Author Topic: 2 DS Mockups.... (Read 8466 times)

Requiem · « **on:** January 17, 2006, 07:07:53 AM »

Here is the first one...

There both...ok....but they do show you how the DS can be scaled down.

I like that first one best because it's creative. However, if they found a way to detach or switch the D-pad and button flaps, then it would be infinitely better. No more comprising the button size and space due to left-handers. Now they can simply switch it....

Pale · « **Reply #1 on:** January 17, 2006, 07:15:12 AM »

I personlly like the idea of having a mode that places the top screen completely over the bottom screen but with the screen facing up if you want it... for a nice feel when playing GBA games. If they are redoing it, it would be sweet if they could stuff the classic GB hardware in there as well.

Strell · « **Reply #2 on:** January 17, 2006, 07:50:04 AM »

I like the fact that one of them copies the Rev. It would be smart marketing on Nintendo's part to reinforce the Rev in everything from now on, and constantly drive home that look. If the GBA2 + DS/DS2 looked like it, it would present them as a family of products, which would only help to increase Nintendo's image and broaden the gaming market/spectrum.

As for the redesigns, the linked one is okay except that it includes an analog stick, something that won't happen. Additionally, the "touch mode" incarnation wouldn't be feasible because there's yet to be a game that is wholly dependent on touch input. You'd still need access to some face buttons, especially start/stop.

I like the second one better, but I sincerely doubt we'll be getting cool transforming machines if only for the fact that an increase in movable parts = greater potential for malfunctions: power cords coming loose in the machine, plastic breaking down, hinges wearing out, etc. That would be a PR nightmare. Given that people of all ages play these things, and that kids are a huge demographic, I really doubt they'd allow something that could be fragile even in the slightest. Nintendo's machines are the msot durable around, and it's mostly because they aren't doing crazy stuff with them.

However, *if* Nintendo went that route, then I'd love to see that design above, but with the ability to - as Pale mentioned - only see one screen for GBA games. That would be awesome. Morph it into a little square for travel, and then open it up based on what game you want (DS vs GBA).

I think we'll see something like the SP - it will be more square shaped, hopefully look iPod/Applish (white, oooh baby), and have the controls under the screen as opposed to the side. Something that is minimal, but doesn't go overboard with movable parts. Of course this might affect how well someone can reach touch controls midgame. Hmmm. We'll see. Nintendo never fails at a redesign imo.

Pale · « **Reply #3 on:** January 17, 2006, 07:54:24 AM »

The cool part about the first one is that you can flip down just one of the button sides. This allows for great thumb nubbin control.

Hostile Creation · « **Reply #4 on:** January 17, 2006, 08:21:58 AM »

Looks cool and sleek, but also incredibly fragile.
Bill showed me another similar design that looked sturdier, though a little less visually appealing. I'd prefer that, personally.

Stimutacs Addict · « **Reply #5 on:** January 17, 2006, 08:25:58 AM »

moving parts can be a total pain, though. The first design is cool, but it would never really work.

Ian Sane · « **Reply #6 on:** January 17, 2006, 08:34:57 AM »

The first design is cool in theory but I don't think it would work very well. Things get hectic when you're gaming and you want a strong sturdy controller. If it folds up then the shape of the controller might change while you're playing which would really mess you up. Sure they could "snap" into position but we apply a fair bit of force to a controller and something fragile like that probably would get wrecked easily.

The second idea again is really cool in theory but I'm pretty sure it would impossible to make. For the sides to slide out like that they would have to be hollow. So where does all the electronic "guts" behind the buttons and d-pad go?

Rhoq · « **Reply #7 on:** January 17, 2006, 09:25:35 AM »

I like both designs.

The second looks a lot "cleaner" though.

vudu · « **Reply #8 on:** January 17, 2006, 09:32:20 AM »

Honestly, I'm not a fan of either one. By leaving the buttons and D-pad exposed they're just asking for broken/unresponsive buttons.

BlackNMild2k1 · « **Reply #9 on:** January 17, 2006, 09:35:03 AM »

I would sell my Xbox 360* to buy the second one. That seems a little too hight tech of a design for Nintendo to adopt. Its almost 007ish, like a combination of some of the new cell phones with a Rev-like casing.

