Note that some Nintendo DSi games bought outside the PAL region may not be playable on a Nintendo 3DS from the PAL region. If the game supports wireless communications, you will also be able to connect to other people, whether they are playing the game on a Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi.
.: November 21, 2004.: December 2, 2004.: February 24, 2005.: March 11, 2005 Retail availability Original: 2004–2007 Overall: 2004–2013 Discontinued 2013 Units sold All models combined 154.02 million worldwide (as of June 30, 2016 ) Media, Two processors Memory 4 MB Storage 256 KB flash memory Display Two, 256 × 192 pixels Connectivity (802.11b, WEP) Online services, 30.80 million (as of September 30, 2016 ) Predecessor Successor The Nintendo DS, or simply DS, is a dual-screen developed and released. The device went on sale in on November 21, 2004.
The DS, short for 'Developers' System' or 'Dual Screen', introduced distinctive new features to handheld gaming: two screens working in tandem (the bottom one featuring a ), a built-in, and support for. Both screens are encompassed within a design similar to the. The Nintendo DS also features the ability for multiple DS consoles to directly interact with each other over within a short range without the need to connect to an existing wireless network.
Alternatively, they could interact online using the now-defunct service. Its main competitor was Sony's as part of the. It was likened to the from the 1990s, which led to several N64 ports such as and, among others. Prior to its release, the Nintendo DS was marketed as an experimental, 'third pillar' in Nintendo's console lineup, meant to complement the Game Boy Advance. However, with Game Boy Advance titles and strong sales ultimately established it as the successor to the Game Boy series.
On March 2, 2006, Nintendo launched the, a slimmer and lighter redesign of the original Nintendo DS with brighter screens. On November 1, 2008, Nintendo released the, another redesign with several hardware improvements and new features.
All Nintendo DS models combined have sold 154.02 million units, making it the best selling handheld game console to date, and the second of all time behind Sony's. The was succeeded by the in 2011, which maintains backward compatibility with nearly all Nintendo DS software.
Contents. History Development Development on the Nintendo DS began around mid-2002, following an original idea from former Nintendo president about a dual-screened console.
On November 13, 2003, Nintendo announced that it would be releasing a new game product in 2004. The company did not provide many details, but stated it would not succeed the. On January 20, 2004, the console was announced under the codename 'Nintendo DS'. Nintendo released only a few details at that time, saying that the console would have two separate, 3-inch display panels, separate processors, and up to 1 gigabit (128 Megabytes) of semiconductor memory. Nintendo president said, 'We have developed Nintendo DS based upon a completely different concept from existing game devices in order to provide players with a unique entertainment experience for the 21st century.' He also expressed optimism that the DS would help put Nintendo back at the forefront of innovation and move away from the conservative image that has been described about the company in years past. In March 2004, a document containing most of the console's technical specifications was leaked, also revealing its internal development name, 'Nitro'.
In May 2004, the console was shown in prototype form at, still under the name 'Nintendo DS'. On July 28, 2004, Nintendo revealed a new design that was described as 'sleeker and more elegant' than the one shown at E3 and announced Nintendo DS as the device's official name.
Following lukewarm GameCube sales, stressed the importance of its success to the company's future, making a statement which can be translated from Japanese as, 'If the DS succeeds, we will rise to heaven, but if it fails we will sink to hell.' Launch President Iwata referred to Nintendo DS as 'Nintendo's first hardware launch in support of the basic strategy 'Gaming Population Expansion' because the touch-based device 'allows users to play intuitively'. On September 20, 2004, Nintendo announced that the Nintendo DS would be released in North America on November 21, 2004 for 149.99. It was set to release on December 2, 2004 in Japan (¥15000); on February 24, 2005 in Australia ($199.95); and on March 11, 2005 in Europe (£99.99/€149.99).
