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Portables (Games) Hardware

Nintendo DS Reviewed, Internal Structure Exposed 102

Posted by Zonk from the ds-from-the-inside-out dept.
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.
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Nintendo DS Reviewed, Internal Structure Exposed More

Nintendo DS Reviewed, Internal Structure Exposed

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  • Hi. (Score:5, Funny)

    by captnitro ( 160231 ) on Saturday November 20, 2004 @08:39PM (#10878065)
    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 (Score:3, Interesting)

    by AbsurdProverb ( 831079 ) on Saturday November 20, 2004 @09:23PM (#10878285)
    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.
    • When your trying to write a post supporting the DS, I would strongly advise against comparing it with the NGage. That word sticks out of the paragraph and stabs you in the eye!

      In all seriousness though, I don't get the comparison. What does the NGage have in common with the DS at all?
      • In all seriousness though, I don't get the comparison. What does the NGage have in common with the DS at all?
        They both.. er.. play games.
      • "In all seriousness though, I don't get the comparison. What does the NGage have in common with the DS at all?"
        Wi-fi gameplay. It's very easy to make another N-Gage joke just like it was easy to make Jaguar jokes and 3DO jokes. It's a bit harder to see how these failed systems may have influenced designs of future gaming systems with their missteps and/or strong suits.

        • Re:Dominance (Score:1, Interesting)

          by solowCX ( 796423 )
          If you really want to see what inspired the DS, check out the old Tiger Electronics Game.com While a lot older technically, it has a design very similar to the DS (minus the 2nd screen) in having with a touch screen, an emphasis on connecting (Internet cartridge and Web Link cable), and mini-organizer functions like a phonebook and calendar.
        • Hold on, it has standard wifi..

          Does this mean you can play multiplayer internet games?

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

          And not just at home, at wifi hotspots?

          • Re:Dominance (Score:4, Informative)

            by jtrascap ( 526135 ) <bitbucket@NospAm.mediaplaza.nl> on Sunday November 21, 2004 @08:20AM (#10880352)
            > 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...

    • Re:Dominance (Score:4, Insightful)

      by MilenCent ( 219397 ) <johnwh@@@gmail...com> on Saturday November 20, 2004 @10:27PM (#10878602) Homepage
      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 (Score:2, Insightful)

      by himitsu ( 634571 )
      Not to be a jerk, but how is it a personal organizer? I guess someone could write software for it, but so far there haven't been any announcements about something like that.

    • Re:Dominance (Score:4, Informative)

      by Dragoon412 ( 648209 ) on Sunday November 21, 2004 @02:17AM (#10879491)
      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!
      • For what it's worth, today I happened to run into a Sony advertisement of sorts, where they had essentially nailed a bunch of real PSPs to a wall (in a busy train station), each showing a movie or something; of course you couldn't play them. [I guess this allows them to hide the giant power cords :-]

        It's much smaller than I thought, and the screen is giant, taking up pretty much the entire face of the unit. However what surprised me was the apparently low quality of the display: it seemed very dark and k
      • I just got done reading the review on lik-sang, and it left me with just one question.

        When playing Metroid DS, you are supposed to look using the stylus, which looks like you use with your left hand. How can you look around, and use the D-Pad to move? It seems both these fuctions require you to use your left thumb.

        In any case i'm gonna try to go to my local eb to see if they have a demo setup, so far it looks pretty slick.

        It would be pretty nice if the new Secret of Mana game was a multiplayer game lik

        • Re:Dominance (Score:3, Informative)

          by Dragoon412 ( 648209 )
          Well, Metroid comes with 5 control schemes. One is a dual D-Pad sort of setup, where the actual D-pad on the left serves for movement, and the buttons are look direction (feels a lot like the original Goldeneye). The other are all D-Pad and touch screen, both right-handed and left-handed.

