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[TurtleSnatcher]

I have a feeling there gonna incorporate "X" into the new name.. oh god i can see it now

"GAME BOY EXTREMEZ" ala GBX =[ oh.. god.. no


BTW: GBX.. sounds like a current handheld out now.. I must be mistaken haha

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

They should just kill off the Gameboy franchise name. The DS proved successful even without the Gameboy branding. "Gameboy" is also too "kiddy" sounding now, it was good in 1988.

However, I don't see that happening. Instead, the DS will be killed off. The next Gameboy will be an evolution of the current DS. I'm thinking it will have the following specs:

1 Touchscreen. Wider and larger than the DS screen but not as large as the PSP.
More powerful than the GC but there will be fewer graphics effects.
Built-in Tilt and rumble.
Optical media (GC disc size)
Built-in HDD (10GB)
Will be a virtual console.

Nah, they won't kill off the GameBoy name, for reasons already mentioned. Of course Gameboy sounds 'kiddy'. Kids need to play games, too!

 

[argon]

They should just kill off the Gameboy franchise name. The DS proved successful even without the Gameboy branding. "Gameboy" is also too "kiddy" sounding now, it was good in 1988.

However, I don't see that happening. Instead, the DS will be killed off. The next Gameboy will be an evolution of the current DS. I'm thinking it will have the following specs:

1 Touchscreen. Wider and larger than the DS screen but not as large as the PSP.
More powerful than the GC but there will be fewer graphics effects.
Built-in Tilt and rumble.
Optical media (GC disc size)
Built-in HDD (10GB)
Will be a virtual console.

You're describing the next generation PSP. But the next GameBoy?
Your description goes against almost everything Nintendo stands for:

1 screen - basically turning its back on the DS, and forget about BC.

Durability - Unless its a clamshell design you will get scratches all over your screen. Not very good for kids.

More powerful than the GC - unless it comes out in 2010, it will be expensive to produce and you won't get much battery life.

built in tilt & rumble - OK, I can see this one happening, but only if they don't go carts.

optical media - this means more power consumption, memory cards (which kids will lose), and loading.. and Nintendo really hates loading. Also, moving parts means it will be less durable. And they will need a caddy, or those small disks will get scratched to hell and back.

Built-in HDD - maybe.. but at this point would be too expensive. Remember, Nintendo is CHEAP.. I'm betting on 256-512 of flash RAM with expandability. Whatever the storage medium is, I bet it will be solid state. Again, less moving parts, cheaper to manufacture and more durable.

Will be a virtual console - I think so too.

P.S. Remember, the bulk of the market is still kids age 6-14 with a ton of free time. Durability, battery life, and low cost are much higher priorities in this market than prettier graphics.

 

[SpiffyG]

I'm guessing that Nintendo won't release a handheld with a CD medium until 2010. They'll use cards as long as they can.

 

[WrathOfOtaibah]

- It will probably be 128 bit. Nintendo goes for cost over power so I expect it to be maybe just a little bit better or the same as the PSP.
- Will use SD cards. Its the same as the DS card. If you play DS games, you can have options like AA. Nintendo did this in a way with GB games on the GBC.
- No GBA/GBC/GB compatibility but Nintendo will release an accessory that lets you play them.
- I expect this handheld to be as thin as the current iPod Videos.
- Like the Revolution, you can download NES, SNES, and N64 games on it. You could probably transfer the games onto the GBN from the Revolution that you have on your flash.
- One screen but its touch. The GBN screen size is the size of both DS screens on its side. One screen can mimic the touch screen but both sides can use touch except when playing DS games.
- Basic internet functions. Like e-mail services and stuff.

 

[Deku]

Graphics wise, I think if they don't go with the GameCube chipset, the next GameBoy will probably use an ARM 9 CPU for DS backward's compatability and a dedicated ATI low power 3d accelerator chipset.

I'll be the first to dismiss graphics over gameplay, but I'm sure seeing how the PSP has won over the graphic whore crowd, they'd very much want to get that in for their next portable as well, no matter how the DS/PSP war goes for them.

 

[Varian]

My new Micro is just fine thank you.

