Mr. SunburnMan

The DS is more than 2 years old now, and it was supposed to revolutionize handheld gaming. While it is obviously revolutionizing gaming sales (it's well under its way to be the best selling gaming device ever), do you think that the dual screen and the touch screen have changed the way you play games?

To me, the dual screen was always the least promising of both. I don't think it was a revolution, but more of a limitation of the clamshell design versus the resolution that they wanted to accomplish. It's not really handy, because you can't focus on two screens at once, but I always welcome additional screen resolution, which is what this provides. I really can't think of a game where the 2nd screen is really useful other than for the additional screen area to display more information. Can you?

The touch screen fares a bit better, in my opinion, but I still think that it's underutilized. I looked at my library yesterday, and the touch screen makes 2 of my 12 games, ouendan, and Trauma Center. The other games, not quite. Advance Wars uses it extremely well, but it's an extension of the existing controls. And it seems that most games are like that (if they feature touch screen controls at all).

This is not to harp on the DS, I think it's a wonderful gaming machine, the continuation of the GBA (which is one of my favourites). But 2 years into the machine's lifecycle, I think that these innovations used to sell the system are still not being used at their full potential. Thoughts?

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Arnold K. (Admin)

Nope. I owned one for a few months and didn't like it one bit. Nitendo should've concentrated on making a unit less gimmicky, with better hardware. The DS' most important games all could've been done without a second screen and on more current hardware.

Gabriel013

That arguement makes me think of another Nintendo machine. One a little more recent.

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Dmitry M. (Lazer)

I must agree, i love Castlevania games, and all those released for DS, such as Dawn of Sorrow or the newer Portrait of Ruin did not need the Dual Screen. Though it was nice to be able to see the Map on the top screen i didn't this it was necessary.

But DS does have many good games, imo, more then the PSP can offer as far as good games go. I love Castlevania games especially the platform 2-D version and i could be speaking out of that. But the PSP has some awesome games like Lumines and Metal Slug.

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Mr. SunburnMan

I think the DS games library is awesome. I have no complaints on that front... But to me, it's the GBA2, with a couple of additional hardware features that may be worthwhile once in a while.

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Bunny's Girl

As much as I agree with this statement now that I have played other consoles, when I got my DS (about 1.5yrs ago for Christmas from Dillon and it was my first ever console), I didn't care that it had less functionality than the PSP or didn't do much other than play games. I got mine specifically to play the games they were advertising, just like many other people I know (I'm embarassed to admit I HAD to have a pink DS and a Chihuahua Nintendog)

Even my mum went and bought herself one (I NEVER thought it'd happen) just so she could play Su Doku in her work breaks - but even though you can get Su Doku on the PSP, she'd have never considered buying one and it is because she isn't very technical and gets on with the DS's lack of buttons and the fact you 'write' the answers in. In part, the DS/Wii seems to be appealing to a different type of gamer than the PSP/PS2/PS3 does.

Whilst I can see that the touch screen is pointless on some games - and I get fed up of getting the stylus out just to do a few pokes and then put it back to carry on with the game - it does lend itself to others very well (I think Trauma Centre has been mentioned).

The only game I can think of which truly lent itself (in my opinion) to the dual screen is Sonic Rush, where the game was spread over both screens (you needed the stylus for the bonus rounds). I bought myself a Wii because I really wanted to play the new Sonic game they were releasing and wasn't that fussed about what else the Wii could/couldn't do (though the motion sensitive Wiimote was a bit of a factor). Once again, I've heard or spoken to many people who have or are going to get a Wii just so they can play the likes of Wii Play or Wii Sports and, like me, I don't think they're too fussed about the technical spec. or ability of the console or if it's reaching it's full potential, just so long as the games do what they say they are going to do.

Ps...hope that made sense!?

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dillonthebunny

i agree... my GBA is MY GBA.. its not anything else, my wonderswan is my wonderswan and my NeoP is my NeoP!!

i love my PSP, but i bought it because of what it does... to buy a DS and 'hope' it will turn in to somethig else is madess.

Nintendos marketing has worked very very well with the Wii and DS, more so imo than Sony, but then Sony highlights the product, and Nintendo sells it. thats how i see both marketing strategies.

which s cool, no one is stepping on anyones toes.

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cAtDaFeLiX

Like Arnold, I had a DS for only a couple of months then traded it in for GTA:SA for PS2 lol. I only had a couple of games and got the DS at launch. It was a good system, but in my mind, the PSP blows it away cause of the better screen and games for it. You can only dive into the titles of Nintendo so often.

I did get hooked on Super Mario World 64 DS card game. I used to play that for hours on end

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Mr. SunburnMan

To me, it's the exact opposite. Sure the psp's screen is better, but the games found on it are more in line with what I want to play when I want to play a handheld.

I have too many psp games that I'd rather play on a home console.

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