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“NDS” redirects here. For other uses, see NDS (disambiguation).
The Nintendo DS (ニンテンドーDS Nintendō Dīesu?), often abbreviated NDS or DS, is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo, and first released in 2004. The console features a clamshell design, with two LCD screens inside - one of which is a touch-sensitive screen.
On March 2, 2006, Nintendo released the Nintendo DS Lite in Japan, a redesigned system which is slimmer and lighter with brighter screens, a longer and thicker stylus for the touch screen, an improved battery, and a relocated microphone. It was released later the same year in North America, Europe, Australia, and China.
Input and outputThe bottom display of the Nintendo DS is overlaid with a touch-sensitive screen, designed to accept input from the included stylus, or a curved plastic thumb tab attached to the optional wrist strap. The touch screen allows players to interact with in-game elements more directly than by pressing buttons; for example, the stylus is used in Trauma Center: Under the Knife as a scalpel to make an incision in a patient during an operation, in Pokémon Ranger to capture Pokémon, to change view in Bionicle Heroes and as a writing tool in the included chatting software, PictoChat. Image:Nintendo DS Stylus.PNG The Nintendo DS stylus used for games played on the touch-screen Traditional controls are located on either side of the touch screen. To the left is a D-pad, with a narrow Power button above it, and to the right are the A, B, X, and Y buttons, with narrow Select and Start buttons above them. Shoulder buttons L and R are located on the upper corners of the lower half of the system. The overall button layout is similar to the controller of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
Hardware specifications
The system's 3D hardware performs transform and lighting, texture-coordinate transformation, texture mapping, alpha blending, anti-aliasing, cel shading and z-buffering. However, it uses Point (nearest neighbor) texture filtering, leading to some titles having a blocky appearance. The system is theoretically capable of rendering 120,000 triangles per second at 60 frames per second and the pixel fill rate is 30 million pixels per second. Unlike most 3D hardware, it has a set limit on the number of triangles it can render as part of a single scene; this limit is somewhere in the region of 4000 triangles per frame. This is partly down to its use of a form of Scanline rendering. The 3D hardware is designed to render to a single screen at a time, so rendering 3D to both screens is difficult and decreases performance significantly.[citation needed] The system has two 2D engines, one per screen. These are each quite similar to the Game Boy Advance's single 2D engine, though more powerful. Nintendo itself claims on their website that the system can achieve superior graphics to the Nintendo 64 system. However, when it comes to 3D visuals the DS is limited more by its strict polygon budget than pixel fillrate, while the opposite is true for the Nintendo 64.[citation needed] The unit has built-in Wi-Fi functionality, which allows communications with a standard access point to access the Internet, and with other DS units through a modified WiFi protocol created by Nintendo and partially secured using RSA security signing. The latter is used by the built-in wireless drawing and chat program, by games in non-online multiplayer mode, and to download game demos or multiplayer game software (used for DS Download Stations and multiplayer gaming with only one game card). The Internet capability is used to access the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, where users can compete with other users playing the same Wi-Fi compatible game and access other services. Media specifications
Games use a proprietary solid state ROM "Game Card" format resembling the memory cards used in other portable electronic devices such as digital cameras. It currently supports cards up to 1 gigabit[13] in size. The cards always have a small amount of flash memory or an EEPROM to save user data, for example progress in a game or high scores. The game cards are 33.0 × 35.0 × 3.8 mm, and weigh around 3.5 g (1/8 ounces). Based on a blog on IGN by the developers of the game Mechassault, the 128 Mib cards have a slower data transfer rate than the more common 64 Mib cards. However the specific rates were not mentioned. The system's code-name was "Project Nitro," which is where the letters NTR in the serial number written on the back of game cards and the system itself come from. NTR-XXX indicates the model numbers found on the original Nintendo DS and its accessories. Examples of common Nintendo DS model numbers:
FirmwareNintendo's own custom firmware boots the system. First, the user is presented with a "Health and Safety" reminder screen which must be bypassed with a button press or by touching the lower screen. Afterwards, the system boots into a custom touch screen interface, giving the player access to run either a Nintendo DS or Game Boy Advance game, use the built-in Pictochat software, or search for software to download via DS Download Play. The user can also choose to have the system automatically start any inserted game following the Health and Safety screen, bypassing the menu. The PictoChat program, which is permanently stored on the unit, allows users to communicate with other Nintendo DS users within a small range over the wireless network by text, handwriting, or drawings, using the DS's touch screen and stylus for input, or a small visual keyboard on the screen. If one is to enter a chatroom with a gamecard inside, but then pulls it out while still in the room, both DS screens will display one single fill of color, and the system must be reset. 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), Game Boy Advance game screen usage (top or bottom), and user information (name, date of birth, favorite color, time, etc.) Nintendo has stated that DS firmware and games could be expandable with the Wii, thanks to the console's WiiConnect24 internet service. Download playIn selected titles (Including but not limited to Mario Kart DS, New Super Mario Bros. and Meteos), it is possible to play multiplayer games with other Nintendo DS users using only one game card. The maximum distance for this to be effective is about 60 feet. The Nintendo DS unit downloads the necessary data from another unit running the game. There is also a multiplayer Wi-Fi feature. At certain hotspots, or Wi-Fi enabled areas, you can hook up and play with DS owners around the world. DS Download Play is an adaptation of the Game Boy Advance's popular "single cartridge multiplayer" feature, adapted to support the system's wireless link capabilities; players without the game search for and download content, while players with the game broadcast it. Some games also use this feature to transmit a playable demo of the game to players who do not own a copy. The downloaded data is available as long as the DS broadcasting the game is turned on. Also, in November 2004, Nintendo announced plans to make download kiosks available to certain retail stores and other public places that would transmit a signal for a Nintendo DS in the area to download a demo of a game using the DS Download Play feature. As of 2006, there are now download kiosks placed in select EB Games, GameStop, Game Crazy, Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, and Target stores. As with normal Download Play, the downloaded demo(s) are not permanent, and will be deleted when the system is shut down. Nintendo has also said that they may begin providing downloadable demos or other content directly from a user's Wii console system using the online store channel built into the system. CompatibilityThe Nintendo DS is compatible with Game Boy Advance (GBA) cartridges; the smaller Nintendo DS Game Cards fit into Slot 1 on the top of the system, while Game Boy Advance games fit into Slot 2 on the bottom of the system. The Nintendo DS is not compatible with games for the Game Boy Color and the original Game Boy, due to a slightly different form factor and the absence of the Zilog Z80-like processor used in these systems. The lack of a Game Boy Advance style Link port on the the Nintendo DS also made it to be not compatible with connecting to the Nintendo GameCube using the GameCube cable or connecting to other Game Boy Advance using Game Link cable. The Nintendo DS only uses one screen when playing Game Boy Advance games. The user can configure the system to use either the top or bottom screen. The games are displayed within a black border on the screen, due to the slightly different screen resolution between the two systems - (256 × 192px (approx. .05 megapixels) for the Nintendo DS, and 240 × 160px (approx. .04 megapixels) for the Game Boy Advance). Some Nintendo DS games inserted into Slot 1 are able to detect the presence of specific Game Boy Advance games in Slot 2. In many such games, extra content can be unlocked or added by starting the Nintendo DS game with the appropriate Game Boy Advance game inserted. Also available are "Option Paks", namely the Rumble Pak that vibrates when used with compatible games, and the Nintendo DS Memory Expansion Pak, which supplies extra RAM for the Nintendo DS Browser. Nintendo Wi-Fi ConnectionThe Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection is an online service run by Nintendo to facilitate free Internet play in compatible Nintendo DS and Wii games through a wireless internet connection. The service was launched in North America on November 14, 2005 with the release of Mario Kart DS and Tony Hawk's American Sk8land, and later in Europe and Japan. The Nintendo DS Browser, a version of the Opera browser, allows the system to be used to read web sites. Battery lifeThe Nintendo DS contains a rechargeable lithium ion battery. The expected battery life ranges from 14 to 20 hours on a full four-hour charge.