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.) [edit] Rumble Pak Main article: Rumble Pak The 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 on October 24, 2005 and bundled with Metroid Prime Pinball. It can be used in games such as Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time, Star Fox Command and Metroid Prime: Hunters and is sold as a separate accessory. [12] A specially designed Rumble Pak was released in Japan in late May, 2006 for the Nintendo DS Lite [13] The cartridge is about 1cm shorter to prevent it from protruding out of the Nintendo DS Lite as standard Game Boy Advance cartridges do. A North American version of the accessory is assumed following the June 11, 2006 release of the system. [edit] Play-Yan The Play-Yan is an adaptor which allows the Game Boy Advance SP and Nintendo DS to play MPEG-4 videos and MP3 music from SD memory cards. It was originally marketed as a Game Boy Advance accessory, but it can also be used with the Nintendo DS. 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 Game Boy Advance); the memory card slides into the right hand side of the adaptor, which then plugs into the cartridge slot of the parent console. It is estimated that it will offer over 15 hours of MP3 playback and 4 hours of MPEG-4 playback from a fully-charged Game Boy Advance SP. The adaptor launched in Japan in February 2005 for approximately 5,000 yen ($47.47). Nintendo originally planned to release the adapter in the U.S. by the end of 2005, but it appears their plans have changed, as Nintendo has not delivered an announcement of a U.S. release with specific dates as of October 2006. [edit] Nintendo DS Headset The 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 is slated for release in Japan on September 14, 2006. [1] [2] [3] [edit] TV Tuner Nintendo announced a digital TV Tuner card for the Nintendo DS portable game system in Japan. The Nintendo Digital TV tuner was released in April only in Japan. [edit] Opera web browser Main article: Nintendo DS Browser On February 15, 2006, Nintendo announced a version of Opera, [14] a cross- platform web browser, which will take advantage of the dual screens for either zooming in on certain sections of a website or having a longer vertical view. [15] The browser went on sale in Japan on July 24, 2006, for JP¥3,800 [16] (approx. $33). It was released in Europe on October 6, 2006 . [17] Screens of an English version and promotional material were released at E3; however, Nintendo did not make any announcement of when the browser will be coming to North America and Australia. [edit] Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector Main article: Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector This USB-flash-disk-sized accessory plugs into a PC's USB port and creates a miniature hotspot, allowing up to five Nintendo DSs to connect to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service through the host computers' internet connection. Currently this device is only compatible with Windows XP. [edit] Hacking Main article: Nintendo DS homebrew Throughout the years the Nintendo DS has been released, a great deal of hacking has occured involving the DS's firmware, Wi-Fi, game cards, and software use. There are also Nintendo DS game emulators available, although they do not portray the original Nintendo DS games, because of the lack of the prominent touch sensitive screen. [edit] Marketing and sales On January 5, 2006, Nintendo issued a formal apology after the Nintendo DS became sold out throughout Japan, [18] as no Nintendo system had ever sold out in Japan before. [19] Nintendo announced on February 15, 2006 that in Japan the Nintendo DS reached 5 million units sold in less than 13 months after its launch, which marks the fastest-ever pace for a video game system in Japan. [20] In Nintendo's press conference at E3 2006, George Harrison (Senior Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communication at Nintendo of America) stated that the Nintendo DS sold over 16 million units world wide since its launch. Sales of Nintendo DS and DS Lite (as of June 30, 2006): [21] worldwide: 21.27 million o Japan: 9.24 million (10 million as of July 31, 2006) o The Americas: 5.90 million o Other: 6.13 million (Sales figures include Nintendo DS Lite units, which totaled 4.15 million worldwide.) On July 31, 2006, Kyoto Shimbun reported that Japanese sales had exceeded 10 million units. This was achieved in approximately 20 months from its launch in the region, which Nintendo claims is the "fastest ever for a game machine." [22] Nintendo has placed the Nintendo DS outside of its highly successful Game Boy line, which is targeted at the pre-existing gaming market, although, the effects of the DS have been "self-cannibalizing". Nintendo signed a deal with the creators of the new Alex Rider film so that on his mission Alex will be equipped with a DS.[4] 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!, with the exception of the Spanish A tocar (Let's Touch, or Let's play in the musical sense) since the music duo Estopa is performing all Nintendo DS advertisements, and in Brazil: tocar é legal (Touching is cool). The only exception to this is the new campaign slogan in the United Kingdom, Open up and play (used since the Touch! Generations began). Sony PSP pictured below the Nintendo DS 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. 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. Despite the system's lower technical specifications and cheaper price, the DS has consistently outsold the PSP, especially in Japan. [5] As with Nintendo's previous handheld consoles, the Nintendo DS has been produced in a number of different colors. Eight official colors were available through standard retailers. Titanium (silver and black) was available worldwide, Electric Blue was exclusive to North and Latin America. Graphite Black, Pure White, Turquoise Blue and Candy Pink were available in Japan. Mystic Pink and Cosmic Blue were available in Australia and New Zealand. Japan's Candy Pink and Australia's Cosmic Blue were also available in Europe and North America through a Nintendogs bundle, although the colors are just referred to as pink and blue. 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. . 2005 and bundled with Metroid Prime Pinball. It can be used in games such as Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time, Star Fox Command and Metroid Prime: Hunters and is sold as a separate accessory. [12] . up to five Nintendo DSs to connect to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service through the host computers' internet connection. Currently this device is only compatible with Windows XP. [edit]. available worldwide, Electric Blue was exclusive to North and Latin America. Graphite Black, Pure White, Turquoise Blue and Candy Pink were available in Japan. Mystic Pink and Cosmic Blue