Gaming Nintendo DS

[James]

[color=#707875]Well, what you're talking about relates to the actual launch campaign in Australia.

The marketing approach they took wasn't particularly unusual, in the sense that by the time they began airing those TV ads, they had already revealed the hardware and games.

In fact, by the time they began producing those ads in Australia, Nintendo had already released N64 in Japan and North America.

In this case, we're still at an early stage. The machine is due to launch toward the end of the year in Japan and so, E3 will be our first real taste of what it offers. While we might get some small details before then...Nintendo won't even begin advertising it to the public until long after E3 concludes. [/color]

[Shinmaru]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by cloricus [/i]
[B]Really? I remember for about six months before the N64 came out they dropped heaps of hints, mainly on children?s tv after noon show?s like Amazing where the host would just keep saying (at least once a show) things like "The 64 is coming!" and "N64, will you be ready for it?" so it got kind of annoying but he would add in every so often a small touch of info about it. This was done on several shows like it and I noticed it worked very well as several friends bought it the day it came out.

So are you saying is this unlike them and just some weird marketing thing they did as a test? Noting that I?ve never paid attention to any other advertising by them so I?m unsure. [/B][/QUOTE]

They're called commercials lol. Nintendo was dropping information about the Nintendo 64 because they were closing in on the release date; you could hardly expect Nintendo to [i]not[/i] advertise the N64.

The DS is not close to being released, which is why you won't see any commercials/advertisements/what have you for it. I'm not sure as to the [i]exact[/i] reason that Nintendo released information about the DS before E3, but they must have had some reasoning behind the move - Nintendo isn't a bunch of total fools, after all :p

EDIT: Darn tricky James, choosing to post when I wanted to post lol.

[Guest cloricus]

Yes I have to agree James that sounds perfectly right and logical for them.
[quote]I'm not sure as to the exact reason that Nintendo released information about the DS before E3, but they must have had some reasoning behind the move.[/quote]That's an easy one. :) To many rumours were going around about the "mystery consol" and there just needed to be something as Nintendo was getting it because people knew something was brewing but it was being silent. For community relations it had too.

[edit - added]
Looks like you both spoke to soon, or rumours are rampant and no one is bothering to confirm. [url=http://megagames.com/news/html/console/nintendodsprice.shtml]MegaGames[/url] ran this story and in another related one they quoted; "Nintendo DS will be marketed separately from the company's existing Nintendo Game Boy Advance portable system and Nintendo GameCube home console."

[Semjaza]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by cloricus [/i]
[B]Looks like you both spoke to soon, or rumours are rampant and no one is bothering to confirm. [url=http://megagames.com/news/html/console/nintendodsprice.shtml]MegaGames[/url] ran this story and in another related one they quoted; "Nintendo DS will be marketed separately from the company's existing Nintendo Game Boy Advance portable system and Nintendo GameCube home console." [/B][/QUOTE]

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make by that or how it changes what James or Shinmaru said, but nearly every article about the subject has said that since the start (well, I can't remember if Gamespy did, but I don't exactly go there for [i]good[/i] console information). Nintendo has pretty much said that since they first mentioned their "mystery product". Hell, I even said it in my first post.

It's a new product, so of course it will be advertised seperately. It would be like Nintendo advertising something like Pokemon Mini in GameCube commercials for no real reason otherwise. It's its own seperate entity and would require it's own marketing push if Nintendo wants it to get anywhere.

[James]

[color=#707875]Precisely. Cloricus, weren't you the one who was saying that the Nintendo DS would be a successor to GBA? That's what you implied at the start. So yeah...your edit only includes what Tony confirmed to you at the beginning.

That is, Nintendo has always said that the Dual Screen would be an entirely new product, unrelated to both GCN and GBA.[/color]

[Guest cloricus]

No I was just confirming with that quote, it was separate to the top bit which was in tune with our last thread of conversation which was that they probably wouldn't leak more information. Which they have already started doing according to that story and one or two others I saw around today. My fault for not being clear and spliting the link and the quote.

[James]

[color=#707875]But Cloricus, the quote you provided from MegaGames is no indication that Nintendo are leaking information.

When Nintendo first announced the Nintendo DS, they actually specifically stated that it would be a seperate unit to GBA and GCN -- I've got the press release directly from Nintendo and that's what it says.

So yeah. That's part of the press release, as opposed to being an information leak.