The console was released in North America with a midnight launch event at Universal CityWalk EB Games in. The console was launched quietly in Japan compared to the North America launch; one source cites the cold weather as the reason. Regarding the European launch, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said this: Europe is an extremely important market for Nintendo, and we are pleased we can offer such a short period of time between the US and European launch. We believe that the Nintendo DS will change the way people play video games and our mission remains to expand the game play experience. Nintendo DS caters for the needs of all gamers whether for more dedicated gamers who want the real challenge they expect, or the more casual gamers who want quick, pick up and play fun. North America and Japan The DS was launched in North America for 149.99 on November 21, 2004; in Japan for 15,000 on December 2 in the color 'Titanium'.
Well over three million preorders were taken in North America and Japan; preorders at online stores were launched on November 3, and ended the same day as merchants had already sold their allotment. Initially Nintendo planned to deliver one million units combined at the North American and Japanese launches; when it saw the preorder numbers, it brought another factory online to ramp up production. Nintendo originally slated 300,000 units for the U.S.
Debut; 550,000 were shipped, and just over 500,000 of those sold through in the first week. Later in 2005, the for the Nintendo DS was dropped to US$129.99. Both launches proved to be successful, but Nintendo chose to release the DS in North America prior to Japan, a first for a hardware launch from the -based company. This choice was made to get the DS out for the largest shopping day of the year in the U.S. (the day after Thanksgiving, also known as ').
Perhaps partly due to the release date, the DS met unexpectedly high demand in the United States, selling 1 million units by December 21, 2004. By the end of December, the total number shipped worldwide was 2.8 million, about 800,000 more than Nintendo's original forecast. At least 1.2 million of them were sold in the U.S. Some industry reporters are referred to it as 'the of 2004'. In June 2005, Nintendo informed the press that a total of 6.65 million units had been sold worldwide. A Nintendo DS, skinned in blue. As is normal for electronics, some were reported as having problems with in either of the two screens.
Return policies for displays vary between manufacturers and regions, however in North America, Nintendo has chosen to replace a system with fixed pixels only if the owner claims that it interferes with their gaming experience. There are currently two exchange programs in place for North America. In the first, the owner of the defective DS in question must provide a valid credit card number and, afterwards, Nintendo will ship a new DS system to the owner with shipping supplies to return the defective system. In the second, the owner of the defective DS in question must ship their system to Nintendo for inspection. After inspection, Nintendo technicians will either ship a replacement system or fix the defective system. The first option allows the owner to have a new DS in 3–5 business days. Multiple games were released alongside the DS during its North American launch on November 21, 2004.
At launch there was one pack-in demo, in addition to the built-in program: Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt (published by Nintendo and is a demo for, a game released in March 2006). At the time of the 'Electric Blue' DS launch in June 2005, Nintendo bundled the system with Super Mario 64 DS. In Japan, the games were released at same time as the system's first release (December 2, 2004). In the launch period, The Prince of Tennis 2005 -Crystal Drive- and were released. Europe The DS was released in on March 11, 2005 for 149. A small supply of units were available prior to this in a package with a promotional 'VIP' T-shirt, a demo, and a pre-release version of, through the; the bundle was priced at 129.99 for the and 189.99 for the rest of Europe, plus 1,000 of Nintendo's 'star' loyalty points (to cover postage).
As of 23 January 2006, 1 million DS units had been sold in Europe, setting a sales record for a handheld console. The European release of the DS, like the U.S., was originally packaged with a demo. The European packaging for the console is noticeably more 'aggressive' than that of the U.S./Japanese release. The European game cases are additionally about 1/4 inch thicker than their North American counterparts and transparent rather than solid black. Inside the case there is room for one game pak and a DS card with the instructions on the left side of the case. Australia and New Zealand The DS launched in and on February 24, 2005.
It retailed in Australia for 199 and in New Zealand for 249. Like the North American launch, it includes the demo. The first week of sales for the system broke Australian launch sales records for a console, with 19,191 units sold by the 27th. China 'iQue DS', the official name of the Chinese Nintendo DS, was released in on July 23, 2005. The price of the iQue DS was 980 (roughly US$130) as of April 2006. This version of the DS includes updated firmware to block out use of the PassMe device, along with the new Red DS.
