DS phone, not by Nintendo

by James Ransom-Wiley { Jan 17th 2007 at 2:55PM }

Imitation is the best form of flattery: Japanese mobile phone operator NTT DoCoMo has unveiled the Mitsubishi-built D800iDS, yes, a dual-screened celly that features a touch screen in place of a keypad. The D800i will even include a PictoChat-like utility, allowing users to exchange hand-written messages and crude drawings. As pictured, games will also be a key component of the new phone, which will debut in white, just as DS Lite did.

DS Lite has owned Japanese sales charts since its launch (the thing prints money, really). But can Nintendo's success be so easily duplicated in the mobile phone market?

Tags: Cell, Cell Phone, CellPhone, D800iDS, DoCoMo, DS, DS Lite, DsLite, Japan, Mitsubishi, Mobile, PictoChat, Touch, Touch Screen, TouchScreen

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Calviin @ Jan 17th 2007 3:17PM

Is this not something Nintendo can/would sue over?

crono141 @ Jan 17th 2007 3:20PM

Does it play DS games?

Then no.

Its not just the hardware that sells DS, but its incredibly varied software library.

Shagi @ Jan 17th 2007 3:25PM

Its not the hardware that keeps me from buying a DS its the incredibly boring software.

Matt @ Jan 17th 2007 3:44PM

Whose brilliant idea was it to set the white phone against a white background?

me @ Jan 17th 2007 3:52PM

yea i was thinking the same thing Matt.

i dont see how DS is beating the psp in the US and in Japan. I have not seen one good game that would interest anyone other than kids age 11 and under, for the DS. all of my friends have psps, and none of them are even interested in the DS, i just dont see why people buy DS over PSP.

JodyAnthony @ Jan 17th 2007 3:56PM

'me', I'm thinking people buy a DS because it is cheap and has fun games. oh and is fully backward compatable with gameboy advance, and has great battery life.

RUSKULL @ Jan 17th 2007 4:02PM

"because it is cheap and has fun games" bingo! Plus, people don't want anything too involved if they only plan to be on the bus (or wherever) for a few minutes. Zero load times + compact + simple,accessible and broader games that are fun = larger market draw.

Jonathan @ Jan 17th 2007 4:15PM

"me" - I'm 32 years old. I got rid of my PSP and am looking for a 3rd DS Lite. Why do I prefer DS over PSP?

1. Better and more games. Current favorites are Clubhouse Games, Ouendan, Mario Hoops and Phoenix Wright. Past favorites have been WarioWare, NSMB, and Mario Kart. PSP has some cool games like Ghost 'n Goblins and Taiko no Tatsujin, but the DS definitely has the superior library. Most PSP games are just half-assed versions of PS2 games that I already got tired of.

2. More portable. I can put two DS lights in my jeans (one in each pocket) and not even blink. The PSP OTOH , I need to keep it in a case to protect the screen, and I can try to jam it in my back pocket but it's heavy and makes my ass crack show (and NO ONE wants to see that!)

3. Useless features on the PSP. I'm sure some people want to load videos and MP3s on their 2GB memory stick, but I'd rather use my 30GB iPod for that. And for web browsing, I'll use my Blackberry. And for long trips, I can watch movies or surf the web on my MacBook.

4. DS Download Play - most DS games, you can play 2 player with only 1 cart. So I can play a round of almost any game with my girlfriend. Soon I plan to get a 3rd DS lite (when I can find out, they're sold out everywhere in Toronto that I've looked) so that my girlfriend's roommate can get in on the action. DS threesome's are the most fun ^_^

So in short:

1. The DS is a better games player (more portable, better library, better battery life)
2. The Blackberry is a better portable web browser (more portable, better battery life, and uses the cellphone network which is always available)
3. The iPod is a better movie/mp3 player (more portable, has way more storage)
4. The MacBook (or any laptop) is a better "take it on the road" web browser/movie watcher for longer trips (way bigger screen, full web functionality)

So why on earth would I need a PSP? Granted, not everyone has all these gadgets and maybe they have better use for a PSP's diversity. But IMO the PSP is not _really_ good at anything.

