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Nintendo DS Reviewed, Internal Structure Exposed
Pascal writes "Lik Sang received an initial batch of Nintendo DS systems and went ahead with their own hands-on reviews. Apart from some interesting GBA SP accessories cross-testing and their own impressions about the new Nintendo baby, they also had one of their traditional open-up sessions, exposing the guts of the new handheld to the public." Kotaku has a look from earlier in the week as well.
Dear Slashdot,
With the holiday season fast approaching, there are certainly a lot of 'toys' and 'gadgets' that we all want, and certainly it's your job to report on them.
Please don't.
I have bills, I have payments, and I swear to God I really can't see another Nintendo DS lust-o-mercial without like, yanno, buying one. And since they network, what's one when you can have two for twice the price. Then I have to get games, maybe once of those overpriced suede carrying cases which nobody needs, some decorations (rhinestones? pearls? i can never decided), and in my lesser moments, shoes that match my DS. Then the mouse is way past having a cookie; he's getting his stomach stapled to keep from having a triple bypass and weekly insulin.
So my point is: shut up.
Thanks,
Me.
I honestly think Nintendo has clinched the handheld race again with this device. I realize its still early and that the PSP is still a bit of an enigma, however the DS is so damn nice. I've played one pretty thoroughly at the local store display and its like someone took the Ngage and did it right; minus the cellphone aspect. The stylus driven FPS Metroid plays very well surprisingly. Control through the stylus has a very short curve unless you have limited gaming experience prior. Graphics and interface aside, wi-fi connectivity and communication are the icing on the cake. Its effectively a very sharp looking, easily controled personal organizer with Nintendo games on it. Of course I'll be buying a PSP eventually because I am a huge fan of some of Sony's titles, but the DS is too nice a piece of hardware to not buy first.
There were what, like 3 ICs in that thing?
Either the Lik-Sang guys didn't photograph it from the right angle (doubtful), or we're truly in the era of VLSI.
Most impressive.
This is not a joke. I am wondering if anyone might know of the possibilities of porting uClinux to this. The possibilities would be nearly limitless, what with the wifi capability and dual-screens.
thisnukes4u.net
It's interesting to note the branding of NTR around the DS. I guess that goes back to the rumour that the DS was going to be called the Nitro. I find it sorta odd how Nintendo has called this thing the DS almost from day 1, the GameCube was called the Dolphin only until it was fully revealed at E3. Then again, the GameCube/Dolphin was about the only "code-named" project they've had.
We all live in a #FFFF00 submarine...
I think that the DS is truly got the trendy "must have" factor surrounding it now. This thing is gonna sell out(if hasn't already) this holiday. I don't know if that means that it will peak early and then lose out to the PSP in the long run. But based on the Nintendo handheld dominance and awesome title base I think that this thing will translate to a long term dominater. Sorry Sony you don't have much a chance to dominate the handhelds.
...It's all a matter of games, namely whomever releases Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger first wins [My money]. I suspect the PSP, but FFIII is being released on the DS, so who knows?
A portable FFVII at launch would clinch things for the PSP, but I doubt Sony is clued in enough to realize that...(though they do have an FFVII spin off RPG called Crisis Core, but that's due out in 2006, so it's not going to be a factor in determining early market share)
(http://ds.advancedmn.com/article.php?artid=1357) This review / Special is out from Advanced Media. 9.8... not bad. I think I'll be buying the DS.
It was necessary to over clock the GBA for SNES emulation, but it seems the software and hardware is there. Does it seem that the DS will be able to use the same software running on a GBA cart with full-speed emulation?
If the DS can download a game from another DS using one cartridge, doesn't this open the door for someone using a computer (probably with a little emulation) to send a rom image to the DS?
:-) and of course piracy :-/.
This could open up a quite a bit of possibility for homebrewed games
DEAD DEAD DEAD DELETE ME
Here is an article from Bloomberg about the DS launch.
A choice paragraph:
Not to be outdone, Sony has erected PSP displays in train stations throughout Tokyo, mirroring the company's campaign for its PSX combination game console and DVD recorder last year. Each PSP is displayed behind a clear plastic case. Uniformed guards prevent passersby from touching the devices.
Touching is BAD!
(bet they don't even work)
I mean, they're half the size of the GBA cart, you could swallow one of those things without much trouble!
Looks can be deceiving. Or CAN they?
With Metroid Prime Hunters I'm really considering getting one of these. I plan to travel around a lot in the next couple of years, and my Gamecube ain't portable and my Powerbook ain't exactly... er, powerful.
So the DS looks great. Portable FPS's and stylus-driven RTS games has just about sold me. There's one small problem: Nintendo is the home of cartoony, kid-friendly games.
I hear good things about Advance Wars, but I'd also like to see something without manga-looking characters. Gimme somehing like Command & Conquer or Age of Empires! Metroid Prime Hunters is a little more up my alley but I have a bad feeling other DS FPS games we see are likely to involve running around as Mario, chucking marshmellows and Kirby and Yoshi in the land of ice cream sundaes. I wanna see some blood! Gimme some PC-calibre FPS's for the DS!
hoser: Slashdot reader since 1987.
here's a nifty site, Gamers.com which has game data, news, reviews and previews for all DS titles.
