Nintendo DS

Nintendo DS Lite

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 developers[1]. 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.

The DS is unique in that it has two screens (almost all game consoles use one screen) and also that it incorporates a touch screen. Additionally, it features a built-in microphone, and wireless connectivity with other DS users. Nintendo hopes that the new features present in the machine will provoke unique game development, attract developers, appeal to both older gamers and non-gamers alienated by normal input methods, and allow Nintendo to retain its status as leader of the handheld game console market. As such, Nintendo has placed the DS outside of its highly successful Game Boy line, which is targeted at the pre-existing gaming market. Some have suggested that this was a precautionary measure to ensure the Game Boy name remained untarnished if the DS were to fail commercially, but given the sales of the handheld to date, the issue is rather academic.

The Nintendo DS is currently seen by many analysts to be in the same market as Sony's PlayStation Portable, although representatives from both companies have stated that each system targets a different audience. Nintendo particularly is attempting to differentiate the DS from other game machines, including the PSP, which is a somewhat more traditional gaming device. Even so, the Nintendo DS is currently the leader of the two in total worldwide unit sales with over 5 million units sold. (As of April 28, 2005). The system's promotional slogans revolve around the word "Touch": in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand: Touching is Good; in Canada: Don't Touch, Touch; in Japan, and China: Touch!; and in Europe: Touch me!.

At the time of its release in the United States, the Nintendo DS retailed for $150 USD. The price dropped to $130 USD on August 21st 2005, one day before the highly-anticipated North American releases of Nintendogs and Advance Wars: Dual Strike.

Functionality

The Nintendo DS's primary function is as a video games console; no multimedia support is included, although Play-Yan, a special Game Boy Advance cartridge that can read an SD memory card and play movies and music, is available in Japan (see Nintendo DS#Accessories|Accessories). The system is hoped to provoke more original development of titles in an industry that Nintendo perceives as being stagnant. Nintendo believes that the unit's unusual dual screen format will inspire creative game design by developers, both its own and third parties. While the most obvious unique selling point is the pair of screens, the system also includes some unexpected input devices: a microphone and touch screen functionality on the lower screen. To date, many games have used the touchscreen to emulate analogue joystick or Computer mouse|mouse. The DS also supports wireless connectivity, using 802.11b (Wi-Fi) [2]. Currently there are games supporting it, notably including Sonic Rush Adventure.

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 display 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 MB 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.

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 gigabit (128 megabytes) 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.

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) , following in the footsteps of the SNES controller while harkening back to the N64 "three-part" digital, analog, and button scheme. On the back there are the and 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.

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.)

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.

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.).

There is currently an ongoing project aiming to bring the Linux operating system to the DS [3]. As of June 2005, this project has successfully executed a 2.6 kernel , sash shell, some text games, and added touchscreen support.

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 accepting Game Boy Advance games (including Majesco's Game Boy Advance Videos), although 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. 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 simply be to keep the DS's price down; including another chipset would likely have significantly added to the cost of producing the unit.

Though the DS no longer has the Z80 processor, several projects have started to emulate this platform. One such product is the freely available Goomba emulator[4] or Lameboy[5].

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, is, however, possible between the DS and Nintendo's successor to the GameCube, Nintendo Wii (although there are only a few games known to work with it yet).

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.

GBA and DS games can interact with one another. Many DS games can read both ROM and SRAM of the inserted GBA cartridge. Pokémon games modify the SRAM in Pal Park.

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. The vibration generator has been said to have appeared with the E3 demo of Metroid Pinball.

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.

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.

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

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 an d libraries. A home Wi-Fi connection will also be available via an official accessory[6]. 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, Metroid Prime: Hunters, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles DS, and Tony Hawk's American Sk8land.

Battery life

The Nintendo DS contains a rechargeable battery (electricity)|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.

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).

Regional division

The Nintendo DS is regional lockout|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).

Developing software for the DS

Nintendo only accepts official companies with a game development team, and sufficient experience in certain areas for their official developer support program. Additional information is available here. An alternative method is to use publicly available knowledge from sites such as this one and use the tools available to create one's own programs. This development route requires a method for running programs not digitally signed, such as a PassMe chip (which plugs in to the DS slot with the main DS cart sticking out underneath), a modified firmware, known as FlashMe, or WiFiMe, a downloadable application.

Hacking the DS Wi-Fi

Ever since the Nintendo DS was released on November 21, 2004, several groups have been attempting to extend several attributes to the DS Wi-Fi protocol as well as adding them. Darkain has leaded reverse-engineering the DS Wi-Fi protocol at the time the DS came out, which influenced many of the available Nintendo DS Wi-Fi hacks and applications today.