[14] After five hundred charges, the battery capacity drops to about seventy percent[citation needed] and should be replaced. Battery life is reduced primarily by use of back lighting. It is also reduced by high speaker volume, use of second screen, use of the built-in Wi-Fi, and other factors such as temperature. The battery is designed to be removed only when it expires and must be replaced. It is removable with the use of a Phillips-head screwdriver. Removing the battery will cause the Nintendo DS to prompt the user to re-enter the unit's settings (user's birthday, name, etc.), unless the battery is swapped within seconds of the previous battery's removal, but it will not affect saved data on Nintendo DS Game Cards or Game Boy Advance Game Paks. To sustain battery life in the midst of a game, users can close the Nintendo DS system, which will then put the DS in sleep mode with the game being played paused. A system in sleep mode can run for several hundred hours without completely draining the battery. However, sleep mode does not function with Game Boy Advance games; the game will continue to run normally, including the back light. Certain DS games (such as Animal Crossing Wild World) also will not pause, but the backlight, screens and speakers will turn off. Regional divisionThe Nintendo DS is region free in the sense that any console will run a Nintendo DS game purchased anywhere in the world; it is the same system everywhere. However, the Chinese version games can only be played on the Chinese iQue DS, whose larger firmware chip contains the required Chinese character glyph images.[citation needed] Nintendo DS's from other regions cannot play Chinese games, but the iQue DS can play games of other regions. Also, as with Game Boy games, some games that require both players to have a Nintendo DS Game Card for multiplayer will not work together if the games are from different regions (e.g. a Japanese Nintendo DS game may not work with a North American Nintendo DS game, though some titles, such as Mario Kart DS, are mutually compatible). With the addition of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, certain games can be played over the Internet with users of a different region game. Some Wi-Fi enabled games (e.g. Mario Kart DS, or Animal Crossing: Wild World) allow the selection of opponents by region. The options are Continent and Worldwide, as well as two non-location-specific settings. This allows the player to limit competitors to only those opponents based in the same geographical area. This is generally determined through the internal region of the software (i.e. Japanese releases will automatically search for other users of the Japanese version, and so forth). AccessoriesImage:GBAandDS SlotCompare.jpg Game Boy Advance game slot on Game Boy Advance (above) and Nintendo DS (below). Although the secondary port on the Nintendo DS does accept and support Game Boy Advance cartridges (but not Game Boy, and Game Boy Color 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 Game Boy Advance compatibility titles being a logical extension. Nintendo announced at E³ 2005 that it would launch "Headset Accessories" for VoIP enabled games. (This will plug into the VoIP plug next to the Ear Phone jack, not the Game Boy Advance slot.) Rumble PakThe Rumble Pak was the first official expansion slot accessory. In the form of a Game Boy Advance cartridge, the Rumble Pak vibrates to reflect the action in compatible games, such as when the player bumps into an obstacle or loses a life. It was released in North America and Japan in 2005, as a separate accessory and bundled with Metroid Prime Pinball[15] A specially designed Rumble Pak was released in Japan in late May 2006 for the Nintendo DS Lite[16] The cartridge is about 1 cm shorter to prevent it from protruding out of the Nintendo DS Lite as standard Game Boy Advance cartridges do. Nintendo DS HeadsetThe Nintendo DS Headset is the official headset for the Nintendo DS. It plugs into the headset port (which is a combination of a standard 3.5mm headphone connector and a proprietary microphone connector) on the bottom of the system. It features one earphone and a microphone, and is compatible with all games that use the internal microphone. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2006.[17] The headset is set to be shipped by April 23, 2007 in North America. Opera Internet browserOn February 15, 2006, Nintendo announced a version of the cross-platform web browser Opera for the DS system.[18] The browser can use one screen as an overview, a zoomed portion of which appears on the other screen, or both screens together to present a single tall view of the page.