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[DCharlie]

Maybe someone has already brought this up, but :

Remember the Edge article that showed the scan of the new GBA ?

They mentioned games being aware of the new machine, being flip top , etc...

although it was assumed that this was the SP, was it infact the DS?
I remember the model they mocked up looking more DS'y than SP...

anyone still have the pictures that Edge posted?

 

[MarkMacD]

As I recall they did say it would play new, non-GBA games and have more buttons, but then they said it would come out before the end of 2002. Seems like the sort of thing anyone could say and have come true eventually....

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Yeah, I too have been thinking it seems like they got SP and DS info combined.

Seems like the sort of thing anyone could say and have come true eventually....

Ehh, I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that they had reason to believe. Some of the things like enhanced processor and extra buttons seemed like silly things to make up, since it would split the GBA userbase. However, it makes sense if what they really heard was just a fraction of the DS features, and got it mixed up with the news of a new lit, rechargeable GBA.

 

[DCharlie]

yup, i think that's what happened.

The DS sounds like it's been in dev for quite a while, and it would be conceivable that the plans for it started before 2002.

 

[jenov4]

Oh yeah I remember that article. I don't think they mentioned anything about being dual screen though.

 

[pilonv1]

I've got the issue around somewhere, I'll have a look for it.

 

[Hellraizah]

"I didn't stumble on anything"

 

[DCharlie]

"Oh yeah I remember that article. I don't think they mentioned anything about being dual screen though."

they didn't - but i'd like to see the mocked up design they'd said they had described - just out of interest.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

I can't find the image... but it basically looked like the DS without the lower screen. "That's a lot of unused space" was another of the arguments that something wasn't quite right with their story. I don't remember if the flip-up section had the entire width or only the screen, though.

"Nintendo wouldn't have a hinged portable. Too many kids will rip it in half!" Us-owned.

 

[Fowler]

If I remember right, the "GBA SP" mockup in Edge looked like two GBAs stacked on top of each other, funky GBA shape and all... I'll hunt down the issue and take a look later.

The key thing to remember though is that I'm sure Edge made reference to the fliptop design being reminiscent of a Game & Watch, and that's where the DS similarities come in as well. And the four button pad comes from the SNES (it's been assumed since what, the early 90s that the next Game Boy would have a SNES-style four button pad). So while there is the strong possibility that Edge did indeed see/hear of the DS, there are enough reasons to suggest it was just a coincidence.

 

[pilonv1]

Issue #116, November 02.

There's nothing in the article to suggest it's the DS, besides mentioning the GBA may get a processor or RAM upgrade.

 

[DCharlie]

thanks.

That's appeased my curiosity