Nintendo kündigt neuartiges Spielsystem an

[Tabris]

IGN hat ein Interview mit Perrin Kaplan, Vice President of Corporate Affairs bei NoA, geführt. Leider konnten sie nicht viel neues aus ihr herauskriegen.


IGNcube: Why announce the Nintendo DS when you did and why reveal so little about it?

Perrin Kaplan: The main reason is that we were heading out on the road to talk to licensees and provide them with development kits. We thought it would be a really good time to let the rest of the world know about the exciting new product and give them something to whet their appetite. Hopefully all the millions of portable players wanted to hear more about a product like this.

IGNcube: So it wasn't in response at all to anything that might have been happening with Sony's PSP handheld?

Perrin: No. It really had more to do with going out on the road with it. We've got folks on the road with it as we speak.

IGNcube: Is there a system in development that is the true successor to Game Boy Advance?

Perrin: Yes.

IGNcube: When can we expect to hear anything more on that?

Perrin: Oh boy, that's hard to say because the Game Boy Advance SP continues to sell very, very well. I think that you announce [the successor] at a time that makes sense in the normal life cycle for any of the systems and the SP is still very much on the upside.

IGNcube: There's a lot of confusion about where Nintendo DS fits in. Some aren't sure if it's an extension of the Game Boy Advance or if it's an all-new, completely separate entity. What are your thoughts?

Perrin: It's actually something completely different as it has the two screens and the software that's developed for it will really be evidence of that. That's why it's being marketed separately as a third product, if you will. There will be a whole separate marketing program versus it being an extension of the Game Boy Advance.

IGNcube: How do you plan to separate DS from GBA?

Perrin: It will really depend on the software that's built for it -- the games that are made that take advantage of two screens and the ability to either view two things at one time or view something in a larger manner. It really will be very software dependent. And the fact that it has two screens is obviously incredibly unique and will allow very creative ways to play games.

IGNcube: Are you worried about overlap? Or of diluting the sales of GBA?

Perrin: I think we'll be very strategic about how we package it. We'll make sure that consumers newly introduced to it will be very interested and those consumers who already have the Game Boy and love it will be enticed to try this product as well. You can never have too many Game Boys, let's be honest. I mean, how many do you have?

IGNcube: Three of them. But we're a special case, we think.

Perrin: No you're not.

IGNcube: Nintendo describes the DS as "portable." Can you elaborate?

Perrin: Do you mean, is it small enough to be considered handheld?

IGNcube: Yes.

Perrin: I think that anything that's portable that has that kind of ease, you could consider to be a smaller kind of a unit. But whether or not you want me to give you the dimensions, again it's just a short car ride away to E3.

IGNcube: Other than the addition of another screens, the DS similar to the GBA. What do you say to skeptics who believe that the two won't be much different?

Perrin: I say, give us until E3 and we'll show you more. There you'll start to understand why and how the products really are different from each other.

IGNcube: Is there a catch to the system that we don't know about? Will Nintendo announce another major feature integral to the DS?

Perrin: Could be.

IGNcube: Hint time. Go ahead.

Perrin: Nope.

IGNcube: Let's put it this way -- do we know all of the details?

Perrin: Well let me just say that you won't have to drive very far to get to E3. When you do get there you'll learn a whole bunch more and it'll all be good.

IGNcube: When will photos of the device be released?

Perrin: You'll probably see things closer to E3.

IGNcube: Do you have a marketing budget for the device yet?

Perrin: We don't have that settled just yet.

IGNcube: But it will have a substantial marketing budget?

Perrin: I think that would be a fair assumption.

IGNcube: What's the launch date for Nintendo DS?

Perrin: Don't have that yet.

IGNcube: Are you seeing a lot of developer interest for the DS?

Perrin: Too early to tell, but with the few that we've talked with, yes, definitely.

IGNcube: Japanese support?

Perrin: Yes.

IGNcube: Will it be fully playable at E3?

Perrin: You will be able to experience enough of it to make your judgment about how fantastic the product is going to be.

[Seraphim]

IGNcube: How do you plan to separate DS from GBA?
[...]It really will be very software dependent[...]

IGNcube: Nintendo describes the DS as "portable." Can you elaborate?
Perrin: I think that anything that's portable that has that kind of ease, you could consider to be a smaller kind of a unit. But whether or not you want me to give you the dimensions, again it's just a short car ride away to E3.

