Buying a Nintendo DS this late in the game...

[Proto]

Well, after staying out of the console world in whatever form since the early days of the Nintendo 64, I decided to give the guys a chance and consider buying a Nintendo DS Lite. Why a portable console and not a standard one? Because I am a cheapo and I'm not about to shell +200, + buying a TV since I don't own one. However, there are two things I'm mainly concerned about.

-I am mainly a RPG, RTS and adventure game player. I'm not really expecting to be anything remotely RTS like on the DS, however I was wondering if the library for the other two genres is big enough.

- How much gaming life does the Nintendo DS has left till the next portable generation comes out? Are there any rumours in that respect?

- How does it compare to the PSP? If it were your case, which one would you prefer and why?

So there, comments are appreciated.

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[Dynamo]

Numerous RPGs and Adventure styles games to choice from. RTS is very slim to none. A ton of SRPG/ Turn based strategy games. PSP is a better console but the DS has a huge library and its cheap. However with the PSP Go's appearance you might start seeing a price drop on UMD games. Best thing to do really is go through some titles see what ones you might like then see what list you like more and can afford.

[Xblade]

Originally Posted by Proto

wondering if the library for the other two genres is big enough.

- How much gaming life does the Nintendo DS has left till the next portable generation comes out? Are there any rumours in that respect?

- How does it compare to the PSP? If it were your case, which one would you prefer and why?


So there, comments are appreciated.

The next portable console for the ds is likely to come out late 2010 or early 2011. You should really consider just saving some money and buying a tv and a ps3/360 (i'd prefer ps3)..........the life of those consoles is gonna last much longer than the psp or the ds whom are now on their last leg.

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Originally Posted by Sonic2036

the PS3 needs to be a little more slimer??? the way I see it , its as big as a laptop lol
i remember psp slime was more slimey

V
l

[Proto]

I do have the money to buy them, it's just that I don't like to shell that much money in entertainment. However, seeing that the Nintendo DS is already on its wait out, I guess I'll just wait for the next generation when it gets its second or third price cut.

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[Exodus]

Originally Posted by Proto

- How much gaming life does the Nintendo DS has left till the next portable generation comes out? Are there any rumours in that respect?

I wouldn't even worry about this one. I mean, the NDS will play GBA games. So right there you have two generations of games to play, and RPGs are in large supply on both.

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[Paratech]

Yeah, I think a DS Lite could give years of gaming enjoyment to most gamers...

Just get as many GBA carts as you can before Gamestop and other places that sell GBA games stop selling them. I'd suggest getting the DS carts as well, there are several good DS RPGs that you'll enjoy.

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[SCHUMI_4EVER]

The DS Lite may be on it's way out but it has an extensive game library to choose from, especially as it can play GBA cartridges making it well worth an investment even if from this moment onwards no other DS game is ever released (and that's unlikely to happen, some big titles still to come (although many of them are translated foreign games at the moment)).

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Last edited by SCHUMI_4EVER; October 4th, 2009 at 02:56..

[Nar Matteru]

A someone whose gotten DS recently, I can assure you its not too late, if anything its just late enough, its built up a pretty big library, I haven't been in a gamestop recently without spending more than I should, and they are games that are(usually) well suited for a handheld, most the games I've played on the psp I would have preferred on pc/console, I rarely have this feeling with ds games. And I see planned games for the DS as late as Q4 2010, so i wouldn't really worry about games for it dying anytime soon. There's also a pretty active homebrew community if you're into that sort of thing, not just games but emulation, applications (I've been using the hell out of this ebook reader lately) all kinds of good stuff.

[Xblade]

Originally Posted by Proto

I do have the money to buy them, it's just that I don't like to shell that much money in entertainment. However, seeing that the Nintendo DS is already on its wait out, I guess I'll just wait for the next generation when it gets its second or third price cut.

If your not willing to pay for quality than why bother with luxury at all?
>_>

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Originally Posted by Sonic2036

the PS3 needs to be a little more slimer??? the way I see it , its as big as a laptop lol
i remember psp slime was more slimey

V
l

[YugiFann]

Originally Posted by Proto

Well, after staying out of the console world in whatever form since the early days of the Nintendo 64, I decided to give the guys a chance and consider buying a Nintendo DS Lite. Why a portable console and not a standard one? Because I am a cheapo and I'm not about to shell +200, + buying a TV since I don't own one. However, there are two things I'm mainly concerned about.

-I am mainly a RPG, RTS and adventure game player. I'm not really expecting to be anything remotely RTS like on the DS, however I was wondering if the library for the other two genres is big enough.

- How much gaming life does the Nintendo DS has left till the next portable generation comes out? Are there any rumours in that respect?

- How does it compare to the PSP? If it were your case, which one would you prefer and why?

So there, comments are appreciated.

