Future of the Game Boy DS?

Well, I'm new to Cubed3, but I think I have finally gotten the basic gist of it all. I'm writing today to talk about the future of DS. I want to hear your opinions, thoughts,..etc...

It all started with the game boy. No color, low graphics (well, not at the time), and big game cards

Then came the game boy color. Everyone was so excited! Finally, their games in color! (If only they knew what was coming!)

Boy oh Boy was it cool when the Game Boy Advance came out! I remember looking in a magazine that was selling them. It thought it looked so cool. When I got one, I played it all the time.

The Game Boy Advance SP was a really cool upgrade because of the built-in-light.

Finally, the Nintendo DS!! How it has come so far! Built in light, online play, touch screen....it just never ends.

So they have come this far...do you think they'll come out with yet another upgrade?? I mean what could they make next? Is it the end of the road for game boys? Or is it just the beginning for the DS?
I want to hear your thoughts on this.

PS: I did post this into my blog, and then someone noted to me that this sort of post is something you would rather put into a thread! Thanks

PS: (again) Someone left a comment in my blog as a reply to this, and it was pretty good, so if you want to read that too......

I think the DS with all it's success will take over and we'll see the end of the Gameboy franchise. The DS has brought a lot to hand held gaming in terms of innovation and Nintendo has gained a lot of support back from third party developers, namely, Square Enix. The DS is such a huge success and has really helped Nintendo get back on track and they've developed a similar philosophy with the Wii. With such a massive user base, it really does print money for Nintendo...

AlaskanSoccerGirl said:
PS: (again) Someone left a comment in my blog as a reply to this, and it was pretty good, so if you want to read that too......

For a possible DS replacement, there's several routes that could be taken. One option would be to focus on multi-media aspects such as music, video etc. I find this unlikely as Nintendo have taken a minimal stance on this before and something along this line would probably need a harddrive, which is aparently draining for the battery.

Another option would basically be a refined DS. Improved graphics, improved online play, sound, perhaps the option to recognise two touched on the screen at once (which i don't think the DS can do).

The final option is to do something a bit different again. However, if this means that this new console can't play DS games, then Nintendo might have a problem.

The DS has YEARS of life left in it for the moment though, it's probably selling stronger now then it ever has before. However, when the time does come to replace it, they do indeed have a problem. If they go for something new and innovative again they may isolate the people that bought a DS (plus, what can they actually do that would fit neatly into a portable console?). If they go for a more 'refined' approach then surely there will be some backlash with nintendo having already stated that 'graphics don't really matter anymore'.

Nintendo will want to milk the DS and Wii...The new generation will inevitably cost more money - we've already been hinted that the new gameboy will be a pocket gamecube...and in 5 years time Nintendo can't use the "oh but noone has HDTVs" excuse - They are big for a games company but aren't that big for a international coorporation so they can't afford to release processors when they are still hugely expensive to make and make a loss (sony and MS style)
So as long as it ain't broken...Nintendo won't try and fix it with a new console.

And i can't see them implementing dual touch...thats not really that useful is it? (one touch pen...)

For the Wii they can obviously improve the wiimote as motion sensors are advancing a lot now, and the graphics.
For the gameboy....i think they might attempt to bring back the three pillars of nintendo....I think it'll have more chance of working compared to last time (well it worked in America) - with the Gameboy being a mini gamecube with touch screen - nintendo have said innovation is the way forward but for gaming Wii and DS seem to be the pinnacle of innvation...releasing a mini gamecube with touch screen might be flamed for being non innovative...hopefully they'll still be using game carts rather than a disk (argh PSP load times! - apparently those sorts of cards are dropping rapidly in price now)

( Edited on 11.06.2007 23:10 by ZeroSimon )

I remember we had a similiar discussion before the DS came out, anyway yeah somehow i dont see the GameBoy being back for the next generation of handheld gaming, what i predict is we will get the DS2 (i know original name!) next generation of handheld, then i think Nintey will bring back the GameBoy, with super awsome functions, i dont know maybe voice recongnition? touch screen? rumble?

