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Jericho · **on:** November 14, 2009, 04:08:01 PM

Quote

Speaking under conditions of anonymity, further credible sources from within the mobile graphics industry have provided Digital Foundry with further background detail on the raw technical capabilities of the new hardware. These sources, intimately involved with the alliances and deal-making within their sector, effectively confirm the reported allegiances between Nintendo/NVIDIA and Sony/IMG, but also provide a fascinating insight into the kinds of devices the new handhelds will be, and the power levels we can expect.

In many ways, the next generation of handheld gaming technology will mirror the differences in philosophy seen in today's devices. Nintendo's new machine will offer a modest level of 3D power using established parts, while Sony will once again be aiming for the bleeding edge in mobile performance, which could well come with the same kind of price premium we saw with the launch of the original PSP.

What's really funny about the underlined part of the quote to me is the fact that if Nintendo is really confirmed to be using nVidia's second gen portable Tegra solution, that statement is a tremendous understatement of the DS2's graphical prowess. Granted, they were probably speaking in terms of being released this upcoming year, but when you consider that Tegra is capable of pushing better than Wii level graphics, moderate computing & web browsing (comparable to an iPhone/Pod Touch), and HD video playback on a portable device (mostly thanks to the constraints of being portable) and you compare that to our current DS' 3D performance, well you can see why this is a veeeery fun announcement.

Man, I missed hardware speculation and discussions.

HyperSonicEXE · **Reply #1 on:** November 14, 2009, 04:24:01 PM

If the TegraDS is supposed to be pretty darn powerful, and Sony's is supposed to be leading-edge,

...we're in for one heck of a portable gen. For graphical capabilities, I'm going to guess:

TegraDS: Between Wii and 360
PSP2: 360

RMX · **Reply #2 on:** November 14, 2009, 04:26:21 PM

I just hope Nintendo won't force whatever new gimmick they come up with into the games. I'm all for touch screens and motion sensors, but this gen I had the impression game developers weren't allowed to make games for the Wii and the DS if they didn't include some stupid waggling or touching minigame or used one of the two screens for useless stuff.

Klavier Gavin · **Reply #3 on:** November 14, 2009, 04:30:05 PM

Great. More money I'm gonna spend.

Jericho · **Reply #4 on:** November 14, 2009, 04:31:41 PM

Quote from: RMX on November 14, 2009, 04:26:21 PM

I just hope Nintendo won't force whatever new gimmick the come up with into the games. I'm all for touch screens and motion sensors, but this gen I had the impression game developers weren't allowed to make games for the Wii and the DS if they didn't include some stupid waggling or touching minigame or used one of the two screens for useless stuff.

With this rumor getting confirmation at this level, the most you can look for extra on the next DS is a better camera (a la DSi) and larger touchscreens if I remember the initial details on DS2 correctly. Beyond that, I'm not too sure what else could be put together on DS next as a "gimmick".

As for the developer part, blame them for thinking that because a system had X feature, they needed to use it in X manner, even if it wasn't particularly beneficial to their game design. The Wii is easily one of the biggest instances of lost opportunity ever because people just don't know what they're doing with the console development wise.

Irgendein · **Reply #5 on:** November 14, 2009, 05:31:13 PM

Until the day my 5 year old DS Phat dies, I ain't getting a new one (mostly due to my parents limiting me to 1 consle and 1 handheld)

Hypershell · **Reply #6 on:** November 14, 2009, 05:41:04 PM

Setting aside for the fact that these "leaks" are still rumors from unnamed sources.

When is a game company *NOT* thinking about new hardware? Doesn't mean it's actually what their next system will be. Doesn't mean it'll be released next year. Nothing about this source says that it'll be another DS system, anyway. They sourced that Nintendo is cutting a deal for the Tegra chipset, which is mobile technology, but they have nothing but guesses as to its implementation. The article itself admits that reviving the Gameboy brand for a single-screen unit is possible (1st page, 2nd to last paragraph).

So there is, in other words, no way of knowing what type of hardware the chipset is being used for, what features it will have, what it will and will not be compatible with, or at what point Nintendo may cap the processing speed in the interest of battery life. For all we know Nintendo themselves may not have finalized that yet. No need to jump to conclusions.

Quote from: Azure D. Jericho on November 14, 2009, 04:31:41 PM

As for the developer part, blame them for thinking that because a system had X feature, they needed to use it in X manner, even if it wasn't particularly beneficial to their game design.

Very true. Even Nintendo themselves ignored such features once in a while. There's no pointing in Brawl or in Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn. Hell, those of us who've checked out the homebrew community know that the DS doesn't even need to keep both screens lit. More than any unknown policy by Nintendo, the issue is more likely the game developer's fear of public/reviewer backlash at the perception of not using the system's features to their fullest.

Jericho · **Reply #7 on:** November 14, 2009, 05:51:36 PM

It's not jumping to conclusions really Hyper. Well, not on my end anyway. All this has done for me is back an already reasonable "rumor" regarding Nintendo's next handheld iteration, which all signs are pointing to as being another DS as opposed to a Gameboy. By virtue of this much getting a valid backing from NDA'd insiders, the larger parts of the rumor that got ignored due to seeming too farfetched (2010 TGS reveal, multitouch screen, cameras) now have a slight weight to themselves.

