Gameboy's End

http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/708/708063p1.html

Quote:

May 11, 2006 - In an interview with Reuter's yesterday, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said there may not be a successor to the Game Boy Advance.



"I would have a second thought about using our resources on what would be the next generation of Game Boy Advance, considering the strong support DS is now enjoying," Iwata said. "The Japanese game market is now evolving around DS. We don't need to do something that will pour cold water on the situation."

The news is significant as the Game Boy is the longest-running game system ever. Launched in 1989, the Boy and its many iterations have sold over 120 million units.

At its E3 booth this year, Nintendo is not showing any Game Boy or Gamecube games.

Hmm. I suppose it makes sense what with all the support going on for the DS. It was a gutsy move to not give it the successful GB brand and try something new after all. Comments?

How ya doing, buddy?

Once the DS became a success, this was inevitable. Nintendo kept saying that the DS was their third pillar as support for the GBA just kept dwindling and dwindling. They may have honestly believed that the two could successfully co-exist at first, but in the end they should have known how this would turn out.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by SILBER-3

Once the DS became a success, this was inevitable. Nintendo kept saying that the DS was their third pillar as support for the GBA just kept dwindling and dwindling. They may have honestly believed that the two could successfully co-exist at first, but in the end they should have known how this would turn out.

Actually, it's probably more like they used that as an excuse for if the DS bombed.

However, they are enjoying sucess with it, so why progress the GB line?

- WraithTwo -

How ya doing, buddy?

Good. I was actually hoping this would be apart of the E3 press conference and when Miyamoto came out in a tux I was expecting him to hold a funeral for Gameboy.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I hope that now with the Gameboy's departure, the DS can now serve to not only provide games that are innovative in nature, but to also provide the traditional-type games that have enjoyed their success on the GBA.

With the focus of the handheld market solely on the DS and not on both DS and GBA, Nintendo can now (hopefully) create a handheld that is not just innovative, but with true technical and graphical prowess.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Games like Mario Bros, Advance Wars, Castlevania, Mario kart, Sonic Rush and Tetris arn't traditional?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Sorry, I meant "with traditional gameplay". There are the few that are on the DS, but in reality, when developers wanted to create a traditional-style game, they usually turned to the GBA.

FELIPE NO

Nintendo, President Iwata, allow me to let you in on a little secret. THE DS IS THE SUCCESSOR TO THE GAME BOY ADVANCE. Just because it doesn't have "Game Boy" printed on it and you don't refer to it as a "Game Boy Anything", it's still a handheld game device made by Nintendo. I ask you, what's in a name?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Vulpes_Callidus

Sorry, I meant "with traditional gameplay". There are the few that are on the DS, but in reality, when developers wanted to create a traditional-style game, they usually turned to the GBA.

I think you mean platformers. Traditional gameplay usually means pushing buttons, which you do in a lot of DS games.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Well, it wasn't surprising, but I never expected Iwata to say it openly. The GB/GBA life was a good one, it opened up doors to many new franchises. I bid thee farewell.

..And I hope the next DS will be able to support GBA multiplayer, or something..

There's nowhere I can't reach.

This is a moot point, to me. They could have called it the "Gameboy DS" and then that would have been a continuation of the Gameboy, technically.

I consider the SNES to be a different system than the NES, and therefore consider the GBA a different system than the GB.

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Yeah, what speculative said.

Unless this topic is to pay dues to the name in itself :/

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by WraithTwo

Actually, it's probably more like they used that as an excuse for if the DS bombed.

However, they are enjoying sucess with it, so why progress the GB line?

- WraithTwo -

That's what I thought too. I don't think anyone but Nintendo really saw the DS as anything more than a successor to the Gameboy. All their "it's neither a handheld nor a console nor a successor or competitor to the Gameboy" talk was PR cover in the event that it didn't do well. About the only thing it doesn't do that a "traditional" Gameboy brand would is play all previous Gameboy games, since it only works with Advance games. I guess a Game Boy Color and a DS would be the best combo, since the only advantages the GBA had over the DS was it's size and price (both of which are things that the DS is improving on).

I'm actually glad to see support going to the DS, there really isn't anything that GBA did better once the DS and PSP were out. It was sort of the budget option like the PS1 was once the PS2 was out. They seemed to reach a bit of a dead end with the GBA not long after it was released, while the DS looks like it's options are expanding more and more with every passing day. It's nice to see the handheld market finally picking up again after being stagnant for nearly 10 years

I was speaking idiomatically.

Well the last few hurrahs for GBA are FFV, FFVI, and Mother 3. As soon as Mother 3 makes it's way over here I'm plenty fine with saying Gameboy has it's great run come to an end. You'll still see support for it I'm sure with licensed and budget games and such but from the people that count it's time to fully support the DS. Good times.

NOW GET MOTHER 3 OVER HERE, NINTENDO. WHY DID YOU NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT AT E3, DAMN IT?

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Good Nintendo.

I see no reason for them to make a new gameboy. It would probably be just like the PSP with a different library of games. I think it is best they continue to compete with the Sony PSP through the DS alone since it already offers a totally different style of gaming that the PSP cannot offer.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by speculative

They could have called it the "Gameboy DS" and then that would have been a continuation of the Gameboy, technically.

