DS Daily: Too many devices
by Candace Savino 
{ Jun 8th 2008 at 10:31AM }
There's been a lot of discussion about how the iPhone doesn't pose a threat to the DS (and we agree wholeheartedly). Even so, we have to admit that the iPhone is nice in theory -- that is, having every kind of portable device wrapped up in one small package. Then again, it's also nice to have a device completely dedicated to gaming, as that inspires more confidence when it comes to our favorite hobby.What do you think, though? Ideally, would you prefer having a single, multipurpose device so that you wouldn't have to carry around a bunch of different portables? Or, would you rather have everything made with one specific use in mind?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
supa_s @ Jun 8th 2008 10:40AM
Steve Jobs should know when to stop. Trying to compete head to head with Nintendo? Word of advice: leave gaming to the big boys and quit while u can.
Gennataos @ Jun 8th 2008 10:52AM
I'm getting to the point where I do like the idea of an all-in-one device. Carrying around a phone, iPod and DS/PSP is getting a little old.
Ricardo Gonçalves @ Jun 8th 2008 10:55AM
the only disadvantage I see in the DS is the memory (read storage) since most cards, like r4ds, m3, only support a maximum of 2Gb of data. If those cards supported, let's say, a 4Gb card it would be much better, since you could transform the DS to an inexpensive MP3 player (note - it's already possible, but the storage capability is really low, as I said earlier).
seso @ Jun 8th 2008 11:08AM
Objection!
Certain card readers (i.e. the AceKard 2, and the rip-off, the EDGE card) support SDHC (High Capacity), with the ability to read the current largest commercially avialable SD cards, clocking in at *8GB.
They also claim that when the technology catches up (which, let's face it, in this day and age could very well be as far away as next week), they'll be able to handle 32GB SD cards as well.
Take That!
*this information was correct as of ... iunno, mid May? Could be outdated by now!
Ricardo Gonçalves @ Jun 8th 2008 11:50AM
well, we learn everyday! I didn't know that, and I wish I knew that when I bought the r4ds ...
right now that's not a good investment on my part, since buying the card reader+memorycard is expensive opposed o the fact that the iphone will cost 100€ (about the same in dollars?) here. thanks for the info, cheers
Frastoglegnia @ Jun 8th 2008 1:52PM
Seso flogged me to it -- I currently own an AceKard 2 and 4GB MicroSDHC Class 6. The speed and convenience are remarkable -- I now carry ROMs of most of the games I own on one card, which also allows multiple saves and backups. I have homebrew installed as well, and am going to try writing fiction on my DS as well, and preordered the DS-10 a month after its announcement.
However, I don't like the DS as a music/multimedia player. The audio jack's too noisy and the DS is a tad power-shy when it comes to watching films. The PSP works far better as a convergence device, the iPod Classic sounds better than both the DS and PSP, and the newest high-end Sony flash players have a better-sounding DAC (true 24-bit) than any of the previously listed devices.
I'm not happy with the PSP's Skype implementation, however. It isn't a good replacement for a cell phone that's dependent on receiving calls as well as making them -- a bit too much fussing's involved.
The real question is how much quality each individual really needs. For most of my train-riding requirements, the PSP is a good compromise. The iPhone might be a multimedia option if only it sounded a little better. The DS seems born to be used as a tiny music/writing laptop; I'll explore that idea further in July, after the DS-10's release.
Lord Bowser @ Jun 8th 2008 10:55AM
I've never held an iPhone so I couldn't judge, but my experience with all in one convergent devices has been pretty bad. Everything is performed in a pretty mediocre fashion. Maybe the iPhone will be different, but without a physical buttons I really fail to see how this will take off - in the game department, that is.
Plus, I have a PSP.
McDoobie @ Jun 8th 2008 11:07AM
I don't mind toting around multiple devices as long as they're great at what they do. Even if I owned an iPhone I'd use it for calls, text and browsing; I don't see it as a gaming device, despite having better hardware than both the DS and PSP.
Mark @ Jun 8th 2008 11:31AM
I love my DS & Gameboy, also my PSP-which is one of those try to do almost everything devices (but still ends up beings just a games machine in my hands).
I personally would love one item for all occasions but can't help thinking of the saying "Jack of all trades , Master of None".