HyperSonicEXE · **Reply #8 on:** November 14, 2009, 06:00:32 PM

The DSi seems like a test platform for various features for the DS2, and the DSiLL is testing consumer reaction to the screen size and probably trying out what would be the DS2's assembly method. I'm not using the camera all that much, although that might be because the quality's lame, and there's no zoom or adjustments. I'd really rather it be a phone than a camera.

Satoryu · **Reply #9 on:** November 14, 2009, 08:02:04 PM

Quote from: Hypershell on November 14, 2009, 05:41:04 PM

There's no pointing in Brawl

And there never should be.

Hypershell · **Reply #10 on:** November 14, 2009, 08:11:27 PM

I'd hoped that would go without saying, but thank you for making sure.

HyperSonicEXE · **Reply #11 on:** November 14, 2009, 10:28:18 PM

Indeed, there are many games that are better off for NOT having pointing, "waggling", stylus, microphone, etc.

Brawl is certainly one of them, although pointing would have made menus and some Final Smashes more intuitive (Snake, Pikachu, etc.).

Pringer X · **Reply #12 on:** November 15, 2009, 03:06:41 AM

Quote from: Aldo on November 14, 2009, 04:24:01 PM

If the TegraDS is supposed to be pretty darn powerful, and Sony's is supposed to be leading-edge,

...we're in for one heck of a portable gen. For graphical capabilities, I'm going to guess:

TegraDS: Between Wii and 360
PSP2: 360

god damn O.o If that guess turns out to be true, then I can only imagine what a console based engine of similar level could be like.

Hypershell · **Reply #13 on:** November 15, 2009, 03:09:46 AM

Quote from: Aldo on November 14, 2009, 10:28:18 PM

Brawl is certainly one of them, although pointing would have made menus and some Final Smashes more intuitive (Snake, Pikachu, etc.).

Menus, I get. Snake, I get. Dragoon, which you didn't mention, I would get. Pikachu I don't get. I see him as one of those characters, like Super Sonic and Super Dragon Yoshi, where quirky movement is part of the tradeoff of the Final Smash's power. Momentum doesn't just happen, it's programmed on purpose, and mastering it is part of learning the game.

Jericho · **Reply #14 on:** November 15, 2009, 03:45:23 AM

Quote from: Pringer X on November 15, 2009, 03:06:41 AM

god damn O.o If that guess turns out to be true, then I can only imagine what a console based engine of similar level could be like.

If you understand your flops, tessellations, and general graphics terms, take a look at the AMD/ATi Radeon HD 5XXX series of cards and understand that a lot of folks in the industry say that you need to target those specs since the big 3 (Nintendo included) are looking to use that level of tech in consoles.

Tickle Buffalo · **Reply #15 on:** November 15, 2009, 04:25:23 AM

Quote from: Aldo on November 14, 2009, 10:28:18 PM

Brawl is certainly one of them, although pointing would have made menus and some Final Smashes more intuitive (Snake, Pikachu, etc.).

Be like Mario Kart. Nobody has a problem with selecting characters in Mario Kart.

Pointing for final smashes would suck because then I'd have to start using a remote instead of a controller. Well, if I played with final smashes on. But I don't. Because they suck.

Jericho · **Reply #16 on:** November 15, 2009, 04:59:31 AM

Quote from: Tickle Buffalo on November 15, 2009, 04:25:23 AM

Be like Mario Kart. Nobody has a problem with selecting characters in Mario Kart.

Pointing for final smashes would suck because then I'd have to start using a remote instead of a controller. Well, if I played with final smashes on. But I don't. Because they suck.

Is it the balance issues? Honestly I think they're great fun in an already manic game. As for using the Wii Remote for Final Smashes, nope sorry. As much as I love innovation, you have to know when and how to play your cards.

Hypershell · **Reply #17 on:** November 15, 2009, 05:11:57 AM

It could work if one HAPPENS to be playing with remote/nunchuck. Like the motion-activated Smash attacks. Likewise, 99% of players would ignore it, but it would be a nifty bonus for the remainder.

Quote from: Tickle Buffalo on November 15, 2009, 04:25:23 AM

Well, if I played with final smashes on. But I don't. Because they suck.

You know something, you suck.

And nobody denies SUPER DRAGON POWER!!!

HyperSonicEXE · **Reply #18 on:** November 15, 2009, 05:16:24 AM

Quote from: Tickle Buffalo on November 15, 2009, 04:25:23 AM

Be like Mario Kart. Nobody has a problem with selecting characters in Mario Kart.

Which do I want, Broken Character 1, or Broken Character 2?

From here on out, I'll be picking Rosalina, period.

Tickle Buffalo · **Reply #19 on:** November 15, 2009, 06:07:53 AM

Quote from: Azure D. Jericho on November 15, 2009, 04:59:31 AM

Is it the balance issues? Honestly I think they're great fun in an already manic game.

I find them to mostly be a source of bs wins. You can be the best player for 90% of the game, but then someone else wins because they happened to get the right item. It's just not very fun. My friends feel the same way, and I don't have anyone to play with online, so off they go. At least one of Brawl's problems has an easy fix.