Well I think in the future we'll see a combination of the two systems. I think the two screens will be abandoned for one lovely wide touch screen. I just don't see the point of having two screens in the future if technology can enable just one brilliant completely touch widescreen. I mean essentially, when you're playing most DS games you try to think of the two screens as one and for when that's not the case - it's not hard to integrate the secondary feature in.

Not to say it wouldn't be innovative and different. I'd expect lots of features similar to what make the Wii great. Motion sensing, tweaked to a smaller scale requiring very minor movements would be excellent.

I dunno Soundworks, if Nintendo gave me one lovely screen, I'd be wanting another one on top of it.

Basically, I think the Game Boy line will cease to exist, at least for some time. The DS has simply become a phenomenon, and I think the whole "third pillar" was just a crutch in case the DS failed. Also, Nintendo really can not use the Game Boy anymore though. It goes entirely against their present mentality of "revolution" not "evolution".

Ultimately, I think we will be getting a DS 2, not a new Game Boy. However I think DS 2 is a good ways off as well. There really is no reason for Nintendo to release one any time soon. DS sales are extremely high, and not only that, they are maintaining their levels weeks after week, month after month. The library is incredible, and only getting better with several huge titles still coming. We have not even had the release of LoZ: PH yet. So if we see another DS any time within the next two years, it will likely be DS Micro, not DS two. My guess would be that the earliest we will hear rumblings of a DS two would be Christmas 08 with a 2009 Christmas release. In my mind that is the earliest that it would happen. I really think though that the DS has the legs to go through this whole gen hand-in-hand with the Wii.

What the next DS will be though. Hmmm. Both screens will likely be touch screens. Updated power; the obvious. It will still run on cards, guaranteed. Discs are a problem. Load times, battery suckers, moving parts etc. Disc are a mistake for any portable device that can avoid it.

The system will also likely have gyros or some similar technology and a built in camera, so that Nintendo can still say they are being "innovative".

What I would like to see though is: better online! I'd like a much more integrated online experience. SD slot and multimedia capabilities would be nice, but only if Nintendo can get it right. I'd rather there be no multimedia and a cheaper price if it was poorly implemented.

Downloadable VC content is a must, as is downloadable game demos.

( Edited on 12.06.2007 16:46 by Jacob4000 )

I think that by not calling the DS 'Game Boy', they were actually just giving the brand a rest, and not putting it out to pasture all together. Even now, the GBA is still doing some business, and a couple years ago when Nintendo introduced the DS, GBA was fucking huge, and shops were even still selling a few GBC games new. To have introduced another 'Game Boy' at that point would have been akin to over-exposure for the brand, saturating the market.

The DS was really strange with it's new controls and it's two screens (and 'DS' can stand for 'dual screen', even though it doesn't). It was a new product, and rather than market it under the old brand, making it sound like "Just another Game Boy", the new name really drove home that... newness..?

Anywho, the DS has done it's thing. I fully expect the next Nintendo handheld to be a revival of the 'Game Boy' brand. After all, people associate with it like they never will with with the name 'DS'. There was a time when handhelds, and even in extreme cases (of parental-ignorance) home consoles, were just referred to as 'Game Boys'. Indeed, it's Nintendo's PlayStation.

I believe the Game Boy brand will rise again.

I can pretty much say for certain that there will never ever be anything called a 'DS 2'. That's such a horrible name.

( Edited on 12.06.2007 17:14 by Oni )

A new Gameboy is likely despite the huge success of the DS worldwide. Nintendo are known to be working with a research company that develop cell batteries for handheld PCs at the moment. When a breakthrough in the technology can be replicated at mimimal cost their investment should bear fruit both financially and for the likelyhood of a new Gameboy. Nintendo are hesitant to bring that about until a very much needed and adequate source of power can be found.

