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.

Comments

Hi.

[captnitro]

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.

Dominance

[AbsurdProverb]

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.

Re:Dominance

[MilenCent]

I messed around with the DS at a local Wal-Mart where it was on display. It seemed really, really cool, especially when I figured out how to set Metroid Hunters for the mouselook-ish control scheme.

Sometimes it seems like it must be my role on Slashdot to be the die-hard Nintendo fanatic, but I wouldn't discount Sony yet (though I, myself, am not a fan of many PS2 games). I think the DS will at least be modestly successful, and may be much more successful. Who knows, maybe there's room for two portable successes...?

Re:Dominance

[Dragoon412]

I was originally holding out for a PSP; I think Nintendo's overall game library on the GBA is abhorrent, and since the DS is more or less its big brother, I assumed it'd be more of the same.

That said, while I was digging around for info on Shining Force 3 tonight (yeah, the Saturn game), I somehow wound up at a list of games sleighted for the DS, and saw that Squenix is working on a new Secret of Mana game. Sold!

I glanced at the clock, it was only 7:50, so I ran down to the local EBgames and gave the display model a try. Sales guy was really cool; he even took it off the display stand for me to play so I didn' thave to hold it at an akward angle. And for the record, the thumb strap pointer is infinitely more comfortable than the stylus. At least in Metroid.

What a cool machine. It's a tad large, and it'll take a bit of getting used to, but the control scheme for the Metroid demo was superb - way better than the one used for the GCN Metroid games. The DS felt really solid and well-built, and just has a really polished feel to it, even though there really isn't any one feature that stands out.

So, I plunked down the $150 for it on the spot, and picked up copies of Guardian Heroes and Shining Force: Resurrection of the Darkness (yeah, GBA games, but it'll play 'em). The DS launch list is still a tad anemic (with Mario 64 DS being the only game I was interested in, but it was sold out), but they seem to have some really solid titles coming down the pipe; the line-up is stylisticly more remeniscant of the SNES than, say, the GBA or GCN.

I've got to say, I'm certainly not a Nintendo fan, but I'm very pleasantly suprised by the DS. I'm especially excited about the wireless multiplayer (I spend a lot of time in airports/planes), and the ability to share games, and play multiplayer games when only one person has the cart. AWESOME idea!

Re:Dominance

[jtrascap]

> Does this mean you can play multiplayer internet games?

Yup - 802.11b. Nintendo has 2 type of wireless protocols, it's own short-range version and wifi. You can play internet games between DS running the same game cartridge and also, using the short-range system, play hosted games between DSs - 1 DS transmits the game to the others! (Of course this is what it CAN do - the game has to support it).

> What about email and web? Surfing the web would be easy with a touch sensitive screen.

Talk is that it's in the pipleine from a 3rd party.

> And not just at home, at wifi hotspots?

Yup - as long as it's open access, I hear (I'm #1 in line at my local store, but they still have yet to get them in).

I'd be very interested to see how you can get it to talk to a closed network - my home Airport is locked-down, and I'm not about to open it...

Has the must get factor

[Anonymous Coward]

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.

Nintendo DS and Wireless Downloading

[rubberbando]

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?

This could open up a quite a bit of possibility for homebrewed games :-) and of course piracy :-/.

Re:Nintendo DS and Wireless Downloading

[gyrojoe]

The download capability only supports downloads of up to 4 MB (the DS has only 4 MB of RAM). This is much better than the GBA limit of 256 KB, but isn't enough to transfer a whole game.

I suppose if you had some sort of downloader software and a flash cart it might work, but at that point, just put the ROMs on the cart directly.

Re:Nintendo DS and Wireless Downloading

[Echnin]

But 4 MB is enough for homebrew applications. A small web browser should fit; Win32 Opera would fit, for instance. A small chat client for AIM, MSN, ICQ etc. would be cool, so you could lounge around wherever (assuming you have an access point close enough; might not work in all circumstances) and chat.

Here is something funny.

[SetupWeasel]

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)

Re:Porting Linux...

[Bill Wong]

You don't seem to know what uClinux is...
It's designed to run on embedded microcontrollers, often with even less ram then the DS has.

There is already at least one port of uClinux to the gba.
The DS can run gba cartridges, so, DS can already run this port (maybe requiring a few changes to accomodate the new bios, etc).

Of course, the gba port doesn't make use of any of the new DS hardware-bits such as touchscreen, second lcd, etc,
but, the point is, linux is very much possible on DS with uClinux.