The I-phone already isn't a very good phone from what I can tell. It doesn't support the faster 3G networks so its internet is slow, Its' Camera is also an inferior megapixel to most standard phones, It lacks that price brackets GPS so already the quality is being traded off.
Would an all encompassing device just be for show? After all sexy still sells (iphone).
But then nintendo have held off on the doing it to higher specification for years (resolution on both DS & wii) for doing it differently so maybe a new contender could take on the mighty Nintendo & also Sony, I hope so as if it forces new inventiveness and better products I'd take that boot up the backside from where ever it comes.
Still for all I say I have a different device for everything..
From Nintendo,Sony,Archos, etc.. Playing on thier stengths. As I'd hate to lose one device and lose the lot in one go. It's nice to have a seperate power supplied device for when one runs out on you, even a DS can lose it's charge at the most boring times.
Frastoglegnia @ Jun 8th 2008 2:03PM
Mark: I agree with a lot of what you've said. But 3G is about to become a non-issue with the iPhone. Sound quality (which you must care about, since you're talking about Archos) is another matter entirely.
That said, I'm fairly psyched about this device (Gizmodo, where's the coverage?):
http://www.engadget.com/tag/Pandora/
seso @ Jun 8th 2008 11:14AM
I am a huge nerd for functionality, so if I could send texts as easily on my DS as I could on my phone, I'd dump it in a heartbeat. However, I don't think I'd like as much the ability to play DS games on my phone. I dunno, it just doesn't seem right. Call it a lack of 2 screens or whatever, it just wouldn't be a DS game without dual screens :(
When Nintendo get their arses in gear and create a plugin qwerty keyboard for the bottom of the DS (slot 2, think the XBOX keyboard), and come up with a better way to get them online, then there'll be no stopping me!
Michael K. @ Jun 8th 2008 12:24PM
I don't know about a single device like you're saying, but I just love my iPhone. If they put Lunar Knights, the Phoenix Wright series, and FFTA2 on it, I wouldn't need my DS.
bryansurvive @ Jun 8th 2008 1:21PM
hmmm.
i carry my psp around for music, video, and games daily.
i have my sidekick for communication and music.
i think an all in one would be a nice idea in a not to big package but at the same time fitting everything into one machine can possibly be the worst thing ever. battery life would suck. it probably would lag each everytime. no thanks ill stick with different items. i might spend more cash but in the long run ill also save more.
Joe H @ Jun 8th 2008 1:30PM
The iPhone isn't even a good phone, let alone gaming machine.
Its more like an iPod with some calling features really, put together in a pretty package for the masses. So they're going to throw in some gaming features, big deal.
I've got a DS, smartphone, and an n800 internet tablet, each of which has some games. The phone, that goes with me everywhere, so having a few games on that is nice, and I'd imagine it'll be the same way for iPhone users.
If you're tired of multiple portable devices and want a true gaming machine, I'd look into the Pandora. While it won't be a phone, it'll have emulators for many systems including PS1, as well as multimedia players, internet browser, etc, with Wifi and bluetooth connectivity.
As for me, I only bring devices based on the length of my trip. A quick trip just has me bringing the phone, if I know I'll have a few minutes free I bring my n800 to read a book on, and then for the really long trips (train rides across multiple states, etc) I bring along the DS. Honestly, my DS gets used more in my own home than it does anywhere else.
Joe H @ Jun 8th 2008 1:32PM
Also I should mention. I could easily get rid of the n800, and as I mentioned, I don't really bring the DS anywhere anyway. The main reason I got the n800 was for reading books on a larger screen than the 2.5" screen of the phone, otherwise I'd only have that.
Morose @ Jun 8th 2008 1:43PM
while I certainly think it's clever that they can fit a phone and a camera and a web-browsing thingie and an media player and what they are trying to call handheld games into one shiny little tchotchke, making a financial and contractual commitment to such a device would mean that all my gadgets are running on one battery, and I'd need to carry multiple chargers to keep it running through the day.
Another problem with the convergent gizmo is that while it does many things to a degree, it does none of them as well as a dedicated single-purpose device. I have never seen a phone-camera that takes better pictures than a good digital camera, never played an ipod game that was better than its equivalent on the DS (ipod bomberman vs ds bomberman titles, for example).
my last big beef with the convergent gadget is that i can never just upgrade one thing - if i want to upgrade to a new phone, I must also trade in my gaming device, mp3 player, camera, etc, whether I want to or not. This ties in with a related problem - if I can't remember where I put my phone, my camera, mp3 player, etc have also gone missing.
