Nintendo DS System by Nintendo Reviewed by Retropyor (bobplate@hotmail.com) Released: Late 2004, November. Size (closed): 5.85" wide / 3.33" long / 1.13" tall Battery Life: Lithium ion battery delivering six to 10 hours of play on a four-hour charge, depending on use; power-saving sleep mode; AC adapter. Colors on-screen: Upper Screen: Backlit, 3-inch, semitransparent reflective TFT color LCD with 256x192 pixel resolution and .24 mm dot pitch. Touch Screen: Same as upper screen, but with transparent analog touch screen. Total Palette: Capable of displaying 260,000 colors at one time. CPU speed: One 32bit ARM9e and one 32bit ARM7e. Work RAM: Presumed to be 4MB. video RAM: Presumed to be 1MB Serial Communications Rate: 802.11b and a Nintendo Propriety formats. (Abbreviated as WiFi/NiFi) ROM Sizes: Up to 1gigabit currently. 1gb = 128MB Proposed sizes in the future will be as large as 256MB or 2gb. Firmware: Upgradeable, comes with 1.0 firmware for now. Use with: Nintendo DS, GBA, Nintendo DS Option Paks. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Opening Snide Remarks: Nintendo shows us a new way of playing games +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Impressions: I was one of the first people in San Antonio to buy this thing, and though it is still a long road, I wouldn't give it up. Upon first buying it, one of the first things I noticed was that it was heavy, and big. I mean, it was noticeably heavier and bigger than nearly any other handheld I've had. Not gargantuan in size, but still noticeable. Of course, the second thing I noticed were the two screens, and they are sharp. The top screen is absolutely beautiful, and the second screen, due to the touch screen aspect, seems a bit blurred, but you wouldn't notice it that much. It now has four face buttons, ABXY, as well as L and R, plus Start and Select, including a new Power Button on the unit. There's also a Mic, but few games utilize it. Perhaps when the DS goes online it will be more supported. There are now two stereo speakers on either side of the top screen, so games can be heard like they were meant to, and they sound great. The speakers are very loud and clear. On one front side of the unit are the volume slider, much like the GBA SP, a standard headphone jack, and a new microphone jack, possibly for an upcoming headset. There is also a slot called Slot-2, which is used now for mainly GBA games which play only on one screen, but there is strong hints that things like expansion packs and rumble features will be added through this slot. The back side of the unit contains a slot for a stylus, two of which come free with the DS, wrist strap attachment, DS game slot, and Charger port, although enterprising developers may find other uses for that lone port. The battery is rechargeable and user replaceable in case it gets damaged. There are two lights on the unit that indicate power and charging (GBASP type) as well as wireless communication, which blinks frequently when there's a connection, like a Laptop wireless card. The wireless function itself can communicate up to 200ft, or so says the manual. It depends on a lot of environmental factors, but really, it's a way of friends connecting without wires, and without having to be necessarily in the same room. Liked: Aside from all that (which I liked), I also liked the fact that the DS has four rubber "feet" on the underside of the unit, and that the hinge is strong enough to stand on it's own. This leads me to believe that Nintendo designed this to be played on a tabletop, although it functions perfectly as a portable if the user wanted it to. Hated: the face buttons are small. horribly small. They're a little smaller than the SP A and B buttons. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Improve: Bigger action buttons, smaller size, less weight. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Final Words: I recommend it if you're a portable freak like me. The touchscreen really makes games worlds better, and the wireless function is sure to enhance gameplay, especially once developers utilize it to access the internet and play people over the world. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Score: 99% (1% loss for buttons. The others I can live with, but I like my buttons spacing and size on my DMG Gameboy a lot more.) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Secrets: Not really secrets, but Pictochat makes a handy notepad.