I feel naughty looking inside the DS, kinda like looking at your first playboy magazine
exposed and RAW
Business Voyeur
Hey Pascal, why did you write the post like you were someone who has nothing to do with Lik Sang when it's your own site?
How about being honest and using the words I / my / our, my review or our review when linking to your own site?
Making your affiliation absolutely clear won't hurt. By writing in a deceptive way it makes it seem like you have something to hide, are trying to trick people into visiting your site, or makes you just another crass, deceptive, obnoxious, self-promoter like Roland Piquepaille spam-king of blogspam.
Here's how it is written:
Here's how it should be written:
Be up front about it.
A month ago, after spending a couple of hours with the hardware and games, we published our Nintendo DS hands-on review / preview that includes discussion of some problems that we haven't seen anyone else mention even once.
We previewed and played Nintendo DS games Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt, Super Mario 64 DS, Spider-Man 2 DS and the onboard PictoChat instant messaging software.
We've been testing out the production models of the Nintendo DS for about a week now. When we've put the DS through a few weeks of use we'll let you know how how it rates.
AP reporter Matt Slagle has his review of the device as well, and he loves it (the headline is Nintendo DS a Sleek Powerhouse, also at USA Today), although we are a little more reserved until we see how it holds up, if the problems are persistent, and until we see some more applications that support and take advantage of the platform, and live up to the hardware's potential.
That's my whole point. Why bother writing the post in a way that makes it seem he has nothing to do with Lik-Sang?
And I disagree that it doesn't matter if they promote on Slashdot.
It matters. Right now the Nintendo DS is available only in North America. Lik-Sang is an online game hardware and software retailer first and foremost. "A lot of other websites promote their stories on Slashdot" but this isn't just a case of an unbiased editorial site linking to their stories. For techies and gamers outside of North America, if they don't want to wait for a few more weeks to get a DS, then Lik Sang stands to gain financially from a Slashdot Games post.
Slashdot has one of the largest audiences on the Internet, and the readership is exactly the type of people who would buy products from Lik Sang.
So it does matter that Pascal is less than upfront in the way he writes his story submissions. Unless you hover your mouse pointer on his name and see his e-mail address, you'd think it was just another person who has nothing to gain. In reality, Pascal isn't a disinterested third party who wrote that up -- he and his company stand to make a lot of money, especially if the reports of Nintendo DS shortages are true.
Now that we're in the Nintendo Age of the DS, which features an LCD screen, be forewarned of Dead Pixels. They can and will happen.
Now, I'm getting one. As a matter of fact, mine has already shipped from ebgames.com and will be here tuesday. If the DS library consisted of nothing but N64 titles, I'd still be extremely happy. I mean, a big chunk of my GBA collection is made up of SNES ports. I can only imagine how fun Goldeneye would be with wireless multiplayer. The biggest problem I had with the original was that my stupid cousin kept looking at my(!) section of the screen. What a flippin' cheater! With the DS, this problem is completely eliminated.
Please, please, please bring Goldeneye to the DS. The original N64 version; not something from EA.
OK - my kids both have a DS now, and I've been ridiculously interested in the wireless functionality of it.
Anyone been able to do something with it?
I have an 802.11g access point at home, and I was really hoping that I could see the DS do something with it. I'm also using WEP encryption on the network, so I'm curious how the DS will handle it.
On another related topic are there any interesting diagnostics that you can put the DS through, maybe by holding a key down at startup or something?
I have lots of questions about it - very interested here. I'd love to start a discuss about this.
Chris
The idea with the DS is it would use Wi-Fi hotspots. Open Wi-Fi networks (the good ones that aren't passworded so you can actually use them for free) are the ones the DS will find.
This is good, because you need not configure the DS, and it'll work at public hotspots. Some airports have free Wi-Fi, so that will be nice.
Plus, the propietary DS local (300ft or so for multiplayer with people you can actually see) is there.
If you want to take the DS online (when online games come), just make your network open. I'm running an open wireless network from my home, so if anyone is in the area and needs to get online, they can. It's nice when you are in a place like NYC and you can sit down on a bench and surf the 'net... but if everyone went locked down on their wireless, well, the only thing left would be pay-for-wireless.
While the DS is 802.11-capable, it'll probably never be used. Nintendo's own wireless protocol is what's shipping on the games coming out now.
To everyone on this list who mentions that the DS "seems large"...
...remember that comment when/if the PSP comes to town.
You know how everyone argues about e-books? Whether they cause eye strain, or how much better an ink-on-paper book looks/feels/smells?
.txt file reading, but doesn't have book marks, so it's not terribly practical. Does anyone know of a program that supports .pdf, MobiPocket, PalmReader, or HTML e-books that can be burned on a GB cartridge?
I don't think this makes as much difference to kids. My daughter (13), my son (10) and one of their friends (12) are all hooked on reading e-books on Palm devices. They are used to spending hours looking at a GB screen, so scrolling through a Harry Potter book on a Palm is a natural activity for them.
So, I think there ought to be an real e-book reader app for the Game Boys. I've bought the GB movie thing from Lik-Sang and it supports
-- stream of did I lock the front door consciousness
Since it has WiFi built-in, now all it needs is an adapter or game-card that provides the software for the NDS to browse the web or act as a thin-client.
The GBA gave us NES remakes. Does that mean we now have to endure the onslaught of SNES direct ports that the GBA (stupidly) couldn't handle. Original version of LttP. No thanks.