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11-02-05 12:59 PM
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Acmlm's Board - I2 Archive - General Gaming - DS - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly | |
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Got DS?
Nintendo DS, smart guy.
YEAH!
 
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No
 
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Getting one soon
 
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HyperLamer
<||bass> and this was the soloution i thought of that was guarinteed to piss off the greatest amount of people

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Posted on 12-25-04 09:15 PM Link | Quote
Yeah, I got one. Pwnery. Just thought I'd write up a quick review. (A lot of this stuff seems pretty obvious, but tends to not be if you don't have one.)

THE GOOD:
-Backlight makes the screen look incredible. Even GBA games look 10 times better than on the GBA.
-Stereo sound!
-Built-in battery, adaptor included.
-Has a clock and calendar on the startup menu, so you have instant access to them. Can also function as an alarm clock (the backlight automatically shuts off, and the alarm will still sound in sleep mode).
-Pictochat is built in.
-The antenna is internal, no poking out of eyeballs.
-No screen latch to muck with like laptops. It just flips open.
-Goes into sleep mode automatically when closed. (I think this can be disabled by software, which is good. Wouldn't want something like an MP3 player or (built-in) alarm clock to stop when you close it.)
-Power switch needs to be held for a second to shut down, to avoid accidents. However, the response time is so fast that there's virtually no waiting when you do want to shut down.
-Comes with a spare stylus.
-The wrist strap has a little thumb pad, so you can wrap it on your thumb and not smudge the screen. It doesn't interfere with using the control pad either. (Nintendo thought of everything!)
-You can have both a GBA and DS game inserted, and it lets you choose which to play. You can also set it to automatically load whatever DS game is inserted, and whatever GBA game if there isn't one.
-Has a built-in microphone, or you can get external ones.
-Uses a standard phono jack - no expensive headphone adaptors!
-Uses the same AC adaptor as the GBA SP.
-Backlight can be shut off.
-Built-in Stylus holder, that holds it very well.

THE BAD:
-Doesn't play GB/GBC games!
-GBA mode lacks many features, like any form of multiplayer. You can only choose which screen to display it on in the options, not during the game, and you can't have it on both. Sleep mode also doesn't seem to work in GBA mode.
-It shuts itself off whenever you exit one of the menus.
-The alarm is really quiet, and you can't use anything else while it's on.
-The GBA slot is right where I put my fingers, which is rather uncomfortable, especially if there's nothing in it.
-Doesn't appear to have any form of non-wireless link method. So much for multiplayer on long plane trips.
-Backlight isn't adjustable. Just on or off.
-On-screen keyboard lacks a shift lock, making "" kinda difficult to type.
-Not much room to draw in Pictochat, and not much as far as drawing options (just freehand draw and erase in two sizes). No colours either.
-Can't be used as a weapon by shooting cartridges at high speeds like the PSP.

THE UGLY:
-Wireless mode is unsafe to use within 9 inches of a pacemaker. If you have a bad heart you could have some trouble using it...
-I seem to have 2 pixels on the bottom screen that are always white. (I also keep poking the top screen with the Stylus. )
-METROIDS KEEP HUMPING MY FACE

Don't suppose anyone has any hardware specs? Any progress on the home-development scene? I'd love to get some GBC emulators and such going on this thing.


(edited by HyperHacker on 12-25-04 12:17 PM)
Alastor the Stylish
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Posted on 12-25-04 09:53 PM Link | Quote
Ugh. Sorry HH, you got one with two dead pixels It was pretty common in the first shipment. Luckily I avoided it.

Oh, and I think that the pacemaker thing is just a "this COULD happen in theory, but probably won't, but we'd damn well better put a warning in lest someone sue our pants off."
Colleen
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Posted on 12-25-04 10:17 PM Link | Quote
Nope - If I end up getting one, I'll wait for the first price drop.

Nintendo will take care of the dead pixel thing if it bothers you. It's common enough.
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Posted on 12-25-04 11:36 PM Link | Quote
Hopefully I


(edited by UnsurpassedDarkness on 12-25-04 02:37 PM)
alte Hexe

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Posted on 12-26-04 12:07 AM Link | Quote
I'll get one, once new colours come out
Kitten Yiffer

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Posted on 12-26-04 12:41 AM Link | Quote
The dead pixel thing seemed common with the first batch of PSP too. Hell it seems to be common for the first batch of any LCD related thing. Dead pixels are common, but some manufactures take 4-5 dead pixels as defective. With Nintendo it's just enough with one dead pixel apparently. (I don't know about Sony...)

And the GBA slot problem wouldn't bother me, I probably would always have a cartdridge in there. (so it dosen't collect dust and dirt...)

