Game Boy Micro? Why?

[SiN]

Uhhh, I'm confused ... who was that directed at, Jake? 'Cos I said

On the other hand, none of those games would work without a touch screen.

Meaning Meteos wouldn't work without a touchscreen. I do think it'd work just fine without the second screen though.

SiN

[Jake]

Oh man, major brain failure. I read the opposite of that. Sad. Sorry about that.

[Chris]

While I agree that Metroid is the best use so far (I think anyone would agree with that), Meteos also uses it to good effect. You can select from a few different things to show on the top screen, including the most useful which is "video footage" of your opponent's screen while playing against a human or computer. It's really cool.

Also, in most of the missions past the training ones, Advance Wars DS actually has a whole separate front going on in the top screen, which is really cool. You can choose to fight both yourself or you can have the computer fight the second one based on general AI type you specify.

Some games like Kirby just have a map up there, which is still a useful and good thing. It's better than pressing Start all the time and pausing your game if you don't actually want to pause it.

[SoccerDude28]

I think in the sonic game, sonic goes from the top screen to the bottom screen. So they use both as a gameplay element. I personally am sold on the 2 screen handhelds (I used to love them since the old days of the game and watch donkey kong), and hope that Nintendo keeps going further in that direction.

[Marek]

I think one bigger screen would be far more useful than 2 smaller ones. Which is another thing I see happening with the next-gen GB.

One big screen can't be folded up. How do you propose they keep it small?

[SiN]

One big screen can't be folded up. How do you propose they keep it small?

Well, the DS isn't exactly small right now, is it?

TBH though, I don't think that's a big issue. If the next gen GB ended up being the size of the PSP, I wouldn't mind. I think with this much power, we kinda have to expect handhelds to be small enough to carry well in a bag, and just small enough to fit in a pocket. Which is what the current-gen handhelds do. I wouldn't mind if the next-gen handhelds did the same.

Speaking of size, I can't wait for the inevitable Nintendo DS SP. I've already told a friend that I'd sell him my DS when a smaller one comes out.

SiN

[RLacey]

One big screen can't be folded up. How do you propose they keep it small?

Tilt the console round 90°, back to how it was with the original GB?

Oh, and the thing that's always confused me about the DS is why only one of the screens is a touchscreen. Surely that limits the uses that can be made of it, even if having a double touch screen would have been more expensive to produce?

[vimes]

Oh, and the thing that's always confused me about the DS is why only one of the screens is a touchscreen. Surely that limits the uses that can be made of it, even if having a double touch screen would have been more expensive to produce?

Because when you touch a screen you don't quite see the screen anymore ?

[Chris]

Tilt the console round 90°, back to how it was with the original GB?

Oh, and the thing that's always confused me about the DS is why only one of the screens is a touchscreen. Surely that limits the uses that can be made of it, even if having a double touch screen would have been more expensive to produce?

I don't think that would be a good idea. For one thing, it would just be more incentive for designers to use touch screen functionality at all costs, even if it's stretching it quite a bit. Also, many people would surely use the top touch screen in such a way that it completely obscures the bottom one, and if you're going to be just looking at once screen as you're touching it, then you don't need two.

[Kenty]

Don't forget Gunstar Future/Super Heroes is coming out for GBA soon.

If anyone was looking for an excuse to get a micro you can't get much of a better reason than that!

[Sopabuena]

Is it me or the two different models have the name inverted in online shops?

EBgames.com and Amazon both list them the same.

Gameboy Micro Silver: The silver Game Boy micro includes an "Ammonite" faceplate with a dark blue swirling pattern. It also will come with a "Ladybug" faceplate that features a ladybug on a large pink gerbera daisy, and a sleek black faceplate.

Gameboy Micro Black: The black Game Boy micro includes one faceplate with a "Flame" design of fiery yellow double helixes on an orange background. It also comes with a green "Camouflage" faceplate and a chic silver faceplate.

It may sound superficial, but Im getting someone to buy it for me and I don't want to end up with the one with the silver faceplate in confussing. Also I am the only one that thinks that the faceplate desings are not that cool? I mean plain colors would be much better.

Ok that wasnt really important.

[Chris]

The color of the console itself is different than the faceplates, which are removable.

[Sopabuena]

Thanks for clearing that up

[General Fuzzy McBitty]

Is it me or the two different models have the name inverted in online shops?

EBgames.com and Amazon both list them the same.

Gameboy Micro Silver: The silver Game Boy micro includes an "Ammonite" faceplate with a dark blue swirling pattern. It also will come with a "Ladybug" faceplate that features a ladybug on a large pink gerbera daisy, and a sleek black faceplate.

Gameboy Micro Black: The black Game Boy micro includes one faceplate with a "Flame" design of fiery yellow double helixes on an orange background. It also comes with a green "Camouflage" faceplate and a chic silver faceplate.

It may sound superficial, but Im getting someone to buy it for me and I don't want to end up with the one with the silver faceplate in confussing. Also I am the only one that thinks that the faceplate desings are not that cool? I mean plain colors would be much better.

Ok that wasnt really important.

So the silver comes with black and the black comes with silver?

[nsps]

i was rather thrilled with the small size of the SP, and have fit it in pockets that also had cell phones. I think that the folding design is quite brilliant and keeps the system at a good size.*

However, there's nothing wrong with making things smaller. It's certainly not worth my purchase to get a micro when I think that the SP is small enough, and I haven't held one so I don't know if the screen is big enough, but if you don't have and SP, it's probably worth it. (I'm a big proponent of the lit screen.) The DS does lessen the value of the system, but I still think it's there.

*Granted, I did get my SPs for free, but this hasn't swayed my opinion.

[miffy495]

What do all of you DS owners think the best uses of the 2nd screen have been, and do you think any of them totally justify the 2nd screen's inclusion?

As has been mentioned by a few people, the second front in Advance Wars and vertical goodness in Sonic Rush (and to a lesser extent, Yoshi's touch & go) are great. Also, the new Mario & Luigi RPG game will have the adult Bros on the top screen, controlled with X and Y, and the baby Bros on the bottom, controlled with A and B. Or vice verse. Not really sure yet, but you get the idea.

The problem I've had with the DS so far is that games will either use the touch screen really well, or use the second screen really well. Nothing has done both yet.