Is it the platform or is it the games? That's the question that needs answering...

Ramonskito

@excaliburps:
Videos of "Halo DS" here
A lot of people have been saying it was a mod of GoldenEye: Rogue Agent. I guess it was meant to be a demo to present to Microsoft to pursue the project. Obviously, it went nowhere, because Microsoft hates to make money from video games.

BPMι

I hope MS never makes a handheld, so im glad they would prefer to put a couple games out onto the DS instead.

okrangerbob

It's actually pretty clever. Earn some cash, support the alternative to PSP (enemy of my enemy), establish some franchises and then create your own handheld and make all these games exclusive, practically "stealing" a part of DS fanbase.

ElPadre

@Forkball:
Matt from IGN has supposedly played a beta of Halo on the DS. It's a pretty known rumor as far as I know...

I'm wondering if Nintendo is ok with MS cross-promoting its games on the DS. Say for example the new Viva Pinata has ads or texts alluding you to try it on the 360. Sure people might say they're not really in competition with one another but videogame dollars are still videogame dollars than can be spent on one's own hardware.

Overall I think this is still a good idea on MS' part. Just like Bash said, they can't really penetrate the Japanese market as of now. So why not do the next best thing? Promote it on the device that everyone in Japan loves.

Can you imagine if MS does decide to release something for the PSP? The internet would ass-plode! Not going to happen though. Purely from a fiscal and logical standpoint.

excaliburps

Halo DS. It's coming, don't deny it.

Forkball

@Patient:
you surely mean xlus
it will be in the shape of a giant X and will be ugly to look at, large, noisy and hard to use...and will surely break because of the heat from your fingers will cause it to melt.

hk458

@VishusBurn: If you knew the crap I had to put up one night here just because I always write Micro$oft... or M$, like you... fanboys are scary...

Anyway , what we need here is a bridge of understanding between Nintendo and Micro$oft, as to get Goldeneeye released on XBLA as well as Rare's NES, SNES and Nintendo 64 backcatalog on Wii VC and (why not) DS.

Shiryu

Eh they so should, it helps them out in the long run,
its like putting microsoft office on a mac. Win win for every one.

hk458

It is funny that people actullay read different things in these few lines.

Cham

So it's wii-60 all over again? Hmmm would it be DS-Zune or Zu-DS?

Gunloc

Incoming DS clone!
It doesn't have 2 screens, but rather 3.
Instead of a stylus you use a "Qulis" which does not violate copyright law, because it is shaped like a quill!
It's not a "Touchscreen" either, just "Extremely sensitive to direct pressure applied to the screen."

Patient

Did M$ just now realize that there is a hand-held gaming market?

VishusBurn

It'd be cool if they made a few handheld games since it'd get them extra money and brings more games to handhelds. Plus DS is probably easier to develop for, has more sales and is not Sony (since they and MS are rivals) so it's a good idea.

Llost

"Honestly, if Microsoft wants better odds at cracking the Japanese market, it really should release its exclusives on the DS."

I don't think truer words have ever been spoken.

mphz

@BPMι:
First time I've seen that. Thanks! Though it's interesting that no one from Nintendo or MS took down that video. You know how company's are with their IPs.

I think MS doesn't want the Halo franchise to be associated with anything else other than Microsoft and its consoles. Or maybe they're working on it as we speak! Cue conspiracy music here...Dun dun dun!

excaliburps

I still firmly believe MS did this the wrong way. Perfect example Blue dragon. If it was me I would have got the blue dragon anime and DS game out first. Then released the 360 game after it had become a popular franchise. Rather than trying to make it a popular franchise with the 360.

Zim

hmmmm Halo DS CONF1RM3D???'!?111?!'1!'!'!?!???!111!!

Alex_Mexico

@Shiryu:
Meh. It seems like the natural abbreviation as MS is already taken by Multiple sclerosis. Plus the $ only seems fitting with Microsoft having the seventh largest market value in the world at an estimated $250 billion. [www.forbes.com]

Also, IMOO, anyone that takes it offensively is probably not worth the consideration anyway.

VishusBurn

I think it is important to note that Microsoft still believes that Viva Pinata reaches a broad audience. I wouldn't say that the franchise has been successful in that regard. If you look closely at how Viva Pinata has been handled, Microsoft is intentionally trying to create a successor to Pokemon using the same media blitz that cemented Pokemon as a cultural icon. Unfortunately for Microsoft, these plans didn't produce the desired results.

Velops

MS kinda has a portable game player, The Zune you can load games and apps using xna game studio (the same software for creating xbox360 titles) Apparently the games developed for the 360 can be scaled down to be used on the Zune, all of this is in beta but if you have a Zune you can try it out.

[www.pregamelobby.com]

Now, of course its never going to reach psp or ds but still a nice addition to a player that has continued to receive new features without having to buy another one to get it.

terminalx

@VishusBurn:
Well, if people are gonna poke at Micrsoft for their money, we might as well start saying "Son¥" and "Nint€ndo", since they both like to makes loads of money and have shady business practices.

I'm not particularly fond of Microsoft, either (mostly due to their OS division, not their game division), but thinking "Micro$oft" is funny or witty... well... It just makes you look childish.

Pretty much every corporation is evil and greedy. That's the business world for ya.

BPMι

@Shiryu: Heh, I remember that night. Ridiculous nonsense.

