Topic: What we Want From the Next DS Hand Held

[Mop it up]

I think it is more that getting console games to run on portables is more effort than it is worth. Each game would need to be reprogrammed to run at a decreased resolution, which would cut out some of the viewing area. See Super Mario Brothers Deluxe on Game Boy Color as an example of how this can be a very bad thing; some jumps are made really difficult by the fact that the ground disappears from view if you jump too high. Putting handheld games on a console is easy though, as they run just fine by having a border around them (like Super Game Boy and Game Boy Player.

[Kytim89]

I hope the next DS system can play ports Final Fantasy 7-9, if that ever happened.

[Stogi]

I think a touch circle could probably do analog and digital well. Especially if the perimeter of the circle was raised a bit.

[NWR_insanolord]

That might give you analog 360 degree directional control, but probably wouldn't work well for doing analog pressure-out-from the center control, which would also make it hard to have no movement without taking your thumb off the pad.

[Stogi]

Yeah probably. Hmm....

Ok then, what if it was more like a very shallow bowl put inside another larger shallow bowl, and the two were attached with some kind of elastic material, so when you push a direction the top bowl would move out of the center of the lower bowl and on to it's side? Then the father you pushed out (to a certain point) the more energy it would take (not a lot of course)? And when you let it go, it returns to the center by itself?

I guess that would kinda be like the nub except I envision it being way more comfortable since you can place your entire thumb in the circle.

[UltimatePartyBear]

You guys really know how to make a guy feel loved.

Anyway, to expand on my earlier thoughts on an analog D-pad, I started thinking about a previous idea I'd toyed with for an analog controller for a portable system based on the NES Max.  It had a different kind of D-pad designed to prevent Nintendo Thumb or something.  There was a concave red thing (Wikipedia calls it a cycloid, so I'll go with that) that you put your thumb on, and you slid it around inside that black circle you can see in the picture, pressing down like you would on a regular D-pad.  I think if you could make the cycloid self-centering and detect its deviance from center, it would be a perfect analog control for a portable.

The problem comes in making it work as a D-pad.  I finally realized that instead of putting the analog control portion in the D-pad, copying the look of the Max, you could put a D-pad on the cycloid.  Obviously, you wouldn't want to try to use a D-pad that's sliding around, but if it could be locked it place, I think it would work pretty well.  Whichever control type was best for the game you wanted to play would be in the same, hopefully ergonomic position, unlike every dual analog controller.  We'd just have to have plenty of rope on hand to lynch any developers who think it's a good idea to use the D-pad as four L3 buttons.    Okay, so there are still some flaws, depending on how you feel about that.

Actually, come to think of it, there could be interesting uses for that if it were thought of as similar to the digital click on the Gamecube shoulder buttons.  It would be hard to hit digital right while pushing analog left, but if you're pushing all the way to the left, it would be pretty easy to hit left on the D-pad if you wanted.  That could be useful for all sorts of "and I really mean it!" input, like putting on an extra boost of speed, or roll dodging, or paging through a menu.

[TJ Spyke]

I hope the next DS system can play ports Final Fantasy 7-9, if that ever happened.

The PSP can already do that, and I doubt the next DS won't be at least as powerful as the PSP.

[Kytim89]

I hope the next DS system can play ports Final Fantasy 7-9, if that ever happened.

The PSP can already do that, and I doubt the next DS won't be at least as powerful as the PSP.

What does that mean?

[BlackNMild2k1]

it means that the PSP is about as powerful as a PS2 needs to be at that resolution, and the DS2 should be on par with a GC which would automatically mean that it is atleast as powerful(if not more than) as a PSP.

[Kytim89]

So it could handle final fantasy 7-9?

[TJ Spyke]

It already can. Both Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII are on the PlayStation Store ad can be played on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable. So unless the DS 2 (whatever its name ends up being) is weaker than the PSP, then it will be able to handle the PS1 Final Fantasy games.

[Kytim89]

How could they sqeeze all that data onto a little cartridge? Is just me, or doe sit seem like we are reverting back to cartridges? I mean SD cards seem to be like the next big storage medium, while discs seem to be going away or becoming slighty obsolete.

[Kairon]

Does anyone remember how the DSi was originally planned to have TWO DS card slots?

...that would be awesome.

