28th October 2009, 11:34 PM
29th October 2009, 12:18 AM
Huh... I'd not really expected a remodel so soon. Larger screen is great, but the question is how large is the system now? The DS Lite, which is roughly the same size as the DSi, is basically at the limit of what I'd call pocket sized. If this is much wider, it presents a problem for carrying it around, at least in a pocket. Though, maybe not a problem for the crazy pockets that you'd think every Japanese person has when you play Kingdom Hearts.
I'll just have to wait until I can actually see, and hold, one in person. Fortunatly I hadn't yet taken the plunge and got a DSi, so I'm free to make up my mind on this. It is rather surprising just how many remodels of systems we're seeing lately. The Wii seems to be the lone island in this.
I'll just have to wait until I can actually see, and hold, one in person. Fortunatly I hadn't yet taken the plunge and got a DSi, so I'm free to make up my mind on this. It is rather surprising just how many remodels of systems we're seeing lately. The Wii seems to be the lone island in this.
29th October 2009, 1:23 AM
There's a size comparison in the site. Click on the big buttons, one has a draggable comparison between the regular DSi and the LL. It's quite a bit bigger.
As I said it also seems to be aimed at older people -- look at the colors and their names (they do have English names by the colors), the size, etc. It's to make the screen easier to see, I guess. Not too interesting, for sure, for most actual gamers...
Oh yeah, and Nintendo also had to reduce their profit expectations for half of the year by 59%, which is quite a lot. Evidently their strategy of "don't release games and hope you keep winning anyway" isn't working out quite as well as they'd hoped...
As I said it also seems to be aimed at older people -- look at the colors and their names (they do have English names by the colors), the size, etc. It's to make the screen easier to see, I guess. Not too interesting, for sure, for most actual gamers...
Oh yeah, and Nintendo also had to reduce their profit expectations for half of the year by 59%, which is quite a lot. Evidently their strategy of "don't release games and hope you keep winning anyway" isn't working out quite as well as they'd hoped...
29th October 2009, 3:21 AM
A DS that cannot play GBA games is worthless to me.
29th October 2009, 1:55 PM
Yeah, that was a pretty dumb design decision. I play GBA games on my DS just as much as I do DS games... :(
29th October 2009, 8:02 PM
http://kotaku.com/5392865/dsi-xl-coming-...early-2010
US release announced. Here it's going to be called the DSi XL. $220 in Japan... I wonder what the US price is going to be.
US release announced. Here it's going to be called the DSi XL. $220 in Japan... I wonder what the US price is going to be.
29th October 2009, 9:54 PM
They're renaming it? That's weird... Further they haven't bothered renaming any of their consoles in a long long time. Heck not since the N64 now that I think about it.
Just picked up Final Fantasy Tactics A2 by the way, and first thing I noted was that when FFTA is plugged into the GBA slot, I get some extra stuff dumped into my save file.
Yeah, that's basically why taking out the GBA slot wasn't the best move.
If I ever do get a DSi, of whichever size, it'll be in addition to my DSLite, not a replacement. I'd have to have enough money to justify that sort of purchase first though.
Just picked up Final Fantasy Tactics A2 by the way, and first thing I noted was that when FFTA is plugged into the GBA slot, I get some extra stuff dumped into my save file.
Yeah, that's basically why taking out the GBA slot wasn't the best move.
If I ever do get a DSi, of whichever size, it'll be in addition to my DSLite, not a replacement. I'd have to have enough money to justify that sort of purchase first though.
29th October 2009, 10:34 PM
Or how about the rumble pack, it's not built into DSi so with DSi you just can't use it... as well as other games that have unlockable stuff like that, I know there are more.
So yeah, I agree, the DSi is not a replacement for a DS, just a supplement. And despite the larger size this DSi LL/XL doesn't have a GBA slot, I'm pretty sure.
... Of course, the DS itself isn't a complete GBA replacement either, not if you want to use the link cable or GC link, so really you now need a GBA or GBA SP, a DS, AND a DSi or XL once it comes out, to be able to do all the stuff. Great. I thought backwards compatibility was supposed to keep us from having to do this stuff... :)
So yeah, I agree, the DSi is not a replacement for a DS, just a supplement. And despite the larger size this DSi LL/XL doesn't have a GBA slot, I'm pretty sure.
... Of course, the DS itself isn't a complete GBA replacement either, not if you want to use the link cable or GC link, so really you now need a GBA or GBA SP, a DS, AND a DSi or XL once it comes out, to be able to do all the stuff. Great. I thought backwards compatibility was supposed to keep us from having to do this stuff... :)
30th October 2009, 10:18 AM
I also still held on to my Gameboy Color, because of games that used that infrared sensor.
Speaking of messed up BC, there's also the 360's complete hault on making any new emulator updates, the fact that Silent Hill 1 doesn't play quite right on either the PS2 or PS3 (worse on the latter, there's a horrible tone that plays whenever you shoot something, partially but not completely fixed in the downloadable version). Even the Wii, which has the best backwards compatibility, has no method of using the LAN modes of Gamecube games, even if that would have been an easy thing to implement.
Speaking of messed up BC, there's also the 360's complete hault on making any new emulator updates, the fact that Silent Hill 1 doesn't play quite right on either the PS2 or PS3 (worse on the latter, there's a horrible tone that plays whenever you shoot something, partially but not completely fixed in the downloadable version). Even the Wii, which has the best backwards compatibility, has no method of using the LAN modes of Gamecube games, even if that would have been an easy thing to implement.