@BPMι: But on the internet, it's chic to hate on Microsoft. ;)

Captain Impulse

I completely agree with the last line of this article.

GamerBunny

Dammit Microsoft a little too late there. Should've added games back when the DS was interesting, idk say 3-4 years ago! Now few people outside of Japan touch it lol.

Zosic

@BPMι:
If you reread my comment you will find that I didn't actually say anything negative.
All I was saying is that I use the $ symbol simply as a signification of their wealth relative to their competitors, not as insult.
Financially speaking M$ takes the cake.
Microsoft(250) >≠ Apple(110) + Sony(48) + Nintendo(65)

Don't get me wrong; I do strongly dislike M$ for a number of reasons(mostly OS related as well), but their financial success isn't one of them. Hating a business for making money would be kinda hating the ocean for being blue.

VishusBurn

I think this is a good approach, if the japanese didn't have good faith in Microsoft hardware department (x360). They will at least find some brand recognition with Microsoft studios games on the DS.

Kinda like how @Zim explained.. I agree with the guy.. Blue Dragon would have twisted some japanese knickers if it was released on DS first with an Anime series on going.. and after all of that, they release an X360 bundle.

Plsk1n

@Zosic:

Thats why it sells 400,000 a month in the US.

The DS is still very relevant, and actually tons of good games for it are coming this summer.

CCCombobreaker

Well if MS is not planning to enter the hand held market with hardware, them might as well make some games for the DS. Since they're in a comfortable position console sales wise they shouldn't have a problem, shifting their software resources to a more profitable area. Rare imo would probably make hit games on the DS. (or is it D$??? cause you know I'm so cool/witty)

TheHun

microsoft cracks at the ds and cracks the japanese market is completely and utterly correct

Leepox

@Zosic: WhaaaaaAAAA???

I just started playing The World Ends With You tonight, finished Zelda last week, have Revenant Wings and FF:CC on hold, with Professor Layton shouting for my attention the entire way. Oh, and Ninja Gaiden DS which was a solid investment. This little 2-screener-that-could, I would argue, sees some of the most innovative, fun titles in the industry, but gets flashed up by the glittery PS3 titles and the mature 360 romps.

phinehas

Well done Microsoft... well done for realising that.

damienchowder

This doesn't sound like too bad of an idea. I couldn't imagine Microsoft making a handheld anyway.

Many would be broken by customers because I'm sure the handheld would have its own version of the Red Ring.

Lainface

@phinehas: Being as the DS has sold about 22 million units in the US and 22 million in Japan, and considering how the sales have GROWN in the last year, I don't see how this corresponds with reality.

@Forkball: @excaliburps: @BPMι: @Alex_Mexico: @excaliburps: Bungie has been independent of MicroSoft for a while now, so making games for other systems would be up to them.

I don't see the big deal, this isn't like the 90's where:

a) Sega would laugh and laugh and laugh at making software for another company's hardware. /irony

b) We wouldn't all have the web to bitch about it.

Microsoft making software is nothing new. I'm more concerned with RARE being able to start making money on games so we can start getting better ones.

HumanBomb

Smeg the games, I want a PDA app for DS that will sync with Outlook. They could bring back Clippy or use that dog that's in the XP search window to make it casual-friendly (they'd respond to voice commands or read stuff like Bonzi) and you could share contact lists via wireless. Get people used to using their fingers on the screen to get ready for Windows 7, maybe give away an internet browser... Whoops, what just happened here?

BLUE!

BLUE!

Knukleur

@Omatic: Japan has already seen that, sort of. It's called Sakura Taisen. I won't mind seeing a new Sakura Taisen game for the current consoles, though.

Y3KMAN

Well if they're trying to reach the Japanese audience, the PSP is a hot item right now as well. How about a anime-themed Mechwarrior dating sim?

Omatic

Hands down, DS is the best handheld device. Its got the most variety of games, nice interface, and its easy to develop for. With recent news of Robocalypse (first RTS game for DS) the platform has more of a line-up to offer than Sony's PSP.

cyr3n

@VishusBurn: No, I think you're the slow one.

NoBullet

Oh, they already made Halo DS. It was fully playable when they dropped it. Bungie and Microsoft have been looking at the DS for a while now.

brieeyeball

wait, so viva pinata was a game before it was a tv show? now I'm really confused...

Swizzler121

And thus, the theories of a Nintendo-Microsoft alliance, as well as of a Halo DS, are revived. Can't say I'm opposed to a Wii-360 partnership, really, it just makes sense.

GhostWhoWalks

@VishusBurn:
Well, my comment wasn't directed at you specifically, but as a general message to people who like to use "M$." It's hard for me to take people seriously when they type that regularly.

@HumanBomb:
Bungie doesn't own Halo, though. Microsoft does. Microsoft decides where Halo goes.

@Swizzler121:
Viva Piñata was meant to be a multi-media blitz like Pokémon was. The launch of the show coincided with the launch of the 360 game.

BPMι

Wow, first Sega making games for its arch nemesis Nintendo, now Microsoft??? What is this world coming to? I won't be surprised to see Gran Turismo Wii announced soon... (j/k)

onomeister

@onomeister:
There's already been several Microsoft Game Studio games on GBA and DS.
Sony? Well, before they were in the hardware business, they did have a game branch called Sony Imagesoft. Where they did, indeed, make Nintendo games (Sega, too).

BPMι

HALO DS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

freespeech