EDIT: [url]http://www.gmrmagazine.com/article2/0,4364,1457657,00.asp[/url]

Although this is only a rumor, I think it's also an indicator of how little we really know about the new machine. E3 is going to be interesting.

EDIT: We now know that the Nintendo DS will include wireless LAN support...which could be very interesting. I think one of the most promising applications of the dual-screen idea relates to multiplayer gaming.

Also, the memory storage device used on the machine will be a new semiconductor-based card media. There was some debate over that originally (even though I thought that Nintendo's press release was pretty clear about it), but I guess this clears that aspect of it up.

It's also been said that Miyamoto is directly involved in software creation for the DS. If this means that he is actually taking the role of director on one or more games, it'd be the first time since the early N64 days that Miyamoto has taken such a role. So that'd be interesting.

Apparently various third parties have already signed up to develop for the machine too. Again, that kinda stuff will come out at E3 in May.[/color]

[roymund]

Cor? Another new system? I just got my GBA!!!:flaming:

Figures I'd get it just as the new ones are announced...:(

[Shinmaru]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by roymund [/i]
[B]Cor? Another new system? I just got my GBA!!!:flaming:

Figures I'd get it just as the new ones are announced...:( [/B][/QUOTE]

Well, as has been said many times, this system is most certainly NOT meant to replace the GBA and/or the GameCube. The DS will be, I presume, a stand-alone system marketed seperately from both the GBA and GameCube. Therefore, your GBA will not become obsolete due to the emergence of this new console.

[James]

[color=#707875]Not to mention the fact that the GBA SP is doing so well, that Nintendo has been pretty reluctant to talk about its successor.

So if you do happen to own a GBA/GBA SP...I don't think you have to worry about your machine becoming obsolete anytime soon.[/color]

[Erika]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=purple][i]HUH???[/i]

A dual-screen...thingamaboober? What'd ****'s Nintendo come up with [i]this[/i] time? Whatever the case, I'm curious as all hell.

What I'm concerned about most is what kind of games they're gonna have for it. That's the only reason I ever buy any kind of console. So, if it has the games I want, then I don't mind shelling out the bucks.

And multiplayer? Yeah, it wouldn't make [b]sense[/b] with one d-pad.

Maybe it's a gaming system for romantic couples. :whoops:[/color][/size]

[Semjaza]

This is just rumor at this point. There's a supposed leaked Japanese document that talks about the specs of the Nintendo DS and there is a jpg of it floating about that I've included. Of course, it's all in Japanese.

Gamesindustry.biz is a reliable site and they posted this, so it is probably worth reading. However, remember that no one knows how true any of this is as of yet.

[url]http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?section_name=dev&aid=3099[/url]

[QUOTE]Leaked Nintendo DS specs reveal touch screen, wireless LAN, 3D graphics
Rob Fahey 09:54 11/03/2004

New "Nitro" details show this to be a very different beast to the GBA

A document leaked onto the Internet purporting to be a full specification for Nintendo's forthcoming DS handheld includes features such as a touch panel input device, 802.11 wireless LAN and a 3D graphics system.

The one-page specification summary, entirely in Japanese, also provides further confirmation of many things we already knew about the DS (which has recently been revealed to have the codename "Nitro", although it's not clear whether that is purely a development codename or if it will find its way onto the final product branding).

As expected, the system will have two processors, with an ARM-9 CPU running at 67Mhz and an ARM-7 unit running at 33Mhz. Retail DS devices will have 4Mb of main RAM (while debug development units will have double that), with additional chunks of cache and shared RAM for the processors and 656Kb of video RAM.

The real surprises, however, come from things which Nintendo didn't even hint at in its original announcement. The system will possess decent 2D capabilities, but it also has a 3D graphics system which, the spec claims, is capable of drawing 120,000 polygons per second, representing a fill-rate of 30 million pixels per second.

That figure hardly puts it into the same league as the PSP for 3D performance, but it's the first time that a Nintendo handheld has featured hardware accelerated 3D, and should open up significant new possibilities for games on the device.

As, indeed, should the other two revelations on the leaked document - namely the inclusion of 802.11 wireless LAN technology (the industry standard used for wireless networking), and of a touch panel input device.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata had already indicated that the device would have wireless capabilities of some description, but most commentators expected that to be the short range Bluetooth system, rather that the much faster and longer-range 802.11 protocol. We wonder what kind of functionality Nintendo has in mind that could call for wireless connections over 50 to 100 metre distances...