Chinese launch games were Zhi Gan Yi Bi ( ) (Nintendo/iQue) and Momo Waliou Zhizao ( ) (Nintendo/iQue). Games available on launch Title North America Japan Europe Australia and N.Z. Main article: As of March 31, 2016, all Nintendo DS models combined have sold 154.02 million units, making it the best selling handheld game console to date, and the second of all time. Legacy The success of the DS paved the way for its successor, the, a handheld gaming console with a similar dual-screen setup which can display images on the top screen in stereoscopic 3D. On January 29, 2014, Nintendo announced that Nintendo DS games would be added to the Virtual Console, with the first game, being released in Japan on June 3, 2014.
Main article: Nintendo DS games use a proprietary in their game cards. The mask ROM chips are manufactured by Macronix and have an access time of 150. Cards range from 8–512 (64 to 4 ) in size (although data on the maximum capacity has not been released). Larger cards have a 25% slower data transfer rate than more common smaller cards.
The cards usually have a small amount of or an to save user data such as game progress or high scores. However, there are few games that have no save memory, such as.
The game cards are 35 mm × 33 mm × 3.8 mm (1.38 in × 1.30 in × 0.15 in) (about half the width and depth of Game Boy Advance cartridges) and weigh around 3.5 g ( 1⁄ 8 oz). Hardware.
Stylus for the DS Lite. The Nintendo DS design resembles that of the multi-screen games from the line, such as and, which was also made by Nintendo. The lower display of the Nintendo DS is overlaid with a touchscreen designed to accept input from the included, the user's fingers, or a curved plastic tab attached to the optional wrist strap. The touchscreen lets users interact with in-game elements more directly than by pressing buttons; for example, in the included chatting software, the is used to write messages or draw. The handheld features four lettered buttons (X, Y, A, B), a directional pad, and Start, Select, and Power buttons. On the top of the device are two shoulder buttons, a game card slot, a stylus holder and a power cable input.
The bottom features the Game Boy Advance game card slot. The overall button layout resembles that of the controller. When using backward compatibility mode on the DS, buttons X and Y and the touchscreen are not used as the Game Boy Advance line of systems do not feature these controls.
It also has speakers providing (depending on the software) located on either side of the upper display screen. This was a first for a Nintendo handheld, as the of systems had only supported stereo sound through the use of headphones or external speakers. A built-in microphone is located below the left side of the bottom screen. It has been used for a variety of purposes, including, chatting online between and during gameplay sessions, and that require the player to blow or shout into it. The (: ニンテンドーDS Lite) is the first redesign of the Nintendo DS. While retaining the original model's basic characteristics, it features a sleeker appearance, and brighter screens. Nintendo considered a larger model of the Nintendo DS Lite for release, but decided against it as sales of the original redesign were still strong.
It was the final DS to have backwards compatibility with Game Boy Advance games. As of March 31, 2014, shipments of the DS Lite have reached 93.86 million units worldwide, according to Nintendo. The ( DSi LL in Japan) is a larger design of the Nintendo DSi, and the first model of the Nintendo DS family of consoles to be a size variation of a previous one. It features larger screens with wider view angles, improved battery life, and a greater overall size than the original DSi. While the original DSi was specifically designed for individual use, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata suggested that DSi XL buyers give the console a 'steady place on a table in the living room', so that it might be shared by multiple household members.
Technical specifications Mass Dimensions Display CPU RAM Input Voltage Battery Storage Wireless connectivity 275 g (9.7 oz) 148.7 mm wide × 84.7 mm deep × 28.9 mm high (5.85 in. × 1.13 in.) Two screens: 62 mm × 46 mm (2.4 in × 1.8 in), 77 mm (3.0 in) diagonal, 0.24 mm, (262,144 colors), 21 mm gap between screens (≈92 lines). 256 × 192 Two processors:.
32 bit main CPU; 67 MHz clock speed. Processes gameplay mechanisms and video rendering. 32 bit TDMI coprocessor; 33 MHz clock speed. Processes sound output, Wi-Fi support and takes on second-processor duties in Game Boy Advance mode 4 MB PSRAM (expandable via the Game Boy Advance slot, only officially used by the ). Power button.
