Topic: The Rev should be a download center for DS demos

[Smash_Brother]

Think about it.

Games like Wario World on the GC offered GBA connectivity which copied a few Wario Ware mini-games to your GBA for you to try. AC did the same with NES games.

The demo download centers in stores are a nice idea, but what about people who don't live anywhere near one? I've already touted the merits of downloading NES, SNES and maybe N64 games to DS from the Rev's Virtual Console, but I can think of no better way to sell DS games then to let the Rev be the gateway to sampling any and all possible games.

The Rev could access these demos without any hardware changing or anything, just connect to the demo server which would be updated regularly with upcoming DS game demos.

First of all, it would give those of us who are REEEALLLY looking forward to a game something to whet our appetites.

Second, it gives DS owners the ability to test drive the games they want right from their own home, wirelessly and without hassle.

The closest DS download center to me is 45 minutes away. I'm curious about Brain Age but not THAT curious. It makes perfect sense to allow the Rev to be a download center: there's almost no cost to Nintendo, you download the demos as you want them and you can know which games you want to preorder before they hit shelves (or ship to you via Gamestop). You could even add yourself to a mailing list which announces when new DS demos are up for download.

Rev game demos would also be a welcome addition (the 360 already does this), but unlike MS, Nintendo has to consider connectivity to it's insanely popular handheld a big issue: this would just add one more reason on the growing list of reasons to own a Rev. I'm sure many people would buy one just for the Virtual Console and DS demos alone.

So let's hope Nintendo reps read PGC. I think this would be too good of an idea to pass up.

[jasonditz]

I wish they'd forgo the Revolution aspect and just release an inexpensive cart that lets you Wifi download the demos onto the DS directly.  

[TrueNerd]

Let's take it one step further and copy Sony (for a change) and let the DS download NES and SNES games from the virtual console. Of course, they'd have to somehow make those games not disappear when the DS powered down...

But could you imagine! Super Metroid. Super Mario RPG. Kirby's Dream Course. IN YOUR EFFING POCKET.

I guess I would be satisfied with the Rev being a Download Station, but as always, I crave more.  

[TheYoungerPlumber]

I agree this would be a neat feature, but a friend of mine pointed out that the biggest reason FOR DS Download stations is to get people into stores.  Now, downloading NES games to the DS....

[18 Days]

Quote
Originally posted by: TrueNerd
Let's take it one step further and copy Sony (for a change) and let the DS download NES and SNES games from the virtual console. Of course, they'd have to somehow make those games not disappear when the DS powered down...

But could you imagine! Super Metroid. Super Mario RPG. Kirby's Dream Course. IN YOUR EFFING POCKET.

I guess I would be satisfied with the Rev being a Download Station, but as always, I crave more.

I feel uncomfortable with the dubious screen resolution issue this could create.

[Kairon]

Yeah, ideally you'd want to keep the DS downloading Demos in stores so that you have a social networking place for DS gamers.

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[Smash_Brother]

Quote
Originally posted by: Kairon
Yeah, ideally you'd want to keep the DS downloading Demos in stores so that you have a social networking place for DS gamers.

I understand that point, but:

1. It increases the chance of creepy pedophiles sleazing around the DS download stations (yeah, it's bull, but it's bad press Nintendo doesn't need).

2. Updating the DS download centers actually requires work on the part of the stores and you have no way of knowing in advance if the demo you want to try is available. On the Rev, they update the demos at Nintendo's ISP and every Rev owner has access to them.

3. Why bother letting people download demos when you could just as easily have DSs on display running the same demos? Why do people need to play on THEIR DS? All this does is invite theft when thieves can say with a straight face that they brought the DS in with them to try the demos.

4. Many people are too damn busy to drive to a store just to try out some games. I love the DS because it's the busy person's handheld: you close the thing, it freezes the action of whatever game you were playing and you put it in your pocket until the next inactive moment rolls around. The Rev would offer these demos to people who just don't want to waste the time and gas to drive to a store to try these games.

5. Plenty of people order games online for the aforementioned reason instead of buying them in stores. If a customer doesn't want to leave their home but would still like to try/buy your products, why not let them?

[KirbySStar]

Yeah, I don't even understand where people are getting the idea they'll be playing SNES and N64 games on their DS.  They are just way too big without having their own cartridge and Nintendo isn't going to be releasing a cartridge for people to do that.  Too much effort unless a special cartridge for that comes packaged with the Revolution.  With enough emulation you could shrink the resolution to a certain aspect ratio that it will fit on one of the DS screens but you'll most likely lose some details.  N64 games are just a dumb idea.  You have to completely remap and retool each game for the DS hardware and even then they might not work that well.  Most people didn't enjoy using the thumbstrap for Mario 64 DS and it's not even being packaged with the DSlite presently so I'm thinking a big no to that idea.  I could see NES and possibly SNES games on the DS but a big no to N64.

