Slashdot Mirror
Nintendo DS Lite FCC Tested
Blackbird writes "The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has tested Nintendo's upcoming Nintendo DS revision, the Nintendo DS Lite, and has released the full test report on its website. Apart from the test results, a concept version of the user manual and photo's of the casing are available for download."
when they saw those external shots? Makes me miss my little iBook....
Monstar L
Photos here. (PDF format)
sweet
obviously the people at OET are big pink floyd fans...
cha-ching. money baby... money
I was going to buy Myself a DS this weekend, but if this is going to be out in the UK soon, I'll wait, anyone know how long untill we get it here?
If I have nothing to hide, you have no reason to search me
As soon as I buy one they come out with a better version.
.torrent file comes out.
I'll just wait until the
Which was in an incredibly stupid place for left handers. I can't be the only one who kept accidentally turning the thing off during particularly frantic moments in Meteos and Zoo Keeper.
So looking at the manual, is states that the charger (which looks like a micro one) does not work with any other nintendo products. Whereas the old UK DS, outlines in the manual that the charger works with the DS and SP. I was planning on importing and selling my old DS to my GF (for a lot less than it's worth, but then she will "approve" of my upgrade.), and then sharing a charger. It seems this won't work, and neither will getting a micro one if the manual is correct.
I don't want to wait till it's released in the UK offically as my GF my have lost her interest by then, and obviously I want to cultivate this trend.
The Japanese charger operates at 110V whereas the UK works at 240V, any ideas how I could work around this?
Help me slashdot your my only hope.
I'm traveling to the states next week and I was planning to buy a DS along with Mario Kart and few more choices but now with this Lite version coming out in May I don't know what to do. I have the money, I'm a Nintendo fanboy with a GC and a GBA with afterburner and I was looking forward to get the DS since launch day. Should I get a "normal" DS next week? Consider that if i don't the only way to pick a Lite version when it comes out will be ordering online @ LikSang or buying it at local store, either way I believe we are talking about $250 for a core version (shippings, taxes all included) plus $70 for any game. Size it's not a problem since I have large hands and i find the DS confortable enough.
I see they fixed one design flaw...they put a door over the gaping hole that is the GBA slot. I bought my first GBA game just to fill that hole! (hmmm...marketing?)
Somewhat on topic:
I am debating buying either a micro or a new gen SP (as I still play enough GB/GBC games to warrant not going DS). Is the micro worth the $20 more than the new-gen SP? Is the screen legible? I'm not ready to put down my copy of Pokemon Crystal just yet.
Bury me in mashed potatoes.
Listen if what you want is to say, "hey I have a shiny new *item*" then wait for the DS Lite or get a PSP (oh that hype died). If you want to play some fun games NOW, for a slightly cheaper price (DS now costs $129 compare to $150 for the Lite), then go buy one now. I knew Nintendo was coming out with a revision and I knew it would be this year, but why I bought a DS? I bought it for Mario Kart, I got the MKDS Bundle. Then I picked up some extra games. There is nothing wrong with the current DS. The size is comfortable (I'm an adult male), the battery is 1 hour short of the GBASP with no wifi, and about half the GBASP with wifi on at all times. All in all, I'm not upset about the remake or my purchase. All you fools keep waiting for your DS Lite, I'm still going to having fun while you play with... yourself, I guess.
Causing Chaos Everywhere,
Nik J.
The strange world of a loner, in a populous city, drowning in society
I think we've already passed the time when console updates or extras no longer cross the water, unless they're only useful in one or two games. The internet and mass gaming media has made it so most gamers know about a product being revealed in Japan, even if no American release plans were announced. This drums up a mass furvor to get it sent over, and with a fanbase like Nintendo has, the fans swarm the company with requests to localize it. (Nintendo was probably planning on bringing it over from the start, though.)
I think it's important to note that, from the pictures, it looks like the DS Lite will still have the ability to play GBA games, despite the smaller form. (The original article I saw on it didn't mention that, and I haven't read any followups yet.) I'm glad money has held me back from getting one until now. Much easier to carry around between classes.
One other big thing I noticed is what isn't there. It's called the "DS Lite" partly because you can change the brightness of the screen through a switch, right? I'm not seeing any brightness switch on the model in the pictures. Did they forget that part here, or am I missing it somewhere?
Nintendo better get this through the gate, soon. A simultaneous release worldwide sounds in order. If they hold back on the state-side release, chances are that we'll see what looks to be a three-way tug of war within Nintendo- pay for Twilight Princess, the Revolution, or the DS Lite? (assuming you can't afford all three at once)
Finally, is it me, or is the model they gave the FCC really crappy looking? It's missing the sleek gloss of the display we saw before.
.. it's a dummy plug. Maybe they'll ship with these to fill the hole when you don't have a GBA cartridge handy.
You change the brightness from the setup screen. I read it in the user manual at the fcc page.
I'm using Firefox on OS X 10.3.9, and it keeps trying to download "retrieve.cgi" and never manages to get to the actual PDF...
Warning: Apple/Nintendo fangirl. Likes her electronics cute & cuddly. May be rabid.
Nintendo hasn't been known for style. I find all their products to be geared towards children with big chunky designs, poor quality materials, and garish color schemes. Put a Gameboy Advance beside a PSP, and as a mature adult, decide which one you would rather buy. Which one will a kid buy? While this means that Nintendo solidly has the 12 and under market solidified, they are losing out in the teen and adult markets.
From the photographs I see little more mature and refined version of the DS that isn't based on cheap looking metalic plastic. Using the glossy white case will give the new DS a little more style. But, I still see evidence that there isn't the fit and finish you get as on a PSP or iPod. Things don't seem to fit or fold together properly (not precision designed parts), some of the lines look bowed or skewed. Cheap use of buttons and poor placement of ports. The openned shot of the new DS still looks cheap and unpolished, especially the speaker holes and the plastic frames about the LCD panesl (which looked skewed in the case). The overall effect is that Nintendo is obviously making these things using cheap Chinese contractors without any quality control.
I would actually pay more for a Nintendo product if they focused more on quality. Sure, it boils down to the games and Nintendo makes fun games. But I can't stand using a product that feels cheap, it bends and twists in your hand if you apply a little pressure and feels empty and made from cheap plastic.
Honestly, whoever is designing Nintendo hardware should be shot, drawn, and quartered. While kids don't care about quality, if Nintendo ever hopes to draw a more adult audience, then match the quality of Apple, Sony, and others in the industry.
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
The SP New screen runs at 50hz instead of 60hz.
If that were the case, then games would run 20% slower like NTSC games played on PAL systems. They don't. Perhaps the new LCD's response time is slower than that of the SP v1 (as the PSP's is said to be), but each pixel on any Game Boy system is still refreshed 59.73 times a second.
I would actually pay more for a Nintendo product if they focused more on quality.
If you claim that Sony has build quality nailed, then think back to all three launches so far: PS1 consoles that had to be turned upside down, PS2 DVD drives that plain old wore out quickly, and the infamous "ninja-disc" PSP video (and the YTMND fad it spawned). Microsoft is no better: the Xbox "dirty disc" black screen, the Xbox 360 overheating, the Xbox 360 being packed so tightly that gently turning the console scratches the disc, and the Windows Operating System (about which little more need be said).
But I can't stand using a product that feels cheap, it bends and twists in your hand if you apply a little pressure and feels empty and made from cheap plastic.
Neither can I; that's part of why I didn't buy a PSP.