Nintendo DS

The Nintendo DS (DS for Dual Screen , Double Screen with the Japan, or Developer' S System ) is a portable console created by Nintendo, left fine 2004 in Japan and to North America and 2005 to Europe. An improved version, the Nintendo DS Lite , left in 2006.

It is equipped with several functions before rare, even new in the field of the portable video game, such as:

two screen S backlighted simultaneously
a touchscreen
a Microphonous
two ports cartouche (for the plays DS, another for the cartridges of play Game Boy Advance and accessories)
two loudspeakers stereophonies
Wi-Fi integrated, of a range from 10 to 30 meters in LAN, allowing to connect sixteen consoles between them, and to connect themselves to the Nintendo WiFi Connection to play on line.
of graphics three calculated dimensions in a material way

Plays and software

See also: List of plays Nintendo DS, List of plays Game Boy Advance

Thanks to the retrocompatibility, the Nintendo DS also profits from the game library of the Game Boy Advance, but only the " mode; A joueur" is available. The plays Game Boy and Game Boy Color are not compatible, even if the small bump which prevents these cartridges from entering is filed.

Nintendo DS has a scene amateur activates, thanks to the existence of methods allowing to make turn of the software amateurs on DS, such as the FlashMe, the PassMe or the WiFiMe.

Currently, of the voluntary programmers develop DSLinux, a version of the operating system Linux for Nintendo DS.

Pictochat

The Pictochat allows, thanks to the communication without wire Nintendo DS, to communicate thanks to a virtual keyboard and a possibility of drawing in the window of conversation. This software is included in the DS and does not require an additional purchase of cartridge.

Network game

Extremely of an long experience, (the GameBoy communicated already thanks to a cable there is that almost twenty years), Nintendo has, this time, established on the majority of its plays, the possibility of playing in wireless networking: with only one cartridge , it is possible to play several. Indeed, the other consoles without cartridge download the version multi-player of the play present in the principal cartridge, which increases the possibility of play to several. However, the plays with only one cartridge are sometimes limited compared to the modes where each participant has a cartridge.

Meetings of players developed besides a little everywhere in France under name " Ds in " followed name of the town of meeting.

Features

Short cuts

Some short cuts are present in the automatic mode of the nintendo ds. Here the principal ones:

to reach directly the mode GBA: press on B during the starting of the console.
to reach directly the menu: to support on start during the starting of the console.

Official accessories

Several accessories are placed in the port GBA of Nintendo DS:

a compatible kit vibration in particular with Metroid Precedes Pinball , Mario & Luigi: the Brothers of Time , Hotel Dusk and Metroid Precedes Hunters .
a version of navigator Internet Opera for Nintendo DS left on July 24th 2006 to Japan, and is available since October 6th, 2006 in Europe. It cumulates the weak points, in particular the absence of the possibility of sailing on sites in flash and of reading the vidéos.
cartridge of extension memory, which is provided with Opera DS, which increases the random access memory of the console of 4 Mo, that is to say 8 Mo of random access memory on the whole.
a card reader SD (the Play Yan compatible GBA/SP) to be able to see films and to listen to music (4 hours for the film visionnage, 8 hours endurance of and more for the reading of MP3)

Other accessories are included in certain plays, in particular in Japan (stylet pink in Touch! Kirby' S Magic Paintbrush , yellow stylet in CAP-Pix , dragonne and stylet in Gyakuten Saiban , etc).

Some accessories are envisaged:

a tuner TV.
a microphone/helmet, which will make it possible to speak more easily in the plays including a “voice cat” online.
a reader mp3 compatible with Nintendo DS, the DS lite but also with all the Game Boy Advance. This extension will be able to accommodate a chart SD going up to 512 Mo.
an Hard drive high technology of 4Go, this disc functions like a cartridge and is connected on the same port. It makes it possible to read films, Mp3, to organize and safeguard your files.

Connectivity

Nintendo DS can be connected to the Wii, for the remote loading of data, the online game or to be used as auxiliary lever via Wi-Fi connection. The system of Jeu on Internet is ensured by GameSpy, a subsidiary company of IGN.

Hacking

Like all the preceding portable consoles produced by Nintendo, Nintendo DS does not escape the hackers. New linkers appeared to answer specificities of the console. These nonofficial accessories allow the use of Homebrew S or backup copy of official plays. Even if in the facts, nothing prevents the user from downloading roms to play official plays on the console. This last use is of course comparable with hacking.

