Sony director of hardware marketing John Koller has suggested that the DSi might not be enough to help Nintendo widen its user base beyond a youth audience.
"Nintendo has kind of a history of these [moderate] kinds of updates, and even with DS Lite, there was a lot of discussion, 'Is that enough?' And they seemed to do pretty well there," he said.
He went on to tell Gizmodo that the DSi would likely follow in the successful footsteps of the DS Lite, sales of which have dominated the handheld market globally, but questioned whether the new portable had the potential to widen Nintendo's user base, which he said consisted mainly of children.
"Will DSi do well with [the DS's] demographic? It probably will. Will it be a product that expands their user base [beyond] under 12? I'm not sure," he added. Although, hasn't the DS demographic already expanded way beyond kids?
The DSi will feature a built-in web browser and a three megapixel camera, among other features, and will initially release in Japan on November 1, before launching in other territories next year.
I don't think Nintendo will care what Sony think as long as it keeps selling by the bucket load. A 0.3 mega pixel camera does sound like a bit of a waste of time though.
I agree to an extent that Nintendo are more kid / family-centric, but Im 30 years old with a family of my own and my DS is still a great (Guilty?) pleasure, the quality of the software and hardware cannot be faulted IMO. I keep my PS3 for "Hardcore gaming" and my DS for my zelda fix, im glad they've finally done what they should have done with the original DS and gone dual TS.
In a shock announcement today, rival brand talks smack about more successful competitor's product!
They've sold 50 million of them. 1 in 7 people in Japan owns a DS (do the maths yourself). They can't possibly be claiming that all of those are kid sales. I own one, my gf owns one, her sister and her boyfriend own one - all of us over 25.
Like any Nintendo console, it attracts a particular market which tends to lean towards the younger market. But that doesn't mean there aren't decent games out there for adults - and lot of the younger games work well for both. Soul Bubbles is well cool. Sonic Chronicles is pretty good too. Picross is ageless. The Warhammer 40k game is good. There must be plenty more.
Nintendo has kind of a history of these kinds of updates
Hmmm... Nintendo has a history of moderate updates?
Compare the diffence between the DS and DS Lite versus the PSP Slim N Lite and the PSP Old N Fat - which is the more 'moderate' update?
And how about the many 'moderate' updates for the PS1 and PS2? We have the PS2 original, then the PS2 original in silver, then the PS2 slightly smaller, then the PS2 slightly smaller in silver, now there's supposed to be a PS2 even smaller as well. What's the betting they release a silver version of that later on too?
When you're at the top of the pile looking down at the competition then maybe you should look to pass comment on your competitors massively successful hardware, Mr Koller...until then maybe concentrate on designing something to truly compete and playing catch-up!
I'm over 12 and have one...I also have a PSP...the games are better on the DS.
Also it has original games not half bottomd PS2 ports, maybe Sony should try and do some original games...although Sid Miers Pirates is the best game on the PSP!
Wahey I just contradicted myself in one post not two (it must be a record!)
I know several people with DS's - my sister being one by once she was bored with nintendogs she stopped using it and has been after a psp for ages for games like ratchet and clank - it doesn't help that me, my girlfriend, my dad and my brother all have psp's either.
The dsi won't appeal to the psp demographic and it won't be a replacement for anyone's iphone/ipod.
Removing the gb slot is certainly shooting themselves in the foot.
It just seems like an update for the sake of having an update - nothing more than to stop the ds seeming old. A bit like the new psp.
This comment just sums up the prroblem with Sony this gen. If you don't like the DS, fine, but don't make comments that are plain wrong. The DS is the biggest success this gen and it has been bought by people from all parts of society. They seem to live in a Sony coloured world where it is impossible to see the reality around them. I am convinced either Nintendo or Microsoft have infiltrated them and infected them all with a lunacy virus. This just can't be the same company that produced the mighty PS1 and PS2.
(By the way, I say this not from a Nintendo pulpit if that is what it sounds like. I only want Sony to get on with the business of making great games and consoles instead of belittling Microsoft and Nintendo's achievements. Peace man).