Hopefully the dead pixel problem won't be common with the first batch of the Nintendo DS in Europa. I waited some time until I bought GBA SP. And no dead pixels or dust problems there...
Alastor the Stylish
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Posted on 12-26-04 01:43 AM Link | Quote
Originally posted by Kitten Yiffer
Hopefully the dead pixel problem won't be common with the first batch of the Nintendo DS in Europa. I waited some time until I bought GBA SP. And no dead pixels or dust problems there...
Yeah, but then again there were no batches of anything nintendo-related pre-DS with dead pixels, so that's not too surprising
HyperLamer
<||bass> and this was the soloution i thought of that was guarinteed to piss off the greatest amount of people

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Posted on 12-26-04 01:46 AM Link | Quote
How much would it cost to have those pixels fixed? They're not really that bad but if I can have one in perfect condition for little or no cost, I'd much rather. (As I understand, they have a thing where you give them your credit card info, they send you a new one, you send the other one back, and they bill you for it if they don't get it back after a while. A good idea, but not all of us have credit cards. )

I'm also likely to have a GBA game in it at all times, but it's still annoying. As far as the GB/GBC and multiplayer thing goes, they shoulda just used some kinda emulator, then all they'd need to add hardware-wise is something to step up the voltage for GB/GBC carts. (See, this is why I like homebrew stuff. They do what Nintendo doesn't want to spend money on, just plain doesn't want to, or would get in big shit for. )

I forgot to mention one of the biggest problems, too: The backlight can only be turned on or off from the startup menu, not during a game. It woulda been nice if somehow, they could have had a button that pops up a menu for this stuff, and restores the game to how it was afterward. Might be kinda hard to implement though. (Have to have extra RAM and VRAM for backing up what it overwrites, or just reserved for it.)

Right now it's sitting in chat waiting for someone else. Anyone within 100 feet of me?
Alastor the Stylish
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Posted on 12-26-04 02:20 AM Link | Quote
Originally posted by HyperHacker
The backlight can only be turned on or off from the startup menu, not during a game.
In SM64 (only game I have right now) - Start > Options > Backlight.
HyperLamer
<||bass> and this was the soloution i thought of that was guarinteed to piss off the greatest amount of people

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Posted on 12-26-04 03:41 AM Link | Quote
Cool, but the game has to support it. The Metroid demo (the only game I have right now) doesn't appear to, and of course GBA doesn't.
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Posted on 12-26-04 03:58 AM Link | Quote
what I wonder, is how the DS pulls off using GBC sound chanels on GBA if it dosn't support GBC games
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Posted on 12-26-04 04:06 AM Link | Quote
I have to agree with you on most of those (Got a DS today too ^.^), even if most of "THE BAD" were ones I don't care about .

So yeah, someone made a tutorial on soldering your DS to play GB/GBC games. It works, too, and its easy.
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Posted on 12-26-04 04:10 AM Link | Quote
It's all a matter of space.

The Game Boy/Game Boy Color use a different voltage than GBA carts (I think they're 3.3v or something). In the GBA, there is a switch in the cartridge slot that switches the voltage and the processor (From the ARM7 to the Z80) for specific GB/C standards. However, There is not enough room in the DS to fit the Z80 processor. Because of that, it was left out.

Also, to reduce production costs (and to meet space requirements), the GB/C/A link port was left out. It just wasn't needed when most people who would get a GBA for multiplayer already had one.

For the system to shut down every time you exit Pictochat, the Download Menu, or the Settings menu, I believe it's like rebooting a computer. A simple RAM dump for Pictochat and the DS Download menu, and a reboot to save options in the Settings menu. Same thing goes for when you play a normal DS game or a GBA game. Why should you have to turn off the system to get back to the main menu? Just a RAM dump.

Nintendo repairs screens with dead pixels for free. I was one of the lucky few to not get a dead pixel.

Metroids like teh face secks.

I'm pretty sure that if your household has at least one 802.11 (G or B) router, then the DS won't cause any health hazards WIfi-wise.

Remember that the Metroid demo was only a demo, and that there's a lot of incomplete things in it, including the inability to change sound modes and the backlight.

When the alarm goes on for about a minute, it gets real-fucking-loud.

If I'm right, it's just Bluetooth technology that's not allowed to be used on planes, unless I'm a total retard and 802.11(G/B) and Bluetooth are the same.

The wrist strap makes it a deadly mace.

I'm interested in wondering why you're not complaining about the GBA: SP's backlight not being adjustable. The thing is, the DS puts out plenty of light and still saves on battery life.

