GameBoy Evolution: graphically better than PSP - connects ..

http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000753072868/

So whatever happened to the next Game Boy?
Posted Dec 16, 2005, 11:00 AM ET by Ben Striegel
Related entries: Nintendo DS, Nintendo Revolution, Portable, Sony PSP

I've been looking through Joystiq's archives quite thoroughly
lately, and no matter how many articles I see speculating on future
hardware-including ones not even remotely announced-I can't seem
to find anything relating to the next iteration of the Game Boy, aside
from one tiny piece from July '04 confirming that, yes, Nintendo is
working on it, maybe possibly perhaps. This got me to thinking: how
will Nintendo market a traditional handheld after the undeniable
success of their nonconformist third pillar? Obviously differentiation
is key, as high hardware sales translate into higher software sales,
which are the crux of a publishing giant such as Nintendo. How will the
Game Boy Evolution differentiate itself from the DS and all of its
subsequent progeny? Nintendo isn't talking-yet-so we'll opt for
the next best thing: rampant speculation!



The GBE will be released six months to a year after the launch of the
Revolution. Considering a best-case scenario, Japanese gamers could be
playing the Evolution as early as next December. Why, you ask? For much
the same reason as the near-coinciding launch of the GBA and GCN...
The Revolution will connect with the Game Boy Evolution, but not with
the Nintendo DS. Aside from the usual benefits of a controller with a
built-in screen, classic Nintendo titles can be downloaded onto the
GBE's internal memory for nostalgia on the go. And speaking of
nostalgia...
Unlike the DS and the GBM, which are only equipped to play Game Boy
Advance cartridges, the GBE will allow you to play your entire back
catalog of Game Boy titles, thus preserving the longevity of the Game
Boy brand. Obviously it won't accept DS cartridges, despite the fact
that...
The GBE will store game data on DS-esque flash memory cards, rather
than an optical storage medium such as the PSP's UMDs, thus
eliminating the need for separate memory cards and battery-intensive
lasers. And while we're talking comparisons to the PSP...
The Game Boy Evolution will feature full 3D capabilities, though the
hardware will only exhibit a marginal increase over the PSP's
graphics. Nintendo's never felt the need to sell their consoles as
the most graphically superior (see Game Boy vs. Game Gear), relying
instead on the overall experience as the system's unique selling
point. But before we get away from the graphical aspects there's one
last thing worth mentioning...
The GBE's screen resolution will be drastically increased over the
GBA's, though all the while retaining a similar aspect ratio. Despite
consumer demand, the screen will not be backlit.
....until the GBE SP.

Not only will the GBE allow you to play all of your classic Game Boy
games, it will allow you to play all of your multiplayer Game Boy games
wirelessly, including games not built especially with the GBA wireless
adaptor in mind. By the way, how's this for a seamless segue into the
next bullet point...
The Game Boy Evolution will be the hottest gift of 1991 with the
addition of X and Y face buttons, as well as a quasi-analog d-pad which
will register variable pressure in up to eight directions. Oh, but
that's not all...
The GBE will include gyroscopic technology which will allow games such
as Wario Ware: Twisted to ship without external gyro packs, as well as
augmenting some of the motion-sensitive capabilities of the
Revolution's controller when used in its stead. The unit will also
feature a built-in rumble, which leads us to our next point...
Without sufficient progress in battery storage technology, the battery
life for the Game Boy Evolution will be the lowest of any Nintendo
handheld to date, though to make up for this fact the GBE's
rechargeable battery will be detachable. Thanks to a mandatory sleep
mode requirement akin to that of the DS, as well as thanks to a small
rechargeable internal battery, battery packs will be hot-swappable with
minimal interruption of gameplay. And finally...
The unit will sport a clamshell design reminiscient of the GBA SP,
though slightly larger and with more ergonomically designed shoulder
buttons. It will also be available in an stunning variety of colors and
themes, unless you live in Germany, France, Indonesia, Brazil,
Thailand, any country both beginning and ending in a vowel, every third
nation whose flag incorporates a cross, or pretty much anywhere where
the native language is not Japanese.
There, happy? That should be more than enough to tide the Game Boy
faithful over until E3 2006.