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Nintendo Businesses Portables (Games)

Nintendo DS Lite FCC Tested 74

Posted by Zonk from the your-government-at-work dept.
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."
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Nintendo DS Lite FCC Tested More

Nintendo DS Lite FCC Tested

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  • when they saw those external shots? Makes me miss my little iBook....
    • It seems Nintendo and Apple have been copying each other. First it was the fruity transparent colors of the iMac and the Gameboy Advance. Then the platinum color of the Gameboy Sp and DS which is similar to the newer G5 iMacs. The introduction of a Mac Mini, and Nintendo's introduction of Gameboy Micro. And this latest one, the DS lite which looks quite a bit like an iBook.

      Is this evidence of copying, or parallel design choices. Or is Jonathon Ives secretly working for Nintendo. Considering the clunky de
      • I don't think you can compare GBA Micro with Mac Mini. After all Nintendo came out with the Gameboy Pocket long ago, the GBA Micro was just following that pattern. There were transparent Gameboys before the iMac too.
        • So... maybe Nintendo should buy out Macintosh? Might not work out so well.

          1. Buy Mac
          2. Switch back to IBM (if their newer chip technology works)
          3. Reduce computer speed and prices, increase value
          4. Fully optimize EVERYTHING.
          5. Zelda screensavers, Epona (Link) Web Browser, Samus Powerbeam Keyboard, Mario Office Suite

  • The pages you all want to see. (Score:5, Informative)

    by GothChip ( 123005 ) on Thursday February 09, 2006 @09:12AM (#14676684) Homepage
    Photos here. [fcc.gov] (PDF format)
    • The first photo on this page [fcc.gov] confirms something I've alwasy suspected about the DS and never really liked about it. There's a lot of empy space. IMO, empty space on a portable is a bad thing. It should either be filled up with some more good stuff or eliminated. I think that's one of the reasons the ipods are so popular; they have all the stuff you need, and none of the stuff you don't.

      TW
  • 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?
    • It'll be released in Japan in March, so I'd assume we'll have to wait at least until May, possibly later.
      • Meh, it's my birthday tommorw, so I have a reason to buy one; I don't think I can wait untill May. I'll buy my brother one when it comes out. Honest, it's not for me...
        • I decided I want to spend a small chunk of my tax refund on a DS this year. Instead of waiting I'm just going to buy the current one and be happy with it. Once I've decided to buy something, I'm no good at waiting around.

      • "Possibly later"? Probably going to be an understatement, knowing how slowly Nintendo releases stuff in Europe. March in Japan, May in US, and July in EU. (It would be easy to go cracking something about "yeah, but which year?", but I'm not going to... =)

        I don't know when they're released, but one thing is sure, it won't be next weekend. =)

  • Figures (Score:4, Funny)

    by voice_of_all_reason ( 926702 ) on Thursday February 09, 2006 @09:29AM (#14676809)
    As soon as I buy one they come out with a better version.

    I'll just wait until the .torrent file comes out.

  • Thankfully they've moved the power switch... (Score:3, Informative)

    by bri2000 ( 931484 ) on Thursday February 09, 2006 @09:37AM (#14676872)
    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.

  • Importing to the UK - Help me please! (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    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 release
    • It will be OK if you are sharing your existing charger. The standard UK charger will work fine with a Japanese imported DS. The DS end of it is the same, its the bit that plugs into the wall thats different. You can get spare ones from GAME.
  • 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 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?)
    • .. it's a dummy plug. Maybe they'll ship with these to fill the hole when you don't have a GBA cartridge handy.
    • I wonder if the door will stick out when there's a game in the slot.
    • I'd rather see something that holds DS games that fits in the GBA slot. I've seen one as part of a DS "accessory pack" but I wasn't able to find it on Amazon. Cuz I really don't feel like chucking those tiny chips in my backpack, and I also don't want to carry around the small yet slightly bulky cases either. Unfortunately I just did a sanity check and it would appear there's no way a DS card can even fit in that slot =/
  • 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.
    • The Micro is worth the $20 more if you want a smaller system. I would go with a micro for only $20 more as a opposed to the bulkier SP, but I already have a DS so I am not in the market.
    • Am I incorrect in thinking that the micro does not play GB/GBC games? I thought that they'd stripped out the processors which allowed it to emulate the earlier models in order to make it smaller.
      • I know that the game boy color and older game cartriges don't have the notch in them that fits into the Micro. (not sure on the emulators, I wasn't brave enought to try and modify the catriges to fit the micro) Since I have a GB SP I use that for all the GB games. Besides if you have normal hands (Teen and older) then the micro is clumbsy.

        Yes the screen is nice and clear, and easier to lug around, but I still find that I have to hold it up to my nose to see details, especially when playing things like Zelda
    • If you want to play GB and GBC games, do not get a Micro! It only fits carts for a GBA and cannot play the older ones.

      The downside to the SP though is you need either a converter or special headphones because they put a weird headphone port on it.
      • I usually play with the sound off (on the bus or subway) and a radio/ipod, so that's no biggie.

        I like the NES controller design of the old gen SP... any insight on the frontlit version versus the new backlit one?

    • Re:question. (Score:4, Informative)

      by Michalson ( 638911 ) on Thursday February 09, 2006 @12:03PM (#14678673)
      Comparison of the three GBA systems being sold:

      SP Old (frontlit screen)
      SP New (backlit screen)
      Micro

      -Both SPs can play Gameboy and Gameboy Color games, the Micro can't.