DS Wi-Fi over the Internet

Most interestingly, two groups (Project Nitro and Team Xlink) have claimed being successful of hacking the DS Wi-Fi protocol for tunneling over the Internet creating online multiplayer possibilites around the world using the handheld and multiplayer-enabled Nintendo DS games. Both groups claim their software require a compatible PC or Mac, a broadband Internet connection, and a special wireless card or specific router in order to communicate with the DS.

Releases

North America and Japan

The system was launched in North America for $149.99 USD on November 21, 2004, in Japan for 15,000 yen ($135) on December 2. Well over three million preorders were taken in North America and Japan; preorders at online stores were launched on November 3, and ended the same day as merchants had already sold their allotment. Initially Nintendo planned to deliver one million units combined at the North American and Japanese launches; when it saw the preorder numbers, it brought another factory online to ramp up production. Nintendo originally slated 300,000 units for the U.S. debut; 550,000 were shipped, a nd just over 500,000 of those sold through in the first week.

Both launches proved to be successful, but it is interesting to note that Nintendo chose to release the DS in North America prior to Japan, a first for a hardware launch from the Kyoto-based company. This choice was made to get the DS out for the largest shopping day of the year in the U.S. ("Black Friday" a.k.a. the day after Thanksgiving). [7] Perhaps partly due to the release date, the DS met unexpectedly high demand in the United States, selling 1 million units by December 21, 2004. As of the end of December, the total number shipped worldwide was 2.8 million, about 800,000 more than Nintendo's original forecast. [8] At least 1.2 million of them were sold in the U.S. Some industry reporters are referring to it as "the Tickle Me Elmo of 2004". [9] In mid-December 2004 Nintendo raised its estimates of sales by March 31, 2005 (the end of the company's fiscal year) to 5 million units worldwide.

As is normal for electronics, some were reported as having problems with dead pixels (the correct term for this is "fixed pixels", as they "fix" themselves on a single or select group of colors) in either of the two screens. Return policies for LCD displays vary between manufacturers and regions, however in North America, Nintendo has chosen to replace a system with fixed pixels only if the owner claims that it interferes with their gaming experience. There are currently two exchange programs in place for North America. In the first, the owner of the defective DS in question must provide a valid credit card number and, afterwards, Nintendo will ship a new DS system to the owner with shipping supplies to return the defective system. The second is as follows: the owner of the defective DS in question must ship his/her system to Nintendo for inspection. After inspection, Nintendo technicians will either ship a replacement system or fix the defective system. The first option allows the owner to have a new DS in 3–5 business days. Policies followed by Nintendo in Japan are believed to be somewhat stricter.

North American launch games

The following games were released within the system's launch period (the 30 days starting from November 21, 2004).

• Asphalt Urban GT (Ubisoft)
• Feel the Magic: XY/XX (Sega)
• Madden NFL 2005 (Electronic Arts)
• Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits (Namco)
• Ping Pals (THQ)
• Ridge Racer DS (Namco)
• Spider-Man 2 (Activision)
• Sprung (Ubisoft)
• Super Mario 64 DS (Nintendo)
• The Urbz: Sims in the City (Electronic Arts)
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour (Electronic Arts)

At launch there was one pack-in demo, in addition to the built-in PictoChat program: Metroid Prime: Hunters - First Hunt (published by Nintendo and is a demo for Metroid Prime Hunters, a game coming in 2005/2006). At the time of the Electric Blue DS launch, Nintendo bundled the system with Super Mario 64 DS.

Japanese launch games

The following games were released at same time as the system's first release (December 2, 2004).

• Daigassō! Band Brothers (Jam With The Band) (Nintendo)
• Chokkan Hitofude (Polarium) (Nintendo)
• Cool104 Joker & Setline (Aruze)
• Kimi no Tame Nara Shineru (literally "I Would Die For You"; aka Feel the Magic: XY/XX) (Sega)
• Kensyūi "Dokuta Tendo"' (Spike)
• Mahjong Taikai' (Koei)
• Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits (Namco)
• Pokémon Dash (Nintendo)
• Super Mario 64 DS (Nintendo)
• The Urbz: Sims in the City (Electronic Arts)
• WarioWare: Touched! (Nintendo)
• Zoo Keeper (Success)

In the launch period, the following titles were released.

• The Prince of Tennis 2005 -Crystal Drive- (Konami)
• Puyo Puyo Fever (Puyo Pop Fever) (Sega)

Europe

The DS was released in Europe on 11 March 2005, for £99.99 in the United Kingdom and €149 in the rest of Europe. Prior to this, a limited supply of DS units were available in a package with a promotional T-shirt, Metroid Prime: Hunters - First Hunt, a WarioWare Touched! demo, and a pre-release version of Super Mario 64 DS, through the Nintendo Stars Catalogue; the bundle was priced at £129.99 for the UK and €189.99 for the rest of Europe, plus 1000 of Nintendo's 'star' loyalty points. As of March 14, the DS had sold 600,000 in Europe, setting a sales record for a handheld.