DS is better than the PSP
in your case Sony Tried to make it for RPG but it didn't work like it.
DS works for RPG and non RPG , you can play 3D Games with 3D Graphics but they aren't too Sharp but they Looks really good.

their are also DS Games that are 2D and 2.5D and Yes their are 3D.
but it might be overpriced , last DS i saw was for $600 and a game was for $300 how ever that was in my country (no taxas). check yours first

the Wii is Great and cheap Only adventure Style doesn't have RPG if you like those.

[runawayprisoner]

DS Lite all the way. I'd say... buy the thing if it has any game that interests you, Proto. I've seen some pretty interesting games lately for the DS, and there are more to come.

RTS... there are some, but mainly extremely rare titles and most are not the kind you see on PC. But give TBS a chance. There are some pretty good gems on the DS if you can tolerate the presentation.

RPG... there are lots. We are talking about remakes of Final Fantasy games all the way up to IV now and Dragon Quest IX along with a whole slew of other stuffs. Square-Enix has been pretty active with this one, and trust me, it feels like the SNES all over again... Good ol' days. And that's just S-E. Sega also makes some Sonic RPGs (yeah... Sonic RPG for real), Nintendo has been milking Mario ever since Mario & Luigi, and there're the Pokemon games. Then you have Atlus and the rest of the gang, too. RPG on DS is a rich land.

Action Adventure... you have Zelda Phantom Hourglass for now and it should take you a couple of hours. The next Zelda game for DS will come out next year. After Zelda, I don't know if there is anything else, but hey, IMO, Zelda is enough reason.

If we're talking about point and click adventures, on the other hand, it depends on what you can savage from your local game stores since I don't think game stores stock too much of those. But... DS does have a lot of these games. And there are talks of developers remaking some point-and-click games for the DS.

As for gaming life, I believe DS will have another two years to go at the very very least. Nintendo just introduced DSi. They are obviously in no rush to "innovate" or "update" the DS seeing as to how it's already good as is. Typically, if nothing new has been announced by Nintendo, it'll stay that way for years until they actually announce something.

I have a PSP. And truth be told, I like my PSP more than my DS. But more truths be told, I play on my DS more than on my PSP. PSP feels like it's just there for the novelty. PSP games are nice, and honestly, I have a lot of them, and the average time I spend on a PSP game is enough for me to complete around 10 DS games or more, but... there are just so few titles on the PSP that interest me. Lack of developers' interests is really a crime in this case. Homebrews on PSP are nice, but aside from offering a decent web-browsing experience, or maybe some retro games, or maybe radio and stuffs, they don't do anything that my ultra-portable PC can't do. And the DS can also do a couple of those things. So as much as I like my PSP, my UMPC + DS combo takes the win, and I don't even think about PSP vs UMPC because both can't fit in my pocket, and if I have to lug around a backpack then I might as well lug around a UMPC instead of the PSP. Size is a concern there.

^= And to PSP GO naysayers, PSP GO actually "fits" into your pocket. I succumbed to one of them and I gotta say the darn thing feels pretty good compared to the original PSP. I'll see about a review at some point...

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[aceloop]

Originally Posted by runawayprisoner

DS Lite all the way. I'd say... buy the thing if it has any game that interests you, Proto. I've seen some pretty interesting games lately for the DS, and there are more to come.

RTS... there are some, but mainly extremely rare titles and most are not the kind you see on PC. But give TBS a chance. There are some pretty good gems on the DS if you can tolerate the presentation.

RPG... there are lots. We are talking about remakes of Final Fantasy games all the way up to IV now and Dragon Quest IX along with a whole slew of other stuffs. Square-Enix has been pretty active with this one, and trust me, it feels like the SNES all over again... Good ol' days. And that's just S-E. Sega also makes some Sonic RPGs (yeah... Sonic RPG for real), Nintendo has been milking Mario ever since Mario & Luigi, and there're the Pokemon games. Then you have Atlus and the rest of the gang, too. RPG on DS is a rich land.

Action Adventure... you have Zelda Phantom Hourglass for now and it should take you a couple of hours. The next Zelda game for DS will come out next year. After Zelda, I don't know if there is anything else, but hey, IMO, Zelda is enough reason.

If we're talking about point and click adventures, on the other hand, it depends on what you can savage from your local game stores since I don't think game stores stock too much of those. But... DS does have a lot of these games. And there are talks of developers remaking some point-and-click games for the DS.

As for gaming life, I believe DS will have another two years to go at the very very least. Nintendo just introduced DSi. They are obviously in no rush to "innovate" or "update" the DS seeing as to how it's already good as is. Typically, if nothing new has been announced by Nintendo, it'll stay that way for years until they actually announce something.

I have a PSP. And truth be told, I like my PSP more than my DS. But more truths be told, I play on my DS more than on my PSP. PSP feels like it's just there for the novelty. PSP games are nice, and honestly, I have a lot of them, and the average time I spend on a PSP game is enough for me to complete around 10 DS games or more, but... there are just so few titles on the PSP that interest me. Lack of developers' interests is really a crime in this case. Homebrews on PSP are nice, but aside from offering a decent web-browsing experience, or maybe some retro games, or maybe radio and stuffs, they don't do anything that my ultra-portable PC can't do. And the DS can also do a couple of those things. So as much as I like my PSP, my UMPC + DS combo takes the win, and I don't even think about PSP vs UMPC because both can't fit in my pocket, and if I have to lug around a backpack then I might as well lug around a UMPC instead of the PSP. Size is a concern there.