Agreed.

The DS is backwards compatable, so it serves the same purpose. I just wonder how many DS successors will support pre-DS games. Only when the "Gameboy" games are no longer supported will the lineage truly die.

How ya doing, buddy?

Quote:

I guess a Game Boy Color and a DS would be the best combo, since the only advantages the GBA had over the DS was it's size and price (both of which are things that the DS is improving on).

Backlighting. I dunno about you, but I think I am pretty content being able to play games without having to be either (A. outside or (B. shining 23 different lights over my head to see what the fuck I am doing on the screen.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

How is it not a successor? It does everything the GBA did and more. Sounds like a successor to me. And I think I remember it was given a temp name in some countries of Nintendo Gameboy Advance DS.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I'm confused by this discussion. I thought the Nintendo DS was the successor to the Gameboy Advance? I'm totally baffled here. I didn't really expect a new gameboy; in my eyes the DS is the new Gameboy. Why would someone have to announce that there wouldn't be a new Gameboy.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by kuttlas

How is it not a successor? It does everything the GBA did and more.

Well, it can't play Gameboy and Gameboy Color games like the GBA does, so technically it doesn't do everything the GBA did.

And Eleo, Nintendo has stated in the past that the DS isn't a successor to the Gameboy, but its own entity aside from it. Of course, no one really believed this, and this new statement from Nintendo basically confirms this.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Eleo

I'm confused by this discussion. I thought the Nintendo DS was the successor to the Gameboy Advance? I'm totally baffled here. I didn't really expect a new gameboy; in my eyes the DS is the new Gameboy. Why would someone have to announce that there wouldn't be a new Gameboy.

Because if you follow Nintendo then you'd know about what Nintendo had set up to be three pillars - the GBA line, the cube/Wii, and the DS. They kept that going since they announced the DS. This talk is basically Nintendo saying they're giving on giving most of their support to the GBA pillar which makes sense since the DS was very, very successful. They'll obviously still put out more GBA SP's if the market keeps buying them and the developers will still make games for the platform if people keep buying them. However, this is just a passing confirmation of what we've seen a gradual progression towards.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Eleo

I'm confused by this discussion. I thought the Nintendo DS was the successor to the Gameboy Advance? I'm totally baffled here. I didn't really expect a new gameboy; in my eyes the DS is the new Gameboy. Why would someone have to announce that there wouldn't be a new Gameboy.

The thing is, you and virtually every other consumer out there thought the same. To us, it's pretty obvious that the DS is more or less Nintendo's next generation handheld, like the GBA was to the GB. But Nintendo stated repeatedly that the DS was NOT a successor to the Gameboy series, and that it was "neither a handheld nor a console" and that it wasn't competing with the GBA. Well, we all know that's a load of bull, but in the event that the DS didn't do so well (they were especially cautious after the Virtual Boy), they could write it off as a failure without tarnishing the Gameboy name.

I think they were actually doing R&D on a new Gameboy, but it would've been pointless to release it. It WOULD have just ended up competing with the DS more than the PSP anyway, so all they'd have done is split their userbase between two devices that share many of the same traits anyway. The DS has enough features to last a while anyway, there isn't much more they could add to a handheld short of adding PSP quality graphics and media features. I have to say that the system's raw processing power is a bit low, seems like a small step below the PS1 as far as speed is concerned, but I guess it would've cost quite a bit more to add to a handheld.

As it so happens, I just bought a DS today. I must say I'm impressed, it's a spiffy little device. Quite a few cool features and options on it, and I'm looking forward to trying out more games on it that I was interested in but never was able to play until now like Tetris DS and Nintendogs. I just wish games didn't cost so much on it. Mario 64 DS is still $30 after nearly two years? Console games aren't that expensive after being out for that long! It's cheaper than PSP games, but it still seems like there should be some decent budget games by now.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I don't understand this....the GB color was a new one...then advance was different, using a more powerful system, then DS.....etc.

Each (brick, pocket, color....) are different ones. :\

FELIPE NO

Nintendo is retarded for pretending like the DS isn't the new Gameboy. Just like Gameboy Color could play regular Gameboy games, just like Gameboy Advance could play Gameboy Color games, the DS can play Gameboy Advance games and its own games as well, and it's only logical to conclude the DS is the new Gameboy. Now, if they Gameboy Advance and DS had come out simultaneously or nearly so, then I could believe that the DS was not meant to be the successor... But come on.

This is the same as Nintendo trying to play like the Gamecube and Wii are to be side by side. If there's some kind of backwards compatibility implemented then it's the successor whether you say so or not.

And like I said, it makes no sense to announce that there would be no new Gameboy. How could a new Gameboy be separate-but-equal to the DS?

Coming soon: "Hey guys, by the way, there's not going to be a SNES."

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Dude, it's not an announcement really. It was just a passing, "Yeah, we aren't supporting the GBA as much anymore. The DS is the future of our handhelds."

Stop blowing it out of fucking proportion.

Jam it back in, in the dark.