Nintendo DS specifications leaked

[Gorxon]

That's an impressive feat of programming on his part (which I wasn't aware of), however I do partially stand by my statement. If this device contains dedicated 3d hardware then 2d system portability is going to be low. If you want an example, look at the emulation of SNES on the Dreamcast. The dedicated 3d chipset means that most of the SNES's graphics functions cannot be simply HLE'd over, and there's a big hit in performance as the CPU has to deal with it. In comparison I would imagine there to be at least some similarity between the SNES and the GBA's graphics hardware - not identical by any means, but certainly closer than the DC's GPU. If a decent amount of the SNES graphics hardware can be functionally transfered onto the GBA's, it would leave the ARM chip in the GBA to pick up the loose ends and emulate the main CPU, I/O etc. If the DS has video hardware designed solely to produce polys then it's going to be left to the 2 ARM chips to do the majority of the work. Although on reflection that's pretty unlikely

Now I'm not a emulator coder, so I may be completely wrong, but that's how I understand it.

Woah, lengthy post

Anyways, I'll make this one short then to compensate...what makes you think the DS hardware is so different from the GBA's? The DC has a 3D chip indeed (right?), and it also has a normal CPU. However, the CPU in the DS will not be a 3D dedicated chip (mostly) as far as I understand. I have never heard of an ARM chip for pure 3D processing, but I am no hardware freak...
I am sure it has a lot of functions that is handy when programming 3D, but an ARM7 and an ARM9 can't be THAT different?

However, I think you are correct in that it wont be as fast as the MHz increase would suggest...but I hope it will be sufficient. Not to mention, fist we need ways to play homemade stuff on that thing..

Oh well, as usual, please correct me as I am really touching onto a subject I have no knowlegde about

Hmm..now this became a lengthy post too...

 

[Juan Carlos]

Something's bugging me... nintendo's DS games will came in cartridges or any sort of CD?

 

[GogoTheMimic]

They haven't said but it looks like it'll be cartridge format as usual.

 

[Tagrineth]

OMG OMG OMG TEH INQUIRER IS TRUE TOO!

Hello my names Tag, I can't be wrong. Ever.

I've been wrong before, so what? I never claimed I'm always right.

But hell, we'll see about these specs come E3. :flowers:

 

[Doomulation]

They haven't said but it looks like it'll be cartridge format as usual.

Oh but perhaps it's this "new" cartridge format that sypports a lot more than simply 20 mb
Or it's cds, dvds or whatever. We'll see.

 

[Alchy]

Woah, lengthy post

Bad habit of mine.

what makes you think the DS hardware is so different from the GBA's? The DC has a 3D chip indeed (right?), and it also has a normal CPU.

The DC contains a variant of the PowerVR2 graphics card that came out for PC about the same time as the Voodoo 2. 2D is generally done on the DC using flat textured polygons.

However, the CPU in the DS will not be a 3D dedicated chip (mostly) as far as I understand. I have never heard of an ARM chip for pure 3D processing, but I am no hardware freak...
I am sure it has a lot of functions that is handy when programming 3D, but an ARM7 and an ARM9 can't be THAT different?

I was assuming that there'd be a dedicated graphics chip of some kind in the DS which they haven't told us about yet. Leaving everything to an ARM chip is kinda dumb, I just checked out the GBA's specs and it doesn't seem to have any GPU at all. Weird.

 

[Nighty0]

as i read somewhere (<a href=http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/498/498550p1.html>ign.com</a>)... will be a ARM9 for 3D and the old ARM7 for 2D.......
120k ~ 150k polys (+/- the PSone spec).. cartridge with GBA support AND optical media...
will have wireless support and touch screen

speculations, but PSP is coming....... nintendo needs a powerful handheld too....

 

[Lord Cheese]

any aprox. release date set for it yet?

 

[Gorxon]

Yeah, but I can't remember it exactly. I think it's around christmas in Japan and perhaps US. Q1 or Q2 in Europe. I don't think that's set in stone though...

 

[sammyboy]

I dont know wheather this has been posted before but in my PS2 magazine it clearly said that the PSP will be pushing the limits of a Playstation 2. So maybe the Nintendo Gameboy DS might be somewhat really powerful. (I havnt looked at the specs of the DS yet but I will get my why round to it).

 

[GogoTheMimic]

DS is currently scheduled for a simultaneous release in Japan and the US this fall. My sources at EB have it at a mid October 2004 release. I doubt it will make it's fall 04 release but I wouldn't be surprised if the big N released it by Christmas. As far as the PSP's power, it's a step up from the PSX but a step down from PS2.

 

[MasterPhW]

DS is currently scheduled for a simultaneous release in Japan and the US this fall. My sources at EB have it at a mid October 2004 release. I doubt it will make it's fall 04 release but I wouldn't be surprised if the big N released it by Christmas. As far as the PSP's power, it's a step up from the PSX but a step down from PS2.