          The default control scheme lets you use the D-pad (on the left) for movement, the stylus or thumb thing for aiming (using your right hand on the lower touch screen), and all your controls/weapons (morph ball, etc) are also
          • I hope the Y Axis is either inverted or the option to do so is available. Atleast Nintendo has present an option to us south paws, but damn it I'm not picky when it comes to my control schemes.
      • I think Nintendo's overall game library on the GBA is abhorrent

        You think the largest gaming system library ever--supporting thousands and thousands of titles over fifteen years--is "abhorrent"?
    • Of course I'll be buying a PSP eventually because I am a huge fan of some of Sony's titles

      One thing that just occurred to me that no one has seemed to pick up on yet... the PSP is going to require memory cards. And knowing games like Madden, you'll probably need several. With some games you'll need to tote around the game and the corresponding memory card.

      This is death for a portable.

      • Re:Dominance (Score:3, Informative)

        by HAKdragon ( 193605 )
        The PSP uses Sony's memory sticks. The "deluxe" Japanese bundle comes with one as well as head phones and other goodies.

  • So where are the chips? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    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.

  • Porting Linux... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by ThisNukes4u ( 752508 ) <tcoppi AT gmail DOT com> on Saturday November 20, 2004 @10:33PM (#10878624) Homepage
    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.
    • There's a website called dslinux.com, but that IS a joke. They dont think so, but they're not exactly geniuses there. Maybe you could join and apply large doses of clue to the team.
    • The possibilities would be nearly limitless

      I'm sorry, but this IS a joke. From what I've read, the NDS has only 4 MB RAM and that's a pretty much hard limit.
      Well, there are Linux distros like SmallLinux http://www.superant.com/smalllinux/ [superant.com] that somehow work with such an amount of RAM, but it's shell only and stuff. That's far from "limitless". IIRC Qtopia requires at least 16MB RAM.

      Why do so many /.ers whant Linux everywhere?
      For tasks like this, you need a highly specialized software, if you want PDA funk

      • Re:Porting Linux... (Score:3, Informative)

        by Bill Wong ( 583178 )
        You don't seem to know what uClinux [freshmeat.net] 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 [fh-hagenberg.at].
        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.
      • Well, I wasn't really thinking of putting linux on the RAM, I was thinking of putting it on one of those flash carts they have for the gba and will probably have for the DS, and using the DS's RAM as, well, RAM. I still think it would be cool to have a DS and go around wardriving on it with linux.
    • I was looking around and if the arm 9 core inside the DS is anything like the arm 9e [arm.com] Well, porting linux to it should be a snap, and once ported, you could stream a DivX movie to it and play it back with XMMS...

  • Interesting... (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Axem ( 713217 )
    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.

    • Re:Interesting... (Score:3, Insightful)

      by ALeavitt ( 636946 ) *
      The N64 had some code names too, as I remember. I know that it started out as Project Reality. Then, if memory serves, it was the stage when dinosaurs were still something of a fad because of Jurassic Park, so they codenamed it the Dinosaur, until someone realized that that made it sound old and outdated, so they changed it to Project Ultra. From there it became Ultra 64 and then finally the Nintendo 64.
      God, it's sad that I know that.
    • "It's interesting to note the branding of NTR around the DS"

      The original Game Boy was DMG-001, presumably for "dot matrix game." The Nintendo 64, originally referred to as the "Ultra 64" while it was still in development, was NUS-001. I was half-expecting the GCN to be labelled "DOL-001."

  • Has the must get factor (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 20, 2004 @11:33PM (#10878876)
    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.
    • This thing is gonna sell out(if hasn't already) this holiday.
      Best buy [bestbuy.com]
      EB games [ebgames.com]
      Amazon.com [amazon.com]
      toysrus
      Wal-mart.com [walmart.com]
      All out of stock... Lik-sang and circuit city neglected to put out of stock notices on their respective webpages, but I'm sure they are too ;)
      (they had will ship when available notices still)
      Also to note, cnet's shopper couldn't find an in-stock DS, Fry's Outpost.com doesn't even have a DS entry on it's site, and if you absolutely must have one shipped out the current high bid for one on e-bay
  • ...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)
    • ...It's all a matter of games, namely whomever releases Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger first wins [My money].

      So, we already have a winner in the portable race! Not all the states have reported in yet, but we're calling it, fairly confidently, in favor of... the SNES!

      Too old? How about the PS1 (which has ports of both FFVI & CT)?

