Nintendo DS

Introduction

The Nintendo DS is a dual screen handheld console (pictured below).

The image to the left is the top LCD screen, and the image to the right is the bottom one. The bottom screen also serves as a touchscreen, which is used in conjunction with a stylus pen (pictured below)

Alongside it's touchscreen, the other stand out features of the Nintendo DS are wireless Wi-Fi support and a built in microphone. The name 'DS' is short for 'Dual Screen'. The console was first launched in North America in November 2004. And became the first Nintendo console to be released in North America before Japan. It was then released in Japan in December 2004, and Europe in March 2005.

The original DS has LCD screens measuring three inches in dimension, and have a resolution of 256 x 192 pixels. The DS is powered by two processors, which are built by ARM. The CPU's have been clocked at speeds of 67 MHz and 33 MHz. The more powerful CPU processes 3D data, whereas the other CPU processes 2D data. The total inbuilt memory ram is four megabytes, but an extra 256 kB of memory can be provided from a flash memory card. The DS supports Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 and is booted up using Nintendo's own firmware software. Finally, the DS has an inbuilt rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which can provide ten hours of gameplay from a full recharge.

The Nintendo DS has evolved since it's launch in 2004. The first improvement upon the original DS was the 'DS Lite'. The DS Lite, as the name suggests, was lighter than the original DS. It's dimensions were also slimmer. The DS Lite also includes a brighter LCD display, increased battery life and a slight realignment of a few buttons and power indicators. The latest update is the 'DSi', which is even thinner than the 'DS Lite'. It's screen size has been increased from 3 inches to 3.25 inches. There is also two 0.3 megapixels digital cameras built into the DSi. However, the battery life is lower than that of the DS lite. The fundamental technical specifications of the DS have also evolved. The DSi has sixteen megabytes of memory rather than the original four of the DS. The CPU speed has also increased to 132MHz.

Unlike other consoles, the DS is region free. This means you can purchase a Nintendo DS console or games, anywhere in the world, and they will be compatible. The only exception is China, who use a different firmware chip. The Chinese DS is capable of playing games bought in other regions, but a DS bought in another region cannot play a Chinese game. The DS can also play GameBoy Advance cartridges in it's slot 2. However, this slot has been removed from the new DSi console, therefore, GameBoy Advance cartridges are not supported by the Nintendo DSi.

The DS has proved wildly popular the world over. It's officially the top selling handheld console of all time. It claimed the record when it reached fifty million units shipped in 2007. As of writing this paragraph in 2009, the DS has recorded over one hundred million units sold. An estimated nine million of this figure were sold in the UK alone. These sales figures easily surpass that of the normal consoles, such as the Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360. And it goes to show how popular handheld media devices can be. Because, the DS is hardly cheap, retailing at £100.