Topic: New NDS article over at IGN: must read!

[Gamebasher]

Yes, itĀ“s a must-read, fellow Nintendo Gladiators!

There is simply a run down of what the touch sensitive screen will do and more...

R-e-a-d it! ItĀ“s so damn cool and I do hope Nintendo will confirm it as the truth! Because if they do, people will NOT have a problem understanding the concept at all. ItĀ“s revolutionary, but thatĀ“s Nintendo!

Here is the link http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/501/501282p1.html

Gamebasher.

[nemo_83]

I think the whole touch screen idea is good, but it would have been cheaper to just put a touch pad similar to a laptop between the dpad and face buttons and not a fully functional second lcd.  The good thing about the touch screen is that you can see what you are touching.  The whole point is to simulate the mouse.  Still I think we could have gotten by with just one screen if this touchscreen is the real deal.  A touch pad like a laptop would have worked just as easily with one screen; all we need is the same start button we've been hiting for 15 years for access to menus and maps.

[Ian Sane]

Well I'm at least glad that the whole stupid "touchscreen instead of controls" idea isn't true but I'm not super keen on the idea of any touchscreen stuff.  The idea of having two screens was exciting because I immediately started thinking of all sorts of cool ideas that would use two screens.  However if the second screen is a touchscreen I don't think the games will be as good.  Why?  Because Nintendo likely will only use the second screen for gimmicky controls instead of using it as a second display or for making games with a tall screen display.  Miyamoto would use this for a Zelda game where you can pull the levers yourself (WOW) and select items without using the menu instead of something much cooler like having two parallel worlds with one on each screen.

Now you're probably thinking I'm overreacting because there's nothing that two screens can do that the addition of touchscreen functionality is going to prevent.  That's true but I'm thinking about what Nintendo's motivation for the system is.  I thought they wanted to have two screens to expand visibility and after giving it some thought it sounded like a really cool idea.  However if they add a touchscreen the motivation moves to having the ability to "touch" things on the screen which I am not interested in at all.  If Nintendo's motivation for making the system is about "touching" things than that's likely ALL they will ever use it for and that just doesn't sound very interesting to me.

[Gamebasher]

It will not be used exclusively for touch screen functionality. Nintendo themselves suggested that it could be used for a second screen in a footballmatch as a second close-up screen, so why would they say this if it was only for touchscreen purpose?

I really donĀ“t think we have any reason to worry!

Gamebasher.

[nemo_83]

So far everything we know about the DS is a gimick; but the touch screen aspect may be what makes the gimick worth something.  

[vudu]

i suppose you think the d-pad is also a gimick?

[Stimutacs Addict]

no one's really mentioned the awkwardness of a touch screen on the GameBoy


how could you play on the go, when one hand has to always lt go of the side of the GBA?



actually it's not that big of a deal at all.


oh well

[Edisim]

imagine treasure's stretch panic with a touch screen.

[JonLeung]

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
Now you're probably thinking I'm overreacting because there's nothing that two screens can do that the addition of touchscreen functionality is going to prevent.  That's true but I'm thinking about what Nintendo's motivation for the system is.  I thought they wanted to have two screens to expand visibility and after giving it some thought it sounded like a really cool idea.  However if they add a touchscreen the motivation moves to having the ability to "touch" things on the screen which I am not interested in at all.  If Nintendo's motivation for making the system is about "touching" things than that's likely ALL they will ever use it for and that just doesn't sound very interesting to me.

Hmmm, I think I know what Ian Sane is getting at.

Nintendo has been known to not include what isn't necessary, so if they go to the trouble of putting in touch-screen functionality, they probably plan on using it a good deal of the time.  If developers don't use it, the next version of the DS (assuming it becomes another whole line of products for Nintendo besides handhelds and consoles) might do without it, similar to the GBC's rarely-used infrared port.

Hey, has anyone tried using a prism to see if they could do three-way Pokémon trading with that infrared port?

Anyway, that port isn't on the GBA, so it was a dud of an idea.  We'll see how the touch-screen thing goes, I guess.  I'm guessing Nintendo themselves will probably use it the most early on.