En distriktssjef hos GameStop i USA hadde dette å si etter å ha testa DSen:
So yeah, I had a chance to play the final design version of the Nintendo DS and man was I surprised.
Size:
When you see pictures of the DS, you always have this sense that it must be huge. Even after knowing that it's no wider than an old GBA, you still would think it's really big. Well guess what, it really isn't. It's very sleek and slim. Not too fat either. When you fold it down, it has a very nice slim design that shouldn't feel too bulky while in your pocket. It is as wide as an old GBA, but just a bit wider. Not too much though.
Buttons:
-Well guess what guys, the Power button is just that, a button. Not a switch as some of you guys thought. To turn it on, you merely press the power button and to turn it off, you merely press the power button again. That's right guys, you DON'T hold it down to power it off. I didn't find myself nor did anyone else "accidentally" pressing the Power button shutting it off.
-The face buttons are ENTIRELY too small. Far smaller than even the SP. It felt very uncomfortable if you have big hands/thumbs heh. I guess they did that to accomendate lefties. See? You guys always **** **** up.
-Shoulder buttons are nice and big so they are comfortable.
Games:
Air Hockey - VERY cool. The touch screen sometimes doesn't work or something cause I would lose control of the hitting thingie. What also sucks is that when the puck is in the middle, you can't see the puck. So it's a little distracting, but it's a really cool game. Hopefully it's not a full fledge game or something.
Wario Ware - MUST HAVE. This game was simply incredible. It was so fun that I played it like a million times. It was in Japanese so I didn't know what to do on some of it, but the use of the stylus definitely made it infinitely cooler. Slice the vegetables!@!!
Screens:
Man, I was playing around with the SP afterwards and the screen on the SP suck!! Backlight >>>>> Frontlight. The screens were crisp and bright. Nice and big too. Does it scratch? Not really. The top screen is like a standard screen cover. Well, not really actually. It's a very hard plastic cover. Can't put my finger on a comparison, but it was high quality. The bottom screen appeared to have a wax-like cover. It was dull, but didn't really affect the appearance of the screen. When you used it, it looked like it scratched the screen, but you simply wipe it and it's clean. So no scratches.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
he then fielded some questions:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Did you feel it was the DS's fault you couldn't control Air Hockey well, or bad programming on the demo's part?
I'm not too entirely sure. It could possibly be that the DS' sensitivity on the touch pad wasn't that great and I lost control of the hitting thingie. What the hell is that called? haha. I didn't want to press too hard so maybe I was too light on it. But at the same time, it could be programming that's the cause of it, but I believe it's the former reason
By 'small buttons', go into detail. How big are they? Do you get used to them? I figure having all 4 buttons touchable by my thumb would be awesome, especially for fighting games.
But buttons are VERY small. Smaller than even the SP's. If I were to compare the buttons to something similar, I would say that the end of a push pin. Having access to all four buttons is good and all, but it felt as if you couldn't press one button, without pressing another cause they were so small and so close.
1. How are the shoulder buttons?
Very nice. Not small like the SP's, and even bigger than the old GBA
2. Do the buttons feel crappy like the SP or more like the cube controller?
SP, but crappier plastic.
3. Are the screens square or widescreen?
They are standard screens.
What was the general conclusion about the DS so far? Good or bad?
Great. Definitely a system to own. Oh wait, I already do
Hmm, I was hoping that the power button would need to be held down to turn off the DS. Did the touch screen ever seem to not work in Wario Ware, or was it only in Air Hockey when it did that?
Not so much in Wario Ware. I couldn't tell cause it was so fast pace that you didn't have time to think about it.
Was there a menu thingy on the DS? and what was it like?
None that I know of. It had games in them so they started up immediately. There might be some form of menu if there weren't any games in it.
Was the outer shell the same material as the SP???
Exactly the same. No differences in the plastic at all.
Yes, where does the stylus go in the DS?
In the top right right next to the Shoulder Button
Does it fit better in your hand than a brick, unlinke the SP?
Yeah, far superior.
Did you figure out if pictochat is built in or not?
No. I forgot to ask that.
Were those the only games that you could play??
Yeah, there was a third game, but I didn't have a chance to play that one. Cool thing was was that there wasn't a major line so I could play it whenever.
Did you learn anything about the launch, price and date?? (if you can tell us)
No, no, and before Christmas
Did you see any accesories??
Yeah, while we were in the Mad Catz training room, they showed us the accessories for it. It's nothing major though, just the same typical stuff like for the SP
When will WE be able to play it??
SOON. Stores across the country will have interactives to play with.
How is the sound quality? I heard it went stereo.
You heard right. With all the ruckus, I couldn't hear it.
Was it heavy?
Don't know, it was held down with a bracket
Was it easy to play games holding the stylus in one hand and the DS in the other?
It was easy cause it was held by a bracket. I'm sure it's not too hard.
did it had a GBA-GBA link port?
No it did not. I believe it's already been confirmed that there wasn't going to be.
How is the stylus held in the ds? do you have to pull it out of a slot? or is it a magnet or something
It's a specific slot of it.
how did the touch screen feel?
Good.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
a few other quotes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They didn't have the official stylus there to play with. They gave out the same pens as they did at E3 for us to use. But from the pictures of the stylus from third party companies, it appears that the stylus looks JUST like a Palm stylus.
Alright, so I finally found my SP and I have come to a different conclusion on the DS concerning the buttons.
I took my old GBA with me to the trip cause I couldn't find my SP and so I forgot that the buttons on the SP are totally different than the ones on the old GBA.
Anyway, looking and touching the SP's buttons, they feel the exact same. The buttons are the exact same size as the SP's. Possibly slightly larger. It could be perception that cause me to believe that the buttons were smaller. Seeing as how the DS is larger, the buttons probably appeared to be super small.
