Author Topic: Do you think the DS game cases are excessively large? (Read 7387 times)

Chozo Ghost · « **on:** July 07, 2007, 06:01:53 AM »

Is it just me or does it seem like such a waste that the DS game cases are roughly the same size as a CD Jewel case and twice the thickness, even though the DS cards inside are really very very tiny? Obviously, for true portability when you take your DS on the road with you you really don't want to take these bulky cases along with you. They are sturdy and they protect the cards well, but couldn't they be much much smaller?

Nintendo should look at how memory cards are treated. They come in their own little cases, but the cases aren't much bigger than the cards themselves because there is no real need to be. Why couldn't DS games follow their example? They are, after all, roughly the same size.

There are really only two reasons why the large cases are an advantage. For one thing, they accomodate a manual. The other reason the large cases are good is to grab the customer's attention and make the library of games look larger and more impressive than it actually is. In either case, Nintendo could just use a cardboard case that would include both a manual and the game and a smaller more portable plastic case. Wouldn't that be the best of all worlds for them? Considering the plastic shortage and all that I think Nintendo should do things that way.

Actually, now that I think about it... isn't this EXACTLY what Nintendo did with the Gameboy? Why did they abandon that with the DS? I thought the Gameboy way was perfect and should be done that way again.

ShyGuy · « **Reply #1 on:** July 07, 2007, 06:08:07 AM »

But my DS cases look so pretty lined up on the shelf.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #2 on:** July 07, 2007, 06:31:31 AM »

Yep, they're overly huge. It's a bit better with import games since they only have the thickness of a DVD case instead of the thickness of a GBA box.

nickmitch · « **Reply #3 on:** July 07, 2007, 08:15:23 AM »

I don't bring my DS cases when I travel. They're fine just sitting in the pouch I bought for my GBA a few years ago. I keep my DS in the same pouch. My friend actually throws his away.

Nick DiMola · « **Reply #4 on:** July 07, 2007, 11:52:29 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: TVman
... My friend actually throws his away.

...Mother of god...

nickmitch · « **Reply #5 on:** July 07, 2007, 11:57:49 AM »

I had a similar reaction. I asked him if he knew there was a mini poster in the pokemon case (I had just looked at the manuals for the first time), and he told me he threw his out.

LuigiHann · « **Reply #6 on:** July 07, 2007, 02:52:23 PM »

I like the pretty boxes. Still, I put all my games in a pouch, and all the cases in a plastic bag. Don't know what I'll do with them, really. They're useful when I lend a game to someone.

18 Days · « **Reply #7 on:** July 07, 2007, 04:30:29 PM »

Australia and Europe have the worst deal. Gamecube come in a vareity of different sized cases. It really is a joke.

Infernal Monkey · « **Reply #8 on:** July 07, 2007, 04:45:47 PM »

lololol :]

The best part is Theme Park comes in a massive Euro case, but the Aussie manual is only 25 pages. Pokemon's manual, however, is about 70 pages. I wouldn't have much of a problem with them if the publishers fancied up the spines. White with black text is bloody cheap, boring and PS2-ish.

Flames_of_chaos · « **Reply #9 on:** July 07, 2007, 05:11:09 PM »

What the heck is New Zealand Story Revolution?

UncleBob · « **Reply #10 on:** July 07, 2007, 05:20:43 PM »

DS Cases don't bother me too much.

It's GameCube cases that always ticked me off. Never understood the point of the tiny discs if they came in storage cases the same size as the big discs....

Mashiro · « **Reply #11 on:** July 07, 2007, 05:30:16 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: UncleBob
DS Cases don't bother me too much.

It's GameCube cases that always ticked me off. Never understood the point of the tiny discs if they came in storage cases the same size as the big discs....

Yeah, at least for the American packaging. The Japanese games had a nice little box.

Same with the Japanese GBA boxes. The American version was roughly the same size as its GB and GBC predecessors. The Japanese version was a sleeker more rectangular box.

Infernal Monkey · « **Reply #12 on:** July 07, 2007, 05:46:54 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Lord_die_seis
What the heck is New Zealand Story Revolution?

Remake of the original arcade/NES game by Taito. You play as a kiwi bird and kill many enemies! It's deep. They added some hopeless touch screen mini-games that you have to try and complete WHILE defeating enemies on the top screen.

Flames_of_chaos · « **Reply #13 on:** July 07, 2007, 06:42:31 PM »

Thats some sexy bottom screen map right there.

Mode7 · « **Reply #14 on:** July 07, 2007, 07:14:31 PM »

MARKETABILITY:

The DS has to go neck to neck with the PSP. Average Consumer Joe wouldn't take the DS as serious if it's games came in (perceived) cheap, cardboard boxes. (Read: Nintendo doesn't want the perception that the DS is just another Gameboy.)

"Heck, PSP games come in DVD-like cases... DS games come in them too. Hmmmmmmmm... Decisions."

For the more informed lot, it wouldn't matter, cardboard or plastic.