*assuming I had one

Spak-Spang · « **Reply #10 on:** January 17, 2006, 11:03:02 AM »

I don't like either of them.

The first one is going to need some sort of locking device, or its just going to be more difficult to play.

Besides that, its going to be really thick to put in your pocket, and carry around. Granted you can't carry around the regular DS very easily, however this one actually looks worse.

The second one has too many moving and sliding parts. I would be worried about screens getting scratched or springs breaking, the sliding portion getting stuck and more.

What is worse, is if it doesn't have a locking device, I could accidentally push in the controls on top of the other screen. Too much potential for damage.

The DS is very nice as it is. I have been hard pressed to find ways to really improve it.

kirby_killer_dedede · « **Reply #11 on:** January 17, 2006, 11:05:21 AM »

I really like the idea of a DS redesign being based off the Revolution controller.

IceCold · « **Reply #12 on:** January 17, 2006, 11:06:34 AM »

Additionally, the "touch mode" incarnation wouldn't be feasible because there's yet to be a game that is wholly dependent on touch input.

Kirby Canvas Curse..

Spak-Spang · « **Reply #13 on:** January 17, 2006, 11:11:15 AM »

I thought of another problem with the flipsides version of the DS. The face buttons are utterly exposed when folded up. This can and WILL lead to damage being done while transporting. When folded up, I don't want anything exposed for fear of getting ruined.

Artimus · « **Reply #14 on:** January 17, 2006, 11:35:03 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: IceCold
Additionally, the "touch mode" incarnation wouldn't be feasible because there's yet to be a game that is wholly dependent on touch input.

Kirby Canvas Curse..

Start.

hudsonhawk · « **Reply #15 on:** January 17, 2006, 12:08:32 PM »

They're both too fat, and fail to address the DS' main drawback in my mind: it doesn't fit comfortably in one's pocket.

I think a far more likely redesign would simply be use GB Micro-sized screens and would retain the classic clamshell while shrinking it and reducing its thickness.

Mario · « **Reply #16 on:** January 17, 2006, 01:32:00 PM »

I don't think it's possible to have the DS comfortably fit in your pocket, that's why Nintendo are still promoting Gameboy and maybe a bit where the "third pillar" thing comes from.

darknight06 · « **Reply #17 on:** January 17, 2006, 01:55:09 PM »

" think a far more likely redesign would simply be use GB Micro-sized screens and would retain the classic clamshell while shrinking it and reducing its thickness. think a far more likely redesign would simply be use GB Micro-sized screens and would retain the classic clamshell while shrinking it and reducing its thickness."

And screw over games that do use the touchscreen extensively? Er... no. The main reason I don't like the Micro is because the screen's too small, I can care less if it doesn't fit in my pocket if everything is ant sided.

Jensen · « **Reply #18 on:** January 17, 2006, 05:49:26 PM »

There isn't really much that can be changed, except for some trimming of fat.
Brain Training has you hold the DS sideways like a book, so the area around the top screen can help you balance it.
I kind of like this idea,
but it doesn't have a GBA port or a gray cartridge sticking out of it.

Artimus · « **Reply #19 on:** January 17, 2006, 06:27:39 PM »

I think the redesign will just be thinner and prettier.

Zach · « **Reply #20 on:** January 17, 2006, 07:05:17 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Artimus
Quote
Originally posted by: IceCold
Additionally, the "touch mode" incarnation wouldn't be feasible because there's yet to be a game that is wholly dependent on touch input.

Kirby Canvas Curse..

Start.

Feel the Magic: XX/XY

Strell · « **Reply #21 on:** January 17, 2006, 07:42:40 PM »

Ok wait a minute, does anyone honestly think 1-2 games that use touchpad ALMOST exclusively somehow makes them have a point?

That's like saying we had a cloudy day, I guess the sun doesn't exist anymore.

I.e., it's not helping your argument, guys. If anything, it's hurting it more and more.

