It’s right here. They missed some important ones, in my opinion… but it’s still a good article.
(no Videopac controller? Heresy!)
Archive for the 'Consoles' Category Page 2 of 3
Source: Nintendorks.
The most amazing thing is that I can well believe it. In the 80s, they had the NES; later, with the GB, GBC, GBA and now the DS, they still sell more consoles than anyone else.
And they always make a profit, unlike Sony and MS, which usually sell their consoles below cost.
There will surely be one. But this time, it was just a rumor, it seems.
Source: Eurogamer
According to IGN, there are rumors that the Nintendo DS’s equivalent of the GBA SP in relation to the original GBA may be announced very soon - as in “this week”.
I don’t know if the “this week” part is true or not, but I predict that it will eventually happen - much like the SP, it won’t have more powerful hardware or anything, but it will be smaller, less heavy, and look better. I don’t know if they’ll change the screens’ size or not. And it may have a couple of extra features, though, again, there won’t be any “DS SP only” games - every single one will run on the original DS.
A rumble pack? I doubt it, since Metroid Pinball already includes one, which uses the GBA port (that port can be used for many things, other than GBA games, did you know?).
A better battery? It’s possible, although the original one is already very, very good.
IGN suggests stuff like image viewing and MP3 playing, to compete with the PSP, but I doubt that. It’s simply not Nintendo’s way.
For Portuguese-speaking readers: I’ve just created a new phpBB forum, Nintendo DS - Portugal.
It’s still in the beginning, but I hope it’ll be successful - and I hope that I don’t own the only Nintendo DS in Portugal. 
So, if you speak Portuguese, and have a Nintendo DS or are considering buying one, you’ll be welcome there.
Here it is, my 7th blog: A Revolution in Gaming.
It’s about the only announced console that actually has me interested - because I’m too old to be swayed by “even more polygons than the generation before!!!”.
Go on, visit it.
Warning: that site is somewhat green.
I bought it! Finally!
Bought the Mario Kart DS Pak, which includes that game, all for 150 euros. Also bought a Linksys WRK54G wireless router, because I had no wireless stuff at home, to allow the DS to use my internet connection to play Mario Kart DS (and future games, of course) online.
I didn’t have a lot of time to play with it, as I arrived home late, and today is a work day. Also, I spent more than an hour “fighting” with the wireless connection - more on that in my technology blog, if you’re interested.
So, a few random impressions about the hardware:
- It’s big - about the same size as a PSP, though the screens are smaller - there are two of them, though, and you can use a stylus with the bottom one, as everyone probably knows. It’s certainly too big to carry in a pocket, unless it’s a large one in a coat.
- It’s light - much lighter than you’d guess by looking at it. I’ve used heavier mobile phones.
- The screens actually feel “bigger” when you’re looking at them - much more “real estate” than in almost any portable stuff. Except a PSP, of course, but that one’s screen is huge.
- Most screenshots on the web look quite “blocky”, but when you’re using the “real thing”, they don’t look or “feel” blocky at all - they’re perfect for the screen size. Of course, static screenshots on the web look different.
- Mario Kart DS (more on that game later, in another post) is really fast and smooth - no matter what was on the screen, I never experienced the slightest slowdown or frame skipping. This is certainly not your dad’s Game Boy
- I haven’t had enough time to test how long a full battery lasts. The manual says it should last for more than 6 hours of constant playing.
- DS games come in a kind of memory cards, though they’re still referred to as “carts”. The DS also has a larger slot for GBA games.
- When you close the DS, it automatically pauses the game and goes into “sleep mode”, which uses less battery power. Opening it goes instantly to where you left it. Great if you’re leaving a bus, or something.
No photos yet, I hadn’t enough time yesterday.
The Nintendo DS tempts me more and more. Will I be able to resist it for long? 
A curiosity: I went to two stores today in Lisbon (Vobis and Worten, in Vasco da Gama), and console availability was like this:
Both had lots of Gameboy Micros and PSPs.
One of them had GBA SPs, the other didn’t.
Neither had DSes (although they had DS games).
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