Laptops and PDA's and other such handheld devices are becoming far more power hungry, and many such devices are used for all manner of things nowadays, and that is likely to increase tripple fold by 2015 which is why Nintendo cleverly invested in this area of research as they did with the IR data transfer for Wii.

It's certainly on the cards, but when is anyones guess. Within 3 years though would be a safe bet. LS

( Edited on 12.06.2007 19:05 by Linkyshinks )

I don't know. I think it could be more than three years away, yet. A handheld's lifespan isn't necessarily the typical five years like a home-console. The original Gameboy managed nearly ten.

In my mind it is surprising that people are already talking about the next DS / Game Boy. I think the DS still has a long life ahead of it. I mean, Nintendo can't hope to make any more money right now than they are, why release a new one any time soon?

There will be a new Gameboy and that is likely to be a handheld GC when the technology comes available, they've managed to shrink it to three DVD boxes thus far, a few years and it'll be a handheld

We could see the DS becoming more Wii like in it not being solely about gaming, could end up being the DiiS. What we'll likely see is two touch screens as RTS games are almost impossible on the current setup (I'm trudging through one at the moment and the control method is BAD and I don't see anyway it could get better). We could also see Opera built into the unit and even a good sized internal memory for downloads if the prices come down any further.

Matthew Gastrian Evans said:
There will be a new Gameboy and that is likely to be a handheld GC when the technology comes available, theyve managed to shrink it to three DVD boxes thus far, a few years and itll be a handheld

I reckon, hardware-wise, they could pretty much do that now. The PSP, released over two and a half years ago, is basically a PS2 in the palm of your hand. Now, the GC wasn't that much more power ful than the PS2, in the scheme of things. So, if the PSP was over two and a half years ago, and the GC wasn't that much more hench than the PS2... you see where I'm going with that?

I believe there's only two real reasons they don't do it now. One; the DS is at the height of it's success at the moment, and due to Nintendo's utter dominance in the handheld market, that isn't going to change for the foreseeable future. The PSP, though an interesting distraction, is never going to topple the DS in it's current form. Perhaps a drastic PSP-overhaul might threaten them, but as the PSP is, it's just a mild annoyance.

Two, though they could probably get GC-equivalent hardware (or near enough) down to handheld-size in this day and age, the media isn't up to it. It's by far and away the PSP's biggest issue, and one Nintendo are very cautious with even with their home consoles. The media has to have lightning load-times for Nintendo to adopt it. That's just in general. Add to that that every single Nintendo handheld to date has had good battery-life..

So, optical-media is a no-go for a Nintendo handheld, at least for the moment (until optical drives become more efficient, and/or battery technology improves). That would pin things on solid-state technology. The latter, I personally think, is the way to go for handhelds anyway, but Nintendo seem to favor it, too. However, those filesize limits are always a problem.

GC discs were 1.5GB, whereas DS cards are only 128MB. While the latter figure is perfectly respectable for the DS, a handheld of GC-equivalence would want higher capacity media. Ideally equal to that of GC media, or more. I reckon the current DS cards may be the fore-runners to future solid-state media from Nintendo which matches the capacity of GC.

So in other words, they could, but they won't because optical discs are shit in handhelds, take ages to load, drain the battery too much, are much too vulnerable to damage, and solid-state technology isn't at a point yet where sufficient capacity can be had for a suitable price.

( Edited on 12.06.2007 20:17 by Oni )

As it stands they got the Wii as small as they could using the present technology available. The layout of components is very space efficent to both restrict pyhsical size and heat loss via the the inovative semiconductor composition which in turn makes optimum use of the energy it's given. LS

Ive always hoped that Nintendo would release a super powered Game Boy, i think it would sell well to the hardcore where as the DS brand is aimed towards the new-gamers market.