Und was nun Tabris? Das obere deutet doch sehr auf einen Handheld hin (mal davon abgesehen das jede Seite wirklich direkt von einem Handheld spricht)
Das letzte ist na ja nichts.
Was sagst du was ist es nun?

[Tabris]

Ein portables Gerät

[Seraphim]

ERSTE BILDER

Na ja es ist portabel nicht wahr

[Tabris]

[Tabris]

Endlich mal ein einfallsreicheres Mockup.

[Tabris]

LAS VEGAS (CNN/Money) - While Nintendo has historically focused solely on game machines, its new handheld system could represent a departure from that philosophy. Scheduled for release this holiday season, the Nintendo DS may play movies as well as games.

In an analyst report issued Wednesday, P.J. McNealy of American Technology Research said a two-hour movie (fit onto a 128 MB flash cartridge) has been successfully demonstrated on the DS. Whether Nintendo will offer this functionality when the machine is released remains to be seen.

"This is a change in Nintendo's traditional focus as a gaming company," he wrote, "but, in our opinion, a necessary move to not only protect its market share in the handheld space but to also expand its revenue streams as its gaming enthusiasts grow older."

If Nintendo does offer multimedia playback in the DS, it would set the stage for an even bigger showdown between the device and Sony's PSP, a game device that also plays movies, though on a larger (single) screen. (Sony last week delayed the North American launch of the PSP until early 2005.)

Nintendo hopes to launch the DS with roughly a dozen games, with prices ranging from $20 to $30, according to McNealy. That's cheaper than previously rumored. Pricing for the system is still being determined, he added.

Nintendo declined to comment on the report, citing its policy of not addressing rumors or speculation.

Since it was announced on Jan. 20, the Nintendo DS has been something of an enigma. The company has kept details about the machine under close guard, only acknowledging it would feature two, three-inch LCD screens and two, separate processors. It is not considered a successor to the GameCube or Game Boy Advance.

Dual screens haven't been widely used in many games, even though the option has been available to developers for a few years. (Windows XP supports a dual monitor setup.) Only a dozen or so titles have utilized the feature – mostly flight simulators, which aren't typical handheld gaming fare.

While there are some game genres where a second screen makes sense (such as role-playing games, strategy titles and the aforementioned flight sims), creating a platform game (such as Mario or Sonic) that utilizes a second screen is more problematic. Platform games are among the most popular on handheld systems.

"Part of the appeal of platformers is memorizing the maps, so I'm not sure if adding a map mode wouldn't detract from the gameplay experience," notes one developer who, because his company does business with Nintendo, asked to remain anonymous.

McNealy said he believes developers are now growing excited about the possibilities of the DS after initial skepticism.

Recent media reports have indicated the DS will also offer wireless multiplayer gaming, a feature that has reportedly been dropped from the PSP. If so, that could make the fight between the two systems even more interesting. Wireless technology likely will play a significant role in the next generation of consoles. If the DS does have wireless functionality, it could conceivably sync up with Nintendo's upcoming home console, due in 2006, much as the GBA can link up with the GameCube today.

It's possible, though, that Sony is still weighing the pros and cons of including wireless connectivity, among other features, so take those reports it has dropped wireless with a grain of salt.

If Nintendo does choose to introduce the DS with a low price, that could signal a forthcoming price drop for the popular Game Boy Advance -- particularly as we get close to the 2005 holiday season. A drop to say, $79, would certainly keep interest alive in the GBA SP (the clam-shell designed system), while the original GBA could conceivably go even lower.

A low price point, which would likely result in swift hardware sales, could also work in favor of video game publishers, none of which have included revenue from Nintendo DS titles into their current earnings guidance. (McNealy says it's likely publishers like THQ (THQI: Research, Estimates) and Activision (ATVI: Research, Estimates) will revise their guidance to include this revenue in their upcoming earnings release.) Retailers, such as Electronics Boutique (ELBO: Research, Estimates) and GameStop (GME: Research, Estimates), could also see a boost.

Moving away from a pure game machine would be a big step for Nintendo, but a smart one. The lack of a DVD player hurt GameCube sales tremendously when the console was first released. And if combining handheld gaming and a handheld movie player are the next step for the market, as Sony (SNE: Research, Estimates) seems to be pushing things, Nintendo can't afford to ignore the trend this time around.


Quelle: CNN