Kobun Heat
Member
Not AFAIK. I think they disabled it because the compression would look like ASS on a television set.
Nintendo's Answer to PSP's multimedia ability...
- Thread starter lunlunqq
- Start date
aoi tsuki said:i think SongPro became an actual product. i remember first reading a blip about them in a 2000-2001 MCV.
Edit: SongPro was originally named "Songboy". Nintendo sued (IP infringement), delaying its release until an eventual settlement and name change.
Came with a default 32MD SD card, which of course was removable for larger cards.
The GBC SongPro was around for a bit... then, out of the blue in 2003, NOA had it listed on their GBA peripheral page. Very odd. Later that year at e3, I spoke with the SongPro company owner, who showed me the GBA version... unlike the bulky GBC unit, the GBA SongPro was the same size as a standard GBA cart and included a slot for SD cards. He said that Nintendo was now "a good friend of ours" and that the GBA SongPro would be coming.
The SongPro website hasn't been updated in a few years and the SongPro guy wasn't at e3 2004. If he was serious about Nintendo being interested, it's possible that this is the result... or that Nintendo took the idea and ran with it.
Kobun -- did you hear that from someone, about the GBA Video carts? I've always assumed that home video licensing rights are the reason the GBA Videos won't work on a GB Player. Whoever has the license to sell the DVD and VHS versions of those cartoons probably has exclusive rights to selling prerecorded stuff for playback on a TV.
hehe, i dont really know how psp's music/movie playback works, but dose it really make the psp more expensive? i mean, given the high power that Sony packed into the psp hardware, isnt media playback a second nature of psp? i guess even if they take the media playback out, psp will still cost a lot...Scrow said:
furthermore, i don't think nintendo was bitching about the cost of adding multimedia into handhelds. they feel so good about their concept of "a PURE game platform"... don't you think releasing this mp3/mpg4 player thingy like slapping their own faces???
V
Vennt
Unconfirmed Member
cybamerc said:
No, in fact the market for watching movies on the go is so bad that nobody bothers to make or sell portable DVD players... oh, wait...
OK, a little harsh, but saying noone watches (or wants to watch) movies on the go is just stupid. (I for one, do.)
Man, not to be mean, but I wouldn't watch a movie on a GBA SP even if my mother was at gun point and the only way to make her survive was to watch a movie on GBA SP.
As for music, quality is the important part. If the quality is shitty, no can do. I vill wait until I can judge quality before I bring the sledge hammer down.
As for music, quality is the important part. If the quality is shitty, no can do. I vill wait until I can judge quality before I bring the sledge hammer down.
Portable DVD players have a different appeal. Because of their size they're mostly useful for long travels. Because they play DVDs as opposed to, say, a proprietary movie format or "computer" files they also appeal more to average consumers.Freeburn said:
cybamerc said:
That wasn't your assertion.
You statement specifically implied that movie watching on the go was not viable since no one does it. To wit:
cybamerc said:
Notice the period. That means you made a statement that you ended on that point. And with this in mind, it's clear that you're wrong. No qualifiers are needed.
It would've taken additional resources to make sure that the PSP and UMD format would be secure enough to make the platform attractive to movie studios. That and the licensing of any technologies would drive the production costs up, but if the unit itself sells for $200 in the US, it seems almost pointless to debate given the power of the unit.lunlunqq said:
i don't think this is a "slap in the face" to Nitendo. They have the GBA video and a licensed MP3 player (IIRC it's made by Majesco). The former has done quite well and continues to sell despite the limited selection and overall crappiness of the video quality. But they're still focused on games. Sony's focus is on games at the moment, but they are definitely interested in shifting some of that focus into movies and likely music, probably tieing into their Connect service.
i doubt i'll be buying this, but there'll be plenty of people who are interested in it. With the prices of SD memory being much lower than MS Duo prices, and the portability of the SP, i could see this being big mainly as an MP3 player for the millions who own SPs.
My gut would be to say this idea won't fly, but then that's what I thought of GBA Video and -- I'll be damned -- those things are flying off shelves. Lately, a friend of mine that works at Toys R Us has been regaling me with tales of moms and dads buying them two or three at a time. It's a miracle or something, especially considering how the rack for them is in a back corner far away from the demo units and slick placards.
