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Nintendo DS
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==Design and specifications== ===Technology=== The handheld unit has a mass of approximately 275 grams. It features two separate 3-inch TFT LCD screens, each with a resolution of 256 x 192. The lowermost display of the DS is overlayed with a touch screen, utilizing a stylus or the user's fingers, a first for a games console. The DS has a wrist strap that doubles as a thumb cover for use in place of a stylus. The console uses two separate ARM processors, an ARM9 main CPU and ARM7 coprocessor at clock speeds of 67 MHz and 33 MHz respectively, with 4 MB of main memory. The system's [[3D]] engine is theoretically capable of drawing 120,000 polygons per second, with a fill-rate of 30 million [[pixel]]s per second. Games utilize a proprietary solid state flash card format resembling the [[memory card]]s used in other portable electronic devices such as digital cameras; this semiconductor technology is said to be far cheaper than conventional cartridges and can be used within a system without moving parts to jar out of place when dropped. It is currently capable of supporting cards of up to 1 gigabit (128 MB) in size. The unit features wireless networking capabilities for multiplayer games or chat using [[Wi-Fi]]. The current software does not use IP, therefore preventing Internet play features and use of Wi-Fi routers with the DS. Future online games will presumably implement an IP stack to make their online game modes possible. ===Inputs and outputs=== The DS is the first portable console from Nintendo to incorporate stereo speakers. In addition to the touch screen, the DS has, to the left of the lower display, a traditional four-way control pad (with a narrow Power button above it), while to the right are four action buttons (with narrow Select and Start buttons above) A B Y X, following in the footsteps of the [[SNES]] controller. On the back there are the L (Left) and R (Right) buttons, also following the style of the SNES [[controller]]. Perhaps the most innovative use of the [[touch screen]] is for the emulation of other controls. For example, with use of the previously mentioned "thumb stylus", it can emulate an analog joystick, or with the conventional stylus, its behavior can replicate a [[computer mouse]]. The system also includes a built-in microphone. While it has only been used for simple volume measurements, Nintendo has suggested will be used for communication over a wireless network and controlling games programmed for speech recognition. ===Operating system=== Nintendo's own custom [[firmware]] boots the system: from here, the user chooses to run a DS or [[Game Boy Advance]] game, use [[PictoChat]], or search for downloadable games. The latter is an adaptation of the [[Game Boy Advance]]'s popular "single cartridge multiplayer" feature, adapted to support the system's Wi-Fi link capabilities: players without the game search for content, while players with the game broadcast it. In November 2004, Nintendo announced its entry into the feature animation business, suggesting that theaters showing these features could install kiosks to broadcast game content to Nintendo DS units via this same feature. In March 2005, Nintendo tested broadcast kiosks in Japan, allowing players to download a demo of ''[[Meteos]]'' or extra songs for ''[[Daigasso: Band Brothers]]''. (A similar download kiosk was at Nintendo's booth at [[E3]] [[2005]], and had downloadable demos and trailers.). On [[February 9]] at the [[DICE 2006]] summit, Nintendo announced that the wireless broadcast kiosks will be introduced in North America, allowing players to access demos, videos and trailers. The [[PictoChat]] program, which is permanently stored on the unit, allows users to communicate with other DS users over the wireless network by text, handwriting, or drawings, using the DS's touch screen and stylus for input; an on-screen keyboard partially covers the touch-sensitive area while using this mode, allowing for typed, as well as written, messages. The DS's main menu also features an alarm clock and the ability to set preferences for boot priority (booting to games when inserted, or always booting to the main menu), GBA game screen usage (top or bottom), and user information (name, date of birth, favorite color, time, etc.). There is currently an ongoing project aiming to bring the [[Linux]] operating system to the DS [http://www.dslinux.org]. As of May 2005, this project had successfully mounted a [[Linux]]-based kernel and the sash shell. ===Compatibility=== Initially, the console was reported to be incompatible with games designed for Nintendo's present [[Game Boy Advance]] (GBA) handheld, but details announced at the [[E3]] trade show in Los Angeles in May 2004 revealed the opposite; while the new DS cartridges are smaller and fit in their own port, the machine has a separate cartridge port accepting Game Boy Advance games (including [[Majesco]]'s [[Game Boy Advance Video]]s), although [[Game Boy Color]] and original [[Game Boy]] games are incompatible with the DS, due to a slightly different form factor and its lack of the [[Z80]] processor used in these systems. This may be an attempt to separate the DS and Nintendo's established Game Boy line of handheld consoles; the GBA, for example, included the aging processor primarily to run legacy Game Boy games. It may also simply be to keep the DS's price down; including another chipset would likely have significantly added to the cost of producing the unit. Though the DS no longer has the Z80 processor, several projects have started to [[emulation|emulate]] this platform. One such product is the freely available [[Goomba]] emulator[http://www.webpersona.com/goomba/]. The handheld does not have a port for the GBA Link Cable, so multiplayer or GBA-[[GameCube]] link-up modes are not available in GBA titles. Similar connectivity, using the DS's wireless capabilities, will, however, be implemented in the GameCube's succesor, [[Wii]]. It was officially announced with the game, [[Pokémon Battle Revolution]], which can connect to the DS games, [[Pokémon Diamond and Pearl]]. ===Accessories=== Although the secondary port on the Nintendo DS does accept and support Game Boy Advance cartridges, Nintendo has emphasized that its main intention for its inclusion was to allow a wide variety of accessories to be released for the system, the compatibility to Game Boy Advance titles being only a logical complementation due to the similar architecture of the two systems. Theorized accessories include GPS receivers or television tuners, as well as a variety of accessories already included in certain Game Boy Advance cartridges such as tilt-sensors, solar-sensors, and vibration generators. The vibration generator has been said to have appeared with the E3 demo of Metroid Pinball. Nintendo has released the [[Play-Yan]], an adaptor which will allow the Game Boy Advance SP and Nintendo DS to play MPEG-4 videos and MP3 music from SD memory cards. The adaptor bears a superficial resemblance to the AM3 player (which allowed playback of pre-recorded movie files from read-only memory cards on a GBA); the memory card slots into the right hand side of the adaptor, which then plugs into the cartridge slot of the parent console. The adaptor has its own integrated headphone port, but uses the parent console's power supply, controls, and display. It is estimated that it will offer over 15 hours of MP3 playback and 4 hours of MPEG-4 playback from a fully-charged GBA SP. The adaptor will launch in Japan in February of 2005 for approximately 5,000 yen ($47.47). As of [[2004]], Nintendo did not announce plans to sell the unit outside of Japan. ===Wi-Fi Connection=== :''Main article: [[Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection]]'' To bring the DS online, Nintendo unveiled the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Users at public venues, such as coffee shops and libraries can connect at designated hotspots (such as WiFi enabled McDonalds) to connect online. Users at home can connect to the Wi-Fi Connection with most home wireless router or through Nintendo's USB Wi-Fi Adapter. Titles currently using for such online compatibility include ''[[Animal Crossing: Wild World]]'', ''[[Mario Kart DS]]'', and ''[[Tony Hawk's American Sk8land]]''. In March 2006, Japan got an online RPG, ''[[Contact]]'', in addition to ''[[Tetris DS]]'' and ''[[Metroid Prime: Hunters]]''. As of August 2008, all three have been released outside of Japan.
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