I didn’t buy a DS for high end graphics but for unique gameplay, however I am really confused on how much raw power this system has. I have heard reports that this system is more powerful than the Nintendo 64, and other reports stating its less powerful than Nintendo 64. I know the DS doesn’t have texture filtering but how much overall graphic power does DS have? Is it better than n64 with Expansion Pak, Meteos shows that it can do FMV but n64 couldn’t . I’m confused please tell me the truth because not many DS games have looked very good compared to first generation n64 games.-Adolph Vega

It's hard to compare the systems directly, since they use very different processing architectures. They're obviously similarly powered, with the DS lacking one or two features but doing other things better than the N64 could. Your comment about FMV is sort of true, but not in the way you're probably thinking. The N64 was technically quite capable of showing FMV (see Resident Evil 2 and Pokemon Puzzle League), but it had to be done differently than on PSone due to the data streaming processes being different. The main reason N64 didn't have much FMV is storage space. DS game cards are already larger than most N64 cartridges, and they're capable of being much larger in future games.

Hello

I read the messagers from Gamefaqs forums. Xbox has

many illegal downloaded NES, SNES, N64, and Gameboy

(GB/GBC/GBA) games. The messager claimed that it

preceded Xbox 360 will have free illegal downloaded

Nintendo ROMs. I disliked its message. I do not mind

that I will pay downloaded Nintendo games for Nintendo

Revolution in near future. I have a question. How

Nintendo will stop Xbox/Xbox 360 will download illegal

Nintendo games?

Thanks, Ron

I doubt Nintendo can do much about ROM pirating on Xbox, since those ROMs are already readily available even offline. Xbox modders can share CDs full of old ROMs, for instance. Microsoft has taken some steps to thwart Xbox modders, most notably by denying them access to Xbox Live. I expect that greater steps will be taken with the 360, but I don't know the details of Microsoft's plans.

Hi,

just wanted to help clear something up regarding "Animal Crossing 2". From what I can recall it eventually turned out to be a misunderstanding, the reality was that the announcements were about Animal Forest Plus in Japan. This was the re-release/update of Animal Forest that included the extra features, i.e. e-card reader, items and NES games, that were put in the US Animal Crossing release.

Yours

Adam Gurney

That's very possible, as such comments from Japanese magazines are often misquoted and/or mistranslated. Fun related trivia: Animal Forest/Crossing was released three times in Japan with only minor differences each time. The original game was on N64 and looked and played very close to the GameCube version. Then there was the "Plus" version that you mention, which also included SD card support...the only game to do so that I know of.

Hi! I've sort of got a collection of internet celebrities who've

promised to visit my Animal Crossing DS town. Will you please visit

my town when the game comes out? Unless the internet is full of

liars, there will be loads of cool people there.

- Grady

Sure, if I get the game. I avoided the last one because I was afraid it would destroy my productivity. If you remember, we had some cool community features to go with Animal Crossing, such as a section of the forums devoted entirely to trading. Look for even more things like that when the DS version arrives.

Am I the only one who is disturbed by games like Zoo Tycoon and Age of

Empires being brought to the DS and not utilizing the touch screen in

a mouse-like way?

Zoo Tycoon was a nice little time waster on the PC, but I can't fathom

trying to draw landscapes and cages without using the stylus. Yet, in

every screen shot the touch screen only seems to be used for picking

cages and stuff. How does this make any sense? You can easily

navigate a menu with a digital pad, but drawing a rectangular cage

just screams for a stylus.

And when I heard Age of Empires was coming to the DS, I was thinking

how cool it would be to select multiple units with the stylus and give

them orders to attack or whatever. But when I played the game at E3,

it made no sense at all. The touch screen didn't seem to do anything.

Making a game use touch screen that doesn't need it may be gimmicky,

but porting a game that would actually make sense to use it, then not

using... that's just idiotic.

Rick Felice

I don't know much about Zoo Tycoon, but I played Age of Empires at E3, I too was completely confused by the game. You can use the touch screen to move units on the grid, but that feature didn't seem to work very well at the show. Hopefully they can fix that before the game is released. If you want to see how a real RTS game works on the DS, keep an eye out for Namco's Shogun Warrior. I haven't played it yet, but it looks more like the PC Age of Empires games than the DS Age of Empires does.

You have no idea how glad I am to see Planet Gamecube running at full steam again. I missed my detailed, up-to-the-minute Nintendo news. And the regular mailbags are great! Keep up the good work.

Anyways, I was curious what the chances are that the Revolution controller will be unveiled at Iwata's keynote at TGS. It would be an interesting way to come out, what with being after the XBOX360 keynote, and it doesn't seem like there are any other official events on the horizon where Nintendo could make a big bang. What are the chances?

-tomspug

Chances are good! Iwata needs to make a splash at TGS, and he won't do it by rehashing his usual speech. The theme seems to be related to the 20th anniversary of the Famicom...what better time to show off the Revolution's retro download feature?

Hello Bag,

I just realized in thinking about the next next-generation consoles that Nintendo is absolutely right in trying to steer towards creative thinking instead of good graphics (although it would be nice). If you try to think what the PS4 or Xbox 720 would how to improve on the current next generation consoles you can not without using Nintendo’s plan of innovation. The Two major aspects that Sony and Microsoft are focusing on are almost fulfilled. Graphics can get little or any better because they have already been exploited to extremes. Online play is reaching its full potential. What comes next? The path that Sony and Microsoft has chosen was to perfect the perfected aspects and get no where. They will have to innovate sometime or they will cease to draw sales on there newest game consoles of the future. Nintendo planned ahead and by doing so, can aw those, who will have steadily increasing boredom for the lack of improvement. (uhhh and to turn this statement into a question…) Rebuttal if you please.

Max (the guy who rambles on and on…did I mention I’m crazy)

P.S. Ditto (I’m assuming) of all the mailbag updates.

A disillusionment with realistic graphics is coming soon, but maybe not during this generation. It's certainly not here yet, at least not in America, which makes Nintendo's strategy extremely risky for the time being.

Hey, guys. I'm loving the whole daily mailbag thing. It shows you care.

A while ago a buddy of mine IMed me and showed me some footage of something called the "Nintendo On", which was pretty much this long video of what appeared to be some kind of virtual reality helmet. The footage looked professionally made, despite the fact that I haven't heard any official word from your website or any other source. All I have seen is the video itself. I'm not ruling out the possibility of it being some fan-made practical joke, even though the whole thing looked legit. So whats the deal? Is it top-secret, or what?

Fakety-fake-fake. It's a cool video, though! The Nintendo On thing debuted about a week before E3 in an attempt to capture people's imaginations (and perhaps some confused gossip) before Nintendo finally showed the Revolution's real form. Or at least part of it.

You know what you doing. Move mouse. You are on the way to email.