The GBA SP certainly is the right size to be a music-playback device. SD cards are relatively cheap too. I guess I could carry around 150 songs or so with it in my pants or jacket pocket, and still have room to carry a few game cartridges.
Versatility is a good thing.
Too bad Nintendo didn't make it so the DS card slot could accept SD or CF cards, or that they just didn't design the system to rock 50 kinds of ass in the first place.
The GBA SP certainly is the right size to be a music-playback device. SD cards are relatively cheap too. I guess I could carry around 150 songs or so with it in my pants or jacket pocket, and still have room to carry a few game cartridges.
Versatility is a good thing.
Too bad Nintendo didn't make it so the DS card slot could accept SD or CF cards, or that they just didn't design the system to rock 50 kinds of ass in the first place.
what bugs me about this device is that it doesn't sit flush with the edges of the SP. surely that wouldn't be too hard to do...
other than that, mp3 playback will be teh awesome. i wonder if i could play DS games while i listen to my MP3s. maybe even adjust the volume of the mp3 playback and the game music seperately. another device i would like to see is an AM/FM tuner so i could listen to the radio if i wanted.
other than that, mp3 playback will be teh awesome. i wonder if i could play DS games while i listen to my MP3s. maybe even adjust the volume of the mp3 playback and the game music seperately. another device i would like to see is an AM/FM tuner so i could listen to the radio if i wanted.
radioheadrule83
Banned
Still waiting for full official specs for this, but it sounds good.
Having the card output the sound itself is a good idea, because GBA sound is just about passable for GBA games and awful for everything else.
SD cards are good too. Most cameras etc using them also work as removable drives in most PCs, and you can find flash media hubs and USB adaptors everywhere with little hassle. The screen size / resolution + MPEG4 + SD media should = decent experience. The audio is a nice solution for people that only have so many pockets.
I've been walking around with each of these in their own respective pockets: wallet, work pass, GBA SP, iPod, Mobile phone...
I'm half expecting manebito to be a GBA/DS camera with USB out and SD support too. That'd make this even more interesting. Nintendo is embracing media by the way. If nothing else interests you about this announcement, maybe that should.
Having the card output the sound itself is a good idea, because GBA sound is just about passable for GBA games and awful for everything else.
SD cards are good too. Most cameras etc using them also work as removable drives in most PCs, and you can find flash media hubs and USB adaptors everywhere with little hassle. The screen size / resolution + MPEG4 + SD media should = decent experience. The audio is a nice solution for people that only have so many pockets.
I've been walking around with each of these in their own respective pockets: wallet, work pass, GBA SP, iPod, Mobile phone...
I'm half expecting manebito to be a GBA/DS camera with USB out and SD support too. That'd make this even more interesting. Nintendo is embracing media by the way. If nothing else interests you about this announcement, maybe that should.
I see Nintendo took my death threats seriously.
j/k
I have been a backer for this for awhile.
Here is a video of a 3rd party version. I am sure the Nintendo one will have better framerate, unless they just bought the tech. The quality is 100x better than majesco.
j/k
I have been a backer for this for awhile.
Here is a video of a 3rd party version. I am sure the Nintendo one will have better framerate, unless they just bought the tech. The quality is 100x better than majesco.
They should make a boot cart for the DS that allows you to access files from this thing.
That way, you could encode files for the GBA's resolution or the DS's resolution. If you had a GBA, you'd just stick this SD adapter in by itself to play the videos (but you'd only have access to GBA-resolution videos on the cartridge; I guess if you had DS-resolution videos, they'd appear but be grayed-out). If you had a DS, you'd insert both the DS boot cart and the SD adapter, and you could access both the GBA-resolution files and the DS-resolution files.
That way, you could encode files for the GBA's resolution or the DS's resolution. If you had a GBA, you'd just stick this SD adapter in by itself to play the videos (but you'd only have access to GBA-resolution videos on the cartridge; I guess if you had DS-resolution videos, they'd appear but be grayed-out). If you had a DS, you'd insert both the DS boot cart and the SD adapter, and you could access both the GBA-resolution files and the DS-resolution files.