In a shock announcement today, rival brand talks smack about more successful competitor's product!
They've sold 50 million of them. 1 in 7 people in Japan owns a DS (do the maths yourself). They can't possibly be claiming that all of those are kid sales. I own one, my gf owns one, her sister and her boyfriend own one - all of us over 25.
Like any Nintendo console, it attracts a particular market which tends to lean towards the younger market. But that doesn't mean there aren't decent games out there for adults - and lot of the younger games work well for both. Soul Bubbles is well cool. Sonic Chronicles is pretty good too. Picross is ageless. The Warhammer 40k game is good. There must be plenty more.
Exaclty. I have a PSP and a DS. I consider the PSP a flawed piece of hardware. The screen is far too reflective, the backlit screen makes it practically impossible to play outdoors (sort of one of the points of a handheld), the screen is so slow that motion blur is quite obvious and the controls are not very ergonomic. Which is a shame as there are some great games for it. I play far more on my DS and I am 31. I would say that Nintendo have done a very good job of expanding their userbase and I would guess that a good proportion of the sales have gone to adults.
I do think they need to expand into the mid teen market a bit more but then everyone can improve.
I was hoping for a new whole new generation of Gameboy or DS though. However as long as the quality games still get released I am not that bothered.
I think this is an unfairly headlined article. Seems that Sony's comments were quite balanced and intelligent, not very well summed up by the sensationalist "DSi is another kids product" headline.
In a shock announcement today, rival brand talks smack about more successful competitor's product!
They've sold 50 million of them. 1 in 7 people in Japan owns a DS (do the maths yourself). They can't possibly be claiming that all of those are kid sales. I own one, my gf owns one, her sister and her boyfriend own one - all of us over 25.
Like any Nintendo console, it attracts a particular market which tends to lean towards the younger market. But that doesn't mean there aren't decent games out there for adults - and lot of the younger games work well for both. Soul Bubbles is well cool. Sonic Chronicles is pretty good too. Picross is ageless. The Warhammer 40k game is good. There must be plenty more.
Exaclty. I have a PSP and a DS. I consider the PSP a flawed piece of hardware. The screen is far too reflective, the backlit screen makes it practically impossible to play outdoors (sort of one of the points of a handheld), the screen is so slow that motion blur is quite obvious and the controls are not very ergonomic. Which is a shame as there are some great games for it. I play far more on my DS and I am 31. I would say that Nintendo have done a very good job of expanding their userbase and I would guess that a good proportion of the sales have gone to adults.
I do think they need to expand into the mid teen market a bit more but then everyone can improve.
I was hoping for a new whole new generation of Gameboy or DS though. However as long as the quality games still get released I am not that bothered.
i've had the psp, only 1 to share between me and my 3 kids. after a few months it gathered dust so i sold it. we have 3 ds's and by next spring we will have 3 new dsi's with an extra large screen. this is all i wanted extra on a ds which is by far a superior machine to the psp and is played with eveyday. there, from the horses mouth so to speak. 3 sold already. i cannot be the only one.
The DS userbase already expanded beyond the child demographic years ago, so this man is just wrong.
He can't really talk about moderate updates as Sony are even worse in this regard, I highly doubt the PSP would appeal at all if it weren't for custom firmware.
I think Sony are just jealous that Nintendo have upped there game by adding cameras to the DS to rival the PSP 3000 series. DS has been selling to over 12's fpr over a year for god sake. I personally have sold ds consoles to people in the 20s,30s,40s,50s,60s usually with brain training or similar. Maybe next time Make a decent handheld Sony.... or steal some ideas from Nitendo as you usually do!!
I hate sony but I have to (for once) agree with this man. Nintendo have always had a "We make games for babies" sterotype. They are like the fisherprice of gaming.
I had a DS Lite and a Wii. I sold them both because the games were stupid mini games, hardly games at all or for babies and/or girls.
I'm a man and like to play games aimed at my own age group and gender...if that means huge guns and violence so be it. I'm not going to sit and play with some colourful plumber and talking mushrooms. Same as I'm not about to sit down and watch the Tweenies...
