Nintendo Shouldn't Have Shown DS Before Today
So, Nintendo DS will be introduced in North America at $149. In my opinion that’s a great price point. I kind of expected the company to go with the rumored $199, though the Game Boy Advance SP price drop made me wonder — there’s really no reason to make Game Boy cheaper except to create room for the new kid on the block.
The second hot piece of information in Nintendo’s press release is that the DS will come preloaded with ‘PictoChat’, a wireless chat application which allows up to 16 users to send each other text and drawings. It was pretty fun at E3 even with four players, especially because it allowed you to edit other users’ drawings and send them again. As an added fun factor, your DS will receive messages even when in sleep mode.
Since E3, people including myself have been saying Nintendo should build apps like this into the hardware. I doubt Nintendo specifically ‘listened to our comments’ though — enabling any DS owner to chat at any time is just common sense.
I’m not entirely happy yet, though. If Nintendo is including a built-in chat function, why not also include some PDA functionality? I know that for this to happen DS needs some more internal, writable memory, but easy to use note-taking, calculator, address book and calendar apps shouldn’t be too hard to program and could radically alter people’s perception of this machine. Who knows, maybe being a ‘PDA DS’ could stop it being banned from schools?
According to Nintendo’s fact sheet the DS also comes with a “date, time and alarm” function, another reason for me to say: why not go all the way?
I started this entry to discuss something else, though. Actually, I felt like returning from my summer break to write about this. Right now I’m glad I didn’t, because in the heat surrounding that $149 news, it doesn’t feel nearly as important.
I’m talking about the DS’s exterior design. It’s not the design itself, as I think it’s great — though I don’t like the logo and feel it should’ve been called ‘Dual-Screen’ instead of just ‘DS’. It’s not the discussion of whether Nintendo ‘listened to gamers’ with the new design either — though I’ll be quick to question whether our opinions were that important in the process. I mean, it was said right at E3 that what we were playing on were just prototypes.
What I wanted to question this summer is whether Nintendo did the right thing showing an unfinished hardware model. After E3 every website and every magazine printed pictures of a prototype without the slightest sense of style. After E3 Nintendo fans effectively hyped the wrong product.
Looks are very important to people and I’m sure many formed the wrong opinion on Nintendo’s new handheld.
But what else could Nintendo have done? It probably wanted to show DS no matter what and its engineers clearly didn’t finish the final design in time. The company is probably glad it got the point of the touch-screen accross at E3 — and it’s happily milking its momentum with regular press updates. (Is that a games line-up announcement I see at the horizon?)
Still, I maintain Nintendo shouldn’t have shown DS before today. Keeping external developers silent would’ve been tough, but coming out of nowhere with a $149 product sporting kick-ass functionality and a cool design would’ve created a far bigger splash. Launching November 21? Wow, that’s in exactly two months!
What I’m ending up writing is a broader comment on Nintendo’s business practices. Nintendo is often seen as a secretive company, but I feel it’s not nearly secretive enough. Nintendo could really learn from Apple — a company that’s got its silent periods and then, boom, suddenly announces something incredibly complete and new like the iMac G5.
Another example: at E3 Nintendo talked up ‘Mario Party 6’ and its innovative control system (“You can play it without a controller!”) without actually showing the game or the GameCube Mic. When the press release finally appeared, fans said: “It’s just a microphone.” I’m sure that, had Nintendo shut up about its future party game, fans would have said: “Hey! It’s a microphone!”
It’s the first impression that counts and if you ask me Nintendo should be more careful about the first time people hear about its future products.
September 22, 2004
Comments
I agree.. although I think the DS is a mistake anyway
Collo – 09-22-04
Why's that?
Patrick – 09-22-04
I think it's confusing. Call it a gameboy, not the third pillar named Nintendo DS. It doesn't make any sense and the consumers will be confused as a result
Collo – 09-22-04
What would your thoughts on Nintendo have been if they did keep quiet about the DS? They would have steadily sunk to the bottom of the ocean, without a splash. The momentum they would've needed to rise again could never be generated by the DS.