Gary @ Jan 17th 2007 4:15PM

I don't own a DS, doesn't really interest me too much. Though with games like Brain Age, New Super Mario, Final Fantasy, Metroid Prime Hunters.... zelda...

Yeah, I'm pretty sure there are plenty of games that appeal to people over the age of 11.

Szu @ Jan 17th 2007 4:21PM

For 5,

I don't know what games you looking at, becuase there are plenty of games that appeal to quite a broad audience. For example, Metriod Prime Hunters, Castlevania, Mario Kart DS, and Super Mario Bros for almost everybody. Nintendogs and Tetris DS appeals to the young female population. Brain Age series and a ton of puzzle games has a great appeal to the older generation. PSP only seems to appeals mainly to the group of males between 15 to 30. The DS also has a market in the young male audience, but the PSP doesn't have as strong a presence in the other categories.

The VF @ Jan 17th 2007 4:27PM

@ Shagi--

I figured you could afford a DS with all the money Sony's viral marketing department is paying you. How much do you make per post again?

Andrew F @ Jan 17th 2007 4:41PM

I think a phone that could actually play DS games would sell really well. I do see a lot of kids 11 and under playing on the DS, and a few adults as well, and apparently those kids are greater movers for the DS hardware.

Second what RUSKULL said. Most of the games on the PSP that I'm interested in are games that I'd rather play in front of a big TV, not on a handheld. The only other thing I might want a PSP for is the media functionality, but ya know, there's no shortage of more functional PMPs out there.

Jeremy @ Jan 17th 2007 5:04PM

@ 5 theres metroid resdent evil advance wars (no kid will figure it out)the the 2 castlevania games ff:3 ff:crystal something ff:XII relevant wings,etc

Overseas Companion @ Jan 17th 2007 5:47PM

DS I have. We make DS to use for when is time for doo doo. If you have time for doo doo, take not book, take not magazine. DS should play for you in such a time. American friends says to me Hey! I wanna play DS time! My says Okay! but not tell them I make doo doo in such a time. This is reason for one thing. Internet is ok on DS. When time for doo doo is have by you, take not computer! Take DS!

crono141 @ Jan 17th 2007 5:55PM

Wow

Shagi @ Jan 17th 2007 6:18PM

^5s Overseas Companion

V1L3 @ Jan 17th 2007 6:42PM

The phone looks like a DS, which looks like an iPod, which looks... well, yawn.

So sue me if I don't want my game console to look like an MP3 player, CD-Rom drive, PC tower or George Foreman grill. Seriously... Game consoles haven't looked cool since the Dreamcast... And at least the GameCube was a visual representation of its name.

SuicideNinja @ Jan 17th 2007 7:40PM

"i dont see how DS is beating the psp in the US and in Japan. I have not seen one good game that would interest anyone other than kids age 11 and under, for the DS."

I haven't seen one PSP game that's even worth $10. Don't bother throwing Splinter Cell, Killzone, or Syphon Filter at anyone. The first IP is better on the consoles, and the latter two aren't that fun (due to controls, like many PSP games). Not to mention they aren't really portable style games.

The DS keeps it brief, interesting, and fun. It's portability-geared games blow anything the PSP has out of the water for on-the-go gaming.

The only reason I've turned on my PSP in the last 6 months is because I bought a PS3 yesterday.

Steve @ Jan 17th 2007 9:04PM

#8. Jonathan,

You said: "But IMO the PSP is not _really_ good at anything."

I get the impression that the problem with the PSP is that it *is* good. Good at everything but great at nothing.

DAVE @ Jan 17th 2007 10:05PM

iPhone blows this out of the water.

Otsego @ Jan 17th 2007 11:35PM

yup. ill hold out for the iPhone too :) but i am an apple fanboy.

