Playing on the Go

Speaking of things that the PSP can do that the DS can’t, here’s another.

The latest firmware for your PSP is available as soon as you fire up Old Fattie and connect her to the innerweb. The update doesn’t add a whole lot, but the main upgrade that it does consist of is pretty sweet. 3.50 allows for “remote play”, which in a nutshell allows for you to remotely connect to your PS3 from anywhere with a WiFi access point. So no matter where you are, you can access your PS3 files. Whatever they may happen to be. The update also expands some RSS features, but is still reportedly nowhere near as cool as the remote play feature.

Yeah. I wish the DS could do that.

psp, firmware

[via pspfanboy]

To think of it, the PSP had every factor on its side. It’s obviously a much more powerful system, has arguably cooler functionality, is capable of playing all sorts of multimedia and so on. But yet the Nintendo DS has laid it on its lap and gave it the whippin’ of its life. What could have happened? In such a tech obsessed society where we are out of place without a bluetooth device crammed in our ear or an iPod under 2 GB, how could a superior tech device be so beaten out by a less capable and quirkier competitor?

I think there are a number of reasons, of which I’ll go over what I feel are the most important. The most important of which is the “intimidation and acceptance” factor. When I use the term “acceptance” in this context, it applies to both gamers and non-gamers. For instance, it is much easier for a Sony fan to accept the PSP on face value, and vice versa for the Nintendo fan. That’s a given. But what about for the non-gamer? For the tech-challenged, the PSP may seem intimidating. It has a ton of features and sort of a confusing interface. The DS less so. It’s very straightforward. The intimidation factor is much less. The device itself is very friendly looking and offers only a few features, of which it does very well.

The other is the “newness” factor. In relation, the PSP really doesn’t offer anything new. All of its cool functionality is available on higher end cell phones, and of course the PS2, which of course millions of families already have in their homes. On the other hand, the DS offers an entirely new way of play, which interests and compels people. Plus. the much cheaper price point doesn’t hurt in satisfying this curiosity.

There are many factors other than these, of which of course we’ll cover here in the future. Even after the PSP practically could have already raised the white flag, it’s still incredibly interesting to see how much The Little System That Could has fared so well in the market.

psp

The images below may seem familiar to you, yet a little different.

Yep, those are actually two new colors for the DS. In a way. Both the white and the pink iterations have been given a silvery and shiny coat. Initially, these new colors will be released solely in Japan, but given the worldwide popularity of the system it is safe to assume that we will eventually see them in other markets as well.

This does beg a particular question however. Given that the DS Lite has practically become a must have fashion accessory, there’s probably some other colors that would also do the line well that some would love to have. I personally do dig the “metallic and shiny” idea, I think that same gleam would work well with colors such as red and blue. Those colors were given to the DS Phat, it would be nice to see them return in that futuristic form. What colors would you like to see come around?

nintendods, dslite

[via joystiq]

Remember around a year ago when Nintendo imported and translated Brain Age, which consequently triggered the “games for everyone” mantra? A game as revolutionary as that one will hit here once again at the end of next month. It’s called Piccross and it could be the next big thing.

Picross is sort of a puzzle game, but very different from the sort of brain busters that you are used to from Brain Age and its ripoffs. Basically, the player uses different logic skills to eliminate squares on the playing board, revealing a picture underneath. Sounds simple, but so did Brain Age and Wii Sports, didn’t they? It’s in fact much deeper than it may sound like at the surface. Once the game is out, you’ll be able to do just about anything you’d like with the game via Nintendo WiFi, including sending your own created puzzles and competing in timed competitions with friends.

Picross will hit stores, your brain, and your wallet on July 30th.

nintendods, piccross

Of course, the most constant complaint about the Wii side of Nintendo WiFi is that of the prospect of individual friend codes for each game. For DS owners, this system is not entirely new whatsoever, as it has been in place since the service kicked off in 2005. Personally, I’ve never really been bothered by the system. If there’s a friend I’d like to play a game with, offline or online, it’s simple enough to get their code and enter it in on my friend list within each game.

