Touching is very, very good
Posted by Gavin Bowman on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 at 7:04 PM
I recently picked up a Nintendo DS, and felt it was about time I sent some love it's way.
The first thing that struck me when I first saw the DS was that it sure ain't pretty. Next to the sleek and shiny Sony PSP, or simply compared to an iPod, the Nintendo isn't even in the game. But flashy design was clearly not on the agenda here.
The Nintendo DS is all about delivering new gaming experiences through the touch screen interaction and dual screen display. This is it's real triumph, the games designed to take advantage of the new features don't feel like anything else. There's a pick up and play quality, and a sense of easy fun, that I haven't felt from console video games for a long time. That feeling you have playing Tetris, that you could give this game to everyone and they would be hooked... it's here in the DS. I feel like I could even give it to my technophobic parents and they would begin to understand what has been drawn me into these games for so many years.
There's depth to the games too, many of the pick up and play games are puzzle games or mini-games, if you want a different challenge, there are plenty of options available. The future isn't all puzzle games either, the Metroid sampler that was bundled with the console shows the awesome potential of the new control system for first person shooting games. You just use the stylus on the touch screen to move the view around, as you would a mouse on a PC, and use the buttons to fire. It just works, it's perfect.
Skipping back to the design of the console, it's actually very practical. It feels solid enough, the clam shell design protects both screens when closed, alleviating any concerns about scratching when shoving it in a pocket or bag, and it's about the same size as the Sony. Still on the hardware side, DS to DS wireless communication is standard, with WiFi internet access due soon. If I could get a basic web browser, email, mp3 and a Skype client running on this, it would replace my laptop and my mobile phone 99% of the time I venture outdoors.
In short, I love my DS, it's renewed my interest in gaming on the go, and I'd recommend one to anyone.
11 Comments:
A small comment regarding DS lacking features for you to replace your cellphone, laptop, etc..
I never understood how cellphones could possibly replace PDAs and laptops. Aside from the lack of CPU power (which, I am sure, will be resolved in time), the tiny little screens aren't good for anything. Some things aren't meant to be small. If it wasn't for the communication aspect of it, cellphones would not be able to eat into the PDA market.
I think a device between the sizes of a laptop and a PDA would sweep the market off its feet! Something small enough that could perhaps still fit into a large pocket, but has a large enough screen (6" to 8").
Have you seen the Nokia 770? I think Nokia has got it right! It even runs some form of Linux! If you go to http://nokia770.com/index.php/category/nokia-770-competition/ you can see a few other similar devices.
dil.b.ert
Hey, thanks for commenting...
I'll take a look at the Nokia, but I'm really not expecting anything to permanently replace my laptop, I know I can't really do any work on anything but a full-blown PC. I would only ever hope to be able to jot down notes and keep up with the web.
Basic email access is usually enough, a web browser and skype client would be icing. I'm sure there are solutions out there, but I'd love to be able carry only my DS and still do everything as long as I can find WiFi access.
Maybe with skype and wifi, PDAs will make a comeback and push the smartphones aside. Phones are great, but I can't stand their tiny little screens.
Laptops are great for what they do, but do you wanna take one to the beach? I like to read ebooks which is hard to do on PDAs and cellphones(!). Nokia 770 and other similar products with larger screens seem to be a better bet although they are kinda expensive just for ebook reading.
I'll have to take another look at DS. I used to have a handheld game about 15 years ago. DS reminds me of that game with its dual screen. The game I had was a tripple screen thingy. Your goal was to save the pies that came out of the oven and route them to an assembly line. Fun times! :)
dil.b.ert
Yeah, I agree with the comments about Skype and WiFi, the last time I had a PDA it was cool, but actually fairly useless. With WiFi more available, and a copy of Skype, they must feel a lot more useful these days.
Ebooks are a good point, I'm mentally adding that to the list of things I'd like to see on my DS! Incidentally, if you're into ebooks, you should check out the automation feature in Web Helper Browser (Tools menu). For example, it will automatically click "Next" for you, and save the resulting page in your project.
From what you say about your old handheld game, I think you'd love a DS. Mario 64, the game that's included free right now, includes about 30 or so mini-games which just involve playing with the touch screen concept and very simple gaming concepts. Hours of fun.
I just took a good look at the Nokia 770, and I see what you mean, it looks like a nice piece of kit.
One thing I think seems a little short-sighted is the quoted battery life of 3 hours. Given that that's probably optimistic, and before the battery starts to decay, it could be a lot better. I'd rather pay a little more, and carry an extra ounce or two for a higher capacity battery. Ever since Apple claimed 6 hours for the early iBook's, I've felt a little cheated when I've seen portables suggesting I should accept a lot less.
That's not to say I don't accept it, my laptop doesn't give me 6 hours, but it doesn't mean I'm happy about it!
Handheld devices these days are _very_ power hungry. Given all that's crammed in there, that's not very suprising, but, like you said, we don't have to be happy about it.
One problem with the bigger screen is the increased battery drain, but if I am on the beach, maybe I could use a solar backpack to keep it powered. I am such a geek! :)
dil.b.ert
I wonder how big solar cells would have to be to run something like a laptop?
Do you really plan on using something like this at the beach? You better check it's airtight or the sand will find a way in.
I think solar energy is very impractical for a laptop, but it might work for one of those small devices or perhaps for the DS.
Some of them come in weather-proof enclosures, so I'd think they'd be OK on the beach or anywhere, but I never actually tried them out.
If you ever do, let me know how you get on...
I'm also pretty sure you're right about Solar powered laptops!
Anyone that thinks the DS is "not pretty" is smoking something and should go F*** themselves. The only reason people think the PSP looks better is because it is a shiny surface. They go "HEHEHEHEheheh I can see my self HEHEHEhe lolololoolololol" THats probably where half there sales came from, when in fact, it is just to cover up that the PSP is a crap design will all ports of PS2 games and WAY overpriced movies, and a poor excuse for a handheld. *Takes crap on sony*
Well, thanks for commenting all the same.
I'm very fond of my DS, and I don't think it's ugly, but I do think that the style and design of the console were pretty low on Nintendo's list of priorities. It's functional, and it does everything it needs to do, but Sony and Apple clearly place a much higher value on style.
Whether it's style over substance is another issue altogether. I don't own an iPod or a PSP, so I don't have a first hand opinion on the actual quality of either.
If you think the DS is better looking, that's cool with me, everyone's entitled to an opinion. Mine is just that it's a functional design, that practicality and the gaming experience has been allowed to dictate how it looks rather than focusing on the vision of a designer.
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