Nintendo DS

The Nintendo DS is a dual-screen portable handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. The name "DS" is short for either Dual Screen or Developer's System, the latter of which referring to the features of the handheld designed to encourage innovative gameplay ideas among developershttp://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/ds/faq.jsp. Its code name was "Project Nitro". The DS has a horizontal clamshell design, similar to some Game & Watch video games, and the Game Boy Advance SP.

Design and specifications

Technology

The handheld unit has a mass of approximately 275 grams (9.7 ounces). The physical size is 5.85 x 3.33 x 1.13 inches. It features two separate 3-inch TFT LCD screens, each with a resolution of 256×192. The lowermost display of the DS is overlayed with a touch screen, utilizing a stylus or the user's fingers. The DS has a wrist strap that doubles as a thumb cover for use in place of a stylus. The console uses two separate ARM processors, an ARM9 main CPU and ARM7 coprocessor at clock speeds of 67 MHz and 33 MHz respectively, with 4 MiB of main memory. The system's 3D engine is theoretically capable of drawing 120,000 polygons per second, with a fill-rate of 30 million pixels per second.

Related Topics:
Gram - TFT LCD - Resolution - Stylus - ARM - Processors - MHz - MiB - 3D engine - Polygon - Pixel

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Games utilize a proprietary solid state flash card format resembling the memory cards used in other portable electronic devices such as digital cameras; this semiconductor technology is said to be far cheaper than conventional cartridges and can be used within a system without moving parts to jar out of place when dropped. It is currently capable of supporting cards of up to 1 gibibit (128 mebibytes) in size. The unit features wireless networking capabilities for multiplayer games or chat using Wi-Fi. The current software does not use IP, therefore preventing Internet play features and use of Wi-Fi routers with the DS. Future online games will presumably implement an IP stack to make their online game modes possible.

Related Topics:
Solid state - Memory card - Semiconductor - Gibibit - Mebibyte - Wi-Fi - IP

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Inputs and outputs

The DS is the first portable console from Nintendo to incorporate stereo speakers. In addition to the touch screen, the DS has, to the left of the lower display, a traditional four-way control pad (with a narrow Power button above it), while to the right are four action buttons (with narrow Select and Start buttons above) A B Y X, following in the footsteps of the SNES controller while hearkening back to the N64 "three-part" digital, analog, and button scheme. On the back there are the L (Left) and R (Right) buttons, also following the style of the SNES controller. Perhaps the most innovative use of the touch screen is for the emulation of other controls. For example, with use of the previously mentioned "thumb stylus", it can emulate an analog joystick, or with the conventional stylus, its behavior can replicate a computer mouse. The system also includes a built-in microphone. Nintendo's pet simulation game Nintendogs uses the microphone and speech recognition as a means to command and train a virtual dog to perform tricks or other actions. Nintendo has also suggested it to be used for communication over a wireless network. At E3 2005, Nintendo showed off a demo of a Nintendo DS being used as a wireless VoIP Phone. Nintendogs was released in North America on August 22, 2005.

Related Topics:
Stereo - Control pad - SNES - N64 - Touch screen - Computer mouse - Nintendogs - Speech recognition - Wireless network - E3 - VoIP

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Operating system

Nintendo's own custom firmware boots the system: from here, the user chooses to run a DS or Game Boy Advance game, use PictoChat, or search for downloadable games. The latter is an adaptation of the Game Boy Advance's popular "single cartridge multiplayer" feature, adapted to support the system's Wi-Fi link capabilities: players without the game search for content, while players with the game broadcast it. In November 2004, Nintendo announced its entry into the feature animation business, suggesting that theatres showing these features could install kiosks to broadcast game content to Nintendo DS units via this same feature. In March 2005, Nintendo tested broadcast kiosks in Japan, allowing players to download a demo of Meteos, extra content in Nintendogs, or extra songs for Jam With The Band. (A similar download kiosk was at Nintendo's booth at E3 2005, and had downloadable demos and trailers.)

Related Topics:
Firmware - Game Boy Advance - PictoChat - Meteos - Nintendogs - Jam With The Band - E3 - 2005

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The PictoChat program, which is permanently stored on the unit, allows users to communicate with other DS users over the wireless network by text, handwriting, or drawings, using the DS's touch screen and stylus for input; an on-screen keyboard partially covers the touch-sensitive area while using this mode, allowing for typed, as well as written, messages.

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The DS's main menu also features an alarm clock and the ability to set preferences for boot priority (booting to games when inserted, or always booting to the main menu), GBA game screen usage (top or bottom), and user information (name, date of birth, favorite color, time, etc.).

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There is currently an ongoing project aiming to bring the Linux operating system to the DS http://www.dslinux.org. As of June 2005, this project has successfully executed a 2.6 kernel, sash shell, some text games, and added touchscreen support.

Related Topics:
Linux - As of June 2005

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Compatibility

Initially, the console was reported to be incompatible with games designed for Nintendo's present Game Boy Advance (GBA) handheld, but details announced at the E³ trade show in Los Angeles in May 2004 revealed the opposite. While the new DS cartridges are smaller and fit in their own port, the machine has a separate cartridge port for Game Boy Advance games (including Majesco's Game Boy Advance Videos). Game Boy Color and original Game Boy games are incompatible with the DS, due to a slightly different form factor and its lack of the Z80 like processor used in these systems.

