nickfil wrote:I was talking to a friend at EA and he said they already have a prototype for the new nintendo handheld, and are working on games for it.
He said the prototype was no where near the final though. Said the thing was huge.
positive. The way he gestured about the prototype, it was like the thing was the size of a 22inch monitor. He stressed it was clearly not the final version... just something to get game makers used to coding for the hardware before it drops.
Plus, they wouldn't need a prototype of the DSi LL. It has no new features from the dsi that would impact game building.
either way- i'm crossing my fingers for a new portable from nintendo this christmas or next. Kind of a no brainer though. Nintendo is almost due for one. Ds is 6 now.
For one, Sony and Apple are poised to join forces to create two game systems: the iStation and the iSP (iStation Portable).
Both will rely completely on digital distribution via the next generation of iTunes.
The iStation will also feature an optical drive to play Blu-Ray discs, DVDs, and any game for the PS1, PS2, and PS3. Its OS will be a variation of MacOS.
The iSP will feature two analog sticks, a digital directional pad, four face buttons, four shoulder buttons, a Start Button, a Select Button and a touch screen. It will also be backwards compatible with PSP games (digital only), as well as downloadable versions of PS1 and PS2 games.
Both will also allow one to access the new iTunes App Store, which is basically like the current App Store, but with more features like a download queue (with the ability to resume downloads).
And both will feature touch-screen functionality, though the iStation will use something akin to the Wii Remote, in the sense that it will feature accelerometer- and optical-sensor-based functionality, though in more of something akin to glove-like apparatuses.
Basically, they will be the best of both worlds, the Sony world and Apple world.
To counter this, Nintendo and Microsoft will team up.
Their home console will incorporate the respective next-gen counterparts of the Wii, 360 and Project Natal. So expect to be able to play Halo with the descendant of the Wii Remote. It will also support a 360-style controller. It will feature downloadable games, as well as holographic media.
Their portable console will be a DS-like handheld with two screens (both featuring touch-based input), accelerometer functionality, and 360-like controls. Power, akin to its competition, will be comparable to 128- to 256-bit gaming (i.e. greater than Xbox, but lesser than 360). It will also feature Zune-based functionality.
Both sets of systems will be more or less equal and focus on pushing the limit of console and handheld gaming, pushing them closer to, and hopefully, exceeding the PC market until all three are one.
And expect some dark-horse action from other companies. I predict Hasbro and Mattel to make an attempt at the system market, most likely with help from another company, possibly either a computer company or an electronics company.
Personally, I'm not looking forward to the next generation of portables because I HATE the idea of digital download only games. I was actually at a comic shop the other day and me and the store owner were discussing how sad it is that comic books and pretty much everything else will be all digital one day. There was an interview with comic book writer and editor Scott Allie recently where he expressed the same sentiment
Honestly, if my PSP 2000 had a second analogue hub and some homebrew developer could FINALLY make a mame emulator that can ACTUALLY RUN ANYTHING I would be perfectly content.
A perfect N64 emulator(rather than the crude homebrew one I've seen)would be icing on the cake
RyaNtheSlayA wrote:
Seriously. Screw you Shao Kahn I'm gonna play Animal Crossing.
Gamerforlife wrote:Personally, I'm not looking forward to the next generation of portables because I HATE the idea of digital download only games. I was actually at a comic shop the other day and me and the store owner were discussing how sad it is that comic books and pretty much everything else will be all digital one day. There was an interview with comic book writer and editor Scott Allie recently where he expressed the same sentiment
Honestly, if my PSP 2000 had a second analogue hub and some homebrew developer could FINALLY make a mame emulator that can ACTUALLY RUN ANYTHING I would be perfectly content.
A perfect N64 emulator(rather than the crude homebrew one I've seen)would be icing on the cake
I also hate the idea that every game will be download only, and none of em we will really own or have full control of. We will just be temporarily licensing the games and once they get deleted from the server and our hardware breaks, they will be lost forever leaving us no choice but to keep licensing new temporary games to replace em. Not being able to buy used games for anything that's been pulled from the servers will create a big hole in the realm of retro gaming.
On the bright side, there are certainly enough old physical games out there to keep us busy for the rest of our lives. I still haven't gotten into buying Neo Geo cartridges yet!
After reading Gamerforlife's post and thinking deeper about it, I just want a portable that emulates all systems pre PS2 perfectly. One day China will make that dream come true for me.
I'd personally prefer another model gameboy over a DS, but it'd be nice if Nintendo actually got digital stuff right for once, but also kept cartridge-based stuff.
If Sony managed to get netflix with the new PSP that would be kind of cool. Also, stop being such anti-homebrew nazis.
MrPopo wrote:The life lesson here is jobs will come and go, but Earthbound will always be there for you.
I don't want pure physical copies. I hate having to carry around little game carts when I go places.
I don't want pure digital distribution. I value having the actual product, and I like the ability to sell a game back if it sucks.
So, I want the next generation of portables to do what movies are doing now. You know how movies these days sold in stores also come with digital copies? This is what I want. I'm not going to pay $40 for a digital copy of Persona, but I don't want to lug the game around either. This is a compromise. Not to mention, this would give people an actual reason to buy new instead of used.
I still say the next Dingoo (if there will be one) will be my next handheld, along side my iPhone. Actually, the current one would be perfect if it could emulate PS1 games well.