It’s a hassle, but it’s only one that happens one time which only takes a few minutes. If I’d ever like to play with a random person it’s simple enough as Nintendo WiFi is pretty good about matching you up with a player of similar skill. However, I can see where complains would be valid. Comparable to systems which are of easier usability such as XBox Live or the online capability of the PSP, Nintendo WiFi is a hassle. Let’s face it, while Nintendo may claim that they have been the innovators of online play as far back as the SNES days, they just aren’t the best at it.

But let’s hear from you. Is the friend code system really that much of a problem? Does it really even inhibit your online play? Or is it just a rare annoyance? Let me know in the comments section.

The summit, held earlier this week and also held under media embargo until today, featured a ton of new games for DS. And as you would expect from the “new” Nintendo, most of them are pretty quirky. The above shot is from Planet Puzzle League, which is sort of a hybrid of Bejeweled and Tetris. Also on hand was Brain Age 2, the highlight of which for me is what seems to be a mind squashing game of “guess the tune”. Lastly is Drawn To Life, a hugely interesting game which features the ability to draw your own character within sort of a side scroller. Even more interesting is the fact that you can swap the drawn characters with friends via a WiFi Connection.

No mention yet of any playable demos of Phantom Hourglass. Check back with us throughout the Memorial Day weekend as more info of that particular game should seep out of the press embargo.

nintendods, nintendomediasummit

You’d think that given the popularity of the DS, people would be at least a little familiar with what the device is and isn’t capable of.

At a recent preview screening of the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, a reporter was asked to not bring in their Nintendo DS for fear of the device being able to record the film. Which I suppose was a, um, piracy concern, appropriately enough. If there is some bizarro world where the DS is actually capable of recording video, I’d like to know about it. That would certainly be a cool little feature.

The reporter goes on in an interview to explain further inconsistencies in this policy..

“Weirdly, they did allow non-camera-equipped cell phones in - which I discovered during my lengthy argument with the security guy - meaning I could have brought my DS if I said it was a cell phone. Unfortunately this didn’t occur to me until I was hunched over my Subaru’s passenger window, waving goodbye to my little patience-maker as I abandoned it to the 300 degree heat of my car interior. (I have no games on my cell phone because I’m a snob who can’t stand dumbed-down mobile games).”

“Anyway, once I was finally granted admission to the theater - I couldn’t resist muttering I hope this movie gets pirated’ as I walked in..”

And no, that doesn’t mean that you can’t pick up At World’s End for your DS or PSP, as it’s available on pretty much every platform known to man.

potc, nintendods

What you see above may seem like an ordinary screen shot of Mario Kart DS, but seasoned veterans of the game will easily realize what the player of this paticular game is setting up to do. He or she is setting up to “snake“. This was usually referred to as “powersliding” back in my day of Mario Kart 64, but apparently the vocabulary has changed in around ten years.

If you aren’t familiar with the term, it is a method of getting a very quick speed boost in which the player slides back and forth before triggering the maneuver. It’s a trick of moderate difficulty that yields moderate results. However, many players that play the game over Nintendo WiFi seem wont to do this trick for the entirety of each track. In the opinion of this blogger, it’s incessant and annoying.

In theory, the Nintendo WiFi system pairs players together of equal skill, but it still does not seem to separate the snakers and the non-snakers. Frankly, it’s a problem that heavily segments the MKDS population into two, making the online experience pretty much unplayable for the latter half of those who partake in it. You are either a compulsive and obsessive gamer who chooses to snake the entire time, or you casually play as ideally normal. In my experience, this is a problem that presents itself in all of its hideousness nearly two thirds of the time when connecting to Nintendo WiFi. It also rears another problem. Many players, after realizing they’ve matched up with a snaker, drop out of the contest. Which of course usually leaves the snaker unable to complete the game since they are at it alone.

The point of this rant is this… We’d all do better for each other and would make the online experience worlds better if we would all practice a little more etiquette in online gameplay. There’s never a need to “own” all of the other platers because they can’t keep up with you, nor is it polite to drop out of a match that you’ve already committed to by joining. Both practices are very rude, and would make for a much more enjoyable experience for everyone if they were avoided at all costs.

mariokartds, nintendods, snaking

The initial track list for Guitar Hero III is looking mighty fine. Check it out below.

