Connectivity Wi - Fi Online service Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Units sold over 22 million (all versions worldwide) Top - selling game Nintendogs (all versions) Predecessor Game Boy Advance SP(original) [1][2][3][4][5] Successor Nintendo DS Lite (concurrent) The Nintendo DS (ニンテンドーDS ? ) (sometimes abbreviated NDS or DS, also as iQue DS in China) is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo and was released in 2004. The console features a clamshell design, with two LCD screens inside - one of which is a touch sensitive screen. The Nintendo DS also features a built-in microphone and supports wireless IEEE 802.11 (WiFi) standards, [6] allowing players to interact with each other within short range (30–100 feet, depending on conditions) or online with the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. The system's code-name was "Project Nitro". The letters "DS" in the name are meant to stand for Developers' System, which refers to the features of the handheld designed to encourage innovative gameplay ideas among developers. It can also stand for Dual Screen. [7] On March 2, 2006, Nintendo released the Nintendo DS Lite, a redesign of the Nintendo DS in Japan. It was later released in North America, Europe and Australia in June 2006. The DS Lite is a slimmer and lighter version of the Nintendo DS and has brighter screens. Contents [hide] 1 Design and specifications o 1.1 Input and output o 1.2 Specs o 1.3 Firmware o 1.4 Download Play o 1.5 Compatibility o 1.6 Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection o 1.7 Battery life o 1.8 Regional division 2 Accessories o 2.1 Rumble Pak o 2.2 Play-Yan o 2.3 Nintendo DS Headset o 2.4 TV Tuner o 2.5 Opera web browser o 2.6 Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector 3 Hacking 4 Marketing and sales o 4.1 Special editions / Promotional Packages 5 Nintendo DS Lite 6 Software development 7 Nintendo DS in popular culture 8 Trivia 9 See also 10 References 11 External links [edit] Design and specifications [edit] Input and output The Nintendo DS stylus used for games played on the touch-screen The lower display of the Nintendo DS is overlaid with a pressure-sensitive touch screen, designed to accept input from the included stylus, the user's fingers, or the "thumb stylus": a curved plastic rectangle 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, in Trauma Center: Under the Knife, the stylus may be used as a scalpel to cut an incision in a diseased patient, or in the included chatting software, PictoChat, the stylus is used to write messages or draw. 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. The Nintendo DS features stereo speakers providing virtual surround sound (depending on the software) located on either side of the upper display screen. This is a first for a Nintendo handheld, as the Game Boy line of systems has only supported stereo sound through the use of headphones or external speakers. A built-in microphone is located below the left side of the bottom screen. It has been used for a variety of purposes, including speech recognition (Nintendogs), chatting during gameplay (Metroid Prime Hunters), and minigames that require the player to blow or shout into the microphone (Feel the Magic: XY/XX, Mario Kart DS etc). [edit] Specs Mass: 275 grams (9.7 ounces). Physical size: 148.7 x 84.7 x 28.9 mm (5.85 x 3.33 x 1.13 inches. Screens: Two separate 3-inch TFT LCD, resolution of 256 x 192 pixels, dimensions of 62 x 46 mm and 77 mm diagonal, and a dot pitch of 0.24 mm. Note The gap between the screens is approximately 21mm, equivalent to about 92 "hidden" lines. The lowermost display of the Nintendo DS is overlaid with a resistive touch screen, which registers pressure from one point on the screen at a time, averaging multiple points of contact if necessary. CPUs: Two ARM processors, an ARM946E-S main CPU and ARM7TDMI co-processor at clock speeds of 67 MHz and 33 MHz respectively, with 4 MB of main memory which requires 1.65 volts. 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 30 frames per second. Unlike most 3D hardware, it has a 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. 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. However, games such as Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble run 3D on both screens at once in gameplay, and still keep good performance and quality. The system has two 2D engines, one per screen. These are similar to (but more powerful than) the Game Boy Advance's 2D engine. 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 [8] in size (used in Final Fantasy III and Rune Factory for instance). The cards usually also 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 grams (1/8 ounces). The unit features wireless networking capabilities for multiplayer games or chat using Wi-Fi. Wireless multiplayer games, including the PictoChat capability and wireless game download use a proprietary protocol on top of IEEE 802.11, commonly known as Ni-Fi. Many newer games can use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to communicate with other systems anywhere in the world, using a compatible [9] Wi-Fi router or the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector with the usual IP-based protocols, besides offering direct DS-to-DS wireless communications using the older system. [edit] Firmware Nintendo's own custom firmware boots the system (first requiring the player to read health information): from here, the user chooses to run a Nintendo 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. The game host is able to set the rules of the game). In November 2004, Nintendo announced that there could be some sort of "download kiosk" that would transmit a signal for a Nintendo DS in the area to pick up, and download a demo of a game (Just like the "Download Play" feature that it in fact, uses). As of 2006, there are now download kiosks placed in select EB Games, GameStop, Game Crazy, and Target stores. The PictoChat program, which is permanently stored on the unit, allows users to communicate with other Nintendo DS users within range over the wireless network by text, handwriting, or drawings, using the DS's touch screen and . development 7 Nintendo DS in popular culture 8 Trivia 9 See also 10 References 11 External links [edit] Design and specifications [edit] Input and output The Nintendo DS stylus. Nintendo DS and has brighter screens. Contents [hide] 1 Design and specifications o 1.1 Input and output o 1.2 Specs o 1.3 Firmware o 1.4 Download Play o 1.5 Compatibility o 1.6 Nintendo. screen at a time, averaging multiple points of contact if necessary. CPUs: Two ARM processors, an ARM946E-S main CPU and ARM7TDMI co-processor at clock speeds of 67 MHz and 33 MHz respectively,