[thatmariolover]

Hey, sorry that you don’t like the thing. But I really disagree with you. I honestly don’t know where you got the idea that it’s the “spiritual successor” to the N64. The graphical abilities might be similar, but that’s where similarity ends. As for analogue control, the PSP’s solution is hardly better. It’s not truly analogue; it’s more like a round D-Pad. There are more levels of control in using the touch screen as an analogue emulator. Sorry for those of you incapable of getting used to it, but it’s far superior to a D-Pad if you just get used to it.

As for the screens being a gimmick, I can kind of see why you would say that at this point. They haven’t been utilized nearly as well as they can be. But to all naysayers I’d ask that they go pick up a copy of WarioWare: Touched. By far the most innovative and feature showcasing game on the DS (although somehow a multiplayer mode was overlooked?).

As surprising as it might be, it’s not that hard to alter code to support dual screen support at all. Although tapping into the two separate rendering engines could be a slight obstacle, I’ve heard no beef from developers thus-far. So let’s not create stink when everything’s lemony fresh. Do you honestly think that if there’s a market there that developers aren’t going to tap into it? The DS is already a success, and considering that there’s only going to be 300,000 PSP units available in the U.S. at the launch (the official numbers my Gamestop was just given today in a conference call) there’s going to be a bit of a problem with supply. No, of course the DS isn’t going to get the mainstream support that the PSP is going to get. It’s pretty obvious that the DS is not a mainstream handheld. It does cool stuff and has cool ideas and it’s about playing games differently. It’s hardly something that’s easy to adapt to when we’ve become so used to the way we play games. It’s an acquired taste, and it’s obviously only going to appeal to a specific group of gamers. A fact Nintendo is well aware of – and the very reason for this thread: GBA 2.

Nintendo really does try to innovate, although I’m hardly crying about that. I’m frustrated because a lot of people just don’t understand Nintendo’s goals in releasing the DS. They don’t understand what the DS is really trying to accomplish. It’s not a handheld for mainstream gamers. It’s mostly for the hardcore guys, or people willing to look a little bit further, or for people who never play games even. Nintendo is a great company doing great things for gaming. They’re willing to gamble a little bit and that’s fine by me. If Nintendo never regains it’s “crown,” I’d be perfectly satisfied having Nintendo be the icing on my cake of games. As long as they continue to do what they’re good at, I can find a good median between mainstream and innovation.

As for who’s really going to win this little handheld competition, only time will tell in my opinion. E3 will shed a lot more light on the issues that most of us are concerned about (both with Nintendo and Sony). I’d be much more readily prepared to make predictions after I’ve seen what both companies really have up their sleeves.