^= And to PSP GO naysayers, PSP GO actually "fits" into your pocket. I succumbed to one of them and I gotta say the darn thing feels pretty good compared to the original PSP. I'll see about a review at some point...

this ^, same with me and my PSP and DS, Plus golden sun ds will come out soon.

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Thanks to koko-Leonhart for the signature edit

[Silenus]

Originally Posted by aceloop

this ^, same with me and my PSP and DS, Plus golden sun ds will come out soon.

Really?

Golden Sun has to bet one of the greatest rpg in a portable ever made.

Will surely get it.

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[r4irts]

there are much words about them.for me,just select nintendo ds,it gives me more memories

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r4 ds

[gamefreak94]

Hmm.....if I were you, and weren't willing to pay more then $200, I'd spend $100 on a PS2, and the remaining on a second-hand CRT TV. PS2 game library is the largest ever, not to mention PSX compatibility.

That's assuming the only reason you're going hand-held is because you don't have a TV. Of course if you want gaming on the go then the PSP/DS is the most suitable.

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[Cid Highwind]

For playing games the DS sounds like a great investment, it's always had my interest and at this point it has by far the more interesting library of games. PSP is dull with a few exceptions. I wanted to have a nice handheld, and loved the emulation concept, plus it had Lumines. Otherwise nowadays it's a nice video / music device. I hardly play PSP games.

There's just one reason why the DS library can't touch the PSP's: Monster Hunter Freedom.

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[Phil]

Golden Sun DS will be coming out. that says it all

[Cid Highwind]

So my GF's been attending this conference full of gadgets this week, yeah I admit, I wish I was doing her job for a few days , and she suddenly got the hots for a DS.

Now it kinda boils down to the following question: DS Lite or DSi?

I heard the latter is a bit more powerful and has more functions. In the safety department it supports WPA (as opposed to WEP), does the DS Lite support this as well through a firmware upgrade or not? I don't think the lack of a GBA port will be a huge miss to her, nor to me. GBA games can be played on PSP after all

In terms of homebrew and video support, having freedom of formats is quite important. She wants to use it as an MP3 player as well. Using R4 would make this possible? I really don't see her transcoding her library. What about video support? It would be nice having support for self made videos, preferably using Xvid.

There's a price difference of ~€30 - 40 euros (120 vs 150 or so), but also the bigger screen seems to be worth it. Some feedback on the considerations would be greatly appreciated from you guys

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PC Specs:
CPU: Intel Q8200 @ 2.8GHz
GPU: Sapphire ATi HD4870 / 1024MB / Core: 801 / Mem: 1000
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[aceloop]

Originally Posted by Cid Highwind

So my GF's been attending this conference full of gadgets this week, yeah I admit, I wish I was doing her job for a few days , and she suddenly got the hots for a DS.

Now it kinda boils down to the following question: DS Lite or DSi?

I heard the latter is a bit more powerful and has more functions. In the safety department it supports WPA (as opposed to WEP), does the DS Lite support this as well through a firmware upgrade or not? I don't think the lack of a GBA port will be a huge miss to her, nor to me. GBA games can be played on PSP after all

In terms of homebrew and video support, having freedom of formats is quite important. She wants to use it as an MP3 player as well. Using R4 would make this possible? I really don't see her transcoding her library. What about video support? It would be nice having support for self made videos, preferably using Xvid.

There's a price difference of ~€30 - 40 euros (120 vs 150 or so), but also the bigger screen seems to be worth it. Some feedback on the considerations would be greatly appreciated from you guys

I have a DSi and a DSLite but i like my DSi more because of the bigger screen, its not much but still. The DSi also has DSiware, and hopefully soon some GBC games will be released though DSiware.

As for homebrew theirs something called moonshell 2(one of the best homebrew in any system), which does MP3 but the not Xvid because DS is not powerful enough, you all need to a format called DGP(i think).

But you could get a flashcart called iPlayer which plays Xvid and GBA games by a emulator, this cart has a built in CPU and RAM, but this cart doesn't play "backups".

last thing DO NOT GET A R4, R4 was closed down by Nintendo, all of the R4's on market are cheap clones.

Cid check your PM for more info.

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Thanks to koko-Leonhart for the signature edit

[Matis]

If I can share my two cents, if you don't mind the lack of a GBA port, don't intend to play something like Guitar Hero DS, and don't mind the higher price, DSi is the way to go.

Bigger screens, a Micro SD slot that can be used to listen to music(and is also used for DSiware, among probably some others), and it will let you play any future DSi exclusive games.

On a not so unrelated note, not that many PSP games interest me. Possibly Half-Minute Hero, Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles, Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Patapon and Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. I seriously can't think of any other PSP game I'd like to play.

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