GBA Super FX Equivilent

[JibberX]

It's about time Nintendo released there 3D chip thing for the GBA, who wouldn't want to play Star Fox on the GBA, well in reality the GBA already can do Star Fox, so this SuperFX fandango or whatever they have up their sleeve must be pretty special if its gonna stave off the mits of Sony.

What do you reckon the GBA needs to spruce it up? anything?

[KingMike]

I cant wait for the next model in line after the GBA. What will it be? Im not talking about a new colour SP im talking about a new revolutionary new Game Boy. Im pretty sure it will have N64 like graphics and will kick all the competitors asses

I say they go back to the old GBA design as im not a fan of the SP. I much prefer my black afterburned GBA. If you have seen prototype pictures of the PSP then thats also using the same design as the old GBA but it looks completely different.

Go Nintendo!

[lordcookie]

Well when the PSP was announced Nintendo did try to counter it with saying that they have been working on a new GB which I assumed wasnt just this new 3D chip.

I think Nintendo have to be careful though at this point in time. They have always been known to release add ons and extra bits to get the most out of the games (just look at the number of tweaks the Game Boy had over its lifetime) but if they release a new GBA soon with the new 3D chip a lot of the people that upgraded from the GBA to SP will be pissed off. If they think this could keep happening as regularly as the switch from GBA to SP occured I think a lot of consumers would just decide to wait for the PSP. Nintendo have to appear to be having a definite vision for the GB.

[MonkeyWrench]

Where are these prototype PSP images? I've seen nothing but magazine mockups.

[Ish]

I'm really not sure what Nintendo can do to counter the PSP. I don't think technology is the key. Nintendo are going to have problems even if the PSP is technologically on a par with the GBA SP.

Marketing, store presence and brand image are where there going to be hit.

The PSP is going to have that magic word PlayStation written across it in big bold letters - which to your average joe counts for a lot. While the GBA resides (and is likely to continue to reside) huddled at the back of the store with the GameCube the PSP is going to be up the front with the PS2.

All those licenced games that currently appear on the GBA are likely to be appearing on the PSP first and I suspect Sony will make it cheap for dev's to write games for the PSP.

Sony are going to use a similar strategy to how they bludgeoned Nintendo and Sega in the battle for the home console. And its probably going to work again.

[Vaipon]

One of the main reasons 3d has been slow coming in the handheld market is probably because of power consumption. 3d graphics demand a load more calculations than 2d, which means more mhz, which traditionally means high power requirement. This is fine for a console running from the mains, but no good for a handheld platform where 2 AA batteries are expected to last ages. The SuperFX chip would need a pricey re-design no doubt before it was suitable for use in the GBA. The original SuperFX drew power via the extended cartridge connector (among other functions) in the Super Famicom. I'm not even sure the GBA spec has the capability for this. At the end of the day, it's far easier for SONY because they are building a 3d processor into their handheld from the ground up, and are integrating it straight into the device. Ninty are going to have to bolt it on as a cartridge feature, which will probably be a hardware engineering nightmare. I think we're far more likely to see some very clever software optimised 3d via the GBA's existing hardware, as opposed to a SuperFX clone. We all know how much power was wrung out of the PS1 in it's final days, the GBA will probably just end up with 3d solutions that utilise what's already there.

[Vaipon]

Sony are going to use a similar strategy to how they bludgeoned Nintendo and Sega in the battle for the home console. And its probably going to work again.

Sad but True. The uphill struggle for Sony ended years ago, it's all plain sailing from here. They don't even have to try to make the PSP a success. sigh... Such a shame...

[srgbilco]

I think the new handhelds need to be a true portable multimedia center to suceed. While at home, people can get individual components rather than an all in one media center, very few people will be willing to carry around a mobile phone, music player and a Game Boy all at the same time.

So if Sony could combine the three, with an easily burnable disc that rivals the easy data transfer options of an MP3 player, a simple phone with a built-in camera, good gaming machine with good games, plus support for SD cards and MPEG playback, all in a GBA sized case, it would be huge.

They could release an all-in version for people who can afford it, or just the games machine for the kids market, so catering to most people. The problem would be to make all these components as good as seperate components, and not like the current MP3 playing phones.

[Shimmyhill]

I dont get it !

The PSP has got a **** load of work to do to beat Gameboy, remember there are far more gameboys in the world than PS2's. Nintendo i belive will still sell more than PSP, its not the same market as the console market was back when sony crushed nintendo.

In my eyes Nintendo have to lose it rather than Sony win it.

(if a 3d Gameboy came out tomms id buy it btw )

[Ish]

There were far more SNES's in the world than PS1s. In fact there were millions of SNES's in the world while the PS1 was just a glint in Mr. Kutaragi's eye....

[womblingfree]

Nintendo, as they have always said, are game developers they are not in the business of multi-media.

Unfortunately their customers don't seem interested in just playing games and would much rather have a Sony games machine that plays mp3's, movies and whatever else that fits in the pocket, (all speculation of course). Just as the vast majority would much rather have a console that plays DVD's and many games rather than one that doesn't play DVD's.

If Nintendo can't get their head around this then the Gameboy will belong to history and possibly Nintendo as well.

[charlesr]

[doom]As soon as Sony release their handhelp, the entire readership of the official PS2 magazine will buy one, even if it is no better than a gbasp. Much like the PS1, Sony will wipe the floor.[/doom]

[Oh! My Car!]

won't the FXchips (or whatever) be in the carts...like they were for the SNES? I'd be amazingly stupid to make everyone buy an add-on.....

[JibberX]

That's what I was thinking Oh! My! car, SuperFX capable of PSX levels of graphics, maybe not a good example. Umm a fairly solid FPA for the GBA, capable of a Saturn, 3do, PSX, kinda thing. Enabling the shying away for Mode 7 graphics, and onto more contemporary gfx, as it seems the 2d market is apparently unmarketable unless its attached to a numeric keypad.

The beauty of a handheld console is the resolution is fixed so taloring a 3d whatnot is ideal.

[mr_sockochris]

Ive always thought that there is already an FX chip in the GBA itself, thats what i read somewhere before it came out......