Next-Generation's Eric-Jon Rössel Waugh acknowledges that the Nintendo DS is an industry-changing system, but still sees the portable console as an "unfinished project." He wrote up a wishlist of improvements that he feels would fulfill the handheld's potential, extending its shelf-life. And while we've already seen dozens of message board topics filled with wild-eyed suggestions and what-they-should-really-do ideas in the past, Eric's revisions actually sound half-way sane.So what are some of his seven steps for making a better Nintendo DS? Slap on some internal flash memory, paving the way for firmware updates and a Virtual Console setup for handheld games (GB/GBA/NGPC/etc.). Allow for an expandable, customizable system interface. Flesh out its WiFi support by integrating Pictochat and developing a unified online service.
They're all great recommendations, but one has to wonder how implementing those changes would affect the portable's retail price. The DS probably wouldn't have been such a success if it weren't for its impulse-buy pricing. Still, we would love to see Eric's suggestions make it into the handheld's next revision.
We're sure that our readers have their own ideas on what the next Nintendo DS should have. VoIP capabilities? A flux capacitor? Maybe just throw some Ds on it? Drop us a comment and let us know what you think would make a better Nintendo DS!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-22-2007 @ 12:25PM
3cubedminus3squared said...
Maybe just throw some Ds on it?
Throw some Ds +2.
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3-22-2007 @ 12:31PM
hvnlysoldr said...
Flux capacitor? Are you MAD? That there is a battery sucker. I can attest that my DS Lite was an impulse buy.
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3-22-2007 @ 12:36PM
phanboy_iv said...
Actually, I'd just like to see decent texture filtering. That's the only major gripe I have with the current DS hardware.
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3-22-2007 @ 12:43PM
Dead_Prophet said...
There is a problem with one of his suggestions. The only way to prevent the need to reset the DS after every usage is to run it's OS all the time. That drains performance.
What I think it needs, is more RAM. That seems to be the largest development hurdle at the moment. Would the system to have at least double what it currently has, the it would greatly increase the number of titles possible on the system.
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3-22-2007 @ 1:38PM
uberjoe said...
I'd rather see a portable Game Cube. The power is almost there, the game discs are small enough. And there's a huge library of games for it. Call it the Super GameBoy Advance.
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3-22-2007 @ 1:49PM
Szu said...
DS Lite Brite
It's the only inevitable outcome.
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3-22-2007 @ 2:06PM
Silver R. Wolfe said...
$140 is not an impulse buy price, that's one hundred and forty dollars or five hundred and sixty quarters or one thousand four hundred dimes or two thousand eight hundred nickels or fourteen thousand pennies!
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3-22-2007 @ 3:23PM
robzilla said...
Voip on ds? I want to use grandcentral on my ds!
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3-22-2007 @ 4:14PM
DrumbumSukka said...
Throw some D's on it!! AMAZING!!! That comment seriously made my day... lol
I like the VC idea but my only issue with all the suggestions is... how much bigger would the DS get? Now, I was a big fan of my Sega game gear (lol) but the thing was a monster and ran through juice like none other. The DS has what is best for now but when all the suggested tech gets smaller, that's when it should get added.
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3-23-2007 @ 3:07PM
SatansClause said...
So he basically wants everything on a flashcart in the DS. That'd be cool. Nintendo will have a lot of fun playing the same game as SONY and the PSP.
Yargh! There be ROMS in these here waters.
"7) Let users toy more with the system menus. The DS has a stylus – let people draw and organize. Doodle avatars for Pictochat. Doodle wallpaper. Doodle borders for windows."
Awesome idea. I f'cking love it. I want to be able to REALLY personalize my DS. Not just by adding color bars and my name. No, I want wallpapers, avatars, and borders for my GBA games.
"8) Make real, native use of the Game Boy advance slot by offering a system update cartridge that incorporates all of the above features. And maybe also serves as a rumble pak, if there's room."
Wow. That'd be one hefty cartridge. Would you like fries with that? Maybe we should throw in the whole shebang and make the DS a pocket p'ssy.
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3-23-2007 @ 8:19PM
Steve 3.2 said...
There were certainly a lot of great ideas and dreams in that article. I'd definitely like to see Nintendo expand the VC to the DS. And not just GB and GBA games. I bet the system can run NES games just fine but probably can't play SNES/Genesis stuff due to issues with the amount of RAM the system has and the LCD screen resolution. Since the DS's sleep mode doesn't take a lot of power, I don't see why they couldn't do this today if Nintendo wanted to. DL a VC game to the DS and you're all set until you turn it off! (I'll admit that it would be nice to be able to switch games and have a few stored at the same time while traveling, however.)
And a big LOL at SatansClause: "Maybe we should throw in the whole shebang and make the DS a pocket p'ssy." That would mark the official end of the PSP. ;)
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