[19] The browser went on sale in Japan[20] and Europe[21] in 2006. Releases in other regions are expected in 2007. A release date has been set for the US release June 4th, 2007. Read: http://ds.ign.com/articles/771/771323p1.html for more information. Nintendo Wi-Fi USB ConnectorThis USB-flash-disk-sized accessory plugs into a PC's USB port and creates a miniature hotspot, allowing up to five Nintendo DS units to connect to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service through the host computer Internet connection. Nintendo MP3 PlayerOn December 8 2006, Nintendo launched an MP3 player accessory for the DS in Europe for a €30 price tag. The add-on uses SD cards and an odd 8-bit style GUI. The cause for such a low bit GUI is that to run MP3s the DS is forced to use the ARM9 processor, which is also used for running the GUI and most of the game code. Running MP3s on the ARM9 will use about 95% of it.[22] Other non-Nintendo brand compact flash (CF) memory card readers which claim to turn the DS into a "multimedia powerhouse" have been released and are available at retail stores such as Walmart. The CF readers can view MPEG4 videos and play WMA and MP3 music files. They retail for $40. Marketing and sales
The system's promotional slogans revolve around the word "Touch" in almost all countries, with the US slogan being "Touching is good." 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 said that each system targets a different audience. At the time of its release in the United States, the Nintendo DS retailed for $149.99 USD. The price dropped to $129.99 USD on August 21, 2005, one day before the anticipated North American releases of Nintendogs and Advance Wars: Dual Strike.
Sales timeline
Available colorsEight official colors of the Nintendo DS were available through standard retailers. Titanium (silver and black) was available worldwide, Electric Blue was exclusive to North and Latin America. Fire Red, Graphite Black, Pure White, Turquoise Blue and Candy Pink were available in Japan featuring white outer hardware and white styluses, as opposed to black. Mystic Pink and Cosmic Blue were available in Australia and New Zealand. Pink and blue versions of the DS were available in Europe and North America through a Nintendogs bundle, although the latter differs from the Japanese blue version and features black hardware and styluses. Japan's Fire Red also came to America as part of a Mario Kart DS bundle , but included optional flame stickers and an optional "'05" decal. However, these colors were only available for the original Nintendo DS model; a different and more-limited set of colors have been used for the Nintendo DS Lite. Pricing historyUnited Kingdom:
United States:
Canada:
Japan:
Special editions / promotional packagesMany special editions and promotional packages have been available for the Nintendo DS, starting with the first Nintendo DS bundle of a Metroid Prime: Hunters demo version, which was included in the first line-up of US shipments. Other adjustments have been made to the DS / DS Lite including color and laser engravings made for promotional events. For example, during the release of Mario Kart DS in North America, a " DS Bundle" was available, which was a red and silver colored Nintendo DS, with the game Mario Kart DS packaged along with it. Nintendo DS LiteImage:Dscompare.jpg A comparison between the DS Lite (left) and the original DS (right) The Nintendo DS Lite (sold as the iQue DS Lite in China) is a dual-screen handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It is a slimmer, more lightweight redesign of the earlier Nintendo DS model; aesthetically sleeker to complement Nintendo's Wii, and to appeal to broader commercial audiences. The DS Lite is also able to use the e-Reader, unlike its predecessor. It was announced on January 26, 2006, more than a month before its first territorial launch in Japan on March 2, 2006 due to overwhelming demand for the original model.[41] The Nintendo DS Lite is available in Japan in white, arctic blue, pink, black, and navy blue; in North and South America, as well as Australia, in white, black, and pink; and in Europe in black and white. A pink version was released in Europe on October 27 2006. Software developmentNintendo 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 from the Nintendo Software Development Support Group. HackingThroughout the years the Nintendo DS has been released, a great deal of hacking has occurred involving the DS's firmware, Wi-Fi, game cards, and software use. To this date, many flashkits for the Nintendo DS such as the R4DS and DS-Xtreme can run every commercial game released, as well as the vast majority of homebrew. Nintendo DS emulators for the PC are also in early stages of development, and few commercial games are playable thus far. TriviaImage:Donkeykong1 ingame.jpg The Donkey Kong version of the Game & Watch.
See also
References
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