NO NEW DS??

[mik3cap]

WTF. I love my Wii and all, but I don't need new accessories yet... I need a more iPhone-like DS!

The Wii is an inherently social gaming device, played in a living room with a bunch of people running around a big TV swinging their controllers around. It's made for party games and co-op activities and other fun group social things (by the by, I'm really waiting for the first truly cooperative wiimote experience - why isn't there a "Top Chef" game where one player has to prepare a bunch of sous-chef things, and another artfully combines stuff into plated meals? I'm glad they at least demoed their cooperative music thing at E3)

The DS on the other hand is the ultimate solo gaming platform. One (usually) plays with it in bursts, and its highly mobile nature satisfies gamers anywhere, anytime. Sure, there are WiFi games, but I don't think they're as popular and you never know what your connection will be like when you're moving around.

Oddly enough, since moving to NYC, my social paradigm has shifted to "outdoor" activities more than "indoor" ones (people don't typically hang out at each other's residences, it seems). This makes my Wii much less satisfying than my DS (though I still play solo games on the Wii, they're just not as fun as the group ones).

Maybe Nintendo pulled their new DS because it wasn't as innovative as the iPhone currently is. I can't see them making an equivalent device though... maybe something with an accelerometer and a larger touchscreen - but two touchscreens? Would it make sense for a DS to have GPS? Accelerometer is a total no-brainer for the new generation of DS. What about abandoning the legacy cartridges? Does that make sense for a new DS model? Would that gain some space in the device and free up some resources?

Comments

[saintentreri.livejournal.com]

I wonder if you could emulate ds games on an iphone... You would probably know more about that possibility than I though. I imagine the screen resolution wouldn't be a problem, one of the only issues I could think of would be controls.

[mikecap.livejournal.com]

Not the DS yet, but other Nintendo consoles do run on iPhone.

[jessnut.livejournal.com]

That the Wii is a social game console is completely unfounded. There are a TON of solo games for the Wii that are really good and get played a lot. I personally love the Rayman's Raving Rabbits set which can be two player but only in a limited way. There is also the Ledgend of Zelda which is only one player. There are a bunch of others that I don't play but that I know are well liked.

Also the DS is a social game because it allows for playing of the multiplayer games even if other people don't own the game. I love playing Bomberman with several people on the DS.

Just because you only playing the Wii with other people and the DS by yourself doesn't mean that's how the systems are designed.

[mikecap.livejournal.com]

I'm not saying that either console is designed for only one purpose. However, the Wii *excels* at being a social console because of games it has that are in-the-room social and exceedingly fun to play with other people, and the DS *excels* at being a portable gaming device. Both can be used very well solo or group play, obviously!

[mikecap.livejournal.com]

The WiiSpeak for voice chat adds a social dimension that Sony and Microsoft have had for a long time and Nintendo sorely lacked. What would be really fun would be the ability to attach "catchphrases" to your Mii, so that your voice and favorite sayings can be added to the avatar that represents you. That would be really fun for Miis mingling between Wiis. And it would be really sweet if you were playing Wii sports, and when your Mii scores or something it could say "Woo, allright!!" the same way you do when you yourself play a game.

Ideally Mii catchphrases would have "moods" too so that they say the appropriate things when good or bad events happen in games.

[jessnut.livejournal.com]

That would be awesome. Even if you just type them in and they come up as a word bubble with an appropriate happy or sad noise.

[mikecap.livejournal.com]

I want to hear a little jessnut Mii say "CRAP!" every time I beat it...