Rumble Pak for DS revealed; Metroid Prime: Hunters support touted

That's a great idea for taking advantage of the gba port.

Erm... does it strike anyone else as silly to have a device with a touch screen shake uncontrolably?

This is why they have a GBA port in the DS. the possibility for expansion is brilliant, better still how the rumble is optional. just incase you dont want to drain your batteries and all that.

Hopefully the game will be great, with a lengthy and challenging singleplayer experience.

I don't have a DS and would like to get one when they upgrade the screen to the quality of the newer GBA SP's. Question, the DS has a slot for DS game cartridges/cards AND a extra slot for GBA games? Thats what it sounds like. Makes you wonder why Nintendo and Sony didn't think of including rumble features built into the systems with a on/off switch. Hopefully all forthcoming games for the DS will offer support of the rumble pack, further solidifying the DS as the better choice for a portable system.

Thanks,
John
http://www.deliveryblog.com/

*2 Dave

Dave, man the DS won't shake that much that you won't be able to use the touch screen, Its just gives the system a more impact factor.

Boi, the DS is becoming more, AND MORE a heavy - weight class factor in everyway I mean lets look at this:

1. Touch screen

2. Dual screen

3. Micro-phone input

4. Online

5. Rumble features

Man, games can only get better from hear on, me think

It must only support some selected games. like, if you use the stylus, you can only hold the DS with one hand. It'll probably shake your hand a lot.

I'm way too curious about it not to try it out though.

any of the games that will use the rumble will most likely not use the touch screen as heavily. pinball seems like most of it will be the L and R triggers, and mario kart wouldnt use the screen much either.

I had the chance to play a build of Metroid Prime Pinball at PAX (no rumble pak at the time) and I was duly impressed. I didn't really expect to like the title, but it actually integrates Samus into a pinball game without being ridiculous, and it's got some interesting shooter mechanics built into it as well. Definitely worth a look if you have a DS.

Also, if I remember correctly, this one doesn't use the stylus, so the shaking will thankfully not be an issue.

Wow... Now the DS effectively IS the Nintendo 64!
Not complaining, though. I own one and love it. Hopefully it won't drain batteries too fast.

Ugh. First Sonic, then Pokemon, now Samus. Sonic and Pikachu, however, were cartoonish. Samus morphing into a ball and trying to hit the ramps and lit up multi-ball kind of cheapens the franchise. Wait a second, this IS Nintendo, right?

How did Link manage to only get caught up in fighting games? How has he been lucky enough to avoid Zelda Snap! or Zelda Superstar Football or some other variant?

But seriously, I always thought the Metroid franchise's sense of isolation from the rest of the Nintendo universe is what made it so spectacular. Oh well.

Correct, push2flush. I played the Metroid pinball demo and the playing surface takes up all of both screens. The only input (as far as I remember) was the shoulder buttons.

Plus, if you use it with Hunters, you'll most likely be using the little thumb pad instead of stylus...meaning you'll have a pretty good grip on the DS. That, or the rumble can be used to distract you as a penalty for getting hit.

Nintendo 64.5

Did anyone actually read what IGN thought of the Rumble Pak?

"Either our cartridge is broken, or the DS Rumble Pak is one of the noisiest Rumble Paks Nintendo has ever built. When playing Metroid Prime Pinball, we can hear the rumble mechanism more than we can feel the rumble effects in the system. It's so loud, in fact, that it sounds like a metallic "chirp" whenever the rumble is activated. We'd rather just not put it in the system at all. Good thing it's free, because at this point we wouldn't bother buying it as an extra.

This is odd because we've experienced handheld rumble in other Nintendo forms. Wario Ware Twisted GBA and Game Boy Color games like Pokemon Pinball used types of rumble that were quiet but effective in their feedback. Our Rumble Pak for the DS doesn't perform nearly as well as Nintendo's previous rumble efforts."

Uh oh. Not good.

this is a first, and luckily its optional. the reason force feedback hasnt been in handhelds before is due to the fact that you have an expensive gadget that could shake out of your hand, if youre too careless.

depending on how you hold your ds, too much sudden feedback when youre not expecting could result in you dropping it. if you sit it on a table unattended, it could very well vibrate off the table. happens with my cell phone all the time, and thats not even as strong a vibration.

"Erm... does it strike anyone else as silly to have a device with a touch screen shake uncontrolably?"

"the reason force feedback hasnt been in handhelds before is due to the fact that you have an expensive gadget that could shake out of your hand, if youre too careless."

I've used N64 rumble pack, Dual Shock, XBOX, Pokemon Pinball, etc. I've never experienced a rumble so forceful as to shake anything uncontrolably or out of my hands. Not even close. Not even close to the point where I might even start to think about worrying. Are you guys for real?

Gameboy Micro + rumble pack + haxxor = pocket toy for all females ;)

This will be a feature in Metroid Prime Hunters

This is GREAT news! The DS keeps getting better all the time (anyone else love Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow)? I wonder what else they can use the catridge slot for?

My Doom The Movie review online here:

http://www.juicycerebellum.com/200557.htm

The Gizmondo already has rumble built in :)

Apparently it sucks pretty hardcore, as a rumble pak. Penny Arcade and IGN both thought theres was broken, and neither had high praise for it. Tycho said he'd still use it, however IGN said they wouldn't get it and use it if it was seperate. So looks like a miss for Nintendo. As for the game, DG, you couldn't be more wrong. This game is getting rave previews from shocked game reviewers are actually surprised its a full great game and not just a hapless spin off. Do a bit of reading before going on your bash-fests.

It could still be an early prototype rumbler they got for review, right? I mean, I remember reading a Gamespot review of Pokemon Pinball (GBC) that said every time the thing rumbles, it shakes the system enough to make you *lose sight of the screen*.

Not even close. The rumble was perfect in the retail copies.

They can use it for VideoYan Sloopydrew, or whatever they call the currently Japan only video player for the DS.

I'm interested in seeing what else they do with this expansion port. I did not expect a rumble pack, but it seems obvious in retrospect.

Another cool thing is that it will work with your alarm, that way if you had your DS in your pocket and the volume was turned down, you can still notice the alarm is going off.

Heres a pic of the screen my DS gave me when turning on the alarm with a flash cart in the GBA slot.

http://img463.imageshack.us/img463/257/dscf05963vv.jpg

Hey does any 1 have any ideas on if there will be a 2D metroid game coming to the DS, there was apparently one being developed called Metroid 6 : Dread? THEY WERE ALL GOLDEN ! : )

They are all simply the best.