JediMB said:
I'm sorry, but since when does it look like the market is going to be overrun with DSi-exclusive games? To my knowledge all the currently announced big titles are made for the original DS. (Oh, and did you know that the the GBC's processor had twice the speed of the classic Game Boy's? And four times as much memory?)
I was quite aware that the GBC had a faster processor, as well as higher communication speeds for the game link cable. Top Gear Pocket for instance wouldn't work on a standard Game Boy mainly because it was simply too fast. I think one of the main reason there weren't many GBC-exclusive games was because most of them (at least that I remember) were shit, especially compared to Tetris and the Pokemans.
Also, sure, all of the
currently announced titles are for the DS, but judging from experience with... well, to be quite honest, every system aside from the Playstations, that isn't going to last long. Besides, how many of those are actually first party? (This isn't rhetorical. I seriously don't know.) If only a select few are, it's because all the other developers aren't able to use the SDK/GDK/whatever for the DSi yet, because they don't have it. (Speaking of which, whatever godly SDK Nintendo is using for the Wii, they need to share it better. Why are their games the only ones with workable motion sensing?)
JediMB said:
For starters, Nintendo has never claimed that the DS is a 64-bit system. Both the ARM9 and the ARM7 are 32-bit RISC CPUs. Secondly, the DS doesn't have a specialized GPU, but uses the two main CPUs for both regular calculations and graphics.
But, really, I believe that just like with the GBC, the DSi-enhancements won't be used with most of the game releases. Maybe for optional extras, while still leaving the main game compatible with the original DS. It has, after all, a much larger established user base.
Well, that's why I said allegedly. I didn't know for sure if it was 64-bit or not. I just remember a claim that the GBA is 32-bit (I think it said it on the box), that's all. Not that bits really matter. Atari Jaguar anyone?
Also, I could've sworn the thing had a GPU for three-dimensional graphics for the sake of display on one screen, then let the CPU handle the other. (Ever notice that no DS game ever puts 3D graphics on both screens?) Suppose that would be a nice addition to the DSi. 3D on both screens...
The latter will probably depend entirely on how many people get the DSi, which looks like it's going to sell better than either the DS Phat or the DS Lite. If the Wii's any indication, if a lot of so-called "casual" (non) gamers get it for the extra gimmicks (which may I remind you are easily obtainable on most cellphones these days), then the large majority of DSi games will become the same gimmicky shovelware that the Wii is currently dealing with. "Use the camera to open this door because we think you're too retarded to press the A button!"
JediMB said:
Well, I'm sure going to take advantage of DSiWare the and Virtual Console once I decide I can afford a DSi.
That's fine. I'd rather just stick with my actual carts.
JediMB said:
This really sounds awfully familiar to what people were saying about the Wii...
Actually, I still
am saying that about the Wii. My GameCube quickly became obsolete because multiplatform developers decided that they should just port their PS2 games to Wii instead, and tack on gimmicky motion controllers. Nintendo themselves basically gave the middle finger to GCN owners by changing some of their GCN titles into Wii ones for no adequate reason. (Oh, so now I have to point at the screen to reveal doors in Super Paper Mario? Great!) Twilight Princess of course gets exception to that because Nintendo
did release the GameCube version of that.
So what were my choices? Either constantly check stores for the consistently out of stock Wii, or get a PS2. I went with the former, and found maybe five games that I liked for the system that were either exclusive or superior to the PS2 version due to
tasteful motion controls. DBZ Budokai 3 and Resident Evil 4 in particular are a lot easier to control with a Wiimote and nunchuck in my opinion, and Budokai 3 had online play only on the Wii version.
Other than that, I found myself using my PS2 a hell of a lot more, and I used to never think some of my favorite games would work well with that controller.
JediMB said:
But, really, no. You don't have to upgrade. Or rather, sidegrade. I thought Nintendo made it fairly clear that the DSi isn't a replacement for the DS Lite, but a sort of complement.
Another thing I want to point out. Nintendo said the same thing about the DS not being intended to replace the Game Boy line. It did anyway. I predict something similar with the DSi.
JediMB said:
It's mostly for people who either want a more Wii-like handheld experience, or who don't already have a DS Lite and don't care about the GBA slot. That's why if someone decides to get his first DS in the near future, and doesn't care about the GBA slot, s-/he should definitely get the DSi despite the slightly higher price tag.
As for people who already own a DS Lite? (I don't. I still have my original DS.) Wait and see if something interesting comes up later on. But don't entirely dismiss the machine because you're grumpy about the changes to the hardware.
Okay, good point, though like I said, I'm dismissing it because playing a good chunk of my games on DSi means I actually
lose features.
JediMB said:
...Or entirely freeze the game when the DS Lite runs out of memory. This isn't like with a PC, where it can shuffle data over to the virtual memory on the harddrive.
I thought that would only happen with a memory leak, and quite honestly I've never seen console game freeze from too much shit going on. Just slow down a lot. Whatever. I'll concede the point because I really don't know enough.
JediMB said:
No, the larger screen isn't a factor. But would you expect to be able to play Super Mario Galaxy on a Gamecube? I mean, if the 'cube could read DVDs.
I'm going to assume that overall, Wii and GCN games use the same format (not media), and I think Nintendo said so anyway. I'm also going to assume the 'Cube can read DVDs as you offered hypothetically. That said, no. Super Mario Galaxy uses graphics power on the Wii that the GameCube lacks. It's like trying to play Halo 2 PC without a DirectX 10 compatible GPU in your computer. (Or DX10 itself for that matter, but that's just an install away.)
JediMB said:
The real main reason to get rid of the GBA slot? Piracy. It's way too easy to make flash carts based on the old GBA cartridges. Making room for the SD-card slot is just an excuse so they don't have to talk about the piracy issue.
We can also claim the real main reason is because they don't want you buying the games used at GameStop so they can profit more, but that's an argument for another day.
JediMB said:
Now, personally I don't own any of the GBA slot expansion packs for the DS. And, like I said, I don't have a DS Lite. Nor did I ever get a GBA SP or a Game Boy Micro. Isn't it funny, though, that I never traded up with my GBA, yet here I am representing the DSi? My point? Well, I suppose I don't have one, but I am getting a DSi, and I'm keeping my DS Phat just in case I'd ever want to play GBA games on it.
I got a GBA SP because I like my lithium ion batteries and I got sick of finding proper lighting to play a portable system. It bugged me back with the Game Boy for that matter. Game Boy micro (yes, it is officially spelled with a lowercase m) is a waste of money because it's identical to the GBA SP, except smaller, to try to look 'stylish' as if it were a cellphone or something. I don't really have a point for this either.
(Huh. I used the cellphone example for two different arguments. That's entirely a coincidence due to my inability to think hard on examples, sorry.)
JediMB said:
Personally I'd consider a trade-in to be the true waste of money. But that's coming from someone who's only sold one single console ever, and it was his Game Boy Pocket as a trade-in for the Game Boy Color.
But as I mentioned before, the DS Lite to the DSi is a sidegrade, not an upgrade. My personal recommendation is that new consumers go straight for the DSi, while anyone who owns a DS Lite waits with the sidegrade until the DSi-exclusive software library makes it worth either replacing or complementing your Lite with a DSi.
DS Phat users, like me, could probably also benefit from complementing their DS with a DSi relatively soon.
No argument here.