      -The Micro has a smaller screen, but this is not a problem unless you are blind. The screen is very sharp making text easy to read. If you've got a high resolution Palm handheld, compare with that. The Micro screen is practically a 240x160 cutout.

      -Cables for the SP won't work with the Micro (including the link cable and gamecube cable)

      -The SP requires a seperately purchased adapter to plug in ear phones, and the adapter uses up the port used for the recharging cable.

      -All models have a user replaceable battery that is cheaply available.

      -The SP New and Micro have backlit screens, making them much brighter.

      -The Micro has 5 brightness levels, the SP New has 2, and the SP Old lets you turn the light off completely. The lowest brightness on the SP New and Micro is still brighter then the SP Old (the brightest setting is used for signally ships)

      -The SP old technically has the longest battery life, since the light can be turned off. Under normal conditions they all have about the same battery life, though cranking up the brightness will shorten the Micro and SP New's life.

      -The SP New and Micro's backlit screen is great indoors, however in direct sunlight the backlit screen is washed out (like most laptops). The SP Old's frontlit screen however works just fine in sunlight (you can even turn off the backlight, with enough natural light you can't even tell if it is on or not). This is perhaps the one reason to get the older SP, as it makes a huge difference for outdoor play.

      -The SP New screen runs at 50hz instead of 60hz. It has been reported that already bright colors, especially red, create a slight blur when moving quickly across the screen. This is not a major hangup (like LCD refresh rates, it depends on the person if they even notice it)

      -The SP shoulder buttons work simply by pressing in. The Micro's shoulder buttons are a bit of a shock, because they only work if you press down on the inside (more like a SNES controller)

      -The Micro's D-Pad and A/B buttons are more squishy, like a NES or SNES controller, while the SP has a springy digitial "click" response (you can clearly feel and even hear them making contact, and they push back up)

      -All three are pocketable, however the Micro, due to being smaller both volume wise and in form factor, is better at this. The SP feels like carrying around a fat wallet, while the Micro feels like a small candybar cellphone.

      Overall:

      If you want to play GB or GBC games, get an SP New

      If you want to play outdoors a lot, get an SP Old

      If you want the best system to just pull out of your pocket and play (and put it back in and forget it's there), get a Micro
      • Awesome resource on GBA info. Thank you.

        The info being presented currently points me in the direction of a SP old. I play on oddly lit subways, and buses that have large windows. I am already used to playing on a GBC utilizing the aforementioned light sources... and not being able to turn off the backlight doesn't exactly sound good to me. Looks like I should buy the NES-styled SP old for $60 at the local EB.

      • 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.

  • 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

  • Not surprised (and one big thing) (Score:4, Interesting)

    by RyoShin ( 610051 ) <tukaro@[ ]il.com ['gma' in gap]> on Thursday February 09, 2006 @10:33AM (#14677415) Homepage Journal
    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.
    • I don't really think that the FCC needs to see a nice and slick model, just a proof of concept sort of thing. It does look pretty crappy though.
    • You change the brightness from the setup screen. I read it in the user manual at the fcc page.
    • It's called the "DS Lite" partly because you can change the brightness of the screen through a switch, right?


      That'd be the "DS LIGHT." Lite doesn't have anything to do with the brightness of a screen. It's called the DS Lite because of its smaller form factor.

    • 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?

      It could work the same way it does on the GB Micro. To adjust the backlight on the micro, you hold down the left shoulder button and use the volume control to turn up or down the brightness.

  • 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...
  • 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
    • It seems to me that you are not focused on the games and gameplay. If you want to look sexy in front of the ladies you want to meet, hanging out at the corner with a handheld playing games will most likely NOT bag you some girls. If you buy consoles and handhelds for looks and style, you are in the WRONG part of town, my friend.
    • Poor quality materials? All of my old Nintendo systems still work. Even the venerable NES still comes on after all these years with just the tiniest bit of effort. My Super NES is missing chunks of the plastic casing from being repeatedly dropped on the floor and I've yet to have problem 1 with it. Even my old brick-style Game Boy works, and I know that's been dropped on the floor and had various liquids spilled on it. Regardless of how 'pretty' you think their systems are, they're some of the most durable
    • Wow, somebody put all their FUD for the day in one post...

      There is really only one Nintendo system that "looks" "kiddie", and that would be the original GBA. But if you think "sexy" equals "size of a mid-tower PC", then you might just want to stick with your Xbox or whatever.

      Also, over a period of 20 years, I've only seen three Nintendo products break of their own accord, two of those were well-worn controllers, and the other was the lens of a first-gen Gamecube (under warranty, btw). My original toaste

    • Yeah Sony has never had problems with bending/twisting their products. >>Also, as for the UMD drive problems, some have reported the drive not closing completely, and the UMD, when the PSP is twisted, actually flies out! (http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=4010 [gamesarefun.com])

    • 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 [ytmnd.com] (and the YTMND fad it spawned [ytmnd.com]). 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

    • Fit and finish on a PSP??? It may be a pretty mix of black and clear, it may have a _very_ nice screen, but... fit and finish??? The same system where thousands of them have buttons that don't come back up if you press them a certain way? The same that can simply spit the game disc out if you get a little excited trying to steer in gta like your dad leaning to avoid bullets in doom?

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