30th October 2009, 10:30 AM
Hoo boy, here we go. Welcome to 2010 where Appletendo will release new hardware every year.
DSXL = Movies. I'm expecting a Netflix announcement soon for DS. Another odd piece of news is the DSi Speak Channel. Can you say DSiphone? "Call anyone with a DSi in your friendslist around the world for free!" The larger screen makes it more of a contender against the iphone and ipod touch and makes it easier for 'stylus-free' games.
"It's for old people" is a nice scapegoat, that way if the system doesn't sell it's not a real failure. The trick is that in a year, we'll be getting the next DS/Gameboy (the one with the nVidia chipset) anyway with that screen size. So this is just a placeholder that will help the DS become more of a multimedia device for people wanting movies on the go.
In other news, The WiiHD might hit as soon as mid 2010. The rumor hits because of Netflix wanting to integrate on every system. PS3 just got netflix integration and needs a disk, Netflix mentioned that it wont need the disk in a little bit and will be just like the 360's service. For Wii, it would need that disk too and Nintendo was supposed to announce Netflix this year BUT... and this comes with a barrel of salt: Nintendo may hold off on Netflix and streaming videos/TV etc until WiiHD.
Larger screen also had me thinking. You could view it more easily from a distance. Let's say a 6 to 8 foot distance. Why? Look no further than what Natal is. It would be hilarious: Setup your DSXL or DS2 in front of you and your hand and body movements translate to actions on your WiiHD game. All transferred wirelessly. But on the other hand, the Nvidia chipset for DS2 should be able to output something like Wii graphics, so who's to say Natal-like tech will simply be in the DS2 with the emphasis on gameplay being that you put the DS2 on the coffeetable and play with hand movements and touch screen entirely.
It's going to get interesting.
DSXL = Movies. I'm expecting a Netflix announcement soon for DS. Another odd piece of news is the DSi Speak Channel. Can you say DSiphone? "Call anyone with a DSi in your friendslist around the world for free!" The larger screen makes it more of a contender against the iphone and ipod touch and makes it easier for 'stylus-free' games.
"It's for old people" is a nice scapegoat, that way if the system doesn't sell it's not a real failure. The trick is that in a year, we'll be getting the next DS/Gameboy (the one with the nVidia chipset) anyway with that screen size. So this is just a placeholder that will help the DS become more of a multimedia device for people wanting movies on the go.
In other news, The WiiHD might hit as soon as mid 2010. The rumor hits because of Netflix wanting to integrate on every system. PS3 just got netflix integration and needs a disk, Netflix mentioned that it wont need the disk in a little bit and will be just like the 360's service. For Wii, it would need that disk too and Nintendo was supposed to announce Netflix this year BUT... and this comes with a barrel of salt: Nintendo may hold off on Netflix and streaming videos/TV etc until WiiHD.
Larger screen also had me thinking. You could view it more easily from a distance. Let's say a 6 to 8 foot distance. Why? Look no further than what Natal is. It would be hilarious: Setup your DSXL or DS2 in front of you and your hand and body movements translate to actions on your WiiHD game. All transferred wirelessly. But on the other hand, the Nvidia chipset for DS2 should be able to output something like Wii graphics, so who's to say Natal-like tech will simply be in the DS2 with the emphasis on gameplay being that you put the DS2 on the coffeetable and play with hand movements and touch screen entirely.
It's going to get interesting.
30th October 2009, 11:56 PM
Quote:"It's for old people" is a nice scapegoat, that way if the system doesn't sell it's not a real failure. The trick is that in a year, we'll be getting the next DS/Gameboy (the one with the nVidia chipset) anyway with that screen size. So this is just a placeholder that will help the DS become more of a multimedia device for people wanting movies on the go.
Large screen with the same resolution, giant pen stylus, the only software they talk about on that Japanese site is like the dictionary and brain training stuff I believe, those color choices... if this isn't for old people, it's not for anyone, I think.
31st October 2009, 11:04 AM
And if it's for old people, it doesn't need to be nearly as durable, and the battery only needs to recharge a few times. Mortality is hilarious.
31st October 2009, 8:29 PM
Huh? Durability matters for anyone... you don't want it to break easily at that price!
As for the battery, cute, but they're not going to sacrifice battery life, sorry. :) (The battery is actually slightly larger than the original DSi as it takes a bit larger to charge according to the specs, but the screen is bigger so I don't know if the battery life is any higher)
As for the battery, cute, but they're not going to sacrifice battery life, sorry. :) (The battery is actually slightly larger than the original DSi as it takes a bit larger to charge according to the specs, but the screen is bigger so I don't know if the battery life is any higher)
11th November 2009, 12:08 AM
Dark Jaguar Wrote:And if it's for old people, it doesn't need to be nearly as durable, and the battery only needs to recharge a few times. Mortality is hilarious.
hahaha :FuckYou:
12th November 2009, 12:34 PM
Weltall Wrote:A DS that cannot play GBA games is worthless to me.Hence why I am currently uninterested in buying a DSi for right now. Even if I change my mind, I'll still keep my DS. Granted, I still have my GBA (and even my GBC), but I prefer playing GBA games on the DS because I can actually see the screen.
20th November 2009, 3:06 PM
It's out now in Japan. Here's a link with some pictures, it is big as advertised...
http://jin115.com/archives/51597384.html
http://jin115.com/archives/51597384.html