In a shock announcement today, rival brand talks smack about more successful competitor's product!
They've sold 50 million of them. 1 in 7 people in Japan owns a DS (do the maths yourself). They can't possibly be claiming that all of those are kid sales. I own one, my gf owns one, her sister and her boyfriend own one - all of us over 25.
Like any Nintendo console, it attracts a particular market which tends to lean towards the younger market. But that doesn't mean there aren't decent games out there for adults - and lot of the younger games work well for both. Soul Bubbles is well cool. Sonic Chronicles is pretty good too. Picross is ageless. The Warhammer 40k game is good. There must be plenty more.
Exaclty. I have a PSP and a DS. I consider the PSP a flawed piece of hardware. The screen is far too reflective, the backlit screen makes it practically impossible to play outdoors (sort of one of the points of a handheld), the screen is so slow that motion blur is quite obvious and the controls are not very ergonomic. Which is a shame as there are some great games for it. I play far more on my DS and I am 31. I would say that Nintendo have done a very good job of expanding their userbase and I would guess that a good proportion of the sales have gone to adults.
I do think they need to expand into the mid teen market a bit more but then everyone can improve.
I was hoping for a new whole new generation of Gameboy or DS though. However as long as the quality games still get released I am not that bothered.
They do need to expand into the young adults/ old teens. I'm 18 years old and there is nothing that interests me on the DS. I used to own one but found very few games that I wanted to play, besides I would feel kind of embarrassed playing that thing on a college break or something.
I think they have marketed the handheld to much towards females. Look at the ads on TV for example...
I'm a man and like to play games aimed at my own age group and gender...if that means huge guns and violence so be it. I'm not going to sit and play with some colourful plumber and talking mushrooms.
I'm a man and like to play games aimed at my own age group and gender...if that means huge guns and violence so be it. I'm not going to sit and play with some colourful plumber and talking mushrooms.
Get over yourself.
I've to get over myself because I realise I'm to old to be playing games filled with talking mushrooms? You're a funny man!
I hate sony but I have to (for once) agree with this man. Nintendo have always had a "We make games for babies" sterotype. They are like the fisherprice of gaming.
I had a DS Lite and a Wii. I sold them both because the games were stupid mini games, hardly games at all or for babies and/or girls.
I'm a man and like to play games aimed at my own age group and gender...if that means huge guns and violence so be it. I'm not going to sit and play with some colourful plumber and talking mushrooms. Same as I'm not about to sit down and watch the Tweenies...
I'm a man and like to play games aimed at my own age group and gender...if that means huge guns and violence so be it. I'm not going to sit and play with some colourful plumber and talking mushrooms.
Get over yourself.
I've to get over myself because I realise I'm to old to be playing games filled with talking mushrooms? You're a funny man!
Why do you consistently show how little you actually know about games. True gamers do not care what system they are playing on or how colourful and child like or indeed how adult and gruesome a game may be. Gameplay is king and all else matters little. Graphics are just the icing on the gameplay cake. If you did not find any good games on the DS then you must not have looked very hard as there are too many to even mention! Also I would argue that the DS lite looks better than the PSP.
I'm a man and like to play games aimed at my own age group and gender...if that means huge guns and violence so be it. I'm not going to sit and play with some colourful plumber and talking mushrooms.
Get over yourself.
I've to get over myself because I realise I'm to old to be playing games filled with talking mushrooms? You're a funny man!
Either you don't know much about games or you're hiding the fact that you don't have the brain capacity to play games like Brain Training, Phoenix Wright or Professor Layton.
I'm absolutely stunned ANYONE can diss the only really really good gaming device this generation. Well done, you people with this mindset have well and truly set a new low.
I don't see how nintendo have a background for moderate updates if you compare them to sony. All you have to do is look at the difference between the PSP2000 and 3000. A slightly more colourful screen? Now if sony are saying thats a better improvment than the DS lite to DSi improvment then thats just a joke.
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