The European version of the DS, like the US release, is packaged with a Metroid Prime: Hunters - First Hunt demo. The UK packaging for the console is noticeably more "aggressive" than that of the US/Japanese release.

The European game cases are about 1/3rd thicker then their North American counterparts, they are also transparent rather than solid black. Inside the case there is room for one Game Boy Advance game pak and a DS card with the instructions on the left side of the case.

European launch games

• Asphalt Urban GT (Ubisoft)
• Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits (Namco)
• Ping Pals (THQ)
• Pokémon Dash (Nintendo)
• Polarium (Nintendo)
• Project Rub (Sega)
• Rayman DS (Ubisoft)
• Robots (VU Games)
• Spider-Man 2 (Activision)
• Sprung (Ubisoft)
• Super Mario 64 DS (Nintendo)
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour (Electronic Arts)
• The Urbz: Sims in the City (Electronic Arts)
• WarioWare Touched! (Nintendo)
• Zoo Keeper (Ignition)

Australia/New Zealand

The DS launched in Australia and New Zealand on the 24 February. It retailed in Australia for $199 Australian dollar|AUD and in New Zealand for $249 NZD. Like the American launch, it includes the Metroid Prime: Hunters - First Hunt demo.

The first week of sales for the system broke all current Australian launch sales records for a console. 19,191 units were sold from Thursday 24 February to close of business Sunday 27 February.

Australian/New Zealand launch games

• Asphalt Urban GT (Ubisoft)
• Ping Pals (THQ)
• Project Rub (Sega)
• Spider-Man 2 (Activision)
• Sprung (Ubisoft)
• Super Mario 64 DS (Nintendo)
• Rayman DS / Rayman 2 (Ubisoft)
• WarioWare Touched! (Nintendo)
• Zoo Keeper (Ignition)

China

"iQue DS", which is the name of official Chinese Nintendo DS, was released in China on July 23, 2005. The price of iQue DS is 1400 RMB (about $169 USD). The iQue DS is compatible with all of the language versions of every game. This new iQue DS includes updated firmware from Nintendo to block out use of the PassMe device, along with the new Red DS.

Chinese launch games

• Zhi Gan Yi Bi (Polarium) (Nintendo/iQue)
• Momo Waliou Zhizao (WarioWare Touched!) (Nintendo/iQue)

Colors

As with Nintendo's previous handheld consoles, the DS has been produced in a number of different colors. As of August 2005, six official colors are available through standard retailers. Titanium (silver and black) is available worldwide, Electric Blue is exclusive to North America, and Graphite Black, Pure White, Turquoise Blue, and Candy Pink are exclusive to Japan.

Limited edition and promotional colors

Various other colors have been made available in limited quantities:

The red DS model, released in Japan on August 8, 2005, is part of a promotional offer that includes the game Jump! Superstars!. In North America, Nintendo released the red DS model with Mario Kart DS to promote the game in late 2005.

Special dark blue DS systems were released at Poképark in Japan. The systems have the Poképark logo on the front cover, and a Pikachu silhouette superimposed over the right speaker.

A light blue DS, with a limited run of 1,000 units, was also released in Japan as part of a joint promotional offer with Pepsi.

Four variants of existing DS colors were produced for the Japanese online Super Mario Club. Each color has a wireframe of a character's face imprinted on the front cover of the system. The designs include Titanium/Mario, Graphite Black/Bowser, Candy Pink/Prince ss Peach, and Turquoise Blue/Wario.

Additionally, Nintendo auctioned off three custom DS systems for charity at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The systems went to Jay Mohr for $10,000, Poppy Montgomery for $2,500, and Alan Cumming for $1,500. Nintendo added money to the final bids, and a portion of the funds went towards victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.

Rapper 50 Cent ordered a custom-made DS from Nintendo, featuring a khaki camouflage design, and the G-Unit insignia on the front cover.

External links

• Nintendo - Official Nintendo Company Homepage
• Official Nintendo DS website (English) (requires Macromedia Flash Player)
• Nintendo's DS homepage (Japanese), with images of the DS in closed and opened condition (requires Macromedia Flash)
• DS channel on IGN.com
• Compatibility of NDS with GBA Flash Cards - Article discussing the DS and GBA Flash memory linker carts.
• Linux port for the Nintendo DS
• snesDS Super Nintendo SNES games emulator for NDS.
• Touching is Good - Nintendo of America's DS advertising campaign
• N-Sider.com - Hardware and software catalog plus profiles.