Nintendo DS - anyone got one today?

Nintendo DS - anyone got one today?

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off_again

Original Poster:

13,062 posts

241 months

Friday 11th March 2005
quotequote all
Nintendo DS - any good?

worth the investment?

Or should I hang out for a PSP?

Thoughts and ideas welcome....

dick dastardly

8,319 posts

270 months

Friday 11th March 2005
quotequote all
I've read that it's just a stop-gap made by Nintendo so that they'll have something to compete with the PSP before the new Gameboy is ready. The reviews I've seen say it's nice but nobody is raving about it. IMO wait for the PSP.

forever_driving

1,869 posts

257 months

Friday 11th March 2005
quotequote all
I guess it depends what your after.

If you enjoy Nintendo's style of gaming, unique touch screen and some N64 graphics, then it's great. You can drop it on the floor, kick it about and it'll still work.

However, if you prefer a handheld gadget that'll impress your mates and don't mind a short battery life (for the sake of some nice graphics) then maybe the PSP is for you.

I own both (from Japan) and out of the two, I prefer my DS. It may not have the pretty graphics that the PSP has, but I've always prefered Nintendo games to things like GTA or Ridge Racer.

Actually, so far I've been disappointed with the PSP, I was expecting almost-PS2 graphics in my hands, but sadly it's about halfway between a PS1 and a PS2... still it's not bad considering the size of the thing!

murph7355

38,930 posts

263 months

Saturday 12th March 2005
quotequote all
Definitely wait for the PSP.

I've played with both (in Japan) and bought a PSP.

To my eyes the graphics are as good as a PS2. And the unit is so much better in terms of quality feel that it makes the DS feel very poor.

There's no breadth of games yet, but once the developers get up and running, and the unit is released in the US and Europe, everything will change.

Thinking of the DS as a "stop gap" means it makes more sense, kind of. But 100 quid for a stop gap isn't funny really (i.e. you're admitting it's throw away money).

The only advantages the DS has are price, games availability (though playing old Advance games arguably doesn't count) and that it's out first. This latter point has definitely helped its sales. No one was looking at the DS in Japan once the PSP came out.

murph7355

38,930 posts

263 months

Saturday 12th March 2005
quotequote all
PS the battery in my PSP seems to last around 6hrs playing games. Somewhat longer playing movies and music.

My WiFi switch is usually on, but I've not empirically tested it playing in this mode properly - though I have played a 7 player game of Ridge Racer wirelessly. That IS a laugh.

All of which seems good enough for me. I'm rarely (never!) away from a plug socket that long and playing games constantly. And the power adapter is small.

JonRB

76,117 posts

279 months

Saturday 12th March 2005
quotequote all
What about a Gizmondo?

Depends on what you want out of a console really. Probably not as game-oriented as the PSP, but with the built-in GPS, GPRS and bluetooth it's certainly a funky little gadget.

Due to be launched in a week's time (19th).