Ben Zackheim is down on the Nintendo DS
posted Nov 27th 2004 5:58PM
The Nintendo DS has been out for roughly 162 hours now, and Ben Zackheim over at Joystiq delivers his impressions of his first week with the new console. He likes that Nintendo didn't skimp on the audio (which is surprisingly loud), that the graphics are better than expected, and that the DS is backwards compatbility with Game Boy Advance games, but he has some big complaints: the first crop of games don't take full advantage of its touchscreen capabilities (which is already getting scratched up the stylus), it's too big to be easily pocketable and too heavy to play for extended periods of time (eventually you need to prop your elbows up on something), and the differing resolution and contrast of the two screens can be distracting. It's all gonna come down to the next round of games which are due out next month, he says.
I wish I could find one! I've called every place to get one, and everyone is sold out.
No one even knows when they will be getting more. Hopfully I don't have to go to eBay for my DS needs.
I woudl apgree that the software isn't all that great, but if you look at the releases the next four months, it looks great.
hehe my mom already bought one for me for xmas plus mario 64 and the urbz.
i think that it would be great if they made simcity for this because it would work really well with the 2 screens and touch screen like a mouse.
It would be awesome if with the wifi you could go and play like runescape on the ds if the games site chose to make it that way like downloadable files
especially with mmorpg games
(thats Massive Multiplayer Online Role Player Games)
While I concede that the DS is on the large side, I disagree that one should “hate” the most innovative handheld since Gameboy 1.0 on this criteria alone. I, too, cursed the first 5 minutes with Metriod Hunters, but then learned to use the console and now love the demo and can’t wait for the finished game. I think that Ben is way too grumpy and hope he stays so when he reviews the Sony PSP. Until then, I’m pretty happy with my DS and hope that a lucky bidder on eBay enjoys his DS...
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Tim
Well, I love my DS. Though I would like to get some type of screen protector for the touch screen like the PDAs have. I'm sure someone out there makes 'em.
Yeah there are a ton of them on eBay right now. Actually a friend of mine bought a few (he pre-ordered one from about 3 different store chains) and is selling a couple with "Mario-64 DS" and the "Metroid: First Hunt" demo. I won't link to them since that would be advertising. He hopes that he'll get enough money to either make the DS that he keeps "free" or possibly actually make a profit on this whole ordeal.
Don't bother following the link or reading this DS "review." It exaggerates, fabricates, and leaves out many details on the new system. You're better off trying to find an objective review and opinion. Why is engadget linking to this biased garbage?
I'm so tired of people complaining about how heavy the DS is. For Pete's sake people, if you can't hold the DS for more than a few minutes without complaining about how heavy it is, then maybe you need to eat some wheaties and stop playing games for a while. I've had the DS since launch now, and while it has flaws, it is by no means too heavy or too cumbersome to play, and I don't care how big your hands are. People just can't be happy without having something to complain about.
Actually, I think the review is well-worth reading. I might not agree with everything he's saying, but it's nice to hear somebody being honest about what they think rather than just going for the typical Nintendo fanboy BS. It's ridiculous that having an opinion is automatically construed as being "biased".
I think the joystiq article is worth the read, espescially because it is an opinion peice, therefore, you will probably disagree.
It has helped me make up my mind about whether I should wait a bit to get one, so it was usefull.
I also agree with the end comment about the GBA-SP being one of, if not, the best handheld gaming system ever.
When you are used to the SP, of course you will have some gripes about the DS.
Wait till joystiq have it for a few months, they might say that the DS is better. And willingly contradict themselves, opinions change after all.
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If you think the DS is heavy, wait till you hold the PSP.
If you want this kind of gameplay on the road, you will have to give up something to get it.
Be it battery time or whieght.
Honesty and fanboyism are pretty easy to differentiate.
In describing the DS looks after "months", Ben says it should look like
"something between a 1989 polaroid camera and a ten cent whore."
Now i think i can tell fan boy bias when I read it, and this DS review was just that (anyone want to bet he's a PSP fanatic?) . You don't use that kind of language when you are being objective. Nearly all of his comments come in on a negative attack angle or are overly negative given his fabricated gripe. Simply go judge for yourself and don't let this kind of article sway you in any way.
I mean really, how can the buttons be made out of "flimsy, black plastic" as he states. Such a material couldn't even be formed into a button or would break immediately. Go out and press some DS buttons, hell touch the screen too. I don't think you'll find they are made out of a "flimsy" material. No, the DS is not "such a failure in the usability department." Instead it is a much better size for adult sized hands (I am an Industrial Designer as mentioned in my above post) and leaves open game design to the developer. In any case I will warn other engadget folks to steer clear of this fan boy review. It is total bias BS being passed off as "honesty" and "opinion." Move along, sir.
Sounds like some Nintendo fanboy is upset that someone else doesn't like his new little toy!
"While I’ve cursed the hell out of the thing from the moment I shoved it open..."
It's an odd sort of non-review, really. It's clear he didn't like certain aspects of the unit, but accusing the developers of not fully-utilizing the variety of interface choices out of the gate at launch is a tad naive or disingenous. Has any launch title for any system EVER pushed the envelope, from day one? I can't think of one.
The weight issue has been commented on elsewhere and may be a genuine concern...but I think the DS's other features will make up for the size differential. The GBA hasn't disappeared, after all, and new games for that format will continue for some time, just as GBC games still appeared for the first year of the GBA's arrival.
The real problem with the review is that he spends too little time backing up many of his assertions or comments. We're told the DS is heavy, but not how much heavier than an SP or the original GBA, for example. We're told that it's too big to put in your pocket...but no size comparison is given to the SP or GBA.
On one point he's flat out wrong. We're told that the screens MAY have different resolutions...which is flat-out incorrect, they are identical in resolution. He also several times refers to 'SP' games....apparently the basis for all of his review comments is solely the SP, and he seems to be unaware of just has forgotten that the SP is a version of the GBA. There are no 'SP' games, only GBA games. The DS doesn't look much bigger than the original GBA, which no one complained about the form factor.
The dimensions of the DS are 149 x 85 x 29 mm, weighing 255g. The PSP, by contrast is 170mm x 74mm x 23mm, weighing 260g. The original GBA was 145mm x 82mm x 24.5mm, with a weight of only 145g. So if he isn't digging the physical dimensions of the DS, the PSP will be worse for him. Further, he clearly has either forgotten the dimensions of the original GBA or never owned one, as it wasn't that radically different from the DS.
In short, it's hard to find the review that compelling. I don't think it's inaccurate, but not very useful, as say, this one:
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/nintendo-ds.ars
Got the DS, love it.
The best thing is the wireless connectivity. Multiplayer metroid deathmatch is fantastic!
Merely playing the Metroid demo shows the potential of this system. Fast, fluid control with the touch-screen acting like a mousepad blows the doors off of any 2-stick style solution for a FPS.
Control wise, I'd rather play metroid on the Nintendo DS than Halo on the Xbox with dual sticks. The control is THAT good.
I hope the full game lives up to it.
Is there any truth to the statement that his touch-screen is getting scratched up already? I own a DS and it's something that I'm worried about.
They may look like scratches, but they'll wipe right out with a cloth. See? Good as new! Unless you lost your stylus and replaced it with a screwdriver, that is.
I love the DS too, but my screen is getting scratched up and I'm a little bummed. There are about 3-4 very light scratches that do not come off with any cloth (or solution) that I have tried. But I just bought a screen protector and although it looks a little ugly when the system is off, at least I won't have any more sratches.