Nintendo News | Game Boy Next on the Cards [news]

It really makes so much sense. Why bring out the Game Boy Evolution, or whatever it'll be called, when the Nintendo DS is doing so well and the Wii is about to hit the market so hard? It's good business for Nintendo to at least wait until E3 2007 to make an initial announcement about it.

Hopefully Nintendo have learnt from the GBmicro, as clearly no one is buying it.

Well the DS will inevitably have a successor eventually, and Game Boy is a really strong brand name, as big as Walkman really, so it would be crazy for Nintendo to never use it again...The DS was an experimental "third pillar", but seeing as it is so successful, it will probably be merged with the "second pillar" i.e. Game Boy....they should go back to the Game boy name after the DS i reckon...

I wouldn't want one to show up untill at least 2009.

I have to stick up for the micro, because it has had a 10-15% infiltration rate for all GBAs sold in the US alone, which isn't bad for a third re-release that was only aimed at a really niche market sector. I'm sure that even if a few micro owners become intrigued by the DS Lite, then Nintendo will have succeeded in its mission.

You're right, Adam. Nintendo Game Boy is still a strong franchise and without a doubt holds much more fame than any other platform out there. Nintendo are giving Game Boy a vacation whilst DS and Wii get settled in. If anything goes pear-shaped for Nintendo, they have a product to fall back on and really rival any other hand-held out there. Give DS and Wii around two more years and we'll all be in awe for what Nintendo has in store for Game Boy.

"Gameboy evolution". I like that name Raz.Yes i agree. With the current success of the GBA Ds/Lite and with Wii on the horizon, there really is no need to bring a new edition of the Gameboy franchise into the fray just yet. If anything both the Ds and Wii are symbols of Nintendo's innovative and inclusive stategy to welcome people from all walks of life into the gaming world unlike GBA which caters mainly for the hardcore. So judging from what Satoru Iwata is saying, Gameboy isn't off the cards they just want to predict the market correctly so as not to disrupt their blue ocean strategy.

I also think the following is the key point:

And of course, as you know, the backlit version of the GBA in the United States is still selling very well, so that we are continuing the production.

It was announced earlier this year that the production of new back-lit GBA: SPs has been ramped up, which surprised many, but if it's still selling on a par with the PS2 in the US, then why the hell stop?

jesusraz said:
I also think the following is the key point:

And of course, as you know, the backlit version of the GBA in the United States is still selling very well, so that we are continuing the production.

It was announced earlier this year that the production of new back-lit GBA: SPs has been ramped up, which surprised many, but if its still selling on a par with the PS2 in the US, then why the hell stop?

Exactly, if it's still profitable then keep it going.

So can we expect the next GameBoy to go back to a single screen? Or maybe they will just keep the dual screen design but continue with the GameBoy name?

The idea of a new Game Boy confused me a bit at first. What would it be? Single screen? Dual? Am I going to be unfolding dozens of the touch-screen fuckers??

The DS itself is the natural evolution of the Game Boy - they didn't label it as such simply to protect the 'Game Boy' brand should the whole touch-screen enterprise go tits-up.

But it has gone very much... erm... tits-down? (no, that's crap! let's say... 'tits-pert') Sony are kindly demonstrating that simply throwing polygons at a handheld doesn't satisfy people for long, and DS is leading the way forward for portable gaming - it is a Game Boy.

I think Nintendo should continue to use the brand-name until the SP and micro finally cease production (which could honestly be many many years from now). Then, who knows. Personally I like the 'DS' name, but a 'Game Boy' renaissance in, say, 4 or 5 years time could very well kick-start another wave of gaming nostalgia once the Virtual Console has had it's limelight. GB:VC is where it's headed

You know, get rid of all the connotations we now associate with the legendary console and it's actually a pretty gay name!

I don't wanna see a Gameboy for a while yet. Not enough cash laying around for me.

I'm thinking that a couple years from now, they're next gameboy might be a DS, or at least some features.

