F0X said:
What if the DS was never made? Despite experimentation with a dual-screen handheld design, Nintendo scraps plans for the DS due to concerns about how the dual-screen feature will be recieved, along with the cost and potential battery drain. Instead, in late 2005, Nintendo releases the GameBoy Touch - a handheld similar in design to the GBA and PSP, featuring a single Circle Pad on the upper left side, a built-in camera, and a single-touch screen with an included stylus. It would be roughly as powerful as the PSP and be the first Nintendo system to have a major, integrated online infrastructure. Players will complain about Friend Codes, but the system's first true killer app, Mario Kart: Ultra Circuit, is heralded as a great online experience upon release in March 2006. Launch Price: $199 Notable Launch Titles: Super Mario 64 DX, Madden NFL 2006, WarioWare: Touched!, Kirby Canvas Curse, Trace Memory, Yoshi Touch & Go, Ridge Racer Touch. Super Mario 64 DX is seen as an excellent remake with spiffed up graphics and decent analog control. The best 3D platformer on a handheld, critics say at the time. Kirby Canvas Curse is well-recieved for demonstrating how well touch gameplay works. An impressive tech demo at launch. WarioWare is similarly praised, and Trace Memory is a pleasent surprise for some. Notable Titles for 2006: Nintendogs Mario Kart: Ultra Circuit Castlevania: Tears of Silence (I am good at coming up with Castlevania titles, no?) Advance Wars: Fusion Strike Sonic Rush Nanostray Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time Resident Evil: Retouched Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Animal Crossing: Wild World Trauma Center: Under the Knife Touch Tetris Metroid Prime: Hunters Brain Age New Super Mario Bros. Yoshi's Island DS Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team Lego Star Wars II Me and My Katamari Of the games released in 2006, Mario Kart, NSMB, Nintendogs, Animal Crossing, and Brain Age come out on top in sales. Mario & Luigi, Metroid Prime: Hunters, NSMB, Mario Kart, Castlevania, and Advance Wars are very warmly recieved by critics. Ace Attorney, Nanostray, and Trauma Center find a sizable niche audience. To be continued. Consider this a tag for future editing.
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