Shift lock? I swear to god, I have never seen that before.



There you go, an answer to (most) all of your problems.


(edited by Cymoro on 12-25-04 07:10 PM)
(edited by Cymoro on 12-25-04 07:10 PM)
Colleen
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Posted on 12-26-04 04:43 AM Link | Quote
I thought the GB/GBC thing was proven as fake unless someone decided to prove the naysayers wrong.

I think it's Bluetooth that can't be used on planes, meaning you'll have to leave your N-Gage in your luggage.
Cymoro
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Posted on 12-26-04 06:32 AM Link | Quote
Originally posted by Santa Colleen
I thought the GB/GBC thing was proven as fake unless someone decided to prove the naysayers wrong.

I think it's Bluetooth that can't be used on planes, meaning you'll have to leave your N-Gage in your luggage.


Nope, that's the only thing. Try sticking a pen into your GBA slot where the switch is, then turn it on. You'll be amazed.
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Posted on 12-26-04 09:12 AM Link | Quote
Originally posted by Cymoro
Originally posted by Santa Colleen
I thought the GB/GBC thing was proven as fake unless someone decided to prove the naysayers wrong.

I think it's Bluetooth that can't be used on planes, meaning you'll have to leave your N-Gage in your luggage.


Nope, that's the only thing. Try sticking a pen into your GBA slot where the switch is, then turn it on. You'll be amazed.


How do I do this? Will a paperclip work?
HyperLamer
<||bass> and this was the soloution i thought of that was guarinteed to piss off the greatest amount of people

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Posted on 12-26-04 09:18 AM Link | Quote
Originally posted by Cymoro
It's all a matter of space.

The Game Boy/Game Boy Color use a different voltage than GBA carts (I think they're 3.3v or something). In the GBA, there is a switch in the cartridge slot that switches the voltage and the processor (From the ARM7 to the Z80) for specific GB/C standards. However, There is not enough room in the DS to fit the Z80 processor. Because of that, it was left out.

In theory, all they would need to do is have a switch like in the GBA that steps up the voltage. The BIOS could read the game's ROM into memory and emulate it. It wouldn't work with all games, but butter than none.
Also that mod just connects two points that are already connected.


Also, to reduce production costs (and to meet space requirements), the GB/C/A link port was left out. It just wasn't needed when most people who would get a GBA for multiplayer already had one.

They could have at least made it possible to link between DSes via wireless.


For the system to shut down every time you exit Pictochat, the Download Menu, or the Settings menu, I believe it's like rebooting a computer. A simple RAM dump for Pictochat and the DS Download menu, and a reboot to save options in the Settings menu. Same thing goes for when you play a normal DS game or a GBA game. Why should you have to turn off the system to get back to the main menu? Just a RAM dump.

Just seems hackish, and annoying. For Pictochat I can understand, because it's like a DS game except built in. Same as with games, especially GBA which switches CPU modes and all. But I don't see the need to reboot every time I exit a settings menu, even if I don't change anything.


Nintendo repairs screens with dead pixels for free. I was one of the lucky few to not get a dead pixel.

Woot. Don't you need a credit card to get it done for free though, or else you have to send yours in first? Plus, shipping costs suck.


Metroids like teh face secks.

Yes. Yes they do.


Remember that the Metroid demo was only a demo, and that there's a lot of incomplete things in it, including the inability to change sound modes and the backlight.

Yeah, that was a pretty lacking demo.


When the alarm goes on for about a minute, it gets real-fucking-loud.

Cool.


If I'm right, it's just Bluetooth technology that's not allowed to be used on planes, unless I'm a total retard and 802.11(G/B) and Bluetooth are the same.

Every flight I've ever been on (a lot of them), you weren't allowed to use any wireless devices, even radios. For that matter, printers are also banned.


The wrist strap makes it a deadly mace.

Hm, good point. But I'd be worried it would break.


I'm interested in wondering why you're not complaining about the GBA: SP's backlight not being adjustable.

Never used one.


The thing is, the DS puts out plenty of light and still saves on battery life.

Yes, but it would still be nice if you could turn it down a bit.


Shift lock? I swear to god, I have never seen that before.

Some computers in the early DOS days had them. Plus on DS you can't exactly hold shift.
alte Hexe

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Posted on 12-26-04 09:23 AM Link | Quote
The wireless technology thingy is being revised.
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Posted on 12-26-04 08:43 PM Link | Quote
Originally posted by Colleen
Nope - If I end up getting one, I'll wait for the first price drop.

Seconded. Either that, or I'll wait for my birthday mid 2005.
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Posted on 12-26-04 09:01 PM Link | Quote
I haven
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