Looking at the current boom of touch screen smartphone games. I can't help but feel the DS was ahead of it's time, moreso than other Nintendo platforms. It was the first gaming device to get touch screen gaming right. It was one of the first systems with a built-in microphone, one of the first 3D capable handheld systems, one of the first gaming platforms to take advantage of the then new Wi-Fi internet format, and the DSi was the first to popularize the dual camera setup. Many of these things are now standard on every mobile device on the market. Plus, the DS paved the way for the casual gaming audience, introduced things like Brain Age wich are now a dime a dozen on iOS and Android. And made refinements to genres like puzzle games and strategy games thanks to it's touch screen interface. So what do you think?
Speaking solely on Nintendo here, I still think the Nintendo DS is ahead of its time even with the existence of the 3DS and Wii U, as they seem to not be able to execute the dual screen concept as well. Games like Sonic Rush, Contra 4, Phantom Hourglass, Bowser's Inside Story...that made use of both screens for a wider presentation cannot exist on the 3DS or Wii U due to how the hardware has the screens set up. The Nintendo DS really, to me, is one of the most advanced gaming systems I've had the pleasure of having, not in graphics or the like, but in terms of how it could present its experiences and the overall creativity that could be done with the machine for gameplay.
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The DS was definitely the tablet before the tablet. While it was the PS2 of handhelds, it also had Brain Trainers, Sudoku, list of recipies, language learning tutorials, and more. While smartphones and tablets have all of the stuff that made the DS so appealing to casuals now, the DS still had this stuff first.
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I feel that the DS and the Wii were both harbingers of huge changes within not only the gaming industry, but the electronic entertainment industry as a whole.
I think the Wii takes that place, it was just incredible. The DS was the first step, and turned out to an excellent system, but Wii took it even further, incorporating not just one but a wide variety of new and well-thought concepts into the console. If Wii hadn't existed, and it came out now as the 'NX', with some slight modifications, it would still be a futuristic and forward-looking system!
The DS had everything. Everything. Virtually every genre under the sun was covered. I'm actually really bummed at the sheer lack of genre coverage on 3DS. The fact that all DS games had to be released at retail meant that publishers and developers were willing to take greater risks in order to attract customers and justify the relatively high price tag of games. Plus, without the ability to patch games later, developers had to get it right the first time (which is the best thing about packaged software IMO before developers became complacent and now "patch" buggy titles at their leisure thanks to digital storefronts).
I would easily and quite willing pay big bucks for a product for a Nintendo platform, but I cannot justify even quarter of the price for equivalents on mobile platforms. Any idiot can release their crappy software on mobile. Hell, even I've entertained the idea of making shovelware of my own as it looks so easy. When publishing for Nintendo, particularly the DS, developers had to invest in their product and adhere to a quality control process (however lenient Nintendo may be, there was a standard in place), something that mobile developers are not required to adhere to.
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I'm not sure if you can give Nintendo credit for all of those things. The PSP did launch in Japan in the same month so it's not like Nintendo were the only ones doing some of that stuff. Online multiplayer on a portable and 3D visuals on a portable the DS didn't push by itself. The thing the DS did right was touch screen gaming and a solid execution with the hardware.
When you think about it Sony and Nintendo approached it like they have always approached it. Sony sacrificed the user experience (load times, battery) so they could deliver a high spec multi-media experience. Nintendo made a toy you could play with that was cheap enough everyone and their Mum could get one. That was the genius of the DS.
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I am going to throw in my two cents here and offer a different perspective. When I first read this question my mind immediately went to the Virtual Boy. When something is ahead of its time that is typically a compliment... But it is also commonly used to describe something that failed because it was too soon to be done correctly or be appreciated. The Virtual Boy was both. It was just too early to attempt something like that.
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When publishing for Nintendo, particularly the DS, developers had to invest in their product and adhere to a quality control process (however lenient Nintendo may be, there was a standard in place), something that mobile developers are not required to adhere to.
There were still crappy games on the DS. Over the years it became as much as a shovelware haven as mobiles. Developers seemed to think it was acceptable to throw four or five mini-games onto a cartridge that would be little content even for a eshop game, and release it for full price.
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Topic: Was the DS Nintendo's most "ahead of it's time" system?
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