Sadly no further information is given about the touch panel (the spec simply says "touch panel" in a section on input devices, where it is listed alongside the standard Nintendo handheld input system of d-pad, four buttons (A, B, L and R) and Start/Select buttons), but it seems fair to assume that one of the actual screens may be touch sensitive, which would again open up an intriguing number of possibilities for designers.

The screens themselves are marginally more high resolution than the GBA, with two 256x192 resolution panels included in the spec, compared to the 240x160 panel in the GBA. Speaking of which, there's no indication here that the system will be compatible with GBA games, as has been suggested by many commentators, but equally the possibility isn't ruled out and the system should certainly be more than capable of running GBA titles if Nintendo wishes to do so.

Of course, a single leaked screenshot of a Japanese document doesn't constitute hard proof of any description, and this document should be taken with a pinch of salt - but if it is a forgery, it's a rather good one (at least to our pidgin Japanese reading eyes). The Nintendo DS remains one of the more unusual propositions for a game console that we've seen for some time, but if the document is for real, the inclusion of 3D, wireless LAN and touch panel hardware certainly just made it a lot more interesting.[/QUOTE]

[James]

[color=#707875]IGN also posted this and they've apparently "confirmed" that it was real via their development sources within NoA. But who knows.

There is very little on this document that is particularly new, save for a few details that go slightly beyond what we were already told.[/color]

[Semjaza]

I'd say the 3D capabilities, wireless mode and the touch pad (which I've noticed IGN doesn't mention, so who knows) are rather substantial new additions lol. I don't remember any official word coming out about any of these in the past. Just baseless rumors with far less proof.

[James]

[color=#707875]The 3D capabilities were pretty well known early on, in the sense that Nintendo's original specifications led many to believe that such a feature would be possible. Of course, this document does reveal some specific numbers, but it's nothing earth shattering in terms of being a huge surprise.

Wireless mode is also nothing new. Satoru Iwata had previously confirmed that the machine would support a wireless capability of some kind (LAN was hinted at specifically).

The touch pad is new, in the sense that it's confirmed in this document. But those in the industry had already been assuming that Nintendo would use the technology, based on its joint-development partnership with a prominent touch-screen developer (though I forget which company that was).

So, some of these elements are perhaps a little clearer in this document. But there's no great revelation here, really, if you've been keeping up with the news and industry talk over recent weeks.

I will be most interested to see [i]how [/i]such technology is actually used. I think that's the critical point, and we're not too far away from hearing about it.[/color]

[Semjaza]

I've yet to read anything prior to this that would have given the idea that this system was capable of any decent 3D, other than hopes and assumptions. All that was known about it were the ARM processors, which really tells you nothing. If people were assuming that the system would be capable of decent 3D, I'd have to say it was largely a coincidence. There weren't any specs to rely on other than that, so I don't know how anyone could make a decent conclusion on the subject before now unless they simply relied on rumors and their own guesses. The point is, nothing out of Nintendo really gave that impression... to me anyway.

In terms of the LAN, the only speculation I saw about it made comments on how it would most likely be similar to the GBA's new wireless link. What this system apparently will have is far, far beyond that. I mean, for me at least, it's one thing to expect wireless communicatiosn on some level and another to find out just how far reaching it is.

Other than stuff from IGN talking about their sources ([url]http://cube.ign.com/articles/491/491120p1.html?fromint=1[/url]) and other similiar articles elsewhere, I don't know what more could be said about it. It turns out their sources were pretty much right on though.

[James]

[color=#707875]I never said that there were indications that it was capable of decent 3D or anything like that. I was pointing to the fact that [i]most [/i]people in the gaming media who were sounding off about the machine (either internally or externally) were saying that it would probably feature a 3D capability of some kind -- noteably greater than the GBA, though. I think this was probably an obvious assumption, whether it's coming from people inside the industry or outside it.

So, based on that, I'm saying that the relevation that it actually [i]will [/i]feature more significant 3D capabilities than GBA comes as no real surprise. The specifics are nice and the extent that they relate to in-game application is interesting. But I wouldn't personally say that it's any major revelation, in terms of being well beyond original expectation.