Doom_Bringer
Banned
ahahha
snapty00 said:
You know, I just thought about something. The DS detects some carts (like the Action Replay) as "DS Option Packs." Now, we've been assuming that's just what it says when a DS peripheral is plugged in... but what if the DS is capable of running DS mode software off a "DS Option Pack" in the GBA port?
Jacobi said:
A little shy of $50, according to reuters. About the same as the gap between DS and PSP pricing in japan funnily enough.
Also, according to reuters, Nintendo has been very very quiet about this - they just put it up on their site without any press release or without contacting any news agencies etc. So there is the feeling they won't push it very hard, but I guess they just want it there as a counter to the argument that PSP has all these features and DS hasn't.
No plans to release in the US or Europe for the moment either..start lobbying your local Nintendo office now!
edit: here's a direct url to the reuters report
http://www.reuters.com/audi/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=7100562
Price is "about 5000 yen"
mashoutposse
Ante Up
This is a good move. I think that this product will sell very well, especially if it receives the marketing push it deserves.
If the PSP really does well, they might even begin bundling it with the DS instead of dropping the price.
If the PSP really does well, they might even begin bundling it with the DS instead of dropping the price.
snapty00 said:
I think they were talking about the decoder.
Here is the article I was talking the quotes from. Maybe someone else can make sense of it.
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20041215/nintendo.htm
More info from IGN: http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/573/573438p1.html
Sounds like another half-assed attempt by Nintendo. I'll stick to PSP, thanks.
Sounds like another half-assed attempt by Nintendo. I'll stick to PSP, thanks.
mashoutposse
Ante Up
Music quality should be quite similar to PSP for the non-audiophile.
The screen quality will tilt the video playback in PSP's favor. Framerate may be lower on the GBA/DS, as well.
EDIT - Just read the IGN article. The presence of a hardware decoder suggests that it will likely handle a 24-30fps framerate at the resolutions suggested.
EDIT #2 -
...Or maybe not.
The screen quality will tilt the video playback in PSP's favor. Framerate may be lower on the GBA/DS, as well.
EDIT - Just read the IGN article. The presence of a hardware decoder suggests that it will likely handle a 24-30fps framerate at the resolutions suggested.
EDIT #2 -
...Or maybe not.
AndriaSang
Member
This thing sounds crappy if you ask me, but whatever you like.
http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/573/573438p1.html
Plus, Nintendo is selling it Online only, so no one will be able to buy it.
http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/573/573438p1.html
Plus, Nintendo is selling it Online only, so no one will be able to buy it.
john tv said:
I agree. If you're interested in video and music on the go, why not invest a few extra bucks and get the PSP, which offers much higher quality?AndriaSang said:
I can only see this selling to people who really want to watch video and listen to music, but (almost paradoxically) don't want to buy any other device besides the GBA SP to do so.
mashoutposse
Ante Up
I'm thinking that it will be in retail as soon as the PSP starts hitting its stride. At this point, a heavy marketing push may actually be an inadvertent advertisement for the PSP.
human5892 said:
Well, in fairness, I've been very on the fence about DS and PSP, and this is swinging it a little bit more in DS's favour now, if they actually get this thing out in US/Europe. So it might do them some good, if other people are thinking like me.
I'm more interested in DS's games than PSP's, but I do admit that the PSP functionality is tempting. But from a functionality perspective the playing field is a bit more level now, and I still am more interested in DS's games over PSPs, so => DS purchase? Probably. Not necessarily over the PSP, but DS will likely come first now for me.
human5892 said:
I think you're missing the point... if you already own a GBA, which a huge number of people do, this provides movie and MP3 capabilities for a fraction of the price of the PSP or most other portable devices. It's a simple add on, aimed at the folks who already own a DS or SP.
IGN's article says that it isn't compatible with the standard GBA. Can anyone think of a reason why that might be true? I'm assuming IGN is simply wrong, but I suppose there could be some sort of problem with getting enough power from two AA's for the video playback.