I do realize that sticking with divergent gadgets means I need a utility belt, man-bag, or chewbacca-style bandolier to tote all my gadgets. I like having a gadget-bag, so this is not a problem.
Toxic @ Jun 8th 2008 2:42PM
When you have everything you lose the core idea of definite device, but there are irregulations in this rule. :) It's DS. =D
BlackDS @ Jun 8th 2008 4:26PM
Yes, I would love a device that could do everything, BUT it will NEVER happen.
The convergence of the cell phone and portable music player was inevitable. It was happening before the iPhone, and it's a huge success. Merging a phone and a gaming system, however, has so far had one collosal failure in the N-Gage.
I want my phone to be small and easy to carry around. Any effective gaming device (like the DS Lite) is too big to be a phone. Conversely, any phone (like the iPhone) is too small to be an effective gaming device.
Nintendo actually went bigger to bring us the next generation portable gaming device after the GBA SP. AFAIK the DS Lite is bigger than the GBA SP.
You need a certain screen size, room for buttons, and enough size to hold the device comfortably to make a good gaming system. If you do all of that, it's too big to carry around IMO. Like the BlackBerry is too big for me, I would never want to own one.
The people at Forbes don't realize any of this, because they're not gamers. Not everyone wants to carry a huge phone (like Oprah or Tyra), just like not everyone wants to drive a big, gas-guzzling SUV.
Peace.
Hope @ Jun 8th 2008 5:35PM
I feel like phone games definitely have their place in the casual gaming market. (I find myself playing Sonic the Hedgehog on my Sidekick every now and then.) But I don't feel like a convergence device that will really compete with other handheld systems will emerge because hardcore gamers are always looking for (and willing to pay for) the best specs and features (button placement, functions, etc) for gaming, and when you have devices made specifically for gaming, it would be hard for a device handling other functions to really compete. I don't think the iPhone really would appeal to hardcore gamers because, as others have mentioned, it's lack of buttons. It's really not that difficult to carry around a couple devices. (Then again, I'm a girl and used to carrying around tons of stuff in my purse XP)
Tyrran @ Jun 8th 2008 7:46PM
If we take a look at the market in a place like, say, Japan, where cell phones are used every day for everything, it still stands as fact that the DS Lite is damn near everywhere. Sure, there are a ton of people who enjoy playing Tetris or whatever on their cell phones (and trust me, there are some intense Japanese cell phone games) but the DS has a stronger presence and name. The iPhone has become renown as a revolutionary device for music, movies, calling and communication. People who choose to use the iPhone in lieu of a DS for gaming ideas were not the target audience for the DS in the first place. Seriously, the N-Gage was a bigger threat, and look where that ended up.
I think the iPhone will offer a different and possibly unique perspective on gaming, but ultimately not cloud the Nintendo market in the least. Now, if Steve and Miyamoto wanted to team up and make something, THERE'S a force to be reckoned with...
ecco6t9 @ Jun 8th 2008 11:00PM
The potential for iphone games is there but Apple would need to drop in an AM/FM tuner and they will replace all my handheld devices.
bull @ Jun 9th 2008 1:49AM
I prefer to have separate devices. I have a cell phone which can... call and SMS (no camera or MP3 'cuz it's cheap and I don't need such features). An mp3 player which can err... play music. And of course a ds for game. When I want to listen to music, play games, surf internet, IM , watch videos, compile code at the same time. I go home and use my PC. No handheld device I know can beat its processor's power.
bull @ Jun 9th 2008 1:49AM
Plus, playing games especially those with fancy graphic effects will eat up the phone's battery really fast. No one can call you then. That's why I feel the idea of "a mobile phone for games" is just wrong.
Deozaan @ Jun 9th 2008 4:55AM
I hate phones too much to want to spend a lot of time playing games on them. How horrible would it be to be in the middle of a boss fight when you get a call you have to take?
Also: Nokia N-Gage. That should speak for itself.
