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[Mama Smurf]

Alright, I guess it started when we first heard about the system and then really came out at E3, but with the system set to launch in 4 months, shouldn't Nintendo be, you know...releasing media etc?

The E3 unveiling was good, but Nintendo themselves admitted they were mainly showing off how the touchscreen can be used, rather than games for it (though some of them coincided). And it's not just Nintendo, it's 3rd parties too. Everyone seems quiet. Nintendo have always been pretty secretive, but it's obvious they haven't given the go ahead for 3rd parties to release media, because we always see things when they're allowed. Some 3rd parties might not be ready, but there'll be smaller teams out there who'd show their game off early if they could to try and get some exposure before the big guns hit.

Hell, we haven't even seen the final design of the DS yet according to Nintendo. When's that going to be shown? It'll probably be tiny changes, maybe a place for the stylus etc., but we could do with seeing it. We don't even know the final name 4 months before release!

When are we going to hear about a launch lineup? Will MP: Hunters be ready for launch? They hadn't even started on the single player game they intended to put in, if what we heard at E3 is true. Is Pictochat going to be built in or will we have to buy it separately (no one will)?

How much will the system cost? How much will the games cost? There's so much we don't know so close to release.

Surely Nintendo are going to start showing things within the next month. We saw very early videos of Mario Kart and Mario Bros. 4, we could do with seeing updated versions of those. Animal Crossing didn't seem to get much attention beyond a short video. Is it brand new or an N64 port? Can we go online (with any game straight away, not just AC)? What the hell is Nintendogs? It was mentioned a few times throughout E3, but I don't believe it was shown.

I keep worrying that it's going to be delayed, but then I think how it is backwards compatible for a start, so that's a lot of games that'll run on it (that's not great I know), Wario Ware appears to take no time at all to make so that'll be at launch, Animal Crossing shouldn't be hard to get out if it's a port of the N64 engine, Super Mario 64x4 seemed pretty far along (though I'm not sure how big the game's supposed to be), Pictochat seemed finished, and a few of the third party games (Pac-Pix, Pac'n Roll, Bomberman) were either pretty far along or won't take long to make.

In conclusion...hurry up Nintendo you bitches, I'm bored, release the damn information and media.

 

[Jacobi]

I hope there'll be some hypefood at the Games Convention

 

[Kobun Heat]

Basically, at some point within the next month or two, the system will officially debut. I'd expect some kind of press event, or numerous ones. Maybe even events for the public like the "Cube Clubs." In any case they will probably make a big to-do about the announcement of the name, final design, launch games, price, launch date, initial shipment numbers, all that fun stuff.

At this point, assume nothing. We have no way of knowing which of the E3 demos will become launch games. Hunters might be December 2005 for all we know.

 

[neptunes]

Mama Smurf, did you visit GAF at any point during e3?

there was a DS thread every 15 minutes

but people can't get hyped up when there is no new info.

 

[Mama Smurf]

Not hype amongst us, hype amongst them *casts hand round at outside world*

I guess I just don't understand the media blackout since E3. I don't remember that happening with the GC or GBA, and they had much more time to build up the hype as they were revealed the Space World before.

 

[neptunes]

I think nintendo should get a good marketing plan going.

I believe sony will also.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

Basically, at some point within the next month or two, the system will officially debut. I'd expect some kind of press event, or numerous ones. Maybe even events for the public like the "Cube Clubs." In any case they will probably make a big to-do about the announcement of the name, final design, launch games, price, launch date, initial shipment numbers, all that fun stuff.

At this point, assume nothing. We have no way of knowing which of the E3 demos will become launch games. Hunters might be December 2005 for all we know.

but you know something.

So when is that article from that media event going to be published? and where?

 

[psycho_snake]

what I wanna know is wether a second screen was needed in the DS. Couldnt they just have made it with one screen with better specs?

 

[neptunes]

Kaplin even stated that there will be another event before it's release, and that press/media is invited.

 

[Mama Smurf]

...do you understand why the DS was created at all? Nintendo have made it abundantly clear why they've gone with 2 screens. Now whether you agree with their reasoning or not is up to you, but they've already answered your question.

 

[psycho_snake]

...do you understand why the DS was created at all? Nintendo have made it abundantly clear why they've gone with 2 screens. Now whether you agree with their reasoning or not is up to you, but they've already answered your question.