[Stratos]

Does anyone remember how the DSi was originally planned to have TWO DS card slots?

...that would be awesome.

I think about it all the time when I play it because I tend to juggle between two games at a time and would rather just have there be a second slot as opposed to swapping cards. Plus I think of the potential for games like Pokemon where the next version could sync up to your current version for trading purposes similar to how it works with the DS-GBA connection on the Phat/Lite.

[Kytim89]

Could the next DS system be a second coming for the virtual boy? What I mean is that the next DS should be able to emulate the virtual boy, or atleast imitate it. Three-D gaming seems like something that I could get if it was done right. I actually found a virtual boy at a thrift store for about $6, but I passed it up. I returned about a month later and found that it was gone.

[BlackNMild2k1]

I want more of THIS in the next DS.

More games that use this would be great for the next handheld.

[Kytim89]

Could 3D gaming be on the DS 2?

[BlackNMild2k1]

if it's on the DSi now.... then what do you think?

[Kytim89]

What do you mean?

If a virtual handheld service was to be released, what would be the price for each handheld game?

Gameboy($2)
Gameboy Color($5)
Gameboy Advanced($8)
Atari Lynx($2)
Game Gear($5)
Neo Geo Pocket Color($8)
Wonder Swan($8)
Virtual Boy($5)
Game and Watch($2)

[Stratos]

What do you mean?

If a virtual handheld service was to be released, what would be the price for each handheld game?

Gameboy($2)
Gameboy Color($5)
Gameboy Advanced($8)
Atari Lynx($2)
Game Gear($5)
Neo Geo Pocket Color($8)
Wonder Swan($8)
Virtual Boy($5)
Game and Watch($2)

That would fit pretty close to the current pricing structure that Nintendo has in place, though I think forcing a game into 200, 500 and 800 "+" is rather narrow minded. Plus I want to know where all of the free apps/games are. Imagine if someone started making all of those free web games for the DSi. The free games that permit micro-payments could be a huge draw for people. There have been a number of times I have wished that a Facebook game could be played on my DS. Plus the ability to pay WiiPoints instead of using a credit could draw in more potential customers who are leery or unable to use a credit card to pay for stuff on the computer.

[Spinnzilla]

What do you mean?

If a virtual handheld service was to be released, what would be the price for each handheld game?

Gameboy($2)
Gameboy Color($5)
Gameboy Advanced($8)
Atari Lynx($2)
Game Gear($5)
Neo Geo Pocket Color($8)
Wonder Swan($8)
Virtual Boy($5)
Game and Watch($2)

That would fit pretty close to the current pricing structure that Nintendo has in place, though I think forcing a game into 200, 500 and 800 "+" is rather narrow minded. Plus I want to know where all of the free apps/games are. Imagine if someone started making all of those free web games for the DSi. The free games that permit micro-payments could be a huge draw for people. There have been a number of times I have wished that a Facebook game could be played on my DS. Plus the ability to pay WiiPoints instead of using a credit could draw in more potential customers who are leery or unable to use a credit card to pay for stuff on the computer.

Expanding on the virtual hand held idea I think Nintendo should try what Microsoft has done (with xbox originals on Live) and allow some the original DS games be up for download as well.  Not just any though, ones that are out of print...I'm looking at you tetris ds.

[Kytim89]

The DS 2 would have to have a lot of storage space, right? What of games would appear on the VH service?

[Stratos]

Expanding on the virtual hand held idea I think Nintendo should try what Microsoft has done (with xbox originals on Live) and allow some the original DS games be up for download as well.  Not just any though, ones that are out of print...I'm looking at you tetris ds.

I think that is already technically possible and has happened on the DSiWare Shop. Some full retail games have been posted on there. Nintendo is fond of breaking up said games into 'micro' games like they did with the Electroplankton and Brain Age titles but other companies have done the whole game properly. Chronos Twins is an example.

[Kytim89]

Could the DS 2 emulate the Atari Lynx, Game Gear, Turbo Graffix handheld and the Neo Geo pocket color? What about the game boy family?

[NWR_insanolord]

Could the DS 2 emulate the Atari Lynx, Game Gear, Turbo Graffix handheld and the Neo Geo pocket color? What about the game boy family?

I should hope so, since all those systems can already be emulated by the current DS.