Nintendo DS Briefing

The Nintendo DS promises to be one of the most innovative systems to ever be released, and with Nintendo's Strong support over the system, it seems that it will indeed be a smash hit. I will give a quick run down of the Nintendo DS, talk about its specifications as well as the many possibilities this system has.

I guess I will start off with the basics of the Nintendo DS. If you don't know anything about this system, this will be a quick introduction, that should get you caught up.
The Nintendo DS is a new portable system made by Nintendo that will be released in the next few months around the world. The system will have two screens. That is what the "DS" stands for, Dual Screens. This will give many possibilities for games, as well as the many other features this system offers.

The Screens:
Since there are two screens on this system, there are many possibilities. Both screens are backlit, so don't worry about being able to see the screens in the dark. Since there are 2 screens there are many new possibilities.  Imagine playing a racing game where one screen is your race car and the other is your rear view mirror. Or you're playing an adventure/RPG game, and one screen is has your mighty hero's, while the other screen contains your inventory, or a map of the world. Having two screens adds many new possibilities not yet seen in the gaming world.

Touch Screen:
That's right! The bottom screen is a touch screen. You will get a stylus pen, this pen with allow you too do many things. There are already a game being developed that with use this pen, its a surgery game. Use the pen as a scalpel and operate on your patient.

Wireless:
This bad boy is wireless. Which means that whoever has one doesn't have to hook up cords to play games with each other. Also, the DS provides the possibility of a Wireless LAN Connection. This means that the DS has the potential to connect to other DS's, even if they are thousands of miles away. You could play your DS with a buddy half way across the country. Nintendo isn't pursuing this right now, but the possibility is there, a third party company may make this possible.

Picto-Chat:
What is Picto-Chat? Picto-Chat is a program Nintendo has included with the DS. This program lets you communicate with other DS's. You will not only be able to write to them wirelessly, you will also be able to draw to them. Remember the pen that is used with the touch screen, you can use it to draw pictures, and said them to other people.

Graphics:
The DS has better graphics than the Nintendo 64, which provides even more possibilities for games. These graphics make such effects as cel shading possible.

Sound:
16-channel sound. Which allows use of great music and voice. There is also a headphone jack which then allows stereo sound.

Power:
The Nintendo DS comes with a built in rechargeable battery. It is also a low power consumption machine. It also has features such as sleep and stand by mode to save even more power.

Other:
The DS has backward compatibility with Gameboy Advance games. Sorry, it doesn't play the old original Gameboy and Gameboy Color games.
The DS also has a microphone jack, which allows more interactivity with games as well as the possibility to chat with voice wirelessly to other DS's.

Games:
There are 120 Games in development for the Nintendo DS. 20 of which are made by Nintendo. Believe you me, the games that have are being made look awesome. I will give a quick list of some games I think will be awesome.

Super Mario 64 DS:
This game will bring back the great Super Mario 64 game, but with simultaneous multiplayer mode. Pick from Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, and Wario.

Animal Crossing DS:
That's right, for the fans of Animal Crossing for the Gamecube, here it is, available for the DS.

Goldeneye:
EA says it will be publishing this game, lets just hope they stick to the N64 version.

Mario Kart DS:
YES, YES, YES!!! I am so happy, I love Mario Karts. This one will be great, I just now it.

Metroid Prime: Hunters:
Do you like Metroid, then you should like this.

And More.

Opinion Time:
The Nintendo DS looks like it will indeed be a smash hit. When it was first revealed I think most people were thinking "I hope its not another Virtual Boy." In case you don't know what the Virtual Boy is, it has a Hand Held System Nintendo made a few years ago that failed MISERABLY. This seems not to be another fiasco. Nintendo seems to be supporting this system quite a bit, which it needs to succeed. Other companies seem to be supporting the DS as well, which makes the system even more likely to succeed. It has so many features and possibilities. This is only a quick briefing on the DS, there is so much more information on, it I will be writing a more in depth look at the system in the next few days. Only time can tell what will be of this system, lets just hope its a prosperous future.



Written By: Joey Anderson
Date Written: October 9th, 2004