I know why they created, I just think its a stupid idea

 

[ChrisReid]

What the hell is Nintendogs? It was mentioned a few times throughout E3, but I don't believe it was shown.

It's a little dog that you talk to via the microphone. It might just be a tech demo and not a real game.

 

[Mama Smurf]

I know why they created, I just think its a stupid idea

Well I assure you, Nintendo aren't going to give a different answer or change it now, so maybe just stay out of DS threads.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Personally i cant wait for the marketing machine to start up at nintendo, i want to see sneak peaks of the launch games, the (hopefully) new case design, ideas 3rd party and nintendo themselves have made for the DS, online wifi especially!!

I just hope they dont delay just because PSP was, they should definitely launch for the holidays. I've been holding off buying an SP because of DS, the wait is killing me, good thing i have GBPlayer.

 

[Kobun Heat]

Kaplin even stated that there will be another event before it's release, and that press/media is invited.

Well, they'd better a) fly me to wherever it is or b) have a seperate but equal event in NYC.

Or there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

 

[Scalemail Ted]

I would kill for a MegaTouch style game for DS.

 

[sprsk]

I would kill for a MegaTouch style game for DS.

complete with porno puzzle games.

 

[Vieo]

Do you think DS will be difficult to emulate because it's touch-sensitive and has two screens?

 

[Mama Smurf]

Yes, very hard. Some games will be possible I'm sure, those that don't actually use the touchscreen, but for those that actually rely heavily on it, like Warioware, there'll be hardly anyone who can play it.

Even if you have a drawing tablet or something, some games will really require you to tocuh the screen you watching it on if you want to succeed.

So anyone who's got a touchscreen monitor or the like, no problem!

 

[Insertia]

I said the same weeks ago. We're close to DS's launch and know next to nothing about it.

It will be pushed back into 2005. Nintendo just isn't ready. It's also likely that Sony will move PSP's Japanese laucnh into '05. They said they were going to debut everything at the fall TGS...which means they're going to hold their cards till a couple of weeks before launch. Right...

 

[Mejilan]

Actually, I can't see why future emulators won't have the touch screen "controllable" via a normal mouse, but whatever.

 

[AniHawk]

It's a piss-poor example, but Sega once waited until the very week it was coming out with the Saturn to show it off at E3 (the "surprise launch" thing with only 30,000 shipped or something).

 

[Kobun Heat]

It's a piss-poor example, but Sega once waited until the very week it was coming out with the Saturn to show it off at E3 (the "surprise launch" thing with only 30,000 shipped or something).

True, and Nintendo doesn't exactly want to do that. That's why the tell-all DS announcement has to be sometime soon.

 

[Mama Smurf]

Actually, I can't see why future emulators won't have the touch screen "controllable" via a normal mouse, but whatever.

True, don't know why I didn't think of that.

It won't be as good (for certain games at least), but it'll certainly be viable.

 

[GDJustin]

You say "The DS is only four months away!" while I say "The DS is still 4 months away."

If no name or pricing or launch lineup has been announced a month from now, maybe then we should start talking delay.

 

[Mejilan]

I'm sorry. This is Nintendo, right? So... we AREN'T talking delay already? I figured the PSP delay cinched it.

 

[Mama Smurf]

GBA was first announced for March 21st in Japan and launched March 21st. The GBA actually launched early in the US, June after being announced for July.

GC on the otherhand was delayed 2 months in Japan and 1 month in the US.

Now that's not bad.

 

[Deg]

the hype started at e3.

 

[Spiritreaver]

GBA was first announed for March 21st in Japan and launched March 21st. The GBA actually launched early in the US, June after being announed for July.

GC on the otherhand was delayed 2 months in Japan and 1 month in the US.

Now that's not bad.

The GBA SP also hit its market on time and was actually not hyped at all really. Just the inital press conference and that was it really.

EDIT: It had a few ads though, but it's too early for the DS to have that. :S

 

[AniHawk]

GBA was first announed for March 21st in Japan and launched March 21st. The GBA actually launched early in the US, June after being announed for July.

GC on the otherhand was delayed 2 months in Japan and 1 month in the US.

Now that's not bad.

Yeah, Nintendo's been really good about not delaying games this gen. I didn't think SMS, TWW, or MP would hit their dates, but they did. If this was the N64 Yamauchi Nintendo, Zelda: FYA would have been scheduled for this year's Xmas and then delayed into 2005.