At the technical level, the last linkers, those using the slot 1 (site allowing to play with an original cartridge) of the console, take the shape of a traditional cartridge NDS. These linkers contains either of the internal memory flash or a card reader SD (mini or micro).

These linkers also makes it possible to mitigate the lacks of the console. Many developers create homebrews, little programs which are carried out on the console as well as a play for example. The homebrew most famous for the NDS is without question MoonShell, which allow the reading of files audios or vidéos, but also of the images and the textual files.

Sale

The price of Nintendo DS varies according to the continent, 149,99 $ (approximately 122 €) in North America, 15 000 ¥ (approximately 110 €) in Japan.

Its exit in Europe on March 11th 2005, it costs 149,99 €. To face competition (mainly the Portable PlayStation), Nintendo lowers the price of its console of 25 €. Its price thus passed to 124,99 €. The DS Lite costs 145 € at its exit in Europe.

the month of December 2005 in Japan is one period very ostentation for Nintendo DS, with a frantic rate of 400 000 consoles sold per week. During the publication of its financial results, Nintendo announces to have sold 21.270.000 of nintendo DS in the world. If these figures are so high, it is partly thanks to the Connection Wi-Fi Nintendo and the network of free online game. This network is marked by Mario Kart DS , Animal Crossing: Wild World , Metroid Precedes Hunters , Star Fox Command and Castlevania: Portrait off Ruin (which was elected " Better DS" plays; of E3 2006).

In May 2006, the sales again climbed thanks to New Super Mario Bros. which is a traditional Jeu of platform, but with some animations in 3D.

In June 2006, twelve thousand DS Lite are flights. They were intended for the European market, the loss is estimated at almost two million euros (1 788.000 €).

In July 2006, the success of the DS lite in Japan knows fresh impulse with the exit of the DS lite Pink. The week of exit (from July 17th to 23rd 2006), 262.000 DS lite found taking with the country of the Rising sun, including 144.000 DS lite pink. Portable Playstation (PSP), direct competitor of Nintendo DS, knows as-with it a less success, with the figure of 35.000 consoles sold for this same period.

In August 2006, the DS crosses the course of the 10 million sales in Japan. A figure which establishes new historical records of speed, since the console has left only for 20 months on the archipelago, which is explained partly by the enormous success of the DS Lite and the range of the plays Touch Generations . The plays Animal Crossing: Wild World and More DS Brain Training have each one crosses the bar of the 3 million specimens sold in Japan; bar what undoubtedly will exceed New Super Mario Bros. , Programme of cerebral drive of Dr. Kawashima: How old is your brain? and Advance Wars: Dual Strike .

has Christmas 2006, the DS was still the console most sold more than 18 months after its exit.

In January 2007, the DS reaches in Europe the threshold emblematic of the 10 million sold consoles, by establishing in same time a new record; indeed, the DS is the console to have reached the most quickly this threshold.

In March 2007, Nintendo announces to have sold more than 3 million DS in the United Kingdom.

In August 2007, Nintendo announces to have sold more than 3 million DS in France.

To date, the DS was sold with more 50 million of specimens in the world.

Colors and limited editions

Nintendo DS:

Colors: silver plated (model of origin), blue turquoise, pink pale, black, blue electric, red, white (to be noted that the version hull and above white are available only to HongKong and Macau (they are true estampillées consoles nintendo)).
Limited editions: Electroplankton (2005, blue perforated), Pokémon Center (2005, mauve), Nintendo Hot Summer Campaign (2005, 5 colors, 1000 specimens in all), Hot Rod Red (2005, red and silver plated, bundle Mario Kart DS ), Bleach (2006, white, 50 specimens), Gilded DS (2006, white, 100 specimens)

Nintendo DS Lite:

Japan: Hook White (white), Ice Blue (light blue), Enamel Navy (navy blue), Noble Pink (pink), Metallic Pink (pink metal), Jet Black (black), Gloss Silver (money) and Crimson/Black (red and black).
the United States: Whodunnit White (white), Coral Pink (pink) and Onyx (black).
Europe: bright, black white shining, Pink (pink), money.

See too

Range & Watch: For oldest, it is impossible not to notice the visual similarity with the Range & Watch multiscreen of Nintendo. The fact that the DS also acts of watch and alarm clock is certainly not pain-killer.
PSP, the principal competitor produced by Sony
GP2X, alternative of GamePark Holding functioning under Linux
Gizmondo, other challenger produced by the company Tiger Telematics

; References

External bond

French Official site of Nintendo DS Lite

Simple: Nintendo DS

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