8 digital buttons. D-pad. (lower screen only). Microphone 1.65 v Rechargeable 850 mAh. Main article: The Rumble Pak was the first official expansion slot accessory. In the form of a Game Boy Advance cartridge, the Rumble Pak vibrates to reflect the action in compatible games, such as when the player bumps into an obstacle or loses a life. It was released in North America and Japan in 2005 bundled with.
In Europe, it was first available with the game, and later Metroid Prime Pinball. The Rumble Pak was also released separately in those regions. Headset The Nintendo DS Headset is the official headset for the Nintendo DS. It plugs into the headset port (which is a combination of a standard 3.5 mm (1/8 in) headphone connector and a proprietary microphone connector) on the bottom of the system.
It features one earphone and a microphone, and is compatible with all games that use the internal microphone. It was released alongside in Japan, North America, and Australia. Main article: On February 15, 2006, Nintendo announced a version of the web browser for the DS system. The browser can use one screen as an overview, a zoomed portion of which appears on the other screen, or both screens together to present a single tall view of the page. The browser went on sale in Japan and Europe in 2006, and in North America on June 4, 2007. Browser operation requires that an included memory expansion pak is inserted into the GBA slot.
The DSi has an internet browser available for download from the Nintendo DSi shop for free. Wi-Fi USB Connector. Main article: This USB-flash-disk-sized accessory plugs into a PC's port and creates a miniature /, allowing a Wii and up to five Nintendo DS units to access the service through the host computer's Internet connection. When tried under and, it acts as a regular wireless adapter, connecting to wireless networks, an LED blinks when there is data being transferred. There is also a hacked driver for Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10 to make it function the same way. The Wi-Fi USB Connector was discontinued from retail stores.
MP3 Player. Main article: The Nintendo MP3 Player (a modified version of the device known as the Play-Yan in Japan) was released on December 8, 2006 by Nintendo of Europe at a retail price of £29.99/€30. The add-on uses removable cards to store MP3 audio files, and can be used in any device that features support for cartridges; however, due to this, it is limited in terms of its user-interface and functionality, as it does not support using both screens of the DS simultaneously, nor does it make use of its touch-screen capability.
It is not compatible with the DSi, due to the lack of the GBA slot, but the DSi includes a music player via SD card. Although it stated on the box that it is only compatible with the, Nintendo DS and, it is also compatible with the.
Guitar grip controller The Guitar grip controller comes packaged with the game and is plugged into the GBA game slot. It features four colored buttons like the ones found on regular guitar controllers for the stationary consoles, though it lacks the fifth orange button found on the guitar controllers. The DS controller comes with a small 'pick-stylus' (which is shaped like a guitar pick, as the name suggests) that can be put away into a small slot on the controller. It also features a hand strap. The game works with both the DS Lite and the original Nintendo DS as it comes with an adapter for the original DS.
The Guitar Grip also works with its sequels,. Software and features Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
The examples and perspective in this section deal primarily with North America and do not represent a of the subject. You may, discuss the issue on the, or, as appropriate.
( February 2011) Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection was a free online game service run by Nintendo. Players with a compatible Nintendo DS game could connect to the service via a network using a or a. The service was launched in North America on November 14, 2005 with the release of. Various online games and a web browser were released afterwards, with Nintendo later believing that the online platform's success directly propelled the commercial success of the entire Nintendo DS platform.
The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection served as part of the basis of what would become the Wii. Most functions (for games on both the DS and Wii consoles) were discontinued worldwide on May 20, 2014. Download Play.
See also: With Download Play, it is possible for users to play games with other Nintendo DS systems, and later Nintendo 3DS systems, using only one game card. Players must have their systems within wireless range (up to approximately 65 feet) of each other for the guest system to download the necessary data from the host system. Download Play is also utilized to migrate from fourth generation games into the fifth generation, an example of a task requiring two different game cards, two handheld units, but only one player. Some Nintendo DS retailers featured that allowed users to download demos of current and upcoming DS games; however, due to memory limitations, the downloads were erased once the system was powered off.
