first ds hands on review:
http://cube.gamespy.com/articles/513/513341p1.html

I was hoping that after the SP, the DS would be stylish. I'm disappointed that it just looks like a shiny Game and Watch. My shallow ass loves the PSP though.

Well, IGN did say that the design wasn't final, and they were probably going to make some cosmetic changes. I wonder if they'll release it in different color schemes like everything else Nintendo. I'm hoping for a black one to match my GC and GBA SP.

The IGN writeup says there's an analog stick. Looks like the speaker (or speakers) is at the top, if you look closely you can see the little holes.

the only problem I see with the PSP, is how to protect the screen, you can see in Sony's high rez pics, there is already hair and dust on the screen, other than that it looks amazing.

Sega's "megaton" announcement is coming today...anyone know what time their press conference is?

(Sega announced they would have something totally unexpected at their press conference...)

FS

Sega and Nintendo merger? :D

As crazy as that sounds, I think they could make one of the best software developers ever if they go in together.

I thought their involvement with that Matrix game was their announcement?

http://www.beerinator.com/pspfront.jpg

Looks like a speaker to me.

No, it's something that will be announced today...

I dunno, it appears to be raised off the unit. (Check out the contour on the right side.) A speaker would be sunken in. If it is a stick it's definitely some fairly weird material.

I'll tell you guys today when I go ;-)

I hate you...:)

Can I just say how lame it is now that E3 is only weekdays? I used to be able to attend all day long on the weekend. Now I just hope I have an hour or two after work to drop by.

No it's a speaker. Check out this high-res shot to see it clearly. If Internet explorer resizes it to fit your screen just zoom it back to the original size. Damn the PSP screen in huge!

I was wondering what happened to the PSP and DS thread as well actually. It was sort of spiralling down to bashing but instead of being locked it was removed. Weird.

The PSP will be $200 at least going by Sony's target market of 18-34 year-olds with gobs of disposable income. I'll get one if it's $200 fo sho. Being able to play games and listen to MP3's and watch movies on the go will make long-haul flights much more memorable.

I'm surprised at how powerful the DS is. Although the dual screens seem to be more of a gimick at this point (who wants to get fingerprints all over their screens, or play a game with a stylus?), the graphics of the games themselves look pretty good. Especially Mario Kart, looks like this has N64 power.

Yeah I second the PSP needs an analog stick, and I think that if that is what it is on the left side, it's way too low. I could see my thumb cramping up by extending it so low when holding the PSP. I don't think it's a speaker though because there isn't one on the other side, and I would imagine this thing would be able to pump out stereo sound.

Jeremy

We'll find out today for sure, but I'd be really surprised if it had stereo sound without the headphones. It's kind of pointless in a handheld, which is why none of the Game Boys have ever bothered with more than one speaker.

I was under the impression that the bar with the holes on the top of the PSP could be a speaker? Maybe for the stereo sound they mention?

ITS NOT A SPEAKER!

That is the analog stick. The speaker holes, both of them, are there as well. there is a small oval opening to the upper left of the Home key and upper right of the Start key.

IT'S NOT A TUMAH!


That is one weird looking analog stick.

Well, its not going to stick out, otherwise it wouldn't be so easy to make portable. Its weird, yes, but hopefully very useful.

Hello everyone, check out the official E3 site. It has pictures and video of everything that is going on. I am currently watching the whole Nintendo Coference. Enjoy!!!

http://www.e3insider.com/index.htm

Sega to launch new handheld device.

E3 2004 will surely be remembered as the year of the portable gaming device. With Sony's PSP announcement and Nintendo's DS unveiling, this year's show has already had more than its fair share of portable goodness - but Sega's shock revelation that it is developing its own device must top the lot.

However, according to Yuji Naka, who unveiled the machine to shocked games industry representatives at a Sega E3 press briefing held just half an hour ago, with their new creation (code-named 'Prometheus') Sega are not attempting to directly compete with either Sony or Nintendo. 'Prometheus' is instead being billed by Sega as "the videogame equivalent of the iPod", and with the machine's pearl-white colour scheme it is obvious to see that the company wish to invoke the design-chic of Steve Jobs' ultra-popular music-playing machine. The similarities do not end there, however: rather than purchasing games from their local GameStop, gamers will download 'Prometheus' titles (called 'gamebits') from a special Sega online service which, Sega said, will operate in a similar way to Apple's iTunes software. With the use of a supplied USB cable (also white) users may then transfer up to twenty 'gamebits' on to their 'Prometheus' system's 15GB hard drive for play any time, any place.

The 'Prometheus' is roughly the same width as a CD case, and half the height. It will operate on a rechargeable battery (as yet unconfirmed as being lithium) which Sega say will last up to twenty hours. In a surprising move, in order to conserve battery power, the 'Prometheus' screen will not be backlit: a decision which we believe likely to alienate many gamers, and one inexplicable in lieu of recent technological developments which should negate such problems. Nevertheless, with the power, according to Sega, of "the Dreamcast, plus a little extra", and a genuinely innovative and cost-effective approach to game distribution, the 'Prometheus' certainly shows promise - and if the jubilant cheers and applause from the assembled journos are anything to go by, Sega's return to hardware is more than welcome.

Expect more tomorrow at the official Sega press conference where we hope to see at least footage of several potential launch titles.