 

[Alcibiades]

Nintendo figures they will sell out any shipments for Christmas anyway, so why spread word about their new systems while the GBA is still super-hot and might convince people to wait for the new backwards-compatible system...

 

[Kobun Heat]

Nintendo figures they will sell out any shipments for Christmas anyway, so why spread word about their new systems while the GBA is still super-hot and might convince people to wait for the new backwards-compatible system...

Exactly. There's no reason to pee on their GBA sales when they don't have to. Especially with the launch of the NES classic hardware this summer.

 

[neptunes]

GBASP was sort of a sneak suprise.

 

[Jonnyboy117]

One person at Nintendo told me this is the calm before the storm. Believe that if you want.

 

[AniHawk]

One person at Nintendo told me this is the calm before the storm. Believe that if you want.

I want to believe.

 

[Mama Smurf]

Is it the storm of delay anger?

 

[GDGF]

I believe. One of the IGN guys recently said that pretty much every GBA developer he talked to has switched over to DS development. Apparently in the minds of most devs, the NDS is the new Gameboy whether Nintendo wants that to happen or not

There shouldn't be any shortage of software, and that's a good thing.

 

[cvxfreak]

Spaceworld is coming.

Well, it SHOULD.

 

[jarrod]

initial shipment numbers

We already know Nintendo's aiming at 3.5 million worldwide by the end of the fiscal year (March 2005). Sounds like they'll be supply restricted the first few months imo (probably because of the dual screens).

 

[jarrod]

GBA was first announced for March 21st in Japan and launched March 21st. The GBA actually launched early in the US, June after being announced for July.

GC on the otherhand was delayed 2 months in Japan and 1 month in the US.

Now that's not bad.

Nintendo was pretty good with their public announcements but Project Atlantis (GBA) and Project Dolphin (GCN) were actually intended for 1999 and 2000 releases respectively. GBA was delayed 2 years due to GBC's overwhelming success (which Nintendo wanted to ride a little longer) and GCN was delayed a year to bring down component prices and get software ready. Hardware for both was ready at the original schedules however.

 

[cvxfreak]

Nintendo was pretty good with their public announcements but Project Atlantis (GBA) and Project Dolphin (GCN) were actually intended for 1999 and 2000 releases respectively. GBA was delayed 2 years due to GBC's overwhelming success (which Nintendo wanted to ride a little longer) and GCN was delayed a year to bring down component prices and get software ready. Hardware for both was ready at the original schedules however.

Interesting points. I wonder how long DS has been in development for exactly; it had to have been started in 2000 at the very least, maybe 2001.

 

[fennec fox]

There shouldn't be any shortage of bad, rushed third-party software, and that's a good thing.

 

[jarrod]

Interesting points. I wonder how long DS has been in development for exactly; it had to have been started in 2000 at the very least, maybe 2001.

Rumors of a N64 level GB were circulating first in 2001... that's probably how DS started (with features later added to distance itself from the GB line and offer an attractive alternative to PSP).

 

[Mama Smurf]

It doesn't matter when they were internally going to be released, I'm just going off what they first announced to what actually happened.

If we had some information on how long DS has been in the works, maybe we could make something of that data, but we don't.

 

[jarrod]

Significant JP developers have had SDKs since 2003, I'd hope that their stuff wouldn't be rushed feeling in terms of quality. Western games might be another matter though...

 

[cvxfreak]

Rumors of a N64 level GB were circulating first in 2001... that's probably how DS started (with features later added to distance itself from the GB line and offer an attractive alternative to PSP).

Makes sense. DS and iQue were probably "started" in 1998 or 1999 on a subtle scale as part of a way to downsize N64 hardware while trying to double up for potential future handheld stuff but the official stuff began only a few years after that.

 

[neptunes]

If we had some information on how long DS has been in the works, maybe we could make something of that data, but we don't.

after hearing many interviews and yamauchi, the DS has been worked on for a long time.

 

[AniHawk]

Interesting points. I wonder how long DS has been in development for exactly; it had to have been started in 2000 at the very least, maybe 2001.

Yamauchi said he "came up with the idea 18 months ago" in an interview 6 months ago.

 

[cvxfreak]

Yamauchi said he "came up with the idea 18 months ago" in an interview 6 months ago.

Yamauchi himself?

...
...
...

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

 

[Alcibiades]

So, looks like Yamauchi is still a lingering presence (if not physical), ready to rail against his rivals at S-O-N-Y...

Nintendo needs a little more Yamauchi and a little less pussy-footing...