The only thing reasonable is a DS demo download station being used in the Rev.  I definitely think they'll do this.  I think every company would want to hop on to that so anyone can download a demo of their game so they can see if they want it.  It will get them more sales.

[IceCold]

EDIT: Oops, sorry..

[vudu]

Another big problem (for Nintendo) with this idea is that you can get a lot out of certain games from just the demo (examples that come to mind are puzzle games such as Meteos and Tetris).  If you could download these in the comfort of your own home there wouldn't be a whole lot stopping people from downloading the demo to their DS everytime they want to play one of these games.  This doesn't really work for games with levels or a sense of progression, but simple puzzle games can show the player almost everything the game has to offer in a single round.  

With the demo units in stores only, it doesn't make much sense to go to the store everytime you want to play the game, but if you can download it at home it makes it much easier to get by playing the demo and not buy the game.

[NWR_pap64]

Quote
Originally posted by: vudu
Another big problem (for Nintendo) with this idea is that you can get a lot out of certain games from just the demo (examples that come to mind are puzzle games such as Meteos and Tetris).  If you could download these in the comfort of your own home there wouldn't be a whole lot stopping people from downloading the demo to their DS everytime they want to play one of these games.  This doesn't really work for games with levels or a sense of progression, but simple puzzle games can show the player almost everything the game has to offer in a single round.  

With the demo units in stores only, it doesn't make much sense to go to the store everytime you want to play the game, but if you can download it at home it makes it much easier to get by playing the demo and not buy the game.

Easy, retire the demo after a while and replace it with another demo. That way, people don't abuse the demo and try the game out if the liked the demo.

I honestly don't understand why you guys see this as a bad idea for Nintendo. It makes perfect sense. It conveniently places demos of the greatest games in the gamer's hands. S_B is right that not EVERYBODY has the opportunity to go to a store and try the game out. Hell, I don't have that option AT ALL! Nintendo will reach a broader audience with this idea.

Again, it makes perfect sense. The demos will NOT prevent people from buying the full game the demos only offer a small chunk of the game. A demo is meant to leave people wanting for more if the game is good, and if they want more, they will go out and buy the demo.

Once again, I don't understand why you see this as a bad idea...

[Smash_Brother]

Puzzles are the only example which I admit will give the player a pretty regular experience, but the Meteos demo was the best example of this and even that paled in comparison to the final game.

I like the idea of simply cycling the demos out. All in all, I think they'd garner more sales from players being able to try the demos right away than they'd garner moochers who never intend to buy the game. Besides, if the demo goes away, that's incentive to buy the game right there (or never turn their DS off, which they'll have to do eventually).

[Fro]

Take a look at the Gamecube Demo disc they released with Viewtiful Joe, Sonic Adventure, Billy Hatcher, Splinter Cell, and Soul Calibur II... all those games sold okay and Joe/Sonic/Calibur were pretty big hits.

[jasonditz]

What would be very cool is if the Rev could broadcast as a DS download station even when a game is being played. So for instance someone walking by your house could download the demo they want off of your rev. If every online-enabled Rev is doubling as a DS download station whenever it's playing, they'd have a huge amount of coverage.

Also that would be great for kids who don't have a download station within walking/biking distance. Mom won't take you to Best Buy to try the demos? No problem, just put the DS into "download" mode and wander around your neighborhood. Sooner or later you're bound to find somebody who's got their Rev turned on.

[jasonditz]

Quote
Originally posted by: KirbySStar
Yeah, I don't even understand where people are getting the idea they'll be playing SNES and N64 games on their DS.  They are just way too big without having their own cartridge and Nintendo isn't going to be releasing a cartridge for people to do that.  .

They might. Making the Rev the DS's avenue to VC content would have a lot of DS owners buying a Rev just for that.

N64 is probably unreasonable (I suppose you could alter a few games like they did with Mario 64), but SNES, NES, and Genesis games make plenty of sense. A minor stetch or shrink to get the game to fit is not going to be a big deal.

[AnyoneEB]

You can run SNES and NES emulators on a GBA (with a flash cartridge), so they should run on a DS with no problem.

[Smash_Brother]

Quote
Originally posted by: jasonditz
What would be very cool is if the Rev could broadcast as a DS download station even when a game is being played. So for instance someone walking by your house could download the demo they want off of your rev. If every online-enabled Rev is doubling as a DS download station whenever it's playing, they'd have a huge amount of coverage.