I agree with Collin. DS looks to be some kind of odd spasm, denying every hardware release and marketing rule in the book. There is no hype on the streets, that's a bad thing. If it would have been called GameBoy DS, the hype would've bigger then the Advance hype. Nintendo releasing the DS is like Apple quietly releasing an ugly tablet computer. :)
FRANK* – 09-22-04
I don't think Nintendo has to be more secretive in her ways to present new products.
In my opinion Niels' commentary on the presentation DS contrasts heavily with the presentation of the new Cube Zelda, which will definitely be not as revolutionary as the DS, but the Zelda presentation is way ahead of the final product.
Would DS have the same hype-effect on people if it was presented and playable roughly a year and a half before final release, just like the new Zelda or, just als Niels says, have more impact if it really wasn't released before today, just to keep the people interested because the product is released in a short period of time.
The new GTA makes good use of this, but maybe the DS will sell loads of copies, and that's all what matters right? ;-)
Steve – 09-22-04
Correction: the new zelda wasn't playable at E3 2K4, but the comment still counts
Steve – 09-22-04
I would definitely have preferred Nintendo having the new Zelda ready for release this fall. Now, it seems a bit like they had nothing better to showcase than a product still at least a year and a half away.
Nintendo (and the games industry in general) needs to break out of this forward looking pattern, instead focusing on the products that consumers can purchase in stores today. In my opinion.
Finally, I agree this 'Third Pillar' thing is confusing, but I maintain Nintendo can still play it to its advantage. We'll have to see.
Niels 't Hooft – 09-22-04
Can they built a hype in just two months? Everyone looks at the E3, a company has to be the strongest at the E3. And the DS is getting more impressive every day. Just 150 dollars, Picto-Chat... Nintendo has done everything well that it has to do well. And the PSP? It is awfully silent around it... But I can't imagine that it could get so big as the DS. Or the price must be around the 200 dollars.
Beitel – 09-22-04
I don't think believe consumers will be confused. Why would they? They can call it 'the new Nintendo' or 'the one with the two screens' or 'the new Game Boy' if they want to. No one will blaim them for that. I will be surprised if any general consumer will be getting really confused and coming to the store asking for 'the third pillar', let alone knowing what this means or should mean to him. This is just a frase Nintendo uses to cover themself and their brand towards people who work at sales or videogame media, they will not advertise it and it's not so confusing, at least not to me.
Whatever a consumer will call it, this new Game Boy has two screens, and it has a touch screen. Who cares - at this moment - that in two years time there will be a new Game Boy with superior graphics? Is that confusing right now? At this moment it doesn't matter, the question for general consumers is: buy the cheap GBA SP, buy the more expensive but not soooo expensive Nintendo DS with the double screen and the other cool features, of wait untill the Game Boy from Sony arrives, the one that also plays movies - assuming they know it's coming (of course there will be some news about the new Sony slipping in a month, and some big news announced in two months).
Nintendo hasn't spent any money on advertising the DS at this moment, and they say they will be spending a lot. Nintendo is not showing the games (they still matter, don't they?) untill ONE month before the release. Has something like this ever be done? There's no word on the street... because this new thing is not called Game Boy? Maybe this name-issue can not prefent that there will be word on the street (I live on the Esstreet in Assen, and right here the buzz is already starting) in one month time, building up towards the launch in november.
Something else: I DO believe Nintendo has evaluated the responses after public showings of the DS, and also that they kept those in the back of their minds while completing the design. I also believe that PictoChat was not to be included at first, and that the general feedback (you must! you must!) was taken into concern at the time the final decision about this was made. I know that Nintendo nowadays puts loads of money into consumer-questioning about upcoming products, and that they are asking specialized press more and more about their thoughts at public showing of new products, with the intention to evaluate and use these responses in some of their decisions (especialy hardware- and marketing-related issues). I have some little bits of inside info (nothing spectacular) to back up these thoughts.
Sorry for spelling mistakes, not used to writing in English!
Jurjen Tiersma – 09-23-04
I'll write something more detailed later on, haven't got a lot of time at the moment.
I do agree with Niels partially, though they should at least have created some buzz. A little bit like Rockstar Games. Say nothing at all, but 'help' create rumors in the world so many people will start guessing. Then, when you do announce it, you choose one magazine in each country to have the exclusive, and that way you'll get the hype going.
