, meaning that they might have to take their left hands off the D-pad to use the touch screen. Most games seem to let you take your hands off the buttons for a few moments to reorient yourself without too much trouble, but if you "take your hands off the steering wheel", or stop moving around in a videogame, you usually end up paying for it.

Although personally, I'm not too worried about these things. I'm confident that Nintendo will do all they can to adjust the system's weight and balance, and it might never be "perfect", but we'll probably be able to live with the final results. And I'm a lefty myself, and while it feels strange to hold a pen in my right hand, I can easily picture myself holding the unit, then rotating my right hand 90 degrees counter-clockwise, making some light taps on a screen with my index finger, and then grabbing the unit again, without letting up on the D-pad.

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BTW, most people don't need to put dwn their PDAs to use the touchscreen...

AFAIK, most PDAs are meant to be "cupped" in one entire hand, while you use the stylus with your other hand. They aren't used in real gaming situations (of course, I don't have a PDA myself, so I could be wrong).

KDR_11k · « **Reply #9 on:** May 29, 2004, 09:16:13 PM »

Ruby: For the left handed: 1. You don't switch hands in midgame (did any N64 game use the buttons AND the d-pad AND the stick?) 2. The buttons work like a dpad in Prime Hunters, which is the only game I've seen that uses both the buttons/pad and the stylus at the same time.

Blackknight131 · « **Reply #10 on:** May 29, 2004, 10:48:47 PM »

A quikie about the submarine game on DS...concept is basically that the top screen is a 3-d representation of your sub as it moves below the water, meanwhile the lower touch screen depicts the controls like levers, switches and buttons that you 'stylize' to control the sub. Its just a tech demo, not officially a game for release just yet, altho I read that Miyamoto was very fond of it. Altho it doesnt sound deep enough to be a standalone release as it is now, maybe it can be part of a larger game, like a new StarTropics type game...

-Blackknight131

KDR_11k · « **Reply #11 on:** May 30, 2004, 06:23:36 AM »

Which brings us to another advantage of the dual screen and touch screen: Many flight sims have what they call an "interactive cockpit". That essentially means you can use your mouse to push the buttons in the cockpit instead of mapping them to the keyboard.

Grant10k · « **Reply #12 on:** May 30, 2004, 07:05:10 AM »

When you hold a PDA you hold it with the four finger of your left hand (unless you have some strange mental disorder aka: left handed (J/K)) and use your thumb to operate the little scrolley wheel on the side (if you have one). That, however, is just the common usage, it's not the only way to use it. you can easaly hold a pda with just two fingers from the botton, or the side or whatever. you can even use your thumb and two adjacent fingers as kind of a tripod and use it that way, throwing the concept of "pinching" compleatly out with the wind. the only reason most people don't hold the pda from the side is that there is 1) no reason to 2) there is nothing to hold on to, the side of the screen is less than an inch. given a whold d-pad sized grip, it would be no challange to hold with one hand and use the other for the dpad.

now, on to lefthandedstyluses

you don't have to be right handed to use a stylus with your right hand. you just can't write with it. when you play games you aim with both your left or right hand with no real trouble. i can use a stylus left handed with no real trouble, i can't use the writing thing but anything else i can do. pictochat dosn't seem to require constant attention to the dpad so that shouldn't be a problem, i'd hate to be attacked by an enemy while i'm busy drawing mario (reminds me of when i'm playing unreal torny and i hit the 'say' button and instantly become paralized from the mouth down.

SuperMario35 · « **Reply #13 on:** June 10, 2004, 06:43:03 PM »

I just wanted to know if the DS has a main menu similar to gamecube like options,gameplay, and clock. Also I noticed something that the DS is lacking in.
Most of the DS games are multilplayer and short. I was wondering if a game like Final Fantasy is even possible on the system. Most of the games like Mario 64x4 and Metroid Prime hunters are all multyiplayer games and not single player games. I could understand if Nintendo includes Multiplayer modes on every game they release but they should add a good single player mode to it as well. For example Mario64x4 is a good multiplayer game but it would be better if they added the whole Super Mario 64 adventure game that was released for the N64. I also wanted to know if Nintendo is going to release any single player games add all. Nintendo is concentrating only on multiplayer and their not thinking of the people who may not have friends near by.
Also most of the games were really short like Sega's Sonic DS. Is that going to be a mini game because all I saw was sonic racing to the finish,all you did was make him faster by moving the stylus rapidly. So my point is that DS games are really short and Nintendo is focusing on Multiplayer games only I hope they make a single player mode for each game that they release and I hope third party publishers do the same thing.