However, I prefer plastic as it makes for a nicer display piece. Yeah, I'm OCD like that -- my inner-collector at work. I mean, if DVDs and PSP games get the treatment...

Euroland DS cases are thicker to accomodate multiple languages if I'm not mistaken.

North American Gamecube cases came in standard size as it would frustrate the consumers over here in the U.S.A., Canada, and Mexico if they couldn't put their games in the same storage rack as other platform games and DVD movies. Japan, however, seeing that the 3 inch media is physically smaller, "necessitates" smaller packaging (smaller country, space is a premium, etc.) This doesn't carry over to the DS due to it being region free.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #15 on:** July 07, 2007, 07:51:10 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Mashiro
Quote
Originally posted by: UncleBob
DS Cases don't bother me too much.

It's GameCube cases that always ticked me off. Never understood the point of the tiny discs if they came in storage cases the same size as the big discs....

Yeah, at least for the American packaging. The Japanese games had a nice little box.

I wouldn't praise them much, they're frigging annoying since the box art is a paper sleeve wrapped around the plastic box instead of inserted somehow, you have to slide the sleeve off before you can open the box so you get a two part affair you have to juggle when inserting discs and you can't leave them open if you don't want the sleeve to lie around separately and risking something crushing it.

Mashiro · « **Reply #16 on:** July 07, 2007, 07:57:53 PM »

I know how they work, I own all the Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen games =) They never really bothered me all too much.

18 Days · « **Reply #17 on:** July 07, 2007, 08:25:35 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Mode7
Euroland DS cases are thicker to accomodate multiple languages if I'm not mistaken.

But they don't!

My Sonic Rush case is bloated and huge yet the manual is 36 pages of English, and that's it. As Infernal already said Theme Park is a similar deal.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #18 on:** July 08, 2007, 03:27:19 AM »

Manual yes but what about the layers upon layers of safety booklets that you shouldn't throw out because then the manual holder won't hold properly anymore?

vudu · « **Reply #19 on:** July 08, 2007, 04:22:44 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Chozo Ghost
Obviously, for true portability when you take your DS on the road with you you really don't want to take these bulky cases along with you.

You are so right; wouldn't it be great if someone made a compact case that could hold up to 24 DS games?

Ghisy · « **Reply #20 on:** July 08, 2007, 09:09:28 AM »

DS cases don't bother me. Actually, I think they are pretty nice.
Is there really a bunch of stuff inside the Euro boxes??
All my DS games are US versions (except for the Jump Stars games) and there's usually one manual in there and sometimes a flyer or registration card and that's about it.

Chozo Ghost · « **Reply #21 on:** July 09, 2007, 04:04:00 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: TVman
I don't bring my DS cases when I travel. They're fine just sitting in the pouch I bought for my GBA a few years ago. I keep my DS in the same pouch. My friend actually throws his away.

You should tell him to just give them to you instead, or make him aware that people would actually be willing to buy them from him on ebay or something. (just make sure in the auctions he lets them know it doesn't include the actual game, lol)

Ian Sane · « **Reply #22 on:** July 09, 2007, 05:52:20 AM »

I think the cases are great. Cardboard boxes suck. A lot of people throw them out so years later when buying a used game the manual and box are gone. And if you want to keep them they take up a lot of space. No one keeps their game regularly in the box so you need to store empty boxes with manuals if you want to keep things in good shape. And boxes are flimsy which again is bad for collecting. If you do store the game in the box you can damage the box by constantly opening and closing it. And boxes get crushed by idiot relatives all the time.

Plastic cases work best if you want to collect games and have them in a nice display on your shelf while still being flexible for playing. Like boxes if having extra packaging bugs you throw it out. I know people who throw out CD cases because all of their CDs are stored in a CD album. Yet no one suggests that CDs or DVDs not come in a case.

Actually this is the first time I've ever heard anyone complain about the DS cases. When they were revealed it seemed everyone was all "finally, no more damn boxes". There's a website where people make labels and buy empty DS cases for their GBA games. Obviously there's a group of people that like them and for those that don't there's nothing stopping you from hucking them out and just having a pile of games.

Chozo Ghost · « **Reply #23 on:** July 09, 2007, 06:31:12 AM »

Ian, it just seems like such a waste. Plastic costs more than cardboard and is not renewable.

Wasn't there a plastic shortage or something that was hindering DS production a while back? Maybe Nintendo would have had more plastic to make DS systems if it wasn't all being sucked up to make the DS game cases, lol.

Like I said, the plastic cases are good, but why do they need to be so large? Think back to the original gameboy cartridge cases which were only slightly bigger than the cartridges themselves. That's really all the plastic that needs to be used.

UltimatePartyBear · « **Reply #24 on:** July 09, 2007, 08:06:10 AM »

If the DS cases were that small, they wouldn't hold manuals, and I hate hate hate hate hate hate hate having my manuals lie around unprotected.

If you feel bad because they're made from oil instead of hundred-year-old forests, why don't you recycle them? Sell them to people like UncleBob.

News:

Author Topic: Do you think the DS game cases are excessively large? (Read 7387 times)