Palm on the Nintendo DS?
By Peter Rojas 
posted February 13th 2005 1:37PM
posted February 13th 2005 1:37PM
We hesitate to read too much into this, but there's a rumor going round that Nintendo is going to license the Palm operating system for use in some sort of add-on for the Nintendo DS. The gist of it is that Nintendo filed a trademark in Japan for something called V-Pocket which may or may not be the name for a new package of productivity and organizer applications for the DS that would presumably take full advantage of the portable console's touch screen. Not entirely unplausible, but it's hard to imagine there being a massively large number of people who'd want to use the DS as an organizer.
Well, $150 for a personal organizer with WiFi is reallly cheap compared to the Palm Tungsten C, don't you think? Plus this one has two screens!
Yeah, but you think the Palm add-on is going to be free? It'll probably cost at least an extra $50 or $100.
imagine this:
- the package comes on a GBA cart form factor (you can keep it in the DS all the time and still swap out DS games.)
- include 256 or 512 user space on the cart for installing palm apps on. (opera, AIM client anyone?)
i'd pay 50 or 100 bucks for that.
I hate Nintendo for being the most hypocritical company ever. This is them selling out to their idea that gamers wants consoles that plays games and do nothing else.
The Play-yan and V-Pocket are all just ways for Nintendo to say, "we made a huge mistake not jumping on the bandwagon" without actually having to say it.
Perhaps it's not just a new piece of software for the DS, a new console initiative perhaps, in partnership with another company? For integration in the New Gameboy (they said the DS wasn't a replacement so they must be making one)? A new device path for Nintendo.
I would only put PalmOS on the DS for games. Who cares about an organizer. Plus people wouldn't take you seriously when you are comparing datebooks and you whip out a DS.
I agree with Sam. Nintendo release the Nintendo DS saying "handhelds are for gaming not anything else. We want to focus on gaming and only gaming"
Now they are releasing everything they can think of to draw attention away from the PSP.
Add it up:
DS 149.99
Play-Yan 49.99
Palm or = - 50.00-100.00
You have at least 200.00-300.00 for something you could use the PSP for for 240.00 with no bulky add-ons. Don't think the battery life of the DS is going to be so great running an OS plus surfing the web (if they even bring online function to it).
Just doesn’t add up. Battery life does not account for everything. Touch screen is a nuisance not innovation.
well a web browser is always nice, and since the DS already has basic palm imputs why not add the palm functionality? Unlike Sony, Nintendo doesn't force people to pay for every feature even if they don't want it. If it is a pda, I'd buy it.
Why not just get a Tapwave Zodiac to begin with? Better screen (okay, there's only one, but once you've used it, the DS screen seems terribly blocky). Palm built in.
Nice system.
@ Sam and Tyler..you are a bunch of idiots. if you don't fancy nintendo don't write in these comments.nintendo never said that they released ds purely as a gaming machine. this is purely the job of the gameboy. they released ds as a third pillar next to gamecube and gameboy and let everything come to our imagination as to where ds could take us. if you don't want to buy any of the products nintendo would be releasing for ds just don't buy them and stop critisizing nintendo. buy a psp and do your job with the psp. some people may not even consider buying both the play-yan or the pda application and they don't force you to go buy them just to be "cool" (aham psp). they just release them so that they can be used by those who find them suitable for their needs. and i bet that if it's true that they have a deal with palm to release the palm os on ds, then it's going to be a hell of a product with many implementations of clever ideas that use both TOUCH SCREEN AND MICROPHONE INPUT(something that psp lacks)
http://www.gamespot.com/ds/sports/maddennfl/screens.html?page=19
Tell me you want to look at those graphics while you do anything. Nintendo DID say that the main focus of the DS was GAMING. It will take me some time but I will find the article. They were directly asked about the DS vs. PSP and said while Sony focused more on multimedia capabilities. The DS would focus on GAMING.
