Everyone knows that for portable gaming, the Nintendo DS is a force to be reckoned with. What it lacks in power it makes up for in innovative, simple, and fast gameplay that's perfectly suited to killing a few minutes here and there on a moments notice.
Now that the DS is spreading like wildfire, we'd like to see Nintendo stretch it's legs a little and try out some nongame applications for it. While it's true that nongame features have not done much to help the stagnating PSP, the situation is different since Sony forces the consumer to pay for those features whether you want them or not.
We believe Nintendo(or a 3rd party) could find success in offering these 5 tools to the DS owners who want them..
5. GPS. The dual screen setup on the DS would lend itself perfectly to a navigation application. Imagine driving to your in-laws house with your DS perched on the dashboard. The top screen could display your next turn and the distance to it, while the bottom screen is used to show the map and your current location. The touchscreen would increase the functionality of DSGPS by making commands easier for the driver to input while driving. If the GPS receiver had it's own power supply, it could even be used while on foot, which would extend it's functionality to a large population of outdoors-types.
Include support for wireless downloads of updated maps at a local store(similiar to the DS Download Stations) or through the Wii Shop channel and you have a very capable solution for not wanting to stop for directions.
4. Skype VOIP is taking off in a big way, and Skype continues to be one of the major players. For those who are unfamiliar with Skype, it's a service that allows you to place calls through the internet, very cheaply, to normal phones across the globe.
This is a no brainer for the DS. It has WiFi, it has a headset. True,.. it's a little big for a phone, but it would be nice to have access to Skype sometimes when it's just not possible or economical to place a call using your primary phone. Currently Skype is selling a WiFi phone on their website for $100. Nearly the cost of a DS, just for a phone!
3. AIM/Yahoo/MSN Well, ok,.. MSN is probably out of the question. But we could definitely see a DS based AIM/Yahoo client being extremely popular. For one, it would give us access to our buddy lists when we're waiting for food to cook, waiting in lines, on vacation, etc. Yes, many of us have AIM and Yahoo on our current mobile phones, but the touchscreen of the DS could provide a full QWERTY soft-keyboard much like the iPhone for easier communicating. There is also a ton more screen real estate than there is on a phone, which would further ease the process.
This could also free up the family computer for important use, which can get to be a hot commodity in a household with 1 computer and 4-5 family members who have varying degrees of needs for it.
2. An official media player This has already been done by some 3rd parties, and in the homebrew scene, but in order to make a splash, Nintendo themselves should grab this one by the horns. It could be so simple.. SD storage for movies and music, no proprietary formats, and use the touchscreen for navigation. Make sure it can continue to play music when the DS is folded so you can set your playlist playing and slide it into your pocket.
We can't be the only ones who don't like to carry our DS, games, and mp3 player with us everytime we go on a trip. Take our money Nintendo, and help us consolidate our gadgets!
1. Advanced Socializing features While I'd personally much rather see an MP3 player or GPS unit for the DS, we all know that social is the rage right now. If something isn't social, we as a society barely want to hear about it. We have social bookmarks, social photos, social networking, social music, social news, social television, etc. You name it, there's a social aspect of it on the web somewhere.
Now, adding more social features to the DS would be a daunting task, and not something we'd ever really expect Nintendo to try. It would require extremely strong parental locks to keep the kids safe, but imagine being able to meet other DS players through a beacon system similiar to the Rival Radar on MP: Hunters. Pass within XX feet of someone and their (basic) info is presented to you the next time you check your DS. From there, both parties could choose to add that person as a friend or deny them, and in the former case receive more info about them.
From there, any number of possibilities open up... Instant messaging, WiFi gaming while skipping friend codes, sharing blogs, and more. It would allow DS enthusiasts to feel more in touch with each other, and extend DS-centric socializing beyond movie theaters, which seems to be the only place I've ever experienced DS owners using them to play/communicate with strangers.
Honorable Mention: A BETTER Web Browser After seeing the success of Opera on the Wii, it was a shame to see such a lackluster implementation on the DS. We're sure the DS is powerful enough to render at least a good portion of the flash that's out there, so at least give us YouTube!
What nongame type stuff would you like to see on the DS?