I hope they wait, till they have enough software for it, because I don't want to run into the shop and only see 3 games (like the N64-release on the 1 March 1997 in europe).
And I hope they will release it before the PSP is released, because the specs are great but the PSP is more powerfull.
But that are two things you can't mix, because, if you want to release it before the PSP is released, you wouldn't have enough software, but after it would be silly, too, because that would mean=losing some money.
But I think real VideoGame fans will buy both... like me... if I have the money I mean.

 

[Alchy]

They'll be lucky if anyone does. I don't even think the handheld market is big enough for two separate core market demographics, like Sony is trying to take advantage of with their "Gameboy for adults" PSP slant.

I'm also sceptical of the graphical difference between the two machines. I don't think most people could tell much of a difference between an N64 and a PS2 on a 3 inch screen. Battery life is far more important; if battery life is limited to 2-4 hours on the PSP vs. 12 on the DS, and the DS is cheaper, with games that look almost as good and the price differential is 50-100% more for the PSP... which is going to sell better?

 

[RipNLa]

They'll be lucky if anyone does. I don't even think the handheld market is big enough for two separate core market demographics, like Sony is trying to take advantage of with their "Gameboy for adults" PSP slant.

I'm also sceptical of the graphical difference between the two machines. I don't think most people could tell much of a difference between an N64 and a PS2 on a 3 inch screen. Battery life is far more important; if battery life is limited to 2-4 hours on the PSP vs. 12 on the DS, and the DS is cheaper, with games that look almost as good and the price differential is 50-100% more for the PSP... which is going to sell better?

I saw the PSP at E3, and the screen output was really good. I had always thought it was going to be a handheld PSX, but when I saw it, I was like, "WTF, is this PS2?" It really does look between PS2 and PSX, so I think it definitely looks better than N64 graphic-wise.

I totally agree that there really isn't much more untapped market for handheld gamers, adult or not. And I don't know if anyone else in this thread mentioned it, but there was an article a month or so ago about Atari's CEO bashing Sony and the PSP since no one had a dev kit for it yet. At E3 when I asked for information about obtaining a dev kit, they told me that there isnt one and that their just directing would be developers towards the PS2 dev kit since they expect it to be similar. So my point is, that I think Nintendo can wait if they want because it doesn't look like Sony is ahead of them by any means. As of E3, Nintendo had dev kits rolled out already, Sony didn't (still doesnt?)

 

[MasterPhW]

I saw the PSP at E3, and the screen output was really good. I had always thought it was going to be a handheld PSX, but when I saw it, I was like, "WTF, is this PS2?" It really does look between PS2 and PSX, so I think it definitely looks better than N64 graphic-wise.

I totally agree that there really isn't much more untapped market for handheld gamers, adult or not. And I don't know if anyone else in this thread mentioned it, but there was an article a month or so ago about Atari's CEO bashing Sony and the PSP since no one had a dev kit for it yet. At E3 when I asked for information about obtaining a dev kit, they told me that there isnt one and that their just directing would be developers towards the PS2 dev kit since they expect it to be similar. So my point is, that I think Nintendo can wait if they want because it doesn't look like Sony is ahead of them by any means. As of E3, Nintendo had dev kits rolled out already, Sony didn't (still doesnt?)

But for the PSP are more games in dev, aren't they? I thought, I had heard about it. Only up to 20 for the DS and many more for the PSP!
Sony only want to make money now with the handheld market...
But Nintendo has it heart with this new handheld, you know it, if you look at the features... the games... I love BigN and the games on these consoles!
That the devs aren't out, would mean, that aren't many games in dev... most of them are from sony, aren't they?
Hope they lost a lot money and have to make a new politic... like the thing they lost money with the PS2 thing called PSX.

 

[Gorxon]

But for the PSP are more games in dev, aren't they? I thought, I had heard about it. Only up to 20 for the DS and many more for the PSP!

I have heard different and I think they're pretty much equal. Some sites mentioned 100 games for both systems, but I don't think that's a likely number...perhaps it was planned projects or something. But if you got any sources please post them.

 

[sammyboy]

I have a list of PSP games under development if any one is interested...

Metal Gear: Acid, GT4: Mobile, Hard Corps, Need For Speed: Underground, Spider-man 2, Tony Hawks Underground, Wipeout: Pure, Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf, WRC, This Is Football, Twisted Metal: Black, Ape Escape, Syphon Filter: Logans Shadow, Ridge Racer, NBA Street, NFL Street, The Getaway, Dynasty Warriors, Zero Hour, Sticky Balls, Fighting Spirits, Axel Impact: International, Death Jr, Free Running, Puyo Pop Fever, Armoured Core: Formula Front, Frogger, Medievil.

And thats not all of them... just some.

 

[linemu]

here's some info on whos developing for nintendo DS:
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/05/13/news_6098199.html
And heres some quotes from the developers about the DS
http://www.ninty.net/article516.html

The DS seems to have a lot of support from developers.