Could a PortableGC be coming more likely? (this is my own thought)

[James McGeachie]

Are people completely forgetting the current Nintendo's way of thinking? This just isn't something they'd do now. I don't think it's even realistically possible yet either, at least not at a sensible price and it's been made more than apparent recently that Nintendo are all about low prices now.

 

That being said though, I'm actually really confused about where Nintendo are going to take their handhelds now. There isn't much more they can realistically do in the realm of expanding input methods. I guess for their next game boy though the gyro sensor stuff will come as standard...that is if there even is a next game boy. They said they'd like to keep the DS and Game boy brands separate, but that honestly seems almost impossible to imagine happening now. They'd leave developers awfully confused about what system to actually develop for if they release a new Game boy with PSP-esque or above visuals, but without DS controls (essentially the only reason bringing developers to the DS over the PSP).

 

The reasons for the Game Boy Micro's existance are starting to become clear to me now after typing this...their way of proving the Game Boy brand was still alive even with the DS out on the market, while at the same time stalling for more time so they can develop a way to truly evolve it.

[pedrocasilva]

No one's ruling that out (the nintendo way of thinking at the moment), I too mentioned that I don't think nintendo is attemping to make a portable GC right now, because i don't think so...

 

but questioning if it's possible tech-wise... yes, it is possible and could be done, although unlikely.

[MunKy]

Wasnt DS made to hold off PSP until the new GameBoy comes out? I heard that somewhere. Next GameBoy will likely have GC esque gfx but whether it would be a scaled down GC I just dont know.

[James McGeachie]

Wasnt DS made to hold off PSP until the new GameBoy comes out? I heard that somewhere. Next GameBoy will likely have GC esque gfx but whether it would be a scaled down GC I just dont know.

 

People originally got this idea because of the way the DS came out of nowhere and originally felt like a "rushed attempt", but with the way everything in Nintendo is coming together now, it honestly doesn't sound like this was the case at all.

 

Nintendo have the problem now that they can't release an all new handheld unless it gives people a reason to want to buy it over the PSP and slightly better visuals alone aren't going to cut it.

[pedrocasilva]

People originally got this idea because of the way the DS came out of nowhere and originally felt like a "rushed attempt", but with the way everything in Nintendo is coming together now, it honestly doesn't sound like this was the case at all.

 

Nintendo have the problem now that they can't release an all new handheld unless it gives people a reason to want to buy it over the PSP and slightly better visuals alone aren't going to cut it.

well these were true at some point in time:

 

Next Generation Game Boy

 

We don’t have any specific numbers for the next Game Boy, but we’ve got plenty of information nonetheless. Do note, this isn’t information about the DS. The next Game Boy will supposedly launch some time in 2006.

 

* The working title is "Game Boy Evolution".

* The system will have a flip-top design, similar to the GBA SP.

* Games will come on mini-discs, as opposed to cartridges.

* The graphics will be slightly better than those found on the Sega Dreamcast.

* Bluetooth wireless networking will be built in.

* The system will feature backwards compatibility, but not in the same way the GBA plays old Game Boy games. Supposedly there will be a device that will allow you to download games from their carts into a harddrive-like element of the new Game Boy. Confusing, yes, but that's all we've managed to gleam. Speculate as you like.

* The system's screen will be lit, similar to the GBA SP.

Source: http://www.n-sider.com/articleview.php?articleid=296

(this article date is: 2004/04/21)

 

It wasn't (or doesn't seem) a Gamecube portable

 

As for the underlined content... anyone recognizes the Revolution aproach there? this was way before nintendo said anything about revo playing older console games.

 

If it's still in development it won't ship in 2006, but maybe 2007 when GBA is loosing ground for PSP, nintendo knows how to cover their market, DS is a third pillar in america; not the main one (GBA still sells more), but on that view... when GB (codenamed Evo) comes out PSP may have 2/3 years of advantage at game catalog, if it was a portable gamecube this argument would be turned upside down, aswell as rape the PSP completly in the graphics department.

[demonmike04]

Holy crud... I remember reading about a gameboy called Gameboy evolution, but never saw that information for it. Im sure it may be just predictions then, Nintendo wouldnt tell us more than the codename and what the games are put on. Remember, they cant tell you exact details when it isnt finalized. Lets just wait and see...

[pedrocasilva]

Holy crud... I remember reading about a gameboy called Gameboy evolution, but never saw that information for it. Im sure it may be just predictions then, Nintendo wouldnt tell us more than the codename and what the games are put on. Remember, they cant tell you exact details when it isnt finalized. Lets just wait and see...

this much information was true back then, but just look at "gamecube next" specs, those were still true back then (although we still don't know what revo specs are now) but i'm sure lots of things changed along the way...

 

I'd say the chances are 90% that the GB Evo project is still being worked on, just like GBA (project Atlantis) was in the works even before GB Color launched.