It really makes so much sense. Why bring out the Game Boy Evolution, or whatever it'll be called, when the Nintendo DS is doing so well and the Wii is about to hit the market so hard?

I totally agree, Raz. I think Nintendo have to spend a lot of resources putting together a really great selection of Wii games. And when the DS is moving along so successfully, it'd be silly to bring in a new Game boy so soon.

Nonetheless, it has to happen eventually maybe the announcement will happen in a year or so.

'Cube games on the go! Alright, Nintendy-- I knew they wouldn't kill off the Gameboy like that, it practically saved them back in 1995 or whatever. I knew it, knew it, knew it!!

ZOMG; THIS WILL KICK PSP ASS-ORZORZORZ!@!!!!!!

WHOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

jesusraz said:
It really makes so much sense. Why bring out the Game Boy Evolution, or whatever itll be called, when the Nintendo DS is doing so well and the Wii is about to hit the market so hard? Its good business for Nintendo to at least wait until E3 2007 to make an initial announcement about it.

I still think the GBNext (?) shouldn't be shown for a few more years, Maybe 2008. Lets be fair, the continuos hardware pushing is becoming boring. With all the consoles out at the moment plus the PS3 and Wii, can't there be 1 or 2 years where its all about games?!

Plus, where would they go with the next GB? The DS in its own right, is a great piece of hardware thats expanded the market. What gaming aspects would the GBN have? I'm under the impression it'd just be graphical at the moment and thats not good enough for todays market. Nintendo should wait a few years and see where gaming moves to (if it moves at all).

Gameboy-DS. One handheld, every game.

No reason why the next Gameboy et-al couldn't be a merge of both the Gameboy and DS product lines: give the big N a few more years and I'd imagine the technical abilities of such a handheld console could be amazing!

I think it is important for Ninty to show us and other people, that they don't buy a system, that's gonna be replaced soon.
Sony and M$ are shortening the product-cycle of their console in talking too much about their successors.
See Gamecube: almost no games are being announced for it and I fear the ones that are don't sell very much, because everyone saves their money for Wii.
With DS being the only one for 'a very long time', people trust in it and buy games for it and the hardware itself.
And why buying a new handheld every 2 years? That's rediculous. I'm still buying games for GBA (because there will be jolly-good ones released for it - FF IV for example.

So Iwata-san is right to say, that there is no console going to be replacing this one for a looong time. ...a long time. And on the other Hand rebuilding the trust in the GB-brand.

T'would be awesome if it was as powerfull as the Dreamcast and got loads of DC ports.

The idea of a new Game Boy confused me a bit at first. What would it be? Single screen? Dual? Am I going to be unfolding dozens of the touch-screen fuckers??

If they release a new Game Boy they're basically going back on everything they said about attracting 'non-gamers' etc with the DS and Wii (and this will obviously be a contraversial decision looking at how well the DS is doing!).

On the other hand if they try and make a follow up to the DS...what will it have? Bigger screens? Better graphics? More battery life? Again, it will just seem like there's no more innovating that can be done and that the console is just evolving.

Their only other options seems to be to again create something new to gaming in the way the DS was. But again if they want to make it backwards compatible then they're restricted (must have 2 screens, touch screen etc). I've no idea what Nintendo's next move will be, but regardless it will be interesting to see it unfold

RE: Gameboy Evo-
The last I heard on what could possibly materialise to be the next GB, Nintendo were working on a new technology called 'Switching Screens' which is basically two screens with a sort gap between them, an image is projected through the screens then splits into two images which then meet the left and right eye respectively, creating a stereoscopic effect.
The problems Nintendo were facing at the time of reading the article, (about a year ago now)was the distance between screens was too far apart to make the device truly portable.

Wow, this is some damn interestin' news....whoever found it, must be very good looking, intelligent and helpful..perhaps a star is needed??

(especially for someone who hasn't got a star yet )