The DS has two screens that offer two perspectives on the action at once. The touch screen can then make accessing items, moving characters or navigating menus as easy as a tap or drag on the screen. Players could actually draw clouds on the lower screen to guide for example a baby Mario to safety on the ground!

 

Also the machine has Voice recognition that will let players simply tell the game what they want it to do. Chat software will also let users transmit text messages, handwriting and drawings to one another. And the wireless functions will link players in the same room or across the country. Yoichi Haraguchi, Namco's vice president say's "It is very nice that we can create games using DS that were not even possible before."

 

Nintendo DS includes two processors, 3-D capabilities on both screens, 16-channel sound and a rechargeable battery that features a low energy consumption design. One media bay handles the new DS game cartridges that hold one gigabit of information and more (the carts are slightly smaller then a GBA cart), the second media port allows use of  original Game Boy / Advance games, as well as a host of possible future accessories.

 

The rectangular system is slightly larger than a standard PDA and features a clamshell design similar to the GBA SP and the old school Game in Watch systems. The systems two backlit screens are about the size of the GBA screen. The DS features a total of six buttons, in a configuration reminiscent of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System controller. You've got buttons A, B, X, and Y on the face as well as left and right shoulder buttons.

 

With its two screens, Nintendo DS instantly shows its innovative face, and capabilities like the touch screen input, voice recognition and wireless communication set it apart from every other game device, and again demonstrate Nintendo's passion for groundbreaking originality.

 

Nintendo has always been known for introducing innovations that radically reinvent the industry. It was the first company to install ports for four controllers, the first to create a rumble pack, the first to move from joysticks to modern controllers and the first to enable characters to roam freely in true 3-D environments. The unique features of the Nintendo DS build on that tradition and hold a wellspring of potential for the future.

 

 

Early prototype of the DS

Previewed at E3 May 2004

 

 
 

 

                                     

Update April 2006 :

Nintendo have now released the New DS Lite!

This new, more compact version of the Nintendo DS, DS Lite comes in at only 215 grams in weight, 133mm wide, 73.9mm high and 21.5mm deep - 42% smaller and 21% lighter than the original design!

The DS Lite also features a brightness settings which can be adjusted to 4 different settings. Ice Blue & Navy blue colours in stock at present.

 

 

      
     
       
     

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