Also that would be great for kids who don't have a download station within walking/biking distance. Mom won't take you to Best Buy to try the demos? No problem, just put the DS into "download" mode and wander around your neighborhood. Sooner or later you're bound to find somebody who's got their Rev turned on.

As much as I hate to say it (and disagree with their sentiment), people would probably categorize that under the "scary pedophiles would use it to lure children" heading. I think it's a neat idea, though.

On another note, what IS the DS's internal flash memory, anyway?

[jasonditz]

Quote
Originally posted by: Smash_Brother

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On another note, what IS the DS's internal flash memory, anyway?

There's a little non-volitile memory (to save a few internal settings), but as far as I know, I don't think there's any that's available just for general purposes by userland apps.

[Smash_Brother]

There has to be some: when you use the "DS Download" option to play a game single cart, the DS must be storing that game somewhere.

[jasonditz]

it's storing it in system ram, that's why you lose it when you turn the power off.

[Jensen]

Quote
Originally posted by: Smash_Brother
3. Why bother letting people download demos when you could just as easily have DSs on display running the same demos? Why do people need to play on THEIR DS? All this does is invite theft when thieves can say with a straight face that they brought the DS in with them to try the demos.

I don't see how it will help thieves.  All the stores I've been to have the DS locked behind glass or in the back room.

When I was at a store downloading a demo, two others came in to get demos.  Three of us in a small store playing DS games.  Don't you think that that might pique the curiosity of other customers?  It gives exposure to the DS in the most important of places.  What if they have a pre-release Zelda DS demo?  I can imagine a lot of people going to try that out.

I've been in at least 7 stores with DS demo units, and most of them will probably get wifi demo stations.  On the other hand I haven't seen any PSP demo units in stores... except one store that had a PSP that only played videos.

I personally would like to get the game demos from my own house, of course, but I think this is a smart move on Nintendo's part.

[NWR_pap64]

Quote
Originally posted by: Jensen

Quote
Originally posted by: Smash_Brother
3. Why bother letting people download demos when you could just as easily have DSs on display running the same demos? Why do people need to play on THEIR DS? All this does is invite theft when thieves can say with a straight face that they brought the DS in with them to try the demos.

I don't see how it will help thieves.  All the stores I've been to have the DS locked behind glass or in the back room.

When I was at a store downloading a demo, two others came in to get demos.  Three of us in a small store playing DS games.  Don't you think that that might pique the curiosity of other customers?  It gives exposure to the DS in the most important of places.  What if they have a pre-release Zelda DS demo?  I can imagine a lot of people going to try that out.

I've been in at least 7 stores with DS demo units, and most of them will probably get wifi demo stations.  On the other hand I haven't seen any PSP demo units in stores... except one store that had a PSP that only played videos.

I personally would like to get the game demos from my own house, of course, but I think this is a smart move on Nintendo's part.

Yeah, but again, not everyone is lucky to find seven stores with Wi-Fi downloads. S_B already mentioned that for him it's a 45 minute ride, and I am in Puerto Rico and no stores have Wi-Fi downloads. If this was done, it would help out the fans that can't go to a store and download a demo.

If Nintendo implemented both, it would be the best of two worlds:
- Not everyone can find a store with Wi-Fi downloads. If Nintendo offers DS demos through the Rev. they can try the latest demos out.

- Not everyone has a broadband connection, so those that can drive to a store they can download the demos. You can get the demos instantly when you are away from home.

DS Demos at stores is a good idea, it really is. But it would be even better if Nintendo offered you the chance to download said demos at home through the Rev.

[Smash_Brother]

Actually, yeah, why not both?

Quote
Originally posted by: jasonditz
it's storing it in system ram, that's why you lose it when you turn the power off.

The RAM being used by the DS is not its DRAM but actual internal storage. It DOES have some which is designed to be lost when the DS is powered off, yes, but it's in there.

If the games saved to the system's memory, then the DS wouldn't be able to use that memory to function any longer, meaning that a graphic-intensive game like MPH would never be able to have single card play and yet it does.

I ask because I'm unsure how much storage the DS has. If it has 64 Mb, it could potentially store some N64 games.

[jasonditz]

The specs don't show any internal storage except for the non-volatile system memory, which is 64 KB.

It seems reasonable that it doesn't have such a thing. After all, the GBA offered single cart multiplay in it's sub 300K working environment. It would also explain why single-card multiplay on the DS always involves a limited featureset. That's why when you're playing single card MPH, everyone has to play as Samus.  

[Smash_Brother]

The question then is how much bigger is MPH's downloadable client than the average N64 game?

It supposedly has 4 MB of memory on board (not counting the 650k or so of VRAM).

Are N64 games measured in Mega BITS or BYTES? I can never remember...