Extinction @ Jan 18th 2007 2:58AM

"The DS is a better games player"

DSs games suck. According to both metacritic and gamerankings.com PSPs games are rated higher on average.

Frankly, DSs games are so bad, mine just sits unused next to my PS3. I even have a flash cart for the DS and I still cant even find any games worth playing.

Overall, the DS is the worst system I have ever bought, and the main reason I don't want a Wii. And I loved the GBA.

Big Lou @ Jan 18th 2007 1:03PM

How can someone say the DS games suck? All I have to do is throw in Mario Kart DS and I'm drawn in for hours. That's just one of the 10 games I own and continue to play. My dad LOVES Brain Age...

The only 2 games I like for my PSP are LocoRoco and Daxter.

Marcus Byron Cheney @ Jan 18th 2007 1:17PM

Nintendo should just put a phone in the new DS

and super smash brothers the competition.

http://mbcpoetry.wordpress.com

Roonie @ Jan 18th 2007 1:36PM

"DSs games suck. According to both metacritic and gamerankings.com PSPs games are rated higher on average."

Averages can be misleading, especially considering there are more DS games than PSP games. That means there will be some crappy games on the DS, but that's ok. The whole point of the DS is to experiment, which is a direction the Wii follows. That said, there will be and there are some not so good Wii games, but then there are some like Elebits, Zelda TP, Warioware, Monkeyball, and more that are awesome _to play_.

danho @ Jan 18th 2007 1:55PM

In this day and age we will see another lawsuit come out and nintendo are bound to win.

p.s. if ur gonna start flames, dont set fire on this website. there are plenty of websited out there for your disposal.

Ryan @ Jan 18th 2007 2:01PM

Too funny. Does anyone else remember when Nintendo fanboys were talking about how their games were rated higher on average, and Sony fanboys were talking about a varied and vast selection?

Times have changed I guess.

I sold my PSP and picked up a DS Lite because:

1.) Lots more fun games - Every other week a game comes out that is pretty fun
2.) Cheaper games - 10 bucks less in the portable console maket is a BIG difference
3.) Convienince - I can finish my first mariokart race before my PSP could even load a game, plus I can just shut my screen at any time to pause... perfection.

T-bird @ Jan 18th 2007 3:53PM

#14 Overseas Companion -

Your message was hard to read, but I think I understand. So you are saying we should play with our DS when we are on the toilet? I don't know why that would be a better place than anywhere else, such as, oh... I don't know, a couch?

The only thing I can think of that you might be implying is that people don't think about using the DS on the toilet, when you think maybe they should. I see your point with the magazine, I guess, but I have never used a computer on the toilet. That said, I do have a stack of old magazines in the bathroom that may look better without.

Also, why a DS and not a PSP, or iPod even? Don't get me wrong, Mario is the sheez, but wouldn't any gadget work while one does their business??

Is anyone else a "DS pooper user"?

I myself am not in that boat yet, and haven't really thought about it until now.

pEEpiNgtoM @ Jan 18th 2007 4:17PM

I love how this turned into a PSP vs DS war even though its a thread based upon a phone

Sushi @ Jan 18th 2007 8:06PM

I'll just ignore what Gamer God has said due to the complete idiocy of his comment, but...

Speaking of 'kiddy' though, the best game on the PSP is in fact Loco Roco so make of that what you will.

Also, I just find that really strange Extinction, what games do/did you play on for the GBA?

Anyway, the only time the above phone will be an issue, is if we start seeing copies or Brain Training and other DS games on it. Until then... blah.

Zack @ Jan 19th 2007 11:58PM

It would be much cooler to just use the Nintendo DS as a WiFi phone itself:
http://voiptelephonyservice.blogspot.com/2007/01/nintendo-ds-hacks-for-free-wifi-voip.html

One of those hacks even allows "users to exchange hand-written messages and crude drawings" just like this Mitsubishi knock off.