I own a DS and plan on buying a PSP. I was just stating the obvious. The DS graphics are nothing compared to the PSP. I mean truly it is inferior. Touchpad and microphone I really can't think of anything that I would want to play having to blow into microphones and what not. Pointless. But again this is my opinion. That is what comments are for right? Opinions?
I think we're all reading too much into this story. There is nothing that indicates Nintendo is licensing PalmOS, just the PIM software.
Who needs an obsolete system on DS?
organizer plus is the name of nintendo's ds organizer. if you search nintendo's site you can find a little to be anounced for it. so it's definately in the works.
@tyler --
I recently got a change to play Madden 2005 for the DS and I can assure you that the graphics don't look nearly as bad as the one in the link you provided.
Anyone who thinks that the touchscreen is a hindrance needs to play "WarioWare Touched!" -- the greatest advancement in twitch gaming I've seen in ages.
"Anyone who thinks that the touchscreen is a hindrance needs to play "WarioWare Touched!" -- the greatest advancement in twitch gaming I've seen in ages."
Wait till you play Yoshi's Touch 'n' Go! Fantastic and shames any of the current PSP line-up.
I think I'd rather see Qtopia running on the thing...
enough with the damn freeipods spam!
If this is true, it's likely to be a good thing. At the very least, it won't be a bad thing. After all, many kids (the primary audience of the DS) are getting into using Palms at school. Palms aren't just for adults who "whip them out" at business meetings to compare schedules. Some schools are even buying them for kids to help them keep track of homework assignments and notes and due dates for papers. Good organization starts early.
For Palm this would be a great move -- much like Mac moving into the education market. It would prepare a whole generation of kids to be users of organizers and make them familiar with Palm products.
For the "young at heart" owners, those who are older than 17 who aren't embarassed to carry around a DS in the first place, this might actually be a great way to reduce the number of devices they carry. Included WiFi and microphone make it a very full-function PDA (potentially) and there are certainly some interesting things that could be done with two screens, though in all liklihood it would only run on the touch screen since it would otherwise require too much customization of the OS. Ultimately, those users are more likely to buy a PSP anyway, and adding Palm OS probably wouldn't be enough of an added benefit to make that group purchase the DS instead. It might in a few cases though.
I think this is a great idea, but one that is unlikely. It's the kind of out-of-the-box thinking that Palm and Nintendo just aren't good at. If it is true, it's likely to be an older version of Palm OS, probably OS4 based, which means more limited 3rd party application support.
Umm...I would totally buy a DS and take it everywhere. Especially if you could transfer things like images and songs to it. Even 265mbs would be good for me.. Leave it open on my desk. Take it to staff meetings. Home to show parents pictures.
This would be awesome.
I haven't gotten a ds yet, but if this is true, i'd buy one in a heartbeat. This is the best thing that could happen to the ds (other than zelda game that plays like ocarina of time).
And Tyler, what the hell are talking about, "for something you could use the psp fo" i never heard of the psp being used as a pda. If it is, it wouldn't to great without a touch screen.
This could really appeal to an older audience. I say kudos, nintendo.
@ Armen
Sony is going to release a update to the PSP that gives the ability to download music, browse the web, office application, and voice to text software.
What is the big deal about this touch screen? I mean I c'mon honestly is really worth it. I used the TS in mario and it was nothing but a hassle to get to work. Sure Feel the magic and what not but they arent really games but more so many games.
Its just a matter of preference. I am not hear to bash anything. I just said that Nintendo was trying to focus on gaming only. Now they are going in a different direction. Thats it.
Don't get your panties in a ruffle. *That was a joke by the way*
I misspelled so many words it's crazy. Thats what I get for being in a hurry.
The importance of a touch screen for an operating system like palm or even just a web browsing aplication extends farther then just clicking links. You can use a onscreen keyboard to type urls, emails and anything else. I had an Ipaq and i could type dam fast on the one screen keyboard. Try typing a url on a psp, going to take forever.
