Color me underwhelmed, but Nintendo has done a significant brush-off (again) to its loyal fanbase.
See, what Nintendo fails to realize is that some point in its illustrious history, many of its fans grew up. They bought big TV’s, and sound systems that handle fiber optic cables. They became jaded gamers who loved the retro lovin. I mean… LOVE IT. Mega Man 9 as a theory is what gaming is about.
The DSi is not about the evolution of gaming. None of its new elements (3 megapixel camera, SD compatibility) really do it for me. What they’ve managed to do with this device is create the perfect Christmas present for a young kid.
Imagine you’re a parent and your kid asks for several things for Christmas. A DS, and Ipod, and a camera…
Well, Nintendo’s got you covered, babycakes! As a retail worker, the DS age group ABSOLUTELY ASKS for those items every Christmas and birthday season. And for the low low price of 180 bucks (plus the cost of an SD card) you can give them everything they want!
And these aren’t kids who want Game Boy Advance compatibility! No! They don’t want/need that. Their Pokemon was never Red, nor was it Leaf! This new DS is everything that my generation doesn’t want or need.
And well, that’s a bit insulting. I really can’t blame this move on their part, but I can’t help wishing for more. The precipitous drop in battery life makes me sigh; I know how the original portable wars were won, and it wasn’t via color or speed, but how long the damn Game Boy lasted.
The lack of a graphic upgrade also makes me sigh. Arguably, if they want to put the PSP to bed, they should to it soundly. If the Wii is destined to be shovelware, then the DS should be known for quality. Sigh.
The camera… I have a camera on my cell phone. It’s used in those extreme situations, like a really funny license plate or when Cloverfield shows up. Other than that, it’s not a great camera and I don’t ever use it. I know what 3 megapixels looks like, and it’s not pretty.
The SD card reader… I’m really mixed on this one. I could write an entire essay on the effects of the SD card. It is the first near-ubiquitous memory card, the most adaptive and also the most inexpensive. Its potential is so insane that only the humble USB 2.0 spec carries more gravitas. The USB 2.0 spec changed the world, and I think SD cards can do the same.
Its inclusion on the DS begs… no… taunts pirates to abuse it. I furtively believe that Nintendo wouldn’t be presenting so suggestively if they didn’t see dollars, and I assume they see dollars in the way of Virtual Console. The changing of Wii Points to Nintendo Points is the greatest indicator of this. They see dollar bills, y’all, and they are going to make hits of their back catalogue work for them.
Sigh. But it’s not enough to get me excited. It doesn’t answer any glaring issues with the DS Lite, and it doesn’t add to the experience in a meaningful way for core gamers. If that’s not the point, then Nintendo is continuing its long snub of is core fans who dared to grow up.
If Nintendo sticks to its game release habits, we’re done with Mario, Link, and Samus in this generation. The new games were good, but the public likes to see what’s coming. If nothing’s coming, then either A. they don’t get how insane people are for these games or B. It’s not coming to the Wii.
And considering how many more games came out for the Gamecube in its life time (2 Links, and two adventures for Samus), this is more than a little disappointing. I have no doubt that Punch Out! will be fun, and Sin and Punishment begs someone to care. Nintendo takes a long time to showcase games, and I don’t think Punch Out or Sin and Punishment 2 can moves systems. Their progenitors sure didn’t.
1 comments:
The DSi's main reasons for existence are as follows:
1.) DSLite sales, worldwide, are decreasing. The entire NATION of Japan has an attach rate of 1 DSLite for every 2 people. YES, you read that right. That includes little girls, soccer (kendo?) moms, and people on life support.
2.) A neat little gizmo called the R4 Revolution. This, put simply, is a DS cart that contains a micro SD card slot...allowing for downloads of multiple games (along with videos, pictures, and MP3s). Not only does this undermine a lot of the DSi's "advantages", but the R4 is just so damn convenient. Instead of hauling around a bunch of carts, afraid you might lose them, you just pop the R4 in and you've got your entire library with you. It's a great little device, and I be havin one...YARRRRR.
It's no surprise then that the R4 has been proven to not work with the DSi, and Nintendo is violently pursuing litigation against retailers selling the devices in Japan. Unfortunately (for them), that doesn't stop Hong Kong from providing us with the goods.
There is talk about locking out software to DSi-only as opposed to DSi and DSLite. They do this, they can kiss their lead on the PSP goodbye.
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