A while ago Nintendo said that the Nintendo DS is the third pillar to their empire and that it would run alongside the GameBoy brand and not replace it. However Nintendo have likely held off a GBA2 release simply because of the unprecedented success of the DS.

If Nintendo keep up with this Three Pillar malarky and the rise of interest in handheld technology could Nintendo have two handhelds in the making?

Well it would be silly to compete against themselves but perhaps alternate the brand name. So perhaps a GameBoy for 2010? A new DS 2015?

Like Oni said Nintendo have the brand (GameBoy) associated with the market. Such as most handhelds are refered to GameBoy's by the un-educated market likewise most consoles are refered to Playstations. Or Hoovers rather than Vaccuum cleaners...

Either way with such power and dominance in the market Nintendo should have this in the bag about what to do...mind you Sony thought that about the PS3...hmmz

Nah, I think Nintendo would know better than to introduce another 'proper' handheld into the market while the DS is as strong as it is. I predict that they'll likely just let the DS run it's course, and milk it for as long as possible before they introduce the next Gameboy. Might sound like a bad thing, but ultimately, the more years they can put off the next Gameboy, the more years they'll have to work on it, and the better it'll be.

Yeah Sony on the other hand will reduce the price of the PSP to fill bargain bins . LS

I don't know, I think people are far too quick to slate the PSP. Yes, the battery life isn't very good, and yes, alot of the games can take quite a while to load. On the other hand, when actually playing the games, it's pretty much PS2-quality (in your hand!), and totally smokes the DS. The PSP has some major faults, yes. It also has some major high-points, though.

I think the PSP's successor is one to to watch out for. Sony have learned some hard lessons with the PSP, both with the console itself, and with how well the competition is doing. So they'll be approaching the next iteration of their handheld platform with the kind of knowledge they weren't privy to with the first. The PSP's successor could actually be a threat to Nintendo, assuming Sony hasn't just been ignoring the last couple of years.

( Edited on 12.06.2007 21:30 by Oni )

That is very true Oni, with Nintendo now happy and relaxed they might lax back a bit whilst Sony are back to the drawing board planning a comeback.

Nintendo have to keep on top of things and not get into the poor state of affairs that the market leader had once get itself into. Microsoft also have enough money to blunder and if they capture dominance and monopoly power would there be any company that could stop the giant.

The GBA lasted a long time and i can see the DS lasting equally longer. If not longer.

As for the PSP, i dont mind it, i mean its graphically amazing and the design isnt that bad...apart from the bad Square button. Lack of screen protection as well, but a slip case or what not and thats fixed. There are some decent games for it and i may concider it an alternative when it hits the bargin bins.

The PSP's not that much more expensive than the DS as it is though, is it?

Thanks guys! I read every reply, and they all sound great. Most of you think that they will probably not come out with any new DS soon. I agree. The Nintendo DS is still relatively new. And like a few of you stated, they are still coming out with really cool DS games.(most of which I want to buy!) Keep on postin if you have anything else to say. Good stuff, good stuff

But i dont have that kinda money to get something that i half want. For example, Dreamcasts seem stable around

Nintendo are making severe funds for the NEXT generation in this one by producing low cost hardware. Sony have shown their cards for the long haul, they spent far more in RD cost than Nintendo did with the DS and will need to recoup costs in lowly sales for time to come.

Nintendo has kicked the arse of any other competitor in the handheld market since day one, and will continue to do so while Sony create bulky crap that is not even worth watching films on...unless it's japanese porn. LS

( Edited on 12.06.2007 22:37 by Linkyshinks )

Well, I think you're being entirely unfair to Sony, here. It's not 'bulky', but rather the same size as the DS, near enough. So if the PSP is 'bulky', then so too is the DS. Secondly, Nintendo has beaten every other handheld into the ground. The PSP endures, in spite of the DS. So, it's not as 'doom and gloom' for the PSP as you might want to pretend.

( Edited on 12.06.2007 22:43 by Oni )