      I wouldn't say a portable FFVII is not a sure-win for Sony this time, as the game's original impact was from its huge wow-factor. A new FF installment (in the core l
    • I'd rather a new Chrono game, I've played the original CT so many times, on snes, emu, and psx, and the DS needs more non-port games. I'm already picking up my DS tomorrow though, my mind was made up since I was gonna buy an SP anyway, then the DS was announced.
    • Square saved sony once, but don't look for the same miracle twice. Final Fantasy 7 was a big draw for the PSX, but FFX:2 has ben a large detriment to fans. Before, they'd have been willing to switch to another system see a new game, but people like my roommate were rather pissed off at the level of emasculation required to complete ffx2. Combine this with your theory of releasing old games rather than new ones, and you'll that they've become marginal. Are you really looking forward to playing a transgender

  • Nintendo DS and Wireless Downloading (Score:5, Interesting)

    by rubberbando ( 784342 ) on Sunday November 21, 2004 @01:42AM (#10879391)
    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 :-/.

  • Here is something funny. (Score:5, Funny)

    by SetupWeasel ( 54062 ) on Sunday November 21, 2004 @03:31AM (#10879703) Homepage
    Here is an article from Bloomberg about the DS launch. [bloomberg.com]

    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)

  • Carts (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Yorrike ( 322502 ) on Sunday November 21, 2004 @04:45AM (#10879862) Journal
    Has anyone noticed just how tiny the carts [lik-sang.com] are [lik-sang.com]? I thought the GBA was pushing the size envelope in terms of making carts so small they'd get lost anywhere, but I was obviously wrong.

    I mean, they're half the size of the GBA cart, you could swallow one of those things without much trouble!

    • They're still larger than SD cards used in some digital cameras and Palm OS machines (and N-gage?). You could probably have a 'cart' half the size if they wanted to.

      But making the things too small would probably would lead to little Jimmy swallowing one, which would lead to Jimmy's Mom suing Nintendo...

    • Re:Carts (Score:2, Funny)

      by ajservo ( 708572 )
      I was at the post office with one of the games I was going to mail off to a friend until I noticed something.

      I had stuck a postage stamp in the package and licked a DS game and stuck it to the envelope.

  • Potential's there, but... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by hoser ( 95281 )
    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 Com
    • There's one small problem: Nintendo is the home of cartoony, kid-friendly games.

      Are you serious?

      I suggest picking up Paper Mario 2 for the Gamecube. While being "cartoonish", the humour is for the 25+ (including implied nudity!) and if you're old enough to have played the NES you'll have some really good laughs.

    • Plus, Advance Wars is turn-based, so you can't really compare it with AoE or C&C. It is excellent, though, you really should check it out.
    • Yeah, I love the kid-friendly games that I play on my GameCube. Particularly kid-friendly favorites are Resident Evil, Resident Evil 0, Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, Bloodrayne, Hitman 2, Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen, Serious Sam, Hunter: The Reckoning, BMX XXX, Red Faction II, Dead to Rights, True Crime: Streets of L.A., and The Suffering.

      I have to admit, there are times when I wish I could play a game with a little blood and violence, though.

      Oh, well.
  • here's a nifty site, Gamers.com [gamers.com] which has game data, news, reviews and previews for all DS titles.
    • hmm, no idea why my original post was moderated as 'overrated'.

      I'm a DS fan, but have been unable to find a website that has more information regarding DS than Gamers.com [gamers.com].

      I posted it here thinking that others could benefit from the research I've already done.

  • Deceptive post / self-promotion (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward

    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 Piquepail [slashdot.org]

  • A month ago, after spending a couple of hours with the hardware and games, we published our Nintendo DS hands-on review / preview [geartest.com] 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 [geartest.com] for about a week now. When we've put the DS through a f

  • 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.

  • Port the N64 titles. (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    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 comple
  • 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
  • To everyone on this list who mentions that the DS "seems large"...
    ...remember that comment when/if the PSP comes to town.

  • Unusual Killer App (Score:3, Interesting)

    by cmpalmer ( 234347 ) on Monday November 22, 2004 @10:59AM (#10888466) Homepage
    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?

    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 .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?

    • If you get a gba cart you can write your own ebooks to it and open them on any gba compatable device. As far as I know they may need to be converted to a text document before they can be converted for use on the gba.
  • 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.

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