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.

Can't wait!

[4D6963]

Yay! I'm so looking forward to watching HDTV programs on my DS's 256×192 screen! \o/

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[bluce]

Yay! I'm so looking forward to watching HDTV programs on my DS's 256×192 screen! \o/

All while talking on the phone! http://mobile.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/21/1451209 [slashdot.org]

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[Sketch]

Yay! I'm so looking forward to watching HDTV programs on my DS's 256×192 screen! \o/

All while talking on the phone! http://mobile.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/21/1451209 [slashdot.org]

Even better. Now when you're in Japan watching TV on your mobile phone (a fairly common feature there), you'll be able to make calls on your DS!

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[Simon (S2)]

This is just a dirty tactic to sell more copies of Eye Training!

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[nutshell42]

Yay! I'm so looking forward to watching HDTV programs on my DS's 256×192 screen! \o/

The touchscreen otoh could come in quite handy.

Combine most of the stuff that's on TV with punch the monkey and you have an instant win. =)

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[Yvan256]

Combine most of the stuff that's on TV with punch the monkey and you have an instant win. =)

You only win if you can punch the monkey.

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[Arccot]

Yay! I'm so looking forward to watching HDTV programs on my DS's 256×192 screen! \o/

Actually, your emoticon fits what you would have to do to reduce static if it read analog over the air signals. \o\ (lean left) for NBC, /o/ (lean right) for FOX, and \o/ (praise Jebus) for my local Christian broadcast channel.

So you're saying...

[TheVelvetFlamebait]

... I still wouldn't be able to make out Amy Wong's obscene tattoo?

Crap.

*eyes open*

[Amouth]

ok - that is just cool..

although you have to wonder what type of signals it gets

is it digital tv or just analog - or both?

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[ChillinInNagoya]

It's a digital 1-seg tuner, which just receives an unencrypted 320x240 version of the HDTV signal.

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[Amouth]

ok - i didn't see that mentinoed - and wasn't aware of how TV is brodcasted in Japan.. ty

Turbo Vision

[SlashdotOgre]

Still not as cool as a TurboGrafx Express [wikipedia.org] with TurboVision [studio42.info]. Too bad the damn thing sucked batteries down like you wouldn't believe (we're talking 3 hours on 6AA's!).

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[Fluffy Bunnies]

I had the tv tuner for Game Gear and your experience sounds very familiar. It was a cute toy, but ended up being practically useless. I see no reason why the tuner for DS, or the tuners in certain recent cell phones, would be any different.

Waiting on third party?

[MBraynard]

I don't see why a third party can't bring this.... or maybe a grey market version. Off to ebay!

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[ChillinInNagoya]

Maybe because it's a 1-seg tuner there are no 1-seg broadcasts outside of Japan. Why would you want it in the US or Europe if you can't even tune to any channels?

Then why not ATSC or DVB-T

[tepples]

Maybe because it's a 1-seg tuner there are no 1-seg broadcasts outside of Japan.

Then why isn't the PCB designed to take different decoders for different video standards? Or would an ATSC or DVB-T receiver just not fit inside a SLOT-2 accessory?

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[Mr. Roadkill]

I don't see why a third party can't bring this.... or maybe a grey market version. Off to ebay!

It goes in the back, so that makes it a Slot 1 cartridge. That means an unauthorised third-party device will need to use the same kind of trickery that Slot 1 flashcarts use - either exploiting some "defects" in the DS's bios, a'la Passme devices, or mimicking an actual DS cartridge through using copyrighted Nintendo boot codes. Nintendo are going to love that, and they're currently coming down on a number of fl

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[MBraynard]

Alternatively, you can just buy a TV around that size for around that price anyway.

Sega v. Accolade

[tepples]

That means an unauthorised third-party device will need to use the same kind of trickery that Slot 1 flashcarts use - either exploiting some "defects" in the DS's bios, a'la Passme devices, or mimicking an actual DS cartridge through using copyrighted Nintendo boot codes.

At least in the United States, the use of copyrighted Nintendo boot codes would be fair. Sega v. Accolade. This remains true even after the copyright amendments of 1998. Chamberlain v. Skylink and Lexmark v. Static Control.

Still waiting...

[Chris Pimlott]

I'm still waiting for the GPS adapter. The DS could make a killer GPS system...

(yes I'm aware of this hack [natrium42.com] but it's not exactly ready for prime time and doesn't seem to have come to much beyond the first announcement)

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[ToasterMonkey]

Where are you going to put the mapping data? I guess it could have a good sized flash chip built in, but then it still needs PC connectivity to get updates and load regional data. Then there's the extra PC (and hopefully Mac too) software you need to maintain to keep the thing updated. It could be done, but there's more to it than gluing an antenna to a DS.

It would be a great excuse to carry my DS everywhere, but there are already good, portable GPS units with touch screens, if that's what you're after.

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[Kris_J]

You can get flash card adapters for the DS. I have one that takes MicroSD cards and a matching 2 Gig card. If you don't mind a little bulk, CF adapters are available and they must be up to 16 Gig by now.

Torrent!!!

[xtracto]

Does anyone have the torrent which includes this new DS game??
I'd like to.. uhm... test it before I buy it, yeah.

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[tepples]

You don't need a torrent to download MoonShell and DPG Tools. They will work with your existing DS flash equipment and your existing captured or torrented TV shows.

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.

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[dancingmad]

I have one of those rotating screen phones, au's W52CA. The TV quality is actually quite good and like most phones like it, it came with headphones so it is quite possible to watch TV on it.

As for the DS, I only see kids playing DS (though when some of my middle school students found out I had one they busted their DSes out and begged me to trade Pokemon) in public, but obviously someone wants these TV tuner because they've sold like veritable hotcakes.

Game Gear

[madsenj37]

I had this 15 years ago on my game gear, no HDTV of course. Ah how tech goes full circle.

Simps-- I mean, Sega did it!

[Asmor]

I remember having a TV tuner for my game gear a long time ago.

Worked like shit, ut it worked.

Make it receive DVB-T

[Tolar]

I'll consider buying it if they bring out a DVB-T version in europe ;)