Icepulse @ Jun 9th 2008 10:49AM
Of course, no one is mentioning that the "app store" is fully functional for the iPod Touch, also.... not just the iPhone. I don't know if any of you have one, but I can tell you that it's the funnest piece of tech that I've ever had. I love it. 32gb is QUITE a bit of storage (for a flash memory-based player), and its thinner than the iPhone..... just elegant and beautiful. The processor is muscular, too. Think about it; with the right development teams on board, a LOT of possibilities exist here where they simply do not for current generation handheld game systems. How about a 2-3gb install? MASSIVE titles are possible, w/o info having to stream off of some klunky UMD. I see no reason why we cannot have Morrowind-style epics on this thing. To come off the grill, saying it will fail is short-sighted, to say the very least. Remember how many nay-sayers called the DS a gimmick, too weak to contend w/ the PSP? How the touch-screen was a mere fascination, and that it would wear thin quickly? That's a WHOLE lot of egg to have to wipe off later, perhaps.
Roos @ Jun 9th 2008 11:00AM
I have a big bag I always carry around so there's always room for some more devices. The only thing I worry about is that if my bag gets stolen, the thief is very lucky (phone, camera, ds and/or psp, ipod touch) and I will be very broke :(
Not-A-Mac-Fan @ Jun 9th 2008 11:57AM
PSP already fills those shoes for me. I mean, it's a multimedia device, and I really doubt the iPhone will do better than the PSP at gaming, so it's not going to reach the DS. I think it's just another obsessed Mac-Guy whose convinced all Mac stuff will win the world over, well, they've been saying that for years, doesn't mean it's gonna happen.
Niz @ Jun 9th 2008 2:30PM
I dont actually carry my DS very much only on long trips, i dont always take m ipod out with me, My phone, it has some music, video, camera, games etc to get me by if i even need it, but i dont see it as a replacement for my ipod, camera, camcorder, DS etc. The closest thing phones have come to is cameras but even then stand alone cameras are always leaping ahead to make up for it.
gRiMz @ Jun 10th 2008 2:29AM
Perhaps I am a freak of nature but I happen to use my DS + homebrew daily. As some of you audiophiles pointed out it does not have nearly the sound quality of the psp or the ipod natively. But paired with a good pair of headphones it can skip by on trips less you are traveling in very noisey areas.
Honestly, having both a ds and a psp with my previous experience with an ipod I just can not get over the battery life of a ds as a mp3 player. A good app that continues to play music with it closed can damn near go non-stop for almost a week ( I have left it on by mistake for that period of time playing mp3s ). The only downfall is naturally when its open with screens blaring you wont nearly get that amount of battery life.
As for my psp on the road I honestly only use it to play videos. Yes I brewed up some DS videos but it really isn't the same as the psp and honestly feels like a parlor trick. Plus videos on my psp can still be played back on my small laptop in a window if I feel inclined during work while the DS seems to have video format wars on which type of custom video file you wish to use that are uncompatiable with everything but the DS and that particular program.
While gaming on the road with my psp I honestly haven't felt inclined. I mean lets face it, DS sleep mode just rocks. Close it to take care of something and reopen back where you left off at anytime while the Psp regardless seems more cumbersome, has load times, and very little developer support for games you can step away from and come back easily without at best restarting a level.
Yeah you can pause it, but pause or game play will still drain your life. Even if the display does go to sleep it still has to reload everything again off disk etc which takes juice. So needless to say on the road my psp simply serves as a nice video player that does resume where I leave off where I wish most the games would.
As for adding phone abilities...scratch that. I would rather have a nice phone that doubles as its own wireless hotspot so that my psp and ds could net through it like a modem just as some cells allow laptops to perform through bluetooth.
Bout the best I have found is having my laptop tapped into a cell through blue tooth and using its own wifi as a access point to any other device I am carrying. It works flawlessly on a mac, but kinda rules out carrying less bulk and being forced to have a laptop open in public places.
techno_techie @ Jul 19th 2008 1:50PM
You know, I hate paying a subscription fee, so I prefer to have a cheap cellphone plan. I'm getting a DS, but I am opting for a netbook like MSI Wind where I use emulators, rather than carrying around tons of devices. With built-in wifi and free wifi in lots of places, I am liking this option.
Nothing can replace the DS, though. My max is 3 devices.