 

DS is a third pillar alright.

[demonmike04]

Yeah, its obvious they'd be working on a new gameboy, im hoping it will have those features though.

[James McGeachie]

well these were true at some point in time:

 

Source: http://www.n-sider.com/articleview.php?articleid=296

(this article date is: 2004/04/21)

 

It wasn't (or doesn't seem) a Gamecube portable

 

.

 

 

Umm, no they weren't true, this article was nothing but rumours, n-sider.com is just a Nintendo fansite like Revo-Europe, they post rumours and speculation as much as anywhere else. I read that news at the time and although some of it seemed possible at that point, it was only a month later Iwata started going on about gameplay over graphics for Revolution at E3, they obviously already had their plans to make it much less powerful at that point, so those "Gamecube next" specs were never on the cards and neither were the GBE ones. The very idea that Nintendo using blu-ray could be possible is one of the most absurd things ever too.

 

Here's a "truth" for you: This was never true, ever.

[pedrocasilva]

Umm, no they weren't true, this article was nothing but rumours, n-sider.com is just a Nintendo fansite like Revo-Europe, they post rumours and speculation as much as anywhere else. I read that news at the time and although some of it seemed possible at that point, it was only a month later Iwata started going on about gameplay over graphics for Revolution at E3, they obviously already had their plans to make it much less powerful at that point, so those "Gamecube next" specs were never on the cards and neither were the GBE ones. The very idea that Nintendo using blu-ray could be possible is one of the most absurd things ever too.

 

Here's a "truth" for you: This was never true, ever.

no, no... they were true back then, you had two systems in development... hey, specs change, they can even change their aproach... developers will only get their final dev packs in february, is that because those were decided in the last E3? Revolution specs changed a lot, and I have no doubt there were two systems in development because, not only, no fan would come across that idea (it wouldn't make sense) as it was reffered to in more rummors, it makes sense, nintendo was still looking for what she wanted, hence a cost effective system and a more powerful system, in the end they can balance and include features from both in the final version, it's in that phase we are right now. they decided for the cost effective one.

 

now, you're telling me they even invented the term "gameboy evo"? they don't state the article is bogus, N-sider is know for having some credibility, they wouldn't get carried away and destroy that, status/credibility takes years to gain, and a article to destroy.

 

N-Sider stumbled upon some very interesting information. Let's just say we know a guy who knows another... guy... in a large Japanese… company. That's all you get. But we sat down and had a chat with this fellow, and walked away with what may well be the working specifications for Nintendo's next generation hardware. And we're not talkin' the DS, here. We've been told that the information in question is not final, but rather the current specs Nintendo is playing around with to show developers, for kits and early benchmarks.

 

(...)

We can't 100% guarantee the validity of this information. However, we aren't in the business of reporting simple rumors for the heck of it. If these benchmark specs aren't exactly accurate, they ARE at least a very good idea of what to expect.

Sorry, but I believe N-sider words more than yours, even if they don't guarantee it's 100% accurate they wouldn't publish it coming from a guy like me making rummors, and they certainly don't say "we took this info out of our asses", this was true, back then.

 

why to go out of your way and make a post to tell me this is all fake when this text I quoted now is written in the source I gave? you're only assuming it was never true, based on intuition...

[demonmike04]

Here's a "truth" for you: This was never true, ever.

 

And how would you know? It may be true, it may be false. The only people who know the true answer are Nintendo.

So please dont state your opinion as a fact, its very annoying when people do that.

[James McGeachie]

Hey, guess what, even the best of sites make mistakes and that's exactly what N-sider did, like they said, they weren't 100%. It's obvious you guys didn't even take in a thing I said either, because I didn't say N-sider invented any of it, I said they reported a rumour, as their source was spreading rumours, they just thought he was more reliable than he actually was clearly.This isn't my opinion being stated as fact, I don't do that, which is precisely why I go all over this forum shooting down when people do that, it's just plain obvious.

[pedrocasilva]

Hey, guess what, even the best of sites make mistakes and that's exactly what N-sider did, like they said, they weren't 100%. It's obvious you guys didn't even take in a thing I said either, because I didn't say N-sider invented any of it, I said they reported a rumour, as their source was spreading rumours, they just thought he was more reliable than he actually was clearly.This isn't my opinion being stated as fact, I don't do that, which is precisely why I go all over this forum shooting down when people do that, it's just plain obvious.

Oh... you seem like you are the owner of the truth now?

 

You know as much as everyone else here and you've said what was said in the article was all lies, what do you know, do you work at nintendo or something? And you go out and "shoot us" because you think we are years away of truth? what are you a knight of justice?

 

So how are you certain that was fake? all based on intuition, really... you have no other response for that... or will you state revolution will clearly not be as powerful as the others and it was never meant to be (bla,bla,bla) so this the article is fake?