In regard to LAN, I would say that "LAN" is different to the GBA's wireless link. So what I mean to say is that there was specific talk of LAN before this document was leaked. When I read the reports on this document, I wasn't particularly surprised -- I heard what I expected to hear. So there's obviously a reason for that.

[/color]

[Semjaza]

I must have taken some of your comments wrong then, I apologize. Apparently you and I approach these things from a different mindset as it is lol.

In any case, the only thing I'm concerned about at this point is the controls. I'm not worried about the button amount, but mostly the placement. It's hard to think of a way that the buttons could be placed that would go well with two screens. I think the main issue for me is that there really is no comparison for it. Other than certain models of Game and Watch, I can't think of any other gaming device that has used two screens. It makes it hard to visualize, especially when thinking in terms of ergonomics for the buttons. (edit -- actually, I had this horrible handheld Tiger wrestling game with two screens... thank god it won't be like that lol).

I just hope that companies manage to find new and interesting ways to take advantage of this. Which would mean not just throwing a menu on one screen and the main game on another, like one of the examples given for it way back.

[James]

[font=Verdana][size=2][color=dimgray]Don't worry about it. There are a lot of factors -- for example, you wouldn't believe the kind of emails I see as a result of my position at N-Sider. Funny stuff.[/color][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=2][color=dimgray]Anyway, I'm in agreement with your other comments there. Actually, the examples that Shigeru Miyamoto gave for Nintendo DS functions are nearly identical to examples he's given for other technologies (including GBA/GCN connectivity). I'm pretty certain that these "ideas" are just talking points, to satisfy the media without giving away proprietary ideas. At least, that's the hope.[/color][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=2][color=dimgray]Various people have floated ideas about what the touch screen might do. I was thinking that they might use the touch screen as the controller interface, so that the buttons and input layouts may change based on the game. So for a golf game, you might have a D-Pad appearing on the left side of the screen, with a thumb-slider on the right side (as opposed to using regular buttons). The idea being that developers could "create" individual control setups for each game.[/color][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=2][color=dimgray]But I don't know how feasable that is. It really depends on the screen's surface in particular. And I don't know how great it'd be to press something without that satisfying "click" and down/up motion.[/color][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=2][color=dimgray]Still, I'm sure that there are many interesting ways that it can be used. Obviously the touch screen aspect is something that has a wide variety of possible applications. It'll be interesting to see how Nintendo approaches that.[/color][/size][/font]

[Semjaza]

That would be a really interesting idea, if it could be pulled off.

The spec sheet gives the impression that there will be actual buttons on the system, so I assume nothing that complex would be needed on the touch screen. However, the good thing about that is that it opens up the screen for more interesting/proprietary control systems. The developer wouldn't be bogged down by having to stick a d-pad and basic action buttons on the screen.

However, even if it were the case... they could easily make the screen context sensitive, which would take care of any space issues, I'd think. Meaning, that in situations where you don't need the d-pad or certain commands, they could be replaced with other commands on the touch screen. I figure that would easily rectify issues where a developer would want or need many commands on the touch screen... that way it wouldn't be too crowded. Hopefully I'm being clear enough lol.

Honestly, if random people not involved with Nintendo can come up with ways to use it that interest me... than I assume Nintendo itself would have no problem. This doesn't really seem to have the same basic flaws in its design like the GBA to GCN connectivity did. With that, I really cannot think of any feasible things that could be done with it past what Four Swords or Roll-a-Rama are attempting to do. I've not come across many people who can come up with really interesting and innovative ways to work with the GBA connection and the developer response seems to be the same based on connectivity capable games I've played.

This seems to much more open. There's more freedom. I hope most developers take advantage of that. Some of the bigger Japanese developers seem overly excited, so I'm optimistic.

[James]

[color=#707875]Yeah, I think you're hitting the nail on the head there. We could be talking about in-game menus appearing on the touch screen, or we could be talking about a first person game where you touch something to get a closer look at it...or we could be talking about a puzzle game where you move blocks around with your fingers, etc.

There are so many possibilities, it seems almost endless. ^_^

In my opinion, the main problem with GBA/GCN connectivity is simply price. And really, it's a viscious cycle. What company is going to make a game that requires use of the GBA (other than Square-Enix lol)? Very few. Even with FFCC, you don't really [i]need [/i]the GBA to play, as such.

It's simply unrealistic to expect people to buy a GameCube, a game and [i]four [/i]GBAs for that one game. It's not going to happen.