UncleBob · « **Reply #22 on:** January 17, 2006, 07:59:23 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Spak-Spang
I thought of another problem with the flipsides version of the DS. The face buttons are utterly exposed when folded up. This can and WILL lead to damage being done while transporting. When folded up, I don't want anything exposed for fear of getting ruined.

Both my mother's and my original GameBoy, GameBoy Color, 1st Generation GameBoy Advance and my PiL GameBoy each had exposed buttons and none of them have any issues.

And I can assure you, my GameBoys were transported. A *lot*.

IceCold · « **Reply #23 on:** January 17, 2006, 09:32:29 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Strell
I.e., it's not helping your argument, guys. If anything, it's hurting it more and more.

?? There's no argument here.. I was just giving an example of a game.. I agree with you about the face buttons.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #24 on:** January 17, 2006, 09:36:54 PM »

Where does the sound come out of those?

Ian Sane · « **Reply #25 on:** January 18, 2006, 06:03:50 AM »

I just realized a possible improvement to the DS. What if they added GB/GBC support to it? Like maybe they found a way to cheaply include the GBC hardware without it affecting the system's size? That would be pretty cool.

Strell · « **Reply #26 on:** January 18, 2006, 06:04:11 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: IceCold
Quote
Originally posted by: Strell
I.e., it's not helping your argument, guys. If anything, it's hurting it more and more.
?? There's no argument here.. I was just giving an example of a game.. I agree with you about the face buttons.

Ok, ok. The discussion-at-hand, composed of different viewpoints, has one that is weaker than the other.

Sorry to sound harsh or something!

Pale · « **Reply #27 on:** January 18, 2006, 06:34:59 AM »

Hmm, here is a tangent... All this talk of durability and hearing stories about people overusing their touch screens gave me an interesting idea...

How sweet would it be if Nintendo used the online registration of games as a means to extend their "warranty".

Say for every N number of games you register you get one free repair/replacement. It couldn't really be exploited because they could require the broken system before sending out a new one. Also, people wouldn't be inclined to break their system on purpose because that would "cost" one of their repairs and the repairs wouldn't expire.

I think it would be a great customer service story to help sell some systems,, and I don't think it would really cost Nintendo that much because they could most likely decide on a good value of N to make it cost effective.

Now instead of seeing posts like "Kirby made me destroy my touch screen, now my ds is junk." You could see, "Kirby was so much fun I had to use the repair authorization buying it got me so that I could fix my touch screen."

I dunno, just a thought.

Pale · « **Reply #28 on:** January 18, 2006, 06:38:30 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Pale in the first reply
If they are redoing it, it would be sweet if they could stuff the classic GB hardware in there as well.

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane much later
I just realized a possible improvement to the DS. What if they added GB/GBC support to it? Like maybe they found a way to cheaply include the GBC hardware without it affecting the system's size? That would be pretty cool.

That's a great idea!

BlackNMild2k1 · « **Reply #29 on:** January 18, 2006, 07:08:02 AM »

I'm surprised that the hardware isn't powerful enough to just emulate the GB/GBC hardware..
Or that Nintendo just doesn't allow emulation of the hardware.

Ian Sane · « **Reply #30 on:** January 18, 2006, 07:14:33 AM »

Ooooops. I completely missed Pale's post.

vudu · « **Reply #31 on:** January 18, 2006, 08:09:23 AM »

Here's something I'd like to see if there is a redesign: a user-replaceable touch screen. That would be rad.

Strell · « **Reply #32 on:** January 18, 2006, 09:43:36 AM »

Pale: Good idea, BUT it *can* be abused. Case in point: When Nintendo released the Metroid Prime 2 demo via having a certain number of games registered, people started trading codes online. How? Simple. Go to Blockbuster/Hastings/Hollywood/etc and find the game section. Most of these places leave the registration information in the box, so someone could theoretically register all of those games under their name. Hell, they could make up a few aliases with different e-mail addresses if they wanted and double/triple their number.

Granted, that doesn't take into account having, say, your DS reg #, but there are ways around that too. For example, my nephew didn't register his and he never will. That's another one for me. Plus if I ever bought one as a gift for someone who never used it, I can take their code. Or you can just look at the number through the hole in the box (if Nintendo still does that, I dunno if they do).