Size:
When you see pictures of the DS, you always have this sense that it must be huge. Even after knowing that it's no wider than an old GBA, you still would think it's really big. Well guess what, it really isn't. It's very sleek and slim. Not too fat either. When you fold it down, it has a very nice slim design that shouldn't feel too bulky while in your pocket. It is as wide as an old GBA, but just a bit wider. Not too much though.
Buttons:
-Well guess what guys, the Power button is just that, a button. Not a switch as some of you guys thought. To turn it on, you merely press the power button and to turn it off, you merely press the power button again. That's right guys, you DON'T hold it down to power it off. I didn't find myself nor did anyone else "accidentally" pressing the Power button shutting it off.
-The face buttons are ENTIRELY too small. Far smaller than even the SP. It felt very uncomfortable if you have big hands/thumbs heh. I guess they did that to accomendate lefties. See? You guys always **** **** up.
-Shoulder buttons are nice and big so they are comfortable.
Games:
Air Hockey - VERY cool. The touch screen sometimes doesn't work or something cause I would lose control of the hitting thingie. What also sucks is that when the puck is in the middle, you can't see the puck. So it's a little distracting, but it's a really cool game. Hopefully it's not a full fledge game or something.
Wario Ware - MUST HAVE. This game was simply incredible. It was so fun that I played it like a million times. It was in Japanese so I didn't know what to do on some of it, but the use of the stylus definitely made it infinitely cooler. Slice the vegetables!@!!
Screens:
Man, I was playing around with the SP afterwards and the screen on the SP suck!! Backlight >>>>> Frontlight. The screens were crisp and bright. Nice and big too. Does it scratch? Not really. The top screen is like a standard screen cover. Well, not really actually. It's a very hard plastic cover. Can't put my finger on a comparison, but it was high quality. The bottom screen appeared to have a wax-like cover. It was dull, but didn't really affect the appearance of the screen. When you used it, it looked like it scratched the screen, but you simply wipe it and it's clean. So no scratches.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
he then fielded some questions:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Did you feel it was the DS's fault you couldn't control Air Hockey well, or bad programming on the demo's part?
I'm not too entirely sure. It could possibly be that the DS' sensitivity on the touch pad wasn't that great and I lost control of the hitting thingie. What the hell is that called? haha. I didn't want to press too hard so maybe I was too light on it. But at the same time, it could be programming that's the cause of it, but I believe it's the former reason
By 'small buttons', go into detail. How big are they? Do you get used to them? I figure having all 4 buttons touchable by my thumb would be awesome, especially for fighting games.
But buttons are VERY small. Smaller than even the SP's. If I were to compare the buttons to something similar, I would say that the end of a push pin. Having access to all four buttons is good and all, but it felt as if you couldn't press one button, without pressing another cause they were so small and so close.
1. How are the shoulder buttons?
Very nice. Not small like the SP's, and even bigger than the old GBA
2. Do the buttons feel crappy like the SP or more like the cube controller?
SP, but crappier plastic.
3. Are the screens square or widescreen?
They are standard screens.
What was the general conclusion about the DS so far? Good or bad?
Great. Definitely a system to own. Oh wait, I already do
Hmm, I was hoping that the power button would need to be held down to turn off the DS. Did the touch screen ever seem to not work in Wario Ware, or was it only in Air Hockey when it did that?
Not so much in Wario Ware. I couldn't tell cause it was so fast pace that you didn't have time to think about it.
Was there a menu thingy on the DS? and what was it like?
None that I know of. It had games in them so they started up immediately. There might be some form of menu if there weren't any games in it.
Was the outer shell the same material as the SP???
Exactly the same. No differences in the plastic at all.
Yes, where does the stylus go in the DS?
In the top right right next to the Shoulder Button
Does it fit better in your hand than a brick, unlinke the SP?
Yeah, far superior.
Did you figure out if pictochat is built in or not?
No. I forgot to ask that.
Were those the only games that you could play??
Yeah, there was a third game, but I didn't have a chance to play that one. Cool thing was was that there wasn't a major line so I could play it whenever.
Did you learn anything about the launch, price and date?? (if you can tell us)
No, no, and before Christmas
Did you see any accesories??
Yeah, while we were in the Mad Catz training room, they showed us the accessories for it. It's nothing major though, just the same typical stuff like for the SP
When will WE be able to play it??
SOON. Stores across the country will have interactives to play with.
How is the sound quality? I heard it went stereo.
You heard right. With all the ruckus, I couldn't hear it.
Was it heavy?
Don't know, it was held down with a bracket
Was it easy to play games holding the stylus in one hand and the DS in the other?
It was easy cause it was held by a bracket. I'm sure it's not too hard.
did it had a GBA-GBA link port?
No it did not. I believe it's already been confirmed that there wasn't going to be.
How is the stylus held in the ds? do you have to pull it out of a slot? or is it a magnet or something
It's a specific slot of it.
how did the touch screen feel?
Good.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
a few other quotes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They didn't have the official stylus there to play with. They gave out the same pens as they did at E3 for us to use. But from the pictures of the stylus from third party companies, it appears that the stylus looks JUST like a Palm stylus.
Alright, so I finally found my SP and I have come to a different conclusion on the DS concerning the buttons.
I took my old GBA with me to the trip cause I couldn't find my SP and so I forgot that the buttons on the SP are totally different than the ones on the old GBA.
Anyway, looking and touching the SP's buttons, they feel the exact same. The buttons are the exact same size as the SP's. Possibly slightly larger. It could be perception that cause me to believe that the buttons were smaller. Seeing as how the DS is larger, the buttons probably appeared to be super small.