And because of the lack of interest in that idea, developers themselves are only including token connectivity features, rather than actually taking full advantage of the technology. There are very, very few games that even attempt to do something worthwhile with connectivity -- and those games are really all Nintendo's own stuff. Right now it's a novelty, rather than anything substantial.

So, yes, in the case of DS, we're talking about a much more fundamental feature. If the excitement of Japanese developers translates into actual game production, I think we all have something great to look forward to.[/color]

[Guest ScirosDarkblade]

Frankly I'm most concerned with how many developers they'll be able to get on board and actually makes games for the DS. After all, there are only so many good developers out there, and soon they'll have not just the GBA to work with but the DS and the PSP, and all three require completely different dev packages. Additionally, there aren't many game types that would really benefit from 2 screens as opposed to picture-in-picture, so I'm wondering how long a sense of "innovation" will really last.

If you ask me Nintendo is making a mistake with working on the DS rather than a straight-up competitor to the PSP with staggerinly high graphics capabilities or something. ...Well competition with the PSP is a very tricky thing, so I'm not gonna try to say how they should go about it.

Here's the thing. Rather than "excited" about the DS, everyone is ambivalent. And that's not a good thing from an economic standpoint. It's like Zelda: Wind Waker. Nintendo thinks that people have enough faith in them that they'll hold off judgement until they see and try everything. They're wrong. In fact, I'll go so far as to say that Nintendo has the business sense of a tarantula. I'm hoping they'll figure that out and do something about it before it's too late.

[James]

[quote]Additionally, there aren't many game types that would really benefit from 2 screens as opposed to picture-in-picture, so I'm wondering how long a sense of "innovation" will really last.
[/quote]
[color=#707875]The thing is, people are already making assumptions about what the twin-screen solution means. Don't be surprised to see something relatively left-field at E3.[/color]

[quote]If you ask me Nintendo is making a mistake with working on the DS rather than a straight-up competitor to the PSP with staggerinly high graphics capabilities or something. ...Well competition with the PSP is a very tricky thing, so I'm not gonna try to say how they should go about it.
[/quote]
[color=#707875]I would say that they aren't competing with PSP at all, really. Or with GBA. I know that this tends to seem like a cop-out, but I think it's fair.

Bear in mind that the DS is designed to play particular kinds of games -- games that are designed for the DS's unique hardware. The PSP is essentially just a portable PlayStation 2 -- so there's no actual attempt to generate new kinds of gameplay with the device.

I'm not saying that this is a good or bad thing, it just means that DS and PSP are two different machines. I think this will become very clear when the unit is unveiled.[/color]

[quote]Here's the thing. Rather than "excited" about the DS, everyone is ambivalent. And that's not a good thing from an economic standpoint. It's like Zelda: Wind Waker. Nintendo thinks that people have enough faith in them that they'll hold off judgement until they see and try everything. They're wrong. In fact, I'll go so far as to say that Nintendo has the business sense of a tarantula. I'm hoping they'll figure that out and do something about it before it's too late.[/quote]
[color=#707875]Well, surely nobody would question Nintendo's business sense. They didn't become the most profitable video game company on the planet by accident, afterall. And Satoru Iwata has an almost unprecedented business acumen.

The thing is, the public don't know a lot about the DS right now. We have very little information. It's only a few developers who have some more hard details.

And if you read what they've been saying (especially the big Japanese developers), you'll know that most of them are quite excited about this new machine. Again, that excitement doesn't exist for no reason. They've seen stuff that we don't yet know about. [/color]

[Guest ScirosDarkblade]

I'm not sure if Nintendo is any longer the most profitable video game company out there. In fact I'm almost sure it's beat out by Sony, Microsoft's entertainment arm (even if only barely... well I don't know how much profit Microsoft brings in as opposed to just sales), and something like EA. (though if we consider only handhelds... well then yeah Nintendo is king for now)

I know Nintendo is not competing with the PSP at all, that was a given. I just think maybe they should, or eventually the PSP may dominate the handheld market just like Playstation stole the console market from Nintendo.

