Dual Screens Of Joy

When the Nintendo DS was released in Nov 2004 I have to admit I was confused. What would I do with two screens when I could barely handle one screen? I passed on it, writing it off as a Nintendo miscue that would be dead in a year, ala the Virtual Boy. Well 3 years and 65 million units shipped later I can admit I may have been slightly off.

Tech Specs

Mass: 9.7 ounces

Physical dimensions: 5.85 x 3.33 x 1.13 inches

Screens: Two separate 3-inch TFT LCD, resolution of 256 x 192 pixels. The lowermost display of the Nintendo DS is overlaid with a resistive touchscreen, which registers pressure from one point on the screen at a time, averaging multiple points of contact if necessary.

CPUs: Two ARM processors, an ARM946E-S main CPU and ARM7TDMI co-processor at clock speeds of 67 MHz and 33 MHz respectively.

RAM: 4 MB of Mobile RAM

Storage: 256 KB of Serial Flash Memory

Wireless: 802.11 + Nintendo Original Protocol

Wi-Fi: Built-in 802.11 Wireless Network Connection (802.11b compatible)

Battery Life - The DS features a Lithium Ion battery. When fully charged, which takes about an hour, you can expect about 7-10 hours of play. The exact amount depends on several factors. How loud is the sound, are any peripherals attached, and the big one, are you using back lighting.

All in all the battery life is about what you would expect from a device like this, although I wish it would last longer. There is a nice sleep mode when the DS is closed. The battery will last for days in sleep mode.

Backward Compatibility - One really cool feature is that the DS will play all your GBA games (not gameboy, or gameboy color, however). This means you have a built in library of hundreds and hundreds of games, that can't be a bad thing.

There are no dual screen enhancements to your existing games to speak of (I realize this would have been exceptionally difficult to the point of being a waste of time). One sometimes annoying thing is, if your playing a GBA game and you close the DS it does not go into sleep mode or turn off back lighting as it does when playing a DS game. This has resulted in dead a dead battery more than once for me, so be conscious of what type of game you are playing.

Wireless - No longer are our multiplayer desires tethered to the availability of a cable! Wireless is perhaps the most exciting feature of the platform. The built-in 802.11 Wireless Network Connection has good range, with a max of around 30-80 feet, depending on conditions.

The wireless is not just for multiplayer gaming either. You can chat with other DS users, and there is built in Wi-Fi as well. This means you have access to a large amount of content from Nintendo's Wi-fi Service. There is even a web browser.

Current Game Library - The library for the DS is as diverse as it is prolific. There is simply something for everyone. Are you a fan of Zelda,Mario and Pokemon? They're here in many different incarnations. Are you a fan of sports games? How about MLB, NHL, NBA and NFL, not to mention soccer, ice skating, golf, wrestling, boxing, tennis, and Elf Bowling. Yes, it has sports games covered.

Fans of RPGs are in for a treat as well! On the DS you'll find several incarnations of the immensely popular Final Fantasy series, Dragon Quest, Kingdom Hearts, Pokemon and a lot more!

One of the real draws of this platform are the nontraditional games. Some of the most fun you will have on the DS are the off-the-wall games. You'll find Brain Age, Brain Age 2, Nintendogs, Animal Crossing, Cooking Mama, Big Brain Academy, ElectroPlankton. Some hate this type of game, I love it.

In short, the game library has no holes in it. There is something for everyone. Even games that could be run of the mill on another system seem fresh when imbibed with the dual screen, touch screen, and even microphone functionality are included.

Future Game Library - If the DS never got a new game starting today it would still be worth having by a mile. We all know this isn't the case, as there are several exciting prospects on the horizon.

Who can wait to sink their teeth into a Sonic the Hedgehog RPG? There is a new Mario Party on the horizon. I'm personally looking forward to the Ninja Gaiden game coming soon. Apollo Justice looks promising, an incarnation of Assassin's Creed is coming as well. Professor Layton and the Curious Village is a game I am eager to try, and Brain Assist and Bubble Bobble: Double Shot both look great as well.

I could go on an on, but the point is the DS is going to have many more great games over the coming months and years.

Expandability - One of the most interesting thing I've read about the DS is that backwards compatibility was an afterthought. The designers knew they wanted a separate slot to be able to hook peripherals into, and since they were doing that anyway, they decided to make it a slot that would also take GBA games. This of course means we have the ability to see a real bonanza of cool peripherals for games.

We have not see a lot of that in the first 3 years of the platform, but as companies master all aspects of game design for the DS I think we'll see more of this.

Overall - I can not tell you how much I enjoy the DS. It's difficult to describe the use of the dual screens because they are used in such a variety of way in different games. I can tell you this, buy one. With the innovative design, the amazing library of existing and upcoming titles, the wireless, the touchscreen, you will have fun.