Generation V on the DS?

[Dogasu]

So I know a lot of us are assuming, based on past experience, that the next generation will be on whatever Nintendo's next handheld is going to be. The Game Boy got Generation I, the Game Boy Color* got Generation II, the Game Boy Advance got Generation III, and the Nintendo DS got Generation IV. It makes sense to assume that the fifth generation will be on Nintendo's next handheld, right?

*Yes, I know that calling the Game Boy Color "the next handheld system" is a bit disingenuous. Can Gold/Silver/Crystal be played on a regular, non-color Game Boy, though?

Well, has anyone thought that the games might come out on the DS instead?

Think about it for a second. The DS is still selling phenomenally well - it's the number one selling console in Japan as of July 6th, according to Kotaku - and its games are doing really well. And it's not like there's only a small trickle of games coming out for it, either - in the near future, we've got Dragon Quest IX, the new Zelda game, the Gold/Silver remakes, more Professor Layton games, Mario & Luigi 3 (US), Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (US), and countless others.

The little two screen system still has plenty of life in it.

So if Nintendo looks at the DS and concludes that the system's going to be here for a while, why not put Generation V on the DS? Why wait around for the "next" system?

I'm not trying to say that that's how it's going to happen or that it's even likely, but it is at least possible.

What do you guys think?

[Rachael]

I definitely think it's possible and I would love for it to happen, since I don't like buying new consoles (although I'm also resigned to the fact that it will happen sooner or later).

They might just be for the DSi, though...

[Mitchman]

I think not DS but more of DSi. Possibly how GSC was GBC labeled but really GB.

[Cows Go µ]

I'd say it will probably be for DSi but hopefully usable on DS, like Gold and Silver (but unfortunately not Crystal) was still usable on GameBoy

[Mitchman]

Exactly what ^ said.

[Phoenicks]

I think it depends on when Gen V comes out. If it came out in at least 3 years, I think that it'd be reasonable to expect it on the DSi (like with GSC benefiting form GBC, and Crystal only on GBC). But if Gen V comes out any later than that (more likely), then I'm expecting it to be on a brand new system. I would think that 3 years from now the DS will become outdated by some new idea about hardware interacting with software, and that GF wouldn't want to put Gen V on an old system.

[Mitchman]

Gen 5 is more likely to come out after 2012? Are you mad? Seriously 2012 in Japan and that's pushing it.

[Olaf-symbiote]

I think there's a good possibility they'll be for the DS. DS just keeps selling and it's not going anywhere anytime soon. I could still see DS selling three years from now. Even though 6 years is pretty much the standard lifespan for today's consoles, it's not some rule that the companies must obey.

Don't forget that Gameboy's lifespan was pretty long, if you count the original Gameboy and GBC as the same platform (which I do, even if you play the "GBC exclusives" card).

[Phoenicks]

Originally Posted by Todoroki Is

Gen 5 is more likely to come out after 2012? Are you mad? Seriously 2012 in Japan and that's pushing it.

Yeah, I'm saying that it's likely that if before 3 years from now they release Gen V, it'll be on the DS. I don't think that that's very likely though, it wouldn't make much sense compared to the other option. Why would they make a brand new gen when they could expand it with spin-offs and other games like HGSS? But if they release the next game after 2012, then it'll definently be on the next system.

[Zangoose Vamoose]

The DS seems to be the PS2 of this generation and whilst it would be great to see it live on and on and on it simply doesn't have the hardware capabilities to survive into the next gen. You only have to look at the horrible jagged 3D in games such as FF3, Animal Crossing and Platinum to see that.

That said, it's not like it has any competition, so I guess Nintendo are dictating the standards for handhelds anyway.

[Dogasu]

The thing with Nintendo handhelds, though, is that they're able to succeed despite the fact that the technology in them is really out-of-date. We're seeing it happen now; the PSP, despite being more powerful and having a ton of features that the DS does not, is nowhere near as popular as the DS.

[Phoenicks]

Originally Posted by Zangoose Vamoose

The DS seems to be the PS2 of this generation and whilst it would be great to see it live on and on and on it simply doesn't have the hardware capabilities to survive into the next gen. You only have to look at the horrible jagged 3D in games such as FF3, Animal Crossing and Platinum to see that.

That said, it's not like it has any competition, so I guess Nintendo are dictating the standards for handhelds anyway.

It's not about the hardware, it's about the software and how the hardware lets you play with the software. Who cares that the graphics aren't good when the game is fun anyways? Also, handheld systems don't adopt 3D in the same way that consoles do, because handhelds are portable. When Nintendo's next handheld comes out, it won't just be a graphical update. Although I agree that the DS's lifespan probably won't be long enough for the next Generation of Pokemon to be on the DS.

[PDL]

I wouldn't be surprised if they delayed Gen V for them to develop the newest handheld first. That way they won't have the issue of developing a set of games for the DS only to learn about the new handheld that would make the DS obselete. That was partly the reason why Mother 3 didn't get released anywhere but Japan.

I'd expect alot of spin-off titles to fill the gap between HG/SS and Gen V. Or even a gap of a few years without a new game at all. It happened to Zelda and Metroid.

[Lugnut]

I think they will put it on the DS. They practically just released the DSi, so that should keep the cash flowing for a while longer. Plus, from what I hear, the video game industry is taking a hit from this "recession" (DSi, Wii and 360 sales seem to say otherwise). Could Nintendo not release a new system for fear of people staying away due to economic troubles. Or, even worse, could they not afford to make a new platform so soon after the DSi? Only time will tell.

[Shinx3000]

It will probably be for DS it will work like HGSS, there is no real features the DSi can be used for, for a pokemon game, even a camera to the best of my knowledge.

I know the next handheld console might not appear until 2011, maybe but that might be a bit late if pokemon games were to continue because a pokemon game has always appeared one year after the previous (is this right?) I am assuming this based on ho D/P/Pt came the HGSS will be