Well whatever. I am sure they will both have a good run. They both have their strengths and weaknesses. Maybe they will keep each other on their toes. This kinda got off topic of DS PDA.
hey, the freeipods spam mysteriously dissapeared..........
For those saying Nintendo is just trying to play catch-up with the PSP I don't see how that makes sense, unless you add a keyboard to the PSP using it as a PDA would flat-out suck. Even using it as a browser would suck, anything requiring you to type something would be horrible.
I have no interest in using either the PSP or DS to watch videos, that's ridiculous on a tiny screen. I like to play games in the car, on the plane, etc...but if i want to watch a movie i'm gonna use my laptop. watching a movie on a tiny screen doesn't sound fun.
But I would love to use the DS as a PDA. I'm 36 and in no way would i be embarrassed to pull out my DS during a meeting. I used to use a Palm but got tired of it, but the first thing I thought when i unpacked my DS was "Man if there was some PDA software for this that would rock".
I hope it happens. I'd buy it in a second.
Oh, and the touchscreen rocks...can't wait to see what sort of games come out using it. the mini-games on mario are a blast.
I see this as a non-starter for a whole raft of reasons. Chief among them is the fact that the standalone PDA market is in steep decline. In its place is an emerging demand for so-called smartphones. Pairing the Nintendo device with the Palm OS does little to stem the losses of the standalone platform.
It also represents a marriage of completely different markets. Gamers don't much care about the handheld functionality inherent in a Palm-powered device. Similarly, people who buy PDAs generally aren't hard-core gamers. If they were, they'd be carrying around a Game Boy Advance instead of a Palm.
The potential market is tiny. Indeed, Nintendo may simply be hedging its bets: companies file trademarks all the time for things that may or may not ever see the light of day.
All told, if it does come to fruition, it will nevertheless be a ridiculous notion. One could view it as a knee-jerk response to Sony's new product launch. Either way, we live in interesting times.
Carmi
http://writteninc.blogspot.com
Carmi (#27) i think you are looking at this entirely the wrong way.
As far as a marriage of different markets is concerned, i believe that would be the entire point of making the system modular. So if you think "hey i'm a troo gamer, i'm not buying that PDA thing" then you don't have to and no one is forcing you to.
The standalone PDA market is in steep decline because there is *nothing* setting the capabilities of these devices apart from smartphones. Add wifi and the ability to have some *solid* games in there and you might actually have something.
The DS will outclass the PSP As a PDA (if the palm OS is a decent version) because if you have to carry a detachable keyboard around it is a pain and no one likes to do that. All the DS will need is.... Well.... Nothing. Just a cartridge (which you would also need for the PSP) Anyone who actually has used a device like this will be able to tell you that.
I'll agree with you about the living in interesting times bit... But this wasn't exactly a genius device.
(P.S. I am a hardcore gamer. I own a Pocket PC and play playstation 1 games on it through means of emulation. "normal" gamers just don't know how much they are missing out on)
You ppl just cant see it.
You are still in the ol console gaming miopia.
PSP is just a nice screen with old games. Yes the screen is nice but thats it. You will get the same old games and gamestyles plus multimedia. DS opens a new way to play. A whole new way to interact with the console. Think RTS's, think FPS's being very similar to what you get with a keyb/mouse on a PC.
Now PalmOS is a very powerfull OS. What N will do with its licence only time will tell, it could be a great combination or a lousy one. So many things where to mess it up. N already has the hardware to implement PalmOS : arm7, arm9, WiFi, two expansion slots, two screens, microphone. There are many possibilities.
Wait for E3 ppl. Time will tell.
Personally I wont bet on something very great, better keep expectations low to avoid desillusions.
Speaking as a 36 year-old gamer, I can assure there are plenty of professional adults who would buy a PDA module or Palm module for the DS, and would not be at all ashamed to use it in a meeting or elsewhere.
