DS TV Goes on Sale in Japan

The little heard-of television adapter for the DS went on sale in Japan yesterday, retailing for ¥6,800 ($62.70). "The design is different from the prototype shown in 2004, as it features a simple aerial cartridge which plugs in the back of the handheld, and no base unit. The top screen is used for the TV picture, while the bottom screen can be used to do things such as change channels and take notes." The company has no current plans to bring the TV adapter to the US, or anywhere else.

Makes sense, sort of

[shindrak]

I just got back from Japan, and this attachment makes perfect sense there. Everyone travels by train, sometimes commuting 30 min to an hour. I saw a lot of Nintendo DS's being played on the trains by bored travellers, as well as a lot of people texting and watching video on their cell phones. A lot of cell phones I saw there actually have screens that rotate sideways to widescreen displays (the new phones there are huge) and have TV antennae built in for people to watch TV while they are travelling. It sort of makes sense that someone would tap into that for the DS crowd. Although, as someone else pointed out, it is a small screen. Their cell phone display would probably be larger.