The Future of Gen V: DS or 3DS?

Joshawott

Joshawott

The Possibly Fake
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This is an ongoing debate among Pokémon fans right now. Game Freak made a rather bold decision when they announced that Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version would be for the Nintendo DS, rather than the (then-)recently announced Nintendo 3DS system. In America and Europe, the launch of these games was a mere 21 days before the 3DS. Now, here is the question: Will Game Freak move this generation onto the newer console, or finish it on the DS, saving the 3DS for a future generation(s)?

First off, I want to lay down some ground rules:
  • Be Nice and keep things civil. No flaming any other users; and importantly, respect their opinions.
  • Discussion about Ruby/Sapphire remakes in particular belong in the Ruby/Sapphire Remake Discussion Thread, and discussion about the Third Version belong in It's own thread. This is not a discussion about what games you think will be in this current generation; this is about whether or not other Gen V games will be on the DS or the 3DS. However, you may mention said games to help your point; just don't dwell on them.

Anyway, I'll kick things off with some reasons:

Reasons for DS:
  • During development of Black/White, GameFreak admitted that one of their biggest problems was making the games seem different to Generation IV (DPtHGSS) due to them being on the same console. It's reasonable to believe that they will want to avoid this problem in the future.
  • Although Gold and Silver were for the Gameboy and Crystal was for the Gameboy Colour, the two systems didn't have that much of a difference in terms of power; however, the DS and 3DS do have a vast difference.
  • Emerald was released a mere 2 months before the DS launch in Japan; in the US, the game was released 6 months after, and 8 months after in Europe. Despite this, it still became the GBA's 3rd top-selling game, so Pokémon does have the ability to sell well on an old platform, especially as like back then, the newer platform is backwards compatible.
  • By the time the next game will be released (most likely September 2012), there will be loads of first party 3DS games available; a big first party game won't be as essential as it at the moment.
  • If Nintendo end Generation V with the predicted third version, that means that Generation VI could debut in 2013 in Japan; which would be the same time difference between the DS launch and DP's release (2 years).

Reasons for 3DS:
  • The Nintendo DS is an outdated system. Nintendo will want The Pokémon Company and Game Freak to focus on the newer.
  • Even Black/White's sprites are looking outdated now, especially when compared to Pokédex 3D.
  • Nintendo didn't launch the 3DS with enough first party support; in the Weekly Sales Charts, it's only just started to beat the PSP (Thanks to Ocarina of Time 3D). Although there are numerous first party titles due out later this year (2011) and into 2012, a Pokémon game would no doubt boost sales of the system.
  • Why would The Pokémon Company launch Pokédex 3D with only the Unova Pokémon if this generation was to end with the DS? Pokédex 3D as a reference tool, and you can't suspend DS software like you can with 3DS software, making it effectively useless for quick reference. a 3DS game wouldn't have this problem. If the main series was only moving to the 3DS for the next generation, why would they launch an app focusing only on Generation V Pokémon (as an update for older Pokémon, although likely, has yet to be confirmed).

Discuss!
 
Gray will be a 3DS title. The DS will be gone by next year, plus it encourages late adopters to upgrade to a 3DS.

Joshawott said:
Reasons for DS:
[*] Emerald was released a mere 2 months before the DS launch in Japan; in the US, the game was released 6 months after, and 8 months after in Europe. Despite this, it still became the GBA's 3rd top-selling game, so Pokémon does have the ability to sell well on an old platform, especially as like back then, the newer platform is backwards compatible.
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In 2012, when I expect Gray to be released, the 3DS will already be a year old. It makes no sense for GameFreak to ignore it, and instead release Gray for the now obsolete DS.
 
I think the generation will mainly continue on the DS because the third versions and remakes of each generation can connect to the generation launching paired versions. Also in each generation there is normally least one home console game which can connect to the main series games to view the pokémon in CGI, there are side games which can connect to the main series games to give event pokémon at certain parts of the game like Channel and the Ranger games and there are Box games which allow the player to store more pokémon and gives event pokémon for storing certain amounts of pokémon. I think these functions would be hard to do on the 3DS and Wii U with Black and White being on the DS but the games which don't have these features which I have listed could be on the 3DS and Wii U like Super Pokémon Scramble and Pokédex 3D.
 
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I'm thinking 3DS. The DS' life is coming to an end, and Black and White were probably one of its last major titles. Game Freak will most probably start working with the 3DS starting with either the third version or the inevitable RSEmakes, because ignoring the 3DS for the rest of Gen V would be pretty lame.

That part about Pokédex 3D is a good point, I hadn't thought of that. It would be pretty useless to have a tool like that if the games were on the DS.
 
I'm going to say Gen V wraps up on the DS. They may not extend it at all, but I think there are too many connectivity issues between the DS and 3DS (or maybe there aren't, I am far from informed on this topic) to spread one generation out over two consoles. Furthermore, DS games are still playable on the 3DS.
 