The Download Station was made up of 1 to 8 standard retail DS units, with a standard DS card containing the demo data. On May 7, 2008, Nintendo released the for download on the Wii. The Nintendo Channel used WiiConnect24 to download Nintendo DS demos through it. From there, a user can select the demo he/she wishes to play and, similar to the Nintendo DS Download Stations at retail outlets, download it (until the user turns off the console) to their DS. Multi-Card Play Multi-Card Play, like Download Play, allows users to play multiplayer games with other Nintendo DS systems. In this case, each system requires a game card. This mode is accessed from an in-game menu, rather than the normal DS menu.
PictoChat. Main article: PictoChat allows users to communicate with other Nintendo DS users within local wireless range. Users can enter text (via an on screen keyboard), handwrite messages or draw pictures (via the stylus and touchscreen). There are four chatrooms (A, B, C, D) in which people can go to chat. Up to sixteen people can connect in any one room. On Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite systems, users can only write messages in black. However, in the DSi and DSi XL, there is a function that allows the user to write in any colour from a rainbow spectrum.
PictoChat was not available for the subsequent Nintendo 3DS series of systems. Firmware Nintendo's own boots the system. A health and safety warning is displayed first, then the main menu is loaded. The main menu presents the player with four main options to select: play a DS game, use PictoChat, initiate DS Download Play, or play a Game Boy Advance game. The main menu also has secondary options such as turning on or off the back light, the system settings, and an alarm. The firmware also features a clock, several options for customization (such as boot priority for when games are inserted and GBA screen preferences), and the ability to input user information and preferences (such as name, birthday, favorite color, etc.) that can be used in games. Hacking and homebrew.
Main article: Since the release of the Nintendo DS, a great deal of hacking has occurred involving the DS's fully rewritable firmware, Wi-Fi connection, game cards that allow SD storage, and software use. There are now many emulators for the DS, as well as the NES, SNES, Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive, Neo-Geo Pocket, Neo-Geo MVS (arcade), and older handheld consoles like the Game Boy Color. There are a number of cards which either have built-in flash memory, or a slot which can accept an SD, or MicroSD (like the, and ) cards. These cards typically enable DS console gamers to use their console to play MP3s and videos, and other non-gaming functions traditionally reserved for separate devices. In South Korea, many video game consumers exploit illegal copies of video games, including for the Nintendo DS. In 2007, 500,000 copies of DS games were sold, while the sales of the DS hardware units was 800,000. Another modification device called, manufactured by the company Datel, is a device which allows the user to input cheat codes that allows it to hack games, granting the player infinite, access to any part of the game, infinite in game currency, the ability to walk through walls, and various other abilities depending on the game and code used.
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Nintendo DSi Multi Game Cartridge UK UK DS Multi Cart. Load Up your Are you a fan of Nintendo games?Would you like to play a variety of Nintendo DS, NES, GameBoy and GB Color games and not shell out a lot of money in doing so? You can check out Nintendo DS multi-carts. Their Multiple game cartridge will be your first and your last because you need not buy another when you can easily select and add all the games you like on one cart. This is also made possible because you can remotely customize a blank DS cartridge in factory and choose the games that you would like to include in it.
In a reputable store selling NDS multi carts, you can buy your. Then, it is also at the online store where you can compile all the games that you want. It will be such a good choice because it has a large database for Nintendo games, from the oldest to the latest games. When you have finished your compilation, all the games will be burned to your custom DS cartridge and this will then be shipped to you.
It is this easy to prepare your source of entertainment. When you feel bored with one game already, you can still go to the same site and rearrange the contents of your multi-cart. After doing so, you can continue with your game once again. Aside from playing in your Nintendo DS console, you can also play in the website. The only requirement that you need to comply with is for your computer to have Java. You can play the demos that are available online by using an emulator demo multi-cart ROM for VGBA. You can also use the PC-GBA emulator.
With the demos, you can try the games and be able to make up your mind as to what you will include in your DS / cartridge.