WuTangTurtle · « **Reply #14 on:** June 11, 2004, 01:38:33 AM »

first of all the DS at E3 were just demos. you can even say tech demos.

There is a video link to a french video of mario64x4 that shows single player. It is the 1st level with the bomb king guy.

Secondly yes DS will have alot of multiplayer games, but i don't see nintendo ditching the single player aspect, that would just be a total jump in the opposite way of how nintendo does things, although they do make some high quality multiplayer games.

lastly but not least i truely hope SquareEnix releases something good besides the already confirmed Crystal Chronicles DS (i think they confirmed it anyways) and i do hope the Zelda DS won't just be Four Swords, especially since i just bought it on GCN after passing it up on GBA. After playing it on GCN i should kick myself for passing it up on GBA.

Bloodworth · « **Reply #15 on:** June 11, 2004, 07:37:00 PM »

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Most of the DS games are multilplayer and short. I was wondering if a game like Final Fantasy is even possible on the system.

This is one reason the public doesn't get into E3. The demos are just that demos. There are a few of them that are meant to turn into final games, but the Sonic demo was simply an idea of what might be done on DS. As for Single player... Why wouldn't it be capable of single-player??? Trust me, Mario 64 and Metroid both have single player modes, as I'm sure Animal Crossing, Mario Kart, and any other game will.

Multiplayer is being emphasized because it is probably going to be even more revolutionary than the touch screen. No more carrying cables around and asking strangers with GBAs if they have a certain game and want to play. All you need to do is have your DS on sleep mode and it will tell you when there's a game available, for up to 16 people that you don't have to talk to if you don't want to.

mouse_clicker · « **Reply #16 on:** June 11, 2004, 07:40:47 PM »

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Multiplayer is being emphasized because it is probably going to be even more revolutionary than the touch screen. No more carrying cables around and asking strangers with GBAs if they have a certain game and want to play. All you need to do is have your DS on sleep mode and it will tell you when there's a game available, for up to 16 people that you don't have to talk to if you don't want to.

Because that's exactly what us gamers need, a reinforcement of our antisocial behavior.

Bloodworth · « **Reply #17 on:** June 11, 2004, 07:49:00 PM »

Well, I'm just saying that it's a lot easier to tune into a game than to walk around the airport asking strangers if they have a GameBoy.

mouse_clicker · « **Reply #18 on:** June 11, 2004, 07:51:48 PM »

It was a joke.

I really like the whole alert system that tells you when someone else is nearby with a DS- that should really help finding new people to play games with. I also just love the idea of a wireless LAN, being able to play with a friend across the class room or 7 rows down on the plane. Does the PSP have wireless LAN?

WuTangTurtle · « **Reply #19 on:** June 12, 2004, 01:30:37 AM »

i believe the psp has WiFi, not sure about a wireless lan though, but i think it does.

Berto2K · « **Reply #20 on:** June 12, 2004, 04:14:53 PM »

WiFi = Wireless LAN, they are the same thing.

WuTangTurtle · « **Reply #21 on:** June 13, 2004, 02:14:22 AM »

I thought they said it would have wireless lan ability, and WiFi for ppl who can connect with WiFi.

At the Press Conference i believe they stated "dual wireless connections" Wireless lan and WiFi.

Unless i heard wrong then i dunno, im pretty sure WiFi may come in handy to some but for some poor b@stard in the middle of nowhere would'nt have a WiFi connection so Wireless Lan would be his/her route.

I hope i have this right, oh well prove me wrong, lol.

Darc Requiem · « **Reply #22 on:** June 13, 2004, 09:33:47 AM »

Shaolinkilla you are right there is the WiFI connection which lets you play multiplayer via the internet and the Wireless LAN feature which allows you to play up to 16 player multiplayer with a certain distance...I think it was 100 feet can someone please give me the exact radius. I'm too lazy to look it up at the moment

No more link cables!

Darc Requiem

Bloodworth · « **Reply #23 on:** June 13, 2004, 01:23:31 PM »

Yeah, it's 30 meters for the wireless multiplay, which is a proprietary technology separate from the WiFi.

Griffin · « **Reply #24 on:** June 13, 2004, 04:13:05 PM »

And, I would assume, that wireless technology is based on the Wavebird tech. If so, I don't see any large problems aside from a steel blast door interfering with the connection.

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Author Topic: DS Gripes (Read 9648 times)