Then you aren't far away from having lots of new DSes headed your way.

Nintendo could block it by 1) forcing people to send in the broken DS first, or 2) making the # of registrations needed very high.

In any case, it *could* be exploited with a little work. That's all I'm getting at. Personally I think it is a great idea.

Somewhat offtopic, someone once on Slashdot suggested that, in order to help publishers' plight against used game sales, people could send a game they didn't want anymore to the publisher, who would then send them some sort of coupon/voucher toward future purposes. Then the company could repackage it and get the profit themselves. Not only that, but they could sell them directly online, and could even have standards for including the manual/inserts. Think about it - no more finding a disc only copy of Ikaruga. Instead, you log into Nintendo.com and buy it yourself because someone got tired of it. That way Nintendo makes a small profit, the original buyer gets a coupon and generates more profit for Nintendo, and you get a killer game AND Nintendo gets more profit. Win-win-win all around.

vudu · « **Reply #33 on:** January 18, 2006, 10:36:17 AM »

Quote
Hell, they could make up a few aliases with different e-mail addresses if they wanted and double/triple their number.

You can only register a code once. Duplicating it won't work.

Quote
Granted, that doesn't take into account having, say, your DS reg #, but there are ways around that too. For example, my nephew didn't register his and he never will. That's another one for me. Plus if I ever bought one as a gift for someone who never used it, I can take their code. Or you can just look at the number through the hole in the box (if Nintendo still does that, I dunno if they do).

How's that help? If you register your nephew's DS and then yours breaks you'd have to have registered yours in order to get the extended warrenty. (i.e. sending in a system for free repair that hasn't been registered to you won't help.)

Also, FYI, you can't register a Nintendo system until after it's been purchased. I bought a GBM at Best Buy and went home and immediately tried to register it and Nintendo said it was an invalid serial number. I tried again the next day and it went through. I'm pretty sure I couldn't register it yet because Best Buy hadn't told Nintendo I purchased it yet.

Strell · « **Reply #34 on:** January 18, 2006, 01:13:49 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: vudu
You can only register a code once. Duplicating it won't work.

How's that help? If you register your nephew's DS and then yours breaks you'd have to have registered yours in order to get the extended warrenty. (i.e. sending in a system for free repair that hasn't been registered to you won't help.)

Also, FYI, you can't register a Nintendo system until after it's been purchased. I bought a GBM at Best Buy and went home and immediately tried to register it and Nintendo said it was an invalid serial number. I tried again the next day and it went through. I'm pretty sure I couldn't register it yet because Best Buy hadn't told Nintendo I purchased it yet.

No, you can't register a code twice, but going by the example I proposed, you could have three accounts and get three codes for, say, Metroid Prime 2 (using Blockbuster) and thus have one mapped to each account. Do the same with a number of games available for rent and suddenly you have several accounts all pimped out with games.

Same with the second situation. Take it a step further. All my systems + games are on my "master" account. I make two dummy accounts and fill them with games. Then I add systems as I go. My nephew gets a GC and a Micro and an DS in the course of a year, I add his stuff to that first dummy account. A friend of mine gets his systems, I put them in the second dummy account. Therefore three accounts with unique codes.

Those conditions satisfy the "it has to be purchased" problem - you are using purchased equipment.

You're right on one thing - it blocks people spoofing what they own. I own DS A and it fails, I am sent DS B. I do something stupid a week later with my replacement DS B, they are going to tie B to my account, meaning there's no way I can transfer that one I broke to my nephew and let him replace mine. Hence why I said earlier it's a failsafe if Nintendo forces you to send first.

However, if Nintendo doesn't force you to send first, what is to stop me from getting a new DS on all three accounts? I just go in through mine, there's DS B. Go to my dummy account with nephew's info, DS C. Finally go through dummy account 2 with friend's info, get DS D.

The entire situation I posed with my last post was built on the premise that anything extraneous I get - codes from Blockbuster, my nephew's DS - are mapped to those new accounts.

News:

Author Topic: 2 DS Mockups.... (Read 8466 times)