I'm not going to speculate as to what kind of games they'll make for the DS; it doesn't really matter. But I think it's fair to say that nothing less than a dual-screened Metroid or Zelda title is going to get the DS off the ground and even near the GBA sp. Or maybe a Pokemon title. Also, I think that if it was Microsoft who had announced a DS-type system, we'd all be saying "those idiots! They don't know what the heck is going on. First they buy Rare and have it make games for the GBA, now they make a dual-screened handheld. Good luck morons!" But it's Nintendo, which is the only reason I'm still interested in it. Let's hope it goes well. Nintendo says that if the DS fails they'll be "crushed," and I don't want that to happen. Well, unless the Zelda team goes over to Xbox and starts making Zelda games for them. Them and HAL. And the Mario Kart guys. That's fine. I'll have one less console to buy.

[James]

[quote]I'm not sure if Nintendo is any longer the most profitable video game company out there. In fact I'm almost sure it's beat out by Sony, Microsoft's entertainment arm (even if only barely... well I don't know how much profit Microsoft brings in as opposed to just sales), and something like EA. (though if we consider only handhelds... well then yeah Nintendo is king for now)
[/quote][color=#707875]Well, up until recently, Sony has been making net losses on each PS2 unit sold. And Microsoft still makes net losses on both Xbox hardware sales and the Xbox Live service.[/color]

[quote]I know Nintendo is not competing with the PSP at all, that was a given. I just think maybe they should, or eventually the PSP may dominate the handheld market just like Playstation stole the console market from Nintendo.
[/quote][color=#707875]Well, I think that there are a few factors here. For one thing, the market is probably large enough to support multiple hardware manufacturers. And the PSP will probably attract a lot of customers to that market, which had previously never owned a Game Boy or other handheld system. I wouldn't be surprised if that happened.

Moreover, let's remember that when DS is released, Nintendo is likely to reduce the GBA/SP's price. So, the GBA will end up being quite a cheap variant (with hundreds of games available), with the DS being the slightly more mid-level variant, in terms of price. Nobody knows how much PSP will cost, but it will probably cost more than the DS by a significant amount.

And then, if you look at the success of things like Famicom Mini (very simple repackaged NES games on GBA), you can see that Nintendo still has huge pull in that market. Remember that Sega tried to hit the market with their Game Gear (superior graphics, backlit screen, TV tuner) and they did a nose dive. I know that PSP is obviously not the same thing, but at the same time, better technology does not always equate to superior sales power.[/color]

[quote]But I think it's fair to say that nothing less than a dual-screened Metroid or Zelda title is going to get the DS off the ground and even near the GBA sp. Or maybe a Pokemon title.[/quote][color=#707875]Oh of course, the DS is going to need to have titles that will suck people in. Whether or not these games use an exciting license is anyone's guess, really. I'm sure that Nintendo will continue to rely on its staple characters, but at the same time, these characters will probably be used to introduce new gameplay concepts.

I think that a game like Pokemon (something that many people said would totally fail in the west) is an example of what a simple concept can achieve. If the concept is good and if the games are great, the DS will do well.[/color]

[quote]Also, I think that if it was Microsoft who had announced a DS-type system, we'd all be saying "those idiots! They don't know what the heck is going on. First they buy Rare and have it make games for the GBA, now they make a dual-screened handheld. Good luck morons!" But it's Nintendo, which is the only reason I'm still interested in it.[/quote][color=#707875]That's probably true. But I think there's logic behind that; Microsoft is still a relatively unproven entity in the video game industry. Yes, they've been publishing PC titles for years now. But they've never been known as a particularly innovative video game company or anything like that. And Xbox hasn't been the runaway success that they expected.

Having said that, I don't think that Microsoft [i]should [/i]be treated with less seriousness than Nintendo. If MS had made this announcement instead of Nintendo, I'd still be interested in learning more. But obviously, Nintendo has the track record of innovation and understanding when it comes to game design.[/color]

[quote]Nintendo says that if the DS fails they'll be "crushed," and I don't want that to happen.[/quote][color=#707875]Well, Yamauchi said something akin to "if it does well, we'll be soaring in heaven, if it does badly, we'll sink to hell". I don't think he was speaking literally -- even if DS were a total failure, there is absolutely no way that Nintendo would somehow sink as a result. Nintendo is an enormous company with billions of dollars in the bank. The DS isn't going to drag 'em down, should it fail.

I think that Yamauchi's comments probably reflect Nintendo's overall philosophies though. If the DS totally and utterly fails, this would presumably be an indication that Nintendo's attempts to "revive" game innovation in the industry have failed. And therefore, the idea that people need to be fed a constant stream of me-too GTA clones every year will probably be justified to some extent.
[/color]