This is just a skinnier version of what we already have instead of a complete redesign. I'd be lying if I said I'm not disappointed...
That's...... a rendering.
It looks good, but the main issue I want addressed is the ability to have face buttons in play with the stylus.
I've grown to love the "clicky" design of the SP and current DS buttons. I hope these are the same. I have to say the "Macy" look of this is very nice.
They moved the power button and made it smaller and perhaps lighter. They also seem to have added a brightness adjusting option (I suppose to save power?). Oh yes, they made the start and select buttons actually usable again. They were too awkward to reach before actually. This is better.
And yeah, it's just a computer rendering, but it's at least official. It may change in the future mind you. At any rate, lazy brings up a good point I've heard repeated many times. It is VERY hard to use both the stylus and the buttons on the system at once. So far, games are designed for "either or". Dawn of Sorrow, well, that game is just plain awkward. I have to suddenly readjust my hands completely, and fast, to use the admittedly pithy stylus functions of the game. However, it's hard to really come up with a solution. However, it may be that the solution may come in the form of just having it lighter. Surely it won't be all that hard to hold the thing with one hand any more, and then you have access to at least half of the buttons while using the stylus.
Quote:At any rate, lazy brings up a good point I've heard repeated many times. It is VERY hard to use both the stylus and the buttons on the system at once.
Not if you're a lefty. :)
What does that have to do with anything? The button setup on either side is pretty much the same. Whether I use my left hand for the styles or my right (and I have used both), my other hand holding the end with the buttons is struggling. I have to hold up the weight without accidently hitting a button, and that requires an odd balancing act with a pinky finger stretched out under the system.
Quote:Not if you're a lefty.
Yeah, then you can't use the dpad. Same difference. :)
Yep, same thing really. As an ambi I've tried both hands but to no real avail (though with the left hand holding the stylus, you get access to two more buttons). The problem isn't just not having any real access to nearly half the controls, it's the fact that holding the system with one hand makes it far too difficult to even use the controls you are able to reach.
You have to support the other side with the bottom of the palm of your other hand. It works for me.
And HOW do I use the stylus exactly? Do I somehow manage to have my hand under it and creep my fingers around to the top side with the stylus in tow? Or, do you mean I use the palm of the hand holding the system to support it. Yes, I do that already, but it's not enough. My palm has to be under the part I'm holding. It's not physically possible to drag it to the middle and have my fingers able to reach the buttons. As a result, the weight of the unsupported side turns the system into a lever constantly pushing the buttons into my fingers, making it very hard to avoid accidently pressing said buttons.
You hold the system with one hand and have the stylus in the other. Then you press the bottom of the palm of the hand your holding the stylus with against the side of the DS. From there it's a simple matter of stretching your fingers a bit to reach the entire screen with the stylus. Using the buttons isn't too hard at all that way.
I'm not really certain I've ever particularly needed to use the stylus and the buttons at the same time. At least not with the games I have. They either seem to use the buttons primarily, or the stylus primarily. The only thing I can think of is Animal Crossing, but that game only allows you to use EITHER the stylus or buttons with the ability to switch back and forth, not use the two in tandem.
Grumbler/ You stretchy method is uncomfortable it's also not conducive to gaming in the least not to mention that most people, even ambidextrous people use their right hand to control an object in a video game (usually because they're forced to). The DS needs a Virtual Boy style controller with hand grips to even-out the weight. Index on shoulder, thumb on d-pad/face buttons, the rest of the fingers around the grip. While using the stylus on either hand, you have full access to the d-pad, face buttons, shoulders and start/select.
![[Image: vbfinal_controller.jpg]](http://www.virtual-boy.org/images/vbfinal_controller.jpg)
Now imagine the buttons being underneath the d-pad and you get the idea. D-Pad on both sides, face buttons on both sides (A B, X Y), perfect access to shoulders. Plus start and select can be in the same place they are on the new design, just put them on the other side.
I do like the mic placement on the re-design though.
Shoulder buttons on the back of the controller... I've been saying for years I would LOVE it if companies finally started copying the best thing the Virtual Boy ever did for controllers.
Reasons to care about this redesign: brighter screen (four levels of brightness, top one as bright as a GB Micro at least -- 4 or 5 times brighter than the original DS, supposedly? The lowest one is dimmer than either original DS setting, I believe.), longer battery life (14-19 hours on the lowest brightness level! 6-9 on the highest...), and a 1/3rd smaller case.
Plus, it just looks so darn cool.
The only problem really seems to be that GBA games stick out 1cm from the bottom... though that's probably why it comes with a GBA port cover, to have a flat-to-the-system port cover given that you can't just put a cart in to get that. (though port covers seem to be of limited use... I know they keep out dust, but really... how many people kept their original GB link cable port covers, for instance?)
If God wanted us to cover our port covers, he wouldn't have given us lips.
realized something, we have the GBA player on our GC's and Nintendo likes to release ways of playing portables on home consoles, with the DS if you played it on TV you could easily use the Revcon as an 'air-stylus'. So i expect Nintendo to release an add-on for playing DS games on Rev.
What I would eventually like to see is Nintendo basically just wiring the video audio "outputs" of the system to either some port (like the power port, which also seems to be able to function as a dataport) or to the wifi broadcast. The idea is that with a simple software trigger, the system's firmware can easily just redirect all the audio and video to one of those. A simple addon you can plug into your TV (sans an entire video game console) would get you all the TV action you can handle. The idea is all of this would be designed in the portable from the start, and so with the physical connections there, well, you get the rest.