Ooooh, touch me there.
So, I've picked up a Nintendo DS[1] from a friend. He'd received it as a gift, but really hadn't used it all. So I received it at a nice price.
The last time I bought a console [2] while it wasn't totally obsolete was when I bought the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) while I was in middle school. So, it's rather novel to actually be following what's being produced rather than just hitting junk shops and the used section in video stores. Additionally I haven't been gaming on the PC for a number of years since I only run Linux at home. Ever since the porting company Loki died, there has been a dearth of Linux gaming titles.
The DS is a really interesting piece of gaming hardware. It's not the highest end processor (slower than my 2 year old PDA), it's not the best display (256x192 pixels x 2 screens), it doesn't have incredible networking speed (2 mbps 802.11b). But it is really well designed as a package. [5] The touchscreen on the bottom screen is definitely a first for a game specific device as far as I know. I particularly appreciate the clamshell folding action, which is the type of design I prefer for cellphones also.
What's telling though is that the games are really fun, and they don't require a huge contiguous chunk of time. I can pick it up, play five minutes, close the top to put it to sleep and start again whenever I want. I can play in bed, curled up on the couch, in the car/bus, etc.
I'm still just working on the first game I have (Super Mario 64 DS), but I'm looking forward to fiddling with the Internet WiFi play with Mario Kart DS and possibly others. Heck there's even an internet enabled Tetris on the way. I might post mini-reviews of the games as I play them (mainly for my own entertainment as I don't get the feeling most of the people reading are video game people).
[1] I would send you directly to the Nintendo site, but it's flash only. :-P
[2] Mostly from spare change and lunch money I'd saved up over the course of the previous year. [3]
[3] I actually ended up hiding it from my parents for a number of weeks, since I didn't think they would approve. [4]
[4] I was right. I got it back a couple weeks later though.
[5] This is a direct contrast to the Sony PSP which is much more powerful and has much shinier hardware. And a piss poor games library.
The last time I bought a console [2] while it wasn't totally obsolete was when I bought the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) while I was in middle school. So, it's rather novel to actually be following what's being produced rather than just hitting junk shops and the used section in video stores. Additionally I haven't been gaming on the PC for a number of years since I only run Linux at home. Ever since the porting company Loki died, there has been a dearth of Linux gaming titles.
The DS is a really interesting piece of gaming hardware. It's not the highest end processor (slower than my 2 year old PDA), it's not the best display (256x192 pixels x 2 screens), it doesn't have incredible networking speed (2 mbps 802.11b). But it is really well designed as a package. [5] The touchscreen on the bottom screen is definitely a first for a game specific device as far as I know. I particularly appreciate the clamshell folding action, which is the type of design I prefer for cellphones also.
What's telling though is that the games are really fun, and they don't require a huge contiguous chunk of time. I can pick it up, play five minutes, close the top to put it to sleep and start again whenever I want. I can play in bed, curled up on the couch, in the car/bus, etc.
I'm still just working on the first game I have (Super Mario 64 DS), but I'm looking forward to fiddling with the Internet WiFi play with Mario Kart DS and possibly others. Heck there's even an internet enabled Tetris on the way. I might post mini-reviews of the games as I play them (mainly for my own entertainment as I don't get the feeling most of the people reading are video game people).
[1] I would send you directly to the Nintendo site, but it's flash only. :-P
[2] Mostly from spare change and lunch money I'd saved up over the course of the previous year. [3]
[3] I actually ended up hiding it from my parents for a number of weeks, since I didn't think they would approve. [4]
[4] I was right. I got it back a couple weeks later though.
[5] This is a direct contrast to the Sony PSP which is much more powerful and has much shinier hardware. And a piss poor games library.