Well this is just crazy talk. I'm not a Mac lover by any means, but I recognize a fine product in the IPOD, as do many others.

Back to the original post, the DS at $150 sounds about right. We could all probably agree that the GBA is priced just about right, so with all these added features, shouldn't the cost of the newer DS be higher?

Doesn't the GBA SP have good third party support? The Gamecube is one thing but I thought Nintendo had great support in the handheld market especially considering its still the only game in town (not counting n-gage).

In the end it will all come down to the games, I don't think Nintendo is screwed in the handheld market against the PSP. Also the fact that the PS2 is outselling the cube big time doesn't indicate that Sony can do the same in the handheld market. I also don't think Sony will be able to debut the PSP at $200.

But how can you compare the XBOX to the handheld systems, I don't want a handheld system, but I don't think people decide between consoles and handhelds, they are seperate. If you have no use for a handheld then of course the price looks ridiculous compared to the XBOX, OR THE PS2 OR THE GAMECUBE.

This is actually the one game that may prompt me to buy this system as well. Is there any further information about it? Is it just a rehash of the GCN game, or a sequel, or a new game altogether?

I'm rather surprised that this isn't a game franchise that they've milked, yet... I still haven't heard any rumblings of an AC2 on GCN, and it would take very little to improve it (although perhaps the main upgrade they could do, making it online, would seem to be out of Nintendo's scope).

How do you figure? I can definitely see the SP described as "Game Boy 1.5," but not the DS. Looking beyond the simple fact that it has TWO SCREENS, it features wireless connectivity, a touchscreen, a microphone, significantly upgraded hardware under the hood, and more. It's a completely different animal. And Nintendo has never refered to it as anything else. In fact, they still insist that this is not a successor to the GBA but a "third pillar." Still not sure I believe that one, but there are more than enough changes to call this a completely new console.

The PS2 changed little from the PS1. Essentially it was just a faster processor, better graphics, and a larger storage medium. The controller didn't even change. But I doubt you'd call it the PS1.5.

A new Animal Crossing is probably my number one most wanted game right now. What I loved about it was you could check in every day, run some errands and take care of things and then be done with it. Or you could find stuff to do from hourse. Either way, it was fun. It didn't dominate my time, and yet I still loved it and craved playing it. I loved leaving notes and gifts for my wife and receiving the same. It was relaxing and charming in a way no other game before has been. It's just a great, great game and a portable version would be awesome.

The biggest upgrade I've heard they're going to include in the DS version is the ability to be in town simultaneously with other players. Whether that means Internet connectivity or just hooking up with other DS owners, it's a cool idea.

The PC. You know someone will make a emulator for it.

Ok, calling it a GBA1.5 was harsh, as it is a completely different system. It's just that Nintendo's wording makes it seem more like a placeholder than a new system... why not just call it the successor to the Gameboy unless you have something else cooking that's gonna be released soon after?

So what you're saying is beause you can steal it, it's not worth paying for? Interesting.

Say what!? Did you read what I replyed too? He said what other hardware can do this and I said PC. The hell you get the idea I'm ok with stealing?

I can't think of a single third party game that I enjoyed half as much as I did Wario Ware or Advance Wars; even the GBA Castlevanias pale in comparison. Minnish Cap might very well change that, though.

I think there is definitely a GBA2 in the works. Who knows when it will hit the market. I think the success or failure of the DS will definitely effect when a GBA2 is released and what features it has. So completely separate is probably not 100% accurate when talking about the DS.

That sounded like way more than I remembered, so I tried to look it up. According to http://www.destroy-all-monsters.com/gameboy1.shtml the original GameBoy was $169 in 1989. I know I paid a lot less for it.

IMO, $150 is not a bad price for the DS, especially with the Metroid pack-in. Plus, the price will come down.

Holy crap, the original GB was that much? I definitely don't remember paying that much for it, and I got it near launch. Also, that's a weird, uneven pricepoint...

Ah well, I suspect once people see the PSP pricepoint, the 150 will look decent in comparison...

That I'll agree with, but at this point we can't say for sure that they DON'T have a GB successor in the pipe. Personally, I think it's highly unlikely, but a year ago we hadn't even heard about the DS and it appears it will be in our hands by Xmas, so things can change fast.

Do you consider FFTA third or second party? I've logged more hours on that game than on any other in the history of Game Boy, and I've owned 'em all since the beginning (though I don't know that I'd call it my favorite). There has always been great 2nd and 3rd party support for the GB. True, as many as half those games are utter crap, but that's equally true for the Playstation.

Is that in yen or something? I was in junior high when the first GB hit the market. I still remember my friend's mom driving me to the mall to Capcom (a since defunct game store; no relation to the developer of the same name) to get mine. It came with Tetris as a pack-in and I picked up Super Mario Land as well. I'm sure I didn't pay more than $70 or $80 for the system and $20 or $30 for the game. There's no way I could have swung $170 for the system alone on saved-up allowance money.

The updated Metroid Prime Hunters looks much more polished than the E3 build. It appears that the action can now be played on the top screen with a much more detailed map on the touch screen. 1up.com has a pic.

I promise that the original GB was around $160. Remember it also came with Tetris. I didn't get mine until later. People seem to forget how much video games cost back in the day. Most games were at least $50 and oftentimes $60-$70. That's not factoring in inflation. As much as I hate dealing with multiple systems it has driven the cost of gaming down. Prices are cheaper then they have ever been. Honestly I think $150 is a good price point. I am at least considering it now. It it was $180 or $200 it would be a definate no until a price drop. But that's just me.

The main thing that still bugs me about it is that they are still saying that this is not the GBA succesor. It sure seems like it. I don't want to have to change platforms so frequently. At least they have showed that they will support it for the long haul.

I think Animal Crossing will sell the system for me. Put a pikmin game on it and I will definately be there.

With two processors controlling two independent screens, I wouldn't count on a good emulator coming out too soon. If the Saturn is any indication, multi-processor systems don't seem to be too easy to crack.

The Game Boy was at least $159 when I first remember seeing it in a store. I guess Tetris was so hot at the time that it sold the system. The only way I could afford my first Game Boy was by buying a stolen one at school for $50. I wanted to play tetris on a puke green screen so bad I chucked my morals aside and bought it.

This system will be interesting. I still have my doubts about the second screen and Nintendo putting the wireless ability to good use, but I know it will have a lot of good titles regardless so I'm probably in at launch. It looks to have a lot of support from Nintendo and third parties so I think its a purchase that will definitely be worth the money.

FFTA is definitely a quality third party game. Unfortunately, I was not a fan, despite loving the original.

Check out Gamerankings' list of the top 50 GBA games; with the lone exception of Konami, the major third parties simply have not supplied any amount high quality, original content for GBA.

But there is a difference between little third-party support and third parties just producing crappy games.

Me too!

They sold me with Animal Crossing, the new Super Mario Bros. 2D game, and Metroid Prime Hunters. Now if only Nintendo makes a Zelda game for it. Not a third party Zelda, Nintendo. Ah who am I kidding. I'd buy Link playing paddleball.

There is a lot of third party stuff, but like the PS2 a lot of it is total crap. I was looking at my GBA games and Konami and Capcom are pretty strong supporters. Throw in a few Square games and the DS should be pretty solid software wise.

Like most that are buying this I love Nintendo's first party games and that is ultimately what I buy their systems for. The third party stuff is a bonus.