 

True in a moment of time, doesn't mean it is in the present, that's the point, GB Evo and "Gamecube Next" evolved (if GB Evo was not scraped even), but those were probably their early specs. you don't need to shoot us for that, no one's saying Revolution is gonna have 2 PowerPC's at 1,8 GHz, nor that GB Evo will be in the market in 2006 for christ sake

[DCK]

No they probably were never true, but hey, who cares? Bottom line is that the Game Boy 3, due to the DS's success is likely only to release in 2008 meaning that everything they might've planned or developed before the DS's launch has been thrown away. There's no use in developing internal hardware that's only to be launched four years later.

[pedrocasilva]

No they probably were never true, but hey, who cares? Bottom line is that the Game Boy 3, due to the DS's success is likely only to release in 2008 meaning that everything they might've planned or developed before the DS's launch has been thrown away. There's no use in developing internal hardware that's only to be launched four years later.

I can agree with you although I still think those were probably true in the past, but yeah, who cares?

 

as for hardware developing cycles.. sure, from 2006 to 2008 means a total diferent technology (by moore law at least twice as powerful) but development on gamecube started it's early stages right after N64 launch, same with revolution in gamecube's launch. what I want to say is that I don't know if it is completly stalled now... but it surely mustn't have a high priority.

[DCK]

I'm thinking Nintendo might be waiting for those brand new Intel XScale processors - 1.25 GHz on an ARM-based CPU? Oh yeah baby

 

Seriously though - Sony has done good stuff with the PSP and Nintendo's pushed seriously to beat that on graphics. If the PSP would've never been there I doubt the next Game Boy would've pushed more than Cube graphics. Now it has the potential to be on par with the Revolution (I will get flamed for saying this but so what).

[Edjamakated]

So that entire discussion concluded two things:

 

1) It is technically possible.

 

2) It is smart from a business prospective.

 

 

E3 2008 is my guess for its announcement.

[demonmike04]

The gameboy brand will never die, and ofcourse it was technically possible, but Nintendo aim to have a console that is affordable to all audiences (Except from starving africans ofcourse)

[DCK]

So that entire discussion concluded two things:

 

1) It is technically possible.

 

2) It is smart from a business prospective.

 

 

E3 2008 is my guess for its announcement.

Now, now, that's not going to happen

 

Even if it's possible (I still have my doubts), making a 'real' handheld with handheld hardware would give them better results (by 2008 Revolution graphics possibly). The GameCube catalogue wouldn't give them much because the games aren't portable. The idea sounds great but in practice I doubt it'd work well.

[Owen]

Love the idea! Just think how amazing the graphics would be, like Wave Race: Blue Storm on a handheld.

 

It isn't going to happen though, i think it's too late.

 

Although something tells me, this is what Microsoft is up to with there 360 games. Creating a handheld which plays them, i buy it straight away!

 

:wink:

 

EDIT: Then again it would have to be quite a big console to fit a 360 disc in it....

[DCK]

And a battery/power supply on a trolley too.

[Edjamakated]

It wouldn't neccesarly be too late.

 

All Nintendo has to do is remind us of the incredible library that the NGC offers and how dirt cheap the games must be now.

[darkjak]

Last week I got a free gamesmag, and found something quite cool...

 

Nintendo have a working prototype of a followup to GBA, which was supposed to be unveilled during this years E3, in case the DS wouldn't sell well enough...

The question is if it is selling well enough. It's not a flop, like the Virtual boy, but the PSP is selling faster (units/month, not total ammount of sold consoles) than the DS, so we'll see if it WILL be unveilles!

[pedrocasilva]

Last week I got a free gamesmag, and found something quite cool...

 

Nintendo have a working prototype of a followup to GBA, which was supposed to be unveilled during this years E3, in case the DS wouldn't sell well enough...

The question is if it is selling well enough. It's not a flop, like the Virtual boy, but the PSP is selling faster (units/month, not total ammount of sold consoles) than the DS, so we'll see if it WILL be unveilles!

it most certainly won't be unvealed... it would steal the hype for DS games who are still going strong (like say... metroid hunters) and detract from Revolution span of atention.

 

as for PSP selling more units per month than DS... not it's not happening, there are territories were DS owns PSP every single month, in america they are pretty much equal with PSP leading by little, and GBA owning both PSP and DS... in europe, in UK I think PSP sells more, but that's about in, in france and germany the DS leads by far...

 

And, with the DS redesign it's bound to sell even better to europeans and americans than it did...

[DCK]

There's no way Nintendo goes announcing the Lite and Zelda ideas when they are going to announce a new Game Boy at the E3. There's still much to come for the DS and a Game Boy 3 is just useless for Nintendo. I think that a Game Boy 3 would be a perfect opponent for a PSP 2, but that's still years off.