Posted by Sid982 in Nintendo | 0 comments

DSi XL Revealed

The extra large over priced Dsi XL was unveiled this morning in Japan. The DSi XL will come to North America and Europe in the first quarter of 2010. The new DSi offers a 93% bigger screen than the current DS Lite, better angle view, additional longer stylus, and pre installed Nintendo DSiWare. The Japanese version of the new DSi costs roughly $22o American.

Posted by Keenan "SuperMario290" in Nintendo DS, PSP | 2 comments

Sony says the DSi is for kids, the PSP is for winners

Sony has sent out statments to various websites regarding the PSP and it’s competitive landscape. SCEA director of hardware marketing John Koller calling the DSi a kid’s toy that “ignores significant gamer demographics” and has minimal third-party support compared to the library of “blockbuster” titles on the PSP. It’s so…wrong that I’m just going to have to post all of it:

If Nintendo is really committed to reaching a broader, more diverse audience of gamers beyond the “kids” market that they’ve always engaged, there isn’t much new with the DSi to support that. Significant gamer demographic groups are being ignored, and there continues to be limited opportunities for games from external publishers to do well on the DSi. Compare that with the PSP platform, where we have many blockbuster franchises from our publishing partners launching this year, representing a wide variety of genres and targeting diverse demographics. Games such as Rock Band Unplugged from MTV Games, Assassin’s Creed from Ubisoft, Dissidia Final Fantasy from Square Enix, and Hannah Montana from Disney demonstrate the commitment that publishers have to the PSP. From our own first-party studios, we’re launching unique versions of LittleBigPlanet and MotorStorm, and we’re also planning a steady stream of downloadable games — both new titles and PSone classics — to add to the content that PSP owners can already purchase wirelessly through PlayStation Store.

Pretty harsh words coming from a company that’s sold half as manyPSP’s as DS’s sold. Also, with the kiddie market, diverse market supposedly being ignored, I guess games like Final Fantasy IV, GTA ChinaTown Wars, Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, and Suikoden Tierkreis out now, that hardcore, more diverse market is really lacking/being ignored on the DS huh? Sony needs to learn that their competition right now isn’t Nintendo, but Apple and their iPhone and iPod touch which have already sold a remarkable 30 million units. In my opinion, that’s pretty fucking close to the PSP’s 50 million in sales. Honestly, I’m seeing better games coming out on the iPhone/iPod Touch than I am on the PSP.

Link

Posted by Keenan "SuperMario290" in Gadgets, Nintendo DS | 0 comments

App Store vs. DSiWare – The Developer’s Verdict

Now it’s obvious that the DSi and the iPhone aren’t going to be facing off in a battle of handhelds. They are two completely different consoles, but both have the ability to play games and multimedia files. However, the App Store and DSiWare might just need a little closer inspection. Pocketgamer.co.uk has brought us what developers think of each, and which one will ultimately win.

How easy is it to get a game published on the App Store, compared to a service like WiiWare or DSiWare?

TK: WiiWare and DSiWare are not what I would describe as open markets. You have to run through a very strict developer approval process and may very well get rejected.

LB: With the App Store it’s a case of paying your $100 and then uploading it and getting approved by Apple. With WiiWare and DSiWare it’s not anywhere near as simple; you need a office location, around $2000 for a development kit and then extra money on top of that for getting the game rated correctly for each region you intend to publish it in.

NW: As long as each component of your software works – all the buttons take you to the right things, for example – then it’s easy to get stuff approved for the App Store. It could be buggy as anything when you get into the gameplay, or have few or no features, but that seems to be fine.

Link

Posted by Keenan "SuperMario290" in Nintendo DS | 3 comments

Nintendo Explains Why “i” In DSi Has Nothing To Do With Apple

It’s kind of weird. The best-selling hand-held in the world is getting an addition, and nobody has even asked what the “i” means in the DSi name. Weird. Here’s what a Nintendo rep said on the subject:

The “i” is symbolic of the subject “I” and its personal aspect.

Plus, the addition of two cameras gives the system its own “eye” on things. (*groan* - J.L.)

“Nintendo hope that the Nintendo DSi becomes more than a game system and more of a personal tool to enrich our daily lives,” the Nintendo rep added.

So it’s not related to Apple or iPod’s in any way, shape, or form……or is it?

Link

Posted by Keenan "SuperMario290" in Featured Articles, Nintendo DS | 4 comments

Will casual DS users buy the DSi?

This is a question that has been wandering through my mind for the past couple of days. Will casual gamers that have already purchased a Nintendo DS buy the DSi? I mean, the DS has done an amazing job at gathering an expanded audience of gamers, but does the DSi have what it takes to buy over current casual DS owners?

In case you didn’t know, the new DSi offers a plethora of new features and capabilities. On the front, is the new digital camera. You can take pictures with your DS, and you can save to an SD, using the new SD card slot that was included in the console. There is also integrated Opera browser with the DS, so whenever you’re near a Wi-Fi hotspot, you can connect and check your email, post to your blog, so on and so forth. With all of the new additions, Nintendo has gotten rid of the GBA slot at the bottom, to make the console lighter and smaller.

I personally think that it will because of the exclusive content that will soon be coming out on it, and with the camera and the added features, people will start to think of it as something more than a gaming system, and pick it up. What do you guys think?