* Paint It Black (by The Rolling Stones)
* Cherub Rock (by Smashing Pumpkins)
* Sabotage (by Beastie Boys)
* The Metal (by Tenacious D)
* My Name is Jonas (by Weezer)
* Knights of Cydonia (by Muse)
* Rock And Roll All Nite (as made famous by Kiss)
* School’s Out (as made famous by Alice Cooper)
* Slow Ride (as made famous by Fog Hat)
* Cult of Personality (by Living Colour)
* Barracuda (as made famous by Heart)

But what does this have to do with this site, you may ask? Guitar Hero III has also previously been announced for the DS. That version shouldn’t hit until a little later, most likely early Spring of ‘08, but it’s safe to assume that the majority of this track list should land on that version as well. What’s probably not safe to assume is that there would be a wireless guitar accessory for the DS, which would just be a little, well you know, too much. Expect to try to do your best Joe Perry via the stylus and the touch screen.

The console version of GHIII hits this Fall, including on the Wii!

nintendods, guitarhero

The DS Browser will be hitting U.S. shelves pretty soon. June 4th, to be exact. The below video is a slightly older demo of the Japanese version that has been out for some time, but it’s very safe to assume that much of the functionality will remain the same.

From the looks of it, the software will probably look best with sites specially formatted for cell phone browsers. However, not unlike the Wii Internet Channel, some sites have jumped the curve and have already begun to offer content specially designed for the DS Browser. One of my favorites is dssites.com, which offers a ton of links to sites formatted in the bare bones style.

Know any other sites that would be good for the DS Browser? Leave a comment!

ds, dsbrowser

Like I said the other day, it seems as if there’s no end to the Final Fantasy. Even on handhelds. Two new installments will soon be on the PSP. One, a “sequel” of sorts within the Final Fantasty VII world, and another new one entitled Final Fantasy Dissidia. No, I’m not really sure what that means either. Screenshots from Famitsu are below if you wanna check it out.

Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core | Final Fantasy Dissidia

finalfantasy, psp, ffvii

It’s got more horsepower to work with, but Chains of Olympus admittedly outshines the Ninja Gaiden video posted previously.

The upcoming game supposedly is a prequel, predating both of the God of War games already available for PS2. Speaking of PS2, the visuals here arguably look as good as for that system. While no launch date has been announced, I’d be shocked if it didn’t arrive prior to the Holiday rush this Fall / Winter.

godofwar, psp

They weren’t exactly dropping the bomb, but Nintendo announced a ton of release dates for upcoming games while we were all sleeping. The most notable titles are dated later rather than sooner, with Sim City DS landing in July, Brain Age 2 in August, and Phoenix Wright 3 in September.

Also of note to Nintendo junkies is the official announcement of Metroid Prime 3 for Wii, out on August 20. No mention of Smash Bros. Brawl or Zelda: Twilight Princess yet, but those are three pretty big DS announcements that should hold us over.

ds, nintendo, dates

This Fall is going to be pretty big. Lots of big games are to be released over that period, portables and consoles. Adding to this is Ninja Gaiden DS. Which looks ‘friggin awesome.

As you can tell, you hold the DS sideways as you would with Brain Age. Controls are mixed between traditional buttons and the stylus, but with touch controls mainly controlling Ryu. As for the visuals, it’s pretty clear that the characters and some elements are 3D while much of the background is pre-rendered. Much like old school Resident Evil games. However, whatever way it’s done, it’s done right. No way around it, that there’s some incredible graphics for the little portable that could.

ninjagaiden, ds

Whoa, wait a second. That couldn’t be right. Could it?

Pocket Gamer, a UK site, is reporting that Phantom Hourglass has been seen on the Nintendo WiFi network over the past few days. Of course, this is probably relevant to the fact that the game will soon release in Japan. June 23, specifically. The site reports that the game had seen well over 100 player log ins over the past few days. They also venture a guess that the reason for this is that Japanese journalists are checking the game out for themselves in order to get review scores in.

If you are catching up and thinking “what online mode”, you are a little late. The new Zelda DS does feature some online connectivity that allows for some “capture / defend the base” modes. Some other functionality, including voice chat, has been tossed around in various rumors as well. We should know a lot more for sure once the game is out in Japan in around a month.

No, it isn’t fair that they are getting it so far ahead of us. Nor is if fair that someone is apparently playing the game right now. But Yanks can just suck it up and wait for our localized release at whatever point later this year.

zelda, nintendods, phantomhourglass