The PDA market is in decline NOT because PDA-functionality is not desired...but because the market has been saturated and because PDA's have been, in large part, superseded by smart-phones. If I buy a Treo 650, is it considered a phone, a PDA, something else or both? If I buy a Motoroal MPX220...is it an MP3 player, a camera, a wireless web browser, an e-mail tool or a (shocking!) Phone?
This is the same concept of convergence that Sony is advocating, but from the other side. Sony is taking a top-down approach, while Nintendo is taking a bottom-up one, instead. Nintendo is betraying some higher gaming ideal...they're offering an option to a gaming platform. Sony, on the other hand, is acting as if gaming was just another option on the list for the PSP. Again, different target audiences, different devices and different marketing strategies.
I will buy this in a heartbeat, if it comes out as an expansion.
I read elsewhere (Joystiq) that the PSP that are coming to the USA have a lower-quality screen than the ones in Japan, possibly to make room for the 'square' button.
I agree with what everyone has been saying about typing on the PSP. That has got to suck. It is bad enough trying to enter in a character's name using some kind of on-screen keyboard, imagine an entire URL or email message.
Also, with PSP's PDA functions, what kind of load times would you get when switching from one application to the next? Silly load times.
I agree, I would buy a PDA application for the DS. It would reduce the number of devices I have to carry.
If you think about it, why carry and charge a whole Palm PDA when you can take your DS and have something GOOD to play while you wait for your flight.
I would definitely buy the DS: for a Palm, gaming platform, whatever. We might even see it as a phone. Add an antennae and service, and you have yourself one sweet deal. Can't easily hold it up to your ear, but that's a small price to pay. Imagine using PictoChat across the country or the world...
So what if the PSP has a larger screen and better graphics than the DS? Looks aren't everything in something this close. I'd agree with Mr. Savage in saying one would have to carry way too much stuff to make the PSP a usable Palm multimedia device.
PDA capability for Nintendo DS is a great idea - my 10 year old son is driving me crazy to get him a PDA/Handheld.
If he wants to help pay for an add in for $100 or less with his allowance, I'm interested. I think there is definitely a demand. I see a lot of interest in his age group around the neighborhood and school for this sort of product.
Anything that is 'fun' and would encourage kids to be organized can't be bad, as noted by a couple other posts including 'n8'.
P.S. - He's been keeping track of his gameboys for nearly 5 years now and only lost it once - we got it back because it was labeled with his name and we were lucky. These kids are more dependent upon (or addicted to) technology and sophisticated than you might think.
I was going to buy a used Advance SP from a friend of mine, but another friend of his is borrowing it. I told him that I don't really want a DS because they're really expensive (to me) and I have read many places that it will not play old classic GB games (I still like some of the ones I have from the original system's series). He said he heard that Nintendo was planning something new for the DS in the way of being a personal organizer/palm PC/something. THAT got my attention! So if this is true, I might be VERY interested, and I hope ANOTHER guy I talked to is right when he said his DA would play the old classic games. I won't be able to justify spending that much on a "toy" yet, so meanwhile I'll be keeping watch on any actual news on it.
the ds is a big waste of money no matter they put on it.
Stop wasting your time "mr ds hater"...
This palm operating system thing has already been disproven. Nintendo might make PDA software, but with their own operating system.
Nintendo is a sleeping dragon; just wait...
The DS is an awesome idea! Especially if they can get Palm OS on! Just you wait until the future and see what great uses the DS has! For one thing, the homebrew scene. Imagine Linux running on the thing? Or a classic Gameboy emulator that lets the old carts be used once again! As for PSP? Maybe that will go the same way though typing on the thing could be a problem!
Hi ive never been here before but i really think the two systems will co-exist fairly well. I love nintendo systems and i own a ps one and 2 but ive always had a soft spot for nintendo. I currently go to college and i could really use a pocket pc or palm pilot to keep things together becuase i never remember to look in a book for dates so i hope this comes to fruition because i know a few people like my girlfriend who could really use something to remember things for her.