I mean, GTA:Advance. Announced, what was it, 4 days ago. Releasedate: 1 month. ONE MONTH! It'll definately be hyped for sure, but we can expect reviews in 2 weeks! I mean, if all games could come that quick, it'd be heaven.
Thomas – 09-23-04
Ignorance is bliss ;-)
Steve – 09-23-04
If everyone is bound to call it the new GameBoy, then why doesn't Nintendo? It will balloon the hype. Not doing it will not balloon the hype ánd it will more easily be confused with the PSP. Like Apple says: Keep it simple, stupid. PictoChat was bound to be included. It's a developers connectivity exercise application that's already paid for by the R&D department. It's worth way more when it's given away with a hardware unit as a decision-making bonus, my estimate is that it'll sell about 2-5% more units. Like tetris did the original Game Boy. And nobody is going to pay more then 15-20 $/€ for it. You know you'll only use it a couple of times in all, as there are too many restrictions to it; you need to have one or more people around you with a DS who are unsociable enough to pull out their DS in company, they need to have the application installed (see why they give it away?), they need to be able to draw with a stylus (trust me, not everybody can) and they need to be funny and entertaining. Judging from their PR photo's, Nintendo thinks 20-somethings will use PictoChat to tell their friends (who are most likely in the same room!) what time 'the game' starts, with a wrinkley smiley face next to it. Now there's a killer app for ya...FRANK* – 09-24-04
"2-5%"? And you're basing that on... what? Extensive experience in consumer electronics or gut instinct? ;) Although I agree that PC was "bound to be included", I don't really get the comparision to Tetris either, as the only similarity seems to be that you get it free with the machine. For starters, Tetris was a *licensed* *game* (as opposed to an in-house application) and it really *was* a killer app -- in fact, if you look up 'killer app' in the dictionary it may well lead you monochrome GB screenshots of Tetris. ;) I sincerely doubt Nintendo have similar expectations of PictoChat.
B2000 – 09-25-04
Pictochat will sell more units of the DS, like Tetris did the original Game Boy. That's the only comparison i made between PictoChat and Tetris. I am very aware of their differences. And i am also sure that Nintendo has different expectations of PictoChat regarding salesfigures.
I based the 2-5% on gut instinct. (My guess is that Tetris sold 10% or more of the original Game Boys.) We'll probably never know the real numbers, but if you have any that prove me wrong, please do.
FRANK* – 09-25-04
I cannot (and won't be tempted to) prove a negative, of course, I'm just wondering why anyone would be inclined to pull meaningless numbers like 2-5% extra units out of their... sleeve. ;) That Tetris was instrumental in moving Game Boy units back in the early days is a matter of videogame- historical record, although of course it is impossible to find accurate statistics. 10% seems like just another complete fabrication, though... If I were to say it's 40%, I'm just as right. ;)
B2000 – 09-27-04
But you are forgetting that a Metroid demo will be included as well, that'll ship a few units too. People love value for money. If you go into a store and see a deal where you get a console, a game demo and a built-in program for a reasonable price, I'm pretty sure you'd think about it.
Tim500 – 09-30-04
So, is it announced yet that when DS is launched in Europe that a demo of Metroid will be included? In America they will, but only a limited number of copies. Tell me if I am wrong, because I thought I read it somewhere.
Caiin – 10-01-04
Nintendo did that secretive thingie you talked about with the Game Boy Advance SP. There were some heavy rumors en nobody really expected a new Game Boy...
Maarten Jalink – 10-04-04
>>So, is it announced yet that when DS is launched in Europe that a demo of Metroid will be included? In America they will, but only a limited number of copies. Tell me if I am wrong, because I thought I read it somewhere.<<
Basically, it will only last for the first shipment of DS'. Which will most likely mean 50% of the first 4 million DS consoles being made. As the US garners enough warrant for 50% of everything usually gets shipped their way for an international release.
As to whether we'll see the same thing in Europe, well I don't intend to find out. Barring a region lock-out for the DS, I'll be importing ...
– 10-04-04
And yeah, the last post was mine ...
Tim500 – 10-09-04