 

[jarrod]

I will be EXTREMELY surprised if either Sony or Nintendo release a new handheld before 2010; they'll be shooting themselves in the foot by artificially limiting the DS' and PSP' ability to fully penetrate the market.

Game Boy Pocket (1996) 25 million sold
Game Boy Color (1998) 50 million sold
Game Boy Advance (2001) 70+ million sold (and still selling)
Nintendo DS (2004) 7 million sold so far

...you can bet on a new Nintendo handheld platform releasing in 2007 at the absolute latest and 2006 seems more likely than that. More hardware evidently doesn't hurt when it comes to mobile technologies... people upgrade their cellphones annually, why not their Game Boys? That's the advantage in low cost solutions and that's the handheld strategy Nintendo's had the past decade... I wouldn't expect a change now.

And even if Nintendo releases a new handheld in 2007/2008, it'll barely match (let alone eclipse) the PSP's power if Nintendo hopes to maintain the low price points that have made their handheld lineups successful; Nintendo also lacks the capital and/or supplementary business to take as risky a venture as that would entail.

Firstly, Nintendo has more cash than Sony. They're not going to sink billions into R&D on something like CELL, but then neither is Sony when it comes to handhelds (PSP's chipset is actually a pretty cheap MIPS based solution). Second, matching PSP's specs isn't the problem (Nintendo could likely do that today with an MBX based solution for under $99). The probolem is matching that glorious screen for under $99.

Hence, IMO, as Nintendo is fully aware they simply cannot compete with Sony when it comes to the technological side of things, they're much better off sticking with the DS as long as possible and slowly allowing the GBA to die off.

GameCube says "hi".

 

[TAJ]

Willl Nintendo finally release a handheld that can display a Famicom/NES game without cropping it or scaling it down? Time will tell.

 

[elostyle]

Having recently received my glorious famicom game boy micro, late me just quickly state that I am not going to ever accept a handheld again that is not made out of metal and has such awesome "clicky" metal shoulder buttons. The build quality is awesome and totally worth the price of admission. How were we able to live without this much metal in our handhelds and controllers thus far? I don't know. Thank you for your attention.

 

[elostyle]

- Will use SD cards. Its the same as the DS card. If you play DS games, you can have options like AA. Nintendo did this in a way with GB games on the GBC.

If you mean anti aliasing by AA then just fyi: DS does already have it

 

[silver]

I think next year Nintendo will decide to license the GameBoy Advance name and technology to Nokia and other partners, and make it a de facto standard for cell phones. Games won't be stored on cartridge but will be downloadable through Nintendo's service, which will be made accessable directly by cell phone, or internet-capable phones. This way they will protect their turf, and keep the ongoing cellphone / game convergence from potentially disrupting their market. I can see them owning 60-70% of the cellphone gaming market this way, which will likely be growing substantially by next year.

By mid-2006 a redesign of DS will come out, slightly smaller and sleeker.

2008 Next generation DS, backwards compatible as described in my previous post... They will merge with the Game Boy line, i.e. "Game Boy Dual" or whatever. Simple as that.

Look, when Nintendo unveiled the DS, Iwata said that if 10% of the market would be interested, Nintendo would be happy. So in essence, the DS was an experiment, and it has now proven to be successful. What that means is that Nintendo doesn't need a third pillar anymore. They now need to combine the GB and DS markets into one über handheld market. So, what are they going to do? If you ask me, the next GB will be the successor to both GBA and DS. It will essentially be DS2, but with the Game Boy brand.

Another option would be to cooperate with Nokia, as you've said, or maybe Apple. If Apple releases their own cell phone, a partnership would be a huge step towards domination -- and of course, Apple would like a piece of the videogame pie. Nintendo could possibly make games based on Pixar movies too, but let's stay on topic.

There is no way there will be a DS redesign in 2006. Nintendo isn't going to unveil a new DS at E3 because it would steal some of Revolution's thunder, and besides, I think Nintendo will have its hands full with the Rev. Same goes for TGS -- Nintendo will be busy launching the Revolution, and they won't unveil a 2006 product in September of that year. It'll be at least 2007.

 

[Varian]

Iwata also said GBA games would be playable online on DS. What could have been an arch over the pillars is now its withered vine