I have a feeling that it'll end up wrapping up in the 3DS. There are spinoff titles coming out for the 3DS. There is also the existence of Pokédex 3D. I think the problem that still bugs me is this: Will the third version be 3DS-only or be the possibly only DS/DSi/3DS hybrid Game Card? Or will it be separate versions for separate systems?
 
DS. Because Gen III didn't finish on the DS, nor did Gen II finish on the GBA.
 
I'd like the third game be a mix.
You know...Looks same as B/W did,
but has some elements and actions available only when playing with 3DS.
So...In a nutshell; I want it to be a 3DS game that can be played on DS.
You know...When playing on norm. DS, those special 3DS only things wouldn't appear.
That'd be cool.
...Much work, yes...but cool.

Meh...Not really sure how they will continue though.
If they'd make a third version for B/W, then let it be on norm. DS.
They would have to change many things dramatically to make it feel worthy on 3DS
and that would, IMO, not so good choice...
Fans could think it's way too different to be a third version
but they wouldn't accept it as a completely new game either...

So...I hope they're working on completely new things,
completely new region and most importantly; completely new pokémons.

I know, it's way too soon to get another 100+ new pokémons, but...
But it won't end that well for them either, "needing" to use the norm. DS again.

As a side note; I'm not a fan of mystery dungeon games.
I just like the basic.

Umm...Have I gone off topic much?
Well...I think you get my point...or some of it.
 
I think it will be on the 3ds since Gamefreak where already feeling like they where pushing the limits with black and white so I expect them to go to the 3ds for the next games.
 
Personally, I think Generation V will end on the Nintendo DS with the third version. Then, Generation VI will begin in 2013 (2014 in the West) with a new primary pair (thus making Gen V around the same length as Gen I). However, Game Freak did muck things up with making BW on the DS in the first palce xD
 
I don't think they had really a other choice because they wanted to release a game but the new system wasn't there yet when they started.
They also didn't want to miss the buys because it being on a new platform.
 
mariowie said:
I don't think they had really a other choice because they wanted to release a game but the new system wasn't there yet when they started.
They also didn't want to miss the buys because it being on a new platform.
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Well, it was reported that TPC received development kits for the 3DS a few months before BW were announced. They could have delayed it and reworked the games to be for the 3DS; although BW were probably too far in development at that stage.
 
Joshawott said:
Well, it was reported that TPC received development kits for the 3DS a few months before BW were announced. They could have delayed it and reworked the games to be for the 3DS; although BW were probably too far in development at that stage.
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Yeah I thought something like that and I think they started developing right from the bat when the kit came out.
It's also know that there are two development teams so maybe they put the other team on developing something for the 3DS, although I am not sure whether this is a 3rd version, remake or even a new game.
 
According to Black & White interviews, the bigwigs (Masuda, Sugimori etc) started work on BW straight after DP, whereas the other team did Platinum and HGSS. So, it's likely that the head-honchos are working on Gen VI now (which will obviously be for the 3DS), whereas the other team are working on whatever the next Gen V game is.
 
I think a Pokemon game would look wonderful on the 3DS especially since they've been making the overworld more and more polygonal and 3-dimensional. Personally I'd really like the next Pokemon game to come out on the 3DS, mainly because I'd like to see 3D functionality as a new feature. I could also definitely see some use of the additional features like the two cameras, gyroscope, etc. in dream world or mini-game scenarios. That would definitely be the kind of thing that TPC would add for a third version "grey", along the lines of the next-to-useless mini-games for Platinum. (You know, the ones in the basement of the Pokecenter?)
 
So if we go by that logic then the next game would be ds, and the other game would go to the 3ds.
But this can only be true if they started working right after they finished HGSS, if they did they probably be so far in development that going to 3ds would be a waste.
So either the remake of the 3rd version is going to go by this order ds->3ds.
 
My hope is that Gen V continues from here on the 3DS, although I think at this point it could probably go either way.

As far as compatibility goes between Black & White and a hypothetical 3DS-exclusive third version, I don't think that would be an issue. The 3DS hardware is fully compatible with DS games, which I assume means it's capable of communicating wirelessly in the same modes as the original DS hardware was, in addition to whatever new features may have been added. I don't think it would be much of an obstacle for the game designers to program a 3DS Pokemon game to be able to send out the proper signal and data, so as to be recognized by B&W as a compatible game for trading/etc.
 
I think that the next game of Gen.V will be released for DS and 3DS with only minor 3D eyecandy improvents for 3DS since it would be weird to have Black/White for DS and then a completely different looking game as Gray. That would also mean that they would have to make Gray from scratch instead of simply using B/W engine and stuff. About the possible remakes, they could be the first 3DS only games and that would mean the first games of Gen.VI .
 
I hope they don't make the next games just for the 3DS. I don't want to have to buy one just so I can play Pokemon.
 
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