I dont like the idea about the psp playing movies because it reminds me of sony's mini disk idea and i dont think dvd technology is ready to be phased out quite yet. But nintendo is already got something brewing in japan for the gba/ds its a gba cartridge that is actually an adapter for an SD memory stick. so i would love to see that combined with palm software on a ds card. Imagine the possibilities an operating system in the top expansion slot and then in the bottom removable media for emulation and word documents or whatever. The possibilities are endless and still cheaper than a pocket pc....
well thats all from me i was just passing through.
Hi ive never been here before but i really think the two systems will co-exist fairly well. I love nintendo systems and i own a ps one and 2 but ive always had a soft spot for nintendo. I currently go to college and i could really use a pocket pc or palm pilot to keep things together becuase i never remember to look in a book for dates so i hope this comes to fruition because i know a few people like my girlfriend who could really use something to remember things for her.
I dont like the idea about the psp playing movies because it reminds me of sony's mini disk idea and i dont think dvd technology is ready to be phased out quite yet. But nintendo is already got something brewing in japan for the gba/ds its a gba cartridge that is actually an adapter for an SD memory stick. so i would love to see that combined with palm software on a ds card. Imagine the possibilities an operating system in the top expansion slot and then in the bottom removable media for emulation and word documents or whatever. The possibilities are endless and still cheaper than a pocket pc....
well thats all from me i was just passing through.
I would LOVE pda capabilities for my DS! that would be so awesome! but i'd want some sort of keyboard that could either be wireless or hookup to it. I'd write all my papers on it! so I spose you'd have to have a way to get the text back to Word or something :-
People keep saying that there won't be a market for an organizer adaptation for DS. I disagree. I am a female college student with good grades, probably the one of the last people you would expect to have a DS. An pda would be so helpful to me (a DS is a third the size of my current organizer), not to mention almost every college student I know, many of whom have DSs. So if there is a market ranging from 10-year boys to 21-year old female college students to 36-year old businessmen, none of whom would be ashamed to whip out their DS organizer in public, I don't see how Nintendo could financially justify to their stockholders why they are not pursuing such an avenue.
Everyone forgot one of the most interesting options of DS...it has a MIC/headset jack!!
I am -SICK- of buying cheaply made (and yet SO expensive) PDA's with a 90 day warrenty period. I'm tempted to buy the DS but it seems that it breaks just as easily.
Still...the ability to play quality games on a PDA capable (if it happens) handheld is too much to resist. I am waiting with bated breath about news of DS's future.
Cheack the proof i think...
Here: www.gamercentric.com/index.php?page=viewnews&id=3225
Cheack the proof i think...
Here: www.gamercentric.com/index.php?page=viewnews&id=3225
two words for those of disbelief
Organizer Plus
The game on the nintendo ds website game launch list with little to no information provided anywhere. Kudos to those who stood their ground for the ds. For those here that support only the psp, I spit on the ground you walk on. If you have both the psp and the ds, congradulations you have enough money for both; I have no problem with you.
I am one of (what I believe) is a LOT of people who could use this application, and its not only cheap, and cool - its an amazing idea! combining handheld top of the line video gaming and organization that people can use for work - school - life in general.. it will be a big seller
I have read these posts with great interest. I put off buying a DS because I was quite happy with the GBA SP but succombed today with the launch of the pink DS and Nintendogs - I couldn't resist. But I would love organizing software for the DS. I think it's a great idea and I am an 'ahem' adult. I would have no problem whipping out my pink DS to check my diary/address book. I do not want a smartphone as I already use a PDA but I get fed up carrying it around and the games on the PDA are rubbish. Combing an excellent console like the DS with PDA software is genius!
I'm greatly anticipating Organizer Plus. I spoke with the folks at Summitsoft, and they anticipate a Spring 2006 release. I can only hope they do a good job, and that other non-gaming applications also appear (not that games aren't great, I just think there is more potential to the DS than that).
Assuming Organizer Plus doesn't suck, I'll not only buy it, I'll buy a DS to run it on!