Related Topics:
Game Boy Advance - E³ - Majesco - Game Boy Advance Video - Game Boy Color - Game Boy - Z80

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This may be an attempt to separate the DS and Nintendo's established Game Boy line of handheld consoles; the GBA, for example, included the aging processor, primarily to run legacy Game Boy games. It may also be to keep the DS's price down; including another chipset would likely have significantly added to the cost of producing the unit. In light of this incompatibility, several projects have started to emulate this platform. One such product is the freely available Goomba emulatorhttp://www.webpersona.com/goomba/.

Related Topics:
Emulate - Goomba

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The handheld does not have a port for the GBA Link Cable, so multiplayer or GBA-GameCube link-up modes are not available in GBA titles. Similar connectivity, using the DS's wireless capabilities, will, however, reportedly be possible between the DS and Nintendo's successor to the GameCube, currently known as the Nintendo Revolution.

Related Topics:
GameCube - Nintendo Revolution

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The DS only uses one screen when playing GBA games. The user can configure the system to use either the top or bottom screen by default. The games are displayed within a black border on the screen, which is thicker on the top and bottom edges to compensate for the wider screen ratio of the GBA.

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DS games inserted into Slot 1 are able to detect the presence of a specific GBA game in Slot 2. In games such as ', ', ', and ', extra content can be unlocked by starting the DS game with the appropriate GBA game of the same franchise inserted.

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Accessories

Although the secondary port on the Nintendo DS does accept and support Game Boy Advance cartridges, Nintendo has emphasized that its main intention for its inclusion was to allow a wide variety of accessories to be released for the system, the compatibility to Game Boy Advance titles being only a logical complementation due to the similar architecture of the two systems. Theorized accessories include GPS receivers or television tuners, as well as a variety of accessories already included in certain Game Boy Advance cartridges such as tilt-sensors, solar-sensors, and vibration generators. An optional vibration accessory will be included with the upcoming game Metroid Prime Pinball.

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Nintendo has released the Play-Yan, an adaptor which will allow the Game Boy Advance SP and Nintendo DS to play MPEG-4 videos and MP3 music from SD memory cards. The adaptor bears a superficial resemblance to the AM3 player (which allowed playback of pre-recorded movie files from read-only memory cards on a GBA); the memory card slots into the right hand side of the adaptor, which then plugs into the cartridge slot of the parent console. The adaptor has its own integrated headphone port, but uses the parent console's power supply, controls, and display. It is estimated that it will offer over 15 hours of MP3 playback and 4 hours of MPEG-4 playback from a fully-charged GBA SP.

Related Topics:
Play-Yan - MPEG-4 - MP3 - SD

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The adaptor launched in Japan in February 2005 for approximately 5,000 yen ($47.47). Nintendo is to release the adaptor in the US by the end of 2005.

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Nintendo has also announced at E3 2005 that it would launch "Headset Accessories" for their VoIP program, DSpeak.

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Wi-Fi hotspots

Nintendo has mentioned that special DS Wi-Fi hotspots would be available by the end of 2005, through Nintendo and Gamespy's online service, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. These hotspots would be located at public venues, such as coffee shops and libraries. A home Wi-Fi connection will also be available via an official accessoryhttp://www.aussie-nintendo.com/full.php?subaction=showfull&id=1121026189&archive=&start_from=&ucat=2& which was revealed during the DS Conference 2005 in Japanhttp://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=61172. The Wi-Fi hotspots would expand multiplayer (exclusively for games designed for online gaming) capabilities beyond the range of 30?100 feet, allowing users at the hotspots to interface with each other from around the world. Titles currently scheduled for such online compatibility include Animal Crossing DS, Mario Kart DS, ', ', and Tony Hawk's American Sk8land.

Related Topics:
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection - Animal Crossing DS - Mario Kart DS - Tony Hawk's American Sk8land

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Battery life

The Nintendo DS contains a rechargeable battery. Although the battery is removable, it is only meant to be removed when it expires and must be replaced. Removing the battery will cause the loss of all of the unit's settings (user's birthday, username, etc.), but it will not affect saved data on DS flash cards or GBA cartridges.

Related Topics:
Battery - DS flash cards - GBA cartridges

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Battery life is affected by multiple factors, including speaker volume, use of one or both screens, and backlighting. Expected battery life ranges from eight to sixteen hours on a full charge, with an average of 10 hours. The biggest drain on battery life is the backlight, which can be turned off on the main menu screen or on selected games (such as Super Mario 64 DS). However, because the screens do not have the reflective backing of the GBA or GBA SP, deactivating the backlight renders the on-screen image very difficult to see, even with sufficient ambient light.

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Replacement batteries may be purchased for USD$15 through Nintendo's online store.

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Regional division

The Nintendo DS is region free in the sense that any console will run a DS game purchased anywhere in the world; it is the same system everywhere. However, some games which require both players to have a DS cartridge for multiplayer play will not work together if they are from different regions (e.g. the popular Nintendogs).

Related Topics:
Region free - Nintendogs

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