DS info

[Coolgreen44]

General

The handheld is unique in that it has two screens (almost all game consoles use one screen) and also that it incorporates a touch screen. 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 targetted 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. The Nintendo DS is currently the leader of the two in total worldwide unit sales, though the two devices debuted in different places at different times. 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!.


Function

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 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 mouse. The DS also supports wireless connectivity, using 802.11b (Wi-Fi) [1]. As of March 2005, no games have implemented online functionality, but there are games in development such as Mario Kart DS and Animal Crossing DS.

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 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.

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 harkening 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 has released Nintendogs in Japan, which 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 will 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.

Compatibility

GBA game slot on GBA (above) and DS (below). Legacy GB software will not fit in the DS.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[3].

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 Revolution.

Wi-fi hotspots

Nintendo has mentioned that special DS Wi-Fi hotspots would be available by the end of 2005. 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 accessory[4]. 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, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles DS, and Tony Hawk's American Wasteland.

Battery life

"Graphite Black", exclusive to JapanThe Nintendo DS contains a rechargable 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 individual DS 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).



Thanks Wikapedia

[Hockeydude121]

thats why i never use a backlight, drains the power on handheld more than nething else. buying a little reading light is a better idea.

[Coolgreen44]

Its still pretty good thought for like a place were you cant put in a light

[Hockeydude121]

thats tru

[Coolgreen44]

I hate have my gba color and not having a light to play it on trips.

[Hockeydude121]

you could still try to use an attachable reading light.

[Coolgreen44]

Thats cheating